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☆ What the Club is watching Friday — China locks down (again), Black Friday sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Apple, Manchester United, Activision Blizzard and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. Apple — Apple's stock shed 2% on Friday after protests occurred at the iPhone maker's major Foxconn supplier in China earlier this week. Activision Blizzard – Shares of the video game company slid more than 4% after Politico reported the Federal Trade Commission is likely to sue to block Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Manchester United — Manchester United's stock surged 12.8%, building on this week's earlier gains following news that the soccer team's owners are weighing a potential sale. Canoo – The electric vehicle company's stock price traded 4.6% higher after a Securities and Exchange Commission filing revealed that CEO Tony Aquila purchased shares.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Activision Blizzard, Tesla, Manchester United and others
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Peter Schacknow | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla (TSLA) – Tesla said its Full Self Driving Beta software is now available to everyone in North America. Tesla rose 2% in premarket trading. Manchester United Shares jumped 14.7% Tuesday and rocketed 25.8% on Wednesday. Nonetheless, the stock rose 1% in the premarket. Deutsche Bank (DB) – The German bank's U.S.-traded shares added 2.4% in the premarket, following a report by RBC Capital that said Deutsche Bank's restructuring progress has been overlooked by investors.

☆ Adani to raise $2.45 bln in India's biggest follow-on share sale
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS), the flagship company of ports-to-energy conglomerate Adani Group, said it would raise 200 billion Indian rupees ($2.45 billion) in India's largest follow-on public offering of new shares. The share offering would increase the company's public float from the current 27.4% level. "Adani needs capital at the holding company level. read moreThe company plans to file a draft prospectus before Dec. 31 and raise the funds before March 31, but it will depend on market conditions, the person added. The previous largest FPO was a 150 billion-rupee share sale in 2020 by Yes Bank (YESB.NS).

☆ Vista exploring deal to buy Coupa Software - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 23 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners is exploring an acquisition of Coupa Software Inc (COUP.O), Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of the software firm, which had a market capitalization of nearly $3.5 billion as of Tuesday close, surged 27% to $58.15 following the report. Vista declined to comment, while Coupa did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Vista has held talks with Coupa, which is working with an adviser, according to the report, adding that private-credit lenders could provide financing for a potential deal. Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Banks struggled to find demand from junk-bond investors for $2.4 billion of secured bonds and loans that is part of the debt package after a weeks-long marketing effort, the sources said. It showed the challenges banks face to sell down highly leveraged debt this quarter as bond yields spiked in response to a hawkish Fed policy and recessionary fears. The source would not say whether that would mean re-offering the debt to investors at even juicier terms. The end result is the banks involved are digging into their own pockets to provide the whole debt for the Tenneco acquisition which closed on Thursday. So it's almost like investors have seen this cycle occur that makes them question the outlook of something like Tenneco," he added.

☆ Tesla’s close-knit leadership team goes under the spotlight in court
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Matt Mcfarland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Tornetta accuses Tesla’s board of breaching its duties to shareholders. The pay package from Tesla’s board granted Musk large sums of shares every time Tesla hit certain milestones, including earnings and share price targets. In this sketch, former Tesla board member Antonio Gracias testifies in court. Ehrenpreis also had the rights to the first Model 3, Tesla’s breakout product, but gave it to Elon Musk as a birthday gift. Ehrenpreis is also the Tesla board member who asked consultants if hypothetically Tesla could lower the disclosed costs of Musk’s compensation plan.

☆ Elon Musk runs 3 companies — and his executive juggling act is the perfect example of how the modern CEO job is broken
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Musk is currently the CEO of three different companies: SpaceX, Tesla, and, of course, Twitter. But like many CEOs, he's accumulated a huge fortune by juggling several companies and directorships at once. While Musk may be an extreme case, he's also the perfect example of the modern CEO: a chaotic blend of unproductive micromanagement and highly-paid absenteeism. In the extreme, some CEOs like Musk have taken on the management of multiple large companies. And Musk isn't the only executive who would be better served focusing on one task.

☆ Op-ed: Opportunities await investors in the tech sector. Here is a corner that’s ripe for growth
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Robert F. Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

However, on close examination, investing specifically in enterprise software will continue to be one of the best uses of capital anywhere in the financial and technology markets. As we have seen, enterprise software is a disruptive force with the potential to unlock unprecedented productivity and innovation. The pandemic accelerated reliance on enterprise software, as companies turned to technology to connect employees and customers, conduct meetings and facilitate payments. Conversely, as more businesses face commodity and wage inflation, they recognize the value that enterprise software can deliver to help manage the cost of day-to-day workflows while increasing efficiency. Selecting the right investmentsThat said, even in the private markets, generating favorable outcomes in turbulent times requires investors to execute against two factors.

☆ Elon Musk sells at least $3.95B of Tesla shares after Twitter takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk sold $3.95 billion worth of shares in his electric car company Tesla after closing his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk sold 19.5 million shares of Tesla. On August 9, 2022, Musk told fans he was done selling shares to fund a possible Twitter take-private deal. Since he has taken over Twitter, Musk has pulled dozens of Tesla engineers in to assist him at Twitter with code review and other work. Please check back for updates.

☆ Elon Musk sells at least $3.95 billion worth of Tesla shares after Twitter deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has sold at least another $3.95 billion worth of shares in his electric car company Tesla after closing his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission published Tuesday, Musk sold 19.5 million more shares of Tesla. Musk sold almost $22 billion worth of Tesla shares in 2021, a year when the stock jumped over 50%. This year, he sold over $8 billion worth of Tesla stock in April and another roughly $7 billion worth in August. On Aug. 9, Musk told fans he was done selling Tesla shares to fund a possible Twitter acquisition.

☆ India's Adani Group continues to seek equity partners, says CreditSights
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - India's ports-to-energy conglomerate Adani Group continues to seek strategic equity partners aligned with its long-term investment strategy, debt research firm CreditSights said in a report, flagging concern over the Group's elevated leverage. The Group, led by Asia's richest person Gautam Adani, is looking to expand its presence in power generation and infrastructure and ventured into cement-making operations earlier this year. Chairman Adani said late in September that the group will invest more than $100 billion over the next decade, most of it in the energy transition business. Adani Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. CreditSights added that the group continues to seek strategic equity partners that are aligned with its long-term investment strategy, such as sovereign wealth funds, and also maintains strong relationships with existing partners.

☆ Shopify's startup investments this year include millions into companies that focus on NFTs, Web3 apps, customer-engagement, and financial services
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

In its press release announcing the new funding, Wati said the investment was Shopify's first in a startup operating in Southeast Asia. The goal is to make Thirdweb's tools available to Shopify merchants who want to bring Web3 products and experiences to their online stores. Shopify recently participated in Gorgias' $30 million Series C round, which valued the startup at $710 million. According to the company, merchants using its technology report a 96% increase in sales on average. Flexport announced it had received a strategic investment from Shopify as part of its $935 million Series E on February 7.

☆ Twitter reportedly ready to cut about 3,700 employees
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter employees are expecting a 50% overall reduction in force after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took the reins of the social network last week. Gracias is a long-time investor in Musk's other companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, and was a Tesla board member. A calendar item for the reduction in force related meeting was made widely visible, possibly accidentally, to employees at Twitter on their internal systems. As CNBC previously reported, Musk quickly brought many trusted advisors and employees from his other companies into Twitter to advise him on next steps after the deal closed last week. After acquiring Twitter for $44 billion last week, Musk is scrambling to improve margins, including by slashing headcount and operating expenses and finding new ways to generate revenue.

☆ Andersen Global CEO Discusses Legacy of Defunct Audit Giant, Overseas Expansion and EY’s Planned Split
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

Back then, Arthur Andersen was convicted by a Houston jury of obstructing the government’s investigation into Enron. Mr. Vorsatz—who worked at Arthur Andersen from 1979 to 2002, including as a partner—and several other former partners bought the rights to the name in 2014. WSJ: Andersen Global, unlike Arthur Andersen, has no audit business. Arthur Andersen had a training facility in St. Charles, Ill. WSJ: Do you consider it ironic that Arthur Andersen became the biggest firm and ultimately folded?

☆ Australian software company ReadyTech gets $308 mln bid from PE firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 1 (Reuters) - Australia's ReadyTech Holdings (RDY.AX) said on Tuesday it has received an A$481.4 million ($308.3 million) buyout offer from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP), one of the country's biggest private equity firms. The A$4.50-per-share proposal, at a near 39% premium to the stock's last close, marks the third play for an Australian technology company since last week, highlighting increasing interest in the sector amid cheap valuations. read more read moreELMO Software (ELO.AX) last week agreed to a near-A$500 million takeover from Los Angeles-based K1 Investment Management, while Nitro Software (NTO.AX) on Monday backed a similar offer from KKR Inc's (KKR.N) Alludo. ReadyTech said funds managed by Pemba Capital Partners held 32.01% of its issued shares, and that PEP would seek to obtain the Australian corporate regulator's go-ahead for the company and Pemba to work together on the proposal. ($1 = 1.5615 Australian dollars)Reporting by Upasana Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 9 hot European digital-marketing companies that experts say are prime acquisition targets for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Insider spoke to experts who identified nine European adtech companies ripe for acquisition. Private-equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners took a majority stake in UK-based adtech firm LoopMe in January. Given the strength of the dollar versus the euro and the pound, European companies may now be more affordable than in prior years. These characteristics make European companies attractive acquisition targets for US firms. Insider spoke to six experts — a mix of bankers, adtech insiders, VCs, and M&A advisors — who identified nine European digital marketing and adtech companies that are on the market or would be attractive targets.

☆ Temasek shifts president, CFO in management shuffle
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - Singapore's Temasek Holdings said on Wednesday President Tan Chong Lee will resign to take up the role as chief executive officer at its fund management firm 65 Equity Partners. In a slew of management changes announced by the investment giant, Leong Wai Leng will step down as the chief financial officer after 16 years to lead the Singapore market team as president. The company's deputy CFO Png Chin Yee will replace Leng from Jan. 1, 2023, it said in a statement. It has in recent days seen stock markets tumble in the face of higher interest rates and inflation. Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Weber , which went public in August 2021 and is trading at half its offering price, is the latest example of a recent IPO to attract a bid to go private. Recent IPOs ducking for the door First, to understand why we selected these criteria, let's look at the recent deals. Kennedy Lewis' $4 per share cash offer was an 83% premium to F45's closing price ahead of the deal announcement, even though it was far below the stock's $16 IPO price. Even with the lift from the deal news, shares are only trading at less than half its $14 IPO price. Private equity company AEA Investors had a 28.4% stake in the company, and CEO Jeremy Andrus owns an 11% stake, according to FactSet.

☆ Meet 9 top media bankers transforming the M&A landscape and driving deals for Warner Bros. Discovery, Legendary, Amazon, and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

2022 kicked off with some huge transactions, from AT&T's WarnerMedia spin-off to private equity scooping up content players. Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B, and Diamond Sports Group both recently tapped big banks to explore their options. Not surprisingly, WarnerMedia was at the heart of the richest transaction fee waterfall for big banks in 2022. Moelis and LionTree were just tapped to help figure out what's next for Sinclair's Regional Sports Networks, Diamond Sports Group, while Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B, also hired Moelis to shop the production company, according to Variety. There's lots of dry powder still in private equity, Navid Mahmoodzadegan, co-founder and co-president at investment bank Moelis, told Insider.

☆ Vista's Robert Smith says investing in DEI businesses vitally important in a bear market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Robert F. Smith, chairman and CEO at Vista Equity Partners, said investing in businesses and managers that emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion remains vital, especially in a bear market. The billionaire investor, who spoke with CNBC's Frank Holland at the Disruptor 50 Summit, said that venture capital and private equity funding should continue to expand to minority-owned businesses. The recent drop in venture capital funding, due to growing recession fears, has disproportionately hit African American, Latinx business owners and founders, he said. They're seeing some outsized reductions in their funding," Smith said. Some venture capital firms that he said are effectively identifying opportunities include the New Voices Fund.

☆ Although the crypto hype is fading, 3 VCs say there's still 'low-hanging fruit' opportunities in Web3 security and compliance. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the crypto winter and a funding slowdown, several VCs remain interested in Web3 security. Like in most other areas of the market, venture funding for cybersecurity has dropped this year. These are prime areas, in his view, for security startups to step in. In September, Solidus Labs made Insider's list of the most promising crypto startups of 2022. Crypto security, according to Seewald, is not so different from security for other tech applications.

☆ 'Top Gun: Maverick' studio Skydance just scored a $400 million funding led by KKR. Meet 16 private equity players betting big on Hollywood now.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Elaine Low | Claire Atkinson | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Private equity firms are investing more deeply in film and TV content companies, even amid a possible recession. Private equity accounted for 42% of deals over the last year vs. 24% in 2018, according to PwC. KKR just led a $400 million funding round for Skydance, giving the "Top Gun: Maverick" studio a $4 billion valuation. And earlier in July, Swedish firm EQT invested in UTA, which makes the private equity player the largest outside shareholder of the talent agency. And KKR is continuing to make big bets: It just led a $400 million funding round in "Top Gun: Maverick" studio Skydance that sent the production company's valuation north of $4 billion.

☆ Vista Equity Nears Roughly $4.5 Billion Deal for Cybersecurity Provider
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Laura Cooper | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners is near a deal to purchase the cybersecurity provider KnowBe4 for about $4.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, a rare leveraged buyout as financing for such deals has become harder to secure. The deal, which is expected to be unveiled Wednesday assuming the talks don’t drag out or fall apart, values KnowBe4 shares at nearly $25 each. The stock closed at $21.59 on Tuesday.

☆ Vista Equity Strikes Deal to Acquire Cybersecurity Provider
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Laura Cooper | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KnowBe4, based in Clearwater, Fla., is a platform for security-awareness training and simulated phishing. Private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners has struck a deal to purchase cybersecurity provider KnowBe4 for $4.6 billion in an increasingly rare leveraged buyout as financing for such deals has become harder to secure. The company unveiled the news on Wednesday, confirming an earlier report from The Wall Street Journal.

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