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☆ Nvidia's dominance in AI chips deters funding for startups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Max A. Cherney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. chip startups have raised $881.4 million through the end of August, according to PitchBook data. Nvidia has "indirectly" contributed to overall AI chip fundraising woes, because investors want "Home run only type investments with a huge investment, huge return," Mythic CEO Dave Rick said. About two years ago, new investments in chip startups were often $200 million or $300 million. At least two AI chip startups have overcome investor reluctance by trumpeting potential customers or their relationships with well-known executives. While these chip makers in Nvidia's shadow struggle, startups in AI software and related technologies do not face the same constraints.

Persons: Ann Wang, Nvidia’s, Greg Reichow, Dave Rick, Rick, Rivos, Brendan Burke, Tenstorrent, Jim Keller, Max A, Kenneth Li, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Nvidia, Eclipse Ventures, Apple, Devices, Microsoft, AMD, Intel, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Santa Clara , California, U.S, San Francisco

☆ US scorns Putin’s possible turn toward North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Russia may be looking to Kim to replenish its ammunition and artillery supplies as the war in Ukraine grinds into another bloody winter. It’s also a big oil supplier, and North Korea and Russia are both living under punishing Western sanctions and restrictions on their access to the global market. As it often has during the Ukraine war, Washington is trumpeting information from its intelligence agencies to foreshadow and discredit Putin’s moves before they happen. While the US is dismissive of the possible Kim-Putin meeting, both leaders have the capacity to make trouble for Washington. Putin’s friendship with the Chinese leader has worried the US, although Beijing may not have offered quite the assistance that the Russian leader might have hoped for – one reason he may be turning to North Korea for military supplies.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Washington’s, Kim, Putin, It’s, Donald Trump’s, Putin’s, Rahm Emanuel, Emanuel, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Russia’s, Joe Biden, Xi Organizations: CNN, Washington, Ukraine grinds, North Korean, White Locations: Korean, Ukraine, China, Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, North Korea, Washington, Japan, Iran, Beijing, Russian, Pacific

☆ Opinion | Praise Song for the Ruined Flower
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The orange pumpkins themselves have seen better days, but still I offer my heart to what’s left of the pumpkins carved out by squirrels. I offer my whole heart to the thick, pulpy flesh that fattens the chipmunks before their time of hunger. I stand at my window and watch a fly blunder into their artwork, and I watch the spider dart to the fly. Come April, I will stand at this window and watch her gathering spider silk to weave her miniature nest of thistledown and lichen and moss. My heart lifts at the pinprick holes in the passionflower vines and the pinprick holes in the parsley, but I wait and wait for the pinprick holes in the milkweed leaves.

Persons: what’s, honeyvine Organizations: Central Locations: Central America, Tennessee

LONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - In an investment world trumpeting new-found ethical and sustainability guidelines, the seeming indifference of markets to democratic credentials still remains stark. There's little doubt that emerging market risks are many and rising for Western investors. What's more, there were as many emerging economies in its sample with relatively low bond spreads in the group with very low V&A scores as the group with very high V&A scores. If you removed those two wipeouts, screening just for V&A democratic values made much less difference to the bottom line. "Taking heed of these geopolitical risks could be the crucial difference between securing your returns or ending up with nothing."

Persons: Morgan's, Eamon Aghdasi, Mina Tomovska, Saker Nusseibeh, Nick Macfie Organizations: U.S ., Hermes, Financial, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Egypt, Argentina, Ukraine, Taiwan, Boston, Belarus, Washington

☆ AI frenzy’s feedback loop stuffs Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Aug 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The ducks on Wall Street are quacking for artificial intelligence, and that means Nvidia (NVDA.O) gets fed. Under co-founder Jensen Huang, Nvidia has built a business that dominates the design of specialized chips that are an essential component in training AI systems. Alphabet is already investing $7 billion a quarter, and promised last month it would ramp capital spending further as it beefs up in AI. While companies talk up the potential of AI, it hasn’t yet generated much revenue, even for prime booster Microsoft. Should Wall Street sour on AI, Nvidia’s valuation would look overstuffed.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Amy Hood, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Nvidia, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Google, Thomson

☆ 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' author Robert Kiyosaki slams Janet Yellen for trumpeting Bidenomics: 'What is she smoking?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" author Robert Kiyosaki took a jab at Janet Yellen for touting Bidenomics. Has she filled her gas tank lately?" The Treasury Secretary on Monday cheered Biden's Inflation Reduction Act for driving economic growth at a time when Americans are financially strapped. "Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin says the IRA Inflation Reduction Act is "turning point" in saving our planet, "what is she smoking?" Has she filled her gas tank lately?

Persons: Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, Janet Yellen, Yellen, Joe Biden's, Kiyosaki, Janet Yellin, rekindling, Kevin O'Leary Organizations: Service, Bidenomics, Reserve Locations: Wall, Silicon, Las Vegas , Nevada

☆ Hollywood’s math problem: Getting paid for streaming ‘hits’ first means identifying them
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The problem with that is audience levels aren’t the only metric when weighing the value of streaming series. "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," starring Morfydd Clark, was a major investment for Amazon's Prime Video. Matt Grace/Prime VideoThis premium-TV strategy of stirring conversation is something HBO understood long before streaming became a competitor. Even if you didn’t watch “The Wire” or “Boardwalk Empire,” getting HBO meant hanging around with the cool kids. Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series "Wednesday."

Persons: Lucas Shaw, Power ”, Morfydd Clark, Matt Grace, ”, you’re, Kai ”, Jenna Ortega, Wednesday Addams Organizations: CNN, Bloomberg, Netflix, Amazon, Amazon's, HBO, Hollywood

☆ Netflix is trumpeting its password crackdown – but tougher times lie ahead for the streaming pioneer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Despite the jump there could be tough times ahead for the streaming pioneer. The streamer added just under 6 million subscribers in the second quarter, it said in an earnings report Wednesday. It's no surprise Netflix is focusing on that increase, but there's the very real prospect of tougher times ahead for Netflix. Hollywood strikes, which have seen both actors and writers take to the picket lines, also means more uncertainty for Netflix. Wednesday's results showed revenue rising by a paltry 2.7% in the second quarter, falling short of Wall Street's expectations.

Persons: Emily Organizations: Netflix, Disney, Comcast, Paramount, Warner Brothers Discovery, Apple, YouTube Locations: Paris

☆ Why Republican lawmakers are going after Target
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In singling out Target, GOP lawmakers and right-wing social media personalities are sending a larger warning to corporate America to roll back recent diversity and inclusion policies, analysts say. Target first began its diversity initiatives 20 years ago and added new policies in 2020. Such efforts to curb gun violence have run into fierce pushback from Republican lawmakers who oppose both gun restrictions and corporations taking on social roles. Now, Republicans are stepping up their scrutiny on companies’ diversity efforts in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action in college admissions. It is also likely to invite legal challenges to corporate DEI programs, as Cotton’s letter to Target foreshadows.

Persons: ”, Julian Zelizer, isn’t, ” Zelizer, Brandon Bell, Getty Images Arkansas Sen, Tom Cotton, Cotton, Andra Gillespie, “, He’s, Sen, Matt Walsh, George Floyd, “ It’s, Brian Cornell, Bud, They’ve, Chick, Bud Light, Ron DeSantis Organizations: New, New York CNN, Target, Princeton University, CNN, GOP, Walmart, Democratic, Getty Images Arkansas, Republican, Equity, Emory University, Republicans, Twitter, America Corporate America, ”, Disney, Nike, Companies, Florida Gov, America, Facebook, Corporate America, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Citigroup, Black, Fortune Locations: New York, America, Black, Cotton’s, Arkansas, Minneapolis, Emplifi, Parkland , Florida, El Paso , Texas, Dayton , Ohio

☆ Biden tries to flip skeptical Americans on his economic plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. president will attempt to re-introduce his vision of middle-class American prosperity during a speech in Chicago. The philosophy includes taxing the wealthy to invest in areas critical to national security, including semiconductors; educating workers; and improving economic competition, according to aides who previewed the speech for reporters. Trump has made inflation a key element of his attacks on Biden in the early months of the race. "Americans are worse off under Biden," said Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a statement. Biden, 80, is also expected to attend a fundraising event while he is in the Chicago area ahead of a deadline for federal fundraising records.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Ronald Reagan, Lael Brainard, Donald Trump, Trump, Ronna McDaniel, Trevor Hunnicutt, Jamie Freed Organizations: U.S, Reuters, Biden, Federal Reserve, Democratic, Republican, Biden's, Economic, Nielsen, Republican National, Thomson Locations: Chicago, U.S

☆ Democracy and Reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

India is both the world’s most populous country and the only country among the top 10 economies that has not clearly chosen a side in what President Biden calls the struggle between democracy and autocracy. On the one hand, India is skeptical of a Western-led world and has helped to finance Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine by continuing to buy Russian oil. At a White House news conference with Biden yesterday, Modi brushed aside reporters’ questions about these issues. Were the Biden administration to choose its international friends based only on their commitment to freedom and democracy, Modi’s India would be a strange nation to celebrate with White House pomp. But the reality is that the U.S. can’t have everything that it wants in foreign policy.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir Putin’s, Narendra Modi, Modi’s, Putin, Modi Organizations: White House Locations: India, Ukraine, Washington

☆ Company execs used to trumpet their diversity and climate efforts. Now not so much
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Just 74 members of the S&P 500 even mentioned “ESG” in their first quarter earnings calls, according to new FactSet data. ESG funds have also lost popularity with investors. Total assets under management in ESG funds fell by about $163.2 billion globally during the first quarter of 2023 from the year before, according to data provider Lipper. The Congressman asked whether the company’s diversity initiatives were “directing resources away from the important things like greasing wheel bearings?”Companies “see that certain terms have become lightning rod terms. “You can say you’re increasing diversity initiatives just for the optics, but without data to back it up, you’ll eventually get called out by stakeholders,” he said.

Persons: New York CNN —, George Floyd, “, “ ESG, It’s, —, Lipper, What’s, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Mike Collins of, ”, Douglas Chia, Chia, they’re, ” It’s, David Duffy, they’ll, you’ll, ’, Powell, Bryan Mena, Jerome Powell, ” Powell, Dow, Stocks, Beyoncé, Anna Cooban, Michael Grahn, ” Grahn, Bruce Springsteen, Grahn, that’s Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, InBev, Silicon Valley, Norfolk Southern, Conference Board’s ESG, . Firms, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve, KPMG, Corporate Governance Institute, “, Nasdaq, Danske Bank, Reuters, CNN Locations: New York, Ukraine, United States, America, Silicon, Mike Collins of Georgia, East Palestine , Ohio, Denmark, Stockholm, Sweden, Swedish, Gothenburg

☆ Robert Mondavi Changed Wine. His Grandson Aims to Change Farming.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Eric Asimov | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The primary objections, he said, were that organic farming cost more and required far more tractor use, which caused a different set of environmental problems. He wondered whether an electric tractor could overcome the objections. Mr. Mondavi’s role in the development was to offer the farmer’s point of view, assessing each design idea for its practical appeal. “This is the hardest work I’ve ever done — seven days a week, day and night,” he said. He described the frequent air travel as both “one of my greatest pleasures and greatest guilts.”

Persons: ”, “, Foxconn, Robert Mondavi, Monarch, Mondavi, Giovanna Bagnasco Organizations: Constellation Brands, Monarch, Sorì Locations: Livermore , Calif, Lordstown , Ohio, RAEN, Italy

☆ Cramer lists reasons to book some profits in this lofty market. 'You only need to get rich once'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Unlike the ridiculous short squeezes that brought about GameStop 's (GME) meme-stock maina 2½ years ago, the current market is making some sense. That means by Wednesday's Club meeting, right ahead of the Fed rate announcement, we could have a backdrop suggesting that we deserve to broaden. Bottom line Until Wednesday's Club meeting you know my mindset. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Lisa, Guy, It's, mutt Nvidia, Jerome Powell's, there's, Banks, Nvidia's, Fosforo, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Jim Cramer Rob Kim Organizations: CNBC, Club, Nvidia, GameStop, Apple, Microsoft, Federal, Fed, Web Services, Palo Alto Networks, Broadcom, Marvell, Baltic, Wednesday's Club, Wine, Jim Cramer's Charitable Locations: Long, China

☆ New York City Residents Will Soon Have to Compost Their Food Scraps
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Dana Rubinstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is unclear if Mr. Adams will sign the bill, but it appears to have enough support to override a mayoral veto. “We have a supermajority on all of the bills,” said Sandy Nurse, the councilwoman who chairs the Sanitation Committee and is one of three lead sponsors of the legislative package. “Whether or not the administration wants these bills to happen is irrelevant. The success of the Council’s mandate will depend on the Sanitation Department’s effective delivery of the program. That mandate does not apply to food scraps.

Persons: Adams, “, ”, Sandy Nurse, Jessica Tisch Organizations: Sanitation Locations: Queens

☆ The Truth About ‘Nature’s Ozempic’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the demand for Ozempic — the injectable diabetes medication that has become coveted for inducing weight loss — continues to intensify, people across TikTok are posting about alternatives. Some gush about other diabetes drugs, like Mounjaro; some tout so-called “generic” Ozempic from compounding pharmacies. And some are trumpeting what they claim is a cheaper option, readily available in pharmacies and online: “nature’s Ozempic,” better known as berberine. Experts say that while berberine has proven metabolic effects on the body, whether it can actually induce weight loss remains murky. “Generally, it’s a really good compound that has some good evidence behind it,” said Dr. Melinda Ring, an integrative medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine.

Persons: ”, berberine, Melinda Ring Organizations: Ozempic, Northwestern Medicine Locations: Asia

☆ ECB’s crisis tool works best if it’s never used
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

BRUSSELS, May 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - In the euro zone bond market, unlimited backstops are the cheapest. The European Central Bank has been trumpeting its ability to buy member states’ debt if it comes under attack from investors. The danger here is that too much divergence would lead the euro zone to fracture, creating a powder keg for crisis. The central bank has been deliberately quiet about exactly when and how it might activate the crisis tool, except to say it will be ready if necessary. They have noted that the euro zone central bank has a new instrument to combat any sharp increase in the differential between yields of euro zone government bonds.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, –, Lagarde, Fabio Panetta, hasn’t, there’s, Nils Redeker, Berlin’s Jacques Delors, Philip Lane, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, ECB, Italy, Reuters Graphics Reuters, ECB won’t, Reuters Graphics, U.S . Federal, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, ”, European Union, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Frankfurt, Italy, Spain, Greece, Lithuania, Silicon, EU, Ukraine

☆ As Russia Claims Victory in Bakhmut, Ukraine Sees Opportunity Amid Ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia’s claim of victory in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut suggests that the brutal urban combat that marked the deadliest battle of its war in Ukraine might be over. But what comes next is far from clear. While Moscow is trumpeting a “Mission Accomplished” moment in its war, Ukraine — even as it insists Bakhmut has not completely fallen — sees an opening to seize the initiative from the city’s outskirts if Russian forces are no longer pressing forward inside the city’s center. Russia’s capture of Bakhmut would be a powerful symbolic success for Moscow. Thousands of troops from both sides are believed to have been killed in nearly a year of intense fighting there.

Russia’s claim of victory in Bakhmut suggests that the brutal urban combat that marked the deadliest battle of its war in Ukraine might be over. Those gains will allow Ukrainian troops to continue raining artillery on Russian forces trying to hold Bakhmut, according to Ukrainian officials. A battle on May 6 breached Russian lines south of the village of Ivanivske and forced Russian soldiers into a disorganized retreat. Image Ukrainian soldiers west of Bakhmut after rotating out of the city, this month. A Russian capture of Bakhmut “will mean nothing, actually,” predicted Colonel Serhiy Hrabsky, a commentator on the war for the Ukrainian news media.

☆ BT’s miss may spur big investors into action
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Trumpeting massive job cuts is usually one way to boost a share price. The 14 billion pound telco said on Thursday it would shed 55,000 jobs over the next seven years, but shares slumped 8%. That will stretch the patience of Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and Patrick Drahi’s Altice, which collectively control 30% of the UK group. The catch for Drahi and Höttges is that it’s not obvious what they should demand to reinvigorate BT’s share price. Still, if the two bigwigs decide to join forces, BT’s job cuts may yet move up to the company’s C-suite.

☆ Ahead of 2024 bid, DeSantis challenges Trump on abortion limits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday he was proud to have signed a six-week abortion ban, after seeming initially reluctant to embrace the recently passed law in Florida that outlaws almost all abortions in the state. At a news conference on Tuesday, DeSantis said he was “proud” to have signed the legislation and fired back at Trump, who suggested in an interview this week that the six-week ban is overly restrictive. “He will not answer whether he would sign it or not,” said DeSantis, who is a leading contender for the Republican nomination. While DeSantis’ abortion stance could help garner him votes among hard-right conservatives, some Republican donors have expressed unease with his position. In an interview with Reuters last week, Republican donor Andy Sabin said he could not support DeSantis after he signed the abortion law.

Whatever the provenance of the two drones that approached the Kremlin early Wednesday morning, one thing was clear: The Russian government wanted the world to know about them. The Kremlin made a deliberate choice to quickly make public what it claimed was a drone attack aimed at assassinating President Vladimir V. Putin. It published an unusual, five-paragraph statement on its website that named the Ukrainian government as the perpetrator and asserted the right to retaliate against Kyiv. The Kremlin’s messaging diverged significantly from its response to previous episodes involving attacks on Russia or Russian-occupied territory. Now the question is whether Russia will use the incident to justify more and even deadlier strikes against Ukraine.

☆ Tech bulls are flirting with disaster as banking pressures threaten to crash the stock market, a markets guru warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Larry McDonald has warned carefree tech investors are "smoking in the dynamite shed." The founder of "The Bear Traps Report" expects further banking turmoil to tank the stock market. Early signs of a credit crunch and ongoing turmoil in the regional-banking sector suggest there's more trouble ahead, he said. "From credit cards to all different types of companies, credit default swaps are rising on many different financial institutions," he continued. Credit default swaps (CDS) serve as insurance against a company defaulting on its debts, and become more expensive as the perceived risk of a default grows.

☆ Factbox: What is embattled British business group the CBI?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Below is some information about the CBI and its role:WHAT IS THE CBI? Founded in 1965, the CBI is Britain's top business lobby group. A not-for-profit organisation, the CBI says it represents 190,000 businesses employing nearly 7 million people, including many of Britain's biggest companies. In his speech, Sunak called the CBI "a valued institution in this country and a powerful voice for business". A spokesperson for NatWest said the bank had no confidence in the CBI's capacity to be a strong representative voice for British business at present.

☆ Chinese officials step up foreign travel in race to find investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Their urgency highlights the pressure local governments face in boosting growth while burdened with cumulative debt of $9 trillion, said the sources who met Chinese officials in Hong Kong. The other executive and Yim said they had often attended as many as eight to 10 events a day with Chinese officials. Fengze, a district in the nearby city of Quanzhou, signed up procurement deals of up to 30 billion yuan from Hong Kong, the city's social media accounts showed. Shenzhen’s Boao district alone aims to attract 100 billion yuan in foreign investment this year, with 26 business managers and 10 officials responsible for key streets committing themselves to the task in a letter, Chinese media said. ($1=6.8810 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Clare Jim; Editing by Marius Zaharia and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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