Month: January 2017

French M&A Fund Bets on Successful Deal in Syngenta Takeover

That’s according to OFI Asset Management, a Paris-based investor who’s looking to win big betting on a successful takeover of the Swiss pesticide maker. Even after a 11 percent rally in two months, Syngenta is still around 14 percent below ChemChina’s offer price of about $470 per share, which is composed of cash and a special dividend.

Oakland: Airbnb landlords, affordable housing advocates face off at city meeting

Airbnb landlords came out in force Thursday evening to defend the short-term rental platform, occasionally sparring with affordable housing advocates as they implored city officials not to restrict their ability to rent their homes. During a two-hour meeting at City Hall, two-dozen Oakland residents – most of them Airbnb supporters – talked about how the platform helped them afford to keep their homes, or about how their guests brought money to neighborhood businesses.

Chinese Paper Calls Tillerson’s South Sea Threat – Foolish’

China’s state media rebuffed a suggestion by President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state that Beijing must be denied access to reclaimed reefs in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent China access to the islands will be foolish,” the Communist Party-run Global Times newspaper wrote in an editorial.

Facebook Is Already Flirting With Censorship

Censorship is almost always a touchy subject, but it’s also par for the course in certain parts of the world. Just as Facebook is now coming to grips with its own power and responsibility over what information people see, it seems that the company is starting to flirt a little bit with censorship.

Nebraska Safety Center Renews Grant to Train Transit Drivers

As per Federal Communications Commission Regulations following is certified: Platte River Radio Inc. does not discriminate in the sale of commercial time, and will not accept advertising which, in its sole opinion, is purchased with intent to discriminate unlawfully on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity. The advertiser hereby certifies that its purchase of commercial time is not made for an unlawful discriminatory purpose, including specifically that it is not based upon a decision to place advertising on a station on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity.

Hastings Library Opens 1962 Time Capsule

As per Federal Communications Commission Regulations following is certified: Platte River Radio Inc. does not discriminate in the sale of commercial time, and will not accept advertising which, in its sole opinion, is purchased with intent to discriminate unlawfully on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity. The advertiser hereby certifies that its purchase of commercial time is not made for an unlawful discriminatory purpose, including specifically that it is not based upon a decision to place advertising on a station on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity.

Square Inc’s Best Moves in 2016

At times, the market couldn’t tell whether the company was making a turn toward profitability or falling down a rabbit hole of losses it may never emerge from. Amid the market turmoil, Square made some solid moves that expand its capabilities for customers and will help grow revenue organically — and there’s evidence the plan is working.

Futures Rise on Hopes of Higher Earnings; Asia Mixed

Futures for U.S. markets are higher ahead of earnings season while Asia continues to feel the hangover from the Trump press conference. Futures for U.S. markets pointed higher late Thursday as investors await info on holiday retail sales and the first full day of earnings as a raft of industrial shares trot out their fourth-quarter performance.

article

The retail sector has been a treacherous one over the past few years, due to heavy competition from e-tailers and cutthroat competition among brick-and-mortar players. Therefore, it’s easy for investors to step on landmines across the sector if they’re not careful.

Takata shares rise on US airbag settlement reports

The firm is expected to pay up to $1bn and plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing over faulty airbags, which have been linked to the more than a dozen deaths globally. Takata has acknowledged some of its airbag inflators exploded with too much force and sprayed metal shrapnel into the car.

Nintendo Declines as Switch Leak Suggests Too-High Price

Hours before the company’s executives prepared to take the stage, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. listed the new device for C$399 on its Canadian website, a price that was above analysts’ estimates and slightly more than the cost of a Xbox One or PlayStation 4 console. Nintendo shares fell as much as 3.9 percent, mirroring a drop seen in October when the Switch was first unveiled.

Amazon’s Commitment to 100,000 New U.S. Jobs Highlights Its Relentless Growth Ambitions

While one big storyline out of this could be how the move puts the company in alignment with President-elect Donald Trump’s outspoken priority to create jobs in the U.S., there’s another narrative the announcement highlights — one that investors will appreciate: The big hiring spree reflects the aggressive growth the company believes it still has ahead of it. A quick overview of Amazon’s announcement about its expected job creation in the U.S. over the next 18 months highlights a fast-growing company without any plans to slow down.

Argentina clinches $6 billion loan deal with 6 banks

Finance Minister Luis Caputo said Thursday that the 18-month financing agreement will reduce the risk of uncertainty and secure a portion of the country’s planned $20 billion financing debt for 2017. Caputo says Argentina hopes to issue about $5 billion in dollar-denominated bonds and $2 billion in peso-denominated bonds.

DIARY-Top Economic Events to Feb. 22

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau will meet with Canada’s leading private sector economists to gather their views on the Canadian and world economies – 1500 GMT. WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen will host a townhall meeting with educators from across the Country United States – 0000 GMT.

The Personal Computer Market Plunged 5.7% in 2016

Market research company IDC announced on Jan. 11 that the category of products that it refers to as “traditional [personal computers]” dropped 1.5% year over year during the fourth quarter of 2016 and by 5.7% over the course of the entirety of 2016. IDC said that the first quarter of 2016 was “still constrained by high inventory, free Windows 10 upgrades, and difficult comparisons to commercial replacements in 2014 that were fueled by the end of support for Windows XP.”

Takata Said Near $1 Billion Air-Bag Settlement With U.S.

Takata Corp. and the U.S. Justice Department may announce a settlement as soon as Friday over air bags blamed for deadly deployments in cars, with a fine as large as $1 billion and possible criminal charges, people with knowledge of the matter said. The company’s shares soared by the daily limit in Tokyo.

FCC gang slams AT&T, Verizon for serving customers

“The Federal Communications Commission expressed concern Wednesday about ‘zero-rating’ services from AT&T and Verizon that ‘may harm consumers and competition.’ In a report issued Wednesday examining four different zero-rated services, the FCC’s Wireless Bureau found that AT&T’s Sponsored Data program and Verizon’s FreeBee Data 360 program may stifle competition by ‘potentially unreasonable discrimination in favor of their own affiliates.’

Pandora Radio to Lay Off 7 Percent of U.S. Staff

The streaming Internet radio provider will likely cut 100-150 employees by the end of the first quarter in 2017. With the word “discipline” appearing in founder Tim Westergren’s comments, Pandora announced via an 8K filing today that seven percent of its U.S. workforce — not including Ticketfly — is being laid off in the coming weeks as part of a “reduction in force plan.”

Why HP Inc’s New Product Lineup Is Spot-On

While the multiple devices wowed at CES, it could be argued that HP’s approach to product sales, as much as the products themselves, is what’s driving its success in the PC market. Taking that a step further, the same tack HP so clearly exhibited at CES should turn its printing fortunes around as well.

Why ClubCorp Holdings Inc. Stock Popped Today

Following a Reuters report early in the day that ClubCorp is in the early stages of selling itself, ClubCorp effectively confirmed the news in a press release saying it is “reviewing strategic alternatives.” ClubCorp has formed a strategic review committee to tackle the task, and has enlisted Jefferies and Wells Fargo Securities as financial advisors during the process.

What Happened in the Stock Market Today

News that the Senate took the initial steps to repeal the Affordable Care Act overnight last night failed to shake healthcare insurers as iShares US Health Care Providers by 0.4% in what some believe could be anticipation of a market pullback, or at least volatility, after Trump’s inauguration. shares dove 10.3% after the EPA accused the automaker of cheating on emissions tests, similar to the way Volkswagen did.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen promotes study of economics

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says that the study of economics not only helps students manage their personal finances but also provides them with the skills for analytical and critical thinking needed for success later in life. Yellen says that the tools provided by economics are not only useful in college and work, but also for planning and making sound financial decisions.

The 3 Biggest Challenges Facing Apple

The iPhone, which accounts for the bulk of Apple’s revenue and profits, has suffered from slumping sales for multiple quarters, with the launch of the iPhone 7 unable to reverse that trend. Sales of iPads and Macs also tumbled during Apple’s third quarter, leading to a 9% year-over-year decline in total revenue.

article

Depending on how you look at it, that could be a good or bad thing. Wynn also opened its most expensive resort ever, the $4.4 billion Wynn Palace in the Cotai region of Macau, which should eventually bring hundreds of millions of cash into the business each year.

Trying to automate a home can take patience and an eye for detail.

Jacob Atalla, vice president of sustainability initiatives at KB Home, views the “scenes” he can use inside Apple’s Home app to control the various smart home devices inside a model home in the company’s Promenade development on Communications Hill in San Jose. The company is now offering packages of smart home features that are designed to work with Apple iPhones and iPads for houses in that neighborhood and in a development in Fremont.

Colorado Public Radio buying two Colorado Springs stations

Colorado Public Radio is buying an AM-FM station combination to expand into Colorado Springs with plans to hire a local reporter as part of its long-term plan to become a statewide news organization. The Centennial-based nonprofit agreed last month to pay $550,000 for KXRE-AM at 1490 and a companion FM station at 102.1, which bosh transmit from Manitou Springs, to Denver-based Latino Communications LLC in a deal that is expected to be completed by early April, pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission.