DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A year ago, I sold my ad agency to a new type of agency holding company. Here are the things I wish I knew before.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One year ago, the ad agency Mekanism was bought by PE-backed holding company Plus Company. The ad agency Mekanism sold one year ago to the Canadian holding company Plus Company, which is backed by the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners. But as far as bosses go, not only is Plus Company CEO Brett Marchand really smart, I like him as a person. There are also holding companies that use a new model, like S4 and DEPT, where you become part of one big group. Due diligence was like "getting a couple of colonoscopies a week"I looked into CVC, the private-equity company that funds Plus Company.

Persons: Mekanism, Jason Harris, I've, Brett Marchand, hasn't, we'd, it's, They'd, We're, haven't, Brett, They're Organizations: PE, Plus Company, Capital Partners, Plus, Publicis, WPP, CVC, Company Locations: colonoscopies

☆ Novak Djokovic wins record-breaking 23rd grand slam title, defeating Casper Ruud in French Open final
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Novak Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud in the French Open final. Clive Mason/Getty ImagesIt is not just the grand slam records that he now holds. Victory at this year’s French Open moves him back to his familiar spot of world No.1. He also became the oldest ever French Open champion. After coming so close to landing a blow during the long opening set, Ruud seemed deflated when he walked back onto court and lost the opening three games.

Persons: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Ruud, Tom Brady, Kylian, Zlatan Ibrahimović, – Djokovic, ” Nadal, ”, Clive Mason, Steffi Graff, – Federer, Roland Garros, Victory, Emmanuel Dunand, groundstrokes Organizations: CNN, Covid, Wimbledon, Nadal, Djokovic, US, Sunday, Getty Locations: Australia, AFP

☆ Broadcom forecasts third-quarter revenue above estimates on AI boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Tiyashi Datta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 1 (Reuters) - Broadcom Inc (AVGO.O) forecast third-quarter revenue above market estimates on Thursday, as it benefits from massive corporate investments in AI-related technologies. Broadcom Chief Executive Hock Tan said generative AI could account for more than 25% of the company's semiconductor revenue in 2024. Broadcom supplies chips used in data centers for networking and specialized chips that speed up AI work. It released a new chip for wiring together supercomputers for AI work using networking technology in April. Broadcom forecast current-quarter revenue of about $8.85 billion, while analysts polled by Refinitiv are expecting revenue of $8.72 billion.

Persons: ChatGPT, Hock Tan, Tan, Kinngai Chan, Refinitiv, Chavi Mehta, Tiyashi Datta, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Broadcom Inc, Broadcom, Nvidia, Nvidia Corp, Revenue, Thomson Locations: San Jose , California, Bengaluru

☆ Bank of America ranks the biggest A.I. winners in software stocks. Here are its top picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As investors look for winners in the artificial intelligence boom, several software stocks stand out, including Microsoft and Oracle, according to Bank of America. Given the "immense opportunity ahead for both vendors and investors," Bank of America analysts have created a proprietary ranking system to identify potential AI beneficiaries in the software group. The rankings identify consensus AI leaders and software vendors, the firm said in a note Tuesday. "We have created a proprietary framework of analysis (based on 13 yes or no questions) that investors can use to predict potential AI beneficiaries. HubSpot may also potentially use AI for data cleansing and email data capture, among other things, he said.

Persons: Brad Sills, Bing, OpenAI, Sills, HubSpot, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Microsoft, Oracle, Bank of America, Nvidia, OpenAI, HubSpot Locations: OpenAI

☆ A Chinese EV billionaire's wealth has plummeted 75% to $1.4 billion as aggressive price wars push customers to higher-tier cars — like Tesla or BYD
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The fortune of He Xiaopeng, CEO of Chinese EV maker Xpeng, has fallen 75% from a 2021 peak. He owns 20.5% of Xpeng shares, which tanked nearly 20% this year. Despite the wealth wipeout, He is still the 2,048th richest person in the world — although his net worth is now just a quarter of his $5.5 billion wealth in 2021, per Forbes. The Alibaba-backed company's first-quarter net loss also widened to 2.34 billion yuan from 1.7 billion yuan a year ago. The EV maker launched its first mass-produced model, the G3, in 2018.

☆ Montana’s TikTok ban throws users into new era of uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Keri Williams wouldn’t have her business without TikTok. But earlier this week, Montana Gov. Now, Williams, who lives near Montana’s largest city — Billings — is scrambling to figure out the future of her business. The law, set to take effect in January, has already been the subject of a lawsuit by a group of TikTok users who allege it infringes on their First Amendment rights. TikTok said in March that it has 150 million monthly active users in the United States, up from 100 million users in 2020, when the Trump administration first threatened to ban the service.

But Fed officials on Monday said the jury is very much out. Bostic said businesses in his southeastern U.S. Fed district "are telling me we think you're close to overdoing it ... Investors have consistently bet that the central bank, due to some combination of recession or a faster-than-expected drop in inflation, will be cutting rates by later this year. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said the central bank probably has "more work to do on our end, to try to bring inflation back down." In addition, he says the full impact of Fed rate hikes has yet to be felt.

☆ ISS backs all four ValueAct director candidates in Seven & I boardroom fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"A vote AGAINST company nominees Isaka, Goto, Yonemura, (Shinji) Wada and (Fuminao) Hachiuma is warranted." ISS said ValueAct is calling for a deliberate succession process for the CEO. On Tuesday, ISS extended support for ValueAct's campaign by endorsing all of its candidates and spelling out where the company has faltered. ValueAct and other investors had urged the company to undertake a strategic review and consider spinning off its 7-Eleven chain or selling the entire company. ISS said that ValueAct's nominees bring board experience, capital allocation and executive experience, and Levinson would add a shareholder perspective.

☆ ISS backs all 4 ValueAct director candidates in Seven & I boardroom fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"A vote AGAINST company nominees Isaka, Goto, Yonemura, (Shinji) Wada and (Fuminao) Hachiuma is warranted." ISS said ValueAct is calling for a deliberate succession process for the CEO. On Tuesday, ISS extended support for ValueAct's campaign by endorsing all of its candidates and spelling out where the company has faltered. ISS said that ValueAct's nominees bring board experience, capital allocation and executive experience, and Levinson would add a shareholder perspective. ValueAct has experience on boards at Japanese companies, having won seats at Olympus and JSR Corp.

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ 7-Eleven spin-off would jeopardise growth, CEO says, pushing back at ValueAct
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ritsuko Shimizu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 5 (Reuters) - A spin-off of 7-Eleven would jeopardise the convenience store chain's future growth by cutting it off from its parent's strength in the food business, the chief executive of Japan's Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd (3382.T) told Reuters. ValueAct has long been critical of Seven & i's conglomerate structure, calling for a spin-off of the 7-Eleven chain or for a sale of the entire company, but Isaka said that would not be in the chain's best interests. "The risk and probability of 7-Eleven Japan's growth coming to a halt would be very high if the company's product development resources were to be cut off," he said. In April, ValueAct ratcheted up the pressure on the company, calling for Isaka's departure and saying he was responsible for a "flawed strategy". Isaka said 7-Eleven is reliant on staff and know-how from Seven & i's supermarket businesses, such as Ito-Yokado, in developing products for its "Seven Premium" private brand.

☆ Top Senate Democrats push for new ethics rules in wake of Clarence Thomas report as Republicans defend justice
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Manu Raju | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Plus some Democrats on the panel, like Sen. Dick Blumenthal, want to go much further than Durbin in the Thomas probe – exposing divisions within the ranks. “I hope that Chief Justice Roberts reads his story this morning and understands something has to be done,” Durbin told CNN. “The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here. “The drip, drip, drip of these destructive disclosures is going to destroy the United States Supreme Court unless there is an effective proper investigation,” he said. “The court is responsible for their own guidelines in that regard,” Romney told CNN.

☆ Employees Are Bullish on Pay Raises, Companies Not So Much
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ray A. Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Workers have high expectations for raises this year. Their bosses have different ideas. The rising cost of living is prompting many employees to push for a hefty pay increase, and recent wage gains across the economy have ratcheted up hopes they’ll get one. But recession worries and higher interest rates have companies boosting efficiency while containing costs, including for labor, corporate bosses and compensation consultants say.

☆ Workers Have High Hopes for Pay Raises, Companies Not So Much
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ray A. Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - For months, the U.S. crisis over the debt limit has been a political abstraction. That's the length of time in which the House, Senate and the president are all physically in Washington, D.C. in May. There, Biden plans to "stress that Congress must take action to avoid default without conditions," a White House official said. After that ends on May 21, he will attend the May 24 meeting of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney, Australia, the White House said. Late on Monday, Schumer worked to fast-track a "clean" two-year debt limit suspension, so that it can come more quickly to the Senate floor for a vote.

☆ LeBron James told he is ‘old’ in spat with Dillion Brooks as Grizzlies even playoff series with Lakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I don’t care, he’s old,” Brooks, who finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting during his 23 minutes on the court, told reporters. I know my guys know that.”Four-time NBA MVP James finished Wednesday’s game with 28 points and 10 rebounds. According to ESPN, the only player to score 40 against the Grizzlies in a game Brooks played this season was the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard. He’s LeBron James. He’s shining.’“I can’t be looking at [him] that he’s LeBron James.

☆ Analysis: Rocket startups face adapt-or-die moment amid investment drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Venture investment in space startups has dropped 50% year-over-year in 2022 to $21.9 billion, according to VC firm Space Capital. Astra Space (ASTR.O), which ditched its small Rocket 3.3 for a planned, larger Rocket 4 in the next few years, has struggled to bring its stock price above $1, facing delisting threats from Nasdaq. Despite the startups' struggles, launch demand has soared after sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine cut off access to Russian rockets. Recent failures with Europe's Arianespace's Vega-C rocket have added to demand in the U.S., outstripping the number of available rockets. Private plans to deploy mega-constellations, vast swarms of satellites in low-Earth orbit, have also given launch startups hope for future demand.

☆ Hard work just doesn't pay like it used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today's workers, especially gig workers, don't have the security that hard work once promised. Fueling the pessimism about hard work might be that Americans have "been doing nothing but hard work for the last two decades," Jennifer Klein, a Yale labor historian, told Insider. Blame the rise of gig work for hard work not paying offThough Americans work fewer hours now than they have in years past, they're working harder than ever. As a result, "people have experienced hard work and intensified work, but in very, very unpleasant and not particularly rewarding terms," she added. However, deregulation of employment and the dismantling of the New Deal structures of fair work have decoupled hard work and security, Klein said.

☆ 'Dr. Doom' economist Nouriel Roubini says the crypto industry is a 'total criminal enterprise' riddled with market manipulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nouriel Roubini said crypto markets are chock full of criminal activity and manipulation. The famed economist described the industry as a "criminal enterprise" in a Tuesday tweet. The famed economist said in a tweet on Tuesday the trillion-dollar industry is chock full of "constant market manipulation" and a "total criminal enterprise." Earlier this month, he celebrated the downfall of banks that cozied up to the crypto industry. After Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate failed, Roubini ratcheted up fiery commentary with a simple message: "Good riddance."

☆ Oil prices climb in relief rally as banking concerns ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, March 27 (Reuters) - Oil prices climbed in early trade on Monday as concerns over turmoil in the banking sector eased, while comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend ratcheted up geopolitical tensions in Europe. The rise in oil prices was more a relief rally and part of a correction after a 16% fall in the prior two weeks, he added. Prices were also supported after President Vladimir Putin said he will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, escalating geopolitical tensions in Europe over Ukraine. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that Moscow was very close to achieving its target of cutting crude output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 9.5 million bpd. Despite lowering output, Russia is expected to maintain crude oil exports by cutting refinery output in April, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed on Friday.

☆ Oil markets steady as investors weigh banking crisis, Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Oil markets are closely watching the sentiment in financial market, while oil fundamentals remain sidelined, said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights. A stronger dollar makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies and tends to weigh on demand for oil. Despite lowering output, Russia is expected to maintain crude oil exports by cutting refinery output in April, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed on Friday. Exports of Russian oil products have to date been more affected than crude exports by a recent European Union embargo, with tonnes of diesel stuck on ships awaiting buyers. Analysts said Russian crude inventories have been rising since September last year, and the country would likely want to avoid further stockbuilds during refinery maintenance season from March to June.

"Unfortunately the president doesn't think it's important," McCarthy said when asked about how talks on the debt ceiling were going. The government faces a historic default on its debts without legislation to raise the $31.4 trillion debt limit. Biden and leading Democrats in Congress have urged McCarthy to unveil Republicans' plans for cutting spending, saying that additional meetings before that happens would be fruitless. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Thursday that Democrats welcome budget talks anytime. Meantime, Republicans want Democrats to signal support for significant spending cuts before providing the votes needed in Congress to increase the Treasury Department's borrowing authority.

☆ How the 2023 banking crisis unfolded
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 24 (Reuters) - Global banks are staring at the biggest crisis since 2008 after two U.S. lenders collapsed, Switzerland's Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) sought a government lifeline and America's top banks agreed to offer a $30 billion rescue deal - all in the space of 10 days. The turmoil has ratcheted up fears of a contagion and prompted action from the U.S. Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury and the private sector, but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to contain the damage. Below is a timeline of key events:Sources: company statements, press conferences, sources, media reportsReporting by Mehnaz Yasmin amd Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. and China wage war beneath the waves – over internet cables
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +28 min

Three of China’s state-owned carriers – China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom), China Mobile Limited and China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd (China Unicom) – had committed funding as members of the consortium, which also included U.S.-based Microsoft Corp and French telecom firm Orange SA, according to six people involved in the deal. China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and Orange did not respond to requests for comment. China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom were resolutely behind HMN Tech, which had come in with a bid of around $500 million. China Telecom and China Mobile threatened to walk off the project, taking tens of millions of dollars of investment with them. Among them is China Telecom, which had previously won authorization to provide services in the United States.

Airbus and Boeing have both highlighted the scale and technology of existing investments in India, playing down the significance of final passenger jet assembly. Boeing said it buys $1 billion a year in parts and services from India, while Airbus said it buys $700 million. "There's a desire in every country to have as much manufacturing as possible ... and final assembly is a desire that you see all around the world," Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India, told Reuters. "The volumes that you would require for final assembly on the commercial part of the business are just far, far greater," he said. "Even without the C295 FAL, the Airbus industrial footprint in India already generates more foreign exchange value and jobs for the country than any modern assembly activity would," said Remi Maillard, president of Airbus India & South Asia, by email.

Search resuls for: "ratcheted"

25 mentions found