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☆ German Airbnb competitor Numa Group raises $59 million in round led by Oatly-backer Verlinvest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

German accommodation booking platform Numa Group has raised $59 million in fresh funds. Oatly and Vita Coco investor Verlinvest led the Series C round. Numa plans to use the new capital to fund its European expansion. German Airbnb competitor Numa Group has raised $59 million in a round led by Oatly and Vita Coco investor Verlinvest. Numa lists over 4,500 rooms and apartments across 28 European cities, such as Madrid, Berlin, and Rome, on its platform.

Persons: Vita Coco, Verlinvest, Numa Organizations: Oatly Locations: Berlin, Madrid, Rome

☆ Exclusive: Germany scraps plans for more stringent building standards to prop up industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The German government will put on indefinite hold plans to require more stringent building insulation standards, environment minister Robert Habeck told Reuters, an effort to help prop up the ailing building industry. The about-face from the German government comes ahead of a closely watched meeting between the building industry and government leaders with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday to address a major slump in the sector. Abolition of the insulation standards has been a top demand of industry, which says the measures are too expensive and put a further damper on the depressed construction industry. "High interest rates and inflation are a heavy burden for the construction industry," Habeck told Reuters, noting that the insulation measures now "can wait". For years, low interest rates fuelled a global boom, igniting interest in German property, seen as safe and stable as the country.

Persons: Michele Tantussi, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Habeck, Christian Kraemer, Tom Sims, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Germany, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, United States, Sweden, China, Monday's

☆ Even China's 1.4 billion population can't fill all its vacant homes, former official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

As of the end of August, the combined floor area of unsold homes stood at 648 million square metres (7 billion square feet), the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show. That would be equal to 7.2 million homes, according to Reuters calculations, based on the average home size of 90 square metres. "How many vacant homes are there now? Each expert gives a very different number, with the most extreme believing the current number of vacant homes are enough for 3 billion people," said He Keng, 81, a former deputy head of the statistics bureau. "All sorts of comments predicting the collapse of China's economy keep surfacing every now and then, but what has collapsed is such rhetoric, not China's economy," a spokesperson at the foreign ministry said at a recent news conference.

Persons: Keng, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Jan Harvey Organizations: China Evergrande, HK, Garden Holdings, National Bureau of Statistics, China News Service, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Dongguan

☆ Even 1.4 billion people 'probably can't fill' all of China's vacant homes, ex-official admits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Big-name developers such as Country Garden Holdings continue to teeter close to default even to this day, keeping home-buyer sentiment depressed. As of the end of August, the combined floor area of unsold homes stood at 648 million square meters (7 billion square feet), the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show. That would be equal to 7.2 million homes, according to Reuters calculations, based on the average home size of 90 square meters (970 square feet). “How many vacant homes are there now? Each expert gives a very different number, with the most extreme believing the current number of vacant homes are enough for 3 billion people,” said He Keng, 81, a former deputy head of the statistics bureau.

Persons: ”, Keng Organizations: China Evergrande, Garden Holdings, National Bureau of Statistics, China News Service Locations: China, Dongguan

☆ German housing prices show sharpest drop since 2000 year over year, statistics office says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Residential property prices fell by 9.9% year-on-year, the steepest decline since the start of data collection in 2000, the federal statistics office said. Prices fell by 1.5% on the quarter, with steeper declines in larger cities than in more sparsely populated areas. In cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, apartment prices fell by 9.8% and single and two-family house prices dropped by 12.6% on the year. Building permits for apartments in Germany declined 31.5% in July from a year earlier, the statistics office disclosed on Monday, as construction prices rose by almost 9% on the year. German housing industry association GdW on Friday sounded the alarm over the situation calling for government support for construction companies.

Persons: GdW, Riham Alkousaa, Klaus Lauer, Kirsti Knolle, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Germany

☆ The Onscreen Apartments That Made Them Want to Live in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Catherine Hong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

I came to New York from Japan with my family to attend high school. The building in the movie is called the Bramford, but the exteriors, famously, were those of the Dakota on the Upper West Side. What struck me about the movie’s apartments was their aspect of interiority — the way they seemed to harbor secrets. I also remember their small, framed views of high-rise New York City buildings. Even though the film is, of course, a horror story and the building turns out to be cursed, “Rosemary’s Baby” only made me more excited about living in New York.

Persons: ”, Ira Levin, Roman Polanski Locations: New York, Japan, Dakota, New York City

☆ Sharing a City Apartment With a Big Dog? Good Luck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Julie Lasky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Now the couple are thinking about going back on the housing market with DZA. Will the prospective buildings impose a weight limit, as they often do? Will Great Danes be on a list of forbidden breeds, as they frequently are? Painting large breeds with broad strokes reinforces erroneous beliefs, such as that greyhounds need constant exercise, when, in fact, many are couch potatoes, or that pit bulls are natural born killers. “It’s almost like you’re an outcast if you have a large dog,” said Ina Obernesser, a veterinarian in Nyack, N.Y., referring to weight limits as meager as 20 pounds.

Persons: Great Danes, Ms, Rhoten, “, ”, Ina Obernesser Organizations: ”, greyhounds Locations: Nyack, N.Y, Chihuahua

The state pays local housing authorities to maintain and operate the units whether they’re occupied or not. As of the end of July, almost 1,800 of the vacant units had been empty for more than 60 days. Doris Romero, a housing coordinator at a Boston shelter, was stunned to hear about all the vacant apartments. People interested in housing had to apply to separate local housing agencies, often in person. Since then, Hedison and other local housing officials have cited a litany of problems.

Persons: Deb Libby, Libby, she’s, ”, “, Doris Romero, ” Ed Augustus, Augustus, Maura Healey, WBUR, David Hedison, Maureen Cayer, Healey, “ It’s, WBUR’s Beth Healy, Paula Moura, Read Organizations: Gov, Housing, Worcester Locations: Worcester , Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Boston, New York , Connecticut, Hawaii, Chelmsford, Agawam, Western Massachusetts, Adams, New York, Lowell, Rhode

☆ Apartment prices in Zurich are skyrocketing, with property being seen as 'concrete gold'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apartments in Zurich cost around $19,000 per square meter, according to data from Properstar. Transaction prices for apartments in the Zurich region rose 42.3% between 2013 and 2022. UBS said Wednesday that there was a perception of property in the city as "concrete gold." Renting an apartment in the city, meanwhile, cost around 47 Swiss franc ($58) per square meter, according to the Properstar data. UBS said in its Global Real Estate Bubble Index 2023, released Wednesday, that an increasing number of high-income earners and ultra-low interest rates in recent years had helped push up property prices.

Organizations: UBS, Service, Bloomberg, Henley & Partners, Wüest, Swiss National Bank ., Swiss, Google Locations: Zurich, Properstar, Wall, Silicon, Swiss, London, Lake Zurich, Switzerland

☆ Rep. Lauren Boebert rents an apartment from an executive for Koch-backed group
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Lauren Boebert is renting an apartment from a top official at a Koch-backed organization. The official, who Insider is not naming for security reasons, has been a senior executive with Koch-linked groups for years. There are no ethics rules or laws that bar members of Congress from renting apartments from people affiliated with lobbying groups. He added that Boebert was not aware the owners were connected to the Koch-backed group. AdvertisementAdvertisementRenting apartments from people affiliated with lobbying groups has been an issue for some political figures in the past.

Persons: Lauren Boebert, Koch, Charles, David Koch, David Koch's, Boebert, Anthony Fakhoury, Fakhoury, Maxwell Frost, Alexandra Ocasio, Cortez, wouldn't, Scott Pruitt, Elissa, Kevin McCarthy, pollster Frank Luntz Organizations: Service, Prosperity, Trump, Capitol, Twitter, Records, EPA, Democratic, Colorado Republican Locations: Colorado, Wall, Silicon, Washington, DC, Boebert's, Florida, Denver

☆ Julianne Moore’s Montauk Sanctuary
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Nick Haramis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +34 min

— HANYA YANAGIHARASpeak Softly In a wild meadow by the sea, Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich’s Montauk house uses just a few materials to say many things. In Moore’s office, a Pierre Jeanneret desk and chair, an Alvar Aalto stool and a Willy Van Der Meeren cabinet. In the oak-paneled living room of Justinian Kfoury’s apartment in a townhouse on Washington Square Park, an Audubon-style print and a Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair. A view of the double-height living room from the curved balcony on the third floor. A sculpture by Huma Bhabha and a configuration of five Isamu Noguchi L7 pendants in the landing that separates the primary suite from the living room.

Persons: it’s, Mishan, there’s, —, Julianne Moore, Bart Freundlich’s Montauk, Bart Freundlich’s, Moore, Tom Volk, Oliver Freundlich, Anne’s, Pierre Jeanneret, Alvar Aalto, Willy Van Der, Ori Gersht, she’s, ” It’s, ”, “, Bart Freundlich, Tomas Maier, Bottega, Andrew Geller, Norman Jaffe, Freundlich, ” Moore, Moore’s, Liv, Caleb, Robert Gurr, Isamu Noguchi, Pierre, Noguchi, Alma Allen, Joseph Dirand, Oliver, “ I’m, ” Oliver, grins, MOORE, Anne Love Smith, Massimiliano Locatelli, Daniel Romualdez, Vincent Van Duysen, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Chapo, Willy Van Der Meeren, Friedrich Kunath, Mark Wilson, Donald Judd, Wilson, Mario Bellini, Karl Springer, Rogan Gregory, Nancy Pearce, Oscar, Alice ”, Alexander Calder, Andrea Zittel, JB Blunk, AFTRA, Hope, It’s, ‘ You’re, ’ ”, Justinian, Hans Wegner Papa Bear, Paavo, Marc Hundley, that’s, Adriana Lara, Nicholas Krushenick, Justinian Kfoury, downtowners, He’d, Trish Goff, Kfoury, Leonid Berman, Jelto ”, Tomma Abts, Paul Cadmus, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Paul van der, ” Kfoury, Joe Roberts, Mary Cameron Goodyear, Kfoury’s, He’s, Wolfgang Tillmans, they’d, Lorna Simpson, Misha Kahn, Michael Anastassiades, Glenn Ligon’s, Frank Bowling, Piet Hein Eek, Miriam Cahn, Paul Pfeiffer’s, Leah Panlilio, Tal Schori, Rustam Mehta, Adam Pogue, Constantino Buccolieri, Michael Kirkland, Cy Twombly’s, Ho, Huma Bhabha, Nairy Baghramian, Coco Fusco, Robert Vinas Jr, Duro Olowu, Mark Ellison, Adam Marelli, Bob Chan, Isamu Noguchi Akari, Danh Vo, Nairy, ‘, Laura Mac Donald, Theaster Gates, Frank Lloyd, Kirkland, Ettore, Parsons, Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham Organizations: Manhattan’s, Yorkers, that’s, Hamptons, WHO, Writers Guild of America, SAG, “, Audubon, Washington, East Village, brac, AS, Fifth, Fort Standard, GRT Architects, Architects, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Soane Britain Locations: New York, Paris, London, Rome , New York, It’s, Washington, Manhattan, Harlem, Montauk, American, Chinatown, York, N.Y, Summerhill, Long, Fort Pond, New York City, Pond, North Carolina, Morentz, Scottish, Japanese American, Belgian, East Hampton, Japan, “, California, Swiss, New York’s Washington, Kennebunkport, England, East, Boston, Lebanon, Maine, Vermont, Venice, Moroccan, North, Kfoury’s, New York’s Harlem, Westchester County, Brooklyn, Italian, Finnish, Rome, Los Angeles, Korean, Berlin, Iranian, Chicago

☆ Inside the Elaborate, Enviable Design of Three New York Homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +34 min

If You Can Make It Here Great design for a great city (New York, of course — where else?) In the oak-paneled living room of Justinian Kfoury’s apartment in a townhouse on Washington Square Park, an Audubon-style print and a Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair. “She was eccentric, grand, but not afraid of making weird decisions about design.” In the living room, a 1975 Leonid Berman painting of the Venice Lagoon hangs between the French doors. A view of the double-height living room from the curved balcony on the third floor. A sculpture by Huma Bhabha and a configuration of five Isamu Noguchi L7 pendants in the landing that separates the primary suite from the living room.

Persons: it’s, Mishan, there’s, —, Justinian, Hans Wegner Papa Bear, Paavo, Marc Hundley, that’s, Adriana Lara, Nicholas Krushenick, ”, Justinian Kfoury, downtowners, He’d, Trish Goff, Kfoury, “, Leonid Berman, Jelto ”, Tomma Abts, Paul Cadmus, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Paul van der, ” Kfoury, Joe Roberts, Mary Cameron Goodyear, Kfoury’s, He’s, Wolfgang Tillmans, they’d, It’s, Lorna Simpson, Mario Bellini, Misha Kahn, Michael Anastassiades, Glenn Ligon’s, Frank Bowling, Piet Hein Eek, Miriam Cahn, Paul Pfeiffer’s, Leah Panlilio, Tal Schori, Rustam Mehta, Adam Pogue, Constantino Buccolieri, Michael Kirkland, Alvar Aalto, Cy Twombly’s, Ho, Huma Bhabha, Isamu Noguchi, Nairy Baghramian, Coco Fusco, Robert Vinas Jr, Duro Olowu, Mark Ellison, Adam Marelli, Bob Chan, Isamu Noguchi Akari, Danh Vo, Nairy, ‘, Laura Mac Donald, Theaster Gates, Frank Lloyd, Kirkland, Ettore, Parsons, Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham, Julianne Moore, Bart Freundlich’s Montauk, Bart Freundlich’s, Moore, Tom Volk, Oliver Freundlich, Anne’s, Pierre Jeanneret, Willy Van Der, Ori Gersht, she’s, ” It’s, Bart Freundlich, Tomas Maier, Bottega, Andrew Geller, Norman Jaffe, Freundlich, ” Moore, Moore’s, Liv, Caleb, Robert Gurr, Pierre, Noguchi, Alma Allen, Joseph Dirand, Oliver, “ I’m, ” Oliver, grins, MOORE, Anne Love Smith, Massimiliano Locatelli, Daniel Romualdez, Vincent Van Duysen, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Chapo, Willy Van Der Meeren, Friedrich Kunath, Mark Wilson, Donald Judd, Wilson, Karl Springer, Rogan Gregory, Nancy Pearce, Oscar, Alice ”, Alexander Calder, Andrea Zittel, JB Blunk, AFTRA, Hope, ‘ You’re, ’ ” Organizations: Manhattan’s, Yorkers, that’s, Audubon, Washington, East Village, brac, AS, Fifth, Fort Standard, GRT Architects, Architects, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Soane Britain, Hamptons, WHO, Writers Guild of America, SAG, “ Locations: New York, Paris, London, Rome , New York, It’s, Washington, Manhattan, Harlem, Montauk, American, Chinatown, York, New York’s Washington, Kennebunkport, England, East, Boston, Lebanon, Maine, Vermont, Venice, Moroccan, North, Kfoury’s, New York’s Harlem, Westchester County, N.Y, Brooklyn, Italian, Finnish, Rome, Los Angeles, Korean, Berlin, Iranian, Chicago, North Carolina, California, Summerhill, Long, Fort Pond, New York City, Pond, Morentz, Scottish, Japanese American, Belgian, East Hampton, Japan, “, Swiss

☆ 'Thrown to the wolves': How private investors are jacking up rents and ripping off college students
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The eye-popping numbers are part of a longer-term shift toward private college housing. Moody's Analytics recently warned of an "affordability crisis" for college students, noting that since 2019, rents for student housing in a sample of notable college towns had grown faster than those of regular apartments. Student housing goes privateThe gold rush in student housing is a relatively new phenomenon. Back in the 1980s and '90s, most college students either lived in bland, cinder-block-walled dorms or in conventional apartments farther from campus. Even with his frugality, he came to realize that the prices in West Campus were "impossible to rationalize" for a college student.

Persons: behemoth Blackstone, Evan Scope, UT Austin who's, Carl Whitaker, Austin Kristian Alveo, Whitaker, Mark Austin, Kristian Alveo, David Willson, Willson, Gina Cowart, Cowart, David Kanne, lounging, Ann, Kanne, Lu Chen, RealPage, Donald Cohen, Cohen, Graham Sowden, Dan Allen, Allen, Austin, James Rodriguez Organizations: Waterloo, University of Texas, Wall Street's, American, Communities, National, Housing, Evan Scope Crafts, UT Austin, University, UT, LV, UTs, Crafts, American Campus, HBO, West, haven't, State College ,, Moody's, Power, Middlebury College, University of Tennessee, Arizona State University, Urban Institute, Investors, Power Five, RREAF Holdings Locations: Austin, Wall, Waterloo, UT Austin, Rio, Villas, West, West Campus, Gainesville , Florida, Ann Arbor , Michigan, State College , Pennsylvania, Knoxville, South

☆ Insider Today: Ex-Goldman partners dish
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter. In today's big story, former Goldman Sachs partners explain what led them to leave their prestigious positions within the bank. A recent Insider investigation by Dakin Campbell and Emmalyse Brownstein found that at least 202 partners have left the firm during CEO David Solomon's volatile five-year tenure. And while Solomon's strategic missteps were a key talking point for many, not all the former partners bashed the CEO. The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor and anchor, in New York City.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, it's, Goldman, David Solomon, Dakin Campbell, Emmalyse Brownstein, David Solomon's, Dakin, It's, Julian Salisbury, Dina Powell McCormick, Fred Baba, Solomon, Lloyd Blankfein, Apoorva Mehta, Instacart, Daniel Sundheim, Michael Moritz, Here's, Instacart's, Beck, Apoorva, Mehta, Tyler Le, Steve Squeri, Squeri, AEW, Tony Khan, Lauren Boebert, Anna Moneymaker, General Merrick Garland, Kim Kardashian, General Mills, Getty, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, D1 Capital Partners, Sequoia, Getty, Sequoia Capital, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management's, American Express, Wrestling, WWE's, Fed, U.S, FedEx, General Locations: Wall, Silicon, What's, —, ChatGPT, Cerebral, Colorado, Mostar, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Greece, Bulgaria, Moldova, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ The 9 cheapest European cities for expats to buy property
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Expats in Europe have added to rising real-estate prices, but there's still affordable pockets. Eastern European cities dominated, including the home of the ancient city of Heraclea Lyncestis. But that broader embrace of living abroad has caused real-estate prices to rise in some international hotspots. Using data from Numbeo, a comparison website that provides crowdsourced summaries of the cost of living in major cities across the world, fintech company Money Transfers put together a list of the least pricey European cities on a square-meter basis for expats looking to buy property. Money Transfers excluded cities in Ukraine and Russia from its list.

Persons: Portugal, —, Ben Mendelowitz Organizations: Service Locations: Europe, Wall, Silicon, Heraclea Lyncestis, Numbeo, Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Analysis-Poland's PiS Faces Far-Right Challenge Over Ukraine Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

While Poles' overall attitudes to Ukrainian refugees remain positive and support for Kyiv's war effort is almost unanimous, research shows that critical views are becoming more widespread. SHIFTING VIEWSA survey last month showed that the number of Poles who support allowing refugees from Ukraine in has fallen to 69% from 91% just after the war started. Other research has shown a higher level of aversion to Ukrainian refugees among young women than in other demographics. POLISH PUSHBACKIt is against this political backdrop that PiS decided to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports in response to rising anger in the party's rural heartlands. "When it was necessary, we opened our hearts, we opened our homes for refugees from Ukraine," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Marek Strzelecki WARSAW, Slawomir Mentzen, Piotr Muller, CBOS, Anna Brylka, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland, Marek Strzelecki, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Justyna, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russia, Justice, Confederation, Reuters, EU, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Warsaw, heartlands, Kyiv, Western

☆ Asian shares drop as investors brace for central bank-packed week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 0.8% to $91.52, their highest level since November, while Brent crude futures rose 0.7% to $94.55 per barrel. In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 0.7%. This week, global central banks will take centre stage, with five of those overseeing the 10 most heavily traded currencies holding rate-setting meetings. Last Friday, Wall Street ended sharply lower as U.S. industrial labour action weighed on auto shares. The euro gained 0.1% to $1.0667, after slumping to a 3-1/2 month low of $1.0632 last week as the European Central Bank signalled its rate hikes could be over.

Persons: BOE, BOJ, Taiwan's TSMC, Hong, Tommy Xie, Chris Weston, Weston, Kazuo Ueda, Cash Treasuries, Stella Qiu, Shri Navaratnam, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Nasdaq, . West Texas, Brent, Japan's Nikkei, Technology, Reuters, Trust, Greater, Greater China Research, OCBC Bank, China Evergrande, Fed, U.S ., Bank of England, Treasury, Amazon, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: China, SYDNEY, Europe, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Zhongrong, Greater China, HK, Pepperstone, Tokyo

☆ Asian shares stumble as investors brace for central bank packed week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

S&P 500 futures advanced 0.2% while Nasdaq futures edged 0.1% higher. Also, Chinese trust firm Zhongrong International Trust Co, with exposure to Chinese property developers, said over the weekend it was unable to make payments on some trust products on time. The euro recovered 0.1% to $1.0673 in early Asia trade, after slumping to a 3-1/2 month low of $1.0629 last week as the European Central Bank signalled its rate hikes could be over. Brent crude futures rose 0.3% at $94.20 per barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 0.4% at $91.14. Reporting by Stella Qiu; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: BOE, BOJ, Tommy Xie, Jerome Powell, Chris Weston, Weston, Kazuo Ueda, Cash Treasuries, Stella Qiu, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Nasdaq, Japan's Nikkei, China Evergrande, HK, International Trust Co, Greater, Greater China Research, OCBC Bank, U.S . Federal, Fed, U.S ., Bank of England, Treasury, Amazon, European Central Bank, Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: China, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong, Beijing, Greater China, Tokyo

☆ Podcast: Ukraine and Russia face off at Hague
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Five Americans are expected to be freed today in a swap deal with Iran. The disappearance of China's defence minister is the latest in a string of upheavals in the country's top ranks. Russia goes head to head with Ukraine at the U.N.'s highest court. Plus, desperate homeowners in China resort to desperate measures and Drew Barrymore backtracks. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.

Persons: Xi Jinping's, Drew Barrymore backtracks Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Thomson, Reading U.S Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, China

☆ Why the middle-class is being permanently priced out of Miami
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More apartments are being built in Miami than anywhere else in the US, the Wall Street Journal reported. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Now, "the Florida housing market is undergoing a restructuring as a result of the work-from-home phenomenon," housing expert Jonathan Miller told Insider. Particularly in South Florida, it's a sign that these wealthier newcomers — mostly from the northeast — have permanently altered Miami's housing market, Miller said. For wealthier newcomers who moved from the northeast, Miami luxury housing is actually comparatively cheap, Miller said.

Persons: Jonathan Miller, Miller, Daryl Fairweather, Rich, Eli Beracha, Mercedes Cabrera, WPTV Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Service, Wall Street, Redfin Corp, Bloomberg, Hollo, Real, Florida International University, Dade, Street Journal Locations: Miami, Wall, Silicon, Florida, South Florida, Real Estate, Manhattan, Broward, Palm Beach, Hileah, Dade County, Southeast Florida

☆ Meet the typical Hong Kong millennial: They're supporting their parents, can't afford to buy homes, and have zero interest in moving to mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Faye Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

He earns 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars a year, or $191,000, including the base salary and three months' bonus — well above the average annual salary in Hong Kong. A protester on June 12, 2019 in Hong Kong when crowds gathered in central Hong Kong as the city braced for another mass rally. Anthony Kwan/Getty ImagesThe Hong Kong protests took place between 2019 and 2020, with many students and adults taking to the streets to fight back against the government's decision to introduce an extradition bill between Hong Kong and China. University of Hong Kong was ranked 31st and Chinese University of Hong Kong was 45, on the World University Rankings in 2023. Hong Kong millennials struggle to prioritize well-being, according to a survey run by British health insurance company Bupa.

Persons: Hong Kong's, Ken Ho, Hong Kongers, Ho, Kongers, —, hasn't, Summer Ng, Tau Kok, Ng, Hong, Kong's, Getty, Hong Kong millennials, it's, Aniqah Bhatnagar, Bhatnagar, Wilson Ho, Wilson Ho Wilson, Kai Tak, Anthony Kwan, Xu Huang, Huang, millennials, Gen Zs, Morgan McKinley, Zurine Lau, I'm, Yuen Long, Lau, Nick Shin Nick Shin, Tai Koo, They're Organizations: Service, University College London, Imperial College London, Fidelity Investments, Hong, HK, BBC, Property Management, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Deloitte Global, Statistics Department, University of Hong Kong, University of Hong, World, Family Planning Association, millennials, Hong Kong Free Press, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Wall, Silicon, Kennedy Town, Kowloon Bay, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong's, United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, British, Asia, Hong, millennials, India, Kowloon, Kai, China, Singapore, Sydney, South America, ymgerman, South Korea, Hong Kong . Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Tai

But unlike most cities, Singapore is spending enormous resources to try to cool itself down — and learning lessons that could help other cities. But unlike most cities, Singapore is spending enormous resources to try to cool itself down — and learning lessons that could help other cities. Building without cool paint Building coated with cool paint Building without cool paint Building coated with cool paint Satellite image by Planet LabsSimple design decisions can also have a big impact on a building’s temperature. Singapore has built out a more systematic solution, a network of green corridors that connect green spaces together and allow cool air to flow throughout the city. “A corridor can at least generate this kind of cool air circulation in a city.

Persons: ”, Brian Stone Jr, Khoo, Stone, it’s, “, Nicholas Lin, Richard Hassell, Winston Chow, “ You’ve, Singapore Rebecca Toh, Chow, Tamara Iungman, Adele Tan Organizations: Georgia Institute of Technology, ”, The New York Times, Planet Labs, WOHA Architects, Cooling, Research, Phoenix, Climate Central, SINGAPORE Marina Bay Network, National Parks Board, Barcelona Institute, Global Health, Singapore’s, Redevelopment Authority, Urban Locations: Singapore, Phoenix, Mumbai, Singapore’s, Puat, ”, L.A, ” Singapore, Pickering, The New York Times Singapore, New York City, Jurong Lake, Cooling Singapore, Marina Bay, downtowns, Ariz, Maricopa County, shadeless, Marina, Paris, Bishan, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE, Medellín, Colombia, “

☆ Singapore’s birth rate is at a record low — but ‘throwing money’ at the problem won’t solve it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mai Yo | Klaud9 | Getty ImagesSINGAPORE — Almost two decades ago, Loh and her husband made a decision not to have children. Singapore's birth rate hit a record low in 2022, after years of decline. "There is a sense of instability is dragging people further away from having children," Zheng told CNBC. Shrinking labor forceA declining birth rate, coupled with an aging population, will have repercussions on Singapore's labor force. "Having fewer children means you have a smaller workforce that can contribute to the economy.

Persons: Mai Yo, Loh, Jaya Dass, " Dass, Wen Wei Tan, EIU's Tan, Tan, Mu Zheng, Zheng, Tan Poh Lin, Lee, Carlina, Dass Organizations: Institute of Policy Studies, Getty, SINGAPORE, CNBC, Singapore Department of Statistics, Ranstad's, Women, Getty Images Government, Economist Intelligence Unit, EIU, National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Locations: Singapore, Jaya, Jaya Dass Asia, Pacific, Covid, Ranstad's Asia, —, New York City, Singapore's

☆ AI personal assistants are coming. That could change everything in our personal and work lives.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some AI leaders say everyone will have an AI personal assistant in the near future. Since ChatGPT launched, users have integrated it into their personal and work lives. Some are using AI to plan vacations and meals, while others are using it to be more productive at work. Some are already using ChatGPT as an affordable alternative to a personal assistant. AdvertisementAdvertisementOthers have used generative AI to develop code, write legal briefs, generate marketing materials, and create student lesson plans.

Persons: ChatGPT, Mustafa Suleyman, —, Suleyman, It's, Sal Khan, Bill Gates, OpenAI Organizations: Service, CNBC, Khan Academy Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ It's going to be way harder to be a tourist in NYC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New York City is getting serious about its laws on rentals and hotels. Tourists might have a hard time finding a place to stay in New York City. "We could see fewer budget travelers but more tourists willing to spend on regulated high-quality accommodations," he said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Airbnb law especially is a big change. Still, New York City will always draw tourists.

Persons: aren't, Steve Turk, Turk, you'll, Razonie Napier, he'd, Napier, That's Organizations: Service, Wired, Apple, Turk Hospitality, Special Enforcement, New Yorker Locations: York City, New York City, Wall, Silicon, New York, York, New, Lower, Coney Island , Brooklyn, , New York City, Omaha

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