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BEIJING (AP) — China's Belt and Road Initiative looks to become smaller and greener after a decade of big projects that boosted trade but left big debts and raised environmental concerns. Called “One Belt, One Road” in Chinese, the Belt and Road Initiative started as a program for Chinese companies to build transportation, energy and other infrastructure overseas funded by Chinese development bank loans. China became a major financer of development projects under BRI, on par with the World Bank. Chinese development banks provided money for the BRI projects as loans, and some governments have been unable to pay them back. Now, having learned the hard way through defaults, China development banks are pulling back.

Persons: Xi Jinping's, Xi, “, Alessia Amighini, Kevin Gallagher, Sri Lanka, Christoph Nedopil, Nedopil, Colleen Barry Organizations: BEIJING, Initiative, Silk, Italy, World Bank, Boston University Global Development Policy Center, U.S, Export, Import Bank of, Asia Institute, Griffith University, Associated Press Locations: Beijing, Africa, Asia, Latin America, China, Europe, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Pakistan, Italy, “ Italy, Sri Lankan, Zambia, Sri, Import Bank of China, Australia, BRI, Hungary, Milan

☆ Wells Fargo remains a stock to own, as the bank reports stellar quarterly results
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Bottom line Wells Fargo's quarterly revenue outpaced expectations on the back of better-than-expected results for both net interest income (NII) and non-interest income. Middle-market banking revenue increased 23% year-over-year, as higher interest rates and loan balances were only partially offset by lower deposits. Asset-based lending and leasing revenue was up 3% annually, a result of loan growth and increased revenue from renewable energy investments. Total banking revenues increased 20% year-over-year, a result of higher rates and lending revenues, along with "higher investment banking revenue on increased activity across all products." Commercial real estate revenue increased 14% year-over-year, due to higher rates and revenue growth in the firm's low-income housing business.

Persons: Wells, Wells Fargo, we've, Charlie Scharf, Wall, Scharf, NII, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Wells, Basel III, Management, Consumer, Auto, CNBC, Wells Fargo Bank Locations: Wells Fargo, Basel, U.S, San Bruno , California

☆ I downsized from my city apartment to a tiny house in the countryside to save money – but my cost of living increased instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Brooke Morton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is from an interview with Stacie DaPonte, 31, about living in a tiny house outside Toronto. That set me researching what it would take to downsize to a tiny house in the countryside. The benefits of living in a tiny house in the countryMy front yard is a river and I'm surrounded by ducks. AdvertisementAdvertisementI couldn't buy the tiny house all at once with cash, so I am paying off a line of credit. Tiny living is a reality I hope more people see and read about.

Persons: Stacie DaPonte, DaPonte, —, I've, It's, I'm Organizations: Service, Facebook, Gas Locations: Toronto, Ontario, Barrie

☆ Auto loans are super expensive. Here’s how to shrink your monthly bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In fact, auto loan interest rates are the highest they’ve been since 2007, when the world was heading into a massive financial crisis. More than 70% of buyers of new large SUVs now have monthly payments over $1,000. Keep it shortPeople often try to reduce their monthly payments by taking out longer loans. Spreading the payments over more years can keep the monthly amount lower, but it means you’re paying more in interest. Leasing is another way to keep monthly payments down.

Persons: It’s, ”, Kevin Roberts, you’re, Roberts, that’s, Ivan Drury, Edmunds, Matt Jones, Courtney Alev, Joseph Yoon, TrueCar’s Jones, Jones, “, CarGurus ’ Roberts, Tyson Jominy Organizations: New, New York CNN, Credit Karma, Leasing, “ Leasing, Edmunds, Toyota, Power, Associates Locations: New York, Edmunds, TrueCar.com, Cross, Boston, New York City

☆ 'We like to develop in Texas': Why the Lone Star State keeps building offices that remain vacant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Texas developers continue to build offices, even though office-vacancy rates are high. That's because Texas developers build too much. Even with those numbers, Eckert told the Journal that new office completions in Texas eclipsed every other market. Part of that cleansing is converting office buildings into something new , giving them a chance at a new lease on life. Overall, Eckert isn't worried about the office vacancies in Texas, as that is just one data point that doesn't tell the whole story.

Persons: —, Manny Garcia, Thomas LaSalvia, Jeff Eckert, JLL's, Houston —, Brandon Bell, Houston's, Eckert, JLL, Eckert isn't, it's Organizations: Service, Lone Star State, Wall Street, Moody's, Texas —, Houston Locations: Texas, California . Texas, Texas — Austin, Dallas, Austin , Texas, Springs, Dallas , Texas

☆ California may build solar panels alongside highways to power homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gavin Newsom on Saturday gave the greenlight for the state's transportation and energy officials to figure out how to install solar panels, battery storage and other renewable energy sites along highways. According to the state's Department of Transportation, California has 250 state highways containing more than 15,000 miles of road. The empty land alongside those roads could be used to generate one gigawatt of potential solar energy, which could power over 270,000 California homes, according to a joint report from Environment California, a nonprofit backer of SB 49, and highway solar advocate The Ray. In 2008, Oregon became the first state to develop a solar highway project, which now has nearly 600 solar panels. Using empty space along highways to install clean energy sites would help alleviate pressure on the state's deserts where many solar panels are currently housed.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Ray, Sen, Josh Becker Organizations: Port, Los Angeles , California ., Los Angeles , California . California Gov, Saturday, Department of Transportation, state's Department of Transportation Locations: Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, Los Angeles , California, Los Angeles , California . California, state's Department of Transportation , California, California, Environment California, Oregon

☆ Tesla signs lease to open vast sales and service centre in Shanghai industrial park
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Tesla logo is seen at a groundbreaking ceremony of Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) has signed a leasing contract with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Group (600648.SS) to open a massive sales and service centre in an industrial park in the city, its biggest one in China, the government-owned company said. The company, the world's biggest electric car manufacturer, has nearly 300 stores across China. Reuters reported last year that it was considering closing some showrooms in flashy malls in cities like Beijing. Reporting by Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; editing by Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tesla, Aly, Elon Musk's, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Clelia Organizations: Tesla Shanghai, REUTERS, Rights, Shanghai Waigaoqiao, Trade Zone Group, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Xin Park, Shanghai's Pudong, Beijing

☆ US services sector growth slows moderately
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The survey's measure of new orders received by services businesses dropped to 51.8, the lowest level since December, from 57.5 in August. PRICES REMAIN ELEVATEDDespite the slowdown in new orders, services businesses continued to face higher prices. A gauge of prices paid by services businesses for inputs was unchanged at 58.9. Some economists view the ISM services prices paid measure as a good predictor of personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation. The ISM's gauge of services sector employment dipped to 53.4 from 54.7 in August, which mostly reflected supply issues.

Persons: Amira Karaoud, Kurt Rankin, tightens, September's, Goldman Sachs, Lucia Mutikani, Paul Simao, Andrea Ricci, Will Dunham Organizations: REUTERS, PMI, Institute for Supply Management, Federal Reserve, PNC Financial, United Auto Workers, Retailers, Treasury, Fed, ADP, Conference Board, Stanford Digital Economy, Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, Goldman, BLS, Thomson Locations: Louisville, U.S, WASHINGTON, Pittsburgh

☆ 95-year-old artist who was evicted from Cape Cod dune shack gets a reprieve
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Artist Salvatore Del Deo and his family are back in the dune shack they’ve occupied and cared for on Cape Cod National Seashore for nearly 80 years. It’s officially known as the Chanel Shack after its original owner, Jeanne “Frenchie” Chanel. A collection of dune shacks make up the Peaked Hill Bars Historic District, where the Chanel Shack is located. The Chanel Shack wasn’t among those for lease, but it could have been part of a future offering. The original Chanel shack dates back to 1942, and Salvatore Del Deo befriended the original owner, “Frenchie” Chanel, several years later.

Persons: Salvatore Del Deo, Romolo Del Deo, Del Deo, Del Deos, “, ”, It’s, Chanel, Jeanne “ Frenchie ” Chanel, Josephine Del Deo, he’s, Romolo Del, –, ” Del Deo, ” Chanel, Frenchie Organizations: CNN, Cape, National Park Service, Department of, Historic Locations: Historic District, Atlantic

☆ Buying a luxury car? Your gas and EV options cost about the same. Otherwise, expect to pay nearly $16,000 more to go electric.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Premium electric vehicles now cost nearly the same as premium gas-powered cars, JD Power says. But mass market EVs are still significantly more expensive than their mass market gas counterparts. A new JD Power report says "relative affordability" is a key part of EV adoption assessments. (JD Power did note that once Ford started passing through the full federal tax credit of $7,500 to Mach-E lessees, leasing costs came down.) Overall, mass-market EVs cost $16,000 more than their gas-market counterparts.

Persons: JD Power, —, Power, Mercedes, Ford, EVs, Kelley Organizations: JD, Service, Mercedes, Benz, Ford, Power, ICE, Chevrolet

[1/2] A worker clears debris so delivery vehicles can exit a FedEx Ground distribution center in this aerial photograph taken over Carson, California, U.S., September 16, 2022. "They have to fight for every package right now, it's great for shippers," said LJM Consultants partner Kenneth Moyer, a former UPS pricing negotiator who now works with delivery customers. The world's biggest parcel delivery firm added it is using price negotiations to encourage attractive high-margin or high-volume customers, while discouraging high-cost deliveries. Third quarter ground delivery rates are forecast to fall 0.55% per package versus a the year earlier period, according to the TD Cowen/AFS Ground Pacrel Freight Index. But experts are skeptical, particularly as UPS offers to cover early termination fees for customers that switched to FedEx.

Persons: Bing Guan, That's, Kenneth Moyer, Deyman Doolittle, Wall, Moyer, Mark Taylor, Taylor, Satish Jindel, ShipMatrix, Micheal McDonagh, Yokeley, Lisa Baertlein, Ben Klayman, Aurora Ellis Organizations: FedEx, REUTERS, United Parcel Service, UPS, U.S . Postal Service, LJM, Cowen, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Teamster, Department, USPS, Amazon, AFS Logistics, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters, Thomson Locations: Carson , California, U.S, Macy's, Los Angeles

Biden's Interior Department on Friday unveiled a congressionally mandated five-year plan for offshore oil drilling that included just three sales, all in the Gulf of Mexico -- the lowest number in any five-year plan since the government began publishing them in 1980. Previous five-year offshore lease programs have ranged between 11 and 41 sales, according to Interior's U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark climate change law passed last year, made oil and gas lease sales a prerequisite for new offshore wind power auctions. Biden sees offshore wind power as a key element to his plan to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050. In a sign of the litigious nature of U.S. drilling policy, Biden's administration had been scheduled to hold a Congressionally mandated Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease auction this month.

Persons: Biden, Erik Milito, Abigail Dillen, we've, Mike Sommers, Bill Cassidy, Vladimir Putin, Cassidy, Trump, Nichola Groom, Jamie Freed, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Biden's, Department, Reuters, National Ocean Industries Association, U.S . Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior Department, Biden, American Petroleum Institute, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast, OPEC, Organization of, Petroleum, ., Interior, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, U.S, Gulf, Mexico, Putin, Louisiana, Russia, California

The five-year plan includes proposed sales in the Gulf of Mexico — the nation’s primary offshore source of oil and gas — in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The three lease sales are the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally offer if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development. The lease program will guard against environmental damage caused by oil and gas drilling and other adverse impacts to coastal communities, Haaland said. “The (oil leasing) program is definitely informed by the IRA and the connection that the IRA makes between offshore oil and gas leasing and renewable energy leasing,” he said Thursday, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act. The Interior Department can’t sell the rights to drill for oil and gas offshore without first publishing a schedule that outlines its plans.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Manchin, Harris, Deb Haaland, ”, Haaland, “, Biden's, Ryan Lance, Willow, Dyani Chapman, Tommy Beaudreau, Interior Department can’t, Rene Santos, Santos, Beth Lowell, Abigail Dillen, Sen, Dan Sullivan, ___ Brown, Becky Bohrer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Biden, Interior Department, Interior Department’s, of Ocean Energy Management, drillers, BP, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Alaska Environment, Interior, P, Gulf, American Petroleum Institute, Chevron, Associated Press Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Gulf, Mexico, West Virginia, Chevron, Brazil, Guyana, Louisiana, Oceana, Gulf Coast, Billings, Mont, Juneau , Alaska

The White House is expected to argue on Friday that holding oil lease sales is the price to pay if it wants to achieve its ambitious wind energy goals. Biden sees offshore wind power as a key tool in his administration's effort to decarbonize the economy. "The number of oil and gas lease sales will be the lowest in history and will enable the rapid expansion of the offshore wind industry," the source said. The Interior Department is required by law to create a national oil and gas leasing schedule every five years. The Biden administration unveiled a proposed plan in July last year that had contemplated between zero to 11 lease sales.

Persons: Jessica Resnick, Ault, Biden, Trump, Joe Biden's, Deb Haaland, Jarrett Renshaw, Nichola, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Reuters, Biden, Interior Department, Interior, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Alaska, California, U.S

☆ Beaten down US solar sector may be primed for a rebound: Maguire
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

High interest rates that caused financing costs for panel installations to surge and enduring supply chain disruptions have stifled residential and corporate solar system orders through much of 2023, hammering sector sentiment. SunPower Corporation (SPWR.O), which for nearly 40 years has been one of the largest U.S. residential solar system installers, has been the downside leader in terms of key solar share prices, dropping by nearly two-thirds year-to-date. The company also expects its leasing business - where it leases instead of sells solar panels to households, and charges homeowners a monthly fee - to show continued growth following a 108% expansion in the second quarter. HOME GROWN PRODUCTIONFirms that specialize in the manufacture of key solar components have also seen steep stock price declines this year. Wall Street trackers are also upbeat on the outlook for First Solar (FSLR.O), which is one the few solar sector companies to have had share prices gain year-to-date.

Persons: Roth, Gavin Maguire, Jamie Freed Organizations: SunPower Corporation, Enphase Energy Inc, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LITTLETON , Colorado, California, U.S, United States, Ohio, Alabama

☆ Meta is spending $181 million to end a lease on an office it never moved into, report says — as Big Tech continues to reassess the role of in-person work
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta had 18 years remaining on the lease for an eight-storey office in London, the FT reports. AdvertisementAdvertisementMeta has paid $181 million to end its lease on an office in London that it never moved into, the Financial Times reported. And last December, Meta moved out of two of its New York offices. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter office workers generally worked from home during COVID-19, many bigger companies have now mandated returns to office. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Working from home during the various Covid lockdowns tore up the rulebook for office workers, allowing a level of freedom as to where (and when ?)

Persons: Meta, —, Matthew Saperia, Peel Hunt, Mark Zuckerberg's, Adam Mosseri, Paul Jayson, DLA Piper, lockdowns Organizations: Big Tech, Service, Financial Times, Peel, Triton, Meta, Estate Locations: London, New York, King's, COVID

☆ A couple explains how they turned a pop-up breakfast taco side project into a brick-and-mortar restaurant that brought in more than $1 million in revenue in year one
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ana-Maria Jaramillo introduced her now husband, Gus May, to breakfast tacos when they met in 2017. They agreed that if their relationship became more serious, they'd bring breakfast tacos to DC. AdvertisementAdvertisementAna-Maria Jaramillo grew up eating homemade breakfast tacos on a flour tortilla — and figured almost everyone else did, too. La Tejana serves up breakfast tacos in Washington, DC. Jaramillo introduced May to breakfast tacos in 2017.

Persons: Ana, Maria Jaramillo, Gus May, —, Jaramillo, Tejana, — Jaramillo, she'd, May, It's, Maria, Suzannah Hoover, That's, fryer, " Jaramillo, that's, We've, we've, we're Organizations: DC, Small, Service Locations: Monterrey, Mexico, McAllen , Texas, Austin, Washington ,, Washington , DC, Washington, Texas, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant, La

☆ British Land says Meta surrenders lease at one London building
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen on smartphone in front of displayed logo of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp and Oculus in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. The property firm said the lease surrender would lead to an earnings per share dilution of about 0.6 pence for its half-year period ending Sept. 30. British Land said 1.2 million square feet of leasing was done across the portfolio in the first five months to Aug. 31, with the returns coming in 13.1% ahead of estimated rental value (ERV). The company last week raised its retail park estimated rental value growth outlook for fiscal year 2024 to 3%-5% from 2%-4% earlier, driven by "significant" leasing momentum in the business. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Varun Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, FTSE, Land, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Children Are the Casualties in New Yorkers’ Daily Struggle for Space
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Ginia Bellafante | More About Ginia Bellafante | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Nicholas’s father, Otoniel Feliz, has said that he had no idea that a tenant was living there when he sent his son to the center. But Ms. Mendez, who wept during her most recent court appearance, has denied knowing that her licensed and recently inspected home business had become a stash house for a kilo of fentanyl and the accompanying paraphernalia. This was the second time in just a few weeks that a devastating loss proved to be the collateral damage of an informal leasing agreement. Last month, a 43-year-old woman named Zhao Zhao was killed in her apartment in Sunset Park in Brooklyn when a man went after her with a hammer, also injuring her two children, 3 and 5, who face a long recovery as they learn again how to walk. The apartment had three rooms; Ms. Zhao and her children occupied one, a single person lived in a second, and a 9-year-old boy took up the third with his father, who was charged in the killing.

Persons: Otoniel, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, Mendez, Mendez’s, Acevedo Brito’s, Zhao Zhao, Zhao Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Bronx, Sunset Park, Brooklyn

☆ 400-Pound N.Y.P.D. Robot Gets Tryout in Times Square Subway Station
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“No bathroom breaks, no meal breaks.”The robot will begin its pilot on Friday night and spend two weeks mapping the station at Times Square. It will be accompanied by a human officer from midnight to 6 a.m. to introduce K5 to the public. The rollout of the new technology comes as the city’s subway stations are springing to life after a pandemic slump. Richard A. Davey, president of New York City Transit, said 4 million riders used the subway each day from Tuesday through Thursday, most likely making this the highest ridership week in three years. Mr. Adams, who once patrolled the subways as a transit cop, was elected on a promise to reduce crime without violating New Yorkers’ civil rights.

Persons: Mr, Adams, Richard A, Davey Organizations: Times, New, New York City Transit, Yorkers Locations: New York City

☆ These retailers are bucking the trend and opening stores in San Francisco despite the city's 'doom loop'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some retailers are fleeing San Francisco as fears grow over rising crime and a worsening economic environment. They continued, "We are excited to strengthen our presence in San Francisco and intend to test and try different formats to meet the needs of our San Francisco consumers for many years." Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesChanel is also making moves in downtown San Francisco. The move came despite luxury stores in downtown San Francisco being targeted by a series of high-profile robberies. "We recently invested in renovating our Downtown San Francisco hub where our teams come together to develop new consumer experiences and product innovations.

Persons: Tayfun, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Jay Watson, Alexander Spatari, Henrique Dubugras, Michael Tannenbaum, Brex's, Tannenbaum, It's, it's, Angela Hoover, Andi, Hoover Organizations: Foods, Service, Nordstrom, Westfield San Francisco Centre, Ikea US, Ikea, Bay Area, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Real, Arpels, Gap's San, Gap Inc, Navy, Gap, Downtown, San Francisco Locations: San Francisco, Wall, Silicon, Francisco, Westfield, San Francisco's, Bay, Union, Gap's, Gap's San Francisco, Banana, Sutter, Downtown San Francisco, Miami

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Barely a day goes by without an eye-catching story involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. A third of the fund consists of significant stakes in domestic companies like the $51 billion Saudi Telecom Company (7010.SE) and $53 billion Saudi National Bank (1180.SE). Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe PIF’s investment strategy is also racier than its more conservative peers. But the episode reinforces the impression that the PIF is a mix of venture capital, hedge fund and startup money. The most spectacular was probably handing $45 billion to SoftBank Group (9984.T) boss Masayoshi Son for his $100 billion first Vision Fund.

Persons: Kylian Mbappé, It’s, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yasir Al, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, Rumayyan, Salman bin Abdulaziz, Masayoshi Son, SWFs, Taiwan’s Foxconn, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Standard Chartered, Spanish telco Telefonica, Fund, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Global, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Saudi, Saudi Telecom Company, Saudi National Bank, Saudi Aramco, giga, Qatar Investment Authority, Singapore’s Temasek, Al, MbS, SoftBank Group, Vision, Credit Suisse, UBS, Saudi giga, Aramco, Investment, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ 'Thrown to the wolves': How private investors are jacking up rents and ripping off college students
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The eye-popping numbers are part of a longer-term shift toward private college housing. Moody's Analytics recently warned of an "affordability crisis" for college students, noting that since 2019, rents for student housing in a sample of notable college towns had grown faster than those of regular apartments. Student housing goes privateThe gold rush in student housing is a relatively new phenomenon. Back in the 1980s and '90s, most college students either lived in bland, cinder-block-walled dorms or in conventional apartments farther from campus. Even with his frugality, he came to realize that the prices in West Campus were "impossible to rationalize" for a college student.

Persons: behemoth Blackstone, Evan Scope, UT Austin who's, Carl Whitaker, Austin Kristian Alveo, Whitaker, Mark Austin, Kristian Alveo, David Willson, Willson, Gina Cowart, Cowart, David Kanne, lounging, Ann, Kanne, Lu Chen, RealPage, Donald Cohen, Cohen, Graham Sowden, Dan Allen, Allen, Austin, James Rodriguez Organizations: Waterloo, University of Texas, Wall Street's, American, Communities, National, Housing, Evan Scope Crafts, UT Austin, University, UT, LV, UTs, Crafts, American Campus, HBO, West, haven't, State College ,, Moody's, Power, Middlebury College, University of Tennessee, Arizona State University, Urban Institute, Investors, Power Five, RREAF Holdings Locations: Austin, Wall, Waterloo, UT Austin, Rio, Villas, West, West Campus, Gainesville , Florida, Ann Arbor , Michigan, State College , Pennsylvania, Knoxville, South

☆ Agility Robotics is opening a humanoid robot factory, beating Tesla to the punch
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Agility Robotics is wrapping up construction of a factory in Salem, Oregon, where it plans to mass-produce its first line of humanoid robots, called Digit. The 70,000 square-foot facility, which the company is calling the "RoboFab," is the first of its kind, according to Damion Shelton, CEO and co-founder of Agility Robotics. For now, though, Agility Robotics is focused on the installation and testing of its first production lines. Matt Ocko, managing partner at DCVC and an investor in Agility, told CNBC that Digit should "fill millions of unmet roles that human beings don't want." At the same time, he emphasized, Agility Robotics has designed its humanoid robots to work safely and autonomously as a "robotic co-worker."

Persons: Damion Shelton, Aindrea Campbell, Campbell, that's, Optimus, Shelton, crouch, Agility's, Matt Ocko Organizations: Agility Robotics, Ford, CNBC, Robotics, DCVC, Playground Global Locations: Salem , Oregon

The UAW began striking at factories that make only a few vehicles – Ford Broncos and Rangers, Jeep Wranglers, Chevrolet mid-size pickups and GMC vans. Car prices were rising long before the auto workers even raised the possibility of a strike. Prices are almost certain to rise even if the strike is settled quickly, because the auto makers' labor costs will increase. “They could double our wages and not raise car prices and still make billions of dollars in profit,” he said during an online presentation to union members this week. It's all enough to make many motorists consider avoiding the car lot and keeping their current car a while longer.

Persons: Stellantis, ”, Ivan Drury, isn’t, Garrett Nelson, ” Nelson, “, we’re, Tesla, Drury, Kelley, Patrick Anderson, Shawn Fain, Edmunds Organizations: DALLAS, United Auto Workers, Dealers, General Motors, UAW, Detroit, Ford Broncos, Rangers, Jeep Wranglers, Chevrolet, GMC, Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, GMC Sierra, Ford, CFRA Research, GM, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Consumers, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Anderson Economic Group, Stellantis, “ Locations: Edmunds, Mexico, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

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