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☆ Halloween shoppers are cutting back — and Spirit Halloween, the spooky season giant, is betting big on Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Lian Kit Wee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Halloween spending is forecast to drop by 5% this year, as inflation hits household spending. AdvertisementHalloween shoppers are tightening their wallets this year, but the season's biggest retailer is eyeing America's next big holiday — Christmas. As consumers are forecast to spend less on Halloween, spooky season retail giant Spirit Halloween is seeking to capture a slice of the much-larger Christmas market. AdvertisementSpirit Halloween CEO Steven Silverstein said on Wednesday that the company, which has over 1,500 Halloween locations, is opening "Spirit Christmas" stores. AdvertisementWhile inflation looms over Americans' Halloween budgets, winter holiday spending is expected to rise by 7% this year, per a PwC report.

Persons: —, Steven Silverstein, Silverstein, Kym Sarkos, Erica Weisgerber, Plimpton, Jerry Murray Organizations: Service, National Retail Federation, The New York Times, New York, Debevoise, Plimpton LLP, Bloomberg, University of, Business Insider Locations: Cheddar, Atlantic City, Albany, Poughkeepsie , New York, The

☆ Trump or Harris? Here are the 2024 stakes for airlines, banks, EVs, health care and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-13 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris face off in the ABC presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024. The previous Trump administration didn't pursue those types of consumer protections. In contrast, Democrats, including Harris, have historically supported EVs and incentives such as those under the Biden administration's signature Inflation Reduction Act. Meanwhile, Harris, if elected, can build on existing efforts of the Biden administration to deliver savings to more patients, they said. Trump also led multiple efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including its expansion of Medicaid to low-income adults.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, he's, Harris, Joe Biden's, Trump, Pete Buttigieg, Jonathan Kletzel, didn't, — Leslie Josephs Banks Big, JPMorgan Chase, Biden, Tobin Marcus, it's, Sen, JD Vance, they're, Lindsey Johnson, Hugh Son, Pablo Di Si, EVs, Joseph Spak, Harris hasn't, Mike Wayland, Drugmakers, Trump hasn't, Mariana Socal, Annika Kim Constantino, David Zaslav, John Malone, Time Warner, Simon, Simon & Schuster, Marc DeBevoise, Jonathan Miller, Elon Musk's, Musk, I'm, MAGA, I'm Dark MAGA, —, TikTok, — Lillian Rizzo, Alex Sherman, Michael Lynn, — Amelia Lucas Organizations: ABC, Getty, U.S, Trump, Treasury, Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial, Bureau, CNBC, The Biden Department of Transportation, Democratic, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines, Industry, Boeing, JPMorgan, Securities and Exchange Commission, Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Biden, Wolfe Research, Bank, Republican, Bankers, Democratic Party, Consumer Bankers Association, Republicans, Volkswagen Group of America, Automotive News, Environmental Protection Agency, UBS, Mike Wayland Health, Commonwealth Fund, Medicare, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Annika Kim Constantino Media, Paramount Global, Skydance, Warner Bros, Discovery, Allen & Co, Sun, Media, Disney, Fox Corp, Time, Simon &, Random, MGM, FCC, Integrated Media, Twitter, Capitol, White, Lawmakers, Meta's Facebook, Alex Sherman Restaurants, National Restaurant Association, National Labor Relations Board, Social Security, Washington Post, Cornell University Locations: United States, PwC, JetBlue's, U.S, China, Ohio, Michigan, California

While occupying very different corners of the technology market, Reddit and Astera were the first notable venture-backed tech companies to go public in the U.S. since Instacart and Klaviyo in September. Morgan Stanley was the big winner among banks, having captured the coveted lead left spot on both IPOs. Goldman Sachs led last year's only two big venture-backed offerings, meaning it had been a long dry spell for Morgan Stanley. In the past two years, there have only been 15 tech IPOs total, according to research provided by University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter. That came after a booming market in 2021, when 121 tech companies went public, the most since the dot-com bubble in 2000.

Persons: hadn't, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Jay Ritter, Eric Juergens, Debevoise, Plimpton, Lynn Martin Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Inc, Astera Labs, University of Florida, Investment, . New York Stock Exchange, CNBC Locations: U.S, Klaviyo, IPOs, .

Elite law firms send a messageWith universities across the United States grappling with a rise in antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, elite law firms are putting schools on notice. In a letter to some of the nation’s top law schools obtained by DealBook, about two dozen major Wall Street firms warned that what happens on campus could have corporate consequences. The letter follows a series of recent antisemitic episodes at universities. Kathy Hochul of New York sought this week to reassure Jewish students at Cornell after online posts threatening violence against them. Students at other schools have said they feel increasingly unsafe amid rallies and other acts that, in some instances, have become violent.

Persons: Moore Debevoise, Plimpton Kirkland, Ellis Paul, Weiss, Garrison Simpson Thacher, Bartlett Skadden Wachtell, Lipton, Davis Polk, Israel, Kathy Hochul Organizations: DealBook, Rosen, Katz, Wardwell, Gov, New York, Cornell Locations: United States, Israel, Rifkind, Wharton, New

☆ Top law firms call out antisemitism on college campuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Some of the nation’s most powerful law firms are warning America’s elite universities to crack down on antisemitism on campus – or the schools and their students will face real consequences. “Over the last several weeks, we have been alarmed at reports of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism and assaults on college campuses, including rallies calling for the death of Jews and the elimination of the State of Israel,” more than two dozen law firms wrote in a letter obtained by CNN. The letter campaign was spearheaded by Joe Shenker, senior chair of Sullivan & Cromwell, according to the New York-based law firm. “One would hope that by the twenty-first century, antisemitism would have been relegated to the dustbin of history,” Columbia University leaders said in a statement. Last month, a Columbia student hanging up posters on campus in support of Israel was assaulted.

Persons: Moore, Ellis, Paul, Weiss, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Joe Shenker, Sullivan, Cromwell, Ryna Workman, Israel “, ”, Strawn, Workman, “, ” Workman, they’ve, Liz Magill, ” Magill, ” Gillian Lester Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Debevoise, Plimpton, Kirkland, Garrison, Rosen, Yale, Harvard, University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, University of Michigan, University of Michigan , New York University, Stanford, NYU Student Bar Association, Winston, NYU, Columbia University, ” Columbia University, Columbia Law School, Cornell University Locations: New York, Israel, ”, Rifkind, Wharton, Slate, Columbia, Georgetown, University of Michigan , New, Penn, New York City

☆ Wall Street's 'meh' response to tech IPOs shows Silicon Valley's valuation problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After a 21-month tech IPO freeze, the market has cracked opened in the past week. Chip designer Arm debuted last Thursday, followed by grocery-delivery company Instacart this Tuesday, and cloud software vendor Klaviyo the following day. They're three very different companies in disparate parts of the tech sector, but Wall Street's reaction has been consistent. Instacart popped 40% immediately after selling shares at $30. But the lack of excitement over the past week — amounting to a collective "meh" across Wall Street — is certainly not the desired outcome either.

Persons: Arm, Eric Juergens, Plimpton, Juergens, Japan's SoftBank, Fidji Simo Organizations: Investors, Debevoise Locations: Klaviyo

Legacy media companies like Disney , Warner Bros. Netflix was the first streamer to report a loss in subscribers in 2022, sending its stock and other media companies spiraling. Media companies also have begun slashing content spending budgets. Yet streaming remains the focus for all of these companies as consumers rapidly cut the cord and opt for streaming. Legacy media companies scrambled to follow suit, unsure if the model actually worked.

Persons: Mario Tama, it's, Steven Schiffman, NBCUniversal, Bob Iger, Ken Solomon, Solomon, Marc DeBevoise, John Hodulik, hasn't, —, Hulu —, Peacock, Max —, HBO Max, — Ryan Murphy, Shonda, Kenya Barris, David Benioff, Weiss —, Jonathan Miller, Shonda Rhimes, Presley Ann, Patrick McMullan, Bart Simpson, esports, DeBevoise, Peter Csathy Organizations: Netflix, Getty, North, Georgetown University, Legacy, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, Paramount, Media, Marvel, Tennis Channel, Sinclair, Companies, UBS, CBS, HBO, Max, Hulu, Integrated Media, Trek, Universal Studios Television, Getty Images Disney, Wars, Fox, Hollywood's, Creative Media, Charter Communications, ESPN, & $, + + Locations: Los Angeles, North American, J.J, Abrams, Kenya, Beverly Hills , CA, Georgetown

By increasing the degree of risk attributed to certain assets, the proposed rules would require banks to hold proportionately more capital, potentially eating into returns on equity and profits. Making such lending more expensive will shrink credit available to historically under-served borrowers, something the industry is likely to fight, he said. Chen Xu, an attorney in the financial institutions group at Debevoise & Plimpton, said the new rules viewed high-revenue business lines as higher risk. Morgan Stanley (MS.N) analysts say the largest banks may take up to four years to set aside profits to comply with the new capital rules. Dennis Kelleher, head of the financial reform advocacy group Better Markets, said the banking industry had made similar complaints in the past which he believed had proven unfounded.

Persons: Mike Segar, Joe Saas, Chen Xu, Plimpton, Michael Barr, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, Wells Fargo, Kevin Stein, Morgan Stanley, Richard Ramsden, Goldman Sachs, Ramsden, Dennis Kelleher, Douglas Gillison, Tatiana Bautzer, Nupur Anand, Saeed Azhar, Megan Davies, Anna Driver Organizations: Wall, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Industry, Financial Services, Bank Policy Institute, Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, Debevoise, JPMorgan, CNBC, Citigroup, Bank of America, Klaros Group, Banking Supervision, Better, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Washington, Wells, Basel

☆ Quiet layoffs are creeping back into the adtech industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Adtech layoffs have continued into this summer — including at some companies that already made cuts. Ezoic, MiQ, Outbrain, and Brightcove are among the adtech companies with recent layoffs. For some adtech companies, the huge wave of layoffs that struck in 2022 and at the turn of this year wasn't the last, amid prolonged economic uncertainty and a tepid ad market. To be sure, the layoff phenomenon isn't hitting all adtech companies, and many that made cutbacks — including those listed above — are aggressively shifting priorities and have open roles listed on their websites. Adweek recently reported a marked slowdown in adtech job openings in 2023, citing recruiters and industry insiders.

Persons: Dwayne Lafleur, Lafleur, Outbrain, Calcalist, Brightcove, —, Marc DeBevoise, MiQ, MediaMath, There's, Sasha Auzins, Brian Wieser, Adweek, Lee Walker Organizations: Meta, Microsoft, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Expand Locations: Germany

☆ Fox News paid a record-breaking sum to settle Dominion's defamation lawsuit. Smartmatic could get even more money.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The settlement Fox News may pay to Smartmatic could be around $1 billion, experts say. Disney's $177 million settlement for the infamous "pink slime" lawsuit in 2017 dropped to second place. Experts told Insider that the $787.5 million settlement is a strong benchmark for Smartmatic — and that Smartmatic will likely get more. Either way you slice it, using those baseline numbers brings you above the $787.5 million figure Fox paid to settle Dominion's lawsuit. "It's hard to extrapolate from the Dominion case in part because it never got litigated," Hans said.

Persons: Smartmatic, Erik Connolly, Connolly, Donald Trump, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Biden, Powell, Giuliani, Fox, Clay Calvert, James Goodale, Smartmatic's, Rupert Murdoch, Victoria Jones, Calvert, Erik McGregor, Hans, Goodale, Plimpton, De, Murdoch Organizations: Fox News, Dominion, Dominion Voting, Trump, Fox, American Enterprise Institute, New York Times, Fox Corp, Getty, Cornell Law, Debevoise Locations: cahoots, Delaware, New York, Washington ,, Africa, Europe, Smartmatic, Fox News's, York

The decision is likely to force companies to toe a more careful line when making commercial products that mimic other brands for the sake of parody, legal experts said. The Rogers test is "not appropriate when the accused infringer has used a trademark to designate the source of its own goods - in other words, has used a trademark as a trademark," Justice Elena Kagan wrote. Other experts said the decision leaves space for the First Amendment to apply to parody products. "The likelihood of confusion analysis will still take the challenged product's funny message into account," Brannen said. (This story has been refiled to change dateline to June 12)Reporting by Blake Brittain in WashingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brown, Forman, Jack Daniel's, Rogers, infringer, Elena Kagan, Kagan, Megan Bannigan, Plimpton, Bannigan, VIP, Doug Masters, Loeb & Loeb, Masters, Alexandra Roberts, Roberts, Elizabeth Brannen, Maher, Brannen, Blake Brittain Organizations: U.S, Supreme Court, Constitution, VIP Products, MCA Records, Mattel, Debevoise, Loeb &, Northeastern University, Stris, Thomson Locations: Danish, Washington

☆ KKR closes its largest ever European buyout fund at $8 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 4 (Reuters) - KKR & Co Inc (KKR.N) on Tuesday said it had closed its sixth and largest European private equity fund at $8.0 billion, a significant boost for the investment firm at a time of market volatility and sinking interest in major acquisitions. The fund will target investments into developed economies in Western Europe, it said, adding that U.S. law firm Debevoise & Plimpton represented KKR as primary counsel for the fundraising. Of the money raised for the fund from investors, $1 billion was committed by KKR from its balance sheet and employee commitments. The firm said it is currently managing a little over $28 billion in assets on its European private equity platform. Reporting by Bharat Govind Gautam in Bengaluru; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Some companies have expressed concern that a ruling against Jack Daniel's would weaken their control over their brands and reputations. The toy mimics Lynchburg, Tennessee-based Jack Daniel's famous whiskey bottles with humorous dog-themed alterations - replacing "Old No. "Jack Daniel's loves dogs and appreciates a good joke as much as anyone," the company told the justices in a brief. "But Jack Daniel's likes its customers even more, and doesn't want them confused or associating its fine whiskey with dog poop." VIP Products has said a ruling favoring Jack Daniel's would make it easier for trademark owners to stifle free speech.

☆ M&A Is Expected to Pick Up in 2023 as Companies Adapt to Tougher Conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

But many companies adapted, structuring deals to sidestep market volatility and minimize financing costs. Deal advisers expect M&A to pick up in 2023 following last year’s slump, though when that will happen remains an open question. That is especially true in the technology and healthcare sectors, where deals for high-growth companies are most common, she said. In addition to macroeconomic pressures, companies faced a tougher regulatory environment in 2022, with antitrust enforcers globally applying greater scrutiny to large transactions. Demand for such facilities in the U.S. jumped 17% in 2022 through Dec. 29 compared with the full-year 2021, to $317.3 billion, according to Dealogic.

Marilyn Monroe is well remembered for her iconic movies from the 1950s. Below, we rounded up some of Marilyn Monroe's best movies, along with details on where you can stream them online. Marilyn Monroe has a supporting role as Claudia Casswell, a beautiful aspiring actress who doesn't have the talent for the industry. 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'A shot of Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Two of the Donahue children end up joining a show starring Victoria Parker, a successful performer played by Marilyn Monroe.

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