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☆ YouTuber Casey Neistat let ChatGPT direct and write one of his vlogs: 'That was the worst video I've ever made'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

YouTuber Casey Neistat, popular for vlogging about his NYC life, asked ChatGPT to write him a script. Neistat asked GPT-4 to write a vlog that takes place in downtown Manhattan, and includes his wife. YouTuber Casey Neistat asked the latest version of ChatGPT to write a script for his latest vlog, and the resulting dry dialogue is unintentionally hilarious. Neistat asked GPT-4, which is available via OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus, to write a three to four minute video that includes dialogue and a shot list for downtown Manhattan in the daytime. "Let's take a quick look inside Brookfield Place, one of my favorite spots in downtown Manhattan," Neistat reads, while shaking his head in disagreement.

☆ Apple emailed staff at 7 a.m. surveying them about hybrid work after threatening to discipline employees not going in 3 days a week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple emailed corporate employees on Wednesday at 7 a.m. surveying them about hybrid work. The Apple Employee Survey came after staff were told to start coming into the office 3 days a week. "Anecdotally, I think responses are consistently positive toward remote work and negative toward in-office work" because of "reduced efficiency due to long commutes and frequent distractions." While the "Apple Employee Survey" primarily focused on hybrid work, it also asked employees about company culture. In March 2022 CEO Tim Cook sent a memo informing employees that the company would start phasing in its hybrid work plans.

☆ Home prices suddenly jump after several months of declines
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Home prices nationally rose 0.16% in February, when seasonally adjusted, according to Black Knight. By fall, the rate shot over 7%, and home prices began cooling more quickly. In December and January, however, mortgage rates began pulling back, and homebuyers were quick to take advantage. "Conscious of changing mortgage rates, home buyers are taking advantage of any rate declines," Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, said in the February sales release. Mortgage rates began rising again in February and then fell back slightly in March due to market fears over the U.S. banking system, amid several bank collapses.

☆ Office Doom Loop: Landlords Face a Reckoning As Companies Move to Fancy Offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The Gas Company Tower in downtown Los Angeles has a sterling pedigree, but even that can't save it from the doom loop facing many older office towers. A huge swath of America's office market is vulnerable to these twin threats of being under-equipped with amenities and underwater financially. This behavioral shift has deeply cut into demand for office space. The amount of sublease space nationally more than doubled from 118.5 million square feet at the end of 2019 to 242.8 million square feet at the end of 2022, Colliers stated. Lenders are often reluctant, he said, to seize office buildings because of the costs and expertise required to operate the properties.

☆ Pending home sales squeezed out a tiny gain in February, as mortgage rates jumped
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Higher mortgage rates took some of the juice out of the housing recovery in February. After a sharp gain in January, pending home sales rose just 0.8% month to month, according to the National Association of Realtors. Mortgage rates shot higher in February after dropping sharply in January. Regionally sales moved higher month to month in every region except the West, where they fell 2.4%. Any jump in mortgage rates would have an outsized effect there.

☆ The banking crisis is doing Fed's work and creating a window for stocks to rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

Work from home has in part jacked up food prices, and the increase is about 14% above just last year. The only bank that looks like Silicon Valley Bank is First Republic Bank (FRC) because it, too, has suffered huge deposit withdrawals. Nike (NKE)said China orders were good, so did Club stock Starbucks (SBUX). As counterintuitive as it is, the banking row will give the 4.8% fed funds rate a chance to cool consumer spending. This gives stocks a window to advance until we begin earnings season with what will no doubt be a cautious banking sector.

☆ BlackRock's Larry Fink said the last few years have dramatically reshaped supply chains. Data — and experts — disagree.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

From the headlines, it's easy to think that supply chains are making a major shift closer to the consumer. "The repeated shocks of the past few years have also dramatically reshaped supply chains," Fink wrote in his highly-anticipated annual letter to shareholders Wednesday. His statements echo those from other top execs and prognosticators, who looked at the last few years and saw inevitable evolution toward more localized supply chains. Before the pandemic, supply chains were largely built with cost as a guiding principle. Is a "dramatic" redesign of supply chains possible?

☆ Mortgage rates tumble in the wake of bank failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 6.57% on Monday, according to Mortgage News Daily. Mortgage rates loosely follow the yield on the 10-year Treasury , which fell to a one-month low in response to the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and the ensuing ripple through the nation's banking sector. So if rates continue to drop now, buyers could return once again — but that's a big "if." "This mini banking crisis has to drive a change in consumer behavior in order to have a lasting positive impact on rates. While mortgage rates don't follow the federal funds rate exactly, they are heavily influenced by both its monetary policy and its thinking on the future of inflation.

☆ Mexican stocks are on fire this year. Here's what's driving the gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Closer supply chains to the U.S. are giving Mexican stocks a big boost to start the year. The iShares MSCI Mexico ETF (EWW) , which is made up of Mexican stocks, is performing even better — up 15.2%. EWW YTD mountain EWW in 2023 One key factor driving this early outperformance is "nearshoring," which refers to companies bringing supply chains closer to their home country. In this case, many U.S.-based companies are moving their supply chains to neighboring Mexico, which could lead to even more gains in Mexican stocks. Lippmann said the firm likes stocks directly helped by nearshoring trends, such as the real-estate firm Vesta and airport operator OMA .

☆ Let's ditch the 5-day workweek and the 8-hour workday, says a professor writing a book on how to fix work
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He thinks a shorter week and a shorter work day are overdue, and that we're heading in the right direction. People do want to work, Bruno said, but they don't want to be resentful about being there. When it comes to a shorter workweek, Bruno said, "I'm very confident it would bring people in, because what are you saying to those people? Senator Bernie Sanders is calling for a shorter workweek; Rep. Mark Takano has reintroduced his proposal to make a 32-hour workweek law in the US. Have you tried out a shorter workweek or workday?

☆ Hundreds of Amazon employees join a new Slack channel to support the company's return-to-office policy after 'sensing the danger' of others calling for permanent remote work
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some Amazon staff created a new Slack channel to support the company's new return-to-office mandate. The move came after thousands of employees joined a separate Slack channel opposing the RTO plan. Amazon employees are showing far more support for the Slack channel that opposes the new RTO policy. Hundreds of Amazon employees joined a new Slack channel last week that supports the company's new return-to-office policy, Insider has learned — just days after a much larger group of staff rushed to a separate Slack channel that's fighting against the RTO mandate. Still, remote work seems to have more support from Amazon employees, at least based on the number of people in each of the Slack channels.

The case for falling rentSomething strange is happening in the apartment market. More than 971,000 apartment units were under construction across the US at the end of 2022, the second-largest number on record. There's only so much people are willing to pay,'" said Jon Leckie, a researcher for Rent, a platform that helps landlords market their properties. For now, though, the wave of supply that's already underway should keep rents in check over the next couple of years. Now, as landlords shift their focus from jacking up rents to filling up units, renters can once again look ahead to better days.

☆ The new Bing may not be the game-changer Microsoft wanted it to be, but it's still lit a fire under Google
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Matt Weinberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Users have had creepy, unsettling exchanges with Bing, resulting in Microsoft limiting some features. Win or lose, though, Microsoft Bing has successfully pushed Google towards much-needed innovation. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was not shy about his intent to use the OpenAI partnership as a way to make Google "dance." As I heard someone say this week, Microsoft seems to be speed-running the Gartner hype cycle. It's hard not to feel like Google search has fallen far from its beginnings at what was the most useful, most simple, and cleanest search engine in what was an extremely competitive market.

[1/7] Children draw at a makeshift shelter that hosts about 250 people, half of whom are children, following the the deadly earthquake in Mersin, Turkey, February 13, 2023. Anti-Syrian slogans such as "We don't want Syrians," "Immigrants should be deported," and "No longer welcome" trended on Twitter. TENSIONS ON THE RISETurkey is home to nearly 4 million Syrian refugees, having opened its borders to those fleeing the civil war that erupted there in 2011. Turkey has spent more than $40 billion since 2011 accommodating the refugees at a time of intense economic hardship in the country. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday a new influx of refugees from Syria to Turkey was "out of the question".

☆ AMC Theatres shouldn't be charging more for the best seats — it should be getting rid of the empty ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AMC Theatres announced this week that it would charge more for the best seats in its auditoriums. Here's what it looks like on the AMC Theatres website for a screening at a New York City location:What the new seat pricing looks like on the AMC Theatres website. "This new initiative by AMC Theatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income." AMC's seat-pricing plan isn't going to help the theatrical business. Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners, told Insider in September.

☆ Here's what's happening with home prices as mortgage rates fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

According to two separate indices existing home prices rose to the highest level in 6 years. Joe Raedle | Getty ImagesThe U.S. housing market cooled off pretty dramatically last year, after mortgage rates more than doubled from historic lows. Now, as demand appears to be coming back into the market, due to a slight drop in mortgage rates, prices are pushing back. But mortgage rates began to fall in December, and prices reacted immediately. Lower mortgage rates are driving the new demand.

☆ 80% of workers who quit in the ‘great resignation’ have regrets, according to a new survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The "Great Regret" is the latest workplace trend to sweep the nation, with the majority of professionals who quit their jobs last year wishing they could get a do-over, according to a new survey. Now, 8 out of 10 professionals who left their jobs regret their decision, a new Paychex study finds. Paychex surveyed 825 employees who quit during the "great resignation" and 354 employers to analyze the impact of the quitting spree and gauge employees' job satisfaction. They found that mental health, work-life balance, workplace relationships and the chance to get rehired all suffered as a result. "Despite satisfaction with mental health and work-life balance influencing many resignations, only about half of respondents from our survey said they are satisfied with their mental health (54%) and work-life balance (43%) in their new workplace.

HONG KONG, Jan 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China’s first big vacation of 2023 offers shallow relief to investors. Passenger car sales dropped 21% from the same festive period last year, per Nomura analysts, and real estate keeps plunging. Central bankers terrified that China’s reopening will fuel more global inflation will be relieved. Chinese consumers enjoyed their holiday but there was little sign of dramatic “revenge consumption.” Scarred consumers have too many reasons to avoid splurging for the foreseeable future. The opinions expressed are her own)Follow @ywchen1 on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSMainland China’s Lunar New Year holiday runs from Jan. 21 to Jan. 27 in 2023.

☆ It's the perfect time to start your sneaker collection
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Inflation and high inventory have created the perfect environment for new sneaker collectors. Sneakers are easier to getMost shoes have become relatively easy to get, said a sneaker collector who goes by Sockjig and is the host of the "Sockjig Sneaker Podcast." Sneakerheads new to the Snkrs app might have a better chance of getting one of those "unicorn" shoes, Sockjig said. Saucony is a popular brand among sneaker collectors following casual-fashion trends. And they've placed the emphasis on the Snkrs app," Burns said.

A trade group for venture-capital employees has collected salaries data for the industry. The data sheds light on how much people are getting paid across talent, investor relations, and PR. But what few know is that, behind the scenes, many roles at VC firms play a hand in a startup's growth journey. In recent years, the vital function of platform employees has led firms to grow those teams, and pay them handsomely. The report, now in its sixth year, shares data from 601 survey respondents, including 351 members located in the US.

☆ In the largest-ever experiment of its kind, 33 companies adopted a four-day workweek. The results were conclusive: It's time for everyone to take Fridays off.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Molly Lipson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The results of the new report were unequivocal: The four-day workweek was better for everyone. And nearly all of the 495 employees involved in the trial wanted to maintain the four-day working week. The 4 Day Week trial found that participants spent an hour less time commuting than before the trial. A four-day week also provides vast improvements in well-being, life satisfaction, and sleep for women. As companies continue to grapple with attracting and retaining staff, the four-day week could be a relatively simple solution.

☆ International stock trade could be in the first inning as investors seek alternatives to U.S. tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"FANG" and other big cap tech have faded as favorite trades, but i nvesting in foreign stocks as a way to generate better returns is just beginning. The outperformance in foreign markets has not gone unnoticed by U.S. investors, bruised by the 19.4% decline in the S & P 500 last year. Also, investors in foreign stocks will benefit if their local currencies gain against the dollar. Investors are now monitoring foreign markets much more and focusing on what's happening in currency pairs, like dollar/yen. "I think a lot of investors will play Europe stocks right out of the gate," he said.

☆ I pay $30 a month for a 'season pass' to a dine-in theater chain that is strict about not talking and texting, because I can't stand the experience at normal theaters anymore
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I subscribe to its Alamo Season Pass, a subscription that lets you see a movie a day for $30 a month. The Alamo Season Pass lets me see one movie a day for $30 per month. Alamo DrafthouseI subscribe to its Alamo Season Pass, a membership that lets me see one movie a day for $30 a month. I chose Alamo Season Pass last year, after realizing I was going there quite a bit for all the reasons I mentioned and would save money that way. For instance, you can only get a ticket with your Season Pass within seven days of your screening.

☆ The FTC wants to ban companies from telling their employees they can't work for competitors — and says it'll help workers make $300 billion more a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The FTC wants to ban noncompete agreements, which stop workers from moving to competitors or starting their own similar businesses. Under the FTC's proposed rule, employers wouldn't be able to impose a noncompete, and past ones would be rescinded. FTC Chair Lina Khan said that noncompetes undermine competition and competitive conditions. Under a new proposed rule, the FTC would ban employers from saddling workers with noncompete agreements that prohibit them from working at competitors, or starting similar businesses. In some cases, workers can't start their own businesses similar to the ones they're working in.

What people do to their bodies is their own business, but the ubiquity of injections, fillers and surgery in Hollywood creates a trickle-down problem. The longer you stare at your own face, the more you see how you don’t look like your favorite actor — or influencer. In another catch-22, stars also risk backlash if they do get cosmetic surgery — or if fans believe they have. Bullock, like Kidman, has previously denied getting plastic surgery (although she has talked about using something called Epidermal Growth Factor). Steroids have the same pernicious impact in Hollywood as cosmetic surgery, artificially elevating physical expectations and increasing peer pressure to keep up with the new standards.

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