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☆ Cycle Syncing Is Trendy. Does It Work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

According to proponents of cycle syncing, in this phase the body is primed to take on stress and can recover more quickly. And it remains unclear whether cycle syncing makes sense for women using hormonal forms of birth control. The bits of scientific and anecdotal evidence showing fluctuations in performance or energy throughout the menstrual cycle also don’t prove that syncing workouts to the cycle will optimize fitness. One of the main aims of the Empow’her program is to fill that void, Ms. Antero said. She plans to publish the results of the training program after the Olympics.

Persons: Mahalingaiah, Juliana Antero, Antero, Stacy Sims, Clancy, ”, Asima Ahmad, Ms, Scott Organizations: French Institute of Sport

☆ German tax fraud mastermind handed further 8-year jail sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Berger had already been sentenced to eight years in jail in December after a similar trial. The public prosecutor had demanded a prison sentence of 10 and a half years and the confiscation of assets. Berger's sentences follow nearly a decade of investigations that government officials say span around 1,500 suspects and 100 banks on four continents. Authorities have raided the German branches of companies including Barclays (BARC.L), Bank of America (BAC.N), JP Morgan (JPM.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) in their investigations. In September, Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BK.N), Germany's Warburg Group and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) said they would pay a combined 60 million euros to tax authorities over the scandal.

Deutsche swapped billions of euros in securities for cash and government bonds, the sources told Reuters, which count towards its liquidity coverage ratio (LCR). This is meant to determine the extent of a bank's access to ready cash to fund outflows such as depositor withdrawals. The trades caught the attention of European Central Bank (ECB) supervisors, who questioned Germany's largest lender about them during routine exchanges, the sources said. Even without the trades, Deutsche would have far exceeded a 100% LCR regulatory requirement and overshot its own target, the sources said, adding that its liquidity is not a concern. Deutsche's trades helped it raise its LCR to 143% at March 31, its first-quarter earnings report published in April showed.

Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus: GamesHorizon: Forbidden West is one of the latest high-profile games to hit PlayStation Plus. Horizon Forbidden West / SonyThe main selling points of Game Pass and PlayStation Plus are their Netflix-style libraries of downloadable games. Xbox Game Pass' recent day-one releases include the cooperative shooter Redfall, and the rhythm-based action game Hi-Fi Rush. Game Pass members get a 10% discount when buying games that are already on Game Pass, so you can always get a deal before a game leaves the service entirely. That 10% discount also applies to downloadable content and add-ons for Game Pass games, which aren't always included with the base version.

☆ Elliott seeks investigation into Deutsche Wohnen loan to Vonovia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUESSELDORF, May 22 (Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott is calling for a special investigation into a loan that German property company Deutsche Wohnen (DWNG.DE) made to its top shareholder Vonovia (VNAn.DE), documents filed ahead of a Deutsche Wohnen annual shareholder meeting (AGM) show. In 2021, Vonovia completed the takeover of rival Deutsche Wohnen to create a property group with more than 500,000 apartments. In January 2022, Deutsche Wohnen disclosed in a public filing that it would lend up to 2 billion euros to its new main shareholder. Cornwall, an investment vehicle owned by Elliott, wants shareholders to vote to install an independent investigator to examine the loan at the shareholder meeting slated for June 15 to examine whether the loan was in the best interest of investors, the AGM documents show. Deutsche Wohnen's supervisory board said that it did not see any need for an investigation.

FRANKFURT, May 17 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) investors on Wednesday questioned the sustainability of the lender's growth plans and called for a shift of resources from the investment bank, even as they praised CEO Christian Sewing for stabilising the bank. Andreas Thomae of the Deutsche Bank investor Deka said that the bank's targets require a "tailwind" from the markets to be achievable, and rising interest rates have been "pure adrenaline" for the bank. Reuters GraphicsShe called on the bank to shift capital from its investment bank to other areas in the bank that yield higher returns. "Deutsche Bank is one of the European banks most dependent on investment banking, a poorly predictable, opaque business that is driving down its stock valuation," she said. Sewing, who won kudos from some of the investors for restoring profitability, responded that the bank was "robustly and sustainably profitable".

The bank's shares traded 7.3% lower at 0750 GMT, making it the worst performer on the DAX blue chip index. Finance chief Bettina Orlopp told analysts net interest income had probably peaked in the quarter and that further provisions for its mBank unit in Poland were possible. The bank said it sees "upside potential" in net interest income this year, and raised its forecast to 7 billion euros ($7.7 billion) from 6.5 billion. One of Germany's best-known banks, Commerzbank is in the middle of a major overhaul, cutting thousands of workers and hundreds of branches to save costs and lift profits. JPMorgan called the results strong but said the bank's increased guidance for net interest income was below market expectations and "would limit any upgrades" in analyst forecasts.

FRANKFURT, May 17 (Reuters) - Germany's Commerzbank (CBKG.DE) said on Wednesday that net profit nearly doubled in the first quarter, a better-than-expected result helped by higher interest rates. The bank said it sees "upside potential" in net interest income this year, and raised its forecast to 7 billion euros ($7.7 billion) from a previous 6.5 billion euros. Net profit of 580 million euros in the first quarter compares with a profit of 298 million euros a year earlier. Analysts had on average expected profit of 481 million euros, according to a consensus forecast published by Commerzbank. Many banks have reported increases in revenue and profit for the first quarter on the back of higher interest rates.

☆ Deutsche Bank investors raise questions, call for tweaks amid praise at AGM
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, May 17 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) investors on Wednesday questioned the sustainability of the lender's growth plans and called for a shift of resources from the investment bank, even as they praised CEO Christian Sewing for stabilising the bank. The statements, to be made at Deutsche Bank's annual general meeting, come after the bank booked 11 consecutive quarters of profit after years of losses, but also amid bank rescues on both sides of the Atlantic that have shaken confidence in the sector. Andreas Thomae of the Deutsche Bank investor Deka said that the bank's targets require a "strong tailwind" from the markets to achieve them, and rising interest rates have been "pure adrenaline" for the bank. Reuters GraphicsShe called on the bank to shift capital from its investment bank to other areas in the bank that yield higher returns. "Deutsche Bank is one of the European banks most dependent on investment banking, a poorly predictable, opaque business that is driving down its stock valuation," she said.

☆ Inside the scramble to evacuate a US embassy surrounded by the chaos of street fighting, gunfire, and explosions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

US forces evacuated the American embassy in Sudan days after violence erupted in its capital. As the situation deteriorated, the Pentagon dispatched Special Operations Forces to evacuate US diplomatic staff in a dramatic helicopter operation. Foreign governments began efforts to pull out their diplomatic staff and, in some cases, also moved to evacuate their civilians. People walk by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. US Marine Corps courtesy photoWith the embassy staff gone, questions remained over whether Washington would move to evacuate US citizens, as some other Western nations had been doing.

[1/3] Edwin Gariguez, a Catholic priest from the Philippines, who is touring top European banks on environmental issues, is pictured in Frankfurt, Germany, May 10, 2023. "It's really frustrating on my part," Gariguez said on a stopover in Frankfurt after meetings with Deutsche Bank and DWS (DWSG.DE). Barclays and San Miguel didn't respond. On its website, San Miguel says: "As sustainability champions, we hold ourselves accountable." The nation's Department of Energy sees LNG as a "transition fuel", as it moves away from coal-fired power generation toward more renewable energy.

The European Central Bank has pressed RBI to unwind its highly profitable Russian business, people have told Reuters, and the Austrian bank says it has been working on a solution. "The group will continue to progress potential transactions which would result in the sale or spin-off of Raiffeisenbank Russia," RBI said as it released better-than-expected earnings. In Russia, profit after tax was 301 million euros ($332 million), up from 96 million euros a year earlier. Overall, the Russia business generated more than 40% of RBI's in the quarter. Reuters GraphicsThe Austrian bank has operated in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and is Russia's 10th-largest bank by assets.

Lenders wasted little time in charging more for loans when interest rates rapidly rose from an almost 15-year slumber around zero last year, but most have dragged their feet on boosting deposit rates paid to millions of their customers. Money market funds are proving popular among savers seeking bigger returns on their cash as high levels of inflation persist. Data from Refinitiv Lipper showed more than 34 billion euros ($37.6 billion) of net flows into European money market funds in March, the best-selling asset type that month. Fidelity International also reported an 8% year-on-year uplift in flows into money market funds on its investment platform between Jan. 1 and April 26. Some lawmakers have criticised banks for the mismatch between what they charge borrowers and the interest rates offered to savers.

☆ Austria's RBI Q1 net profit up better-than-expected 49%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, May 4 (Reuters) - Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International (RBIV.VI), one of the banks in Europe most exposed to Russia, posted a bigger-than-expected 49% rise in profit in the first quarter. Net profit in the quarter was 657 million euros ($724.28 million), up from 442 million euros a year earlier, the bank said. Analysts had expected profit of 528 million euros, according to a consensus published by RBI. RBI provided the figures a day ahead of schedule with little explanation of drivers behind the earnings. ($1 = 0.9071 euros)Reporting by Tom Sims and Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Swiss Re swings to bigger-than-expected net profit in quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, May 4 (Reuters) - Reinsurance company Swiss Re (SRENH.S) said on Thursday that it swung to a net profit in the first quarter that was bigger than analysts had expected and was helped by higher prices and improved investment results. The period marks a recovery from a year earlier, which was damped by losses related to the war in Ukraine, jittery markets and the lingering pandemic. Net profit of $643 million in the period compares with a loss of $248 million a year earlier. Analysts had expected a profit of $606 million, according to a consensus forecast. Reporting by Tom Sims, editing by Kirsti KnolleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ An experimental drug just showed it can help slow Alzheimer's, offering new hope for patients and a major boost to pharma giant Eli Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The pharma giant Eli Lilly said donanemab slowed cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's. The news comes months after the FDA approved an Alzheimer's drug called Leqembi. On Wednesday, the pharma giant Eli Lilly said its experimental drug donanemab had successfully slowed cognitive and functional decline in patients with early-stage Alzheimer's, offering some hope to people with a condition that lacks good treatment options. In the trial, patients received donanemab until scans showed their brains were clear of those proteins, called beta-amyloid. Leqembi slowed the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients by 27% over 18 months in a late-stage study.

Fabrizio Campelli, who oversees Deutsche's investment bank, said it had been looking to grow its business in Britain. Deutsche Bank shares rose as much as 2.5% in early trade before erasing gains. MOVING INAs part of the deal, 35 Deutsche Bank corporate finance employees will move in with more than 300 London-based Numis staff. As part of its strategy, Deutsche Bank - a leading bank in Germany with strong European roots - said earlier this week that it aims to accelerate "growth initiatives" including potential acquisition of portfolios and assets. Britain is the largest investment banking market in Europe and Numis is a diversified investment bank with a UK franchise.

Net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.158 billion euros ($1.28 billion). That compared with profit of 1.060 billion euros a year earlier, and was better than analysts' expectations for a profit drop to around 977 million euros. "We have worked hard to achieve this stability," Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing told employees in a memo. Revenue at the investment bank unit fell 19% to 2.7 billion euros in the first quarter from a year earlier. The investment bank's revenue decrease was countered by gains at the corporate bank and retail bank, which saw 35% and 10% increases.

FRANKFURT, April 26 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) is undertaking its biggest management shake-up since 2019, the German bank said on Wednesday as it announced the departure of Christiana Riley, who oversaw its U.S. operations. "It is time to focus the management board on the next phase of the bank's growth strategy, which is now more than ever about sustainable profitability, efficiency and effective controls," Wynaendts said. Riley was one of two women on Deutsche's 10-member board, which will now only consist of only nine people - eight men and one woman - in what Deutsche said would be a "leaner" team. Claudio de Sanctis, a Deutsche veteran who has overseen wealth management, will join the board to oversee the retail bank, Deutsche said. And Chief Financial Officer James von Moltke will take on oversight of asset management, which includes its DWS fund management business.

☆ Deutsche Boerse posts stronger-than-expected Q1 profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, April 26 (Reuters) - German exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) on Wednesday said it posted a 12% rise in first-quarter net profit, a better result than analysts had expected, and that it may exceed its forecasts for 2023. Net profit attributable to shareholders was 473 million euros ($522.05 million), up from 421 million euros a year ago, the company said. Analysts had expected a profit increase of nearly 10% and a revenue increase of almost 14%. Deutsche Boerse was rosy on its outlook, saying that 2023 earnings would be at the upper end of its projected forecasts or "even slightly exceed it." Those forecasts are for full-year revenue of 4.5 billion-4.7 billion euros and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of 2.6 billion-2.8 billion euros.

☆ US troops rushed to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan, but thousands of Americans remain with advice to 'shelter in place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US special operators evacuated American embassy personnel from Sudan, where intense fighting continues. Thousands of Americans, however, remain in country and have been warned to "shelter in place." The Washington Post reported Sunday that an estimated 16,000 Americans, many of whom hold dual citizenship, remain in Sudan, where they have been encouraged to "shelter in place." Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. The officer noted though that 'tThis is an unfolding situation, and we cannot provide more details for security reasons."

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - All U.S. government personnel were evacuated from Washington's embassy in Khartoum, as well as a small number of diplomatic personnel from other countries, U.S. officials said on Saturday, as fighting rocks Sudan. The operation evacuated fewer than 100 people, the officials told reporters. "We evacuated all of the U.S. personnel and dependents assigned to Embassy Khartoum," said Under Secretary of State for Management John Bass. A substantial number of local staff remain in Khartoum supporting the embassy, where Washington decided to suspend operations on Saturday due to the security risks, Bass said. U.S. forces spent just an hour on the ground in Sudan before taking off again, entering and exiting Sudan without being fired upon by the warring factions on the ground, the military said.

PinnedThe United States military airlifted embassy officials out of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, amid continuing violence as rival military leaders battled for control of Africa’s third-largest country, President Biden said late on Saturday. (Mr. Godfrey — the first U.S. ambassador to Sudan in a quarter-century — arrived in the country about eight months ago.) They had lived in the same apartment buildings as some American diplomatic staff and arrived together at the embassy, he said. “I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan,” Mr. Biden said. Credit... Ebrahim Hamid/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesU.S. officials have said that about 16,000 American citizens were living in Sudan, many of them dual nationals.

☆ US and France evacuate diplomats from Sudan as battles rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The belligerent parties must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan," Biden said in a statement. It pits Sudan's army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who jointly staged a coup in 2021 but fell out during negotiations over a plan to form a civilian government and integrate the RSF into the armed forces. Saudi Arabia has already evacuated Gulf citizens from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, 650 km (400 miles) from Khartoum. Egypt, which has more than 10,000 citizens in Sudan, urged its nationals outside Khartoum to head to its consulate in Port Sudan, and to a consular office in Wadi Halfa on the border with Egypt, in preparation for their evacuation. It encouraged those in Khartoum to shelter in place and wait for the situation to improve.

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