DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ On New Zealand farm, scientists reduce cow burps to save the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

New Zealand has pledged to cut biogenic methane emissions by 10% on 2017 levels by 2030 and by up to 47% by 2050. Royal DSM's (DSMN.AS) Bovaer feed additive can reduce methane emissions by 30% in dairy cows and by more in beef cattle. Agricultural emissions account for around half of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. While pricing farm emissions is not universally popular, many believe it is the push farmers need to reduce them. For Fonterra, research also remains key as it aims to cap farm emissions at 2015 levels.

☆ New Zealand farmers to face livestock emissions charges under new plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government on Tuesday released its proposed plan on agricultural emissions pricing, which when introduced in 2025 will make New Zealand, a large agricultural exporter, the first country to have farmers pay for emissions from livestock. The proposed plan has been criticised by farming groups worried about how the proposal accounts for on-farm forestry and what can be offset against emissions. Nearly half its total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane, but agricultural emissions have previously been exempted from the country's trading scheme. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters Tuesday’s proposal would make New Zealand farmers not only the best in the world but the best for the world. The proposal will provide financial incentives for farmers to use technology that reduces sheep and cow burps and money farmers pay for their emissions will be reinvested in the sector.

☆ UK blackouts: Facing risk of power cuts this winter Britain is drilling for more oil
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Launched Friday, the licensing round won’t lead to new UK production for several years. It said it would take steps to mitigate the risk, including bringing old coal-fired power stations back online if necessary. Climate concernsThe latest licensing round won’t improve the immediate supply picture and could face a legal challenge from environmental activists. Greenpeace said that new oil and gas licenses were “potentially unlawful” and that it would be looking for ways to act. The plan, which allows drilling for oil and gas, will also ramp up nuclear power and wind energy.

Sept 29 (Reuters) - Initial public offerings by U.S. tech companies have sunk to their lowest levels since the global financial crisis of 2008, as stock market volatility, soaring inflation, and interest rate hikes have soured investor sentiment towards new listings. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterUS tech IPOs total proceeds in first three quartersAnalysts interviewed by Reuters said a steep drop in stock market valuations has deterred tech firms from pursuing stock market launches. "This is a terrible backdrop for IPOs, in particular tech IPOs, which rely on bull markets and momentum investors to bolster their market entries." The Renaissance IPO index, which captures the largest and most liquid U.S IPOs, has slumped 50.4% this year, compared with the S&P 500 index's drop of 23%. YTD performance of the Renaissance IPO index and S&P 500 indexShares of Corebridge Financial Inc (CRBG.N), which launched the largest IPO in the U.S. this year, were trading about 4% below its offer price of $21 on Wednesday.

☆ With Interest Rates Rising, Companies Look to Unload Pension Liabilities
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Rising interest rates are boosting corporate pension plans, providing finance chiefs with an option to lighten their companies’ balance sheets and transfer obligations to insurers. PREVIEWWhen interest rates rise, liabilities for defined-benefit plans—a type of pension plan that promises fixed amounts to participants—shrink. They can also move just a portion of their pension obligations, but that still requires a high funding status. “If interest rates level off or decrease, the funded status could fall pretty quickly,” said Matt McDaniel, a partner at Mercer who advises companies on pension risk transfers. Recent stock market declines have hurt some defined-benefit pension plans invested in publicly traded equities, Mr. McDaniel said.

Organizations: & $

☆ ESG without returns is 'simply not sustainable,' says investor Lauren Taylor Wolfe
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But for Impactive Capital co-founder and managing partner Lauren Taylor Wolfe, it all comes back to financial performance. "We believe that ESG without returns is simply not sustainable," she said Wednesday at CNBC's Delivering Alpha conference. Even if returns aren't the sole focus of an investment vehicle, sustainable investing can still generate alpha for investors. When it comes to applying an ESG lens to public market investing, Impactive Capital's Taylor Wolfe said investors need to be creative around how ESG is used to drive returns. She added that the recent market turmoil could spark a reset of sorts within the sustainable investing landscape.

☆ Factbox: U.S. companies gird themselves as Hurricane Ian makes landfall
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Sept 28 (Reuters) - Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida with Category 4 fury on Wednesday, pushing residents to empty grocery shelves, board up windows and rush to evacuation shelters. Since then, it has been working to redeploy offshore personnel after determining Hurricane Ian no longer posed a significant threat to its assets. A spokesperson said the company was monitoring the hurricane and making adjustments to operations to keep warehouse staff and drivers safe. Costco Wholesale Corp closed nine stores located in Florida due to an impact of Hurricane Ian. CRUISE OPERATORSWalt Disney Co's Disney Cruise Line on Tuesday canceled its Disney Wish ship that was to set sail from Florida on Friday.

In the letter to the FTC, San Mateo, California-based startup Certree said that Equifax and Experian are providing financial incentives like a slice of their revenue to employers to gain exclusive access to payroll data. Equifax also has deals with payroll software vendors that help employers process paychecks. Equifax in March described its Workforce Solutions unit, which included the payroll data on 105 million people, as its "fastest growing, highest margin, and most valuable business," with just over $2 billion in revenue. The company said workers can view or block access to records and that it has improved data security. But in the letter, Certree said the exclusivity deals pose "enormous obstacles."

☆ YouTubers are pushing dodgy crypto investment advice. Here’s why you should ignore it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Rob Price | Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Together, these revenue streams mean cryptocurrency influencers profit off their viewers no matter which way the market turns. Of course, crypto YouTube is a far cry from the regulated world of traditional finance. Armstrong told the Post that he made "maybe close to a million" from before dropping sponsored content in January 2022. A price list leaked by ZachXBT appears to show that dozens of small crypto influencers also have menus for similar undisclosed deals. But with little regulatory oversight, crypto influencers show little sign of slowing down — despite the precipitous decline of the crypto market.

☆ Alibaba pledges $1 billion to cloud computing customers to reignite growth
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Alibaba has faced growth challenges amid regulatory tightening on China's domestic technology sector and a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy. Alibaba said it will invest $1 billion over the next three fiscal years to support its cloud computing customers as the Chinese e-commerce giant looks to reignite growth after a historical slowdown. The company said it is also setting up a program to help its customers localize their cloud computing business needs depending on the market. Alibaba is the world's third-largest cloud computing player behind Microsoft and Amazon, according to Gartner. While cloud computing is a small part of Alibaba's overall business currently, the company's management sees it as a critical component to future growth and profitability.

☆ GM to invest $760 million to shift Ohio plant to EV-part production
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe new GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca CookToledo, OHIO/WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) said Friday it will invest $760 million at its Toledo, Ohio factory to build drive units for electric trucks, the automaker's first U.S. powertrain facility repurposed for EV-related production. Congress in August approved significant financial incentives for automakers to convert plants producing parts for gasoline-pore vehicles to electric models. Many autoworkers have expressed concerns about the shift to EVs and if it would impact current auto employment. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by David Shepardson and Joseph White Editing by Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 4 clean energy trends to accelerate your sustainability goals
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Enel With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This law is designed to lower the costs of acquiring clean energy solutions while enabling accessibility and accelerating the adoption of affordable, clean energy products and services. Here are four trends that will likely reshape your sustainability goals and questions businesses should ask to accelerate climate action. Scaling up of commercial clean energy solutionsThe new law will inject $369 billion into the US clean energy economy, financing renewable power, clean energy equipment manufacturing, electric vehicles, and much more. Here are questions to consider when scaling your clean energy portfolio:Given cost competitiveness and accessibility of clean energy, how will scaling-up clean energy solutions influence your bottom line? To prepare your operations to scale your sustainability goals, consider these questions when preparing your data:Currently, how is ESG data used to inform business operations and sustainability goals?

☆ As war, drought hit global crops, Argentina gambles on GM wheat
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Maximilian Heath | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

It was the first GM wheat strain in the world to receive such approval. No other global seed company has publicly endeavored to develop GM wheat since 2004, when giant seed maker Monsanto, now owned by Bayer AG, dropped plans to develop GM wheat that could withstand its weed killer Roundup. In 2020 he had threatened to halt wheat imports from Argentina after its government approved Bioceres' GM wheat. A new landmark is the recent approval in Nigeria, the only country to fully approve imports of HB4 wheat grains. Trucco said Russia's invasion of Ukraine and severe droughts in Europe and China had shifted the needle on drought-tolerant GM wheat.

☆ Delta Looks to Improve Margins, Cut Debt as Travel Rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

September has been off to a good start, Mr. Janki said at a conference last week. Consumer demand remains strong and corporate travel—an important income generator for Delta before the pandemic—is recovering, Mr. Janki said. “We are keenly focused on continuing to strengthen the balance sheet and drive debt down,” Mr. Janki said. Adjusted net debt stood at $19.6 billion at the end of the second quarter, Delta said. Mr. Janki wants his 600-people strong finance team to rely more on data and improve its systems, including streamlining information in the cloud.

Tens of thousands of people are scrambling for homeowners insurance in Louisiana at the peak of hurricane season after recent storms drove their carriers out of business. Massive claims from those storms drove large national insurance companies to scale back their coverage and remaining companies to jack up rates. The strategy seemed to work: Rates eventually stabilized, although Louisiana remained one of the most expensive states for homeowners insurance. That pushed the small insurance companies to their financial limits and squeezed reinsurers, who raised their rates. The state insurer’s rolls, which totaled 34,500 in August 2020, ballooned to about 110,000 last week.

☆ Biden White House just put out a framework on regulating crypto — here’s what’s in it
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

U.S. President Joe Biden walks from Marine One to the White House following a trip from Michigan, in Washington, U.S., September 14, 2022. Here are some of the key takeaways from the White House's new crypto framework. Fighting illicit financeOne section of the White House's new framework on crypto regulation focuses on eliminating illegal activity in the industry — and the measures proposed appear to have real teeth. Crime is rife in the digital asset sector. Then there's the hypothetical digital dollar that would be the Federal Reserve's take on a CBDC.

Read our review Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing rightBottom line: Ally Invest Robo Portfolios is ideal for hands-off investors in search of automated ETF portfolios without fees. Ally Invest Robo Portfolios: Overall RatingFeature Insider rating (out of 5) Fees 5.00 Investment selection 4.25 Access 4.03 Ethics 4.50 Customer service 5.00 Overall score 4.56Is Ally Invest Robo Portfolios right for you? Ally Invest Robo Portfolios is an Ally Financial-affiliated automated account offering investing without fees for US residents. Ally Invest Advisors, Inc. manages the account and is in turn a subsidiary of Ally Invest Group, Inc. Read our review Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing rightAlly Invest Robo Portfolios vs. FidelityAlly Invest Fidelity Investments Min.

☆ Citi expands program to help diverse communities reach 'transformational' homeownership milestone. Here's who qualifies
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-09 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Research has found that Black homeownership has declined. If the rate of Black homeownership were the same today as it was in 2000, there would be 770,000 more Black homeowners, according to the Urban Institute. watch nowEven as the U.S. homeownership rate surged to record highs in 2020, Black homeownership was still lower than it was a decade ago, according to the National Association of Realtors. Who qualifies for Citi's lending programCiti's HomeRun community affordable lending program is eligible to low- to moderate-income borrowers based on census data. In order to expand credit access for homeownership, Citi will look at alternative ways of assessing credit readiness, according to Frison.

☆ How Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey's Bitcoin Academy provides financial inclusion and breaks down barriers of inequity
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-07 | by ( John Lynch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Insider profiled Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey's Bitcoin Academy at the conclusion of its program for Marcy Houses in Brooklyn. For Marcy resident Mariela Regalado, The Bitcoin Academy represented a continuation of an altruism she had seen from Jay-Z firsthand. Lamar Wilson teaching at The Bitcoin Academy. Following the conclusion of its summer courses at Marcy Houses, The Bitcoin Academy is "looking to expand to other neighborhoods soon," the program said. The over 350 people who attended The Bitcoin Academy classes let us know that this education is important to them - and that it matters.

☆ Fear and loathing on Wall Street: Inside the paranoid, hyper-competitive onslaught to prevent quant traders from defecting to rivals
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-31 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

Current and former employees at prominent quant trading operations spoke to Insider anonymously for this story, citing fear of legal reprisals. "At the NSA, the penalty for leaking is twenty-five years in prison," Simons liked to tell employees, according to Gregory Zuckerman's book "The Man Who Solved the Market." In the early 2000s, quant noncompetes were narrower and shorter — six to nine months was industry standard, quant recruiters who had to navigate these obstacles told Insider. But it has aggressively pursued employees it believes have crossed the firm, according to court filings and media reports. Absent such changes, quant noncompetes will likely continue to proliferate with little resistance from employees.

Persons: Ken Griffin, they'd, It's, Matt Moye, they've, David Marshall, Jim Simons, George Soros, John Paulson, Philip Falcone, Jonathan Ernst, RenTech, Simons, Gregory Zuckerman's, Moye, quant, Pavel Volfbeyn, Alexander Belopolsky, spooked, Eric Wepsic, Shaw, —, Izzy Englander, Rick Wastrom, Smith Hanley, Jane Street burgeoned, Peter Friedman, Brennan Hughes, Griffin —, They've, Friedman, Chase Lochmiller, Ray Dalio, Jane Street, Hughes, Samuel Estreicher, Estreicher, I'm, David, Wastrom, Marshall, noncompetes Organizations: Citadel Securities, Renaissance Technologies, Citadel, St John's Law School, Center for Labor, Employment, REUTERS, NSA, Fund, RenTech, Millennium Management, Millennium, D.E, Trading, Integra Advisors, Wall, Google, Sigma, Polychain, Getty, Bridgewater Associates, National Labor Relations Board, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, Group, New York University, school's Center for Labor, John's Law, —, New Locations: America, Bridgewater, New York, Hudson, Riker's Island, Houston, Chicago, Connecticut, — California, St, New York , Illinois

Low APY Dash icon A dash. Low APY Dash icon A dash. Low APY Dash icon A dash. $5 maintenance fee per quarter if you don't have at least $5 in your account Dash icon A dash. Need a minimum of $25 in account daily to keep membership open Dash icon A dash.

The racial wealth gap in America is well-documented, but there are steps we can take now to help close the gap — including encouraging Black Americans to invest more. In the US, Black Americans tend to invest at lower rates than white Americans, reducing Black Americans' opportunity to build wealth. There has been some progress related to investing in recent years, and the racial investing gap seems to be shrinking. That means the existing racial wealth gap can then feed into the investing gap. Research has found that Black Americans also tend to take fewer financial chances when compared to white Americans.

☆ How to open a Pure Barre franchise and become wildly successful, according to 2 multiple-franchise owners
▼ + stars: | 2020-01-13 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Two franchise owners say that it can be hard work but worth it to make your passion your business. Many franchise owners started as Pure Barre devotees before taking the plunge to buy into Pure Barre, which was acquired by boutique workout franchise brand Xponential Fitness in 2018.Insider spoke to two owners of multiple Pure Barre studios to understand how they spun a love of dance-oriented fitness into successful businesses — and along the way have created strong and supportive communities. "It only took one Pure Barre class for me to realize that this workout technique didn't exist where I lived and that I needed to open it as soon as possible. Lean on other franchise owners for supportRoberts said that having connections with other franchise owners like herself has been one of the best things about her work. "Turnaround" opportunities are financial incentives offered by Xponential Fitness to existing successful Pure Barre franchise owners to help transform a struggling studio.

Search resuls for: "Financial Inc"

23 mentions found