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☆ Rakuten to invest $363 million in better frequency cell base
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Rakuten is pictured in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, Aug 2, 2023. REUTERS/Miho Uranaka/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Japan's Rakuten Group (4755.T) on Monday said it would invest 54.4 billion yen ($362.81 million) to construct cellular base stations, just after the government announced it had assigned the company's carrier better frequency for connection. The announcement could boost the company's mobile phone business that has struggled to take market share from cash-rich incumbents known for high-quality networks. Rakuten said it plans to open 10,661 base stations for the "platinum band" frequency and expects its cell phone business to turn profitable in 2026. The company is sticking to a plan to reduce capital expenditure by about 300 billion yen between 2023 and 2025, a spokesperson said.

Persons: Miho Uranaka, Rakuten, Satoshi Sugiyama, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

For many if not most Republican primary voters, Mr. Trump is the equivalent of an incumbent president (and to some, he still is president), and incumbents generally get renominated with ease. Several members of the group had positive things to say about Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and some of the other candidates. So far, the other Republican candidates for president aren’t breaking through and giving these voters reasons to pass on Mr. Trump’s candidacy. And how do you attack and beat Mr. Trump when so few Republicans — including these 11 — want to see Mr. Trump attacked? The group made some suggestions for how to appeal to them and called out dimensions of Mr. Trump that they don’t like.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, aren’t, Trump’s, hasn’t Organizations: Republican, Mr Locations: Iowa

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republicans on Wednesday pitched new maps for the state's congressional districts starting in 2024 that appear to threaten the reelection of at least three current Democratic U.S. House members. Senate redistricting committee leaders introduced two proposals that would rework the boundary lines for the state's 14 U.S. House seats. The state House and Senate want to enact a final plan by the end of the month. He said House leaders “worked with Senate leadership on the congressional plan,” but he didn't say which Senate plan the House supported. House and Senate redistricting committees also filed separate legislation Wednesday that would rework their own districts — the House for its 120 seats and the Senate for its 50 seats.

Persons: Roy Cooper’s, Asher Hildebrand, David Price, Jeff Jackson, Charlotte, Wiley Nickel, Kathy Manning, Valerie Foushee, Hill, Don Davis, Greene County —, you’ve, ” Hildebrand, Republican —, “, Cooper, they've Organizations: — North Carolina Republicans, Wednesday, Democratic U.S . House, Republican, General, Democratic Gov, U.S . House, Duke University, Democratic Rep, Current, Democratic, Republicans, GOP, Greensboro —, Destin, Senate, Democrat, Legislative Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, U.S, Cary, Greensboro, Greene County, Wednesday's, Charlotte, Raleigh

☆ A lot of 2023's new unicorns have been generative AI startups. Here's what to expect from the sector next year, according to Accel.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Generative AI startups have made up a lot of the world's new unicorns this year. High-profile investors have jostled to back, in some cases, weeks-old startups like Mistral as the hype around generative AI intensified. Both regions also tout a batch of promising unicorns across the generative AI stack. Generative AI will become a run-of-the-mill tool"Generative AI will unlock new verticalised applications built with smaller and dedicated models and industry-specific workflows," the Accel report said. Enterprises will also jump to incorporate generative AI more seamlessly into their automation tools, per the report.

Persons: —, Phillipe Botteri, Harvey Organizations: Venture, Mistral, US, Accel Partners, Runway, Accel, EU, Stanford University, Enterprises, Big Tech, Microsoft Locations: Europe, Israel, Jasper, France, EU

Six major candidates — four Republicans, one Democrat and one independent — are vying for the seat that is being vacated by Gov. With Edwards unable to run due to consecutive term limits, the election opens a huge opportunity for Republicans to win Louisiana’s top position. Louisiana is one of three states with a gubernatorial election this fall, along with Mississippi and Kentucky. State Rep. Richard Nelson withdrew from the race in September and endorsed Landry but will remain on the ballot per state election laws. With four significant GOP candidates vying for the position, Democrats are hopeful that Wilson, their sole major candidate, will succeed.

Persons: Donald Trump, John Bel Edwards, Edwards, Jeff Landry, Trump, Steve Scalise, Landry, Sen, Sharon Hewitt, Hunter Lundy, John Schroder, Stephen Waguespack, Bobby Jindal, Shawn Wilson, Richard Nelson, Wilson, Tim Temple, Republican Kyle Ardoin, Ardoin, Clay Schexnayder, Nancy Landry, Mike Francis, Gwen Collins, Brandon Trosclair Organizations: Republicans, Gov, Democratic, Republican, U.S, GOP, Democrat, Transportation, Development Department, State, Democratic Party Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Lake Charles

☆ Here's the 21-page pitch deck that Slope, a fintech looking to upend B2B payments, used to score $30 million from investors like OpenAI's Sam Altman
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lin Murata worked at the business growing up, doing everything from sales to filing paperwork to working the cash register. "My parents, they're very old school, and all the existing solutions were excruciating to use, and we realized there was a real need for a frictionless B2B payments solution," said Lin Murata. It's a tall order to digitize B2B payments — companies ranging from middle-market companies and mom-and-pop shops have been notoriously hard to penetrate and spur technological change. Of the $125 trillion market for global B2B payments, only a fraction of transactions — less than $6 trillion according to Slope's pitch deck — occur online. The latest investment brings Slope's total funding to $187 million, with $62 million in equity and $125 million in debt capital.

Persons: Lawrence Lin Murata, Lin Murata, Alice Deng, Deng, Sam Altman, OpenAI's Sam Altman Organizations: Union Square Ventures, OpenAI's Locations: China, Brazil, Slope's

☆ Poland's elections this weekend could mark a crossroad for EU solidarity — and Ukraine support
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The Leader of Civic Coalition Party, Donald Tusk delivers a speech during the Women for Elections Campaign rally on October 10, 2023 in Lodz, Poland. EU tiesLaw and Justice's leadership has seen Poland's relationship with the EU and its various institutions become increasingly strained. It resulted in Morawiecki saying last month that his country would no longer supply weapons to Ukraine as it was "now arming Poland." Poland's vote follows elections in neighbor Slovakia which saw populist former Prime Minister Robert Fico return to power. Hungary's firebrand rightwing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has persistently used inflammatory language regarding the EU, attacking it repeatedly on social media.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Omar Marques, Tusk, —, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, Robert Fico, Fico, Viktor Orbán Organizations: Civic Coalition Party, Women, Elections, Getty, European Union —, rightwing Law, Justice, Civic Coalition, European, Law, EU, Nurphoto, Consultancy Eurasia Group, Eurasia Group, Confederation, Ukraine, ING, U.S, NATO, rightwing, European Union Locations: Lodz, Poland, Ukraine, Krakow, Berlin, Brussels, Slovakia, Russia, rightwing, Hungary, Germany

☆ 1 chart to explain the current dysfunction in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Proof of Congress’ ongoing dysfunction is in its current paralysis. Republicans have a few more votes in the House, but they don’t exactly have a governing majority. The lack of competitive seats makes it feel like we are stuck with a closely divided House and a closely divided Senate for the foreseeable future. Half as many competitive House seatsThe Cook Political Report with Amy Walter assigns a partisan score to every congressional district. The partisan tone he took to placate the ultra-right lawmakers meant Democrats were never going to save his job.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, it’s, Steve Scalise, Donald Trump, Jim Jordan, Joe Biden, Amy Walter, –, Cook, CNN’s Simone Pathe, West Virginia Sen, Joe Manchin, he’s, Biden, didn’t, McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi’s, Pelosi Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Republican, Democratic, Senate Locations: Louisiana, Ohio, ”, It’s, West Virginia

☆ Bank of America's top 5 stocks for safety and security in a dangerous world
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Security is becoming increasingly crucial around the world, and Bank of America thinks investor portfolios can benefit from owning certain names. The bank on Monday released its "Future Security" primer, examining stocks through a lens of safety. Information security company CyberArk Software also made the list. CYBR YTD mountain CyberArk YTD "CyberArk is the clear leader within the PAM [privileged access market] market, with a robust technological moat," Liani said. TRU YTD mountain TransUnion YTD.

Persons: Felix Tran, Benjamin Netanyahu, CrowdStrike, Tal Liani, Matt Cohen, CyberArk, Liani, BofA, Heather Balsky, Tomer Zilberman, Andrew Obin, Obin, Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America, Israeli, Defense, U.S . Aerospace & Defense ETF, CyberArk Software, Motorola Solutions, Motorola, North, APG Locations: Israel, U.S

☆ NBA can shift the balance of power in media with its next rights deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Every media rights renewal for the NBA is an important event because it only happens about once a decade. But with the National Football League's media rights locked up until 2033, the NBA has a unique opportunity to play media kingmaker. CNBC first reported NBCUniversal's interest in again airing NBA games earlier this year. Carving up the piewatch nowThe NBA will have to balance demand against restricting supply to maximize the price for rights. Discovery's TNT, NBA TV, NBA League Pass or a regional sports network.

Persons: Jimmy Butler, Jamal Murray, Justin Edmonds, clamor, John Skipper, Ted Sarandos, Netflix hasn't, We've, Sarandos, that's, Netflix's Ted Sarandos, Jeff Kravitz, That's, Serbian Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, It's, Peacock, Michael Jordan, Discovery's Max, Aurelien Meunier, Kevin Durant Organizations: Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Ball Arena, Getty, Basketball, Comcast, Google, Apple, Netflix, YouTube, NBA, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, National Football, ESPN, Global, Slovenian Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, NBCUniversal, NBC, CNBC, U.S, Metropolitans, Nielsen, Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, ABC, TNT, NBA TV, Twitter Locations: Denver , Colorado, NBCUniversal, Hollywood , California, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Slovenian, Serbian, Levallois, Perret, U.S

In the meantime, House Republicans have no clear leader heading into next year's election as they cling to a razor-thin majority. The leadership fund will shift its alignment to follow the new House speaker once one is elected. McCarthy visiting a district could often be a major draw, juicing fundraiser proceeds, though that’s a role any new House speaker can grow into. “That’s where McCarthy has crushed it,” said Cam Savage, a longtime Republican strategist who works on House races. “After this week’s chaotic episode, House Republicans have basically upgraded to a Disney fast-pass in their never-ending roller coaster ride to the radical right,” said Viet Shelton, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s House campaign arm.

Persons: — Kevin McCarthy, he’s, McCarthy, ”, Kelly Armstrong, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan, Republican John Boehner, Donald Trump, “, Dan Conston, “ That’s, Cam Savage, ” McCarthy, he’ll, Joe Biden, Viet Shelton, “ It’s, Marty Obst, aren't, Nancy Mace, Katie Arrington, Mace, ” Arrington, Trump, Kevin Freking, Meg Kinnard, James Pollard Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Republicans, National Republican Congressional Committee, Congressional, Fund, GOP, House, Trump, House Democrats, House Republicans, Disney, Democratic Congressional, Committee, Washington, Associated Press Locations: Dallas, McCarthy’s, California, Viet, South Carolina, Washington, Columbia , South Carolina

☆ California's newly-appointed senator may not live in California at all
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Madison Hall | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sunday evening, he announced that EMILYs List President Laphonza Butler would hold the seat. Gavin Newsom's interim replacement for Sen. Dianne Feinstein doesn't appear to actually live in California, records show. Shortly after this was pointed out online, EMILYs List removed that part from her biography. "She moved to the DC area when she became president of EMILY's List. A Tea Party-backed challenger used residency questions to help sink longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Richard Lugar in a fiercely contested 2012 Indiana GOP primary.

Persons: Sen, Dianne Feinstein's, Gavin Newsom, Laphonza Butler, Butler, —, Gavin Newsom's, Dianne Feinstein doesn't, Feinstein, Newsom, Butler doesn't, Izzy Gardon, Richard Lugar, Adam Schiff, Schiff, Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, Steve Garvey Organizations: FEC, Service, Democratic, Federal, Commission, EMILYs, Politico, Congressional Research Service, Tea, Republican, Indiana GOP, Senate, Reps, Los Angeles Dodgers Locations: California, Maryland, Silver Spring , Maryland, Washington, DC, . California

☆ How the Senate GOP’s campaign chief is navigating Trump and messy primaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Manu Raju | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Top Senate Republicans look at the prospects of a Donald Trump primary victory with trepidation, fearful his polarizing style and heavy baggage may sink GOP candidates down the ticket as their party battles for control of the chamber. Daines argues that Trump is “strengthening” among independent voters and that could be a boon for his Senate candidates – even in purple states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania. “What’s key is we want to make sure we have high-quality candidates running with President Trump,” Daines said. Kyrsten Sinema nor Joe Manchin could hold onto their seats if they ran for reelection in their states as independents. And that’s a losing strategy.”Daines is also in the middle of another internal party war – between Trump and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, as the two men have been at sharp odds since the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Persons: Donald Trump, trepidation, Sen, Steve Daines doesn’t, don’t, Daines, Trump, –, “, ” Daines, Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin, Kari Lake, ”, he’s, Trump’s, Ronald Reagan, West Virginia –, Ted Cruz, he’s Ted Cruz he’ll, Tim Sheehy, Sheehy, Matt Rosendale, Jon Tester, Matt, He’s, Sherrod Brown’s, Manchin, ” Manchin, Joe, Ruben Gallego, Roe, Wade, that’s, Mitch McConnell, McConnell Organizations: CNN, Top, Republicans, Montana Republican, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Trump, Senate Republican, Republican, NRSC, GOP, Democratic, –, Navy SEAL, Caucus, Senate GOP, Capitol Locations: Michigan , Wisconsin , Nevada, Pennsylvania, Montana, Sens, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, – Ohio, West Virginia, Texas, Florida, Rosendale, Ohio, Trump

☆ No Republican senator has called on Menendez to resign — but they're happy to use his scandal to bludgeon Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

No Republican senator has publicly called for Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez to resign. But the GOP's Senate campaign arm has been using the scandal to hit vulnerable Democrats. AdvertisementAdvertisementNot a single Republican senator has called for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign in the wake of his latest indictment. On Monday, when Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was still the only senator who had called for Menendez to resign, the committee pointed out the silence of most Democrats. "That's for Democrats to decide," replied Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, the NRSC chairman, when asked by Insider on Thursday if he believed Menendez should resign.

Persons: Democratic Sen, Bob Menendez, Sen, Steve Daines, —, John Fetterman of, Menendez, Phil Letsou, Bob, it's, That's, Daines tersely, Ted Cruz of, Tom Cotton of, he's, Republican who's, Mitt Romney, Axios, Jon Tester, Bob Casey of, they've, they'll, Bob Casey, We'd, Casey Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Senate, Service, Republicans, National Republican, Democrats, New, Twitter, Democratic Sens Locations: John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Montana, New Jersey, Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Utah

☆ OpenAI looks to raise new funds up to $90 billion in valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailOpenAI looks to raise new funds up to $90 billion in valuationCNBC's Deirdre Bosa reports on OpenAI's latest funding round, and the fundraising efforts of peers relative to the big tech incumbents.

Persons: Deirdre Bosa

☆ Exclusive: China's Nio explores investment, tech alliances with Mercedes - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nio, when contacted, denied it talked to Mercedes on a collaboration, calling it "untrue", without elaborating. Mercedes said in a separate response that there were no collaboration plans with Nio at the moment. Chinese EV companies may also be able to navigate potential trade barriers better by forging such tie-ups. Nio, whose investors include Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK), has publicly called for more such tie-ups with established automakers. ($1 = 7.3127 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Additional reporting by Ilona Wissenbach in Frankfurt; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: William Li, Ola Kaellenius, Nio, Mercedes, Leapmotor, Elon Musk, Tesla, Nio's Li, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Ilona Wissenbach, Muralikumar Organizations: HK, Mercedes, Benz, Nio, EV, Volkswagen, SAIC, Audi, VW's, Tencent Holdings, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, Tesla, Frankfurt

REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) gaming master plan is slowly coming together. But Microsoft’s gaming revenue was still around 8% of group sales, or $15 billion, for the year ended June 2022. Given these risks, it makes sense for Nadella to grow his exposure to those parts of the gaming market which are less likely to be upended by cloud gaming. It remains possible that cloud gaming is a dog that doesn’t bark – or at least not for some time. As a result of the Activision deal, Nadella has a hedge of sorts against cloud gaming happening too fast.

Persons: Kevork, Satya Nadella’s, Ampere, ”, GamesIndustry.biz, Nadella, George Hay, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Activision, REUTERS, Reuters, Bethesda, Microsoft, Satya Nadella’s Activision, Ampere, Sony, Nintendo, Reuters Graphics, Netflix, Gamers, Xbox, PlayStation, Big Tech, Apple, HK, reckons, Competition, Markets Authority, CMA, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Ubisoft Entertainment, Ubisoft, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, United States, U.S

☆ China's e-commerce discount race to the bottom puts incumbents under pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Discount e-commerce is set to dominate globally during the critical upcoming holiday shopping season in the West and Singles’ Day in China, analysts said. Platforms in China, the world’s largest e-commerce market, have recently described a “value-for-money battle” stoked by economic insecurity and a slower-than-expected retail recovery following the lifting of COVID-19 curbs late last year. “There was a clear vacuum for the discount retailer online experience ... Across the world, executives are now focusing on price pressures as discount online retailers gain increasing market share. In the West, the inflation driven consumer wants something cheaper because they're going through a moment of financial insecurity,” Ho said.

Persons: Florence Lo, ”, thrall, Sharon Gai, ” Humphrey Ho, Rui Ma, Trudy Dai, Alibaba, ” Ho, Casey Hall, Vanessa O'Connell, Aurora Ellis Organizations: PDD Holdings, REUTERS, Rights, West, Deal, Hylink, Amazon ., Tmall, Thomson Locations: China, Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, United States, Douyin, Canada, Australia, America, U.S, Amazon, Amazon . Indonesia

☆ Tokenizing real-world assets on blockchains is for crypto lovers as well as crypto skeptics now
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tokenizing real-world assets on a blockchain is one of the buzziest topics of the year, and this time it isn't just coming from financial incumbents like Citi, JPMorgan and Northern Trust, it's coming from crypto native players, too. As the world of crypto becomes more connected to the broader financial market, the appetite for tokenizing real-world assets, or RWA, is coming from smaller participants as well. Kraken Ventures' Stuti Pandey said since tokenization's last hype cycle, RWAs have benefited from changes in economics, technology and credibility. "Over the past few years, interest rates have been very depressed and that has favored very high growth, high risk assets," she said. Now that rates are down, it's actually these real-world assets that have interesting yield."

Persons: blockchains, RWA, Maria Shen, MakerDAO, Shen, That's, Stuti Pandey, it's Organizations: Citi, JPMorgan, Northern Trust, Electric Capital, CNBC, Kraken Ventures

☆ China's AI 'war of a hundred models' heads for a shakeout
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Additionally, companies have also announced dozens of "industry-specific LLMs" that link to their core model. However, investors and analysts say that most were yet to find viable business models, were too similar to each other and were now grappling with surging costs. Several other big name entrepreneurs and tech executives are behind new Chinese AI startups, such as Google China's former chief Kai-Fu Lee and Yan Juejie, a former vice-president of SenseTime (0020.HK). Others said that China's largest tech companies Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu ultimately had the biggest headstart and deep pockets to succeed, given their large user bases and wide range of services. For instance, they could easily offer generative AI services as an additional plug-in to their cloud users.

Persons: Baidu's, Robin Li, Ernie Bot, Tingshu Wang, OpenAI's, Esme Pau, Pau, Yuan Hongwei, Meta, Baichuan, Wang Xiaochuan, China's, Wang, Yuan, Kai, Fu Lee, Yan Juejie, SenseTime, Tony Tung, Tung, Josh Ye, Brenda Goh, Sam Holmes Organizations: Baidu, REUTERS, HK, Huawei, Nvidia, China, Macquarie Group, Y, Baichuan Intelligence, Inc, Sogou, Google, Partners, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG KONG, Alibaba, United States, Washington, Shenzhen

☆ 'Relentless pursuit of eyeballs': Analysts name China internet stocks to buy, give 2 over 50% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Several stocks are set to benefit from the "relentless pursuit of eyeballs" in the Chinese internet sector, according to analysts at asset management firm AllianceBernstein. Mini programs are apps within WeChat and have functions in areas such as e-commerce, task management, coupons, and so on. Tech giant Alibaba was given a price target of $100, representing a 14.9% upside from its Sept. 18 close. Kuaishou and Bilibili were given target prices of HK$70 and $16, representing 10.9% and 17.0% upside, respectively. Outlook The analysts said the expansion of channels for spending could lead to accelerating growth in e-commerce penetration, though the extent of upside is "debatable."

Persons: Robin Zhu, Ronald Ma, Xuan Ji, Xiaohongshu, AllianceBernstein, PDD, JD, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Douyin, JD, Hong Kong, HK, Tech Locations: China, Pinduoduo

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican David McCormick is expected to announce Thursday that he will enter Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race and make his second bid for the office, this time to take on Democratic Sen. Bob Casey after losing in last year’s crowded Republican primary. McCormick's aides have sent invites to a “special announcement” by McCormick at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh at 5 p.m. McCormick, 58, was heavily recruited to run again by the party establishment and, thus far, has a clear GOP primary field. He is a stalwart of Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party — the son of a former two-term governor and Pennsylvania's longest-ever serving Democrat in the Senate. McCormick, who grew up near Bloomsburg, is the son of Pennsylvania’s first state university system chancellor.

Persons: David McCormick, Democratic Sen, Bob Casey, McCormick's, McCormick, Casey, West Virginia —, Republican Sen, Pat Toomey, Donald Trump, Mehmet Oz, John Fettermanbeat Oz, —, Joe Biden, Scranton . McCormick, Pennsylvania’s, George W, ___, Marc Levy Organizations: —, Pennsylvania's, Senate, Democratic, Republican, Heinz, Center, Associated Press, White, West Virginia, Democratic Party —, Star, FreeMarkets, Bridgewater Associates, Twitter Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Pennsylvania's U.S, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, — Montana , Ohio, West, Pennsylvania's, Scranton ., Bloomsburg, Connecticut

☆ Op-ed: FTC's crackdown against Amazon is necessary for long-term innovation, startup investor argues
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Bradley Tusk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The howls will begin the minute the FTC's lawsuit against Amazon hits the clerk's desk. What you don't see on that list is anything that could attempt to compete with Amazon or Meta or Apple or Microsoft or Google . Whenever we look at a startup that would directly compete with a company like Amazon, the answer to the second question is always, "yes, definitely." I think Amazon is a great company. Luckily, as these earlier giants started to falter, companies like Apple and Microsoft took off, and companies like Google, Amazon and Meta came along.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, I'm, we're, Bernie Sanders, it's, there's, Bradley Tusk Organizations: Yale Law, Amazon, FTC, Tusk Venture Partners, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, GE, Google, Meta, Department of Justice Locations: Larchmont , New York, Alma, Manhattan

☆ Citi debuts deposit and trade services on blockchains for institutional clients
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Citi is upgrading some of its services for institutional clients using blockchain technology. The banking giant introduced Citi Token Services on Monday, which will tokenize clients' deposits so they can be sent anywhere in the world instantly. The bank is also now using smart contracts to automate the trade process. Citi tested the smart contract capability with shipping and logistics giant Maersk, a client of the bank. While crypto remains in regulatory limbo and prices have been almost stagnant this year, renewed excitement about tokenizing real-world assets using blockchain technology has emerged as one of the hottest topics of the year.

Persons: Ryan Rugg, Rugg, Bernstein, Hamilton Lane, Franklin Templeton, JPMorgan Chase Organizations: Citi, Citi Token Services, Citi's Treasury, Trade Solutions, Investment, KKR, Securitize, JPMorgan Locations: U.S, Singapore

☆ The UAW is playing with fire. Jim Cramer says Ford could be forced to flip the script
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The United Auto Workers strike entered Day 4 on Monday, and both sides remained far apart on pay hikes. By striking Ford, the UAW is "playing with fire," according to Jim, who said the automaker might get tired of trying to appease union demands and just lock workers out. Ford CEO Jim Farley told CNBC last week that UAW demands would bankrupt the company. In addition to top-line pressure on its EV unit and companywide cost pressure from the UAW strike, Ford needs to work its way through this transition from high-profit ICE vehicles to the currently money-losing EVs. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Jim, Ford, Jim Farley, Goldman Sachs, Tesla, Washington, Joe Biden, Biden, Jim Cramer's, Shawn Fain, Bill Pugliano Organizations: United Auto Workers, Ford, UAW, Detroit, Plant, Bronco, Ford's, General Motors, Chrysler, GM, CNBC, White House, Getty Locations: Michigan, Wayne, Wentzville , Missouri, Toledo , Ohio, U.S, Mexico, Detroit, Detroit , Michigan

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