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☆ Amazon, Meta back Scale AI in $1 billion funding deal that values firm at $14 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Riley De León | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Artificial intelligence startup Scale AI said Tuesday that it has raised $1 billion in a Series F funding round that values the enterprise tech company at $13.8 billion — almost double its last reported valuation. 12 on this year's CNBC Disruptor 50 list, has now raised $1.6 billion to date. Existing investors including Y Combinator, Nat Friedman, Index Ventures, Founders Fund, Coatue, Thrive Capital, Spark Capital, Nvidia, Tiger Global Management, Greenoaks, and Wellington Management also participated in the round. Scale AI is playing a key role in the rise of generative artificial intelligence and large language models, with the data — whether it is text, images, video or voice recordings — needing to be labeled correctly before it can be digested and used effectively by AI technology. Scale AI has evolved from labeling data used to train models that powered autonomous driving to now helping to improve and fine tune the underlying data for nearly any organization looking to implement AI, powering some of the most advanced models in use.

Persons: Elad Gil, Y Combinator, Nat Friedman, Alexandr Wang Organizations: CNBC, Accel, Cisco Investments, Intel Capital, ServiceNow Ventures, AMD Ventures, WCM, Color Genomics, Meta, Ventures, Founders Fund, Spark Capital, Nvidia, Tiger Global Management, Wellington Management Locations: San Francisco, AGI

☆ New Caledonia riots: Australia, New Zealand send evacuation flights after week of deadly violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Sydney/Wellington —Australia and New Zealand said they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory which has experienced a week of deadly riots, sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris. France’s High Commission in New Caledonia said on Tuesday the airport remains closed for commercial flights, and it will deploy the military to protect public buildings. There were around 3,200 people waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were canceled due to the unrest that broke out last week, the local government has said. Theo Rouby/AFP/Getty ImagesNew Zealand, French and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening, after New Zealand and Australia said they were waiting for clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft to evacuate tourists. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days – and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

Persons: Theo Rouby, Winston Peters, “, Penny Wong Organizations: Sydney, Wellington —, Commission, Getty, New, ” New Zealand Foreign, Australia’s Locations: Wellington, Wellington — Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Paris, France’s, France, Normandy, Noumea, AFP, Zealand, Australia, “, Zealanders, Nouméa, ”

☆ Tsai Ing-wen: the leader who put Taiwan on the map and stood up to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Wayne Chang | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

While supporters applaud Tsai for standing up to China, defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, freedom and democracy, critics blame her for straining ties with Beijing, stoking cross-strait tensions. Beijing, which deems the tacit agreement a precondition for dialogue, has cut official contact with Taipei since Tsai took office. Taiwan President Tsai inspects reservists at a training session at a military base in Taoyuan on May 11, 2023. But under Tsai, Taiwan has sought to enhance its asymmetric defense capabilities, developing and procuring cheaper and more mobile weapon systems that could be instrumental in halting a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwanese military experts have increasingly advocated for such an approach, noting that Taiwan can never match China in military might and assets.

Persons: Taipei CNN — Tsai Ing, introvert, ” Tsai, Xi Jinping, Xi, Tsai, stoking, Taiwan’s, Lai Ching, ”, Alex Chan Tsz Yuk, Wellington Koo, “, Vanessa Hope, Ma Ying, Taiwan's, Jose Lopes Amaral, Wen, Amanda Hsiao, Nancy Pelosi, Chien Chih, Nancy Pelosi’s, Huang, Jameson Wu, ” Sung, ” Hsiao, “ Tsai, Sawayasu Tsuji, Sung, ” Tsai’s, –, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Kuomintang, KMT, World Health Organization, WHO, Atlantic, Trump, Biden, International Crisis, US, Getty, World Health Assembly, National Chengchi University, Getty Images, Taiwan’s Military Academy, ” Tsai’s DPP Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, China, United States, Beijing, Tsai, Asia, Wellington, Ukraine, Gaza, Japan, Czech Republic, Republic of China, Taoyuan, AFP, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ Hartford Total Return Bond ETF yields nearly 5% and prides itself on finding value across the market
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

HTRB saw a total return last year of 7.15%, and ranked in the 23rd percentile among its peers, according to Morningstar. The portfolio has 51% of its assets in mortgage-backed securities and 25% in investment-grade credit, according to the fund's website. Compared to many of its peers in the intermediate core plus bond Morningstar category, Hartford Total Return Bond ETF leans a bit more on securitized markets instead of investment-grade corporate debt, according to Morningstar. Finding opportunities Right now, one of the areas Goodman sees value in is agency mortgage-backed securities. Goodman also likes structured finance right now, like collateralized loan obligations, commercial mortgage-backed securities and nonagency residential mortgage-backed securities.

Persons: Campe Goodman, Morningstar, Goodman, HTRB, Morningstar . Goodman, Mike Mulach, Bonds, Fitch Organizations: Hartford, SEC, Wellington, Bloomberg U.S, Morningstar, BB, Poor's, Federal Reserve Locations: Wellington, Eastern Europe

☆ Citadel's stock-pickers lead the way in April — here's how hedge fund competitors fared
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Bradley Saacks | Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ken Griffin's $61 billion Citadel is leading multistrat funds in performance this year. The firm's flagship fund returned 2% in April, bringing 2024 gains to 7.8%. Firms such as Walleye, Millennium, and Schonfeld are also off to a strong start this year. Despite equity markets tumbling in April, Ken Griffin's teams of stockpickers helped lead his firm to a 2% return in its $61 billion flagship fund. A person close to Griffin's Citadel told Business Insider that Wellington's year-to-date returns rose to 7.8% following April's gains.

Persons: Ken Griffin's, stockpickers Organizations: Citadel, Walleye, Griffin's Citadel, Business Locations: Miami

☆ Princess Charlotte turns 9! See the sweet photo from her parents to mark the occasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —A photograph of a beaming Princess Charlotte has been released by the Prince and Princess of Wales to mark her ninth birthday. The children, from left, are Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Savannah Phillips, Isla Phillips, Lena Tindall and Mia Tindall. The Duchess of Cambridge/Getty Images The Prince and Princess of Wales have released a photo of Princess Charlotte to mark her ninth birthday on Thursday, May 2. Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images Princess Charlotte, William and Catherine's middle child, is seen in this handout photo released on May 1, 2021, a day before her sixth birthday. The Duchess of Cambridge via Getty Images Princess Charlotte playfully sticks out her tongue while attending a King's Cup regatta with her mother in 2019.

Persons: Charlotte, Prince, Princess, “, Catherine , Princess of Wales, Prince Louis ’, Prince William, Kate, Kensington, It’s, Princess Charlotte, Charlotte’s, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince George, Prince Louis , Princess, Savannah, Isla Phillips, Lena Tindall, Mia Tindall, Duchess, Wales, Wales Prince George, William, George, Samir Hussein, Barack Obama, Pete Souza, Carl Court, Prince George . The Duchess, Cambridge, Chris Jackson, Ben Stansall, Prince Louis, Louis, AP Prince Louis, Kate's, Catherine, Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of, Prince Archie, Archie, Toby Melville, Prince Archie of Sussex, Dominic Lipinski, Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice, Sienna, Prince Andrew . Princess Eugenie, Prince Edward, James, Earl of Wessex, Sophie, Lady Louise Mountbatten, Louise, Steve Parsons, Cousins Mia Tindall, Savannah Phillips, Princess Eugenie, Princess Anne, Mia, Mike, Zara Tindall, Peter, Autumn Phillips, Max Mumby, Savannah's, Zara Tindall's, Lena, Zara, Lucas, ”, Queen Elizabeth II’s, King Charles ’, wasn’t, That’s, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Organizations: London CNN, CNN, Westminster Abbey, St, of England High, Getty, Kensington Palace, William, AP, Press Association, CNN’s Royal, Mary’s Locations: Wales, Windsor, Kensington, Sandringham, Norfolk, London, UK’s, Midlands, St Michael’s, Prince Louis , Princess Charlotte, Savannah Phillips, Cambridge, AFP, Duchess of Sussex, South Africa, Edinburgh, Mia, Savannah, Wellington, Charlotte, British, St

☆ Labor Day isn’t the holiday it once was for China’s workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Chris Lau | Hassan Tayir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Like hundreds of millions of workers in China, Hao Zeyu, an algorithm engineer at an electric vehicle maker, is getting five days off this week for the Labor Day holiday. So, why has a decades-old policy caused so much upset in a country whose Communist Party leadership pays annual homage to International Workers’ Day? Trending topicIn recent weeks, complaints about this year’s Labor Day leave arrangements have exploded on Chinese social media. Tourists visit the Qiansimen Jialing River Bridge during the May Day holiday on May 1, 2023 in Chongqing, China. Labor Day isn’t the only holiday to get the adjusted rest policy.

Persons: Hao Zeyu, Hao, “, ” Hao, ”, Yao, Max Teng, it’s, Yaer Tuerdi, Pang Dong Lai, Yu Donglai, Yu, Teng Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Labor, CNN, Communist Party, International Workers, Workers, Weibo, Tourists, China News Service, University of Wellington, “ Workers Locations: China, Hong Kong, Chongqing, United States, United Kingdom, Kentucky, Henan

☆ Earnings reports have sparked big swings for tech stocks. Here's what chart experts are watching
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A whirlwind earnings week saw traders jumping in and out of some of the biggest stocks in the market. For example, shares of Meta Platforms fell 10.6% on Thursday after earnings beat expectations, but revenue guidance was weak . On a chart, those big post-earnings moves can leave "gaps" that may become a key area to watch going forward. What's next for Meta Meta looks like a potential example of the gap being filled after its sharp drop on Thursday. A macro view The big moves by tech giants this past week could make index-level trades a bit tricky.

Persons: John Butters, Katie Stockton, Stockton, What's, …, Frank Gretz, Wellington Shields, Gretz, Larry Benedict, Benedict Organizations: Meta, CNBC, Nvidia, Wellington, Intel, Microsoft Locations: FactSet

☆ How much Bill Gates pays in property taxes on his pricey real estate portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bill Gates has amassed an extensive — and high value — real estate portfolio. Last year, the homes owned by Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates, racked up a $2.7 million property tax bill last year. That's more than 700 times as much as the average American pays in property taxes each year. Gates' highest property tax bill is in Washington state, where he has a 10.5-acre property in the tony Seattle suburb of Medina along Lake Washington. While high by most standards, Gates' property tax bill represents less than 0.01% of his $148 billion net worth — and a fraction of his total tax bill.

Persons: Bill Gates, Gates, —, Melinda French Gates, French Gates, ProPublica Organizations: Service, Yellowstone Club Locations: French, Seattle, Washington, tony Seattle, Medina, Lake Washington, California, Del Mar, Florida, Wellington, Montana

☆ She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

He quickly found the Wellington dating pool to be full of people he vaguely knew – friends of friends or old college acquaintances. The whole thing was quite surreal, made only more so by the fact that Samantha had now met Toby’s parents before she’d actually met Toby in person. When Samantha returned to London, Toby was in a bad way. “But we were spending 24/7 together.”Samantha says the decision was obvious “pretty much as soon as we met in real life.”In time, Toby met Samantha’s family. Telling the story on stageSamantha first told the story of how she met Toby on stage in 2018.

Persons: Samantha Hannah, Samantha, “, ”, ” Samantha, she’d, absentmindedly, I’d, ’ ”, wasn’t, Samantha swiped, Toby, –, ” Toby, Toby Hunter, he’d, Samantha’s, – Samantha, Wellington, “ Sammy, ” she’d, – he’d, they’d, he’s, Samantha Hannah Toby, Sammy, I’m, Toby’s, “ We’d, ’ Toby, Samantha Hannah Samantha, Toby hadn’t, ’ ” Samantha, Samantha –, London, Madame Tussauds, Samanta’s, Time, Samantha didn’t, who’d, that’s, didn’t, ” –, Mount, “ We’re, Samantha Hannah Today, she’s, It’s, Toby –, it’s, doesn’t, We’ve, we’ve, Toby aren’t, “ I’ll, Toby hasn’t, “ We’ve, Toby wasn’t Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Facebook, Marlborough, Civilian, New Zealand, MTV, London, Design Museum, Wellington Opera House, Edinburgh Fringe, Scottish, Comedy Locations: Australia, New Zealand, Perth, Scotland, Zealand, Wellington, Gisborne , New Zealand, Napier, London, Bali, Wellington , New Zealand, NZ, Glenorchy , New Zealand, New, ”, Budapest, Hungary, Heathrow, Toby’s, “, Edinburgh

☆ A person was taken to hospital after a gallon of ammonia was spilled in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A gallon of ammonia was spilled in the basement of a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Illinois, local emergency services said. AdvertisementA person was taken to hospital in a "stable" condition after about a gallon of ammonia spilled in the basement of a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in a city in the suburbs of Chicago, local emergency services said. Business Insider did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment from Gordon Ramsay Restaurants North America, sent outside regular US working hours. The Scottish TV chef originally opened most of his North American restaurants in partnerships with Caesar's Entertainment, but began opening some through Gordon Ramsay North America in 2019. AdvertisementSquatters have recently taken over one of Ramsay's restaurants in London and turned it into what they described as a community art café.

Persons: Gordon Ramsay, —, Phil Giannattasio, Giannattasio, Ramsay Organizations: Staff, Service, Disease Control, Business, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants North, DuPage County Health Department, Scottish, Caesar's Entertainment, Gordon Ramsay North America Locations: Illinois, Chicago, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants North America, DuPage County, Europe, North America, Asia, Chelsea, London, American, Naperville, Wellington, British

☆ Meghan, Duchess of Sussex unveils first product from American Riviera Orchard
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has unveiled the first product from her new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, sending jars of strawberry jam to influencers and friends. Several people have posted about the jam to social media, including fashion designer Tracy Robbins and Argentinian socialite Delfina Blaquier. “Breakfast, lunch and dinner just got a little sweeter,” Robbins wrote in the second image, with both photos showing a jar labeled “17 of 50.”A photo of American Riviera Orchard jam posted to Instagram by Tracy Robbins. Meghan rebranded the account American Riviera Orchard, and the bio confirms the account is run by her. The American Riviera Orchard website is similarly mysterious, featuring just a landing page.

Persons: CNN — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Tracy Robbins, Delfina Blaquier, Robbins, ” Robbins, Instagram Blaquier, ”, Meghan, butters, Richard Genow, Prince Harry, “ Organizations: CNN, Archewell Productions, Netflix Locations: Instagram, Wellington , Florida

☆ Dollar stands tall as U.S. rate-cut bets recede
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar steadied on Monday, holding its biggest weekly gain since 2022, as escalating conflict in the Middle East and the prospect of stubbornly high U.S. interest rates gave support. The dollar steadied on Monday, holding its biggest weekly gain since 2022, as escalating conflict in the Middle East and the prospect of stubbornly high U.S. interest rates gave support. There was little initial reaction to a weekend attack on Israel by Iran. Canadian and New Zealand inflation figures are due on Tuesday, along with Chinese growth numbers. British inflation data is out on Wednesday and Aussie jobs data on Thursday.

Persons: Jason Wong, Sterling Organizations: New Locations: Asia, Israel, Iran, New Zealand, Israeli, Damascus, Wellington, Zealand

☆ Prince Harry Hits the Polo Field in Front of Netflix Cameras
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Carson Griffith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In front of rolling cameras and a crowd of nearly 300 guests, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, barreled toward one end of a polo field in South Florida on Friday. “The Duke of Sussex may score a goal!” an announcer cried through a loudspeaker at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge to Benefit Sentebale, which was attended by spectators including Serena Williams and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and by film crews with Netflix. The streamer is producing a polo-related project with Harry and Meghan that was announced on Thursday and that will be filmed in Wellington, an affluent area near Palm Beach known for its equestrian scene. The announcer and many in the crowd groaned audibly when Harry missed the shot. He was wearing a blue and white jersey with the No.

Persons: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, “, Duke, Sussex, Serena Williams, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Harry Organizations: Royal, Netflix Locations: South Florida, Wellington, Palm, Lesotho, Botswana

☆ Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry have two new Netflix shows in production
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry are continuing their work with Netflix. The streaming giant confirmed to CNN on Thursday that the couple’s Archewell Productions has two new nonfiction series in production at Netflix as part of a multi-year overall deal signed in 2020. The first series will be curated by Meghan and “will celebrate the joys of cooking & gardening, entertaining, and friendship” according to Netflix. Netflix has already worked with the couple on three other nonfiction series, including “Harry & Meghan” which peeled back the curtain on their relationship with the royal family and their move to the US after they stepped down from their royal duties. The company also produced for the streaming giant “Live To Lead,” an interview series featuring world leaders, and the “Heart of Invictus,” a documentary series about the event and organization whose founding patron is Prince Harry.

Persons: CNN — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Meghan, “, Harry, ” Organizations: CNN, Netflix Locations: Wellington , Florida

☆ Read Ken Griffin's letter to Citadel investors. He gives his 2024 outlook and talks about building a 'formidable team.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Griffin noted that 2023 was a difficult year for the hedge fund industry and expected the medium-term to "remain challenging." Citadel and Griffin's market maker, Citadel Securities, received over 100,000 applications for full-time jobs and internships this year, Griffin said. "We take pride in having built one of the most formidable teams in hedge fund history," he said. The remarkable achievements of our portfolio managers are a testament to the constructive and empowering culture at Citadel. Assembling the Premier Team in Hedge Fund HistoryWe take pride in having built one of the most formidable teams in hedge fund history.

Persons: Griffin, Kenneth C Organizations: Business, Disney World, Citadel, Citadel Securities, Citadel Wellington LLC, Team, Congressional, U.S, LCH Investments Locations: United States

☆ Cyberattacks: New Zealand joins UK, US in accusing China of espionage hacks as coordinated pressure on Beijing grows
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —New Zealand has joined the United States and the United Kingdom in accusing China of launching “malicious” cyberattacks through state-backed hackers, as Beijing comes under growing scrutiny in a big election year for democracies around the world. The Chinese embassy in London dismissed the claims as “completely unfounded” and “malicious slander,” calling the sanctions “outright political manipulation.”“China is a major victim of cyberattacks. We have firmly fought and stopped all kinds of malicious cyber activities in accordance with the law, and have never encouraged, supported or condoned cyberattacks,” the embassy said, reiterating Beijing’s long-held stance on the matter. Australia and the European Union has also expressed solidarity with the UK and voiced concerns over China’s alleged malicious cyber activities. Without naming China, the EU said it would continue to monitor and address malicious cyber activities and stand ready to take further action when necessary.

Persons: Judith Collins, “, Zealand’s, ” Collins, Wang Xiaolong, Winston Peters, ” Peters, Penny Wong, Clare O’Neil Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, United, New, UK, Parliamentary, Office, Parliamentary Service, New Zealand, Wellington, European Union, Australia’s Foreign, Home Affairs, Inter, Parliamentary Alliance Locations: Hong Kong, Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, China, Beijing, New Zealand, London, PRC, Australia, EU, Canada

☆ Only Iceland, Finland, and 5 other countries had clean enough air to meet a global safety standard: data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The 2023 World Air Quality Report showed that only a few countries have acceptable air quality. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementHardly any countries have clean enough air to hit a global safety benchmark, according to new research. The only seven countries deemed acceptable were Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, Australia, and New Zealand. Advertisement"The science is pretty clear about the impacts of air pollution and yet we are so accustomed to having a background level of pollution that's too high to be healthy.

Persons: —, IQAir, Marco Bottigelli, Hammes, David Dee Delgado Organizations: Service, World Health Organization, Guardian, Chrysler, Getty, Las Locations: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Canada, North America, Swiss, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, French Polynesia, Southern Iceland, Northern America, West, New York City, Helinski, Tallinn, Hamilton, Bermuda, Reykjavik, Canberra, Wellington, San Juan ( Puerto Rico, Columbus , Ohio, Las Vegas

☆ Citadel's Ken Griffin says the Fed shouldn't cut too quickly, citing big tailwinds supporting inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ken Griffin, Citadel founder and CEO, thinks the Federal Reserve should move slowly to cut interest rates in its fight against stubborn inflation. "If I'm them, I don't want to cut too quickly," Griffin said at the International Futures Industry conference in Boca Raton, Florida on Tuesday. "The worst thing they could end up doing is cutting, pausing and then changing direction back towards higher rates quickly. So we've got two big, big tailwinds that continue to support the inflation narrative," Griffin said. While the inflation rate is well off its mid-2022 peak, it still remains well above the Fed's 2% goal.

Persons: Ken Griffin, Griffin, we've Organizations: Citadel, Reserve, International Futures Industry, Boca, Fed Locations: Boca Raton , Florida, multistrategy Wellington

☆ Why private equity has been involved in every recent bank deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Greg Nash | ReutersThe $1 billion-plus injection that New York Community Bank announced Wednesday is the latest example of private equity players coming to the need of a wounded American lender. Led by $450 million from ex-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's Liberty Strategic Capital, a group of private investors are plowing fresh funds into NYCB. That happened to Silicon Valley Bank, whose failure to raise funding last year was effectively its death knell. On Wednesday, headlines around noon that NYCB was seeking capital sent its shares down by 42% before trading was halted. "With private deals, you can talk for a while, and we almost got to the finish line before there was any publicity."

Persons: Jerome Powell, Steven Mnuchin, Greg Nash, Steven Mnuchin's, Warburg Pincus, HomeStreet, Steven Kelly, NYCB Organizations: Financial, Treasury, Reuters, York Community Bank, Strategic Capital, Centerbridge Partners, FirstSun, Wellington Management, Yale Program, Silicon Valley Bank Locations: Rayburn, Washington , U.S, NYCB, PacWest, Banc, California, it's, Silicon

☆ Schonfeld's strong start to 2024 has the once-imperiled manager besting larger peers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Bradley Saacks | Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The $10 billion manager returned 1.5% last month in its flagship fund, pushing its 2024 returns to 3.3% for the year, sources close to the firm told Business Insider. Since September, when Schonfeld was drumming up cash and cutting costs, the firm has returned 6.2% in its flagship fund and 7.4% in fundamental equity. Its 2023 performance to date has the New York-based manager leading its multi-strategy peers, including Millennium and Ken Griffin's Citadel. AdvertisementBalyasny, which trailed peers in 2023, was flat last month, while Michael Gelband's ExodusPoint was up 0.7%.

Persons: —, Schonfeld, Griffin's, Steve Cohen's Point72, Michael Gelband's ExodusPoint Organizations: Service, Schonfeld Strategic, Millennium, Business, Investors, Griffin's Citadel, Citadel Wellington Locations: Asia, York, Wellington

☆ Top stocks to play the future of energy from an investor managing a $5 billion Vanguard fund
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Vanguard Energy Fund originated in 1984 and until Levering arrived, it had focused for more than three-decades on oil, gas and coal investments. "My view was that's fossil fuel energy — that's not energy," Levering told CNBC in an interview. Levering took over the Vanguard fund in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic had effectively shut down the global economy. Levering said the Vanguard Energy Fund is structured to remain resilient and deliver returns through its hybrid approach, regardless of the macroeconomic turns the world takes. European oil majors The Vanguard Energy Fund remains heavily weighted toward oil and gas companies.

Persons: Tom Levering, Levering Organizations: Vanguard Energy Fund, CNBC, Vanguard, Wellington Management, U.S, Congress, Invesco, Utilities, Duke Energy, Shell, BP Locations: Covid, Russia, Ukraine, French, Southern

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery plans to close New Zealand TV news channel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Warner Bros. CNN is also owned by Warner Bros. Under New Zealand law, a proposed restructure or redundancies must be consulted on before a final decision can be announced. Put simply, the economic headwinds means the returns are not there,” said Glen Kyne, a senior vice president, at Warner Bros. Warner Bros.

Persons: ”, Glen Kyne, Newshub, ” Kyne Organizations: Wellington, Warner Bros, CNN, Warner Bros ., New, TVNZ, “, Discovery Locations: New Zealand, Australia

☆ Wall Street giants like JPMorgan and Pimco are walking back their environmental pledges after years of outspoken support for fighting climate change
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewSome Wall Street giants, many of which have spent the last few years pledging to fight climate change through corporate responsibility, are now retreating from some of their environmental initiatives. Founded in 2017, Climate Action 100+ initially launched as a five-year initiative that in 2022 was extended until 2030. AdvertisementFollowing the departures of JPMorgan, State Street, and Pimco, financial investors including Neuberger Berman, William Blair Investment Management, and Wellington Management remain members of Climate Action 100+, whose targeted companies include American Airlines, Chevron, and Procter & Gamble. Other finance giants have similarly stepped back from previous environmentally friendly initiatives, The New York Times reported. They include BlackRock, which scaled back its participation with Climate Action 100+ in recent weeks, as well as Bank of America, which walked back a pledge to stop financing coal.

Persons: —, Neuberger Berman, William Blair Organizations: Service, JPMorgan, State Street, Business, New York Times, Politico, State, William Blair Investment Management, Wellington Management, Climate, American Airlines, Chevron, Procter, Gamble, The New York Times, BlackRock, Bank of America

☆ New Zealand central bank blames inflation for restrictive policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Adrian Orr, governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ), speaks during a news conference in Wellington, New Zealand, on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. New Zealand's top central banker on Monday said the inflation challenge was still not over and cited broad financial pressure for retaining a "restrictive monetary policy" position. Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Adrian Orr, appearing before a parliamentary committee, said the current inflation rate at 4.7% was still too high and that the board's aim was to continue to slow it down to around 2%. "That's why we've retained a restrictive monetary policy stance with the official cash rate at 5.5% and we'll be back at the end of this month again with our updated views on the wisdom of that stance," Orr told lawmakers. The bank is due to meet at the end of the month.

Persons: Adrian Orr, we've, we'll, Orr Organizations: Reserve Bank of New Zealand Locations: Wellington , New Zealand

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