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☆ Yuta Watanabe comically dunks into his own net as Brooklyn Nets’ woes continue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Brooklyn Nets have made a terrible start to the NBA season and on Saturday star forward Yuta Watanabe didn’t make matters any easier by comically scoring in the opposite team’s basket. At the Barclays Centre, the Nets went down 125-116 to the Indiana Pacers to go 1-5 for the season. It was the Nets’ fourth straight loss and one coach Steve Nash called a “disaster.”The night started ominously when, in the first quarter, Watanabe accidentally scored for the Pacers. The comical two-pointer cut the Nets’ lead before the Pacers tied at the end of the first quarter. As the Pacers pulled away from the struggling Nets, rookie Bennedict Mathurin scored a career-high 32 points in a team record 23 three-pointers.

☆ Liverpool: After another Premier League defeat, what has gone wrong at Liverpool?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The team had won the League Cup and the FA Cup, was going toe-to-toe with Manchester City in the English Premier League, and had reached the Champions League final. Ultimately, two trophies went to Anfield instead of four, as Liverpool lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League and fell one point short in the league. For years, Liverpool has been the only team to challenge City for the league title – winning it in 2020 – yet this season Liverpool and City are worlds apart. ‘Liverpool being bullied’So, why is Liverpool struggling so badly in the league this season? “The Premier League is a really hard league to play in and is a long, difficult, sometimes physically and mentally, nine months for you.

☆ LeBron James makes history but Lakers’ nightmare start to season continues
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —LeBron James made history on Friday but could do little to stop the LA Lakers’ nightmare start to the season from continuing. A mark of his greatness is that the four-time MVP has never averaged fewer than 20 points in a season since being drafted in 2003. David Berding/Getty ImagesThe Lakers remain winless, however, matching their worst start to a season in 65 years after falling to 0-5 following Friday’s 111-102 loss to the Minneapolis Timberwolves. Russell Westbrook came off the bench for the Lakers to score 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Couple possessions here, couple possessions there didn’t go our way, but just keep hammering on.”

☆ NatWest shows bank investors were right to fret
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Investor scepticism in bank stocks might seem a bit odd. After all, rising interest rates mean banks can make a fatter margin on loans, and unemployment levels are low, which suggests customers will keep paying their mortgages. Investors already valued NatWest at only 0.8 times its tangible book value, and Friday’s 8% share price fall will push that down further. The bank, still 48% owned by the UK government after a 2008 bailout, is expected to deliver a 13% return on tangible equity next year, RBC analysts reckon. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Adidas’s Kanye West bet is still in credit: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The 18 bln euro sportswear maker severed ties with the musician over offensive comments. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how the financial benefits to Adidas nevertheless outweighed the costs. That may spur other brands to pursue outspoken stars. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterEditing by Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Police arrest German climate protesters who threw mashed potatoes at Monet painting
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Police have arrested two climate activists who threw mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting in a museum in Germany to protest fossil fuel production, a stunt which caused no damage to the art. The German climate group Last Generation took credit for the stunt. The group posted video footage on Twitter showing a man and a woman tossing mashed potatoes at the painting, kneeling in front of it and gluing their hands to the wall. And all you are afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting," the woman shouted in German while kneeling in front of Monet's painting. The Monet painting will be on display again by Wednesday, the museum said in a statement.

☆ Dietrich Mateschitz: Tributes paid to Red Bull founder
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Tributes have been paid to Dietrich Mateschitz, the owner and co-founder of the sports drink company Red Bull, who has died aged 78. Ker Robertson/Getty ImagesIn 2004, Mateschitz bought the Ford-owned Jaguar team and the following season renamed it Red Bull Racing. The Austrian also bought the Italy-based Minardi F1 team and renamed it Toro Rosso in 2006, the Italian for Red Bull. After years of Mercedes dominance in recent years, Red Bull is back at the front of the grid with Max Verstappen sealing his second title at the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this month. “I want to send all my condolences to the Red Bull family, but also especially to his family that I also know.

☆ Aldi is the US's fastest-growing grocery chain and more households earning $50-100K are shopping there. Here are the no-frills tactics that help make it so cheap.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Aldi is the US's fastest-growing grocer for the third year running, the real-estate firm JLL said. Aldi almost always has the lowest prices for core products like bread, milk, and eggs, Monford said. Monford added that consumers "don't mind" that products aren't taken out of their boxes because they're shopping at Aldi for value. Campbell said the Aldi stores near her generally had just four or five aisles. Vadakkepatt said Aldi's stores have fewer employees and shorter hours than at other chains.

☆ Sneaker pile-up will spoil Adidas’ Christmas party
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Adidas (ADSGn.DE) Chief Executive Kasper Rorsted has miscalculated shoppers’ appetite for casualwear. Weak sales have left Adidas with a pile of unsold sneakers at the worst possible time. Inflation, running at 10.9% in the European Union, is rapidly eroding consumers’ disposable income, spreading pain in the sportswear market. Christmas would typically be a time when retailers can claw back losses by selling their wares at full cost. Yet Adidas’ woes suggest sports retailers are heading for a discount party.

☆ Grocery deal could have European interloper
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Good luck to Kroger and Albertsons (ACI.N) – U.S. lawmakers are already getting concerned about a deal. A European interloper could make deal plans even harder. If investors reckoned there was merit in a deal, Muller could also use equity to beef up the offer. So regulators wouldn’t have to worry about a larger Kroger shutting down competing Albertsons stores. Less overlap means fewer operational synergies, so a deal with Ahold might not look as lucrative.

☆ Britain’s bond crisis reverses over the government: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - New finance minister Jeremy Hunt has scrapped most of his predecessor’s unfunded tax cuts, scuppering Prime Minister Liz Truss’s growth plan. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate what the U-turn means for markets – and whether Truss can survive. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Thomas Shum and Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Philip Morris’ Swedish bet may take multiple tokes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Philip Morris International (PM.N) may need to show more flexibility. PMI Chief Executive Jacek Olczak has strengthened his hand by sealing a $2.7 billion deal with Altria to buy the rights to sell IQOS heated tobacco products in the United States, giving him an alternative way to grow in smokeless tobacco products. Still, it may be hard to get the Swedish Match deal over the line, given PMI’s ambitious 90% acceptance rate. That’s probably why the shares are currently trading close to the offer price at 112 crowns. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Black infants born through assisted reproductive technology at significantly higher risk of death than White infants born through same means, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Jacqueline Howard Raenu Charles | Jacqueline Howard | Raenu Charles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —It has been well-known in research that Black babies are about twice as likely to die as White babies before their first birthday. But when conceived by assisted reproductive technology, neonatal mortality was more than four-fold higher among babies of Black women. Assisted reproductive technology, which is used to treat infertility, includes infertility treatments that involve eggs and sperm. Those rates were four-fold higher in infants of Black versus White mothers who used assisted reproductive technology, such as IVF. Black women are about three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

☆ SoftBank loses most from UK e-commerce flop
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - SoftBank Group (9984.T) is seeing the ugly side of the beauty business. The Japanese technology investor on Monday said it had agreed to sell its stake in UK e-commerce group THG (THG.L) for a mere $35 million, compared with an acquisition price in 2021 of more than $540 million. SoftBank was an eager supporter of the one-time tech darling. Investors once thought SoftBank and Son could effectively anoint sector winners by offering them seemingly limitless funding. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Ahead of the midterms, Black women voters most concerned about costs of living, poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Donna M. Owens | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Change Research conducted the online survey of 715 adult Black women voters who were recruited via web and text message. The majority of Black women who responded felt they are “under-represented,” or that “more representation” is needed. Black women represent 53% of Black eligible voters, slightly higher than all eligible voters (51%) in the country. Many gave mixed answers, expressing both excitement and optimism about the advances Black women have made and their power, as well as frustration about the state of the country and how Black women are treated. There are currently no Black women in the Senate after former California Sen. Kamala Harris won the vice presidency.

☆ Elon Musk’s second run at his $44 bln Twitter deal: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A judge in Delaware has given the Tesla CEO until the end of the month to make good on his vow to buy the social media giant. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists delve into the many twists of this M&A saga, Musk’s options, and what’s likely to happen next. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Thomas Shum and Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Lab tie-up would have multiple ailments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Qiagen (QIA.DE) may once again find itself at the centre of an M&A drama. The $10 billion German lab tester is in talks with $10 billion U.S. life-science company Bio-Rad (BIO.N), the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Any deal would follow Thermo Fisher Scientific’s (TMO.N) failed attempt to buy Qiagen for 11.3 billion euros ($11 billion) back in 2020. Regulators in the United States and Europe have been increasingly wary of tie-ups that could lead to higher prices. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ BoE’s insurance policy raises question of next act
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The Bank of England is taking out insurance against a market meltdown. On Monday, the central bank said it was ready to double the daily limit of its bond-buying programme from 5 billion pounds to 10 billion pounds. This will cost users just 15 basis points above the base rate, although they face haircuts of up to 42%. (By Aimee Donnellan)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterFollow @Breakingviews on Twitter(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ What to expect from China’s Party Congress: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - This month’s quinquennial meeting will shed some light on President Xi Jinping’s policy priorities amid a slowing economy and Covid lockdowns. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists offer pointers on what to watch for from this staged but critical political event. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on Twitter(The host is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Thomas ShumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Pension fund blowup faces brutal second act
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Bank of England announced a 65 billion pound gilt-buying scheme to stabilise markets and rescue pension funds. Bailey’s move may have been too late to stop some pension funds from having to close out their hedges, like interest rate swaps or futures. The rate at which retirement payments are discounted will also fall, pushing up the pension fund’s future liabilities, but without a corresponding asset gain. Meanwhile, investors like Goldman Sachs are hoovering up cut-price stakes in private equity vehicles, which LDI funds are selling. They also held 78 billion pounds and 317 billion pounds in property and equities respectively.

Yet the government’s unfunded mini-budget on Sept. 23 stoked fears of runaway inflation, causing gilt yields to soar. The mess left pension funds scrambling to raise margin, and they wound up doing so by selling their most liquid asset – gilts. And the more the pension funds sold, the more gilt prices fell, causing a vicious spiral and fears the funds could run out of cash. By the time Governor Andrew Bailey intervened, certain pension funds had been hit with margin calls as high as 100 million pounds. Ahead of the BoE’s announcement, strategists said the 2.1 trillion pound gilt market was seizing up, with very poor liquidity and pricing quality being a clear sign of market dysfunction.

☆ Behind Britain’s self-inflicted financial crisis: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Sterling fell to a record low and gilt yields soared after finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled a raft of unfunded tax cuts. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain the long-term damage to the UK’s credibility and what will rebuild investors’ confidence. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Oliver Taslic and Streisand NetoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Silicon Valley’s post-Covid brain drain: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Steve Case, chairman and CEO of Revolution, speaks during the SALT conference in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 13, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoLONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Before the pandemic, 75% of venture capital was invested in California, New York and Massachusetts. In this Exchange podcast, AOL co-founder Steve Case explains that a hybrid working revolution is reversing that trend and encouraging permanent investment away from the coasts. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Thomas Shum and Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ EasyJet gives carbon offset reform a handy shove
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An EasyJet Airbus aircraft takes off from the southern runway at Gatwick Airport in Crawley, Britain, August 25, 2021. REUTERS/Peter NichollsLONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - EasyJet’s (EZJ.L) latest statement on climate change may end up being quite useful. Chief Executive Johan Lundgren’s stance reflects a burgeoning trend which has seen regulators and industry groups move from setting net zero targets to scrutinising them. EasyJet will instead invest in new technology to cut emissions, including zero carbon-emitting aircraft and carbon capture technology. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Breakingviews: UK growth requires an even less popular Liz Truss
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - In her early days as prime minister, Liz Truss has had two mantras. As expected, Kwarteng reversed a planned hike in national insurance rates, costing around 17 billion pounds per year. The whole package will cost 45 billion pounds by 2027, while the government is also spending 60 billion pounds capping household and business energy bills. Support for household energy bills announced by Truss will cost 60 billion pounds for the next six months, Kwarteng said. Tax cuts would cost a further 45 billion pounds by 2026-2027, according to UK finance ministry costings.

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