DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Hip-Hop, Still Fly at 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Guy Trebay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Everything is a flashback,” Syreeta Gates said last week. “That’s the way it always is with our culture. It was a dizzying convergence, musically and visually. Decades afterward, the rap scholar Tricia Rose would note in “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America” how skeptical the mainstream initially was to music most thought was a fad. That is, until the indie producer Sylvia Robinson released the hit song “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979.

☆ 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.

TOKYO/PARIS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - French car maker Renault (RENA.PA) and its Japanese partner Nissan Motor (7201.T) aim to formally unveil a deal to reshape their alliance in London on Feb. 6, two sources close to the matter told Reuters on Thursday. Renault has consistently declined to comment publicly about the talks with its Japanese partner, while a spokesperson for Nissan declined to comment on Thursday. French newspaper Le Figaro reported late on Wednesday that the companies would announce 4 to 5 joint projects to relaunch the alliance. The future shape of the Franco-Japanese alliance has implications for both companies as well as their junior partner, Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T). Renault, for instance, has said it will partner with companies from China's Geely Automobile Holdings (0175.HK) to semiconductor giant Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O).

☆ Nissan and Renault close in on overhaul of alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO/PARIS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Nissan and Renault are closing in on a sweeping overhaul of their globe-spanning automaking alliance as top executives meet on Thursday for talks to reset the two-decade-old partnership and chart a course for an uncertain electric future. Leaders of Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) and Renault SA (RENA.PA) are meeting via video link for an alliance board meeting, sources previously told Reuters. The future shape of the Franco-Japanese alliance has implications for both companies as well as their junior partner, Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T). Renault, for instance, has said it will partner with companies from China's Geely Automobile Holdings (0175.HK) to semiconductor giant Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O). Nissan has been concerned that the technology it has developed while partnered with Renault could leak to the French automaker's partners as it restructures, Reuters has reported.

The Point.me feature in the Bilt Rewards app can help you book lie-flat business class seats to Europe with your Bilt points. $0 Annual Fee View Full Details Apply nowBilt Mastercard® 4.5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer N/A Rewards Earn 3X point on dining. But if you'd prefer an automated answer to your question, you can now find it inside the Bilt Rewards app thanks to its integration of the Point.me award booking service. $0 Annual Fee View Full Details Apply nowBilt Mastercard® 4.5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer N/A Rewards Earn 3X point on dining. With the power of Point.me now living inside the Bilt Rewards app, Bilt's value proposition continues to rise.

☆ Dozens of Major Shootings Sweep the U.S. in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | Jon Kamp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Two mass shootings in California in recent days have added to the dozens of other major episodes of gun violence across the U.S. at the start of the year. Rising gun violence and a dizzying pace of mass public shootings in recent years have pushed concerns about public safety to the forefront for many Americans. It remains an open question how 2023 will play out, but several weeks in, there have already been two major public shootings that together left at least 18 dead along with a string of other often-deadly shootings involving multiple victims.

☆ When it comes to the energy transition, one analyst sees the market making a big mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Thomas Hohne-Sparborth, head of sustainability research at Lombard Odier, highlighted the huge shifts taking place in the field of low and zero-carbon technologies and, by extension, wider society. "We've seen past industrial revolutions, including past energy transitions," Hohne-Sparborth said. We were, Hohne-Sparborth said, "looking at investment needs in the trillions of dollars." When it comes to the energy transition, the sums being discussed are indeed significant. Last year, the International Energy Agency's "World Energy Outlook 2022" report said clean energy investment could be on course to exceed $2 trillion per year by 2030, an increase of over 50% compared to today.

☆ American truckers' wages have dropped by more than $50,000 since 1980, creating one of the industry's biggest problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The deregulation of the trucking industry in the 1980s led to wages being slashed by almost half. A high turnover rate — around 90% for large fleets — is considered a big problem of the industry. The change is tied to the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, which deregulated the trucking industry. Along with depressed wages, truckers face a dangerous job: In the US, one in 6 workers killed on the job is a trucker, according to Levy. That contributes to a high turnover of over 90% for large fleets.

☆ The US is scrambling to find what experts say may be the 'most important' hardware Ukraine needs to hold off Russia in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine and Russia have relied heavily on artillery to batter each other's forces. The US has vowed to ramp its munitions production. The US is buying 100,000 155 mm shells from South Korea that will be sent to Ukraine. Years after post-Cold War defense cutbacks, Europe is striving to supply Ukraine despite limited stockpiles and production capability. Ukraine's shopping list includes 152 mm and 122 mm howitzers, 122 mm rockets, and ammunition for tank cannons.

☆ Vanguard's global head of portfolio construction explains why the 60/40 portfolio still offers investors the best chance of long-term success even after a dismal year — and lays out the key investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Despite abysmal returns in 2022 there's a reason the 60/40 portfolio is a classic, says Vanguard. Long hailed as the cornerstone investing strategy, the 60/40 portfolio swiftly fell out of favor with investors after its returns were annihilated last year. But as equity valuations collapsed in 2022 so too did the 60/40 strategy, with an illustrative portfolio plunging 12% from the beginning of the year to December. In 2023, he predicts that the equity market returns between 5% and 6% — not anywhere near the dizzying gains of 2021, but far from last year's collapse. Furthermore, last year's massive correction may actually spell a brighter future for the 60/40 portfolio over the longer term.

☆ 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.

My husband and I are in our mid-30s and have term life insurance policies worth $2 million. My husband has roughly $1.6 million in life insurance, both via his work policy and an independent one. Both his and my policies are term life insurance, though we will eventually upgrade to a whole life policy. While our total monthly life insurance cost is $100, to me, it's a worthy spend. According to the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA), just 52% of Americans had life insurance in 2022, most to protect their families from unpaid debt, pass down generational wealth, or replace a primary earner's wages.

☆ Singapore withstands a global property downturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Thomas Shum | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Jan 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Property is crashing everywhere, except in Singapore. The Asian city-state’s private residential prices are up 14% year-on-year, according to third-quarter data from Knight Frank. That’s a sharp contrast to major cities like Hong Kong and Sydney, which saw decreases of 7% and 4% respectively over the same period. Home prices in Hong Kong, the world’s least affordable property market by far, could fall by as much as 30% by the end of 2023 from 2021 levels, reckon analysts at Goldman Sachs. Still, Leonard Tay, an analyst at Knight Frank, predicts an up to 5% increase for private home prices in 2023.

☆ The year that brought high-flying Silicon Valley back down to earth
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The tech industry, already dominant, only seemed destined to grow even bigger at the start of this year. The spread of the Omicron variant suggested a continued pandemic-fueled demand for digital goods and services, which had buoyed many tech companies. The result was a bloodbath unlike anything the tech industry has seen in the past decade. For years, Silicon Valley has held up its founders as visionaries who can see far into the future. “I do not think venture is cratering, or the tech industry is cratering as an industry.”But for now, at least, there appears to be no end in sight to the pain for Silicon Valley and those who work in it.

Tesla shares are trading at $122, with the stock up about 8% Thursday. Why Tesla is tankingA popular misconception has emerged about Elon Musk and Tesla: The megabillionaire’s love affair with Twitter is the main reason Tesla shares have lost so much value this year. Musk, Tesla’s largest shareholder, has sold $23 billion worth of Tesla shares since his interest in Twitter became public in April. On a Twitter Spaces call last week call, Musk promised he was done selling shares of Tesla (TSLA) stock until at least 2024, if not beyond. But he hasn’t lived up to a previous promise in April that he was done selling Tesla (TSLA) shares, selling $14.4 billion of that stock since that time.

In TV, the top 10 list ranges from the indefinable second season of “The White Lotus” to laugh-out-loud comedies and smoldering fantasy shows. “Catch the Fair One” is available on Hulu and various video-on-demand platforms. “Paris, 13th District” is available on Amazon Prime Video and various video-on-demand platforms. “Peter Von Kant” is available on various video-on-demand platforms. “Tár” is available on various video-on-demand platforms.

☆ Elon Musk’s Twitter obsession isn’t the core reason for Tesla stock’s plunge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —A popular misconception has emerged about Elon Musk and Tesla: The megabillionaire’s love affair with Twitter is the main reason Tesla shares have lost so much value this year. Investors have been disappointed that Musk appears to be paying for so much of his $44 billion purchase of Twitter by selling Tesla stock. Musk, Tesla’s largest shareholder, has sold $23 billion worth of Tesla shares since his interest in Twitter became public in April. On Thursday’s Twitter Spaces call, Musk promised he was done selling shares of Tesla stock until at least 2024, if not beyond. But he hasn’t lived up to a previous promise in April that he was done selling Tesla shares, selling $14.4 billion of that stock since that time.

☆ 22 Unique Valentine’s Gifts for Men Who Have Everything
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +12 min

From the cocktail gadget that will level-up his drinks to the ultimate undershirts, these are presents you can purchase with confidence—no gift receipt required. This edition has a wood cabinet with metal plaques, die-cast metal houses and hotels, gold-foil stamping and money-holding drawers. Buy Side’s favorite automatic cocktail maker works with pre-measured pods and his favorite spirits to dispense cocktails at the push of a button. For more great gadget ideas, check out our roundup of the top gifts for your favorite techie. Even better, the jean material “came ready-to-wear with no awkward break-in period, plus a custom liner.”—Additional reporting by Leslie Yazel

China reported 2,157 new symptomatic infections Thursday, but officials have stopped counting asymptomatic cases and halted mandatory testing. James Zimmermann, a lawyer, posted on Twitter earlier this week that 90% of his office was sickened. Meanwhile, Beijing has tried to maintain its policy of imposing harsh limits on people’s daily lives whenever an outbreak flared. Although direct comparisons are difficult, officially China has suffered just more than 5,200 deaths — compared with nearly 1.1 million in the United States. It also recently caused social unrest in the form of widespread demonstrations, which appeared to be the catalyst for the abrupt policy change.

☆ 'Firmageddon': Researchers find 1.1 million acres of dead trees in Oregon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“We’re seeing forms of stress in all of our species of trees,” said Christine Buhl, a forest entomologist with the Oregon Department of Forestry. Trained observers peer outside both sides of the plane, looking for noticeable damage to trees. “You definitely have to have a stomach of steel.”This year, the aerial observation program flew over about 69 million acres of Washington and Oregon forest in about 246 hours. Oregon’s average temperatures have risen about 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, according to a 2021 state climate assessment delivered to the state’s Legislature. “It was the combination of the high temperatures in the afternoon with the sun boring down,” said Chris Still, a professor in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University.

On the agenda today:But first: Ashley Stewart, a chief tech correspondent, is giving us a behind-the-scenes look at Salesforce's succession crisis. Salesforce's Marc Benioff. Jemal Countess / StringerOver the past week or so, at least six top executives from Salesforce and its subsidiaries announced plans to leave, Ashley Stewart, chief tech correspondent, writes. Company insiders attribute these departures to co-CEO Marc Benioff exerting increasing control over the company, adding that he's driven away his closest lieutenants while dialing up performance pressure on employees. The departures have created a crisis in leadership at Salesforce.

☆ The Mega Contract Is Back in Major League Baseball
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SAN DIEGO—Major League Baseball’s first in-person Winter Meetings since 2019 was a blazing reminder that there is big, big money in baseball. And some team owners are once again willing to spend it far, far into the future. The dizzying pace of deals this week sent a jarring message across the sport: After years of clubs behaving much more conservatively in free agency, the payroll pendulum has swung.

☆ Luggage for Style-Conscious Travelers: 5 Expert Picks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Laura Neilson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

WITH A DIZZYING number of luggage brands on the market, zeroing in on a new, well-constructed suitcase to fit your particular travel needs—not to mention your ski gear or that ambitious stack of beach reads—can seem like a herculean task. “[You need to] bring your things in. See how it feels when you pull a suitcase around the store,” said Ms. Paradise, whose family has been in the luggage business since 1977. Globe-trotting travel television host Samantha Brown concurs, and wisely suggested another strategy: Vigorously jiggling the case’s handle. With those must-haves in mind, and input from some inveterate jet-setters, we settled on five categorical winners likely to please travelers with an eye for both fashion and function.

☆ Brazil out of World Cup after losing to Croatia on penalties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Brazil, the favorite to win this year’s World Cup, is out of Qatar 2022 after losing to Croatia on penalties 1-1 (4-2) in Friday’s dramatic quarterfinal. Another Croatia shockAt the World Cup in 2018, Zlatko Dalić’s team won three knockout rounds after forcing the game into extra-time and it beat Japan on penalties in the previous round in Qatar. Croatia, the beaten finalists in 2018, will now face either Argentina or the Netherlands for a place in the World Cup final, while Brazil will be left to come to terms with another missed opportunity. Another upsetIt’s already been a World Cup of upsets and this was another to add to the list. Brazil was the top-ranked team at the World Cup and possessed an incredible array of talent, with the likes of Neymar and Vinícius Jr. lighting up the tournament.

☆ North Korea Wants Dollars. It’s a Sign of Trouble.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

Media Korean Studies 2016 2008 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Media Korean Studies 2008 2016 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Under Mr. Kim, North Korea has opened a new terminal at the city’s international airport, renovated subway stations and opened new amusement parks. Missile tests this year alone cost North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, according to estimates by South Korean and American researchers. An array of cell phones, assembled in North Korea with components imported from China, is on sale and advertised on state TV.

Search resuls for: "dizzying"

25 mentions found