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☆ Exclusive: Trucking firm prepares long-shot bid for Yellow, seeks US Treasury support
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Jack Cooper officials, including Executive Chair Sarah Amico, have been talking with Biden administration officials in recent months to get support for extending the terms of the loan. The White House said it was referring all Jack Cooper stakeholder inquiries to the Treasury Department. Jack Cooper and the Teamsters union declined to comment. Yellow owns approximately 12,000 trucks and 35,000 trailers, along with hundreds of terminals, according to its bankruptcy court filing. Trucking firm Estes Express submitted a revised bid worth $1.525 billion in cash for Yellow Corp's shipment centers, topping a $1.5 billion bid from Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL.O).

Persons: Mike Blake, Biden, Jack Cooper, Sherrod Brown, Republican Roger Marshall, Bernie Sanders, Trump, Jack Cooper's, Sarah Amico, Amico, Lael Brainard, Brendan Danaher, Bob Casey, Tammy Baldwin, Jarrett Renshaw, Dietrich Knauth, Heather Timmons, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, Yellow, Jack Cooper Transport, Ford, Brotherhood of Teamsters, Senators, Republican, Treasury Department, Reuters, Yellow Corp, Treasury, Biden, Democratic, U.S . Senate, Teamsters, White, National Economic Council, Democratic U.S, Citadel, MFN Partners, Walmart, Trucking, Express, Old Dominion Freight, Thomson Locations: Mexico, San Diego , California, U.S, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nashville , Tennessee, Philadelphia, New York

☆ New VF Corp CEO talks plans to improve business, including Vans turnaround
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

After VF Corp 's Monday quarterly report saw the company withdraw its full-year revenue and profit forecasts, new CEO Bracken Darrell laid out his plans to improve business in an interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer. The company, which owns brands including Vans, North Face and Timberland, saw its sales decline 11% in the U.S during its second quarter, with Vans sales alone down 21%. By Monday's close, VF Corp shares were trading down 4.56%. Darrell joined VF Corp in July, and he said he's no stranger to helping companies reinvigorate business, citing his 10-year run as the CEO of Logitech . And Vans really catered to that through the skater community," he said.

Persons: Bracken Darrell, CNBC's Jim Cramer, Monday's, Darrell Organizations: Vans, U.S, VF Corp, Corp, Logitech

☆ Powerchip, SBI to build chip plant in northern Japan -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp's Japanese business in pictured in Tokyo, Japan July 21 2023. REUTERS/Sam Nussey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (6770.TW) plans to build a chip plant in northern Japan's Miyagi prefecture in cooperation with SBI Holdings (8473.T) with an initial investment of about 400 billion yen ($2.67 billion), the Nikkei business daily said on Friday. Powerchip aims to bring the new plant into operation in 2026, the paper said. Reuters reported earlier this month that Powerchip had closed in on five locations for a new plant and was negotiating subsidies to cover part of the first phase. ($1 = 150.0300 yen)Reporting by Tokyo Newsroom; editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Nussey, Powerchip, Christina Fincher Organizations: Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing, REUTERS, Rights, Powerchip Semiconductor, SBI Holdings, Nikkei, Reuters, Tokyo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Japan's Miyagi

☆ Labcorp beats quarterly profit estimates on strength in routine testing segment
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo for Labcorp, Laboratory Corporation of America, a life sciences company is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - Laboratory Corporation of America (LH.N) topped Wall Street expectations for quarterly adjusted profit on Thursday, as strength in its routine diagnostics business more than offset weak COVID test sales. Peer Danaher (DHR.N) also beat profit expectations earlier this week on the back of strong demand for its diagnostic tests for respiratory diseases. Labcorp reported adjusted profit of $3.38 per share, beating analysts' average estimate of $3.33 per share. The life sciences company also tightened its annual profit per share outlook to between $13.25 and $13.75, from $13 to $14 forecast earlier.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Danaher, Labcorp, Mariam Sunny, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Laboratory Corporation of America, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Quest Diagnostics, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

A fishing boat sails past the Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess cruise ship as it docks in Manila Bay during the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Cavite city, Philippines, May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Carnival Corp's (CCL.N) Australian unit has been ordered to pay the medical expenses of a woman who contracted COVID-19, with a judge ruling that the cruise ship operator misled passengers about safety risks in a landmark class action ruling. The decision from Australia's Federal Court is the first class action win against a cruise ship operator in the world, according to Shine Lawyers, who represent about 1,000 Australian plaintiffs in the suit. Legal filings show the operator denied it knew before the voyage that the risk of contracting COVID was higher on a cruise ship than in the community. The number of plaintiffs could also grow should Australia's High Court rule that some 700 U.S. passengers can be included in the class action.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, COVID, Angus Stewart, Susan Karpik, Henry, Henry Karpik's, Vicky Antzoulatos, Karpik's, Karpik didn’t, Antzoulatos, Lewis Jackson, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Princess Cruises, REUTERS, Rights, Federal, Shine Lawyers, Carnival, Carnival Australia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manila Bay, Cavite city, Philippines, Carnival Australia, Sydney, New Zealand, New South Wales

☆ Nidec shares slump over 9% after it retains annual profit outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Nidec (6594.T) shares tumbled more than 9% on Tuesday after the electric motor maker kept its annual profit outlook unchanged the previous day despite reporting a rise in quarterly profit. Some analysts said the unchanged profit outlook of 220 billion yen ($1.47 billion) for the current year to March 2024 came short of market consensus, while also voicing concerns over declining margins in the Chinese automotive business. "We are still concerned about the outlook for the Chinese EV market and the shift to lower output motors, which is impacting profitability." After the market close on Monday, the Kyoto-based company announced a 7.6% rise in quarterly operating profit, helped by stronger sales and a weaker yen currency. The company's shares were trading down 9.2% by mid-morning, after being untraded with a glut of sell orders earlier in the day.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Mark Chadwick, Mariko Katsumura, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, EV, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, Kyoto

☆ The era of cheap cruises is over. Here's how to find the best deal now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2024 cruise fares will continue to increase past 2019 levels. Carnival Corp, for example, says it is "well positioned to drive 2024 pricing higher." AdvertisementAdvertisementSay goodbye to cheap cruises and get ready to dig deeper into your wallets for a 2024 cruise — demand is now driving future cruise fares to pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels. For 2024, pricing across the industry will be up about 8% compared to this year and 20% compared to 2019. AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's still one big culprit: pent-up demandCarnival Corp's CFO David Bernstein says the company is "well positioned to drive 2024 pricing higher."

Persons: —, itineraries, Tynan Smith, Patrick Scholes, David Bernstein, DANIEL SLIM, Josh Weinstein, Scholes, Smith, Brittany Chang Organizations: Carnival Corp, Service, Cruise, Truist Securities, Carnival, Getty Images, Royal Locations: Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, AFP, Royal Caribbean

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Several U.S. regional banks beat analysts third-quarter profit expectations on Wednesday as higher interest rates allowed them to charge more for loans, although rising loan loss provisions and deposit retention costs crimped margins. Shares of several regional banks fell, including M&T Bank and US Bancorp. Regional banks remain a focus of investor scrutiny. The KBW regional banking index (.KRX) is down nearly 24% year-to-date, while the S&P regional bank (.SPCOMBNKS) has also dropped 33% in the same period. Citizens Financial Group (CFG.N) and First Horizon Corp (FHN.N) both reported a decline in their third quarter profit weighed down by rising credit loss provisions and deposit costs.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Chris Marinac, Janney Montgomery Scott, Marinac, Citizen Financial's, Chibuike Oguh, Michelle Price, David Gregorio Our Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, T Bank, US Bancorp, T Bank Corp, Wall, Bank, Citizens Financial, Horizon Corp, Citizens, Citizen, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Silicon

☆ Starboard says Rupert Murdoch's News Corp should break up
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jeff Smith, CEO and chief investment officer of Starboard Value, L.P., speaks at a panel discussion at the SALT conference in Las Vegas May 14, 2014. Smith's remarks at the 13D Monitor Active Passive Investor Summit came after Reuters revealed last week that Starboard had become a News Corp shareholder, a prelude to a potential shake-up at Murdoch's media empire. "We believe separate news and real estate assets could help unlock $7 billion or more in value," he added. Starboard, which has pushed for changes at companies ranging from Salesforce (CRM.N) to Darden Restaurants <DRI.N,> would struggle to shake up News Corp without Murdoch's consent. If News Corp separates its real estate assets, shareholders would benefit, Smith said.

Persons: Jeff Smith, Rick Wilking, Rupert, Smith's, Smith, REA, Murdoch, Lachlan, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Sharon Singleton, David Gregorio Our Organizations: SkyBridge, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, 13D, Investor, Reuters, News Corp, Dow Jones, Street, Darden, Corp, Svea, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas

[1/2] Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 16, 2023. "And if you look at the month-by-month statistics, Chinese investments are still increasing," he told Reuters. "So I see that in the next two or three years, Chinese investments will still increase drastically in Thailand." But a large proportion of the 228 Chinese investments proposals this year have come in the electronics sector, according to the BOI. Chinese investments will likely continue for the next two years, Jareeporn said.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Tingshu Wang, General Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Srettha, Xiaomi Corp's, Alain Lam, Narit, Jareeporn Jarukornsakul, Jareeporn, Chayut, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Thailand's, Beijing Capital International Airport, Forum, REUTERS, Rights, of Investment, Investment, Reuters, Thai, Initiative, HK, Toyota, Isuzu Motors, WHA, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BANGKOK, Thailand, Singapore, Southeast Asia's, Thailand's, Thai

The logo of Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp's Japanese business in pictured in Tokyo, Japan July 21 2023. REUTERS/Sam Nussey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE/TOKYO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Taiwan chipmaker Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (6770.TW) is considering around five sites in Japan, including Mie prefecture, for setting up a potential $5.4 billion factory as talks on subsidies progress, sources said. Powerchip is looking at around five sites for the factory, the source said. One option is Mie prefecture in central Japan, two sources said, close to the industrial hub of Nagoya and fabs operated by Taiwan's UMC (2303.TW) and Japan's Kioxia. A factory from Powerchip would mark a further commitment by Taiwanese chipmakers into manufacturing in Japan, with TSMC (2330.TW) building a factory in Kyushu in western Japan and eyeing a second.

Persons: Sam Nussey, Powerchip, Taiwan's UMC, eyeing, chipmaker, Fanny Potkin, Miho Uranaka, Muralikumar Organizations: Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing, REUTERS, Rights, Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, SBI Holdings, SBI, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights SINGAPORE, TOKYO, Taiwan, Mie, Nagoya, Powerchip, Kyushu

☆ Exclusive: Activist hedge fund Starboard eyes Rupert Murdoch's News Corp -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The fund's plans and the size of its stake in News Corp could not be learned. News Corp declined to comment and Starboard did not respond to a request for comment. Starboard, which has pushed for changes at companies ranging from Salesforce (CRM.N) to Darden Restaurants (DRI.N), would struggle to shake up News Corp without Murdoch's consent. Irenic did succeed in drumming up investor opposition to Murdoch's proposed merger with his other company Fox Corp (FOXA.O), forcing him to abandon the plan. Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss in New York Editing by Greg Roumeliotis and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Bing Guan, Jeffrey Smith, Rupert Murdoch's, Smith, Murdoch, Dow Jones, Irenic, Murdoch's, Lachlan, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Greg Roumeliotis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: News Corporation, News Corp, Fox, REUTERS, 13D, Investment, New York Times Co, Darden, Corp, Irenic Capital Management, Wall Street, Fox Corp, Reuters, Svea, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S

OTTAWA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) said on Thursday it will make a preliminary decision on Trans Mountain Corp's proposed shipping tolls for its oil pipeline expansion project this autumn, before holding a hearing on the tolls next year. The timing of the decision aims to ensure interim tolls are in place when the pipeline expansion becomes operational, the regulator said in a statement. The 590,000 barrel-per-day Trans Mountain expansion project (TMEP) will nearly triple the flow of oil from the province of Alberta to Canada's Pacific Coast and is expected to start operating late in the first quarter of 2024. But shippers including Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ.TO) and Cenovus Energy (CVE.TO) are disputing the interim tolls proposed by Trans Mountain, arguing a portion of the base toll is too high. "After service begins on the TMEP and final costs are known, Trans Mountain can request approval from the Commission of the CER for final tolls," the regulator said.

Persons: CER, Nia Williams, Ismail Shakil, Leslie Adler, Bill Berkrot Organizations: OTTAWA, Canada Energy Regulator, Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, Canadian, Thomson Locations: Alberta, Coast, Trans

ExxonMobil and Pioneer Natural Resources logos are seen in this illustration taken, October 6, 2023. After brief informal conversations earlier this year, Exxon approached Pioneer about a deal last month, the sources said. Exxon's shares were hovering near record highs, and it had a cash pile of about $30 billion. Woods had already capitalized on elevated energy prices to streamline Exxon's operations and focus on highly profitable oil and gas production. This allowed Exxon to enter the deal negotiations with its stock coveted by investors as a valuable currency.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Darren Woods, Scott Sheffield, Woods, Darren, Sheffield, Scott, Sabrina Valle, David French, Anirban Sen, Sonali Paul Organizations: ExxonMobil, Pioneer, REUTERS, HOUSTON, Exxon Mobil Corp's, Natural Resources, Exxon, Sheffield, Thomson Locations: Guyana, Sheffield, Houston, New York

☆ Union at Kia Corp suspends strike action to resume talks with company
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Heekyong Yang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The union and Kia's management had been holding talks for three months over wage increases and an extension of the retirement age. Earlier, the union said it would limit working hours for six working days from Oct. 12 after negotiations stalled, in what would have been the first industrial action at Kia in three years. Kia declined to comment on the industrial action. Last month, the union at South Korea's second largest automaker with more than 26,600 members said 92.3% of its members had approved strike action unless the management accepts their demands. Because the deals with Hyundai Motor and affiliate Hyundai Mobis (012330.KS) were concluded without any industrial action, Kia's unions are likely to avoid any major industrial action, analysts said.

Persons: Kim Hong, Kia Corp's, Lee Jae, Heekyong Yang, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Kia Corp, REUTERS, Rights, Kia, Reuters, South, Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, Eugene Investment, Securities, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, KS, South Korea's

☆ Kia Corp's unionised workers to go on partial strike over wages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Heekyong Yang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Kia Corp is seen on its electric vehicle EV6 during a photo opportunity in Seoul, South Korea, June 1, 2021. Last month, the union at South Korea's No.2 automaker with more than 26,600 members said 92.3% of its members had approved strike action unless the management accept the demands. The union said it would work regular hours on days when they are holding talks with the management. Kia declined to comment on the strike. Shares in Kia Corp were trading up 0.7%, versus the benchmark KOSPI's (.KS11) 2.1% rise as of 0217 GMT.

Persons: Kim Hong, Kia Corp's, Kia, Lee Jae, Heekyong Yang, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Kia Corp, REUTERS, Rights, Kia, South, Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, Eugene Investment, Securities, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, KS

☆ Cramer's Lightning Round: 'Can't be a fan' of Plug Power
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon SolarEdge's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Plug Power's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Brookfield Infrastructure Partners' year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon KeyCorp's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Monster's year-to-date stock performance.

Persons: they'd Organizations: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners

He said in the short-term resources could be diverted if the conflict expands, such as staff at tech companies being called up as military reservists. "They will probably increase the investment in AI," Krosby said. "It could bolster support for more financial resources for tech for the military, which then ultimately transitions to the private sector tech companies," Krosby added. The tech sector has shown resilience in the past, overcoming a number of conflicts with Hamas in Gaza. Apjit Walia the Managing Director at DVN Capital said the Israeli tech sector "has historically bounced back from geopolitical tragedies."

Persons: Amir Cohen, Israel, Jack Ablin, Quincy Krosby, Jensen Huang, Benjamin Netanyahu, LPL's Krosby, Krosby, DVN Capital, Max A, Cherney, Mica Rosenberg, Steven Scheer, Kenneth Li, Megan Davies, Jamie Freed Organizations: Intel, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Tech, Hamas, Cresset Wealth, Financial, Intel Corp, Sunday, Nvidia, Tel, Semiconductor, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Google, Facebook, DVN, Thomson Locations: Petah Tikva, Tel Aviv, Israel, JERUSALEM, Gaza, Charlotte , North Carolina, United States, Silicon Valley, Kiryat Gat, Apjit, Francisco, New York, Jerusalem

[1/2] A sign of Microsoft Corp's Bing search engine is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China September 21, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 9 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are asking Microsoft's (MSFT.O) users and rivals whether Bing should comply with new tough tech rules and also whether that should be the case for Apple's (AAPL.O) iMessage, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. The European Commission in September opened investigations to assess whether Microsoft's Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising as well as Apple's iMessage should be subject to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The probes came after the companies contested the EU competition regulator labelling these services as core platform services under the DMA. The Commission sent out questionnaires earlier this month, asking rivals and users to rate the importance of Microsoft's three services and Apple's iMessage versus competing services.

Persons: Stringer, Microsoft's, Bing, Microsoft's Bing, Foo Yun Chee, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Microsoft, Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, Rights, European Commission, Edge, Microsoft Advertising, Digital Markets, EU, Apple, Google, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights BRUSSELS

☆ Cramer's Lightning Round: Veeva is a buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Veeva's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon US Bancorp's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Marvell's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Snowflake's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Teekay's year-to-date stock performance.

Persons: they'll, Stock's, Frank Slootman's, Gray, I'm, that's Organizations: US Bancorp, American Electric, Marvell, Gray Television

☆ Origin Energy shares surge after regulator clears Brookfield's $9.8 bln bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Scott Murdoch | トムソンロイター | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Australian Super, the largest investor, raised its stake to 14% last month and called the shares undervalued. Perpetual, a major Australian fund manager and Origin shareholder, has pushed Brookfield and its partner, U.S. private equity firm EIG, to consider raising their offer to win Origin, according to local media reports. Origin shares jumped to A$9.19 in early trading, well above the A$8.91 per share price of the consortium bid lodged in March, on speculation a higher offer could be forthcoming. Under the consortium deal, Origin will be broken up into two businesses, with its energy markets arm including its electricity generation and electricity and gas retail businesses to be acquired by Brookfield. Brookfield would also be prohibited from selling more than 10% of either Origin or AusNet in the future to one party.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Max Vickerson, I'm, Vickerson, Newmont, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Brookfield, Scott Murdoch, Jamie Freed 私 Organizations: Brookfield, REUTERS, SYDNEY, Origin Energy, Brookfield Corp, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, stockbroker Morgans, Perpetual, Newcrest Mining, Energy, ACCC, AusNet Services Locations: Australian, Brookfield, Australia, Victoria

☆ Cramer's Lightning Round: Stay away from PacWest Bancorp
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Energy Transfer's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Perrigo's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Robinhood's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Palantir's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon PacWest Bancorp's year-to-date stock performance.

Persons: PacWest, Kratos, Jim Cramer's Organizations: Energy, Costco

SYDNEY, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The blocking of three major deals by Australia's antitrust regulator in the past year was a coincidence, its chair told Reuters, pushing back against concerns among bankers that it has become deal-averse. "There happens to have been a sequence, frankly coincidentally as it turns out, of oppositions," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in an interview. There are some concerns that it could be blocked as Brookfield owns AusNet, a poles and wires asset in Victoria state. Cass-Gottlieb also said she doubted foreign investors have been dissuaded from pursuing deals in Australia which does not require companies to get formal clearance before proceeding with a takeover. "The recent stream of merger blockages will make foreign investors think twice."

Persons: Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Canada's Brookfield, Cass, Stephen Corones, Hannah Marshall, it's, Byron Kaye, Scott Murdoch, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Telstra, TPG, ANZ, Transurban, Origin Energy, Brookfield, FOCUS Cass, Investors, Queensland University of Technology, Cass, Marque Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, AusNet, Victoria, Australia, Queensland

☆ Exclusive: China's Nio explores investment, tech alliances with Mercedes - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nio, when contacted, denied it talked to Mercedes on a collaboration, calling it "untrue", without elaborating. Mercedes said in a separate response that there were no collaboration plans with Nio at the moment. Chinese EV companies may also be able to navigate potential trade barriers better by forging such tie-ups. Nio, whose investors include Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK), has publicly called for more such tie-ups with established automakers. ($1 = 7.3127 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Additional reporting by Ilona Wissenbach in Frankfurt; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: William Li, Ola Kaellenius, Nio, Mercedes, Leapmotor, Elon Musk, Tesla, Nio's Li, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Ilona Wissenbach, Muralikumar Organizations: HK, Mercedes, Benz, Nio, EV, Volkswagen, SAIC, Audi, VW's, Tencent Holdings, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, Tesla, Frankfurt

☆ Supreme Court ethics concerns aren't going away
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Andrew Chung | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The ethics concerns are not going away, according to legal experts, even as the court in its new term takes up cases that could further expand gun rights and curtail the regulatory authority of federal agencies. Some conservatives view the ethics narrative involving the court as cooked up by liberals upset at its rightward leanings. Supreme Court justices decide for themselves whether to disqualify themselves from cases due to a conflict of interest. Thomas, Alito and lawyers involved in the two cases did not respond to requests for comment. The lack of an ethics code, Fogel added, "will continue to fuel doubts, fairly or unfairly, about the court's integrity."

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Jeremy Fogel, drumbeat, John Malcolm, Malcolm, Thomas, Harlan Crow, ProPublica, Koch, Alito, Paul Singer, Singer's, Neil Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, Geoffrey Stone, Fogel, Andrew Chung, John Kruzel, Will Dunham 私たち Organizations: U.S, Supreme, hobnobbing, Judicial, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Reuters, Heritage Foundation, Singer, Singer's Elliott Investment Management, Windstream, University of Chicago Law Locations: U.S, Texas, Alaska, Chicago, New York, Washington

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