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☆ Trump Media CEO says he’ll do ‘whatever it takes’ to defend DJT investors from short sellers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes on Friday said he would "do whatever it takes" to defend the company's retail investors from possible illegal short selling of its shares. Delivering remarks in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Biden took a dig at Donald Trump, his November Republican election opponent, as shares of Trump Media tanked from its more than $70 debut price. Trump Media's stock, trading under the ticker DJT , rallied toward the end of this week, but has plummeted starkly from its peak. It involves a trader selling shares that have not been borrowed or arranged to be borrowed. Nunes said that Trump Media has appeared on the Nasdaq's "Reg SHO threshold list," which could indicate illegal trading behavior.

Persons: Devin Nunes, Nunes, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, DJT, SHO, Ken Griffin Organizations: Truth, Conservative Political, Trump Media, Trump, Republican, Trump Media tanked, Nasdaq, Securities and Exchange, CNBC, SEC, Citadel Securities, GOP Locations: National Harbor , Maryland, Scranton , Pennsylvania, California

☆ I'm a New York real-estate agent who's not worried about losing guaranteed commission. Here's what I'm doing to replace those funds.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Ananya Vahal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mukul Lalchandani, a 44-year-old real-estate agent from New York. I decided to become a real-estate agent so I could prevent other immigrant families from going through the same situation. I've lived in New York for 23 years and have been a real-estate agent for over 15 years. One of the rules is that the seller no longer has to pay a commission to the buyer's agent. Here's what the new commission rules meanThere is a lot of confusion around the commission rule and what it means, especially for buyers.

Persons: Mukul Lalchandani, It's, I've, REBNY, they'll, towners, Sellers Organizations: Service, Business, National Association of Realtors, NAR Locations: New York, Hong Kong, NY

☆ Trump Media alerts Nasdaq to potential market manipulation from 'naked' short selling of DJT stock
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Trump Media has warned the Nasdaq market of 'potential market manipulation' of the company's stock by "naked" short selling of shares. The warning came as Trump Media has offered shareholders detailed instructions on how to avoid someone loaning out their DJT shares to short sellers, who then execute trades betting that the price of the stock will fall. Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes, in his letter Thursday to Nasdaq CEO Adrena Friedman, did not directly accuse anyone in particular of naked short selling, which is the sale of stocks without first having borrowed such sales for that purpose. But Nunes, whose company owns the Truth Social app, pointed to circumstantial evidence, which included DJT being in early April the most expensive stock to short in the United States, which he said would give brokers "significant financial incentive to lend non-existent shares." Please check back for updates.

Persons: Devin Nunes, Adrena Friedman, Nunes, DJT Organizations: Trump Media, Nasdaq Locations: United States

☆ Citadel Securities blasts Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes over DJT short selling letter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesCitadel Securities ripped Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes on Friday for a letter he sent the Nasdaq Stock Market which mentioned Citadel Securities and other major market companies after warning of possible illegal short sale trading in DJT shares. "Devin Nunes is the proverbial loser who tries to blame 'naked short selling' for his falling stock price," said a spokesperson for Citadel Securities. Citadel Securities' founder and non-executive chairman Ken Griffin is a major donor to Republican candidates — among them the former GOP congressman Nunes. "If he [Nunes] worked for Citadel Securities, we would fire him, as ability and integrity are at the center of everything we do," the spokesperson added. "Data made available to us indicate that just four market participants have been responsible for over 60% of the extraordinary volume of DJT shares traded: Citadel Securities, VIRTU Americas, G1 Execution Services, and Jane Street Capital," Nunes wrote.

Persons: Devin Nunes, Al Drago, Ken Griffin, Nunes, Donald Trump, Pavlo Gonchar, Adena Friedman, Friedman Organizations: Truth, Conservative Political, Bloomberg, Getty, Citadel Securities, Trump Media, Nasdaq, Securities, GOP, Republican, CNBC, Lightrocket, Trump, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp, VIRTU, Jane Street Locations: National Harbor , Maryland, VIRTU Americas

☆ People are forking out record $2,800 a month on average just to cover their mortgage payments
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mortgage holders are shelling out a record $2,800 on average to cover their monthly payments. The median monthly mortgage payment has jumped 11% over the past year to hit $2,775 for the four weeks ended April 14, Redfin data shows. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate spiked to a five-month high of 7.4% this week, per Mortgage News Daily. That has driven 30-year mortgage rates from about 3% at the start of 2022 to more than 7%, which has caused monthly mortgage payments to spike. The result is that consumers face a double-whammy of painful price increases and steeper monthly interest payments.

Persons: —, Barbara Corcoran, Bill Pulte Organizations: Service, Mortgage

☆ New Rule for Buying a Home: Fire Your Real-Estate Agent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Albert Fox Cahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

She had never purchased a home, and as a lawyer, I just assumed I knew how the system worked: The buyer has an agent, but the seller pays a commission (typically 6% of the sale price) that's split between their agent and the buyer's agent. So my agent wasn't going to find me my dream house, and the work of hunting was basically on me. But the real-estate industry has made it hard for many buyers to understand just how little having an agent can help. The class-action settlement with the NAR is going to make it a lot harder for sellers to be forced to pay for buyers' agents. Going forward, for people like me without an agent, a savvy seller may pay just 3% of the sales price to their own agent instead of 6% to be split with a buyer's agent.

Persons: it's, vouched, Obvious, Stephen Brobeck, Alice, Wonderland, I'd, I've, —, cosmically, Brobeck Organizations: National Association of Realtors, Hunger, US Department of Justice, Realtors, Consumer Federation of America, New York City, NAR Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, McCarren, Williamsburg, New York

☆ S&P 500 gives up its earlier gains — but Meta bucks the trend as new AI model debuts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Meta gains : Shares of Meta Platforms rose 2% in the session. He navigated the downturn in U.S. department stores," Jim Cramer said Thursday. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Jim Cramer, pounced, That's, Jim Cramer's, Estee Lauder, Fabrizio Freda, Jim, Horton, D.R Horton, Stanley Black, Decker Organizations: CNBC, Treasury, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Facebook, Club, Meta, Deutsche Bank, VanEck Semiconductor, Micron, Netflix, PPG Industries, Procter, Gamble, American Express, Jim Cramer's Charitable Locations: Estee, U.S, China

☆ Trump Media shares soar in second day of strong gains for DJT stock
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this photo, a smartphone displays the logo of Donald Trump's Truth Social app on March 25, 2024. The share price of Trump Media soared by as much as 21% Thursday, before pulling back a bit in volatile trading. It was the second day in a row of strong gains for the owner of the Truth Social app. DJT shares rose above $31 in early trading, a bump that could squeeze short sellers who have made recent bets that the stock price would fall. Trump Media shares closed more than 15% higher on Wednesday afternoon.

Persons: Donald Trump's Organizations: Trump Media, Securities and Exchange Commission

The Tortured Poets Department VinylYou can enjoy "The Tortured Poets Department" in record form with Swift's Ghosted White vinyl. The Tortured Poets Department Target ExclusivesOne vinyl and three CD versions of "The Tortured Poets Department" are sold exclusively at Target. Target The Tortured Poets Department Phantom Clear Vinyl $39.99 $45.99 Save 13% This Phantom Clear vinyl version of The Tortured Poets Department is exclusive to Target. The Tortured Poets Department Digital StreamingThe fastest way to hear "The Tortured Poets Department" will be through digital streaming. Amazon The Tortured Poets Department MP3 $13.49 The digital version of The Tortured Poets Department features all 16 original tracks from the album.

Persons: Taylor Swift's, we've, Swift's, you'll Organizations: Business, Department, Poets Department, Target, Spotify, Apple, Amazon

☆ Mortgage rates are now at the highest level of the year, and could still climb
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage crossed over 7% on April 1, according to Mortgage News Daily, and it just kept going. It now sits right around 7.5%, the highest level since mid-November of last year. Rates hit their highest level in a few decades last October, causing home sales to grind to a halt. Rates then fell through mid-January to the mid-6% range and held there into February, causing a surge in home sales. "Sales data over the next few months is likely to reflect the impact of now-higher mortgage rates."

Persons: Jerome, Powell, Danielle Hale Organizations: Mortgage News Daily, Builders, Realtor.com

☆ US homes sales dropped last month as March prices reached a record high
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Sales fell across the country except in the Northeast region, which saw an increase for the first time since November 2023. Rising home prices coupled with mortgage rates stuck at elevated levels means Americans are still dealing with a tough housing market. Sales might not rise meaningfully higher as the Federal Reserve signals that it won’t cut interest rates anytime soon. Then mortgage rates began to decline on hopes that the Fed would cut interest rates aggressively in 2024, but those expectations have been thrown out the window. Mortgage rates have held steady in recent weeks but are poised to rise because they track bond yields, which are climbing on persistently high inflation readings.

Persons: “, Lawrence Yun, haven’t, trickling, Yun, ” Yun, hasn’t Organizations: Washington CNN —, National Association of Realtors, Federal Reserve, NAR Locations: United States, Northeast

☆ Mortgage rates are now at the highest level of the year, and could go even higher
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Persons: Jerome, Powell, Danielle Hale Organizations: Mortgage News Daily, Builders, Realtor.com

☆ U.S. Mortgage Rates Jump Above 7% for the First Time This Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( J. Edward Moreno | More About J. Edward Moreno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mortgage rates rose above 7 percent for the first time this year, crossing a symbolically concerning threshold that threatens to keep millions of potential home buyers and sellers on the sidelines of a U.S. housing market that is increasingly showing signs of slowing. Mortgage rates reached a recent high of nearly 8 percent late last year — a level not seen since 2000. As mortgage rates have risen in recent months, making homeownership costlier for buyers, potential sellers who may feel locked into lower rates on their existing loans have been keeping their houses off the market, in effect pushing prices higher, too. “Potential home buyers are deciding whether to buy before rates rise even more, or hold off in hopes of decreases later in the year,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said in a statement. “It remains unclear how many home buyers can withstand increasing rates in the future.”

Persons: Freddie Mac, ” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s, ” Locations: U.S, United States

☆ Amazon had a secret operation to gather intel on rivals like Walmart and FedEx, reportedly called Big River
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Big River sold items like t-shirts, shoes, and beach chairs on competitors' platforms. Its goal was to get information from rivals that Amazon could then use to inform its own business decisions, according to the Journal. Executives viewed printed copies of the Big River team's reports and weren't allowed to keep them, though they were allowed to take notes, the Journal reported. "Benchmarking is a common practice in business," an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider, using an industry term for comparing itself to rivals. Big River also developed its own brands to sell through rivals' marketplace websites.

Persons: —, Amazon's, weren't, Shopify Organizations: Service, Walmart, eBay, River Services, Wall Street, Business, Amazon, FedEx, Big Locations: India

☆ Trump Media tells shareholders how to block their DJT stock being loaned to short sellers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Trump Media is making a point of telling its shareholders how to prevent their stock from being loaned to short sellers — who bet the price of the shares will drop. "It certainly shows concern" about short selling of Trump Media stock, said Kevin Murphy, a business professor at the University of Southern California who is an expert on executive compensation. "I haven't seen it before," Murphy said when asked how common it is for companies to give shareholders instructions on how to thwart short sellers. "Managers who ... think the stock is undervalued aren't going to be overly concerned about short sellers," he said. Former President Donald Trump is by far the biggest shareholder in Trump Media, owning nearly 60% of its stock.

Persons: Kevin Murphy, Murphy, Trump, Donald Trump Organizations: Trump Media, Trump, University of Southern Locations: University of Southern California

☆ TikTok Shop is second only to Amazon in a key measure of customer loyalty
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Madeline Stone | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Earnest, which tracks credit-and-debit-card transactions, found that around 27% of TikTok shoppers came back to make another purchase after five months of their first buy. On this measure, TikTok Shop outperformed other e-commerce platforms, including Temu, Shein, and Etsy, as well as fellow social-commerce channels Whatnot, Flip, and Instagram Checkout. Amazon was the only e-commerce platform that beat TikTok Shop in Earnest's dataset, which looked at customer-retention data between January 2022 and February 2024. "The second I bought my first TikTok Shop product, which was probably a year and a half ago, from that moment on, I started to get more TikTok Shop content." TikTok Shop seems to have become a place for impulse purchases, as well.

Persons: Michael Maloof, Temu, TikTok, Maloof, —, they've, Nicole Rechtszaid Organizations: Walmart, Business, Facebook, Ghost Agency

Average 30-year mortgage interest rates are hovering around 7%, according to Zillow data. Last week, mortgage rates climbed to levels not seen since November 2023 after the latest Consumer Price Index report showed that inflation was hotter than expected in March. While the Fed doesn't set mortgage rates, changes in the federal funds rate do influence mortgage lenders' decisions on how much interest to charge on loans. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, CPI, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ Bangladesh’s soaring prices get thousands playing ‘hunger games’ for food
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Akanksha Sharma | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

They’re playing to win every day staples like rice, oil, sugar, lentils and other items that soaring inflation has put beyond their reach. Courtesy Omar Sunny Somrat/SS Food ChallengeThe combination of colorful games and the feel-good factor of nobody going home empty-handed has given Somrat a genuine hit. Courtesy Omar Sunny Somrat/SS Food ChallengeBy 2021, he began organizing contests for village kids competing in games and winning prizes like home appliances. A year later, though, he stumbled onto the winning formula when food prices soared and the Bangladeshi currency, the taka, depreciated in value against the US dollar. Between 2022 and 2023, food prices in Bangladesh jumped by 9%, the highest average rate in 12 years, according to the country’s Bureau of Statistics.

Persons: Mohammad Abdur Rouf, can’t, I’d, Omar Sunny Somrat Abdur —, —, Omar Sunny Somrat, They’re, “ It’s, ” Somrat, Somrat, ”, taka, Munir Uz Zaman, Ruchir Desai, Desai, Asma Khatun Organizations: CNN, SS, SS Food, Bank, YouTube, Facebook, greenback, country’s, Statistics, Getty, Asia Frontier Investments, International Monetary Fund Locations: Chapra, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Banwarinagar, Pabna, Purandarpur, Pabna District, Dhaka, AFP

☆ TikTok Shop is better at keeping customers than Temu and Shein
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Madeline Stone | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok seems to be doing a good job of getting customers to make multiple purchases on its new shopping platform, Shop, according to data from Earnest Analytics. Earnest, which tracks credit-and-debit-card transactions, found that around 27% of TikTok shoppers came back to make another purchase after five months of their first buy. On this measure, TikTok Shop outperformed other e-commerce platforms, including Temu, Shein, and Etsy, as well as fellow social-commerce channels Whatnot, Flip, and Instagram Checkout. Amazon was the only e-commerce platform that beat TikTok Shop in Earnest's dataset, which looked at customer-retention data between January 2022 and February 2024. "The second I bought my first TikTok Shop product, which was probably a year and a half ago, from that moment on, I started to get more TikTok Shop content."

Persons: Michael Maloof, Temu, TikTok, Maloof, —, they've, Nicole Rechtszaid Organizations: Walmart, Business, Facebook, Ghost Agency

☆ Former Third Point data chief Matt Ober's side hustle is solving one of the data industry's biggest headaches — and growing rapidly
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"There's a lot going on in the space," said Judy Kimball, a senior director of investor marketing at Yipit. Initial Data Offering launched last December, and its user base has grown rapidly, according to Ober. The site is simple — it's a place where data vendors can share new products, and data buyers can get in touch with sellers on items that interest them. Now, his side hustle is growing faster than he could have imagined, and he hopes to expand beyond the typical hedge fund crowd. Because this isn't Ober's day job, the build-out can be less about revenue and more about growing the community.

Persons: Carlyle, aren't, Judy Kimball, It's, Lowenstein Sandler, Matt Ober, Ober, Kimball, Yipit Organizations: Business, IDO Locations: San Diego, Ober

☆ JPMorgan says gold has further to run on escalating Middle East conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold could have room for further upside as tensions in the Middle East mount, according to JPMorgan. Spot gold has been on a tear in 2024 with a gain of more than 14%. Prices hit an all-time high of $2,448.80 per ounce intraday on Friday as investors braced for a further escalation in the Middle East. @GC.1 YTD mountain Gold hit a fresh all-time high on Friday, but JPMorgan thinks bullion has more room to run. "Given positioning and recent price action, mean reversion risk in gold still remains elevated in the near-term though geopolitics remain a bullish-skewed wildcard amid risks of an escalating retaliation cycle between Israel and Iran," Shearer said.

Persons: Gregory C, Shearer, " Shearer, Michael Bloom Organizations: JPMorgan, Investors, Federal Reserve Locations: Iran, Israel, Damascus, Syria, @GC

☆ Options prices are rising as the market is on edge. How to use this to your advantage
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Options premiums are rising and we'll discuss how to take advantage of that by generating income through a covered call options strategy. First the consumer price index inflation data came in hotter than expected on Wednesday. The expectation had been that the pace of inflation – once those year-over-year price increases were in place — would slow in March. Since then, the "average" level of the VIX Index is 19.53. Holders could therefore look to options to potentially provide some yield if they are expecting less capital appreciation.

Persons: Warren Buffett, 28th's, Buffett Locations: Europe, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, United States, Domino's

☆ Globe Life's stock crashed amid federal probes. Here's everything you need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Katie Balevic | Susan Antilla | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Globe Life Inc., a publicly traded insurance company based in Texas, was once flying high. Its top insurance agents basked in luxury with lavish company retreats and expensive sports cars. Related storyBy August 2023, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway had dumped over half of its 6.35 million shares of Globe Life. By then, Berkshire Hathaway had sold off all its shares in Globe Life. "It's disappointing that Globe Life neglected to address the evidence of insurance fraud and sexual misconduct that we uncovered."

Persons: —, Arias, Simon Arias III, Wolf, Renee Zinsky, Mike Russin, BI's, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Simon Arias, Abeni Mayfield, Berkshire Hathaway, AIL, Panda, Susan Antilla's, Nate Koppikar, Zinsky, Russin Organizations: Service, Business, of Justice, Life Inc, Arias Organization, Globe, Arias, Commission, AIL, Organization, BI, Department of Justice, Globe Life, Life, DOJ Locations: Texas, Pennsylvania

☆ ‘The Sympathizer’ review: Robert Downey Jr. heads down the rabbit hole of the Vietnam War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The fortuitous timing of having a series produced by and featuring newly minted Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. tumbles down a very strange rabbit hole in “The Sympathizer,” a darkly satirical look at the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Each episode begins with dated-looking credits that evoke the 1970s, a promising Quentin Tarantino-ish conceit that, given what follows, sets expectations too high. As constructed, it’s a rather heavy-handed approximation of the fate Vietnam experienced in the pull of the war, which doesn’t make the Captain’s increasingly surreal arc any more compelling. Strangelove,” assuming that was the intent, than a means of maximizing the star’s presence without really heightening its impact. “The Sympathizer” is hardly the first project to funnel the contradictions of the Vietnam War through an exaggerated lens (“Apocalypse Now” being a prime example), but except for a few bracing sequences the execution only clouds that vision.

Persons: Robert Downey Jr, Downey, can’t, Park Chan, ”, Don McKellar, Quentin Tarantino, Duy Nguyen, Fred Nguyen Khan, Peter Sellers, “ Dr, Strangelove, Sandra Oh, David Duchovny, “ Organizations: CNN, Viet Thanh, CIA, HBO, coy, Credit Downey, Warner Bros . Locations: Vietnam, Viet, Saigon, what’s, “

☆ That lipstick review could have been written by AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I purchased the Haus Labs foundation after watching a glowing review of the product by a makeup influencer on TikTok. That's where online reviews come in: For beauty, especially, reviews from influencers and regular people are crucial. Content Coach gives users prompts of key topics to include in their review, based on common themes in other reviews. "In terms of generative AI, if people can't trust whether a product review is genuine and written by a real user, they might choose to shop elsewhere," said Marissa Jones, the company's senior vice president of product. AI-powered reviews will certainly be great for beauty brands that want more high-quality reviews.

Persons: it's, Selena, Marissa Jones, Bazaarvoice, Chanel, Reilly Organizations: Service, Haus Labs, Business, Fashion, L'Oréal, Clarins, FTC, Walmart, eBay Locations: TikTok, Pacifica

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