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My mortgage broker demystified the homebuying process and guided me step by step. Here's how my mortgage broker and I worked out a plan to make my dreams of homeownership a reality and how I'm preparing for mortgage renewal in the not-too-distant future. See Insider's picks for the best mortgage lenders »My mortgage broker ran the numbers for different scenariosI spoke with a few mortgage brokers before deciding to work with the brilliant Lisa Okun. Compare today's 30-year mortgage rates »I know renegotiating my mortgage will be complexI like to know how much I'm going to need to spend. Because the interest rates in Canada were so low at the time (around 2.5%), I felt good about locking into that rate.

Persons: Lisa Okun, Lisa, They've Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ontario, Canada

☆ Byju’s blowup makes its investors look bad
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pranav Kiran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo/File PhotoBENGALURU, Aug 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Byju’s says it provides learning programs to over 150 million students. The biggest lesson may be for the Indian education giant’s global investors including Prosus (PRX.AS) and Peak XV, formerly part of Sequoia, who watched founder power run amok in a country they have pinned high hopes on. But so long as the blowup at the hot startup once valued at $22 billion goes from bad to worse, its backers will struggle to create enough distance. For early supporter Peak XV Partners, the mess comes at a sensitive time, hot on the heels of announcing a separation from its U.S. parent. Representatives of the Amsterdam-listed investor and Peak XV Partners, formerly Sequoia’s India unit, both quit Byju’s board in June.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Byju Raveendran, Davidson, Byju’s, Reuters Breakingviews, Prosus, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Bloomberg, XV Partners, HK, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, BENGALURU, Sequoia, U.S, Byju’s, Amsterdam, China, Delaware

☆ Trump, Biden campaigns spar over support of UAW workers, EV mandates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Trump, the former Republican president seeking a return to office in 2024, said Democrat Biden was "waging war on the U.S. auto industry" through "crippling" electric vehicle mandates and urged the UAW to endorse him. Biden's campaign responded that Trump was "the most anti-union president in modern history, stacking his cabinet with anti-union officials." Trump said he advocated trade policies to help U.S. autoworkers during his presidency, including renegotiating trade deals. Biden's campaign said that he supported incentives that helped dramatically add more U.S. electric vehicle and battery production. Earlier this month the UAW called on the Biden administration to soften its proposed vehicle emissions rules.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Biden's, Shawn Fain, Fain, David Shepardson, Matthew Lewis Organizations: United Auto Workers, Republican, U.S, UAW, autoworkers, General Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler, Republicans, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Thomson Locations: United States, Washington

☆ Brazil poultry lobby sees little risk of nationwide export ban over bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Slideshow ( 4 images )Ricardo Santin, head of a group representing firms like JBS and BRF, told Reuters the agreements with trade partners should limit any export restrictions to smaller geographic regions. Still, the details of a 2004 bilateral sanitary protocol with China, Brazil’s top chicken buyer last year, could spell some pain for exporters. WOAH outlines best practices for “zoning” and compartmentalizing HPAI infection to specific areas at risk in order to ease nation-wide restrictions, allowing countries to continue to sell and export of poultry. The U.S., which competes with Brazil in poultry export markets, had HPAI outbreaks but continued to ship products. Still, total poultry meat exports rose 3% by volume and 14% by value, as revised trade agreements limited trade restrictions compared with a previous record U.S. bird flu outbreak in 2015.

Persons: Ricardo Santin, Santin, HPAI, WOAH Organizations: SAO PAULO, Reuters, World Organization for Animal Health Locations: China, Beijing, Brasilia, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, U.S

Companies Diebold Nixdorf Inc FollowNEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - ATM maker Diebold Nixdorf filed for bankruptcy in Texas on Thursday, saying it had reached an agreement to reduce the company's overall debt by $2.1 billion. Diebold Nixdorf said it urgently needs the new loans. Diebold has struggled with debt since it acquired Germany-based Wincor Nixdorf AG for $1.8 billion in 2016. Before filing for bankruptcy, Diebold engaged in cost-cutting efforts like reducing its real estate footprint, streamlining its ATM product range, and renegotiating its debt in March 2022. Diebold Nixdorf sells ATMs and point-of-sale systems in more than 100 countries.

Persons: Diebold Nixdorf, Diebold, Dietrich Knauth, Alexia Garamfalvi, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Diebold, Nixdorf, Diebold Nixdorf, New York Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Texas, Ohio, Houston, Germany

May 4 (Reuters) - Albemarle Corp (ALB.N) is open to renegotiating its Chile lithium contract before 2043 and would seek access to even more of the country's vast reserves of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries, CEO Kent Masters told Reuters on Thursday. Albemarle and SQM's contracts only grant access to the Atacama salt flats, or salars, but Boric hopes to open up many other salars across his country for lithium production, a step that will require DLE technologies. Many DLE technologies use lots of potable water and electricity, a limitation that Albemarle has acknowledged and one it is working to limit. Chile and Albemarle could cement their dominant role in the global lithium and EV industries if they can get one or more DLE technology to succeed. Masters declined to comment on Australian lithium developer's Liontown Resources Ltd (LTR.AX) rejection in March of Albemarle's $3.7 billion takeover bid.

☆ India's Adani Ports sells Myanmar port for a discounted $30 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, May 4 (Reuters) - India's Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSE.NS) said on Thursday that it has completed the sale of its port in sanction-hit Myanmar for $30 million, significantly lower than its investment in the project. Inputs from key minority shareholders were a key driver in the company's decision to exit the project, Adani Ports previously said, reiterating it would not engage with a sanctioned entity. However, a source familiar with the matter said Adani Ports had invested $195 million in the greenfield project, which had not become operational yet. Adani Ports did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Shares of Adani Ports rose as much as 1.2% after the announcement.

☆ UK Labour bars ex-leader Corbyn from standing as its candidate at next election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain, November 16, 2022. A Labour spokesperson said the party's governing body - the National Executive Committee - approved a motion proposed by Starmer not to endorse his predecessor as a candidate at the next election. His party membership was later reinstated but Starmer refused to allow him to join the parliamentary Labour Party and he currently sits as an independent lawmaker. Momentum, a group set up to support Corbyn, described the decision to bar him as a candidate as "a dark day for democracy". On Monday, Corbyn said Starmer had broken his commitment to respect the rights of Labour members and denigrated the party's democratic foundations.

☆ BioNTech shares slip on gloomy Covid vaccine sales outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of BioNTech on Monday slid by more than 6% in morning trading after the German drugmaker shared a gloomy 2023 sales outlook for its Covid vaccine jointly developed with Pfizer . The drugmaker expects that demand to fall further this year, forecasting Covid vaccine revenue to hit 5 billion euros, or $5.4 billion. BioNTech noted in an earnings release that its efforts to adapt the Covid vaccine to new strains of the virus are expected to increase demand for the product this year. BioNTech is the latest company to forecast a slump in demand for Covid products as the world emerges from the pandemic. Its partner Pfizer told investors in January that it expects Covid vaccine sales to plummet by 64% this year and sales of its Covid antiviral treatment Paxlovid to drop by 58%.

HOUSTON, March 6 (Reuters) - Guyana's coming auction of offshore oil exploration blocks has lured at least 10 companies including Shell, Petrobras and Chevron, to consider the decade's hottest oil region, people close to the matter said. Guyana also has begun direct negotiations on the 14 blocks and other areas with governments that have state-controlled oil companies. The proposed rules will nearly double the government's take from oil production to 27.5% of royalties and profit oil, plus a new 10% corporate tax, compared to Exxon's main contract. "We believe it is asymmetric now, and a bit in favor of the companies," Jagdeo said. The Exxon group can use 75% of the oil production to offset a variety of costs, including construction of its new Guyana headquarters.

☆ As emergency savings drop and credit card debt rises, an 'ugly stew is brewing,' warns advocate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Valentinrussanov | E+ | Getty ImagesHigh inflation is leading to reduced savings and higher credit card debt — and there are some signs households may be reaching a tipping point under increased financial pressures. A new survey from Bankrate finds 39% of individuals surveyed in January said their emergency savings are less than they were last year. Still, slightly more than half of respondents — 51% — said they have more emergency savings than credit card debt. The remaining 13% have no credit card debt nor any emergency savings. Bankrate's survey found 45% of millennials, 44% of Gen Xers and 38% of Gen Zers have more credit card debt than money in savings.

The EU froze funds earmarked for Hungary and Poland over their nationalist governments' track record of undercutting liberal democratic rules. Portugal had disbursed 1.4 billion euros, or 8.5% of the total recovery funds assigned to it, to project promoters by the end of 2022. Romania and Portugal are the two countries pushing hardest to extend the 2026 deadline and Spain and other Eastern European countries are supporting their demands, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said. Some countries are devising workarounds for projects that are particularly important and look like they are unlikely to meet the deadline, said a source. This would imply budgeting and allocating funds before the projects have been commissioned in order to meet the 2026 deadline, the person said.

Twitter staff have spotted cockroaches in changing rooms and showers, sources told Insider. A representative for the company that owns the office building declined to comment. Staff at the office in Chelsea have seen cockroaches in the showers and a changing room at the facility, sources said. Twitter is the only direct leasee at the office building which is listed as a "Class B" building on CoStar, a commercial real estate database. Some staff at Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco have been sleeping in the office after Musk issued an ultimatum for staff to work "extremely hardcore."

☆ WWE shares jump 10% as former CEO Vince McMahon announces surprise comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former WWE boss Vince McMahon said he would return as executive chairman Thursday. McMahon announced a review into upcoming media rights negotiations and could reportedly be preparing to sell the company. McMahon retired last year over a sexual misconduct scandal. McMahon said he would lead those negotiations as WWE's executive chairman and would launch a strategic review into other possible broadcast partners. He retired as WWE chief executive and chairman last year amid an ongoing internal board investigation into sexual misconduct claims against him.

TOKYO, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Japanese insurers are expected to maintain marine war insurance, which covers the sinking and requisition of ships due to war in Russian waters for at least three months for liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, industry sources said on Friday. But on Tuesday, a senior official at the industry ministry said the Japanese government had asked insurers to take on additional risks to continue providing war insurance for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shippers. The insurance companies negotiated with reinsurers to replace part of the coverage and they are expected to enable continued insurance, Nikkei reported on Thursday. After renegotiating with UK reinsurers, a total of 30 billion yen ($224 million) is expected to be secured, with domestic insurers covering about 8 billion yen and overseas reinsurers taking on about 22 billion yen, it said. But added the underwriting capacity will be less than half of the previous 67 billion yen.

Buying out the Turquoise Hill minority shareholders is Stausholm’s other initiative. Imagine minority shareholders vote down the offer, but Rio then has Turquoise Hill issue fresh equity. With minimal net debt, the miner had enough cash to buy more Turquoise Hill equity. Rio shareholders soon will see just how well Stausholm plays. Pentwater Capital Management and SailingStone Capital Partners, which own respective 15.2% and 2.2% stakes in Canada-based Turquoise Hill, have resisted the offers.

☆ Nissan Grapples With Currency Volatility, Even as Weak Yen Boosts Earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nina Trentmann | Nissan Chief Financial Officer Stephen Ma | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

For Nissan Motor Co. finance chief Stephen Ma, the weak yen has been both a boon and a bane. “The current weakness of the yen has given us short-term benefits, which is good,” Mr. Ma said. Mr. Ma said he is working to repay debt and increase the auto maker’s profitability while managing issues such as currency volatility, semiconductor shortages and pricing. “We have some stickiness in terms of pricing power,” Mr. Ma said. Nissan has had “common sense, commercial-based” discussions with Renault, according to Mr. Ma.

☆ Junk-Rated Companies Face Greater Downgrade Risks as Economy Slows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Each of these companies was downgraded by at least one ratings firm in recent weeks. At the same time, the economy has been losing steam, resulting in lower earnings and darkening the outlook for companies, especially in consumer-facing sectors. Credit downgrades can drive up financing costs for companies and cause executives to take additional action such as reducing debt loads. There were 33 S&P downgrades in September, the most in a single month since June 2020. Businesses without immediate refinancing needs, however, tend to see less of a direct impact from credit downgrades.

☆ How TikTok and the music industry are bound to each other as 'frenemies,' even as they battle over licensing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

All of these promotional functions have benefited the music industry, boosting streams on platforms like Spotify or Apple Music and helping artists grow their fan bases. The company filed a US trademark application in May for a potential music-streaming product called "TikTok Music," Insider first reported. Licensing negotiations to either expand Resso or introduce TikTok Music into other markets are underway, a person with direct knowledge of the process told Insider. Licensing negotiations are nearly constant in the music industryByteDance and TikTok already have existing agreements in place with major record labels and publishers like Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, the National Music Publishers' Association, and ICE. Last quarter, YouTube's head of music wrote that the company paid out $6 billion to the music industry over a 12-month period.

☆ EXCLUSIVE India mills renegotiate, default on sugar export deals to catch rising prices -dealers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The renegotiations and defaults by mills in India, the world's second biggest sugar exporter, could support global prices . Mills started selling sugar to trade houses in late August and signed deals to supply around 2 million tonnes of sugar for export even before New Delhi approved an export quota of 6 million tonnes earlier this month. They are threatening to default unless buyers are ready to renegotiate at higher prices," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house. The defaults by mills in Maharashtra are forcing trade houses to make purchases from mills in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, dealers said. Indian mills have so far signed contracts to export 4 million tonnes of sugar during November to February, they said.

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A failure to secure meaningful progress on a debt relief for the world's poorest nations at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meeting in Washington has left policymakers, campaigners and investors frustrated. Two years ago the Group of 20 launched the Common Framework - a mechanism designed to provide a swift and comprehensive debt overhaul to nations buckling under debt burdens after COVID-19 shock that would reach beyond temporary debt payment moratoriums. The Common Framework is a good start, but you need some fixes." China's role as a lender to poorer nations and Beijing's foot-dragging on debt relief drew much ire at the Washington meeting. JPMorgan's Joyce Chang, whose bank held an investor seminar alongside the IMF World Bank gathering, said asset managers had more discussions on repayment challenges and restructurings for emerging markets than at any time since the 1990s.

☆ Junk-Rated Companies Search for the Right Time to Tap Investors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

While there is limited pressure overall as many businesses refinanced in 2020 and 2021 when funding was cheaper and investor appetite stronger, high-yield companies with immediate financing needs have to find the right time to tap investors, corporate bankers say. Adding loans and revolving-credit facilities, speculative companies have maturities of around $1.47 trillion through 2027, ratings firm Moody’s Investors Service said last week. And the high-yield bond market isn’t closed, it has just become more expensive, bankers said. Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. on Friday said that its subsidiary Odeon Finco PLC priced a $400 million bond. Bankers said they have received few calls from triple C-rated companies in recent months looking for maturity extensions.

China co-chairs a committee of official bilateral creditors with France as part of a debt restructuring that Zambia is seeking under the Group of 20's Common Framework, a platform for highly indebted countries to rework their debt with bilateral creditors. At the end of 2021, China held about a third of Zambia's $17.27 billion international debt, according to Zambian government data. Musokotwane said negotiating with bilateral creditors including China before private creditors had "worked fairly well", but acknowledged there had been complaints from international investors who hold the country's sovereign bonds. It is now seeking a present value $6.3 billion debt reduction, or 49% of the external debt being restructured. "There is no point of pretending that there is something that is better, when doing so means that you leave Zambia still with an unsustainable debt situation," Musokotwane said.

☆ Lula plans broad Brazil consumer debt renegotiation, adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Marcela Ayres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has proposed a broad consumer debt renegotiation program backed by government guarantees, aimed at relief for lower-income families if he wins an Oct. 30 runoff election, a senior adviser said. Renegotiated debts would be partially covered by a government guarantee fund of 7-16 billion reais, Mello said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"These are very reasonable amounts for the government to contribute," he added. The details of the plan, described broadly in Lula's leftist presidential platform, come after right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro announced a debt renegotiation program for some 4 million clients of state bank Caixa Econômica Federal. But they are also studying strategies to encourage restructuring of bank debt at lower interest rates by reducing lenders' compulsory deposits.

☆ Euro zone yields at multi-year highs, Italian bonds underperform
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Stefano Rebaudo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSept 26 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond yields jumped to multi-year highs amid expectations that central banks will keep tightening their monetary policy despite recession risks and a new sell-off in British gilts. Meanwhile, the spread between Italian and German yields widened after the rightist coalition won a clear majority in Sunday's elections. Italian bond (BTP) prices are also more susceptible to shifts in interest rate expectations, given the country's vast debt burden. Giorgia Meloni looks set to become Italy's first woman prime minister at the head of its most right-wing government since World War Two. "Bond yields across Europe are correlated, and today's jump in Britain yields is again affecting the euro area," he added.

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