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[1/2] The Levi Strauss & Co. label is seen on clothes in a store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, U.S., February 15, 2022. Shares of the company fell about 6% in extended trading, as it joined peer American Eagle Outfitters (AEO.N) in predicting a weak outlook for consumer spending. Levi’s net revenues for the second quarter that ended May 28 declined by 9%, its steepest quarterly drop since the first quarter of 2021, according to Refinitiv data. The annual reported net revenue is expected to increase 1.5% to 2.5% from a year earlier, the apparel maker said, narrowing its previous forecast range of 1.5% to 3%. The apparel maker posted a net loss of $1.6 million for the second quarter, compared with a net income of $49.7 million a year earlier.

Persons: Levi Strauss, Andrew Kelly, Levi's, Chip Bergh, Bergh, Michael Ashley Schulman, Granth, Kate Masters, Shweta Agarwal, Muralikumar Organizations: Woodbury, REUTERS, American Eagle Outfitters, Nordstrom, Revenue, Running, Capital Advisors, Thomson Locations: Central Valley , New York, U.S, North America, Bergh, Levi's U.S, Europe, Americas, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Spruce Point no longer holding short position in Ryan Reynolds-backed Nuvei
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 28 (Reuters) - Spruce Point Capital Management is no longer holding a short position in Nuvei (NVEI.TO), the Canadian fintech firm backed by Ryan Reynolds, after the company's stock reached the short-seller's price target range. Spruce Point disclosed the decision in a tweet on Wednesday, sending U.S.-listed shares of Nuvei up nearly 1.4% at $28.75. In its short report in April, Spruce Point had alleged that Nuvei's $1.3 billion acquisition of Paya Holdings "appears troubled," as Paya was losing market share before the takeover. Both Toronto- and Nasdaq-listed shares of Nuvei have lost nearly a third of their value since Spruce Point disclosed its short position in April. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ryan Reynolds, Paya, Nuvei's, Niket, Maju Samuel Organizations: Capital Management, U.S, Paya Holdings, Toronto, Nasdaq, Nuvei, Thomson Locations: Nuvei, Montreal, Bengaluru

☆ Read the pitch deck that helped raise $5 million for fintech FilmHedge after it closed $100 million in debt financing to fund new films and TV shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

FilmHedge closed in March on a $5 million funding round and has a $100 million credit facility. FilmHedge, an Atlanta-based fintech launched in February 2020, provides liquidity to productions with budgets ranging from $1 million to $50 million. It follows a $100 million credit facility from Coromandel Capital and Fallbrook Capital in 2022, which helps FilmHedge finance projects. "We have access to $100 million, but we see around $70 million in applicants per month," he said, "so we have to pass on a lot of deals." FilmHedge gave Insider a look at the 18-page pitch deck it used while raising its $5 million Series A round and $100 million credit facility — check it out here.

Persons: FilmHedge, Jon Gosier, fintech, May FilmHedge, Gosier, —, Axios, FilmHedge hadn't Organizations: Hollywood, Netflix, Entertainment, Variety, Lionsgate, Disney, Collab, WOCStar, Savannah College of Art & Design, TriplePoint, Coromandel Capital, Fallbrook, Media Locations: Atlanta, Coromandel, Hollywood

☆ US telecom companies say not in talks with Amazon for wireless services
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 2 (Reuters) - Major U.S. wireless carriers on Friday said they not in talks with Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) to offer low-cost wireless services to its Prime members. "AT&T is not in discussions with Amazon to resell wireless services," a company spokesperson said. Verizon spokesperson the company "is not in negotiations with Amazon regarding the resale of (Verizon's) wireless network. Brandon Nispel of KeyBanc Capital Markets said Dish Network, a relatively new entrant in wireless, could be the most likely partner for Amazon. They also rallied in May after a Wall Street Journal report that Dish was in talks to sell its wireless plans through Amazon.

Persons: Christopher Ali, Brandon Nispel, Michael Ashley Schulman, Yuvraj Malik, Aditya Soni, Tanya Jain, Akash Sriram, David Shepardson, Sheila Dang, Nivedita Bhattacharjee Organizations: Major U.S, Amazon.com Inc, Wireless, Bloomberg News, Amazon, Dish Network, Verizon, Mobile, Penn State University, AT, KeyBanc, Journal, U.S, Running, Capital Advisors, Thomson Locations: Major, Bengaluru, Washington, Dallas

In their joint venture agreement, Baker Hughes says it uses C3.ai's solutions and also sells the product to companies in the oil and gas industry. CNBC's "Last Call" aired a report Thursday night on the investor lawsuit against C3.ai and the company's relationship with Baker Hughes. The lawsuit says the publicity about the massive Baker Hughes sales force "artificially inflated C3's stock" when the company first went public. Richard Drew | APIn an April 2023 filing, Baker Hughes announced it divested 1.7 million C3.ai shares, bringing its ownership to 6.9 million shares. Kerrisdale pointed to C3.ai's "highly conspicuous growth" in unbilled receivables, largely from Baker Hughes, and wrote that "accounting red flags abound with the Baker Hughes relationship."

Persons: Tom Siebel, Siebel, Thomas M, Chris J, Ratcliffe, it's, Baker Hughes, Logan Roy, Larry Ellison, Yasmin Khorram, Dan Brennan, We've, Brennan, he's, CNBC's, Reed Kathrein, Theranos, —, Kathrein, Richard Drew, they'd, unbilled, receivables, Siebel's, Ken Goldman, Goldman, Gil Luria, Davidson, Luria, Nick Wells, Scott Zamost, Sam Woodward, Tom Siebel's Organizations: Siebel Systems, Oracle, Bloomberg Tech Summit, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Forbes, Siebel, C3, U.S . Department of Defense, Shell, Northern District of, SEC, Twitter, " Traders, New York Stock Exchange, AP, Point Capital Management, Spotify, C3 Energy, Revenue, Wall Locations: London, Redwood City , CA, Redwood City , California, Northern District, Northern District of California, unbilled receivables, Point

☆ Investor Edenbrook Capital says Absolute Software's take-private deal undervalues company
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Investment advisory firm Edenbrook Capital sent a letter to the board of Canada's Absolute Software Corp (ABST.TO) saying the deal for the company to be taken private by Crosspoint Capital Partners "significantly undervalues" the firm. Edenbrook, which has a stake of 10.4% in Absolute Software, said on Thursday the "transaction is unfair to public shareholders". Last week, Absolute Software agreed to be bought by Crosspoint for $657 mln and said its shareholders will receive $11.50 per share in cash. Absolute Software and Crosspoint did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Shareholders are set to vote on the acquisition at a special meeting expected to be held in late June.

☆ Fmr. Salesforce Co-CEO Keith Block says private company CEO's are looking for guidance right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFmr. Salesforce Co-CEO Keith Block says private company CEO's are looking for guidance right nowFmr. Salesforce Co-CEO and Smith Point Capital CEO Keith Block joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to discuss Smith Point Capital's recent partnership with ServiceNow, the state of the investing space, and more.

☆ JPMorgan and Barclays back $4.5 billion insurance tech giant Wefox
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

German digital insurer Wefox said Wednesday it raised $110 million of fresh funding from backers including JPMorgan and Barclays . The news marks a vote of confidence for the insurance technology space at a time when it faces tough macroeconomic headwinds. Wefox is a Berlin, Germany-based firm focused on personal insurance products, such as home insurance, motor insurance and personal liability insurance. Wefox said it raised the fresh funds through a combination of debt financing and fresh equity. A further of $55 million equity investment was led by Squarepoint Capital, a global investment management firm with $75.7 billion in assets under management.

☆ ServiceNow targets enterprise-software startups with $1 bln investment in venture arm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 17 (Reuters) - Cloud-computing firm ServiceNow Inc (NOW.N) said on Wednesday it would invest $1 billion in its venture arm by 2026 to back enterprise software-focused startups in artificial intelligence and automation, among others. The investment in ServiceNow Ventures comes at a time when funding for early-stage technology companies has dried up due to rising interest rates and high inflation. Since its inception in 2015, the venture arm has invested about $300 million across 45 companies. "Enterprise software is more mission-critical than ever before, as companies look to drive innovation, efficiency and productivity," the California-based company said. Last month, ServiceNow became a strategic partner and anchor investor in Smith Point Capital Fund I, an enterprise software-focused venture investment firm founded by former Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) co-CEO Keith Block.

☆ Bill Nygren buys this regional bank with strong deposits, says 'inappropriate role' of short selling contributing to fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Oakmark Funds' Bill Nygren scooped up shares of Truist Financial during the first-quarter banking rout that saw the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank . According to Nygren, investors are laser-focusing on Truist's mortgage portfolio and overlooking its insurance brokerage business. TFC 1D mountain Truist shares pop on Friday The bank recently sold 20% of its insurance brokerage business to private equity group Stone Point Capital . Beyond Truist, Nygren sees several opportunities in the sector. No 'spiraling fundamental problem' Despite some resurfacing bank fears, Nygren expects the sector to fair okay over the long haul.

☆ EBay forecasts upbeat revenue as sneakers, refurbished items drive growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Yuvraj Malik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The upbeat results soothed investor sentiment, which was hit after eBay earlier this year said that demand weakness will persist in the first half of 2023. EBay is expanding listings under refurbished electronics, luxury bags and watches, and the collectibles category. San Jose, California-based eBay now expects June-quarter revenue in the range $2.47 billion to $2.54 billion, higher than analysts' projection of $2.43 billion, according to Refinitiv. Revenue in the most recent March quarter grew 1% to $2.51 billion, also beating analysts' estimate of $2.48 billion. EBay's shares have gained 4.6% so far this year, compared with a 13.3% rise in the tech-heavy Nasdaq index (.IXIC).

☆ Check out the 18-page pitch deck that Hollywood-focused fintech FilmHedge used to raise tens of millions and help hot new movies and TV series get made
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

FilmHedge lends credit to movies and TV shows with budgetary needs between $1 million and $5 million. The 3-year-old fintech closed on a $5 million round in March and has a $100 million credit facility. FilmHedge, an Atlanta-based fintech launched in February 2020, provides liquidity to productions with budgets ranging from $1 million to $50 million. It follows a $100 million credit facility from Coromandel Capital and Fallbrook Capital in 2022, which helps FilmHedge finance projects. FilmHedge gave Insider a look at the 18-page pitch deck it used while raising its $5 million Series A round and $100 million credit facility — check it out here.

☆ People are right to revise their opinions in some AT1s and 'CoCo' bonds: Financial services firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPeople are right to revise their opinions in some AT1s and 'CoCo' bonds: Financial services firmMichael Ashley Schulman of Running Point Capital explains why it has not been active in AT1s and "CoCo" bonds.

FINMA, the Swiss regulator, said the decision would bolster the bank's capital. Engineered in the wake of the global financial crisis, AT1 bonds are a form of junior debt that counts towards banks' regulatory capital. "It's stunning and hard to understand how they can reverse the hierarchy between AT1 holders and shareholders," said Jerome Legras, head of research at Axiom Alternative Investments, an investor in Credit Suisse's AT1 debt. Credit Suisse's AT1 debt had rallied earlier on Sunday amid reports that shareholders would receive something in a deal with UBS, raising hopes that bondholders would be protected. The move by the Swiss regulator could make it harder for other lenders to raise new AT1 debt, investors said.

☆ 'Big Short' investor Danny Moses says the SVB crisis is speeding up the US economic slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Danny Moses sees trouble ahead for the US economy following the shocking collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. "It just accelerated that slowdown because banks have to really to pull back in their activities," the "Big Short" investor said. Moses also called out regulators for bailing out SVB, saying that should make people "nervous." Higher rates encourage saving over spending, which typically pulls down asset prices, saps demand, and increases the risk of an economic slowdown. But according to Moses, regulators don't have a clue of what's in front of them.

☆ Edmond de Rothschild to open advisory office in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Edmond de Rothschild Group, which specialises in asset management and private banking, said on Tuesday it is expanding its presence in Dubai with an advisory office as it looks to the fast-growing Middle East hub to cater to an affluent pool of clients. It previously had a representative office in Dubai, but said the new office will "enhance" its ability to serve clients in the region. Edmond de Rothschild plans to hire about five people in Dubai next year, a spokesperson said. A growing number of hedge funds have set up shop in Dubai, attracted by lower licensing fees and capital requirements for the industry, including Millennium Management, ExodusPoint Capital Management and BlueCrest. French private equity firm Ardian said last month it was opening an office in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, while CVC opened an office in Dubai last year.

☆ CD&R to take Focus Financial private in over $7 bln deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Focus Financial Partners Inc (FOCS.O) has agreed to be taken private by affiliates of buyout firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) in an all-cash transaction valued at more than $7 billion including debt, the companies said on Monday. The buyout firm's offer highlights how private equity firms are pouncing on the plunge in valuations to snap up companies. CD&R and Stone Point will fund the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter of this year, with fully-committed equity financing. Stone Point and fellow private equity firm KKR & Co (KKR.N) owned New York-based company Focus prior to its listing in 2018. Jefferies LLC and Goldman Sachs are financial advisers to Focus, while Moelis & Co, Truist Securities Inc and BofA Securities are among advisers to CD&R.

☆ Starboard Value wants Salesforce to hit over 30% profit margins, closer to Oracle and Microsoft. Salesforce is working on it, leaked draft of a planning document shows.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Activist investor Starboard Values wants Salesforce to grow its adjusted operating margins above 30%. In September, Salesforce announced a goal of 25% adjusted operating margins by fiscal 2026, up from a target of 20% for fiscal 2023. Starboard found Salesforce's mix of operating margins and revenue growth averaged much lower than its peers, including Microsoft and Oracle. Starboard showed Oracle at a 10.7% increase in revenue with adjusted operating margins of 43.3% for its current fiscal year. It showed Microsoft's at a 10.9% increase in revenue and 46.6% increase in operating margins, Starboard said.

☆ C3.ai's valuation is all based on speculation and hope, says Spruce Point Capital's Ben Axler
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | 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 EmailC3.ai's valuation is all based on speculation and hope, says Spruce Point Capital's Ben AxlerBen Axler from Spruce Point Capital Management joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss his reasons for shorting C3.ai, his concerns around C3.ai's product model and questions around how the company will make money.

☆ Salesforce engineers are about to be hit with new performance metrics, while some salespeople are being pressured to quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Ellen Thomas | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Some Salesforce employees have been offered a "Prompt Exit Package" instead of a layoff, with less severance. Employees say the company is ratcheting up performance expectations as activist investors invade. "The company is pushing hard for productivity tracking and metrics on all facets," one employee told Insider. Salesforce cut a few hundred salespeople in November, a person familiar with the matter told Insider, and the company told Insider the cuts were made for "accountability," implying that performance was a consideration. In some cases, the company has presented employees with PEP offers in the same week it has executed mass layoffs, employees told Insider.

☆ As rivals surged in 2022, ExodusPoint shed assets and employees amid mixed performance. It reshuffled its business in November.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

a hedge fund recruiter said, commenting on the calculus for hedge fund investors. At the end of 2021, the fund's exposure had been evenly split between fixed-income and equities, according to the investor documents. In all, more than 60 portfolio managers departed or were let go in 2022, according to the investor documents and people close to the matter. After the shakeup, ExodusPoint's income stream is now even more reliant on fixed-income trading — and that may not be such a bad thing. "The fixed income piece is doing incredibly well," another hedge fund recruiter said.

☆ Private equity giants are still racing to fill 2024 associate seats. See 8 firms — from Carlyle to Bain Capital — that have been recruiting first-year investment bankers for jobs that won't start for
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Last year's on-cycle recruiting kicked off earlier than ever, and many junior bankers weren't ready. In an effort to win the war for talent that was raging last year, private equity firms pushed their recruiting efforts earlier than in ever— to late summer. To be sure, not all private equity firms kicked off on-cycle recruiting in August. It usually involves an intense week-long period (although sometimes shorter or longer) where private equity firms rush in to snag the top talent. The bottom line shows the month and year analysts started their roles, and the yellow line indicated when on-cycle recruiting began that season.

☆ The private equity industry is racing to fill 2024 associate roles after last year's hyper competitive hiring tactics backfired
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

☆ Italy's Intesa convinces investors on payouts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Investors fretted about the impact on earnings and the bank's ability to stick to generous capital distribution plans, starting with a pending 1.7 billion euro share buyback. Intesa has put the buyback on hold, despite receiving European Central Bank clearance, until approval of 2022 results on Feb. 3. In the fourth quarter, Intesa shed risks on 10.3 billion euros in loans through two so-called synthetic securitisation deals, including a jumbo 8 billion euro transaction. Market calculations put the cost of similar transaction at around 25 million-30 million euros a year for 2 billion euros in assets. Intesa also sold 4 billion euros in leasing contracts.

☆ RSA Security explores $2 bln-plus sale of Archer -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Milana Vinn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Clearlake Capital, another private equity firm, invested in RSA the following year. Last year, RSA sold a majority stake in its events business, RSA Conference, to private equity firm Crosspoint Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount. Archer, headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, is a governance, risk and compliance software platform with over 15,000 users globally. RSA's other business divisions include identity and access management platform SecureID and threat detection and response software platform NetWitness. Archer is not the only risk management software vendor up for sale in the United States.

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