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☆ The death of downtowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But the number of empty storefronts overwhelming downtowns isn't just a product of the post-pandemic world. When it comes to local downtowns, not all small businesses are created equally. A homebuilder executive breaks down the do's and don'ts that've helped her clients lower rates from 8% to 4.875%.

Persons: —, that's, Tyler, Insider's Adam Rogers, it's, Adam, Justin Sullivan, It's, Lucas Jackson, Elon Musk, Joel Saget, Sheldon Cooper, Getty Images Elon, X, Daniel Rizea, Haley Rosen, Marie Donoghue, Rosalyn Durant, don'ts that've, Heidi Klum's, Jayne Withers, Zers, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, New York Stock Exchange, Getty, Getty Images, Apple, Google, ESPN, NFL, NBA, Walmart, Workers, Fed, Pfizer, Samsung Locations: National, New York, AFP, New York City, San Diego, London

☆ How the Fed is using its multi-trillion-dollar balance sheet to fight inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Washington, DC CNN —The Fed’s fight against inflation is about to enter a new phase, but the central bank’s enormous balance sheet will continue to play a key role. The Fed also manages a multi-trillion-dollar balance sheet that accounts for trillions in government securities and lists how much currency is in circulation. For over a year now, the Fed has been steadily shrinking its balance sheet to help cool the economy. The Fed’s balance sheet is currently at around $7.9 trillion, down from its peak of $9 trillion in early 2022 right before the runoff. They also see alternative scenarios for the end of the balance sheet runoff if there isn’t a recession.

Persons: that’s, Lael Brainard, What’s, Wells, Jerome Powell, JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, Jamie Dimon, Krystal Hur, Dimon —, Mr, Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, what’s, Estee Lauder, Kraft Heinz, Yum, Bausch, Eli Lilly, Molson Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Congress, Fed, Wall Street, JPMorgan, JPMorgan Chase, CNN, HSBC, McDonald’s, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Bank of Japan, Pfizer, Caterpillar, Marathon Petroleum, Sirius XM, Anheuser, Busch, BP, Chesapeake Energy, US Labor Department, Global, Board, CVS, GSK, Humana, Reuters, Apollo Global Management, Brands, Garmin, Cruise Line Holdings, Qualcomm, Airbnb, PayPal, MetLife, Aflac, AIG, Allstate, Prudential, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, Federal Reserve, ConocoPhillips, Starbucks, Duke Energy, Shopify, Ferrari, Marriott International, Moderna, Fox, Molson Coors, Hyatt, Apple, Motorola, Bank of England, Dominion Energy, Gartner, Restaurant Brands Locations: Washington, Treasuries, China’s, Mondelez, DoorDash, Avis, Shell, Cigna

☆ Hong Kong is paying new parents $2,500 for having a baby but that won’t even pay a month’s rent
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong is to pay new parents more than $2,500 for having a baby in a bid to boost its flagging birth rate, but many residents in the notoriously expensive city say it’s barely enough to cover a month’s rent. In Japan (birth rate 1.3), parents get a monthly allowance of $107 dollars for each newborn until two years of age. For each child between three years old and senior high, parents get $66.7 per month. Hong Kong subsidizes education from kindergarten to senior high, but nursery, the year or two before kindergarten, is not usually covered. “The government should be thinking about how to convince [us] that Hong Kong is conducive to child-raising,” Lau said.

Persons: John Lee Ka, chiu, ” Lee, ”, Ken Lau, Kristy Chan, ” Lau, Kim Yeung, ” Yeung, Paul Yip Siu, Hong, ” Yip, Sze Lai, Sze, Lau, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, HK, CNN, Midland Realty, fai, University of Hong, Society for Community Organization Locations: Hong Kong, East Asia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, University of Hong Kong

☆ Opinion: The reaction to Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner is about much more than tabloid gossip
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Opinion Patricia Grisafi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —America loves to punish a “bad mother” — and there is a long history of using prominent celebrities as cautionary figures of abominable motherhood. So when news broke that 34-year-old musician Joe Jonas filed for divorce from 27-year-old actor Sophie Turner, it wasn’t surprising that the media narrative was that Turner wanted to go out at night while Jonas wanted to parent. Gossip sites like TMZ and Page Six framed their “different lifestyles” — Turner as a party girl and Jonas as a “homebody” trying to look out for his daughters. In the past, efforts to paint women as bad mothers during a divorce would have worked. But that’s not what is happening with the Jonas and Turner situation so far.

Persons: Patricia Grisafi, Mary Sue, ” —, Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, Turner, Jonas, — Turner, I’ve, —, don’t, Spears, conservatorship, that’s, Jonas ’, “, ”, Cardi, Emily Ratajkowski, Meghan Markle, Julia, shouldn’t, You’re Organizations: Guardian, Salon, NBC, Los Angeles, Daily, CNN, CNN —, TMZ, England, Elle UK, Twitter Locations: Brooklyn, England

☆ BOJ to keep ultra-low rates, may debate fine-tuning yield cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At the two-day meeting ending on Friday, the BOJ is expected to maintain its yield curve control (YCC) targets at -0.1% for short-term interest rates and 0% for the 10-year bond yield. With the BOJ set to keep short-term rates negative, a tweak to the yield cap or allowance band is unlikely to trigger a spike in borrowing costs that would severely hurt the economy. There is no consensus within the board on how soon the BOJ should dial back stimulus. Former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi expects the central bank to eventually modify YCC, but stand pat on Friday. "I don't think the BOJ sees an imminent need to act, as markets aren't attacking its yield cap this time."

Persons: Ueda, Kazuo Ueda, Takahide Kiuchi, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Tetsushi, Takaya Yamaguchi, Yoshifumi, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan's, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, YCC

☆ Insatiable Djokovic ready for ultimate showdown with Alcaraz
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Pritha Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Maybe some people think that it would be a huge relief for me winning Roland Garros, being the only men's tennis player with 23 slams. Alcaraz admitted that the stress and tension of facing Djokovic brought on the debilitating cramps that ruined his chances of winning that showdown just five weeks ago. Djokovic, locked at 1-1 in their head-to-head record, was looking forward to the challenge too. We're both playing well," added Djokovic as he looks to become the oldest man in the Open Era to win the grasscourt major. It's going to be a great challenge, greatest challenge that I could have at the moment from any angle really: physical, mental, emotional."

Persons: Novak, Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros, It's, Roger Federer's men's, Margaret Court's, Alcaraz, John McEnroe, Federer, Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, cramp, We're, Pritha Sarkar, Ken Ferris Organizations: Court, Wimbledon, NATO, Serbian, Thomson Locations: Serbian, Belgrade, Spanish, Paris

Coinbase (COIN.O) and Binance.US, two of the largest crypto exchanges by market share among those operating in America, have lost ground this year. Bitstamp's global market share among exchanges operating in the U.S. has risen to about 9%. Coinbase and LMAX declined to comment on the data, while Binance.US - the American affiliate of the world's largest crypto exchange - didn't respond to a request for comment. It may not be that simple for hungry challengers to grab market share, according to market players. In years gone by, crypto exchanges could swiftly gobble up business by offering access to a swathe of coins.

Persons: Sam Bankman, FTX, Ravi Doshi, Guy Hirsch, Bobby Zagotta, Wade Guenther, Doshi, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, LMAX, Genesis, Bitstamp, Reuters Graphics, Wilshire, Thomson, Reuters Locations: United States, America, Binance.US, U.S, Bitstamp USA, solana, Washington

☆ Zuckerberg goes after Musk’s Twitter. Here's what it could mean for Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Meta Platforms ' (META) new social media app is set to rival Twitter at a time when the Elon Musk-owned microblogging app is facing fresh upheaval. Meta's latest social networking app, Threads , is expected to go live Thursday, according to Apple's App Store. Twitter users have responded angrily to Musk's latest restrictions on the platform, and many appear to be looking for new alternatives — potentially making Zuckerberg's Threads an attractive option for disgruntled Twitter users. Bottom line We couldn't think of any company other than Meta Platforms, under the leadership of Zuckerberg, to take on Twitter. This photo illustration created in Washington, DC, on July 5, 2023, shows the logos for Threads, an Instagram app, and Instagram.

Persons: Elon, Zuckerberg, Jim Cramer, it's, Musk, hasn't, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Stefani Reynolds Organizations: Twitter, Elon Musk, Meta, Facebook, Tesla, The New York Times, CNBC, AFP, Getty Locations: Washington ,

☆ Summer Book Preview and 9 Thrillers to Read
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s no rule that says you have to read thrillers in the summer — some people gobble them up them year round, while others avoid them entirely and read Kafka on the shore — but on a long, lazy vacation day it’s undeniably satisfying to grab onto a galloping narrative and see where it pulls you. This week, Gilbert Cruz talks to our thrillers columnist Sarah Lyall about some classics of the genre, as well as more recent titles she recommends. “There’s all this commercial pressure on the writers, and when there’s too much pressure on a writer, they can’t really let their imagination go. She’s probably lost a lot of money because of it. She’s probably given up a lot.

Persons: Kafka, Gilbert Cruz, Sarah Lyall, Donna Tartt’s, ” Lyall, “, there’s, Donna Tartt, She’s, Joumana Khatib

☆ Why the US needs regional banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But those mega-banks lack the dexterity and regional specialization that small businesses crave, which is partly why Corporate America and policy makers alike are worried about the continued turmoil among regional banks. In just two months, a spark of panic has turned into a conflagration that has put America’s regional banks on notice. All of those banks share a status in common as a “regional” or “sector-specific” lender. By definition, regional banks are more specialized and focused. Without raising the cap, Hockett argues, we risk letting the Wall Street banks gobble up their smaller competition when those regional lenders fail.

☆ The search for 100,000 new species in Earth’s oceans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —In some ways, Earth’s oceans are as alien to us as distant moons in the solar system. When scientists dived to the twilight zone and the mesophotic zone directly above it in recent years, they found colorful fish and sprawling pristine coral reefs. The global initiative seeks to find 100,000 unknown species over the next 10 years. While scientists believe 2.2 million marine species exist in Earth’s oceans, they estimate that they’ve only found 240,000, according to Ocean Census. Identifying new species also enables conservationists to find ways to protect them as Earth changes due to the climate crisis.

☆ The glut of parking spaces in the US is driving up housing costs and hurting the environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Devoting this much land to parking makes housing more expensive and hurts the environment. Removing some of our parking could boost our quality of life, according to a former Google exec. All this parking is a burden on our environment, government budgets, affordable housing, and, ultimately, quality of life, Poskey said. He pointed to onerous parking requirements as a reason for the country's lack of affordable housing. Areas of Plano, Texas; Springfield, Massachusetts; and New Orleans with a mix of commercial buildings and stores accounted for 3% of those cities' land but 40% of their jobs, the Brookings Institution found.

☆ A tour guide recalls the terrifying moment he was swallowed by a hippo and had his arm crushed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Paul Templer barely survived a hippo attack after a pod capsized his group's canoe when he was 28. He found himself inside a hippo's mouth three times and was swallowed up to his waist twice. "It was as if I had suddenly gone blind and deaf," Templer told The Guardian in 2013. Templer survived being in the hippo's mouth three timesA hippo is shown in Botswana. A third time, Templer found himself inside the hippo's mouth, this time with arms and legs dangling either side of its mouth.

☆ The solar system was hit with a gamma-ray burst so bright, it blinded scientists' equipment in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Chris Panella | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Our solar system was hit by a gamma-ray burst so bright, it blinded space equipment and telescopes. A gamma-ray burst that recently hit our solar system was so bright, it temporarily blinded gamma-ray instruments in space, according to a NASA release. Scientists say the gamma-ray burst (GRB), the most powerful type of explosion in the universe, was 70 times brighter than any previously recorded event. What is a gamma-ray burst? Because it blinded space instruments, they couldn't accurately record it, so scientists weren't sure how bright the burst was when it first reached our planet.

☆ Succession 101: Money lessons from TV’s dysfunctional empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Succession" is filled with instructional business tales – some about what to do and some about what not to do. To tease out key money lessons, we talked to a few leaders in the financial world about their best takeaways. “Someone once told me, ‘All money is green, but not all board members are the same.’ That stuck with me. Liz DavidsonFounder & CEO, Financial Finesse; Author, “Money Strong”Money lesson: Focus on financial independence so you can fulfill your true purpose“The purpose of money is to live your own purpose, but the Roy children are extremely tied financially to their father. You’ll see in Succession where they are compromising on talent by ignoring their paid experts in favor of family.

☆ Another Stock Market Crash Coming, Wall Street's Top Investors Warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

This elation has lulled Wall Street into a false sense of security, according to the investing world's elite who I've spoken with over the past few weeks. It's like all the good little boys and girls on Wall Street asked for a rally for Christmas and got it. He added that nonprofessional retail investors' strong return to the market indicated an unsustainable rally. Anytime Wall Street has forgotten that over the past year, it has gotten punished. And that means Wall Street will eventually have to open its eyes, take its fingers out of its ears, and watch this bear-market rally fall apart.

That left used cars accounting for almost three quarters of all cars sold, up from 55% in 2021, the data shows. Russians turn to used cars as production falls, prices rise"Money flowed into the used cars market as prices for second-hand cars held up, while at the same time the structure of the new cars market changed significantly," Autostat CEO Sergei Udalov told Reuters. At 2.5 million roubles, his Skoda was around 1 million roubles more expensive than it would have been a year earlier, but still 1 million roubles cheaper than a brand new version. Imports of used cars jumped last year, with those from Japan leading the way. Japan has curbed exports of high-value cars to Russia, but used cars imported by individuals fall outside the restrictions.

☆ An investor who started with $5,000 and built a 742-unit real-estate portfolio says a coming correction will be the next buying opportunity — and shares the financing method he's using to snag 2% inte
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Now, he's preparing to buy up the deals coming in from the housing correction this year. Some of the deals he's snagging are from foreclosures, which have been on an uptick. "People are getting more eager to sell and it's less of a seller's market and more of a buyer's market," Tortoriello said after witnessing the competition and buying frenzy of the last two years. He expects this to cause job losses and hurt other parts of the economy including the housing market. For those who are prepared to take advantage of price plunges in the housing market, numerous opportunities are coming, he said.

☆ Inside Amazon, there's chatter, and jokes, about Jeff Bezos coming back as CEO in the midst of massive layoffs and a plummeting stock price
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Eugene Kim | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some Amazon employees are calling for Jeff Bezos to return as CEO. Some Amazon employees are calling for the return of founder Jeff Bezos as CEO in the midst of massive layoffs and a plunging stock price. "Apparently not even Andy is safe," one employee wrote, referring to Jassy who took over from Bezos as CEO in July 2021. "He should come…he is the best," another employee wrote, referring to Bezos. In the turkey-themed email, viewed by Insider, the CEO acknowledged challenges, thanked Amazon employees, and called for resilience and optimism.

☆ Everything you need to know about charging your new electric car, from where to go to what you'll pay
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Alexa St. John | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

And we've walked potential electric car buyers through some of the technologies that could make charging their car much, much easier. Read more about the state of electric car charging below. How EV charging fits in your lifestyleAs prospective EV-buyers consider going electric, the charging experience is weighed heavily. Big Oil is getting in on electric cars by snapping up EV charging companies. Biden administration announces rules to make electric car charging less crappyChallengesRange anxiety is largely a thing of the past.

☆ Data privacy rules are sweeping across the globe, and getting stricter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Businesses, especially those in highly regulated sectors such as financial services, health care and government — and those that operate in multiple countries — are faced with a growing number of data privacy regulations. "Our research counts about 100 countries around the world that have some form of data privacy or security rules in place," Iannopollo said. The most prominent regulation now, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, has the attention of most of the privacy world but is looking less likely to pass Congress, O'Leary said. "Organizations must identify the data that falls within the scope of the rules," Iannopollo said. Along with the focus on data minimization, organizations should enhance their abilities in data discovery and mapping, O'Leary said.

☆ Amazon aggregator Razor has raised a fresh $70 million and acquired Latin American peer Valoreo, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon aggregator Razor Group has raised around $70 million in a new equity funding round. LVMH-backed private equity firm L Catterton led the deal, Insider understands. Razor has also acquired a Mexico City-based aggregator in a separate transaction, one source said. Amazon aggregator Razor has raised approximately $70 million in a round led by US private equity firm L Catterton, according to two sources familiar with the deal. L Catterton has placed bets on a range of other e-commerce aggregators, including Berlin-based SellerX, Nebula in Asia, and US-headquartered Dragonfly.

☆ Substack is having a moment, again. But can the startup live up to its massive $650 million valuation?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Steven Perlberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

He provided a place where readers could find him "in case the bird app spirals into oblivion": his Substack newsletter. The epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding began promoting his Substack newsletter to his 722,000 Twitter followers in early November. They have been a welcome addition, Substack writers say. Substack has also recently rolled out mentions and cross-reporting functions, where writers can mention other Substack writers and share existing posts with their audiences. The irony, of course, is that many Substack writers rely on their Twitter audiences to promote their posts.

☆ Belgium’s golden era ends in a World Cup whimper
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was a meek end for a group of players who had taken the country to the top of the world rankings, but have no silverware to show for it. With 11 of their players in the squad over the age of 30, and a new World Cup cycle on the horizon, change is inevitable. Coach Roberto Martinez has also yet to sign a new contract, with his current deal expiring soon. Too many players fell short of their usual standards, not least De Bruyne, whose poor form in the first two games robbed them of their usual cutting edge. Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

At face value, this act seems like a step forward by codifying federal same-sex and interracial marriage rights. At best, it is a preemptive Band-Aid should the Supreme Court try to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, which cited the Fourteenth Amendment to legalize same-sex marriage. But in no way does this act federally legalize “marriage equality” across the United States. The protections to religious liberty were late additions to the bill, in order to secure the support of Senate Republicans like Utah’s Mitt Romney. Of course, the irony in this situation is that federal marriage equality isn’t even guaranteed under the Respect for Marriage Act.

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