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☆ There's a big venture capital funding downturn — except for this one set of investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Venture capital funding into startups has drastically slowed. Corporate venture capital grew in 2022 and looks to grow again in 2023, bucking the broader downturn. Continuing a pullback in funding activity in 2022, venture capital into European startups fell by 32.1% in Q1 of 2023, per Pitchbook data. Faced with the prospect of raising down rounds at slashed valuations, startups are turning to an alternative mode of funding — corporate venture capitalists. A corporate venture capital firm, or CVC, is the investing arm of a specific business.

Persons: Ekaterina Almasque, Almasque, Sabrina Maniscalco, Luis Valente, Valente, iLoF, Charlie Bullock Organizations: Corporate, GV, Google, Catalyst, Catalyst Fund, Presidio Ventures, Japan's Sumitomo Corporation, Microsoft, OSRAM Ventures

☆ 71-year-old shares 22 'most useful' life lessons young people should know: 'Live in a tiny room—and eat beans and rice'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Kevin Kelly | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

How to learn from people: If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. How to find your passion: The best way to start is to be an expert on one thing. It will be shocking and painful, but it's the best way to improve. How to pick the right advice: Advice like these are not laws — they are simply hats! Don't miss:Want to be smarter and more successful with your money, work & life?

Persons: I've, Kevin Kelly Organizations: The New York Times, Street Journal

"Germans are cautious by nature," said Stephan Fetsch, Germany's head of consumer goods at KPMG. Economists polled by Reuters are split on its second quarter fortunes: views ranged from a 0.3% GDP fall to a 0.5% gain, with a median forecast of 0.2% growth. However, German consumer sentiment remains below its pandemic low in the spring of 2020 and the consumer barometer from the German Retail Association (HDE) shows a similar picture. German consumers were hit particularly hard by high energy prices, being more dependent on Russia gas. "The German consumer has reasons to be scared and the result of all the economic uncertainty is usually an increase in precautionary savings," said Michael Burda, economics professor at Humboldt University Berlin.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Germany's, Stephan Fetsch, Holger Schmieding, Carsten Brzeski, KPMG's Fetsch, Joerg Kraemer, Michael Burda, Brzeski, Maria Martinez, Prerana Bhat, Indradip Ghosh, Mark John, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, KPMG, Reuters, German Retail Association, Berenberg, ING, European Central Bank, Humboldt University Berlin, Thomson Locations: Cologne, Germany, BERLIN, Europe, France, Italy, Russia, Berlin, China, Bengaluru

Discretionary products account for a major portion of the company's merchandise and it has been looking to increase the share of household essentials as sticky inflation and higher interest rates weigh on consumers' spending decisions. "American consumers continue to face difficult trade-off decisions as they juggle the wants and needs of their families ... The fear of a looming recession weighs heavily on many American families," Senior Target executive Christina Hennington said on a post-earnings call. Target projected adjusted profit between $1.30 and $1.70 per share, below estimates of $1.93 for the current quarter and forecast comparable sales to decline in the low-single digits. Target executives used the word "cautious" at least 13 times during the hour-long earnings call.

☆ Post-Covid, post-bankruptcy Hertz is all-in on electric, with big implications for the EV, auto and rideshare market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In this article HTZ Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTTesla Model 3 electric vehicles at a Hertz neighborhood location. These deals began to roll out last year, after Hertz's first Teslas hit the road in 2021 and experiments with rental EVs extended back over the past decade. "At the end of [March], we had about 50,000 electric vehicles in our fleet, comprising approximately 10% of total cars," Scherr said. Hertz has also told analysts that the growing EV rideshare market can be a buffer against traditional quarterly peak to trough experienced in the leisure business. The benefits of using an EV begin with a $1 per ride credit to the driver for using an EV, Uber spokeswoman Alix Anfang said.

☆ JetBlue adds incremental perks like early boarding and booze to keep travelers reaching for status
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

JetBlue Airways has unveiled new perks for less-frequent flyers who are striving for elite status, the latest carrier to rethink its loyalty program to reflect shifting travel habits. Other changes include:JetBlue breaking up its elite Mosaic status into four levels, with benefits corresponding to each. To earn level 1 of that program travelers will need 50 tiles, and that comes with benefits like access to seats with extra legroom at check-in and same-day flight changes. JetBlue is also offering perks when a customer moves up a level of elite status like pet-fee waivers or a $99 credit card statement credit. American Airlines late last year, for example, raised the spending threshold required for customers to earn elite status.

☆ As retail gets choppy, Walmart flexes its grocery muscle, deep pockets and huge reach
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In this article WMT Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTBloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAs shoppers get thrifty, Walmart is flexing its muscles. And its huge reach allows Walmart to make money in other ways, including selling ads, offering delivery services and fulfilling online orders for third-party sellers. Here's a closer look at some key themes for Walmart that could emerge at the investor event:Checking the consumer's healthAs the nation's largest retailer, Walmart is a bellwether. It said it expects same-store sales for Walmart U.S. will increase between 2% and 2.5% excluding fuel, in the fiscal year ahead. The retailer will likely showcase how it is growing online sales and trying to make them profitable.

☆ A personal-finance blogger quit being a landlord, sold her rental properties, and still plans to retire early. Here's how.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A personal-finance blogger sold two rental properties and reinvested the money into index funds. She plans to retire early and likes that index funds "never call you in the middle of the night." Trading rental properties for index fundsThe Johnsons, who are both in their early 40s, plan to retire in the next few years. Other downsides of landlord lifeA lot of eager real-estate investors may not be fully aware of the downsides of being a landlord, Johnson said. "So many people are getting into rental properties who have no idea what they're getting into and probably shouldn't be at all," she said.

☆ Rental car firm Hertz's finance chief Cheung to quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 27 (Reuters) - Rental car firm Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ.O) said on Monday its Chief Financial Officer Kenny Cheung was leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. The company said Chief Accounting Officer Alexandra Brooks will serve as interim finance chief, effective April 1. Shares of the company, which operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty vehicle rental brands, were up 1.3% before the bell. Cheung's departure comes at a time when Hertz's profitability has come under pressure in recent months due to higher car maintenance costs. Cheung will remain in the company until April 14, the company said, as it kicked starts a formal search process for a new CFO.

☆ Walmart offers affordable Easter meals to lure thrifty shoppers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) said on Monday it would offer Easter meals and bundles at affordable prices, a move aimed at drawing more customers to its stores at a time when egg prices have surged and consumers are keeping a tight grip on their wallets. The price of eggs, a staple of Easter baskets, has been near a record high for months as outbreaks of avian flu have killed more than 58 million backyard and commercial chickens and turkeys since February 2022. Walmart said on Monday it would keep the prices of its Easter essentials consistent with 2022 and offer the Easter meal and basket combo for less than $100, both online and in stores. This year, Walmart's Easter meals and baskets will include staples like ham, green beans and cherry pies, along with decorative grass, Hershey's (HSY.N) Milk Chocolate Bunnies and Reese's Eggs. Reporting by Mehr Bedi in Bengaluru and Siddharth Cavale in New York; Editing by Pooja DesaiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

In U.S. federal court, SHEIN has accused Temu of contracting social-media influencers to make "false and deceptive statements" against SHEIN in their promotions of Temu.com. If Temu loses, Temu could be forced to curtail what so far has been a key marketing strategy. SHEIN seeks to block Temu from using SHEIN's name for marketing, and it wants damages from sales that SHEIN can show came through deceptive or infringing marketing. Social media influencers on TikTok often mention SHEIN in posts about Temu, comparing the companies and their merchandise. In the U.S., Temu is paying social media influencers $100 to $1,000 an hour for content plugging the Temu marketplace on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoMarch 3 (Reuters) - Urban scooter company Lime sued Hertz Corp on Thursday alleging unfair competition and accusing the rental car giant of improperly hiring the startup's senior engineers. The loss of engineers has "significantly harmed" Lime, which provides short-term e-bike and scooter rentals in about 30 countries. Hertz Corp, which operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty vehicle rental brands, is a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ.O). Cong, now at Hertz, did not immediately respond on Friday to a message seeking comment. A representative from Lime did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Review: Is the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card the Best Credit Card for You? How to Earn Cash Rewards With the Wells Fargo Active Cash CardThe Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers 2% cash rewards on purchases with no rewards category limitations or quarterly activation. How to Redeem Rewards From the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit CardRewards earned with the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card belong in the Wells Fargo Rewards program, which means you can redeem them in several ways. However, you should note that a few of the redemption options available are only for Wells Fargo customers, including payments to Wells Fargo loan products and cash rewards at a Wells Fargo ATM. Wells Fargo Active Cash Card Benefits and FeaturesThe Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card comes with decent benefits for a no-annual-fee card.

In a country of 1.4 billion people, job fairs are one of the most efficient ways for employers and workers to connect. There will be more job seekers battling for offers this year." About 60% cited the "uncertain economic environment" as the main factor affecting their confidence, up from 48.4% in 2022. Policymakers are expected to aim for growth of about 5%, which would still be below the blistering pre-pandemic pace. ($1 = 6.8767 Chinese yuan renminbi)Additional reporting by Xiaoyu Yin Editing by Marius Zaharia and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

How to earn Southwest pointsCompare Southwest credit cards Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit CardSouthwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit CardSouthwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit CardSouthwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit CardSouthwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Transfer points from Diners Club or hotel loyalty programsDiners Club members can also transfer Club Rewards points to Southwest — 1,500 Club Rewards points, for instance, would convert to 1,200 Southwest points. It's also possible to redeem points earned through participating hotel loyalty programs if you'd rather put them toward flights than hotel stays, though redemption rates are pretty low:5,000 Best Western Rewards points = 1,200 Southwest points6,000 Choice Privileges points = 1,800 Southwest points2,000 Radisson Rewards America points = 200 Southwest points50,000 Radisson Rewards America points = 5,000 Southwest points100,000 Radisson Rewards America points = 10,000 Southwest points9,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 3,000 Southwest points30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 10,000 Southwest points60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 20,000 Southwest points90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 30,000 Southwest points120,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 40,000 Southwest points5,000 World of Hyatt points = 2,400 Southwest points50,000 World of Hyatt points = 24,000 Southwest pointsNote that World of Hyatt throws in an additional 6,000 Southwest points as long as you're a member, while Marriott Bonvoy adds 5,000 Southwest points for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred. For instance, a $220 Business Select fare would yield 2,640 Southwest points, while a $200 Anytime ticket would yield 2,000 Southwest points, and a $100 Wanna Get Away ticket would yield 600 Southwest points. Earn Southwest points by taking online surveysYou can earn points by taking online surveys through E-Rewards — $15 worth of E-Rewards yields 300 Southwest points, $25 worth of E-Rewards yields 600 Southwest points, $50 worth of E-Rewards yields 1,200 Southwest points, and $100 worth of E-Rewards yields 2,400 Southwest points.

☆ Hertz forecasts upbeat revenue after profit tops on strong rental car demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Priyamvada C | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ.O) said on Tuesday it expects revenue to rise sequentially in the second and third quarters of this year on the back of strong demand for rental cars in the face of economic worries. "I think they were more upbeat about the revenue trajectory than I expected," Northcoast Research Partners analyst John Healy said. Rising costs and supply shortages faced by automakers have made it more expensive for car buyers in an uncertain economy. Hertz, which operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty vehicle rental brands, posted an adjusted profit of 50 cents per share, beating average analyst estimate of 46 cents, as per Refinitiv data. Hertz's fourth-quarter revenue rose 4% to $2.04 billion.

☆ Hertz fourth-quarter profit beats as costs come down and travel rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( John Rosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Rental car giant Hertz reported fourth-quarter earnings that were better than Wall Street expected, on renewed demand for travel as the Covid-19 pandemic eased in many parts of the world. That profit also beat estimates, as analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected earnings of $3.67 on revenue of $8.7 billion, on average. As of the end of 2022, Hertz had $2.5 billion of total liquidity available, including $943 million in cash. The key story is that Hertz is making these incremental operating improvements as demand for travel recovers, Scherr said. Those trends continued in January, Scherr said, with corporate travel business up 28% from the same month in 2022 and inbound travel up 56%.

☆ Hertz beats profit estimates on strong rental car demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ.O) on Tuesday reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, aided by strong demand for rental cars amid surging leisure travel and constrained production from automakers. Rising costs and supply shortages faced by automakers have also made it even more unaffordable for car buyers in an uncertain economy. "We look to our investments in electrification and technology to yield increasing operating leverage and improved returns," Hertz Chief Executive Stephen Scherr said in a statement. Hertz, which operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty vehicle rental brands, posted an adjusted profit of 50 cents per share, ahead of the average analyst estimate of 46 cents, as per Refinitiv data. The company reported net income of $116 million for the quarter through December, compared with a loss of $710 million a year earlier.

Now that I do, I've found I think differently about spending money, today and in the future. I'm determined not to spend over $100 because it would mean dipping into the money I've set aside for emergencies, vacations, my husband's birthday dinner, and so on. You're making our financial decisions without understanding how much money we need, and I'm making our spending decisions without understanding how much money we have." Upper-middle-class people don't need to be thrifty with their kids' back-to-school shopping." I don't need a $40 basket tote for the beach if we can't afford to take a vacation to the beach this year.

[1/3] Toshiya Imura, 38, a comedian-turned-investor, poses for a photograph during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan December 26, 2022. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Japan's newest star investor has no car or hobbies and rarely eats out. Small investors took notice and piled into the companies, which have become known as "Imura stocks". "Good business performance alone can't become alpha," he said, referring to the returns on an investment that exceed a benchmark. Mitsui Matsushima, Sumiseki and First Bank of Toyama all declined to comment when asked about Imura.

How to earn Alaska Airlines milesThere are two types of Alaska miles: Elite-qualifying miles and redeemable miles. Earn Alaska miles for car rentalsYou can opt-in to earn Alaska miles when you rent cars through Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, or Thrifty. Redeem Alaska miles for domestic flightsOne of the most popular ways to redeem Alaska miles is for domestic award flights on Alaska and its partner American Airlines. Redeem Alaska miles for flights on partner airlinesUsing Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on partner airlines is perhaps the best way to use your Alaska miles. Donate Alaska Airlines miles to charityYou can donate your Alaska miles to over a dozen different charities, in 1,000-mile increments, and with no maximums or fees.

☆ Liquor Brands Bet Thrifty Drinkers Will Keep Making At-Home Cocktails
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Joshua Kirby | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Many Americans took to mixing cocktails at home during the pandemic, boosting liquor sales. Now, with inflation squeezing disposable incomes, big distillers are betting on another round of home drinking as consumers economize. Historically, around 80% of all U.S. alcoholic drinks sales were for home drinking, according to IWSR, a drinks market-research firm. That level rose to 90% during the pandemic, and sales at bars aren’t likely to return to pre-Covid levels for another four to five years, IWSR says.

I can often get Disney gift cards at a discountBuying gift cards at a discount means paying less for the gift card than the face value of the card. If you pay any amount less than $50 for a $50 gift card, then that's a discounted gift card. If I buy a $100 Disney gift card at Target each month, I'll have $1,200 after a year. However, if a customer does not have a Cash App Card, they can instead convert their gift card to cash in the app. While Costco doesn't sell Disney gift cards, they sometimes have Landry's gift cards, which can be used at the Rainforest Café and T-Rex Café at Disney World.

☆ Hertz Names First CMO Since 2020 Amid New Focus on Electric Vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. named former GE Appliances marketer Wayne Davis as its new chief marketing officer, making him the first CMO at the car rental services company since 2020, a spokesman said. The company’s most recent chief marketing officer, Jodi Allen, died in 2020. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. Electrification “speaks to mobility, and it speaks to making Hertz a brand for the future,” Mr. Davis said. Mr. Davis previously spent more than a decade at General Electric’s appliances division, which became GE Appliances after being acquired by Haier Smart Home Co. Ltd. in 2016.

There are four main types of cash-back credit cards, and the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card falls into the flat-rate rewards category. How to use rewards from the Quicksilver Cash RewardsYou can redeem your rewards from the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card for a check in the mail or a statement credit. Unlike some other cash-back credit cards, there's no minimum redemption amount with the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. What credit score do you need to qualify for the Quicksilver Cash Rewards Card? Most folks who qualify for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card have a good to excellent credit score (FICO score of at least 670).

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