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☆ Investors turn picky in Asia after easy wins from China’s reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Herald van der Linde, HSBC's head of equity strategy for Asia Pacific, points out that travel and gaming stocks have already benefited. That has led investors to hunt for sectors and companies with depressed valuations outside China. Reuters GraphicsMSCI China Vs MSCI Asean vs MSCI Asia excluding JapanGLOBAL PUSH OR CHINA PULL? After a torrid 2022, investors have been betting that a swift recovery in China's economy will somewhat cushion the impact of a global slowdown and possible recession. "China and its reopening trade, on the other hand, are in early stages and may be the additional tailwind for Asian equities later this year."

☆ How Budweiser Tackled a Beer-Free World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

In the end, the brewer found a way to navigate the World Cup beer-free and roll with the media attention that the alcohol ban generated. Soccer’s 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ran from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. World Cup sponsors Kia and Adidas similarly maintained their reputational scores, according to the Morning Consult data. Budweiser doesn’t pay a reported $75 million for the official beer sponsorship of the World Cup just to serve beer at stadiums. But the ban on alcoholic Budweiser undermined the impetus for being at the World Cup, Mr. Marcondes said.

☆ Mexico Pacific to sell LNG from Sonora export plant to Exxon Mobil
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Mexico Pacific said on Tuesday that a unit of Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) had agreed to buy liquefied natural gas from the Mexican company's proposed Saguaro Energia LNG export plant in Sonora state. Mexico Pacific also said ExxonMobil has an option for 1 MTPA from Train 3 at the plant. One MTPA of LNG is about the same as 0.13 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. The proposed three-train Saguaro Energia LNG facility is designed to produce about 14.1 MTPA of LNG from natural gas sourced from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. "We look forward to working with Mexico Pacific to continue growing ExxonMobil's LNG portfolio and deliver Permian natural gas to global markets," said Peter Clarke, senior vice president of LNG for ExxonMobil Upstream Co.

One of the really interesting questions here – this will be fascinating – the core of linear TV is sports rights. When you look at the size and scope of the linear TV business, it's huge. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesByron Allen, Entertainment Studios founder and CEO: I think linear TV will exist for a very, very long time. Simmons: I believe Apple, out of nowhere, will start making their own awesome televisions that have Apple TV embedded in them. We are witnessing early stages of this dynamic with deals like "NFL Sunday Ticket" on YouTube and the MLS deal with Apple TV.

☆ Emotional Townsend savours Calcutta Cup hat-trick
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I don't know if it's this fixture. I didn’t get close to winning as a player, it was always the same result down here. Two years ago (when Scotland won at Twickenham for the first time in 38 years) there was no crowd here so this was emotional. Townsend said it reminded him of the computer game version of the late former All Black Jonah Lomu "when he ran faster than everyone else. It was one that sends the Scotland supports crazy and silences everyone else as you don’t see tries like that very often," he said.

☆ Why You Should Travel Abroad With Interior Designers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Antonia Van Der Meer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

WHEN MELANIE BURNS of Oklahoma City first entered the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, she was stunned by its sheer size and the pathways winding through its tented structures like a tangle of yarn. Though well-traveled and an old hand at hunting one-of-a-kind objets, she’d never experienced such an onslaught of potential riches. The duo led Ms. Burns to a shop layered deep behind other shops. “It was no more than about 14 feet square, and stacked high with the most beautiful hand-woven vintage tapestries I’ve ever seen,” Ms. Burns recalled. They are walking encyclopedias, they speak the language and when you shop with them, you don’t overpay.”

☆ Adani vs. Hindenburg: How Asia’s richest man lost his crown in just a few days
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Gautam Adani, billionaire and chairman of Adani Group, during an event at the Port of Haifa in Haifa, Israel, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. According to Forbes, Gautam Adani, the founder and chairman of the group, has lost his status as Asia's richest man to Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries. Hindenburg, which said it has taken a short position in Adani Group, stands to benefit from the declining value of those stocks. Adani's battle with the short-seller firm has put the group's exposure to Wall Street — amounting to nearly $9 billion, according to JPMorgan — under the spotlight. In just one week, Indian billionaire Gautam Adani saw more than $34 billion wiped off his net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

☆ Trump's go-to attorney Alina Habba is withdrawing from E. Jean Carroll's rape claim. Last month, a federal judge sanctioned her $1 million for bad lawyering.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Alina Habba is withdrawing from representing Donald Trump in E. Jean Carroll's rape claim. Habba told Insider she continues to be dedicated to Trump. The move comes two weeks after a federal judge in Florida sanctioned Habba and Trump in a separate case and fined them $1 million. In a statement provided to Insider, Habba told Insider she was dedicated to representing Trump in court. "While I appreciate the left-wing media's attempt to fabricate any story to fit their narrative, I am so happy to have Joe step in and assist," Habba told Insider.

☆ Trump hired Natalee Holloway's suspected killer's lawyer to defend him in E. Jean Carroll defamation case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump hired one of the most famous criminal defense attorneys to represent him against E. Jean Carroll. Carroll has accused Trump of sexual battery and defamation. Tacopina told the Post that he has no issues defending accused criminals. I like the high stakes," Tacopina told the Times. Van der Sloot was never tried for Natalee Holloway's murder, but remains the primary suspect in the unsolved case.

☆ TikTok CEO to testify before House panel about app's security and ties to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The New Economy Forum is being organized by Bloomberg Media Group, a division of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News. Photographer: Bryan van der Beek/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesTikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before a House panel on March 23 about the app's security and privacy practices and its ties to China through parent company ByteDance. TikTok has been engaging with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which can determine if certain risk mitigation measures are adequate to dampen national security concerns. Still, those negotiations have reportedly been delayed at least as of last month, as officials continue to worry about the implications of the app's ownership by Chinese parent company ByteDance. Fears over TikTok's national security and privacy implications for consumers have spanned both sides of Congress, and stretched across the Trump administration into the Biden administration.

☆ Who is Shou Zi Chew? Mounting scrutiny on TikTok could put new spotlight on its CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Months later, when TikTok was grilled by Congress over privacy and security concerns, Pappas was the TikTok executive in the hot seat fielding questions. But Chew, who took over as TikTok CEO in April 2021, has largely stayed out of the spotlight at a time when the app he leads can’t seem to avoid it. He eventually went on to become the CFO of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, which he helped take public in 2018. While Chew is not a Chinese national, Quint noted Chinese tech companies and leaders that have drawn too much attention to themselves have faced tough government crackdowns. Ultimately, Quint said, “I don’t think the CEO of TikTok has much relevance at all” for US lawmakers scrutinizing its ties to China.

☆ Chinese companies set for biggest earnings growth in 5 years in 2023-Refinitiv data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Gaurav Dogra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Chinese companies are expected to report their highest earnings growth in five years, Refinitiv data shows, as economic reopening after COVID lockdowns and accommodative monetary policy raise hopes for higher profits. According to Refinitiv IBES data, China's large and mid-cap companies' profits are seen rising 16.2% in 2023, the fastest growth since 2017. The Reuters analysis showed utilities, consumer staples and consumer discretionary sectors are expected to lead growth with their estimated profit growth of 34.5%, 33.5% and 27.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the tech sector is expected to see earnings growth of 27% compared with 9.4% in 2022 while the property sector would witness 9.4% higher profits after a 4.9% drop last year. read more"We expect China to outperform Asia ex-Japan due to its faster-than-anticipated reopening, continuing domestic policy support, and potential for stronger earnings growth," said Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, in a note this month.

☆ Jeep's first EV just won Europe's Car of the Year award — but you can't buy the Avenger in America
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Jeep Avenger has been named European Car of the Year for 2023 – but it's not on sale in the US. The Jeep Avenger was named European Car of the Year at the Brussels auto show on Friday. Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images)The Avenger is part of Jeep's drive to become a leader in electric SUVs. The Jeep Recon and Wagoneer S will be the first fully-electric Jeep SUVs available to American buyers, but they're not scheduled to go into production until 2024. In France, for example, buyers can receive up to 7,000 euros ($7,590) towards an electric car that costs less than 47,000 euros ($50,964).

☆ Is This the ‘It’ Chair of 2023? Interior Designers Think So
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Antonia Van Der Meer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

AN UNFUSSY and downright brutish, midcentury vintage chair design has been muscling its way into even the most traditional of homes lately. Some look like little more than two pieces of wood attached to legs, but keyhole details or sculpted backs can make them sweeter. Designers and dealers are calling the increasingly in-demand seats, which hail primarily from Scandinavia and Europe, brutalist. At online marketplace 1stDibs , searches for “brutalist chair” are up 115% year over year. “I used it as a decorative accent, as though it were a piece of art,” she said.

☆ Belgium to extend life of two nuclear reactors by 10 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Engie SA FollowBRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Belgium has reached an agreement with French utility Engie to extend the life of two nuclear reactors by 10 years, the prime minister said on Monday, overturning a plan to exit nuclear power in 2025 as the war in Ukraine has changed energy strategy. "The extension of these two nuclear reactors is crucial to guarantee our energy security," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told a news conference after meeting cabinet members. Belgium had planned to exit nuclear power entirely in 2025, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced the government to rethink plans to rely more on natural gas. Belgium's six operating nuclear reactors have a combined capacity of about 5 gigawatt and generate about half of the country's electricity, World Nuclear Association data show. The cost of the future dismantling of the Belgian reactors will remain Engie's responsibility, De Croo added.

☆ Why detransitioners are crucial to the science of gender care
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +43 min

A Canadian health provider said it couldn’t participate, citing recent threats to hospitals offering youth gender care. But as Reuters found, hard evidence on long-term outcomes for the rising numbers of people who received gender treatment as minors is very weak. Dr Marianne van der Loos, the Dutch study’s lead author, is a physician at Amsterdam University Medical Center’s Center for Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, a pioneer in gender care for adolescents. For those who also received medical treatment, detransitioning typically includes halting the hormone therapy they otherwise would receive for years. One is Max Robinson, who was 16 when she sought gender care at Kaiser in 2012.

EU energy ministers are wrangling over a proposed price cap on gas. European Union nations are engaged in crunch talks to cap gas prices morning, with energy ministers Monday seeming optimistic about a deal following two months of tough negotiations. Runacher said France would be "comfortable" with a range of "160 to 200 euros [eur/MWh], and we feel that this price [range] converges with that of the presidency." On Monday morning, ministers referred to the measure as a "gas market correction mechanism" rather than a cap. European natural gas prices reached historic levels of around 350 euros per megawatt hour in August, when traders were concerned about the bloc's unity in fighting the energy crisis.

☆ 12 media executives anonymously predict 2023's biggest deals, trends and changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Candle Media has acquired intellectual property assets including Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine production company and Moonbug, which owns the animated kids series "CoComelon." Executive 3: Iger extends his contract There's been lots of speculation over who Iger will choose as his successor. History suggests he has a hard time leaving the role of Disney CEO. Christine M. McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The Walt Disney Company. "I love Shari [Redstone], but ViacomCBS is not long for this world as it stands today," said a media executive last year.

"I am sad and proud at the same time", said Thomas Bregas, a young Franco-Moroccan wrapped in a Morocco flag. Morocco had a shot at becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup final, but France are now poised to become the first team to retain their World Cup title in 60 years on Sunday. He added that Moroccans had nothing to be ashamed of after an "extraordinary" World Cup journey. In Paris, Police were gearing up for possible skirmishes, after scuffles followed last week's Moroccan quarter-final win over Portugal. Morocco fans in France had been in a celebratory frenzy ever since their team went on its historic World Cup journey, becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the last four in the global showpiece event.

☆ Gas and Electric Fireplaces Are the Future. We Asked Design Pros How to Make Them Seem Real.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Antonia Van Der Meer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

WHEN FAMILIES GATHER around the fire this holiday season, the odds are better than ever that no real kindling will be involved. Due to concerns about health and air quality, regulations against wood-burning fireplaces and stoves have grown increasingly strict—San Francisco, for example, forbids them in new construction—and homeowners drawn to flames have moved on to alternatives such as gas and electric. This doesn’t mean such new-technology adopters are willing to give up the ghost of Christmases past, however. “For generations, fire has been the center of the home,” said Julie Buckner, an interior designer in Petaluma, Calif., who often installs electric fireplaces instead of gas or wood. “It’s a light show,” she said, “but once we commit to not burn wood, it becomes easier to accept that it doesn’t look completely natural.”

☆ Fact Check-Food products do not contain human fetal cells
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

There is no evidence that food products contain cells from aborted human fetuses as flavor enhancers, contrary to a social media claim that revives a related, previously-debunked charge about cells used in biomedical research. Research by Senomyx into the use of ‘HEK-293’ aborted human fetal cells as a flavor enhancer was published in Pubmed in 2002, after which several patents were filed by them. Reuters previously factchecked false claims that PepsiCo drinks contained aborted fetal cells. AN OLD CELL LINEThe controversial cell line is derived from fetal cells dating to the 1970s. There is no evidence that any food or beverage products contain cells from human fetuses or derived from fetuses.

The jury is set to begin deliberations Monday in the tax fraud trial of the Trump Organization, which is accused of a sweeping, 15-year scheme to compensate top executives of former President Donald Trump’s company off the books. The 15-count indictment charges the company and longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg with scheming to defraud, tax fraud and falsifying records. Trump Organization lawyers outlined their case that the prosecution’s star witness in the criminal trial, Weisselberg, committed his crimes to benefit himself. Other executives were compensated with similar perks, they said, and were paid bonuses as independent contractors, saving the company payroll taxes. “Donald Trump is explicitly sanctioning tax fraud.

In this article DIS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTBob Iger, CEO, The Walt Disney Company Scott Mlyn | CNBCDisney reappointed Bob Iger as its chief executive recently, abruptly replacing his hand-picked successor Bob Chapek, and giving Iger an early goal — find a new replacement during the next two years. Iger's attention has quickly turned to the other part of his mandate from the board — the immediate challenges facing Disney's business, such as the company's reorganization, cost structure and the future growth of its streaming business. He is the chairman of Disney's studio content and spearheaded the integration of Iger's acquisitions into Disney's overall content pipeline. D'Amaro is head of Disney's parks, experiences and products, the same position Chapek held before becoming CEO. Rebecca Campbell, who's currently in charge of Disney's international content and operations, is another candidate that Iger may favor, people familiar with the matter said.

Prosecutors in the Trump Organization tax fraud trial said in their closing arguments Friday that the former president sanctioned what became a sweeping 15-year scheme to compensate top company executives off the books. “Donald Trump is explicitly sanctioning tax fraud. “This whole narrative that Donald Trump is blissfully ignorant is just not real.”Attorneys for the defense objected to the late-trial move by the prosecution, which also mentioned Trump at the beginning of closing arguments on Thursday. The 15-count indictment in the case charges the company and longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg with scheming to defraud, tax fraud and falsifying records. Donald Trump stands next to Allen Weisselberg at a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower on Jan. 11, 2017.

☆ Trump Org defense closings feature a clueless Donald Trump and a big little loophole
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Donald Trump was running a multi-billion-dollar corporate entity," one lawyer, Susan Necheles, told jurors of the Trump Organization's far-too-busy-for-fraud owner. But Weisselberg, she told jurors, hid his self-serving crimes from the Trumps, a family he'd worked for for more than 30 years. "You saw him on the witness stand almost crying" over betraying the Trump family, Necheles told jurors of the former finance chief, repeating for emphasis, "He was ashamed." "I ask you to remember that language," Necheles told the jury, reading it aloud. "The prosecution has been trying to convince you that Mr. Weisselberg's actions were done 'in behalf of' the company," Necheles said.

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