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☆ Biden played the State of the Union perfectly, but the raucous GOP proved he's dealing with a whole new kind of opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tuesday's State of the Union address was an at times raucous affair. Tuesday night showed that this is no longer your father's State of the Union address. Parts of Biden's second State of the Union resembled the United Kingdom's raucous "Prime Minister's Questions" sessions that C-SPAN nerds delight in. The State of the Union is not supposed to resemble the real-time grilling of a world leader though. To be clear, opposition party members have long trolled the president during the State of the Union.

☆ SoftBank is paying for Son’s past exuberance
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Warren Buffett once advised investors to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful. In other words, Son and his dealmakers spent big when valuations were unsustainably high and then retreated as prices slumped. SoftBank’s family of startup-investing vehicles, including the two Vision Funds and a Latin America-focused one, have clocked up $6.6 billion of cumulative losses on their investments since 2017. In other words, Son is out of ammunition just when it would be the most useful. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Potential buyers are leveraging high-profile blowups like Frank and FTX to get better terms. Insiders detail how dealmaking is changing in 2023.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Paige Hagy | Bianca Chan | Carter Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

We don't want to look like JPMorgan,'" Jason Mikula, fintech analyst and writer behind Fintech Business Weekly, told Insider. How closely they adhere to it matters greatly in terms of if a deal is on the line," Mandelbaum told Insider. Investors pumped $132 billion globally into fintechs in 2021 and there were more than 900 fintech M&A exits, according to CB Insights. "It's now a buyer's market," Rob Brown, CEO of Lincoln International, a global investment-banking advisory firm, told Insider. One way companies might optimize the due-diligence process without cutting corners is by leaning on machines to help with the heavy lifting.

☆ ChatGPT is coming for Wall Street next
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider's Paige Hagy and Bianca Chan asked industry experts how they see a tool like ChatGPT impacting all areas of Wall Street, from investment banking to financial planning to consumer banking. So if your boss pitches you on using ChatGPT to help "streamline your workflow" understand that you could be training your replacement. Click here to read more about the types of jobs ChatGPT might upend across Wall Street. Wall Street trading firm GTS Securities is looking to make investing in music royalties accessible to the general public, Bloomberg reports. Stephanee Beggs made seven figures selling her study materials on TikTok and Etsy, which means she cleared more business than half the bankers on Wall Street.

☆ ChatGPT is supercharging how EQT sources deals. A top tech exec at the investing giant gives an inside look at how it's 'trying to make cyborgs' out of its dealmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But at Sweden-based investment firm EQT, the tech is being used at full throttle. "We're trying to make cyborgs," Alexandra Lutz, head of Motherbrain, EQT's AI platform, told Insider. With ChatGPT, Lutz said EQT has reached "the next frontier," putting the power of AI directly in the hands of its investors and portfolio companies. EQT's AI journey has been seven years in the makingThe impetus for EQT's AI platform can be traced back to a simple question. The AI platform generates lists of companies for EQT investors that look promising based on an input of desired attributes, from company size to geography and underlying technology.

☆ Sundance Movies: Brett Kavanaugh and Steph Curry Docs, "Cat Person"
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Sundance Film Festival was back in person for the first time since 2020. In five days I saw eight films, and while I'm not a critic, I can affirm that not one of them was a clunker. Asked about the film's aspect ratio in an audience Q&A, Jalali said, "It was prettier that way." The bulk of the films I saw were more commercial, and four of them centered on relationships. And then there was "Cat Person," based on a 2017 New Yorker story about dating by Kristen Roupenian.

☆ Digital ad firm Kargo is acquiring a video tech firm in a deal that could be worth $100 million to move into streaming TV ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The acquisition is aimed at giving Kargo inroads into the surging streaming TV ad market. Advertising technology firm Kargo has acquired VideoByte, a video tech firm that helps advertisers make ads for streaming TV platforms. Three-year-old VideoByte sells an ad server that lets advertisers run custom ads on streaming TV platforms. Kargo's competitors PubMatic and Magnite, for instance, have rapidly built out products that let publishers run ads in streaming TV platforms. As part of Kargo's move into streaming TV, the company has also hired Jennifer Pelino as chief strategy officer.

☆ HSBC embarks on Saudi Arabia hiring spree amid deals boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - HSBC (HSBA.L) is hiring dealmakers as "fast as it can" in Saudi Arabia to capitalise on a wave of financing activity in the country, the global head of its investment bank told Reuters. The lender aims to increase headcount in its global banking and markets business in Saudi Arabia by 10-15% this year, Greg Guyett, the division's chief executive, told Reuters. HSBC declined to comment on how many such bankers it already employs in Saudi Arabia. HSBC's investment banking business made $65 million in profit in Saudi Arabia in 2021, according to company filings, the smallest such contribution among named countries aside from loss-making France. Saudi Arabia also sold $5 billion in bonds last October, its first international debt sale in almost a year.

☆ Nomura's Q3 profit grows despite investment banking slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T), Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank, reported an 11% rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday, as a partial stake sale in an affiliate offset a slump in investment banking. Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, logged a pretax loss of 1.9 billion yen ($14.58 million), its first loss since the April-June quarter of 2021. read moreEven as Nomura's investment banking business was underpinned by relatively solid dealmaking activity in Japan, it confirmed layoffs of bankers in Europe and Asia. Kitamura said the company would stick to its strategy of beefing up its investment banking business, however. ($1 = 130.3400 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Subhranshu Sahu and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A night with Wall Street's stars: Take a look at Insider's celebration of top investors, dealmakers, and traders
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Michelle Abrego | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hello 10 Things on Wall Street readers! As you might know, for the last few years Insider has been highlighting some of the most talented young people on Wall Street. Take a look at all the photos from Insider's celebration of Wall Street's rising stars here. A decade after the private-equity giant helped launch Athene Holdings, more private money managers are moving into insurance as they hunt for higher yields, the Wall Street Journal reports. Adam Berry, head of US loan trading is leaving Wall Street to join the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Bloomberg.

☆ Japan's Nomura Q3 net profit rises 11%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T), Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank, reported an 11% rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday, as a partial stake sale in an affiliate lifted otherwise weak earnings. Profit came in at 66.9 billion yen ($513.51 million) for the October-December period, up from 60.3 billion yen a year earlier. Nomura's profit of 28 billion yen from a partial sale of its stake in affiliate Nomura Research Institute (4307.T) helped underpinned the earnings. The wholesale division, which houses its trading and investment banking businesses, reported a pretax loss of 1.9 billion yen, compared with a profit of 40.8 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. So far, Nomura appears relatively unscathed thanks to relatively solid dealmaking activity in Japan, Nomura's home market.

☆ The Sundance Film Festival stirs buzz, draws A-list stars, and screens movies that get you talking, but it can't hide the crisis facing independent filmmakers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Sundance Film Festival was back in person for the first time since 2020. A-list stars like Anne Hathaway and Jason Momoa were present to promote their buzzy films. It was impossible not to feel optimistic about the state of independent film at the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival. In five days I saw eight films, and while I'm not a critic, I can affirm that not one of them was a clunker. At an event like Sundance, even amid some hand-wringing over the future, the excitement is contagious.

☆ The dealmaking boom meant fast timelines and loose due diligence. But high-profile implosions like FTX and Frank mean would-be sellers can expect more scrutiny, insiders say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Paige Hagy | Bianca Chan | Carter Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

☆ Why retail bankers are beating dealmakers: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - JPMorgan, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs’ earnings revealed that the basic business of lending money is thriving, while investment banking is not. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate what this says about the U.S. economy and what to expect from the Europeans. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterloadingEditing by Sharon Lam and Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Morgan Stanley (MS.N) is embracing the Pottery Barn rule: You break it, you pay for it. The original breach was one revelation in what makes Wall Street tick; Morgan Stanley’s response, or the idea that it’s an outlier, is another. What’s good for the pottery store sounds good for Wall Street too. Morgan Stanley was one of 11 banks fined by the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in September 2022. At the time, the SEC noted that Morgan Stanley had financially penalized and terminated some staff for violating its policies.

Rising interest rates roiled markets last year and global investment banking revenue sank more than 50% from a year-earlier quarter, according to data from analytics firm Dealogic. SHARPLY LOWERAcross the board, investment banking fees were sharply lower. Morgan Stanley's revenue from investment banking business fell 49% in the fourth quarter while Goldman Sachs's investment banking fees fell 48%. JPMorgan's investment banking unit saw its revenue down 57%, Citigroup Inc's (C.N) investment banking revenue plunged 58% while Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) investment banking fees more than halved. Strength in trading helped offset a slump in investment banking, while interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve helped income.

[1/2] People work on the trading floor at the global headquarters of Goldman Sachs investment banking firm at 200 West Street in New York City, U.S., January 11, 2023. The Wall Street titan's rivals have also started to cut jobs as global banks prepare for recession and broader, deeper cuts are expected across the industry if deal-making activity remains weak. The long-expected jobs cull at Goldman follows a recruitment drive during the pandemic, which saw the bank's total headcount top 49,000. Johnson, who was with Goldman Sachs for more than six years, declined to comment. Oliveira said some bankers who have reached out to recruiters like him are considering ditching investment banking for other positions.

☆ Factbox: Global banks cut jobs as cost pressures mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The British investment bank has performed well in recent quarters, especially in fixed income trading, but a blunder in the United States that saw it sell more securities than permitted has cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties. CITIGROUPCiti (C.N) eliminated dozens of jobs across its investment banking division, as a dealmaking slump continues to weigh on Wall Street's biggest banks, Bloomberg News reported on Nov. 8. The cost savings reported are likely to involve more job cuts than previously announced for the first wave of reductions, including in its wealth business, Reuters reported. DEUTSCHE BANKDeutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), Germany's largest bank, cut staff in its investment bank's origination and advisory teams in October, in a move than affected mostly junior bankers. MORGAN STANLEY (MS.N)In December, the investment bank slashed about 2% of its workforce, a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters.

"With most U.S. economists forecasting either a recession or significant slowdown this year, banks will likely incorporate a more severe economic outlook," said Morgan Stanley analysts led by Betsy Graseck in a note. Rising prices and higher borrowing costs have prompted consumers and businesses to curb their spending, and since banks serve as economic middlemen, their profits decline when activity slows. Reuters GraphicsStill, lenders stand to gain from rising rates that allow them to earn more from the interest they charge borrowers. Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, among others, have also cut jobs after a plunge in investment-banking activity. Analysts will also watch if banks such as Morgan Stanley and Bank of America book any writedowns on the $13-billion loan to fund Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter.

☆ KKR's top tech exec details the firm's 3-year migration to the public cloud, and how the PE giant is leveraging the tech to streamline how deals get done
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

KKR is moving its technology and infrastructure to the public cloud by year end. The finish line is in sight for Emilia Sherifova, KKR's top tech exec who is spearheading the firm's multi-year migration to the public cloud. KKR's cloud migration has been years in the making. Under Sherifova, KKR has more than doubled its number of cloud-focused engineers, she said, declining to specify numbers. No longer are regulatory and security concerns barring finance players from moving mission-critical systems, like exchanges' matching engines and banks' core banking platforms, to the public cloud.

☆ 6 top M&A bankers lay out their dealmaking playbook for 2023 — from getting around a sagging bond market to dealing with skeptical shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Carter Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"We're certainly telling clients to plan for longer timelines between signing an announcement and when a transaction closes," RBC's Sperduto said. Bankers noted the figure was on pace with the average amount of deals done in the five years preceding the pandemic. "There is still significant desire from both corporates and financial sponsors to transact," Gary Posternack, co-head of global M&A at Barclays, told Insider. But in 2023, bankers see more transactions receiving greater scrutiny from stakeholders. Vito Sperduto, the co-head of global M&A at RBC Capital Markets.

☆ StanChart suitors track banking’s flighty fortunes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Peter Thal Larsen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But one reliable rule of thumb is that Standard Chartered (STAN.L) will be the subject of periodic bouts of takeover speculation. The latest prospective suitor, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB.AD), reflects the shifting fortunes of global banking. Under UK rules, First Abu Dhabi cannot make an offer for StanChart for six months, unless another bidder emerges. The Abu Dhabi lender said it had been in “the very early stages of evaluating a possible offer” for the emerging markets-focused bank. Standard Chartered declined to comment.

☆ A PE firm that's built its brand on high-profile sports deals is broadening its scope
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But one firm that's already well established in the space is looking to quietly diversify itself beyond the pitch. With seemingly everyone interested in sports these days, Cardinale is smart to want to hedge his firm. The crypto exchange also agreed to pay $50 million to improve how it vets customers and transactions. Mala Gaonkar's hedge fund just made its long-awaited debut. SurgoCap Partners entered the fray this week with $1.8 billion in capital, making it the biggest launch of a women-led hedge fund, Bloomberg reports.

REUTERS/Lucas JacksonNEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc's (GS.N) top dealmakers are bullish on a recovery in global mergers & acquisitions (M&A) in the second half of 2023 despite a slowdown in economic growth and a weak credit market. The projections come after global M&A values slumped 36% to $3.78 trillion in 2022, from a record $5.91 trillion in 2021, according to Dealogic data. "I remain quite bullish, maybe not on the first quarter, but certainly as we go forward," said Stephan Feldgoise, global co-head of M&A. The company has been the top global M&A adviser by revenue for the past 20 years, followed by JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), according to Dealogic data. The bank sees opportunities in advising clients who are being targeted by activist investors, or fintech companies open to suitors after their valuations plunged, said Russ Hutchinson, the bank's chief operating officer of global M&A.

☆ Dealmakers will be lucky to eke out a 2022 repeat
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Dec 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - As with often value-destructive mergers and acquisitions, the numbers aren’t adding up for dealmakers. Meanwhile, deal volume tumbled to about $3.5 trillion, 36% down from the same time a year earlier, though it stayed ahead of 2020’s pace. Private equity firms already accounted for an all-time high of 22% of deal volume in 2022. As potentially bleak economic circumstances loom, bankers will be lucky to eke out a repeat of 2022. CONTEXT NEWSWorldwide mergers and acquisitions volume for 2022 stood at $3.5 trillion as of Dec. 12, according to Refinitiv data.

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