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☆ King Charles has a personal fortune of almost $750 million — hundreds of millions more than the late Queen, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

King Charles has a personal fortune worth nearly $750 million, The Sunday Times reported. Analysis by the London newspaper found he is worth about $285 million more than the late Queen. It generated £23 million ($28.5 million) in profits last year and £212 million ($263 million) in the decade to 2022. He is likely to be ahead of David and Victoria Beckham, who were worth £380 million ($472 million) in last year's ranking, and Sir Elton John, who was worth £395 million ($490 million). As King, Charles is now in control of the Crown Estate, worth about £15.6 billion ($19.4 billion).

"Climate change is an existential risk and a risk to investor returns," said John Galloway, who oversees the Pennsylvania firm's engagement and proxy voting at portfolio companies, in an interview by teleconference. Galloway said in practice the proposal, which won 42% support, would have required a wholesale change to Valero's business, a decision best left to the board. "A proposal that’s asking a company to make a change that’s changing its strategy is not a proposal we're likely to support," Galloway said. U.S. Republican politicians applauded the move as responsive to their efforts to counter many companies' treatment of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. Galloway said the decision was driven with an eye on the varied views of its largely retail client base.

ORLANDO, Florida, April 14 (Reuters) - Engineering a soft landing is hard. Blinder posits that the soft landing parameters of avoiding recession completely are too narrow. "To achieve another soft landing under these circumstances, the Fed will have to be skillful indeed," Blinder concludes. The Fed cut rates five months later and the rest is soft landing history. Of these 70 episodes, 41 ended with a hard landing and 29 with a soft landing.

ZURICH, April 4 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) will face shareholder anger on Tuesday at what will be its final annual general meeting after the bank was rescued last month by Swiss rival UBS (UBSG.S). Tuesday's shareholder meeting marks an ignominious end for the 167-year-old flagship bank founded by Alfred Escher, a Swiss magnate affectionately dubbed King Alfred I, who helped build the country's railways and then Credit Suisse. After a run on deposits, the Swiss government turned to UBS, which agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion), a fraction of its earlier market value. In the lead up to Tuesday, Credit Suisse said it had withdrawn certain proposals from the meeting's agenda. Meanwhile, the office of the attorney general on Sunday said Switzerland's Federal Prosecutor has opened an investigation into the Credit Suisse takeover.

☆ Jamie Dimon is riding to the rescue again. This time, he's poised to come out on top.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Carter Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Why, then, has Dimon been so willing to swing back into action in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse? But it's starting to look like JPMorgan — and Dimon — will end up winners no matter how things turn out. In backstopping First Republic, JPMorgan helps a client and a bank that experts say would fit nicely into its business. By saving First Republic, JPMorgan also stands to gain goodwill from Silicon Valley startups, which are customers of the smaller bank. The paper also reported that regulators asked Dimon, Bank of America, and other banks to buy Silicon Valley Bank and pay out depositors over the insured limit.

☆ A deadline looms for rules governing deep-sea mining, but a rushed decision may be risky
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Proponents say that deep-sea mining there is a less damaging way to gather metals like nickel, copper, manganese and cobalt. Opponents of deep-sea mining say there is not enough information to make that kind of decision. Critics of the idea of deep-sea mining have said the process is being rushed. That's what's behind the drive for diversity of supply on land-based mining, as well as exploration of alternatives such as deep-sea mining." Finding consensus for the Wild West of the seaOpponents of deep-sea mining want to tap the brakes.

[1/3] Don Cameron stands next to one of his flood capture projects on his Terranova Ranch in Helm, California, U.S., January 25, 2023. Today, California water experts see Cameron as a pioneer. Terra Nova's basins are filled with 1.5 to 3.5 feet of water, Cameron said Wednesday. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on March 10 making it easier for farmers to divert floodwaters onto their lands until June. "We're at the beginning of a lot of momentum for groundwater recharge programs," said Gosselin, of the state groundwater office.

☆ Ron DeSantis says that if he runs for president in 2024, he gives the GOP a shot to beat Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Without announcing a 2024 run, he told Piers Morgan he'd give the GOP an edge over Joe Biden. I think the country wants a change," DeSantis told Morgan. "You can't win with just Republicans," DeSantis told Morgan. Once a supporter of DeSantis, Trump has dragged the governor with insulting nicknames such as "Ron DeSanctimonious." Representatives for DeSantis, Trump, and the White House did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent after business hours.

Following are some of the issues China and others are likely to be taking into account as it considers prospects for peace in Ukraine. Attempting to broker peace is a low-cost venture that can yield high returns for China, even if a quick breakthrough is highly unlikely, analysts say. The plan got lukewarm welcomes in both Russia and Ukraine while the United States and NATO were sceptical. China expanded trade with Ukraine after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and did not recognise the annexed territory as Russian, he said. Days before Russia invaded Ukraine, China and Russia announced a "no-limits" partnership.

This is the market backdrop against which the BOJ delivers its last policy decision under Kuroda. It is widely expected to start reversing its super-loose policy later this year, once Kuroda has long left the building. The BOJ already tweaked Kuroda's 'yield curve control' policy in December, doubling the effective cap on the 10-year government bond yield to 0.50%. Markets have bet heavily that the BOJ will be forced to restore 'normal' bond market functioning by raising it again soon or even abandoning it. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ MediaMath seemed destined for a $1B fairy-tale exit. Instead, most early investors got nothing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

At its Halloween party in 2015, the adtech startup MediaMath seemed on the brink of greatness. The machine-learning revolution that took over the financial industry was finally happening in marketing, and many industry insiders considered MediaMath to be the hottest adtech company of the time. "We never came close to consummating such a deal with MediaMath nor entertained the purported valuation," said a representative for Singtel. The Trade Desk, the most comparable independent DSP company to MediaMath, was riding high after its 2016 initial public offering. The quasi-equity agreement was structured to protect Searchlight if MediaMath didn't perform to certain quotas or if things went south financially.

☆ Elon Musk tweets support for ‘Dilbert’ creator after racist tirade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk defended “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams after hundreds of newspapers stopped printing the comic strip because of Adams’ recent racist comments. Last week, Adams called Black Americans a “hate group” and suggested that White people should “get the hell away” from them. “Maybe they can try not being racist.”Musk later agreed with a tweet saying Adams’ comments “weren’t good” but had an “element of truth” to them. Hate speech on TwitterThe Twitter CEO’s comments come amid an influx of hate speech on his platform. The Center for Countering Digital Hate and the Anti-Defamation League both said in recent reports that the volume of hate speech on Twitter has grown dramatically under Musk’s stewardship.

☆ Larry Fink has a new chief of staff, an under-the-radar position that's become a powerful post at BlackRock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has named executive Willie Alford as his new chief of staff. Sarah Schaffer, an executive and Fink's prior chief of staff, will take on a new role at BlackRock. This may be especially true if you worked directly with Larry Fink, the firm's chief executive and among the most powerful people on Wall Street. Fink's chief of staff position has vaulted executives into new heights. A more common C-suite roleThe chief of staff role has taken off across corporations and beyond the position's roots in government and military operations.

Brothers Jeff and Spencer Jan didn't have to reinvent the wheel to build a $400 million company with a cult following. Their company, Grapevine, Texas-based Solo Brands, makes the Solo Stove — a backyard fire pit that the Jan brothers describe as a "virtually smokeless" campfire alternative. As of Tuesday morning, the company now has a $406.74 million market cap under the stewardship of CEO John Merris, who signed on in 2018 after meeting with the brothers. "I remember in that first conversation with them, Spencer and Jeff telling me that they had reinvented fire," Merris tells CNBC Make It. Then, the brothers sent Merris home with a Solo Stove — and the first time he tried it out on his Texas ranch, he was "absolutely blown away."

☆ How to meet evolving regulations around climate change and water conservation without sacrificing profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Ecolab | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Governments are creating incentives to help businesses reduce carbon emissions. Minimizing water use can help organizations comply with government regulations without sacrificing profit. Understanding the ties between water use and climate change is an important step for businesses as they look to meet evolving government regulations. "This is a great example of how Ecolab Water for Climate is helping organizations meet evolving regulations." These tactics help businesses achieve profitable outcomes, leverage incentives, and meet regulatory requirements.

☆ Billionaire Ken Griffin is raising alarm over his desire to move a 100-year-old home off his $107 million Miami estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The billionaire Ken Griffin bought a historic Miami property for about $107 million in September. If the HEPB rejects the plan, Griffin could appeal to the Miami City Commission. A Citadel representative, Zia Ahmed, told the Journal that if Griffin were to move the house, "the utmost care and every precaution" would be taken. To Varas, the idea of moving the property to another piece of land was tantamount to "redacting history." Coconut Grove, the neighborhood in Miami where Griffin purchased a $107 million estate.

☆ Billionaire Ken Griffin wants to relocate a historic Miami home he purchased for $107 million. Preservationists say it could set a dangerous precedent.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The billionaire Ken Griffin bought a historic Miami property for about $107 million in September. A Citadel representative, Zia Ahmed, told the Journal that if Griffin were to move the house, "the utmost care and every precaution" would be taken. To Varas, the idea of moving the property to another piece of land was tantamount to "redacting history." Coconut Grove, the neighborhood in Miami where Griffin purchased a $107 million estate. Preservationists told the Journal that the home was a testament to the grand-estate days of Miami's early history when Coconut Grove experienced an economic boom.

☆ John Malone prepares for a victory lap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Now the cable cowboy’s Liberty Media (FWONA.O) empire is trotting out its trademark financial razzle-dazzle to try and wring additional value out of its assets. Malone, Liberty Media’s chairman, is as renowned for his dizzying array of specialized equity issues, spinoffs and splits as he is for the telecom and entertainment companies that have been subjected to the intricate machinations. It excludes broadcaster Discovery, spun off from Liberty Media in 2005, and international broadband provider Liberty Global (LBTYA.O), hived off a year earlier. A more logical starting point would be 2001, when Malone carved Liberty Media out of telecom giant AT&T (T.N). Likewise, Liberty Media’s accompanying shakeup of its tracking stocks stands to further spotlight the value of Formula One.

☆ L&G succession planning misses the mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Chief executives always like to see their company’s share price dip when they announce their departure. But it might also express mild discontent with the board’s succession planning. Even so, the smoothest way to sign off on Wilson’s tenure would have been to announce his successor now, rather than the news it might take up to a year to find one. After all, the L&G board had long enough to identify a suitable internal candidate. Chairman John Kingman’s reticence may reflect a preference for a big-hitting external candidate to grow the company beyond UK borders.

"We have managed to replace those (Russia and Belarus) volumes in other countries on a very hot wood market," Ulf Johansson, Global Wood Supply and Forestry Manager at brand owner Inter IKEA, told Reuters. Russia and Belarus were IKEA's fifth and sixth biggest wood suppliers before the war, accounting for 6% and 5% respectively of its supplies, the company's website said. Poland, followed by Lithuania and Sweden were the three biggest suppliers in the 12 months through August 2022. IKEA stores in Russia have been closed since March, while IKEA owned shopping malls remain open. IKEA has in recent years been buying and managing forests in a number of countries through its investment vehicle IKEA Investments, from which it might use wood and wood products in the future.

☆ Snapchat's role in fentanyl crisis probed during House roundtable: 'It's a Snap-specific problem'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The roundtable featured the mother of a child who died after taking a drug containing fentanyl allegedly purchased over Snapchat, apparently believing it was a prescription painkiller. "Big Tech has many problems," said Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer who works on cases seeking to hold tech platforms accountable for often offline harms. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice are also investigating Snap's role in fentanyl sales. That's because it does not incentivize safety features, she said, and also prevents tech platforms from reaching the discovery stage in many cases, which could otherwise reveal internal information. But legislation weakening encryption for law enforcement investigations would also likely be at odds with the committee's other goal of increasing digital privacy protections.

Republican state lawmakers and members of Congress are attempting to stifle the growth of sustainable investing and to punish corporate efforts at climate-related financial risk management. This is a closely coordinated political effort driven by a network of dark money organizations fronting for climate denial groups and fossil fuel interests. This is usually anonymous dark money, and it is often traceable back to the fossil fuel industry. They are attempting to bully financial institutions and regulators into ignoring market demand and market risk. Imagine elected officials telling investment firms they cannot offer large-cap or small-cap funds, or emerging market funds, or value funds — or, for that matter, sector funds with exposure to energy companies.

Far from ignoring Lula's challenges to control the risks of this institutional shock, investors and analysts said however that the focus remains on fiscal issues when assessing the new government in the long term. If the new parameters are considered weak by the market, it could renew fears of fiscal dominance and prevent the BCB from easing." Discussions of the new fiscal framework are key under Lula's administration, after policymakers have highlighted inflationary risks arising from leftist President-elect's 168 billion reais ($32 billion) spending proposal to meet campaign promises. "The unsettled and deeply divided political environment and related high social tension keeps risk premia high and could undermine overall governability." (.JPMEGDBRAR)A mobilized opposition with the "potential to turn violent" is the main conclusion from Sunday's protests for the political risk advisory Eurasia Group.

☆ Andretti joins forces with General Motors for Cadillac Formula 1 entry bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Michael Andretti, team owner of Walkinshaw Andretti United, looks on during qualifying for Supercars Adelaide 500 on March 2, 2018 in Adelaide, Australia. Andretti have teamed up with General Motors in a bid to enter Formula 1 which, if successful, would also see the famous Cadillac name join the grid. Andretti's main headquarters would be in Indiana while General Motors would be their engine and manufacture partner, with GM brand Cadillac to form part of the entry. "It is particularly pleasing to have interest from two iconic brands such as General Motors Cadillac and Andretti Global. "Well, we're bringing one of the biggest manufacturers in the world with us now with General Motors and Cadillac.

☆ Elon Musk’s Twitter Says It Plans to Expand Political Ads Allowed on Platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Meghan Bobrowsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Twitter Inc. said it plans to expand the political advertising it allows on the social-media platform after banning most political ads in 2019, in the latest policy change by new owner Elon Musk. The company also said Tuesday that it is relaxing its policy for cause-based ads in the U.S. Such ads call for people to take action, educate and raise awareness in connection with the following categories: civic engagement, economic growth, environmental stewardship and social-equity causes.

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