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Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is set to meet with the U.S. House speaker on Wednesday. A bipartisan group of senators quietly met with Taiwan’s president in New York last week, expressing support for the island’s independence and touting legislation that would impose stiff economic and financial sanctions against China if it invaded Taiwan. The meeting with Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona was disclosed just as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing -wen and the Biden administration are heading into the most pivotal event in her closely watched travels through the U.S.

Despite a rebound in fundraising and block trading activity, year-to-date IPO volumes came in at their lowest level since 2019. Equity capital markets (ECM) advisers, however, are optimistic of a recovery in listing activity in the latter part of the year. In the United States, IPO volumes jumped more than 50% from the fourth quarter of 2022, but were still 11% down from the same period last year. IPOs briefly flickered back to life in February, as companies including solar tech firm Nextracker (NXT.O) and Chinese sensor maker Hesai Group (HSAI.O) pushed ahead with their listings. RECOVERY DELAYEDIn Europe, investment bankers said the market volatility spurred by the banking crisis is likely to affect the pipeline of deals.

China said it would retaliate if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned stop in California next week, further stoking tensions around a highly scrutinized visit that is poised to test strained ties between Beijing and Washington. Ms. Tsai is set to meet with Mr. McCarthy and other Republican members of Congress at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley on her way back from visits to Guatemala and Belize. It is the second of two planned stops in the U.S. bookending her trip to Central America.

China says it will retaliate if Kevin McCarthy, the House speaker, meets with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen. China said it would retaliate if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned stop in California next week, further stoking tensions around a highly scrutinized visit that is poised to test strained ties between Beijing and Washington. Ms. Tsai is set to meet with Mr. McCarthy and other Republican members of Congress at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley on her way back from visits to Guatemala and Belize. It is the second of two planned stops in the U.S. bookending her trip to Central America.

The U.S. and China have described Taiwan as the most volatile flashpoint in their increasingly fraught bilateral relations. Now, after months of sparring by Washington and Beijing over the Ukraine war, a suspected surveillance balloon, TikTok and other issues, Taiwan is set to return to the center of great power tensions, with the island’s leader traveling to the U.S.

It would help organize a $2.25 billion stock sale for SVB to fill the funding gap caused by the bond portfolio sale, two of the sources said. It is unclear whether Goldman has held onto all or part of the bond portfolio or sold it. In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, SVB said its bond portfolio sales to Goldman were done at "negotiated prices". Goldman was not paid the underwriting fee it had agreed for the stock sale because that deal fell through, two of the sources said. UNDISCLOSED ROLESVB did not disclose in its stock sale prospectus to investors that Goldman was the acquirer of the bond portfolio it sold at a loss.

☆ Ke Huy Quan wins best supporting actor Oscar for 'Everything, Everywhere'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Ke Huy Quan reacts after winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" during the Oscars show at the 95th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaLOS ANGELES, March 12 (Reuters) - Ke Huy Quan, the Vietnamese-born actor who as a child appeared in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," received the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role as Waymond Wang in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Quan's portrayal of Waymond Wang was his first major role since the '90s. And they gave me an opportunity to try again.”On stage at the Oscars, Quan tearfully acknowledged his 84-year-old mother watching at home, hefting the Oscar and declaring, "Mom, I just won an Oscar!" I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow I wound up here on Hollywood's biggest stage," Quan said.

☆ Silicon Valley Bank's demise began with downgrade threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Echo Wang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Investors worry that the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate increases to fight inflation are exposing vulnerabilities in the financial system. The transaction would generate a loss, but if SVB could fill that funding hole by selling shares, it would avoid a multi-notch downgrade, the sources said. Moody's downgraded the bank, but only by a notch because of SVB's bond portfolio sale and plan to raise capital. SVB's stock plunged on news of the share sale, ending Thursday down 60% at $106.04. This quickly became a self-fulfilling prophecy: General Atlantic and other investors walked away and the stock sale collapsed.

☆ SVB scrambles for options after stock sale failed-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW YORK, March 10 (Reuters) - SVB Financial Group Inc (SIVB.O) is urgently exploring all available options, including a sale of the technology-focused bank, after its bid to raise money through a stock sale failed in the wake of some of its clients withdrawing deposits, according to people familiar with the matter. SVB is talking to other financial institutions and working with advisers as it reviews how it can secure funding, one of the sources said. The sources requested anonymity because the matter is confidential. SVB did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting by David French and Echo Wang in New YorkOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bill Gates and professors at top universities agree: The future belongs to those who master AI like ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Even though some school districts banned ChatGPT, educators encourage students to play with AI. But some in the education sector see the intrinsic value of ChatGPT, believing that a familiarity with AI will be an essential skill in the future. The students began to ask ChatGPT more complicated questions that showed they were using AI not to do the work for them, but rather to generate and explore different ideas. The potential for ChatGPT in education is thereNew York City and Los Angeles were two of the largest public school systems that banned ChatGPT. Ultimately, ChatGPT and AI will not go away, so you might as well learn how to use it to get a head start on others.

☆ One year into Ukraine war, China says sending weapons will not bring peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - China told the United Nations on Thursday that one year into the Ukraine war "brutal facts offer an ample proof that sending weapons will not bring peace," just days after the United States and NATO warned Beijing against giving Russia military support. Western powers have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons since Russia invaded. China and Russia announced a "no limits" partnership shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine. "Nuclear weapons cannot be used, nuclear war cannot be fought," Dai said. "All parties should join together against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, prevent nuclear proliferation and avoid a nuclear crisis."

☆ U.S. IPO pick-up offers hope of market re-open
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Echo Wang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and an inflation rally fueled a bout of market volatility that prevented most initial public offerings in 2022, last week saw a flurry of listings. In total, the IPOs raised about $1.17 billion in proceeds, up sixfold from the previous week when stock market debuts raised about $193 million, according to Dealogic. We see this as step one in a broader IPO market recovery, with some of the stronger sectors leading the early supply," said Rob Stowe, co-head of Americas equity capital markets at Barclays Plc (BARC.L). Some companies are waiting for a sustained IPO recovery before deciding to pull the trigger for their debut, some of the advisers said. That will likely take at least until the summer if the market recovery continues, they added.

The $108 billion group’s sheer size means it benefits from exceptional economies of scale in an immature industry. Last year, it tripled both production and sales of pure electric and hybrid cars to nearly 2 million vehicles. That is equivalent to roughly a quarter of EVs purchased in China in 2022. The group makes batteries too, accounting for almost a quarter of China’s total sales last year, Jefferies estimates. Overall passenger car sales, including electric vehicles and fossil-fueled models, slumped 38% in January, reversing a 2.4% gain in the previous month.

China's launch of a spy balloon on a high-altitude journey over the United States was unacceptable and irresponsible, he said, but he was postponing - not canceling - his visit. Biden has said the balloon needed to be shot down, but has played down both the security threat and the impact on U.S.-China relations. GIVE TALKS A CHANCEShort of a high-level visit, there are opportunities for diplomacy. "The Chinese don't want to look weak and they probably don't want to admit that they lied (about the balloon). President Biden is also under pressure from Republicans in Congress who insist the balloon should have been shot down sooner," said Glaser.

The company sold 10 million American depository receipts (ADRs) at $19 apiece, according to its regulatory filings, and shares closed at $21.05. The deal is the biggest from a Chinese company selling shares in New York since LianBio (LIAN.O) raised $334 million in October 2021, according to Refinitiv data. Chinese company listings in the United States ground to a halt in 2021 after the debut of ride hailing giant Didi Global Inc (92Sy.MU) in June of that year. As a result, Chinese listings in the United States dwindled and mainland regulators also moved to draw up new guidelines governing companies selling shares overseas. Chinese companies raised nearly $230 million in U.S. listings in 2022, according to Refinitiv data, representing a massive drop from $12.85 billion a year earlier.

☆ Let's work to keep peace, China tells visiting Taiwan KMT official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Feb 10 (Reuters) - A top Chinese official told a senior Taiwan opposition figure on Friday that both China's Communist Party and Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) should oppose Taiwan independence and interference by external forces. Wang Huning, the Communist Party's fourth ranked leader, told Andrew Hsia, Taiwan's opposition KMT's deputy chairman, during a meeting in Beijing that both parties should maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, Chinese state television reported. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own and has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to get the island to accept Chinese sovereignty. "Senior Chinese Communist Party officials must think about constructive, meaningful and pragmatic ways to handle" relations, it said in a statement. China says Tsai has to accept that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to "one China", which she has refused to do.

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Shares of solar-tracking business Nextracker Inc soared 26% in their U.S. market debut on Thursday, suggesting that the IPO market was showing signs of emerging from a prolonged freeze. "It's yet another sign that the 2023 IPO market is thawing. So it's a breath of fresh air," said Matthew Kennedy, senior IPO market strategist at Renaissance Capital. Nextracker raised $638 million from 26.6 million shares in its IPO on Wednesday, higher than its original plan of $534.9 million. Founded in 2013 by Chief Executive Officer Dan Shugar, Nextracker provides solar tracker and software solutions for solar power plants.

☆ China willing to restart trade dialogue with Australia after talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The virtual meeting "represents another important step in the stabilisation of Australia's relations with China," Farrell said after the first talks between the trade ministers of the two countries since 2019. Wang said China is willing to restart the mechanism facilitating dialogue with Australia on economic and trade issues and to expand cooperation in emerging areas including climate change and the new energy sectors. China's top economic planner in May 2021 suspended all activity under a China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue which was an important forum for Australia and China to work through issues relevant to bilateral economic partnership. The Chinese statement said Australia was also willing to work with China to enhance mutual trust and resolve differences through candid dialogue. Wang described China and Australia as important economic and trade partners, with a highly complementary economic structure, making cooperation mutually beneficial.

☆ A close read of Beijing's official statement shows it doesn't think the US violated international law by shooting down its balloon, says a legal expert who studies China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China didn't accuse the US of violating international law when the Pentagon shot down its balloon. China has aggressively accused the US of breaking international law many times in the past. In the past, Beijing has accused the US of breaking international law even for actions like imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials. "It contravenes international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. In July, Wang similarly said that Hague Tribunal rulings in support of Philippine claims over the South China Sea "seriously" violated international law.

☆ The criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison could put jilted FTX customers in the backseat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The parallel criminal case against SBF, Caroline Ellison, and Gary Wang may be to blame. But they told a Delaware bankruptcy court recently that they hit a roadblock, accusing Sam Bankman-Fried and those close to him of not playing ball with them. The criminal case takes priorityEllison and Wang separately reached plea deals with federal prosecutors in Manhattan, copping to charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. But, experts told Insider, the deals require them to focus on working with prosecutors in the criminal case — even if it could be at the expense of other parties. But when both criminal and civil proceedings are ongoing, it's the criminal case that goes first in line, Snyder said.

☆ A Ukrainian soldier died on the battlefield in Bakhmut. His death has sparked a fierce dispute between some American veterans and a volunteer trainer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

While entering a house in Bakhmut, two Ukrainian soldiers were ambushed by Russian troops. While he was doing laundry, Wang said a dark-green SUV suddenly pulled up and he heard a Ukrainian soldier shout, "De medyky?" More muscle than the pork ribsWang, by his own admission, decided to take charge of rescuing the wounded Ukrainian soldier. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesIn the phone conversation with Insider, Wang defended his involvement in the death of the Ukrainian soldier. A wider tapestry of issuesThe SOLI instructors said the Bakhmut deaths were just one part of a wider tapestry of issues caused by Wang's inexperience and overzealousness.

[1/5] A Chinese police officer stands guard at in the mainland port area of West Kowloon High-Speed Train Station Terminus on the first day of the resumption of rail service to mainland China, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Hong Kong, China, January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG/BEIJING, Jan 15 (Reuters) - China resumed on Sunday high-speed rail services between Hong Kong and the mainland for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it dismantles travel curbs after Beijing scrapped quarantine for arrivals a week earlier. Operations at West Kowloon station have been smooth, with a flow of about 1,400 passengers by 10 a.m., said Cheung Chi-keung, head of operator MTR Corp’s (0066.HK) cross-boundary operations. Hong Kong's transport secretary, Lam Sai-hung, said he could not confirm when long-haul journeys would resume, but that would be after talks with mainland authorities. Reporting by Joyce Zhou and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong and Martin Quin Pollard and Shuyan Wang in Beijing; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ First-look photos of 'American Born Chinese' feature Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Disney offered a peek Friday of its upcoming “American Born Chinese,” based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel of the same name. Daniel Wu in, "American Born Chinese." Carlos Lopez-Calleja / DisneyGolden Globe winners and stars of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan star in the new series. Michelle Yeoh in, "American Born Chinese." Ke Huy Quan in, "American Born Chinese."

☆ China growth seen rebounding to 4.9% in 2023, more stimulus on the cards: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Kevin Yao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We expect economic activities and consumption to rebound strongly from March-April onwards, helped by post-COVID re-opening and release of excess savings," Tao Wang, chief China economist at UBS, said in a research note. Reuters GraphicsThe expected 2022 growth rate would be far below the official target of around of 5.5%. China is likely to aim for economic growth of at least 5% in 2023 to keep a lid on unemployment, policy sources said. "Economic policy would turn more supportive in 2023. Consumer inflation will likely quicken to 2.3% in 2023 from 2.0% in 2022, before steadying in 2024, the poll showed.

☆ The FTC's proposed ban on noncompete agreements could create a world of opportunity for entrepreneurs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Federal Trade Commission proposed a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements in early 2023. If approved, the ban could help many aspiring entrepreneurs start businesses. If approved, the ban would affect one out of five US workers and could create more opportunities for entrepreneurs, according to the FTC. Banning noncompetes is just one of the policy changes that Right to Start has campaigned for at the state level. "We actually are getting ready for a significant wave of Right to Start Acts across the country this year," Hwang said.

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