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☆ EU considers ban on 'forever chemicals', urges search for alternatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"A ban on PFAS would reduce quantities of PFAS in the environment over the long term. Once the ban is in force, companies will be given between 18 months and 12 years to introduce alternatives to the more than 10,000 PFAS affected, depending on the availability of alternatives, according to the draft proposal. The FPP4EU group of 14 companies that make and use PFAS has said that finding alternatives is a long and difficult process. Within the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), two scientific committees for Risk Assessment and for Socio-Economic Analysis will now review whether the proposal to ban PFAS conforms with wider EU regulation of chemicals known as REACH, followed by a scientific evaluation and consultation with the industry. In August, the United States government said it will propose designating certain forever chemicals as hazardous substances under the U.S. Superfund programme.

☆ Costs could rise even more in 2023—and thousands of CEOs blame climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Their reason: climate change. Such incidents have led environmental experts and economists to establish a link between climate change and inflation. Climate change isn't considered a primary driver of today's inflation, but economists say the connection will deepen as the planet continues to warm — making the link more noticeable and acute. At the corporate level, only CEOs who feel directly exposed to climate change are likely to take steps to address it, PwC's survey found. Many company-driven climate efforts aren't even particularly successful, the report noted.

☆ The Biden administration gave Southwest a deadline to issue refunds for the flight chaos over Christmas. A month later, some passengers were still waiting to be paid.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Pete Buttigieg gave the airline a deadline for refunds, but it came and went. John Erickson, a Southwest passenger who was stuck in Denver for three days after Southwest canceled his flight, told WFLA the airline told him it would take months to receive his refund. In a statement provided to Insider, Southwest rebuked the possibility it engaged in unrealistic flight schedules. Southwest previously told Insider last week it was still working daily to process refund and reimbursement requests from passengers. The spokesperson said DOT "will hold Southwest accountable if it fails" to issue timely refunds or reimbursements.

☆ Billions of political text messages were sent last year — and there’s little to stop more from coming
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Alex Ford | Alex Ford Is An Interactive Journalist At Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

More than 15 billion political texts were sent in 2022 according to call-blocking service Robokiller — about 50 messages for every phone in the country. Political texts spiked last fall during the run-up to November’s midterm election. Republican campaigns and groups sent the bulk of political texts sent in 2022, Robokiller’s data shows. Even if they don’t recall consenting to political texts, voters have limited options for revoking it. Political texts are not subject to the federal Do Not Call registry, which allows consumers to opt out of telemarketing calls and text messages.

☆ Sri Lanka hopeful of completing debt restructuring in six months, says cenbank chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COLOMBO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is committed to meeting all its debt repayments and is hoping to complete debt restructuring negotiations in the next six months, the country's central bank chief P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Tuesday. India last week told the IMF that it strongly supports Sri Lanka's debt restructuring plan. The biggest uncertainty is the timeframe for the debt restructuring. It is only after debt sustainability is assured can Sri Lanka return to a sustainable growth path," he added. Sri Lanka's National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) (LKNCPI=ECI) eased year-on-year to 59.2% in December, after a 65% rise in November, data on Monday showed.

☆ Six stocks Goldman Sachs likes ahead of earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Goldman Sachs' analysts have stocks they are confident about going into a new earnings season. The stocks we found are Amazon , ServiceNow , Colgate-Palmolive , Boeing , Microsoft and Cleveland-Cliffs . Colgate-Palmolive Analyst Jason English raised estimates ahead of Colgate-Palmolive's Jan. 27 earnings as headwinds from foreign exchange turn in to tailwinds. While English said the uncertain global environment could hurt Colgate's business, he still expects the toothpaste and soap maker to meet Goldman's 9% per-share earnings growth forecast for the year. Specifically, we are now forecasting AWS growth to decelerate to +21% YoY (vs. +27.5% YoY in Q3'22) with more subdued growth expectations in 2023.

☆ JPMorgan's acquisition strategy is coming under fire. Here are the 15 fintech and consumer-focused deals done by the bank since 2020.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Carter Johnson | Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

NutmegDeal details: JPMorgan announced the acquisition in June 2021, paying approximately $1 billion. cxLoyaltyDeal details: JPMorgan said it would buy cxLoyalty's global loyalty division in December 2020. ProxymityDeal details: JPMorgan, Citi, HSBC, and other firms together invested $20.5 million in Proxymity in May 2020. Viva WalletDeal details: JPMorgan said it would acquire 49% of Viva Wallet in January 2022, pending regulatory approval. Christian Petersen-Clausen/Getty ImagesRenovite TechnologiesDeal details: JPMorgan announced on September 12 it plans to acquire Renovite.

☆ A top Republican says Biden's proposals to make monthly student-loan payments cheaper are a 'backdoor' for his 'radical free college agenda'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration announced new regulations to improve income-driven repayment plans. The changes are meant to make payments cheaper, and "create faster pathways to forgiveness," according to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Foxx has been an outspoken opponent of Biden's broad student loan forgiveness and other pandemic-era debt-relief measures. Under IDR, borrowers are meant to make monthly payments based on their incomes, with eventual loan forgiveness after at least 20 years of payments. "These plans will significantly cut monthly loan payments and it's part of a real transformation of the student loan system."

☆ Italy's household gas prices rose almost 65% in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The price paid by an average Italian household for its gas supply rose by 64.8% in 2022 versus the previous year, national energy authority ARERA said on Tuesday, underlining the impact of the war in Ukraine on family finances. ARERA, which sets regulated gas prices for Italian consumers, also said the price for December rose 23.3% from the previous month, reflecting high prices in early December before a dip later in the month. An average family would have spent around 1,866 euros ($1,968.63) on gas last year, it estimated. ARERA late last year started setting regulated gas prices on a monthly rather than quarterly basis due to market uncertainty related to gas supplies on the back of the war in Ukraine. European Union countries agreed in December to cap gas prices to try to limit further rises on the market, which hit record levels in Europe after Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to the disruption of supplies.

☆ Michael Farr: These are 2023's top stock picks for what could be a rocky year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Michael K. Farr | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +17 min

Regarding the cloud, AMZN's Web Services business is the market leader in cloud infrastructure services. Moreover, the scale of AMZN's web services business provides many cost advantages as very few companies can compete with AMZN's investment spend and first-mover advantage. Over the long term, we would expect MDLZ to generate double-digit total returns, consisting of high-single digit EPS growth and the 2.3% dividend. There is a long runway remaining for cloud growth as companies slowly deal with legacy investments that still drive value but are not cloud-based. Management remains committed to its goal of high single-digit EPS growth in 2023, followed by sustained double-digit growth in 2024 and beyond.

☆ Pressures ease as shipping costs plummet 40%: Brett Rose, CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPressures ease as shipping costs plummet 40%: Brett Rose, CEO of United National Consumer SuppliersBrett Rose, CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss shipping rates for wholesale distribution, sale opportunities for retailers in January and the shifting sentiment toward off-price retailers.

☆ Sri Lanka's national consumer price inflation eases to 65% in Nov
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) (LKNCPI=ECI) eased year-on-year to 65% in November after a 70.6% jump in October, the statistics department said on Wednesday. Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe predicted that if the current trend of monetary policy was followed, inflation could drop to 4%-5% by the end of next year. read moreThe NCPI captures broad retail price inflation across the island nation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month. The Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) (LKCCPI=ECI), released at the end of each month, is more closely monitored. It acts as a lead indicator for broader national prices and shows how inflation is evolving in the biggest city of Colombo.

SYDNEY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - When Melbourne barista Melinda Elliott had to cut back on casual work shifts this year, she asked her buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) provider, Afterpay, to lower her credit limit. "There was no email to say, 'your credit limit's gone up again'; it was out of nowhere," said Elliott by phone. The absence of interest charges has exempted them from consumer credit regulation, and the sector's business has grown strongly during an online shopping frenzy spurred by COVID-19 stimulus payments and ultra-low interest rates. If they come under regular consumer credit regulation, they will also lose their main competitive advantages. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission, which oversees the Credit Act, told Reuters it was "supportive of the BNPL sector being subject to regulation".

☆ Biden's step toward allowing student loan discharge in bankruptcy is 'a step in the right direction,' director of new student loan documentary says, but 'the devil is always in the details'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Loan Wolves," a documentary about the law surrounding bankruptcy and student loans, premiers Dec. 11 on MSNBC. Currently, two words inserted into a '90s law make it nearly impossible for borrowers to declare bankruptcy over student loan debt. The conversation surrounding the "undue hardship" clause and student loan discharge through bankruptcy has evolved in recent years, as the Biden administration has progressed on promises to discharge some student debt and address the growing debt crisis. Cancelation of student debt? Schumer has been pushing Biden to cancel student loan debt.

☆ Student debt forgiveness is on hold for now—here's why it's blocked and what could happen next
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

After appearing to clear a number of other legal hurdles, President Joe Biden's student debt forgiveness plan has been blocked. If the president's appeal in Texas is successful, it's likely the plaintiffs will escalate the case to the Supreme Court or vice versa. Still, federal judges are appointed by elected officials, and it so happens the judges striking down Biden's debt forgiveness were nominated by Republican presidents. Aside from appealing in Texas, the president has not yet announced next steps for the debt forgiveness plan or other relief for borrowers. The 8th Circuit Court's decision to keep the block on debt forgiveness for now adds to the likelihood of a Supreme Court case, she says.

☆ Sri Lanka consumer inflation hits record 73.7% in September
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Annual food price inflation picked up to 85.8% from 84.6% in August, while prices of non-food items rose 62.8%. Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe predicted earlier on Thursday that inflation in the island nation is peaking, with price rises likely to ease this month. read moreThe NCPI captures broader retail price inflation and isreleased with a lag of 21 days every month. The more closely monitored Colombo Consumer Price Index(CCPI) (LKCCPI=ECI), released at the end of each month, rose69.8% in August. It acts as a leading indicator for nationalprices and shows how inflation is evolving in Sri Lanka'sbiggest city.

☆ Mississippi River water woes, retail overstock trailers: Latest supply chain stresses for economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The towboat Roberta Tabor pushes barges up the Mississippi River in Granite City, Illinois, US, on Friday, July 9, 2022. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAccording to the National Weather Service Memphis Office, the Mississippi River is projected to tie the all-time record of -10.70 feet, either later today or tonight. The Mississippi River is a vital waterway for trade and the lower water levels have impacted the amount of commodities that can be imported or exported out of New Orleans. "Our members depend upon adequate water levels in the Mississippi River system, to reach domestic and international export markets. The East Coast congestion has had a massive impact on vessel reliability.

They also note that adjustable rate mortgages and other atypical home loans make up a much smaller percentage of total mortgages than what was seen during the 2008 crash. But consumer advocates and others close to the real estate industry warn that homebuyers could still find themselves in a precarious financial position when their mortgage interest rates reset and they find their monthly payments going up. “We are watching anxiously as we see more interest in these alternative mortgage products that often seem to involve some sort of initial teaser interest rate and the interest rate is going to go up,” said Sarah Mancini, a staff attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. “Now, they are feeling like, 'Oh, God, higher interest rates are coming, we want to jump on it, we don’t want to miss it again,'" said Holeman. In marketing material, mortgage brokers often suggest that buyers can refinance after the two-year period, suggesting rates will go down in the near future.

☆ How TJ Maxx and Ross discount their clothes by so much
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN Business —It’s a great time to be a closeout store like TJ Maxx. In July, they were sitting on $713 billion in inventory, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. That’s a prime opportunity for “off-price” retailers such as TJX (TJX) – the parent of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods – as well as Ross (ROST), Burlington (BURL) and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (OLLI). And if a designer changes the style or color of a dress, for example, off-price stores are happy to take it and sell it on the cheap. “We are seeing extraordinary off-price buying opportunities in the marketplace,” TJX CEO Ernie Herrman said in August.

HONG KONG, Oct 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The world is facing a difficult 2023 as growth slows in most developed economies. The world economy will expand by 2.7% in 2023, per the IMF. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterChina’s contribution to global growth will be more than three times greater than the United States. The South Asian nation produces roughly 3% of world GDP. Even if it expands by 6.1% as forecast, it will account for just 7.7% of global growth.

☆ How structural racism plays a role in lowering credit scores
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Nathaniel Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Credit scores, which represent how likely a person is to pay his or her bills, affects almost every aspect of an American's financial life. "Credit scores are based on past performance," said Aaron Klein, senior fellow in economic studies at The Brookings Institute. Forty-two percent of Americans said their credit scores prevented them from accessing financial products like credit cards or loans. "If the information is not on a credit report, it is systematically impossible for your credit score to be influenced by it," said John Ulzheimer, a longtime expert in the credit industry. Watch the video to find out more about how credit scores can help — and hurt — consumers.

☆ JPMorgan doubles down on UK retail bank Chase
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

JPMorgan said it had attracted one million customers and more than 10 billion pounds ($10.8 billion) of deposits to its UK mobile app bank since its launch last September. read more"We want to be international, starting with the UK," Sanjiv Somani, UK chief executive of Chase, said in an interview at the bank's UK headquarters in Canary Wharf in London on Friday. The retail banking revenue pool is in the trillions, even outside the U.S."He declined to say where Chase might launch next. Somani started his career in retail banking in India helping Citi launch a much simpler version of a 'digital bank' - one that would text you your bank balance. Germany's N26 quit the country after just two years, while Citi axed its UK retail bank last week.

☆ The White House calls a lawsuit to block student loan forgiveness 'baseless' because anyone can opt out of relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A conservative legal organization sued the Education Department over Biden's debt relief plan. It's the first major lawsuit against the Biden administration's announcement that it would forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers making under $125,000. "The claim is baseless for a simple reason: No one will be forced to get debt relief. Anyone who does not want debt relief can choose to opt out," Abdullah Hassan, White House assistant press secretary, said in a statement to Insider. Because opponents of the debt relief plan are trying anything they can to stop this program that will provide needed relief to working families."

☆ Siemens automates design process for testing new chips with advanced packaging
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Visitors walk under a Siemens sign at the international consumer technology fair IFA in Berlin, Germany September 2, 2022. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File PhotoSept 26 (Reuters) - Siemens Digital Industries Software, a unit of Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE), on Monday said it launched new software called Tessent Multi-die that automates a design process for testing chips made with advanced packaging. But testing these chips after they are made has been difficult as there are several layers of tiles, and Siemens’ head of the Tessent business Ankur Gupta said until now Siemens has had to work with customers on a case-by-case basis. He said making the testing process easier for chips with advanced packaging, also referred to as 2.5 and 3-dimensional packaging, will help give the new technology a boost. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Jane Lanhee Lee; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden made a major dent in the student debt crisis — and it's time he does the same for the growing medical debt load in the US, attorneys and advocates say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Jason Lalljee | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

America's medical debt problem has parallels to the student debt crisis, experts told Insider. But experts on medical debt say that student loans are just one piece of a household debt crisis, which debilitates millions of Americans. Haynes also noted that younger adults are more likely to hold student debt, medical debt, or both. Lawsuits for medical debt are more common than those for student debt, but both transpire. Haynes pointed out that much of medical debt is paid using credit cards, which means it doesn't register as medical debt — it's anonymized as credit card debt.

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