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☆ Newsletters are helping these companies save money and bring a personal touch into their marketing strategies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Erica Sweeney | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Small-business owners say email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach an audience. These growing companies share how they saved money and were able to make more personal connections through email marketing. According to eMarketer, 67% of marketing professionals are investing in email marketing, and 48% of millennial consumers prefer to receive deals from brands via email. It gives businesses a direct pipeline to their audienceCollecting customer information is one of the most valuable aspects of email marketing, McNair said. "If you're not doing email marketing, you're leaving really important money on the table."

☆ Alibaba tells investors its overhaul will make the business more 'agile' with market changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"We believe this will allow all of our businesses to become more agile, enhance their business decision-making, and respond faster to market changes," CEO Daniel Zhang told investors. "Alibaba Group will be in the nature of a holding company that is the controlling shareholder of the business group companies," Zhang said. When asked about the timeline of Alibaba's restructuring, Zhang said the "strategy and business planning for the business groups will commence immediately." CFO Tony Xu said separating Alibaba's entities would allow it to determine the performance of each business. "We believe that the market is the best litmus test so each business group company can pursue independent fundraising and IPOs as and when they are ready after going public," he said.

☆ Alibaba to decide on control over new business units after IPOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zhang's comments come two days after Alibaba announced its largest restructuring in the company's history, which will see it change into a holding company structure with six business units, each with their own boards and CEOs. The business units will have their own CEOs and boards, though Alibaba will retain seats on those boards in the short-term, Zhang added. Alibaba began laying the groundwork for the restructuring a few years ago, Zhang told investors during a conference call, adding the business units could pursue public listings on their own in the future. After these units go public, Alibaba "will continue to evaluate the strategic importance of these companies" and "will decide whether or not to continue to retain control," Alibaba CFO Toby Xu said on the call. Alibaba, however, will decide whether the group wants to keep strategic control of each unit after they go public, Xu said.

☆ Alibaba’s restructuring and Jack Ma’s homecoming are all part of China’s plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Ma is seen as a symbol of China’s tech industry and a barometer of the Chinese government’s support for private business. Alibaba’s restructuring is “part of [Beijing’s] strategy to shore up confidence in the private sector,” said Hong Hao, chief economist for Grow Investment Group. “[Alibaba’s restructuring plan] offers a way to limit monopoly power and platform sway,” Hong said. Unlocking valueInvestors and analysts have cheered Alibaba’s restructuring. Alibaba’s business will be split into six units: domestic e-commerce, international e-commerce, cloud computing, local services, logistics, and media and entertainment.

☆ Why big investors like Carlyle and Ares are zeroing in on Hollywood and sports deals — and driving private credit in media to new highs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

And Ares raised $3.7 billion for a fund last fall geared specifically toward sports, media, and entertainment investments across private debt and private equity. Unlike private equity investing, where managers take stakes in companies or buy them, private credit investors lend to businesses and make money on interest payments. (Private investment firm KKR's media, entertainment, and sports portfolio includes Insider parent company Axel Springer.) Carlyle's $146 billion credit arm has also provided capital to Clair, a media tech company that specializes in live production services and audio products. The strategists said driving that uptick are private credit defaults that include so-called softer forms of default, like breaching a loan's terms and conditions, along with private credit portfolio companies having generally lower ratings and less diversified businesses.

After a bank run of $42 billion in withdrawals, Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by regulators on Friday. The founders were banking at Silicon Valley Bank and wanted to switch banks immediately after being told by their venture investors that the bank was suffering from "liquidity issues." The go-to bank of Silicon ValleySilicon Valley Bank has been a pillar of the startup of ecosystem for four decades, acting as the go-to financial institution for VC fundraising and building strong ties with founders and investors alike. This helped bolster SVB's reputation as the go-to bank of Silicon Valley in the good times, but exacerbated the crisis when it hit Thursday and Friday. "If you're given responsibility to run this iconic Silicon Valley company, you need some humility."

Aluminium will be hardest hit with penal tariffs of 200% on imports of Russian metal, effective March 10, and imports of any third-country product containing Russian metal, effective April 10. This sort of "super contango" is the market's cry for financiers to pick up spare metal, particularly Russian metal. The Gwangyang deliveries are reported to be Russian aluminium being delivered by Glencore (GLEN.L), which has a long-term off-take deal with Rusal. The cash-to-threes time-spread will be a litmus test of financing appetite for Russian aluminium over the coming period. The only get-out for supplier nations is if they too impose minimum 200% tariffs on their own Russian aluminium imports.

☆ Factbox: The countries in the grip of debt crises
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Meetings being held in India will see top officials from the Group of 20 leading economies discuss how to help the growing number of countries now in the grip of debt crises. Below is a list of countries that have either defaulted on their international debt or are seen at risk of doing so. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this week Kyiv is hoping to clinch a $15 billion, multi-year International Monetary Fund programme. But progress with Zambia's $13 billion debt rework has been glacial. EGYPTEgypt has experienced a double whammy from COVID-19 and soaring food and energy prices, and has struggled in recent years to contain its rising debt and debt servicing burden.

SummarySummary Companies Spain's new restructuring law faces looming testCelsa caught between creditors and shareholdersSuccessful outcome seen lifting Spain outlookLONDON/MADRID, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Spain's new restructuring law is just over four months old and already being tested as the economy slows, with companies and officials hopeful it will help cut high bankruptcy rates. Now, a restructuring plan for Celsa, Spain's largest private industrial group with debt worth roughly 2.8 billion euros ($3.04 billion), is going through the courts. LITMUS TESTA court-sanctioned restructuring plan in December for Spanish frozen food retailer Xeldist Congelados allowed it to receive fresh capital and save jobs in a first success for the new law. "The Celsa case shows that creditors can push for a restructuring plan and request the appointment of an expert to assist in the negotiations," said Juan Verdugo, partner at law firm Garrigues. Spain is playing catch up after the EU in 2019 told member states to improve restructuring toolkits.

☆ Gold giant Newmont’s $16.9 billion bid for Australia’s Newcrest clouded by deal doubts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Australian gold miner said that it was considering the all-share proposal in a filing that was a response to media speculation over the weekend. The initial feedback from shareholders is that they want a higher price, according to a person familiar with Newcrest’s deliberations. Newcrest shareholders would receive 0.380 Newmont shares for every Newcrest share, giving them a 30% stake in the enlarged miner. It is a 4.7% improvement from a previous 0.363 per share offer that Newcrest already rejected for not providing enough value to shareholders, Newcrest disclosed on Monday. Morgan Stanley is looking towards a bull case of spot gold reaching $2,160 in the fourth quarter, up from $1,866 an ounce.

Forty-seven pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong have been accused of a conspiracy to commit subversion in a landmark political case. Benny Tai, 58, was a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong. Pro-democracy primary Pro-democracy candidates held a primary vote ahead of the upcoming Legislative Council election. The 47 defendants helped organize or participated in this event. New election rules announced China announced new rules for Hong Kong elections, limiting candidates to only those deemed loyal to Beijing.

☆ BlackRock's mighty tech unit is a silver lining in an awful market. But competition and a recession could test its momentum.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In a tumultuous year for BlackRock, its powerful Aladdin business won record new mandates. "2022 was a good litmus test for the BlackRock model vis-a-vis Aladdin," said Cathy Seifert, a senior equity analyst at CFRA Research. Now Sudhir Nair, the longtime BlackRock executive who runs the Aladdin business globally, and his sprawling business face a test: Keeping that momentum. "To get new business, Aladdin may have to sharpen their pencils, despite the fact that I do think they still retain a best-in-class position," Seifert said. Influential rival money managers like Two Sigma, Pimco, State Street, and Amundi have been putting resources behind their own proprietary tech platforms.

☆ Analysis: Panama and First Quantum harden battle lines over key copper mine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Valentine Hilaire | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

However, no agreement was forthcoming, prompting the two sides to raise the stakes to protect their interests in the mine, known as Cobre Panama. "Cobre Panama is the only metal mine operating in the country and many foreign companies started operations in Panama with its arrival. Failure to reach a deal could spook foreign investors at a time when Panama is looking to develop three other copper deposits that could bring in similar investments to Cobre Panama, said Morales. First Quantum paid $61 million in royalties to Panama's government in 2021, while the Cobre Panama mine posted sales revenues of $3.2 billion for the year, company data show. LUCRATIVE ASSETIn 2021, Cobre Panama represented more than half of First Quantum's earnings before interest, tax depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

☆ Analysis: Will Netanyahu clip the wings of his new cabinet hawks?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Both are West Bank settlers averse to Palestinians' self-rule - let alone their hopes of statehood. Netanyahu's previous 15 years as premier saw him feathering the nests of the hawks in his cabinet - or clipping their wings - as he deemed necessary. But that may have to wait, as Ben-Gvir's portfolio does not grant major powers in the West Bank, which is under the overall control of the military. Arguably, Ben-Gvir, 46, and Smotrich, 42, can afford to shelve some of their agendas for this round with Netanyahu, 73. Smotrich's advocacy of Jewish claims on the West Bank is informed by a doctrinaire faith in Bible prophesy.

☆ 'Communities like mine won't survive:' Queens residents battle monthly floods as sea levels rise, storms worsen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Still, it's unclear how these vulnerable coastal communities — and others across the country — will ultimately fare. In this scenario, most of the communities surrounding Jamaica Bay would be inundated every day by high tides. These types of natural projects, some of which are already underway at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, would be balanced with the Army Corp's man-made engineered solutions. Additionally, the proposed Jamaica Bay Storm Surge Barrier, located to the east of the Marine Parkway Bridge, would close during major storms. Shoreline restoration is underway at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens.

☆ Google will soon kill the cookie, and 2023 will be the year to show whether the technology invented to replace it can save the ad industry's revenue
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The loss of the cookie and other ways to identify people online has caused ad revenue to crater. "Too soon to say, but the platforms don't like it," said David Temkin, a Google executive who focuses on ads privacy. "Clean rooms we think are promising because they can respect user privacy," Temkin said. He notes that clean rooms can be slow and expensive. The prevalence of retail media already jumpstarted the need for clean rooms in 2022, said Scott Howe, CEO of LiveRamp, which provides clean rooms and identifiers.

☆ Southeast Asian venture capital firms expect to be pickier in 2023 than in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Venture capital-backed companies only raised $369 billion for the first three quarters of 2022, according to Crunchbase data. Malte Mueller | Fstop | Getty ImagesVenture capital firms in Southeast Asia will probably be pickier next year, with valuations plunging and economic headwinds slowing growth in 2022. Sequoia Southeast Asia raised a $850 million fund in June, East Ventures raised $550 million in July, and Insignia Ventures Partners raised $516 million in August. Indonesia-based e-grocery company HappyFresh ceased operations in Malaysia after seven years, while Grab discontinued its quick commerce service GrabMart Kilat in Indonesia. "The 15-minute model of quick commerce in Southeast Asia is very difficult because the unit economics are very negative.

Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian penal colony Thursday as part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was met with widespread celebration. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after vape canisters and cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at the airport. “I wonder if she will respect our flag and country now,” self-proclaimed Trump supporter Collin Rugg wrote in a tweet liked 21,000 times. Such outdated definitions of patriotism disgrace the national anthem and the flag more than any peaceful protest ever could. She is a Black LGBTQ American, a wife, a daughter, an advocate, an Olympian and a world-class basketball star.

☆ After final Trump-backed midterm loss, Senate Republicans bemoan weak nominees
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"You have to have candidates that appeal to the general public," Republican Senator Mike Rounds told reporters. Trump's party succeeded in winning a House majority, but by a smaller margin than it had expected. "Candidates matter, and I think we've lost two or three or four races we didn't have to lose this year," Republican Senator Roy Blunt told reporters. "We just need to be able to be aggressive," said Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis. The former football star had support on the campaign trail from prominent Senate Republicans including Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and Rick Scott, who chairs the Senate Republican campaign arm.

☆ Take Five: Ready for that Santa rally?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

1/FRANC DISCUSSIONCredit Suisse executives may need to sit down for an honest chat about whether the bank's latest strategic plan is enough to rally investors. And with the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of England meeting in coming weeks, the drama isn't over. For some, the notion of peak rates, peak inflation and China's reopening is reason enough for cheer. After months of pain inflicted by high inflation and aggressive rate increases, perhaps it's time to bring on the Santa rally. That wouldn't necessarily cut short a rally in Aussie dollar, which recently has been driven more by China's re-opening hopes and a retreating greenback than the RBA.

☆ Rich countries driving the climate crisis have agreed to pay developing nations for damage. But collecting the money will be tough.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Developing nations won creation of a "loss and damage" fund for climate disasters. Climate diplomats left Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with a historic deal — 30 years in the making — for rich countries to pay developing nations for the damages they are already facing from a warming planet. But the negotiators who gathered in the resort city along the Red Sea failed to hammer out a more aggressive plan to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the crisis. The agreement follows a decades-long push by a coalition of developing nations known as the G77+ China. That country, despite being the world's largest polluter, is considered a developing country by international institutions and therefore isn't obligated to contribute to climate finance.

☆ Jim Cramer: Why the two-day rally to end last week is significant — and what to expect next
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

You would just stay mum, enabling investors to expect another raise of 75 basis points, especially if retail sales this week come in above expectations. The best that can be said, though, is that the two days up to end last week seem significant — especially in light of the collapse of FTX. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade.

☆ Republican Sen. Mike Lee faces off against independent Evan McMullin in the Utah Senate race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee is running for a 3rd term against independent candidate Evan McMullin. In the Senate, Lee serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging. Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin. Republicans have won every presidential race in the state since 1968, often with landslide margins, and the last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state was Frank Moss in 1970. In the 2020 presidential election, Trump defeated now-President Joe Biden in Utah by 20 points (58%-38%), a significant drop from Romney's sweeping victory (73%-25%) over Obama in 2012.

☆ Democrat Abigail Spanberger wins reelection in bellwether Virginia district, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) during a press conference with Moore Hallmark, Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Brian Lam, a local business owner, outside of Collage Spa on November 3, 2022 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger has been reelected to the House in Virginia's 7th District, defeating Republican Yesli Vega, NBC News projected. The central Virginia district was widely considered a litmus test for how Democrats might fare in swing districts during an election cycle that historically favors Republicans. The GOP came into Election Day heavily favored to win House control, but Spanberger's swing district was seen as a crucial one for Democrats to hold in order to curb their losses. But redistricting in 2020 shifted Spanberger's district north to the outer suburbs of Washington D.C., where the electorate is 20% Latino and voters are more socially conservative than in her current district.

☆ 'We are on the highway to climate hell': To slow down, countries need to spend more, the head of the UN says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two leaders called for windfall taxes on oil and gas companies to help fund climate efforts. The world is on a "highway to hell" unless countries step up action, the UN secretary-general said. "We are on the highway to climate hell, with a foot on the accelerator." That wasn't part of the policy agreed on by the EU in September to tax windfall profits made by fossil-fuel companies. This drains budgets and leaves less money for infrastructure projects that make countries more resilient to the climate crisis.

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