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☆ Chip stocks posted their best quarter since 2020. What's next for the sector and why the rally may fade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Chip stocks made a breathtaking comeback in the first quarter, but don't be surprised if the rally gives up some of its gains, investors warn. The semiconductor sector on Friday wrapped up its best quarter since 2020 as investors rotated back into the downtrodden industry, with names like Nvidia notching its best quarterly stretch since 2001. The recent tear in semiconductor stocks brings the sector into overbought territory versus non-financial cyclicals, said Credit Suisse's Andrew Garthwaite in a recent note. Like many investors, Niles views Nvidia as a dominant AI play despite its rich valuation . While the stock's given those gains, many investors viewed the print as a sign of a bottom.

☆ I took a 6-month 'sabbatical' after months of cheap living while traveling. The best thing about the digital-nomad lifestyle is having options.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She worked for two years in a remote job, while living in Greece, Portugal, Germany, and Argentina. I quit my job with no planI quit my job in July 2019 with nothing lined up. I got a remote job as the head of marketing for a recruitment-tech startup. I had savings from working in my marketing job. I quit my remote job in August 2021 and left Madeira.

☆ I lied on my résumé to get a better-paying job — and I think others should do the same
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Fortesa Latifi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Insider recently spoke to an accounting employee who lied on their résumé to get their current job. They lied about work experience and software proficiency after staying home with their daughter. "I'm glad I lied on my résumé," they said. I also lied about my software proficiencyThe job I was applying for also stated a requirement for knowledge of a specific software system that I had simply never used before. Plus, I love where I work now, and I don't think I would have been able to get the job if I hadn't lied on my résumé.

☆ Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to cut late-night flights -Het Parool
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Climate activists protest against environmental pollution from aviation at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, in Schiphol, Netherlands November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de WouwAMSTERDAM, April 3 (Reuters) - Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport plans to cut late-night flights as part of attempts to reduce noise pollution, newspaper Het Parool reported on Monday, citing the airport's CEO. Plans for the airport to be rolled out in the coming two years include closing it almost completely between midnight and 5 a.m., the report citing CEO Ruud Sondag said. A spokesperson for Schiphol could not immediately be reached to confirm the report, which said the airport is also planning to ban noisier airplanes and private jets. But airlines including Air France's (AIRF.PA) Dutch subsidiary KLM have mounted a legal challenge to the plan, while Schiphol itself is pushing for a 460,000 limit.

☆ What crisis? U.S. bank-focused ETFs see strongest demand in months in March
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Lisa Pauline Mattackal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Exchange-traded funds tracking U.S. regional banks saw their strongest net inflows in months, with the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF receiving $1.25 billion in the month to March 29, while the iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF (IAT.P) took in $258 million, according to Refinitiv Lipper data. March was the first month of net buying for the IAT fund in a year, and one of the best months on record in terms of flows for KRE. US Bank ETFs in 2023A swift response from regulators and central banks encouraged investors looking to "buy at the bottom," Islam said. "As markets continue to settle down ... banks generally and major banks especially will outperform the S&P 500."

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Production is expected to have risen as the automaker ramped up production at new factories in Texas and Berlin, and as China production recovered from a COVID-19 lockdown hit. Analysts expect Tesla to further lower prices as many automakers have matched the price cuts and concerns about a weakening economy persist. Musk said in January that the price cuts stoked demand, playing down concerns about a weak economy. In China, Tesla's retail sales totaled 106,915 units in the year to March 19, one of the best quarters on record, according to data from China Merchants Bank International. Tesla's price cuts in China ignited a price war, with Chinese rivals including BYD (002594.SZ) and Xpeng (9868.HK) dropping prices.

☆ Gen Z wants to run your company. 'Shadow boards' give them a say without handing them the keys.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Oliver Wyman says its shadow board helped contribute to a 30% reduction in attrition in 2022. Andrew Pérez started at the management-consulting company Oliver Wyman three years ago. Oliver Wyman started its shadow board in 2021. Oliver Wyman's executive team tends to be older, while the shadow board skews younger and more diverse. She was eager to join the shadow board last year.

☆ How women are re-defining ambition to build happier, more successful careers: It isn’t ‘worth sacrificing my mental health for’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Women continue to face alarmingly high levels of burnout — the extreme circumstances of working and surviving during a pandemic, some workplace experts warn, has cost women their ambition. Overall, nearly half (48%) of women describe themselves as "very ambitious" when it comes to their career, and ambition among women of color is even higher, according to a Momentive/CNBC poll of over 5,000 women conducted last month. Women aren't losing their ambition — they're rejecting a narrow definition of ambition as the pursuit of money and power and writing a new one. But after spending the first 10 months of the pandemic working 85-hour weeks at a pharmacy in Los Angeles, Ismail realized her dream career wasn't sustainable. "I realized the career markers I used to strive so hard to achieve aren't worth sacrificing my mental health for."

In poorer areas, which are bleeding people and private business to urban centres, the task of providing jobs falls more squarely on local governments at a time they are struggling to raise revenue through income tax and state land sales. However, "budgetary and debt pressures are more acute for these provinces, so increasing expenditure comes with additional fiscal risks," Yuan noted. The local governments adding the most jobs in relative terms are also among the most indebted. The local governments of Gansu, Yunnan and Guangxi did not respond to a request for comment and Reuters could not establish exactly why the governments are ramping up hiring and how it will impact their finances. Moody's Yuan said local governments including Gansu have faced increased refinancing pressure to meet their debt obligations.

☆ Europe's super-wealthy took over 300,000 very short private jet flights last year — including over 1,300 between London and an airport 30 miles away — study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A study from Greenpeace analysed a database of Europe's private jet flights over the last three years. It found that 55% of them were under 466 miles long, and launched a campaign to ban private jets. Over 1,300 flights on one UK route could have taken a 35-minute train for less than $20 instead. According to the Transport and Environment campaign group, private jets are 50-times more polluting than trains. The data also shows that over 1,300 private flights went between London and Farnborough, England – a 30 mile train journey which you could travel in 35-minutes for less than $20.

☆ China-driven growth seen helping emerging assets despite bank worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Stronger Chinese-led emerging markets growth will likely buffer the stocks, bonds and currencies of many developing nations as markets in the United States and Europe are whipped around by banking turmoil. "The growth premium in favour of emerging markets driven by China is clearly even more confirmed," Alessia Berardi, head of emerging markets (EM) research at Amundi, Europe's biggest asset manager, told Reuters. Analysts expect high interest rates, inflation and stress among some financial institutions to dampen growth in developed markets like the United States. "We prefer income in emerging markets debt with central banks closer to turning to cuts than developed markets, even with potential currency risks," it said in a research note. Local EM bonds have seen a return of 3.3% in the month-to-date (.JGEGDCM), compared to a 3.1% gain in U.S. 10-year Treasuries.

☆ Shanghai's population drops in 2022 after COVID lockdowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shanghai's figures came after Beijing also posted its first population drop since 2003. China's population fell last year for the first time in six decades, weighed down by rising living costs especially in big, sprawling urban hubs, weak economic growth, and changing attitudes towards raising a family. Shanghai's birth rate dropped to 4.4 per 1,000 people from 4.7 a year earlier, while its death rate increased to 6.0 per 1,000 people from 5.6 due to a rapidly ageing population. China last year recorded its lowest ever birth rate, of 6.77 per 1,000 people. Around 18.7% of Shanghai's population is older than 65, above the national average of 14.9%.

☆ Swipe your badge or get fired? Employers and workers face a reckoning over returning to the office.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Employers are hardening demands for workers to return to the office and quashing resistance. Apple is tracking employee attendance and has threatened action against staff who don't work from the office at least three days a week. Today, though, as a recession looms, companies are rolling back perks and demanding workers return to their desks or risk termination. After 2020's COVID-19 lockdowns forced office workers to work from home, many of them discovered the benefits of remote work. Many of the same companies demanding workers return to the office have recently conducted mass layoffs — some more than once.

☆ A Square exec says the company is targeting larger sellers, reflecting a growing trend amid economic uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Large sellers "don't want to deal with piecing together a bunch of complex solutions," Loh said. In recent months, other ecommerce software providers like Shopify have also placed more emphasis on larger sellers as a way to hedge their bets. To cater to larger sellers, Square doubled down on features like preordering capabilities and loyalty program integrations. "But then also larger sellers, I think especially during this challenging economic time, they don't want to deal with piecing together a bunch of complex solutions. Analysts say supporting large businesses could offer good value at a time when many are tightening their belts.

☆ Employees at the $2 billion e-commerce startup Rokt once saw a photo of a colleague in blackface during a company Zoom meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Jack Newsham | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An employee at e-commerce firm Rokt shared a photo of a colleague in blackface, shocking colleagues. An employee shared the photo, from an event in 2012, that appeared to show another employee in blackface and dressed as Michael Jackson. recalled one of more than a half-dozen former employees who told Insider they saw the photo. Rokt said that both employees completed a session of unconscious bias training with an expert facilitator, who also held a session for the whole company. Rokt"We were all, in America, like, 'We don't need to learn about blackface from you,'" the second former employee said.

☆ More women become truckers as the industry tries to overcome a shortage of drivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

She's one of many in the trucking industry leading efforts to bring more women into the fold. Associations like Women In Trucking work to increase the rate of women drivers, technicians and executives, particularly younger women or those switching careers, like Johnson. Now, with the industry facing a daunting driver shortage, initiatives to bring in women drivers from other industries have escalated. The share of women truckers has increased significantly in recent years: Women now make up almost 8% of truck drivers and sales delivery drivers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Navigating shortagesThough many women joined the industry during the pandemic, Covid-19 lockdowns stalled training and testing for truck drivers.

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Chinese-American citizen Kai Li, jailed in China on spying charges he denies, received a rare in-person visit last week from the U.S. Burns met Li on March 16 in a Shanghai prison, Li's son Harrison said. Li, a businessman, has been held in China since 2016 and was handed a 10-year jail sentence in 2018 for espionage. Burns wanted to shake Li's hand but Chinese authorities did not allow that, Harrison Li said. Burns has accompanied consular officers on prison visits to U.S. citizens held in China, a State Department spokesperson said.

☆ UBS says it's 'time for quality' with recession near. 10 stocks to buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Investors should turn their attention toward quality stocks as market volatility persists and a recession becomes more likely, UBS said in a note this week. Because of this, UBS thinks stocks are likely to remain volatile, and investors should turn to quality names to ride out the storm. UBS highlighted four stock baskets that investors should turn their attention to, including one titled "Time for quality." Bank of America is another "time for quality" stock on the UBS list, which highlights earnings per share growth and profitability. Other stocks that made UBS' list include Merck , American Express, Oracle and Lockheed Martin.

Lisa Andrea launched a financial blog in 2021 and consistently books $8,000 in monthly revenue. Andrea outlines 9 of the easiest ways to earn passive income, including resale and blogging. She took her experience building passive income streams and teaching herself the fundamentals of financial literacy to launch the financial-advice blog The Financial Cookbook in February 2021. Andrea shared her own financial strategy, including the nine methods of passive income she encourages everyone to try. Julia CheskyAndrea said companies typically contact her about brand partnerships, but she encourages other entrepreneurs to be more proactive when looking for passive income avenues.

☆ I moved to a small town in Washington state to work remotely. My mortgage is half as much as my rent was and I see myself living here forever.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After he moved with his wife, Yelp went fully remote. My commute to the Yelp office downtown would take me around 45 minutes each way. We lived in the Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco in a 500-square-foot apartment with a roommate and our pretty large dog. Our rent in San Francisco was twice what our mortgage payments are now. But knowing that the company was fully remote has unlocked a lot of opportunities for our family.

☆ Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson fights for career in testimony on lockdown parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) - Britain's former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face hours of hostile questioning on Wednesday about whether he misled parliament over rule-breaking COVID-19 lockdown parties at a hearing where he will be fighting for his political career. Parliament's Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson, who was ousted from Downing Street in September, intentionally or recklessly misled parliament in a series of statements about the rule-breaking parties. If the committee finds Johnson intentionally misled parliament then he could be suspended from the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament. The outcry and repeated allegations of lying eventually prompted the resignations of much of his top team of government ministers, including the current prime minister, Rishi Sunak. The committee said Johnson had submitted his evidence late, that it had contained errors and no "new documentary evidence".

"It is clear from that investigation that there is no evidence at all that supports an allegation that I intentionally or recklessly misled the House," said Johnson. The committee is due to question Johnson in person when he provides oral evidence in a televised session on Wednesday. At the centre of the inquiry into his actions are statements Johnson made to parliament in December 2021 when he said no rules were broken. In an interim report published this month, the committee said Johnson might have misled parliament on four occasions and said the rule-breaking should have been "obvious" to him. Conservative lawmaker James Duddridge, a Johnson supporter, said on Twitter he believed the former premier's submission showed he had not intentionally misled parliament.

☆ Romance Scams Are Booming — Especially on Facebook and Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Americans lost $1.3 billion to romance scams last year — an 164% increase from 2019 — and $3.3 billion in total since the start of the pandemic. According to the FTC report, the most popular way scammers reached out to their victims last year was through Instagram (29%) and Facebook (28%). And as these schemes get more widespread and more complex, the number of people falling for romance scams keeps growing. Confluence of crypto and romanceIf loneliness was the reason "why" for the soaring number of romance scams, then crypto is the "how." 1 payment method for romance scams last year was cryptocurrency.

☆ Surging Chinese Oil Demand Pushes Shipping Costs Sharply Higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Costas Paris | Joe Wallace | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Very Large Crude Carriers can each transport two million barrels of oil. China is on an oil-supertanker hiring spree, a sign energy demand has sped up after the world’s second-largest economy limped out of its Covid-19 lockdowns. Traders carry crude to China, the world’s biggest oil importer, in Eiffel Tower-size tankers called Very Large Crude Carriers that each lug two million barrels of oil. The cost of chartering the most coveted type of these tankers, featuring modern exhaust systems, has shot up to nearly $100,000 a day, ship brokers say. That is double the rate from a month ago.

☆ My skincare business made $740,000 in revenue in 16 months. Here's how we used TikTok and Instagram to do it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

They used TikTok and Instagram to promote their product — and didn't pay for any advertising. She invested 5,000 Australian dollars in savings, around $3,363, in the business and became my business partner. We used TikTok and Instagram to build a following before our launch dateWe started posting videos on TikTok and Instagram in July 2021 to hype our launch date. She posted videos every day with her skincare routine, showing how she used our product. Often when someone bought our product, they'd post about it on TikTok or Instagram and tag us in their posts.

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