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U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan granted a Justice Department motion to stay the lawsuits filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Prosecutors said it made sense to delay those lawsuits because the cases substantially overlapped, and the outcome of the criminal case would likely affect what issues remained in the civil cases. They also cited the risk that Bankman-Fried could gather evidence in the civil cases to improperly impeach government witnesses, circumvent discovery rules in criminal cases, and tailor his criminal defense. Bankman-Fried consented to putting the civil cases on hold. Stays of SEC and CFTC lawsuits are common when the Justice Department files parallel criminal cases.

☆ How to Invest in the S&P 500
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

The S&P 500 index, short for Standard & Poor’s 500 index, is one of the most widely traded and talked about stock indexes in the world. The Largest S&P 500 Index Funds Ticker Symbols Expense Ratio Fund Size Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund VOO, VFFSX, VFIAX 0.010%-0.040% $792 billion SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY 0.095% $380 billion Fidelity 500 Index Fund FXAIX 0.015% $374 billion iShares Core S&P 500 ETF IVV 0.030% $307 billion Vanguard Institutional Index Fund VINIX, VIIIX 0.020%-0.035% $238 billion Morningstar DirectS&P 500 mutual funds vs. S&P 500 ETFsAnother thing to consider is whether you want to buy a traditional mutual fund or an exchange-traded fund, which trades like a stock. Equal weight, value or ESG S&P 500 fundsMoreover, if you’re concerned about the heavy weighting of certain sectors in the S&P index you can invest instead in an equal weight S&P 500 index fund or add those shares to your portfolio. Alternatively, you can buy an S&P 500 value fund, which represents stocks that are considered undervalued or an S&P 500 growth fund, which represents the fastest-growing companies in the S&P 500. Another variation on the S&P 500 index theme incorporates ESG (environmental, social and governance) values while maintaining similar overall industry group weights as the S&P 500.

☆ The ChatGPT AI hype cycle is peaking, but even tech skeptics don't expect a bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Even the skeptics of the latest hype cycle recounted during the Town Hall numerous examples of how AI is already embedded in more efficient business processes. The arrival of ChatGPT and generative AI only a few years after the hype cycle over the metaverse has attracted both the AI bulls and bears as tech pursues its next big thing. Another executive who works with lawyers and accountants said the sentiment right now is that AI is not to replace lawyers, but "lawyers using AI are gonna replace lawyers." And what generative AI does, is really help you crunch, take your machine learning to, you know, the 'nth' level of the finite level. That may also place AI in the crosshairs of ESG investors, making sure that the ethics part is part of the mission of companies using it.

Feb 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge in Texas late on Thursday denied a legal bid by families of the victims of two Boeing (BA.N) 737 MAX crashes to reopen or reject a January 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. Boeing won immunity from criminal prosecution as part its $2.5 billion Justice Department deferred prosecution agreement over a 737 MAX fraud conspiracy charge related to the plane's flawed design. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled he did not have legal authority to grant the relatives' request, saying he had "immense sympathy for the victims and loved ones of those who died in the tragic plane crashes resulting from Boeing’s criminal conspiracy." Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ SEC chair Gary Gensler on crypto: The 'casinos' people invest in need to properly comply
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSEC chair Gary Gensler on crypto: The 'casinos' people invest in need to properly complyGary Gensler, SEC chair, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the recent crackdown from the SEC on Kraken, if there's any path to a Bitcoin ETF and a potential easing of ESG disclosure rules.

☆ Before facing Trump in 2024, DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Griffin also noted the support DeSantis' proposals receive from lawmakers. If DeSantis does enter the race for the Republican nomination, he will join a field still dominated by Trump. "We have articulated a vision for a free and prosperous state," DeSantis said at his second inauguration last month. In a brief interview, Collins called DeSantis’ support “a blessing.” He resisted the suggestion that the legislature was a rubber stamp for the governor. DeSantis' hard-right stance on issues such as guns and abortion risks alienating the suburban voters he eventually would need to win the presidency in 2024.

☆ DeSantis seeks wins on guns, abortion before facing Trump in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

☆ SEC weighs making 'adjustments' to controversial climate risk disclosure rule, Chairman Gensler says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Gary Gensler, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, at the SEC headquarters in Washington, on July 22, 2021. The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering easing a controversial climate risk disclosure rule it issued last year after receiving pushback from companies and investors. "Investors are making investments based on these disclosures," Gensler said. "The SEC's climate disclosure rule is a prime example of this overreach that would have a wide-ranging impact on hard-working Americans across all walks of life," McHenry said in a Feb. 3 statement. Gensler said the proposed disclosures asked for a straightforward climate transition plan from companies.

[1/2] Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, U.S., October 19, 2022. Pence was issued a subpoena by special counsel Jack Smith, though the nature of the request was not immediately known, ABC News reported, citing sources. The first probe involves Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021. Last month, Garland named a separate special counsel, Robert Hur, to probe the improper storage of classified documents at President Biden's home and former office. In late January, Pence said he was not aware though he takes "full responsibility" after classified documents were found at his Indiana home.

☆ Norway wealth fund has sold its stakes in Adani companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund has sold its stakes in three Adani Group companies worth just over $200 million since the start of the year, the world's largest stock investor said on Thursday. The $1.35 trillion fund at the end of 2022 held stakes in Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS), Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone (APSE.NS) and Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS). "We have monitored Adani for many years (on ESG) issues, many on their handling of environmental risks," he said. Norway's sovereign wealth fund at the end of 2022 held a stake in Adani Total worth $83.6 million, a stake in Adani Ports worth $63.4 million and a stake in Adani Green Energy of $52.7 million. The fund, managed by a unit of the central bank, owns 1.3% of all globally listed shares with stakes in some 9,200 companies.

☆ UK markets watchdog says 'synthetic data' can aid choice, innovation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Britain's financial watchdog said on Thursday it will push ahead with plans to make available "synthetic data" to help increase innovation and choice in financial services following a consultation last year. Data privacy laws make it harder for third-party companies to access data on customers held by long-established banks and insurers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) last year published a consultation paper on synthetic data. "Based on the feedback to the Call for Input and previous research, our current position is that synthetic data can potentially make a significant contribution to beneficial innovation in UK financial markets," the FCA said in a statement on Thursday. "We will continue to engage loosely with the ICO to explore opportunities for data sharing in financial services within he bounds of UK data protection regulation," the FCA said.

☆ How to meet evolving regulations around climate change and water conservation without sacrificing profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Ecolab | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Governments are creating incentives to help businesses reduce carbon emissions. Minimizing water use can help organizations comply with government regulations without sacrificing profit. Understanding the ties between water use and climate change is an important step for businesses as they look to meet evolving government regulations. "This is a great example of how Ecolab Water for Climate is helping organizations meet evolving regulations." These tactics help businesses achieve profitable outcomes, leverage incentives, and meet regulatory requirements.

Finance chiefs are coming into the year grappling with a variety of challenges, from rising interest rates and inflation to managing labor disruptions, pricing and inventory. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. “But…there’s more and more of a belief that any kind of downturn will be short and shallow, frankly. Some finance chiefs, meanwhile, are finding opportunities to expand in the volatile economy. You can’t take everything that your vendors are sending you.”Labor woes persistHiring, however, remains a challenge for finance chiefs.

☆ SEC to increase scrutiny of Crypto trading firms and ESG funds in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Securities and Exchange Commission will increase its scrutiny of crypto trading firms and investment advisers as well as Environmental, Social and Governance — or ESG — funds, among other issues on its list of top oversight priorities this year. This year, the SEC's examinations division will focus its attention on broker-dealers and registered investment advisers that use emerging financial technologies, including crypto. Registered investment advisers to private funds: To assess compliance and other risks as well as if advisers are adhering to their duties as fiduciaries. Retail investors and working families: Ensuring these groups receive advice in their best interests from broker-dealers and registered investment advisers. "In executing against the 2023 priorities, the Division will help ensure compliance with the federal securities laws and rules."

☆ India's Adani still eligible to be part of influential JPMorgan bond indexes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Feb 7 (Reuters) - India's Adani group of companies, which in recent weeks has seen a brutal selloff in its bonds and shares after being targetted by a U.S. short-seller, is still eligible for inclusion in JPMorgan's influential bond indexes, the bank said in a note. Adani, whose business interest includes ports, power generation and transmission, and renewable energy, has a total notional value of $7.7 billion in the JPMorgan's CEMBI and JACI indexes, the bank said on Monday. JPMorgan Corporate Emerging Market Bond Index series (CEMBI) tracks dollar debt issued by emerging market corporations, while its Asia Credit Index (JACI) tracks the total return performance of the Asia fixed-rate dollar bond market. After the release of Hindenburg's report, Adani's weight has decreased by 10 basis points to 36 basis points in the CEMBI Broad Div index and by 15 basis points to 48 basis points in the CEMBI Broad Div IG index, the JPMorgan note said. The Indian conglomerate's weight decreased by 16 basis points to 52 basis points in the JACI index, it added.

NEW YORK, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday asked a judge to postpone civil cases brought against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried by federal regulators until a parallel criminal case against the former billionaire concludes. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have each filed civil fraud cases against Bankman-Fried over the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to criminal fraud charges in Manhattan federal court. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New YorkOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Feb 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ordered regulators to reconsider part of the permit approving Lithium Americas Corp's (LAC.TO) Thacker Pass lithium mine project in Nevada, though the mixed ruling rejected claims that the project would cause unnecessary harm to the environment or wildlife. Chief Judge Miranda Du of the federal court in Reno, Nevada, ordered the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to determine whether the company has the right to dump waste rock at the site, a ruling based on a complex set of case law. Du's ruling can be appealed. Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morgan Stanley's first ETFs come with an ESG focus despite political pushback
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The six new offerings of U.S. and international stock funds and a short-term bond fund from Calvert, part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM), is built with ESG considerations in mind. The last three quarters of 2022 were very difficult," said Anthony Rochte, global head of ETFs at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. While the number of ESG funds is growing rapidly, Calvert distinguishes itself by conducting its own ESG scoring rather than relying on an index provider's system, Rochte said. And it goes back to the differentiation and the active process they employ in designing the Calvert principles," Rochte said. Over time, Morgan Stanley will look at launching ETFs beyond the Calvert brand, Rochte said.

☆ Cowen names this little-known defense systems stock a top pick, says it can rally 40%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Aerospace and defense company Moog is Cowen's top small and medium-cap pick for 2023. Analyst Cai von Rumohr reiterated the stock's outperform rating, calling it a transition story with 40% upside from Friday's close. "Given Moog's strong position in attractive niche markets, we think this strategy makes lots of sense. However, von Rumohr believes that much of the company's risks have already abated. "The integrated satellite bus program entails risk; but risk is abating as Moog is 80% through software development.

☆ Here are the big trends to watch at the Exchange ETF conference this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

I'm at the ETF Exchange Conference in Miami Beach, where 2,000 registered investment advisors and ETF providers have descended on the city for the industry's largest gathering. Think active, dividend, foreign debt and alternative income ETFs," Tom Lydon, of VettaFi, the conference sponsor, told me. "I believe fixed income ETFs are setup to have a historic year," Nate Geraci from the ETF Store said in January. This year, they're back, but despite the surge in thematic ETF performance to start the year, investors have yet to throw significant sums of money into the game. "Despite the surge in thematic ETF performance to start the year, investors are yet to start allocating again.

☆ McCarthy, Scalise go to war with U.S. Chamber after group backed some Democrats in 2020 and 2022 elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

McCarthy's refusal to meet with the Chamber is the latest strike in an ongoing feud between some House Republican members and the Chamber of Commerce. Tim Doyle, a spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce, told CNBC in a statement that the group's policies are more in line with House Republicans than Democrats. Representatives for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., did not return requests for comment. McCarthy's ire against the Chamber started after the group endorsed 23 House Democrats in the 2020 election cycle when Republicans failed to regain the majority. The Chamber reportedly endorsed 23 House Republican candidates and four Democrats during the 2022 election fight.

☆ Bayer says chemicals farmers use to fight insects are safe, but it's more complicated than that, says its ESG head
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The European Union, also in 2018, banned some pesticides that Bayer makes because scientists and regulators linked them to deaths of bees. "It felt like we were on the grill at a barbecue," Kunz, Bayer's head of environmental, social, and governance strategy, told Insider. Beyond neonicotinoids, Kunz said Bayer's strategy to meet its environmental targets involved what he called a more systems-based approach. Bayer also makes digital tools that help farmers apply fertilizer and pesticides more precisely, which can dramatically reduce how much they're needed, Kunz said. Bayer's sustainability efforts are attracting at least some ESG investors and ratings firms.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Engine No. 1 CEO Jennifer Grancio
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Engine No. 1 CEO Jennifer GrancioJennifer Grancio, Engine No. 1 CEO, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss her thoughts on ExxonMobil and redefining ESG at the Worlds largest ETF conference, with CNBC's Bob Pisani.

☆ Investors Are All for ESG. Except, That Is, When Times Are Tough.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Suzanne Mcgee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ ‘Green’ Funds Cost Three Times More Than You Think
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jason Zweig | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

You might not be able to do well by doing good, but you will certainly pay more to feel good. Wall Street’s latest bandwagon—or juggernaut—is ESG investing, which seeks to make businesses and the world [E]nvironmentally cleaner, [S]ocially fairer and [G]overned better.

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