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☆ Premarket stocks: What happens if the debt ceiling and banking crisis collide?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —President Joe Biden said over the weekend that debt ceiling negotiations were moving along and that talks between the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would resume on Tuesday. It may become more difficult to access credit, further exacerbating the challenges individuals and companies are already facing because of the banking crisis. Before the Bell: What do the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations mean to small and medium businesses? Do you think bank executives and members of the business community can put pressure on Congress and the White House to come to a deal? The White House has estimated more than 8 million jobs would get wiped out if there is a protracted default.

☆ Warren Buffett's businesses are battling historic inflation, hefty interest rates, and tighter lending. 5 Berkshire Hathaway CEOs break down why they're thriving despite a brutal economic backdrop.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway faces inflation, higher interest rates, and tighter credit. Its subsidiaries are also seeing signs that their customers, suppliers, and partners are being pinched by higher prices, steeper interest rates on their debts, and perhaps even reduced access to credit. "You just kind of have to take it," Egan said about some of the higher costs. Moreover, longstanding suppliers who refrained from passing on their higher costs to See's in 2021 have been forced to charge it more. The fast-food chain's franchisees face much higher costs for equipment, building materials, and construction work than they did a few years ago.

☆ Factbox: India's Go First seeks revival after court grants bankruptcy protection
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The airline is owned by the Wadia Group, which also runs bread and biscuits maker Britannia Industries (BRIT.NS) and textile firm Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Co (BDYN.NS). Nearly half of the fleet was grounded due to problems with their Pratt & Whitney (P&W) jet engines that are yet to be replaced. The low-cost carrier posted its biggest annual loss in fiscal 2022, local media have reported. The Wadia Group was in talks to sell a part of its stake or completely exit the airline, the Economic Times newspaper reported in April. The grounding and related issues also saw the airline delay plans to go public, local media reported.

TORONTO, May 9 (Reuters) - Pierre Lassonde, a Canadian mining industry veteran, has made an offer to invest in Teck Resources Ltd's (TECKb.TO) coal business, in a bid to thwart Glencore Plc's (GLEN.L) hostile attempt to merge with Teck. Vancouver-based Teck has rebuffed Swiss mining company Glencore's $22.5 billon offer to combine the two companies and is instead pursing plans to separate its copper and coal business. Teck last month pulled its initial business separation plan at the last minute after failing to secure enough shareholder support. Glencore has offered a cash component for Teck's coal business worth C$8 billion ($5.98 billion). A source close to the matter said that an alternative offer for Teck's steelmaking coal business might push the Swiss conglomerate to finally make an improved offer.

REUTERS/Niharika Kulkarni/File PhotoBENGALURU/SINGAPORE, May 6 (Reuters) - Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings (TEM.UL) is considering investing $100 million in Indian jeweller BlueStone for a stake of about 20%, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The potential deal could boost BlueStone's plans to expand aggressively in India, the second-largest jewellery consuming nation behind China, as demand surges after the pandemic. BlueStone operates in a market that is dominated by thousands of small and large local independent jewellery stores, but also branded outlets like Titan Company-owned (TITN.NS) Tanishq and CaratLane, and Kalyan Jewellers (KALN.NS). While Temasek's interest in investing in Bluestone has been previously reported, Reuters is first to report details of an investment amount, the potential valuation and other financial details of the potential deal. BlueStone CEO Gaurav Kushwaha did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment, while Temasek declined to comment.

Barrick has been building its copper business organically and said it is exploring copper drilling opportunities in countries such as Chile and Argentina. "We have always said that if you want to be relevant as a gold miner you have to be in copper business," Bristow added. Gold is often a byproduct of copper, a critical metal required for electrification and the transition to a greener economy. Teck last month withdrew its plan to split its coal and metals business after it failed to secure shareholders' approval. Bristow said Glencore's proposal made a "lot of sense" as Glencore could handle Teck's debt and had offered a clean split of Teck's business.

☆ An airline had to remind its pilots to keep cockpits 'sterile' after one invited a friend onto the flight deck and asked crew to serve her food and alcohol, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An Air India pilot spent over an hour in the cockpit with a "female friend" on a flight to Dubai in February. According to a complaint reported by Indian media, he asked cabin crew to serve her food and alcohol. On Monday, Air India reminded its 1,800 pilots of the "sterile" cockpit rule, reports say. On Monday, Air India warned all its pilots — numbering over 1,800 per the Economic Times — reminding them of the sterile cockpit rule. A spokesperson for Air India told Insider it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident alongside the regulator's independent inquiry.

☆ This is the best off-price retailer to own in this shaky economic environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Analysts at a major Wall Street research firm see multi-year growth and share gains ahead for off-price retailers. Under this scenario, lower-income consumers will choose to spend their money at off-price retailers. The analysts like Ross Stores (ROST) best, and called Burlington Stores (BURL) high-risk, high-reward, with a multi-year turnaround story. Bank of America, in a note this week, emphasized that the off-price retailers, including TJX, will be eager to take over the additional closed Bed Bath & Beyond locations. Bottom line We're encouraged to hear from Bernstein that lower-income consumers might be ready to spend more at off-price retailers, leading the analysts to say they would view "Q1 off-price weakness as an entry point" into the stocks.

☆ Gamers are using a secret level to dodge Russian censorship and share news about the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gamers are using a secret room in "CS:GO" to share news about the Ukraine war with Russian players. A Finish newspaper designed the room to bypass Russian censorship and get the news to citizens. Players can find the secret room and read information about Russia's shocking war crimes and high casualties in the ongoing conflict. A map shows Russia's civilian targets in the war, mass graves in Bucha and Irpin, 70,000 Russian deaths in the war so far, and more. They wrote that while "Countless Russians are unaware of what is happening in Ukraine," the secret room is where "they are forced to see the truth with their own eyes."

☆ Hedge funds bet consumers will rein in U.S. spending - Goldman Sachs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Nell Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. consumer spending plateaued in March, a sign that Americans may have become more averse to higher prices, data released last week showed. In Europe, stocks saw net buying by hedge funds for a fourth straight month in April, driven mainly by hedge funds buying to exit short positions in macro economic sectors, the Goldman Sachs note said. Goldman added that developed markets in Asia, especially Japan, saw net buying from hedge funds. Japanese stocks saw net buying by hedge funds for a fourth straight month and the largest level of notional net buying in two years, the note said. Global hedge funds that focus on buying and selling stocks posted a 0.58% increase in asset weighted returns, said the note.

☆ Factbox: India's Go First seeks insolvency resolution as engine trouble grounds fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Cash-strapped Indian airline Go First Airways filed for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings in the National Company Law Tribunal on Tuesday. The airline is owned by the Wadia Group, which also runs bread and biscuits maker Britannia Industries (BRIT.NS) and textile firm Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Co (BDYN.NS). The low-cost carrier posted its biggest annual loss in fiscal 2022, local media had reported. The Wadia Group was in talks to sell a part of its stake or completely exit the airline, the Economic Times newspaper had reported in April. The grounding and related issues also saw the airline delay plans to go public, local media reported.

☆ India's Go First Airways files for insolvency proceedings, suspends flights - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, May 2 (Reuters) - Cash-strapped Indian airline Go First Airways has suspended its flights for May 3 and 4, and filed for insolvency resolution proceedings in the National Company Law Tribunal, local media reported on Tuesday. Go First is suspending flights due to a severe funding crunch, PTI said in a report carried by ET Now, citing the airline's Chief Executive Kaushik Khona. The grounded flights have led to Go First's market share falling to 6.9% in March from 8.4% in January, latest data from the Indian aviation regulator showed. Go First has also sued Pratt & Whitney in a U.S. federal court, seeking to enforce an arbitral award that asks the engine maker to supply the airline, the ET report said. Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Adani Ports starts $130 mln buyback of debt securities
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 24 (Reuters) - India's Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSE.NS), a group company of the beleaguered Adani Group, said on Monday it has started a buyback programme of certain debt securities to partly prepay near-term loans due in 2024. Adani Ports said in an exchange filing that it has floated a tender of up to $130 million in outstanding debt, as it tries to boost investor confidence after the group's shares were pummelled earlier this year by a U.S. short-seller's report. The Economic Times first reported on Monday, citing sources, that the Adani Group plans to buy back foreign currency bonds of various group companies, starting with a $650-million tranche at its ports unit. Adani Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment on its buyback plans. Shares and bonds of Adani Group have regained some lost ground over the past month or so after it repaid some debt and attracted a $1.9 billion investment from boutique investment firm GQG Partners.

TORONTO, April 23 (Reuters) - A strike by about 155,000 Canadian federal government workers is closer to a resolution, with progress made on remote work and wage increases for Treasury Board employees, the union said on Sunday. The strike is scheduled to continue for now amid ongoing talks about a deal for revenue agency workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) said in a statement. "At Treasury Board we made some headway on remote work language, and both sides have moved in order to get closer to a resolution on wage increases," said Chris Aylward, National President of PSAC. The talks with the government about wage increases for revenue agency workers, who oversee tax returns, have not made progress, he added. The revenue agency workers wanted a pay hike of 22.5% over three years, while the Treasury Board workers who oversee federal government administration were seeking a 13.5% pay rise over three years.

☆ CEOs are balancing economic uncertainty with the need to innovate and invest in the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Josée Rose | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

About 75% of C-suite execs are worried about macro uncertainty, BCG's CEO Outlook survey found. Walter told Insider that all companies need to trim costs smartly so they can reinvest in growth, particularly in digital and in mergers. "One being, there's macro uncertainty, and we need to adjust our cost base in order to take a defensive posture against that macro uncertainty. "Two is: We need to continue to innovate and grow because if we don't, we're not going to succeed as a company. Most C-suite leaders understand that amid difficult decisions like layoffs or reorganizations, companies still need to invest in their employees.

☆ Restaurants are expected to post strong earnings, but signs of trouble ahead could emerge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As restaurants prepare to present their first-quarter earnings, investors are anticipating strong results. When restaurants released their fourth-quarter reports in February, many touted impressive sales growth in January. Starting in the second quarter, restaurants will face comparisons to last year's sales bump driven by double-digit price increases, so they'll have to depend on higher traffic to drive sales growth. The relatively high valuations for restaurant stocks bring a downside for the industry, McCarthy said. Morgan Stanley's Harbour wrote that stocks could fall even on solid results "if the path forward is less clear."

☆ Premarket stocks: Is Big Oil running out of gas?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Oil and gas stocks have been on a two-year tear, ripping ahead as natural gas prices surged due to supply chain kinks, a strong economy, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What’s happening: Brutally high oil and gas prices were the talk of the town last year and one of the largest contributing factors to sky-high inflation. That’s bad news for automobile drivers, but ended up being great for the energy industry as oil prices and energy stocks are closely interlinked. Blackstone is feeling the commercial real estate slumpThe ongoing commercial real estate slowdown has a new victim: Blackstone. Profits from the sale of commercial real estate assets fell 54% to $4.4 billion, down from $9.5 billion last year.

☆ India’s population is on track to exceed China’s, but a report says its workforce is weighed down by thousands of people with worthless college degrees
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

As India's population inches past China's, it remains burdened by a workforce with worthless degrees. This glut of incompetent workers comes as India's population is set to overtake China's by mid-2023, per the United Nations. While some colleges provide inadequate training, a private university in North India went one step further, and sold fake degrees. Bloomberg's report on India's failing education system comes as India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous country. By mid-2023, India's population is estimated to reach 1.4286 billion, 2.9 million more than China's 1.4257 billion people, per the United Nations Population Fund's "State of World Population Report."

☆ Markets are starting to get worried about US debt default
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But that’s starting to change, in what is shaping up to be a nail-biting game of debt ceiling squabbling as the shot clock is winding down. When the debt ceiling was breached in January, five-year CDS spreads hovered around 35 basis points. How does this compare to the 2011 debt ceiling debacle? In 2011 a debt ceiling standoff led to credit-rating agency Standard and Poor’s downgrade of US debt from the highest possible status, AAA, to AA+. After that occurred, the cost of insuring against US debt for a year jumped to 63 basis points.

[1/2] A train loaded with copper cathodes travels along a rail line inside the Chuquicamata copper mine, which is owned by Chile's state-run copper producer Codelco, near Calama city, Chile, April 1, 2011. Lundin last month agreed to pay $950 million for 51% control of the mine, calling the deal "an endorsement that we believe the mining royalty and taxation discussions are trending in the right direction." In the past 18 months, mining giants have been vocal about concerns in Chile. BHP Group Ltd (BHP.AX) said it might reevaluate its investments depending on new tax plans by the government, while Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX.N) has said it would pause expansion plans in Chile, citing political uncertainty. Lundin remains confident in the future of the Caserones project, which began operations in 2014 and has annual output of 100,000 tonnes of copper.

☆ Temasek hospital deal channels its Dr Resilience
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, April 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Temasek is picking a good time to focus on health. The sovereign investor is taking control of Indian hospital operator Manipal for $2 billion. Others are on an Indian health drive too. Follow @anshumandaga on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSSingapore’s Temasek will buy an additional 41% stake in Manipal Health Enterprises, the unlisted Indian hospital chain said on April 10. After the deal closes, the Pai family’s Manipal Group will hold about 30% of Manipal Health.

TORONTO, April 10 (Reuters) - Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) Chief Executive Gary Nagle plans to meet with some of Teck Resources Ltd's (TECKb.TO) Canadian shareholders in Toronto this Thursday to personally lobby them for support of Glencore's proposed takeover of the copper and zinc miner, according to a source who was invited. Royal Bank of Canada's (RY.TO) RBC Capital Markets will host the Toronto lunch meeting, according to Jonathan Case of CI Global Asset Management, a Teck shareholder who was invited. RBC has been one of Glencore's bankers in the past. Teck's executives on Monday reinforced their rejection of Glencore's unsolicited $22.5 billion takeover offer. Reporting by Divya Rajagopal in Toronto; Editing by Ernest Scheyder and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Reliance, Adani among 49 bidders for debt-ridden Future Retail
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Reliance Retail, part of Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd (RELI.NS) as well as April Moon Retail Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between Flemingo group and Gautam Adani-led Adani Airport Holdings, have submitted expressions of interest (EoIs), an exchange filing by Future Retail showed. Other entities that have submitted EOIs include London-based retailer WH Smith (SMWH.L), a consortium led by U.S.-based restructuring firm Gordon Brothers, J.C. Flowers Asset Reconstruction, India's Jindal Power, and individual investor Harsha Vardhan Reddy. Reliance Retail, Jindal Power, J.C. Flowers, WH Smith and Gordon Brothers did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

TORONTO, April 9 (Reuters) - Canada's move to expand the investment tax credit for mining companies to align it with policies in the United States is accelerating funding talks for critical miners, company executives told Reuters. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government proposed a 30% investment tax credit for expenses related to the exploration of critical minerals in the latest budget announced last month. This incentive also covers investors planning to buy shares in certain critical mining companies such as those in the exploration of lithium brine. Several junior mining companies in western Canada are optimistic about the fund raising prospects and are in talks with banks for financing, Doornbos added. "These measures do level the playing and put us in a stronger position," said Pierre Gratton, CEO of the Mining Association of Canada.

☆ ‘The Last Quiet Place’ by Ingrid Laubrock Review: A Jazz Sextet’s Outsize Sound
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Perhaps emblematic of complicated economic times, jazz musicians are doing more with less these days, especially when it comes to midsize ensembles. Drummer Tomas Fujiwara , guitarist Mary Halvorson , trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Anna Webber all lead midsize bands that are unusually expansive in their sound. Saxophonist and composer Ingrid Laubrock , a sometime collaborator of Ms. Halvorson’s, follows in this lineage with her new recording, “The Last Quiet Place” (Pyroclastic). Ms. Laubrock, who is 52 years old, chose her title after reading Elizabeth Kolbert ’s books “The Sixth Extinction” and “Under a White Sky.” The themes of global extinction and humanity’s impact on nature led Ms. Laubrock to consider ports of serenity, though they may be more internal than external. Although the saxophonist has participated in numerous sessions with performers who lean toward the softer side, the music here is lithe, sprawling and at times intensely spiky.

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