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☆ The 'crazy' fix for Google's monopoly that investors are whispering about
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The idea is that the US would require Google to make its Search index publicly available for anyone to use. AdvertisementBots and indexesA Search index is created by a bot crawling the web and collecting keywords and other information from sites. Related storiesGoogle's Search index is the biggest in the world. The Search index as part of the public commonsWouldn't this be taking something that belongs to Google, though? In the same way Bing powers DuckDuckGo, Google's open index could power other rival search engines that could offer different approaches to Google's search engine.

Persons: —, It's, wouldn't, it's, Amit Mehta's, Bing, DuckDuckGo Organizations: Service, Justice Department, Business, Google, Rivals, Mobile Virtual Network, Verizon, DOJ

☆ 401(k) rollover advice rule is at risk. Here's what retirement savers need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Two federal district courts in Texas issued a national "stay" of the regulation, in separate rulings in July. The rule will "create a level playing field" for all trusted investment professionals, according to a Labor Department spokesperson. "The insurance industry can continue to advise investors and sell annuities, without giving advice that is imprudent, disloyal, or tainted by misrepresentations or overcharges," the spokesperson said. Current retirement rollover advice rules stay in effectIn the meantime, the current status quo remains in effect, attorneys said. Current rules let brokers give investment advice that earns them a higher commission but isn't in savers' best interests, the Labor Department said during the rulemaking process.

Persons: Julie Su, Chip Somodevilla, Fred Reish, Drinker Biddle, didn't Organizations: Getty, U.S, Northern, Northern District of, American, of, United States Department of Labor, Americans, Consumer Choice, Department of Labor, Labor Department, Department of Justice, Biden, National Association of Insurance, Financial Advisors, National Association Locations: Texas, Northern District, Northern District of Texas, ACLI, NAIFA, Dallas, Fort Worth

☆ Elon Musk has a weak case against advertisers — but he's playing the long game
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-08 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewOn Tuesday, Elon Musk's X fulfilled his promise to sue advertisers over their boycotting of the platform. GARM creates frameworks to provide common definitions around areas like hate speech and misinformation; it's voluntary whether advertisers use them. It doesn't rank platforms on these issues, and its role isn't to advise advertisers on where to spend their dollars. US advertisers are also protected by the First Amendment to spend or not spend on whichever media platforms they please. If the X suit moves into the discovery phase, there could be a whole lot more.

Persons: —, Elon Musk's X, X, Ørsted, Musk, Ruben Schreurs, Ørsted didn't, GARM, Jim Jordan, colluded, WPP's GroupM, Rob Rakowitz, Rumble, Jamie Barnard, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Win McNamee, Jordan, Brian Wieser, Wieser Organizations: Service, Federation, Global Alliance of Responsible Media, Twitter, Unilever, Mars, CVS, Business, WFA, Republican, Procter, Gamble, WPP's, Committee, Verizon, Chanel, PepsiCo, WPP, Media, Madison Locations: Texas, Ohio

☆ In Education and Media, Markets Aren’t Always Right - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Don’t Tell My Friends, But… is a seriesin which we asked Times columnistswhateveryone else is wrong about. On its face, there’s nothing necessarily political about the mantra that the customer is always right. But the idea that the customer is always right also contains a worldview, a kind of market fundamentalism that typifies much of the American right today. The problem starts when our decisions aren’t merely subjective — that is, when questions of truth, moral or factual, are involved. Students today, whose parents often pay fortunes for their education, are treated like valuable customers, not lowly apprentices.

Persons: “, didn’t, —, Walter Cronkite, That’s, It’s, Hadrian, ”, Marguerite Yourcenar, there’s Organizations: Conservatives, University curriculums, Liberal, Yale, Princeton Locations: United States

☆ The Olympics are getting a luxury makeover this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Madeline Berg | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

From the custom Louis Vuitton cases presenting the Olympic medals and torch, to Armani attire donning Team Italy, luxury and beauty brands will be all over the Paris Games. LVMH is one of the biggest brand partners of the Paris Games, with the conglomerate spending about $160 million, Bloomberg reported. AdvertisementThe Paris Games also represent a return to form, with the crowds back for the first time since the pandemic. "A large amount of the global population will be watching" the Olympics, Fflur Roberts, the global head of luxury at Euromonitor International, told BI. The Olympics are also a high-stakes chance to prove luxury is "worth it" following a recent backlash against sky-high prices.

Persons: —, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Harry Poole, SponsorUnited, we've, Ellie Thorpe, Kantar BrandZ, Fflur Roberts, Marguerite Le Rolland, Poole, Octagon, Glossier, there's, Nancy Atufunwa, Stella Jean, Atufunwa, Thorpe, Bernard Arnault Organizations: Service, Olympic, Italy, Paris Games, Business, Bloomberg, Brands, Armani, Games, Excel Sports Management, Paris Olympics, Tokyo Games, Euromonitor, Olympics, Deloitte, USA, Women's, Haiti, Team Nigeria, LVMH Locations: Prada, Paris, Italian, France

☆ Google has admitted defeat by abandoning its plan to eliminate cookies. But the ad industry should wait before popping the Champagne.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Early industry testing of the Privacy Sandbox tools designed to emulate online targeting produced fairly dire results. Google won't escape regulatory scrutinyIt's unclear whether keeping cookies would allow Google to shake off regulators' grasp of its Privacy Sandbox. In 2022, Google pledged to give the UK's Competition and Markets Authority oversight of its Privacy Sandbox rollout and Chrome cookie removal. A key question now is whether Google's commitments to the CMA need to change now that third-party cookies remain in the mix. And there isn't a clear answer about the future governance of the Privacy Sandbox, to ensure Google doesn't preference its own ad products.

Persons: —, Ciaran O'Kane, Bobby Ewing, Jon Snow, they'd, Googler Organizations: Service, Business, Google, YouTube, Apple, CMA

☆ Opinion | Biden’s Get-Tough-on-China Tariffs May Backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Steven Rattner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two successive presidents have come down firmly on the side of tariffs rather than trade agreements as the preferred mechanism for managing international commerce. While there are political and security reasons for tariffs, America’s new protectionist stance will raise prices, limit consumer choices and risk our future growth. Last week, after laying low on this front for most of his term, President Biden announced a raft of new tariffs on selected Chinese imports including electric cars and solar panels as well as steel and aluminum. While the tariffs cover only $18 billion of imports, they are by design meant to keep Chinese products, like electric vehicles, from entering the U.S. market. In doing so, he has in large measure aligned his trade policy with that of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump Locations: United States, U.S

☆ Want to see Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ without breaking the bank? Try Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Planning a summer vacation in Europe usually requires an exorbitant amount of cash, but when Taylor Swift is involved, it actually might be a deal. For example, secondary market ticket prices for Swift’s show in Stockholm, Sweden, this Saturday are as cheap as $300 for standing room-only and seats in the nosebleed sections. Compare that to Swift’s show in Miami in October where seats are selling for about $2,000 to as much as $8,500 on StubHub. Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty ImagesAlthough Europe’s laws on ticket resale vary country by country, a number of them, including Ireland and Portugal, ban ticket sellers from making a profit on the secondary market. For Swifties looking to jump over the pond for their London Boy, Shemtob recommends using ticket sellers such as Ticketmaster, AEG, Eventim or Twickets.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, Sam Shemtob, Julien De Rosa, reselling, Shemtob, it’s, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Union, Alliance, CNN, Friends Arena, Swedish men’s national football team, Sweden isn’t, Getty, EU, Digital Services, European Court, Justice, ”, London, Ticketmaster, AEG Locations: New York, Europe, Stockholm, Sweden, Swedish, Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Paris, AFP, Ireland, France, EU

☆ Brexit border checks: Britain braces for less choice and higher prices on food imports
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hanna Ziady | Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The new regime for food imports is perhaps the starkest example of the painful border bureaucracy that UK and EU businesses must contend with in the wake of Brexit. An additional cost of that scale will “significantly increase food prices and reduce choice,” the federation’s CEO Phil Pluck wrote in a letter to environment and food minister Steve Barclay earlier this month. But here too Brexit hasn’t helped, ending as it did the free movement of EU workers on whom British farmers had relied for decades. In addition to Brexit-related challenges, UK farmers have been squeezed by soaring input costs, including those of fertilizer, energy and labor. “I’m not hugely in favor of subsidies, I’m in favor of fair food prices,” Maddocks said.

Persons: Eddie Price, ”, Phil, Steve Barclay, Andrew Aitchison, Andrew Opie, “, Jack Bobo, “ It’s, Price, hasn’t, ” Tom Bradshaw, “ You’re, Chris Ratcliffe, Brexit, ” Philip Maddocks, I’m, ” Maddocks Organizations: London CNN, European Union, EU, Britain, Birmingham Wholesale, CNN, Chain Federation, British Retail Consortium, University of York, Food Systems, University of Nottingham, Birmingham Wholesale Market, Bank, National Farmers ’ Union, Bloomberg, Getty, PDM Locations: United Kingdom, Britain, France, Spain, artichokes, Italy, Birmingham, Dover, Port, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, North Africa, England, Sandwich, Australia, New Zealand, English, Shropshire

☆ Water Heaters Use Lots of Energy. The D.O.E. Wants to Change That.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration on Tuesday adopted stricter energy-efficiency standards for residential water heaters, the most consequential move in a flurry of changes designed to reduce the energy used by many common appliances including stoves, dishwashers and lightbulbs. The Department of Energy said the new standards, taken together, will save American households and businesses nearly $1 trillion over 30 years, and save the average family $100 a year or more through lower utility bills. The changes will also cut greenhouse gas emissions, the agency said, by an amount equivalent to taking 18 million gas-burning cars off the road over that time. However, the changes have come under withering attack by Republican lawmakers who claim the new rules will make appliances costlier in the short term. Republican politicians and their allies have accused the administration of planning to ban gas stoves, for example, and conservative groups have blamed environmental rules for what it claimed was the decline of the American dishwasher.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Department of Energy, Republican, Appliances, Laundry

☆ Judge approves NAR settlement on broker commissions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

On Tuesday, Judge Stephen Bough granted preliminary approval to the $418 million antitrust settlement in a Missouri court. Housing experts say the settlement may effectively demolish the current real estate business model. Under the terms of settlement, which was announced in March, sellers’ agents will no longer be required to offer commissions to buyers’ agents. While the settlement does not explicitly spell the end of the traditional 6% commission, split between the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent, commissions are expected to fall because they will become competitive and negotiable. If sellers are no longer paying buyers’ agents, homebuyers may be on the hook to pay their broker directly.

Persons: Stephen Bough, Matt Hanley, ” Hanley, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, homebuyers Locations: United States, Missouri, Minnesota

☆ How car buyers thinking hybrid over EV should make the decision
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

And what would the upfront costs be to upgrade your system to allow for faster charging, if desired? Do the math on upfront cost, EV vs. hybridIf it's still a toss up between an EV and a hybrid, next consider upfront costs. By contrast, the average starting price for a hybrid car is $33,214, according to iSeeCars.com, a car search engine. Search for available auto rebates and incentivesIf you're leaning toward an EV, but still find the upfront cost daunting, look for possible rebates. He points to a study by Argonne National Lab that shows scheduled maintenance costs per mile are significantly lower for an EV versus a traditional hybrid or plug-in hybrid.

Persons: you've, Aston Martin, Sandeep Rao, there's, Rao, Steve Christensen, Maxwell Woody, Woody, Albert Gore, ZETA Organizations: Ford, General Motors, Mercedes, Benz, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Rover, Gallup, New York, EV, Chevrolet, Department of Energy, Battery Coalition, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, of Michigan, University of Michigan, Argonne National Lab, Honda Locations: U.S, California, Florida, Texas

☆ Last-minute Brexit bill risks higher food prices, UK business groups warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —British business groups are warning that newly announced post-Brexit charges on plant and animal imports could push up food prices not long after food inflation came down from double-digit rates. The port and the undersea tunnel beneath the English Channel handle the majority of UK food imports. Annual UK food price inflation topped 19% in March 2023, the highest rate in 45 years, and stood at more than 10% as recently as in October. Some are already “deciding that it is too expensive or too much hassle to serve the UK,” he told CNN. A government spokesperson said the new charges “were at the bottom end of the range” discussed with UK businesses during a consultation period last summer.

Persons: Tom Southall, William Bain ,, ”, James Barnes, “ Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Department for Environment, Food, Rural Affairs, Channel, Chain Federation, Chambers of Commerce, ”, CNN, EU . Trade, Horticultural Trades Association Locations: British, Port, Dover, Eurotunnel, Southall

These are accusations that the Justice Department leveled against a technology giant it accused of running an illegal monopoly. But they aren’t from this week’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple — they’re from the case the department brought against Microsoft in 1998. And federal prosecutors are explicitly connecting the Apple lawsuit to that earlier fight. “They’re really presenting this case as a successor to that: Microsoft 2.0,” said Gus Hurwitz, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. And it isn’t clear whether the Justice Department will be able to achieve here what it claims to have done by suing Microsoft.

Persons: Apple —, Department’s, Clinton, “ They’re, ”, Gus Hurwitz Organizations: Justice Department, Apple, Microsoft, Google, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

☆ Dollar General is taking a key strategy from Costco as it aims to lower costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dollar General is sharply reducing the selection of products it sells in order to cut costs. The discounter previously stocked about 12,000 unique items, referenced by SKUs. AdvertisementSome Dollar General shoppers may see their favorite items disappearing from shelves as the discount retailer looks to control inventory costs. The move inches Dollar General closer to Costco's time-tested strategy for finding savings through simplicity — the wholesale club famously keeps its SKU count to around 4,000 in its warehouses. Last summer, Dollar General took a $95 million inventory write-down as it cleaned those stores up.

Persons: SKUs, —, Todd Vasos, there's, Neil Saunders, Vasos, didn't, Gina Goetter Organizations: Costco, Service, Walmart, Aldi, Hasbro

☆ Home buyers and sellers to be spared automatic broker commissions under $418 million settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Rob Wile | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The National Association of Realtors has agreed to a landmark settlement that would eliminate real estate brokers' long-standing automatic commissions, commonly of up to 6% of the purchase price. Instead, home buyers and sellers would be able to negotiate fees with their agents upfront. If the $418 million legal agreement is approved by a federal court, consumer advocates predict the ranks of real estate agents will thin, further driving down commission prices. "For years, anti-competitive rules in the real estate industry have financially harmed millions," said Benjamin Brown, managing partner at the Cohen Milstein law firm and one of the settlement's negotiators. "It's a bribe," Doug Miller, an attorney and longtime consumer advocate in the real estate industry, said of the commission-splitting arrangements.

Persons: Benjamin Brown, Cohen Milstein, Nykia Wright, Wright, —, Doug Miller Organizations: National Association of Realtors, NAR, MLS

☆ The 6% commission on buying or selling a home is gone after Realtors association agrees to seismic settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The NAR, which represents more than 1 million Realtors, also agreed to put in place a set of new rules. One prevents sellers’ brokers from setting buyers’ agents’ compensation, which critics say led brokers to push more expensive properties on customers. Another new rule will require buyers’ brokers to enter into written agreements with their buyers. Realtors could now compete on commissions, allowing for prospective buyers to shop around on rates before they commit to buying a home. The association also faces scrutiny from the US Department of Justice, and it’s unclear whether this settlement with sellers will impact the government’s scrutiny of the brokerage industry.

Persons: ”, Kevin Sears, Nykia Wright, Homesellers, HomeServices, Wright Organizations: CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, Realtors, realtors, US Department of Justice Locations: Missouri, America, litigate

☆ Real estate stocks plunge as NAR agrees to landmark settlement that rewrites rules on commissions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The National Association of Realtors announced a $418 million settlement to end antitrust lawsuits. Real estate stocks including Zillow and Redfin fell Friday after the announcement. AdvertisementShares of real estate companies plunged on Friday following an announcement from the National Association of Realtors that resolves a lawsuit with home-selling groups and effectively nixes the standard 6% commission for home purchases. As part of the settlement, the NAR has agreed to prevent sellers' brokers from determining the compensation for buyers' agents. AdvertisementTaken together the changes will rewrite the longstanding real estate business model which had sellers pay their broker and the buyer's broker.

Persons: Redfin, —, Nykia Wright, Kevin Sears Organizations: National Association of Realtors, Service, NAR

☆ How do we solve a problem like Boeing?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —It took decades for Boeing to build a reputation as one of the most reliable companies on the planet. The latest headache for Boeing came Monday, when a 787 Dreamliner flying from Australia to New Zealand plunged suddenly mid-flight, injuring several passengers. It’s not clear what, if any, culpability Boeing has here — it said it’s gathering information about what went wrong. So, how do we solve a problem like Boeing? “This can be really as big as a financial crisis,” considering how many businesses around the world rely on Boeing planes.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Tesla, Brian Jokat, it’s, can’t, ” Gad Allon, “, ” Allon isn’t, Matt Stoller, ” Stoller, that’s, “ There’s, ” Allon Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Boeing, American, Regulators, Latam Airlines, CNN, Wall Street Journal, FAA, Airbus, Pilots, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, American Economic Liberties, Boeing isn’t Locations: New York, Australia, New Zealand, American

☆ EV euphoria is dead. Automakers trumpet consumer choice for U.S. car shoppers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Andrew Merry | Moment | Getty ImagesDETROIT — The buzz around electric vehicles is wearing off. U.S. EV sales were a record 1.2 million units last year, representing 7.6% of the overall national market, Cox Automotive estimates. "Moving on to less tech-savvy buyers will slow the EV market share growth over the next few years." Automakers wanted to emulate Tesla's success, with some promising to exclusively offer EVs in the not-too-distant future. "Toyota is almost completely absent from the [battery electric vehicle] market yet will gain more U.S. market share than any other car company this year.

Persons: hasn't, Andrew Merry, Aston Martin, Tesla, Elon Musk, Marin Gjaja, Ford, Pablo Di Si, Sam Fiorani, Romeo, Bentley, Mary Barra, there's, Cadillac, John Roth, We've, Gjaja, Jim Farley, Rebecca Cook, Oliver Blume, Akio Toyoda, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, It's, Biden, Cox, Michelle Krebs, EVs, Trisha Jung Organizations: DETROIT, EV, Ford Motor, General Motors, Mercedes, Benz, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Rover, CNBC, GM, Hyundai Motor, Kia, Toyota Motor, VW, U.S, Cox Automotive, AutoForecast Solutions, Volvo, Buick, Cadillac, Honda, Ford Motor Co, Ford, Amperex Technology, Toyota, Cox, Tesla, Nissan, Nissan U.S, Environmental Protection Agency, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, American Automotive, Detroit automakers Locations: EVs, Europe, U.S, North America, Warren , Michigan, Detroit, Marshall , Michigan, Romulus , Michigan

☆ Opinion: I’m a climate scientist. If you knew what I know, you’d be terrified too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Opinion Bill Mcguire | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Are you frightened by climate change? While those of us working in the climate science field know the true picture, and understand the implications for our world, most others do not. As a climate scientist, it is my duty to tell you about what is happening to our world, whether it engenders fear or not. Critically, the authors of the study observed that the reality of climate change has to be communicated without inducing a feeling of hopelessness — and this is the key. Climate change is no different.

Persons: Bill McGuire, Read, David Wallace, Wells, Sean Gallup, ” Organizations: University College London, CNN, University of Bath, American Psychological Association Locations: —, Disko, Greenland

☆ The 6 biggest questions about ESPN, Fox, and WBD's new sports streamer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

ESPN parent Disney and Fox report earnings on Wednesday, and more answers could be on the way. Here are six of the biggest questions coming out of the new announcement:How much will it cost? This new streamer could be the thing that finally kills cable TV. If they believe it has promise, could it give ESPN, Fox, and WBD more bargaining power in sports-right negotiations and greater ability to shoulder the sky-high costs? Will this new streamer come to the negotiating table for more sports rights to pad out its offering?

Persons: Bernstein, Paul Verna, Brian Weiser, there's, Disney's Bob Iger, Fox's Lachlan Murdoch, WBD's David Zaslav Organizations: ESPN, Disney, Fox, CNBC, YouTube, NBC, English Premier League —, Insider Intelligence, Business, Hulu, Netflix, JV, Amazon Locations: Madison, Disney's

☆ Some baby brands have a cult-like following. Kyte Baby’s went sour
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hobbs says she owns 120 pieces of bamboo fiber baby pajamas, which can run from $32 to $38 for brands such as Bums & Roses, Posh Peanut and Kyte Baby. Courtesy Emilee HobbsThere are a number of bamboo clothing brands. The swift backlash to Kyte Baby was just as strong as its fans’ devotion had been. One person filmed themselves flinging away a Kyte Baby onesie into the snow in protest to ’N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” Others said they would be selling their Kyte Baby items. A “Sienna Woodland" footie from bamboo clothing brand Kyte Baby.

Persons: New York CNN — Emilee Hobbs, Hobbs, Kyte, “, ” Hobbs, ‘, ” Emilee Hobbs, ”, Emilee, Momfluencers, Kyte Baby, Ying Liu, onesie, isn’t, it’s, Jacqueline Babb, ” Babb, TikTok, Instagram, Son, she’s, ” Son, Sleepies, Brands, Babb, “ I’ve, It’s, CNN’s Eva Rothenberg Organizations: New, New York CNN, Northwestern University, Facebook, Inc, Business Locations: New York, Georgia, sienna, Arkansas, United States, Kyte

☆ Analyst: Spirit Airlines could be forced out of business after JetBlue deal is blocked
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Spirit Airlines could end up in bankruptcy and be forced out of business because of a federal court decision to block a proposed sale to JetBlue Airways, according to a note from an airline analyst. “We believe Spirit will first look for an alternative buyer, but another airline may get the same pushback [from antitrust regulators. Its fares prompted major airlines to offer a certain number of no-frills “basic economy” seats on their planes. It also prompted concerns that its purchase by JetBlue would lead to higher fares across the industry — concerns which resulted in the Justice Department’s antitrust case that blocked the deal. “While we are disappointed with this [court decision] outcome, we are confident in our strengths and strategy,” said a company statement sent to CNN.

Persons: Helane Becker, Cowen, “, ”, Becker, General Merrick Garland, Pete Buttigieg, ” Buttigieg, Fitch, it’s, William Young Organizations: New, New York CNN — Spirit, JetBlue Airways, JetBlue, Transportation, Refinitiv, JPMorgan Chase, CNN, Airbus, Boeing, lessors, Federal, Spirit Locations: New York, Spirit’s, U.S

☆ More than 500 companies had perfect scores on top advocacy group's LGBTQ+ index
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Courtney Reagan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)In a year stained by boycotts, protests and heightened consumer choice, hundreds of companies came through for LGBTQ+ equality, according to a leading advocacy group. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation awarded 545 companies with a perfect score on its annual Corporate Equality Index, which evaluates U.S. based companies that opt into the survey on their policies for LGBTQ+ equality. More than 800 of the 1,384 companies scored earned at least 90 of the possible 100 points. When the index first began in 2002, only 13 companies earned the highest score. Target scored a 95 this year, while Anheuser-Busch scored a 75.

Persons: Rodin Eckenroth, they're, Kelley Robinson, Robinson, JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce, Busch, Target, Brian Cornell, we've, Bud, influencer Dylan Mulvaney Organizations: Rights, Foundation, Employees, Cola, JPMorgan, HRC, Target, Anheuser, Nike Locations: Hollywood , California

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