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☆ He Was a Quant at Citadel. Now He Agitates for GameStop Investors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alexander Osipovich | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dave Lauer was once a quant at hedge fund Citadel. Now he is a thorn in the side of Wall Street in a battle over how individual investors’ trades are handled in the U.S. stock market. Mr. Lauer is the co-founder of We the Investors, an advocacy group that draws much of its energy from apes—investors active on social media who tend to favor meme stocks such as GameStop Corp. and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc.

☆ Here's where you can use Bed Bath & Beyond coupons now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Bed Bath & Beyond’s competitors are coming to the rescue of customers looking to use expired coupons issued by the failed retailer. Big Lots said Thursday that it’s “assisting shoppers nationwide” by accepting expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons until May 7. Bed Bath & Beyond coupons are being accepted at other stores. History of Bed Bath & Beyond’s couponsBed Bath & Beyond introduced its oversized coupon for 20% off a single item three decades ago. Now that the company is going through a liquidation process, Bed Bath & Beyond said it’s the end of the road for the coupons.

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - West Virginia Governor Jim Justice launched his campaign on Thursday for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate who has been a constant thorn in his party's side. Justice, 72, has repeatedly changed parties, most recently in 2017 when he switched his registration to Republican after being elected as a Democrat in 2016. Manchin has been a key vote on every major piece of legislation of Biden's tenure, as a moderate representing an increasingly conservative state. Justice, a coal-mining billionaire, would first need to win a Republican primary against U.S. Representative Alex Mooney to become his party's nominee to challenge Manchin in 2024.

☆ Tucker Carlson’s departure won’t change Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But if history is any guide, there’s one thing we can count on: Cutting Tucker Carlson loose is not a sign that Fox is ready to change its ways. He regularly brought fringe, racist talking points such as the “great replacement” conspiracy theory into the mainstream. The content on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” made “The O’Reilly Factor” look like “Leave It to Beaver.”That strategy wasn’t a new one for Fox. “There will be a new Tucker Carlson, and it’s a good bet he or she will be even worse,” wrote David A. Graham in The Atlantic. Tucker Carlson, left, and former President Donald Trump, talk while watching golf.

On that unredacted form, Kacsmaryk reported owning about $2.9 million in stock in the Florida-based supermarket company Publix. Federal judges are only required to report financial holdings in ranges, and don’t have to provide exact figures. One possible source of the Publix stock Kacsmaryk reported in 2017 is the judge’s grandmother. In 2020 and 2021, less than 4% of officials required to file judicial financial disclosures requested redaction, according to reports from the Administrative Office of the US Courts. In any case, experts said, the judge’s redacted report prevents transparency that litigants deserve.

☆ Opinion: Why expelling me from the legislature backfired on Tennessee Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Justin J. Pearson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: Tennessee Rep. Justin J. Pearson is a Democrat and former community activist in Memphis. And yet, calls for common sense gun reform measures fall on deaf ears in our legislature where a Republican supermajority is wildly out of step with most people’s values. People in Tennessee aren’t even required to purchase a permit to publicly carry guns in the state of Tennessee. And we are required by the Tennessee State Constitution to object to policies injurious to the well-being of our constituents. My constituents sent me to the Tennessee State House to continue this work in their name.

Bolsonaro's electoral outlook contrasts sharply with former U.S. President Donald Trump, another right-wing populist who challenged the results of his failed re-election campaign. Bolsonaro never conceded his narrow defeat in the October election and continues to question the reliability of Brazil's voting system. RISING CONSERVATIVE STARSStill, conservative powerbrokers allied with Bolsonaro are ready to reshuffle the deck for the next election cycle. He said a TSE decision to bar Bolsonaro from running would only boost the ex-president's political appeal. Any right-wing substitute could win with his endorsement, he added, while side-stepping the high rejection rates Bolsonaro faced as a candidate last year.

☆ AI image generators' latest challenge? Depicting unicycles.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The latest thorn in AI art generation's side? It turned out the image was made using the AI text-to-image program Midjourney, ringing the alarm bells surrounding the growing capabilities of AI image generators and the resulting possibility for the spread of misinformation. But while AI art generators can depict a very true-to-life Pope, they still struggle with other images — including, it seems, unicycles. Stable Diffusion 2The technology not only seemed to have trouble depicting unicycles themselves, but also humans' interactions with them. Human hands had previously given AI image generators trouble.

☆ GOP billionaire who funded Clarence Thomas's vacations has also given thousands of dollars to Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP megadonor Harlan Crow has been secretly funding lavish vacations for Justice Clarence Thomas. But he's also given thousands to Democrats who've stymied the party's agenda at various times. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, as well as Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Henry Cuellar. According to federal campaign finance data, the Texas billionaire has given $16,800 to Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey since 2018, contributing thousands as recently as October 2022. For his part, Crow told ProPublica in a statement that he and his wife "have never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue."

☆ How Disney and DeSantis started feuding
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ron DeSantis won praise from the right for retaliating against Disney for its CEO’s decision to (rather timidly) wade into the public discourse over a contentious state law. In that first round of Florida’s GOP vs The Walt Disney Company, DeSantis landed a body blow that ultimately cost Disney CEO Bob Chapek his job. DeSantis signed the bill into law, and then set his sights on punishing Disney for daring to challenge him. “This essentially makes Disney the government,” said Ron Peri, a DeSantis pick for the new board, last week. Last week, Iger announced Disney would lay off 7,000 people as part of a $5.5 billion cost-reduction plan.

☆ Wall Street could stand to benefit from recruiting beyond just the Ivies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider's Emmalyse Brownstein has one about an investor's unique path to Wall Street. I hope Alfieri's story isn't just valuable to students trying to break into Wall Street. Wall Street could also benefit from casting a wider net among universities to get some diversity of thought. Click here to read some tips for how to nab a job on Wall Street despite not coming from an elite school. This fintech helps Wall Street keep tabs on employees' messengers.

☆ Bitcoin’s correlation with stocks is at its lowest since 2021 as investors grapple with the cryptocurrency's narrative shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The break became more noticeable in March, as investors rediscovered bitcoin's appeal as alternative banking system as the regional banking crisis unfolded. Bitcoin's correlation with the S & P 500 is now at its lowest since September 2021, after reaching its highest ever in 2022 , according to Coin Metrics. Meanwhile, bitcoin's correlation with gold, a traditionally "risk-off" asset, has risen. This break in correlation is perhaps a sign more investors are waking up to this fact." Bitcoin became more of an institutional asset at the start of 2021 as big investors, short term traders and macro funds jumped into the market.

☆ Meta can't make any big acquisitions right now, as its $40 billion war chest starts going towards appeasing Wall Street investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Meta is repurchasing $40 billion worth of stock from investors, even as it cuts jobs. But as Meta's "year of efficiency" continues, Mark Zuckerberg needs to put its $40.74 billion cash pile to a more boring — but perhaps more practical — use: making shareholders happy. Since 2012, Meta Platforms, formerly called Facebook, has acquired over 100 companies, including big names like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus. The social networking giant's revenue has ballooned over the years from $5 billion in 2012 to $116 billion last year. Meta can't do big acquisitions, and it needs to win over Wall StreetAntitrust scrutiny continues to be a thorn in its side when it comes to acquisitions.

☆ A perfect storm of food-stamp cuts and low tax refunds is looming — and discount chains like Dollar General and Big Lots could feel the pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Off-price retailers are worried that cuts to food stamps and smaller tax refunds will hurt sales. Tax refunds are also likely to be smaller because of the wind-down of some expanded tax credits. At the same time, certain beefed-up tax credits are no longer available, which means many taxpayers are preparing for smaller tax refunds this year. "At this point, 30% of that lower household income customer, their expenses today are greater than their income coming in. The 32 states that will wind down SNAP benefits this month join the 18 states that cut those benefits last year.

☆ Banning TikTok would be an early Christmas gift to Mark Zuckerberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A TikTok sale or US ban could be a boon for Mark Zuckerberg and Meta. Instagram Reels could see a boost from a shift away from TikTok in the US, experts say. Zuckerberg has much to gain from a TikTok ban. It would be like Christmas coming early for Meta, which is looking to boost engagement of its rival service, Instagram Reels. In the short term, apps like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts could also see a boost.

Yields on Treasury bonds, meanwhile, increased as investors discounted the likelihood that the Fed would shy away from further rate increases. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation is running at almost three times the central bank's target. Important aspects of both reports, however, moved in the favor of a more tempered Fed policy. Wage growth continued to slow in February, and much of the jump in prices last month was driven by the cost of shelter, an area where Fed officials feel inflation will soon prove to be slowing. "The Fed can support liquidity in the banking system and tighten monetary policy at the same time," Sweet said.

☆ Former Goldman Sachs partners represent the powerful allies and formidable foes the bank has across the Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In many ways, it's easier to become a brain surgeon than a Goldman partner (doctors, please spare me your hate mail). Unlike other esteemed white-collar groups — the partners at law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, for example — turnover is somewhat common within the Goldman partnership. Insider's Carter Johnson and Dakin Campbell took a look at how many partners have left the bank since CEO David Solomon took over in 2018. In many ways, it's demonstrative of the allies the bank has across the Street. Former Goldman partners can be like missionaries for the bank, spreading the good word to anyone who will listen (and paying their fees).

☆ Canada bans TikTok from government devices citing security risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"This may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take," he said referring to the action against TikTok. As government bans TikTok on work phones, "many Canadians, businesses and private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence," he said. The ban was issued "without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions," a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Ottawa has also previously excluded Chinese firms from Canada's critical minerals and telecommunication sectors, citing risks to its national security. "The Communications Security Establishment’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) guidance strongly recommends that Canadians understand the risks and make an informed choice on their own before deciding what tools to use."

☆ Super Rugby finally rolls into the post-COVID era
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Finally freed of the COVID travel restrictions that sounded the death knell to the intercontinental edition and fragmented and disrupted the rump competition, Super Rugby returns in its full new normality on Friday. The second season of Super Rugby Pacific will be played with a host of law variations aimed at making the game more attractive to fans but one aspect of the competition is highly unlikely to change -- New Zealand supremacy. The Canterbury Crusaders dominated Super Rugby in the years pre-pandemic and have proved just as hard to beat with or without fans in the stadiums, through lockdowns, biosecurity protocols and in competition hubs. Despite optimistic noises coming from across the Tasman Sea in Australia, the biggest challenge to the Crusaders is likely to come from the North Island of New Zealand. The forgiving and sometimes derided playoff system that offers knockout rugby to eight of the 12 teams will give hope to all but the most hapless outfits.

☆ The market isn't sure how to interpret Tuesday's inflation data — listen to the 'Homestretch'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

SO THAT IS GOING TO GIVE US ALITTLE BIT MORE OF A PICTURE OFHOW THE ECONOMY IS DOING. AND IN TERMS OF THE STOCKS,NVIDIA CONTINUES TO OUTPERFORM,AND WE HIT IT ON EARLIER AND TOBE BIG BULLISH BANK NOTE. AND LOOK, OVERALL, A 6.6DIVIDEND STALL, WE WILL TAKE,BECAUSE IT IS ALMOST DOUBLE THANWHAT YOU CAN COLLECT OFF OF THE10-YEAR. THE 10-YEAR IS AT 7.7, AND SOYOU ARE AT 7.4 AND THAT IS ALITTLE BIT MORE RUN, BUT STILLSOLID. WE WILL TALK ABOUT THAT WITHTRIMMING QUALCOMM LOOKING TO BUYCATERPILLAR, AND POTENTIALLYSOME NEW NAMES, AND WORKING ONTHAT IN THE BULLPEN, AND THAT ISIT FOR THE "HOMESTRETCH" TODAY.

☆ The Democrats' latest strategy is making Marjorie Taylor Greene the face of the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But that could come back to haunt Republicans as Democrats increasingly try to paint her as one of the faces of the party. And while many Republicans came out against the plan, Democrats — especially President Joe Biden — have used it as a cudgel against the GOP. And while Democrats lost control of the House, they lost far fewer seats than expected, partly due to utilizing Scott's messaging against the GOP. Democrats can use Greene to their advantageNow as Greene continues to gain power and authority in the GOP and Congress, Democrats have the opportunity to use her own actions and words against the GOP as a whole. There's the possibility that giving Greene larger platform could backfire on Democrats.

☆ It's fine to use ChatGPT to write your cover letter, a recruiter says. But it could screw you over on interview prep.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

ChatGPT has grown in popularity among job seekers, writing cover letters and resumes in seconds. One recruiter says it's just a more accessible version of something job seekers have always done. People have shared stories on social media about using it to write cover letters, a time-consuming thorn in job seekers' side. As a recruiter who works with people in highly specialized roles, Laughlin also cautioned against using ChatGPT to bypass technical screenings for jobs, like with coding. But for now, he sees the bot as an impressive way for job seekers to get their foot in the door at companies.

☆ One of the best Tesla alternatives just became an even bigger thorn in Elon Musk's side
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The base 2024 Polestar 2 gets 300 miles of range and 299 horsepower. With longer range, enhanced performance, and updated looks, the sporty electric sedan has become an even fiercer competitor to Tesla's popular Model 3. PolestarThe refreshed Polestar 2 gets an upgraded battery pack that boosts range to an estimated 300 miles for the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version. The base, $44,000 Model 3 is rated for 272 miles of range, while the longest-range version gets 338 miles on a full charge. PolestarNew, more powerful motors mean the single-motor Polestar 2 now makes 299 horsepower (up from 231) and hits 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.

You feel like he's on a solo mission," Tania Daou-Alam, who lost her husband in the blast, told Reuters. Bitar went on to file his own charges against several top politicians, including former ministers allied to Hezbollah. Bitar, a devout Catholic from Akkar region of the north, has charged officials from across the sectarian spectrum including Shi'ites, Sunnis and Christians. "I said from the start 'the right person is in the right place'," he added, describing Bitar as just with no political affiliations. William Noun, who lost his brother in the blast, said of Bitar's move: "This is very much a judicial uprising".

☆ House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene 'reminds me of my friends from high school'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have become political allies. McCarthy said in an interview that Greene "reminds me of my friends from high school." Greene was once a McCarthy critic, saying he "doesn't have the support he needs" in the House GOP. She reminds me of my friends from high school, that we're going to stick together all the way through." Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 22, 2023But it wasn't always this way for McCarthy and Greene.

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