Uber’s work environment sounds even worse than we thought

A former engineer’s claims of sexism at Uber is apparently only the tip of a much deeper problem inside the company’s culture, according to a scathing report published on Wednesday. Another Uber manager allegedly groped co-workers’ breasts during a Las Vegas company retreat that featured cocaine-sniffing employees and a joyride in an employee-commandeered shuttle bus, the report claims.

Rate Hikes Boost Bank Deposits

Repurchase agreements, or repos, are a tool of monetary operations used by the Fed in carrying out monetary policy. In a repo, the Fed will buy securities from authorized counterparties at an agreed-upon price for an agreed-upon term.

Don’t Fear the Past; Fear Our Debt Burden

Analogies to past market surges shouldn’t concern investors as much as the trillions in debt we’ve managed to build. It was inevitable, but I am starting to see comparisons made to the current market environment and other monumental periods of the past.

Illustration of Ajit Pai by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

One of President Trump’s less publicized appointments also happens to be one of his best: Ajit Pai as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is a cause for celebration. Mr. Pai possesses not only a keen legal mind and a great familiarity with the intricacies of the FCC ‘s current operations, he also favors new policies that are friendly to both the short- and long-term interests of consumers.

Four China Regulators Acting as One Shows Shift in Curbing Risk

China’s regulators are putting together a unified front seeking to beat back growing risks to the financial system from $8.7 trillion in asset management products, including investments in bonds and risky off-balance-sheet lending by banks. They’re working to draft sweeping new rules governing the surge in these products, Bloomberg News reported earlier this week and a regulator confirmed Wednesday.

Verizon approved for 7 cell towers along Rte. 6

The Planning Board approved seven special permits to Cellco Partnership doing business as Verizon Wireless to add small cell equipment on utility poles along Route 6 on Tuesday. The small cell equipment consists of an antenna at the top of the utility pole, two remote radio heads, meter, junction boxes and associated wires, and cables.

Online companies are the biggest spenders on TV advertising in…

Internet companies were the biggest spenders on UK television advertising last year, collectively spending $757 million in 2016, according to a report from British TV marketing body Thinkbox. The report, which compiles data from audience measurement firm Nielsen, showed BGL Group which owns price comparison website CompareTheMarket.com was the biggest spender of all online brands with a spend of $48.3 For online brands in particular, which have little or no physical presence, TV’s ability to create emotional connections with large audiences is vital.

Tesla has finished its investigation into Fremont plant…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he plans to release the results of an investigation into the Fremont plant in a blog post shortly during Tesla’s fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Musk said he was launching an investigation into the plant after a worker publicly complained of conditions at the plant, alleging that the factory equipment regularly injured employees on site.

ValueAct’s Ubben Disinvesting in the Market

Activist investor Jeff Ubben of ValueAct on Wednesday evening painted a negative picture of the markets, noting that he is disinvesting and has put about $3 billion into cash, even as corporations push for M&A. “We’re very late cycle,” Ubben told a Reuters conference on the future of shareholder activism.

Home Depot: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

In his “No-Huddle Offense” segment, Cramer expounded on the many things going right at Home Depot , which saw a 7.1% boost in same-store sales this quarter, as well as announcing a stock buyback program. The company saw broad growth in all categories in all regions of the country and continues to take appliance marketshare from the ailing Sears Holdings .

Tellurian: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

Tellurian’s Charif Souki tells Jim Cramer he’s bullish on the ability of the U.S. to export more natural gas. In an “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer spoke with Charif Souki, former head of Cheniere Energy and now the co-founder and chairman of Tellurian , a stock that was up 12.1% today.

Six Flags: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

For an “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer sat down with John Duffey, president and CEO of Six Flags , the regional theme park operator with 19 parks and shares that are up 19% over the past 12 months. Shares of Six Flags fell 3% on seemingly strong earnings today, however.

traffic jam

The Federal Communications Commission today approved two cellular base stations-one each from Ericsson and Nokia-to use LTE-U , marking the first official government thumbs-up for the controversial technology. FCC chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement that the unlicensed spectrum-historically, the territory of Wi-Fi-can now be used to help ease the load on carrier mobile networks.

Square Tops Sales Estimates on Growth of Bigger Merchants

Square Inc., the electronic-payments company run by Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey, topped sales estimates for the fourth quarter, bolstered by larger merchants that are contributing an increasing share of Square’s payments volume. The shares climbed as much as 6.2 percent in extended trading.

How Starboard Hopes to Extract Value From Tribune

The fund recently disclosed a stake in the broadcaster, an investment suggesting a campaign pushing for stock buybacks, asset sales or an auction of the whole company could be next. Starboard Value ‘s Jeff Smith recently disclosed a 6.6% stake in Tribune Media , one of the fund’s largest positions and an investment that suggests an activist campaign pushing for stock buybacks, asset sales or even an auction of the whole company could be next.

Paramount’s Brad Grey to Leave Studio as Viacom Cleans House

Viacom CEO Bob Bakish continued his aggressive reorganization of the media conglomerate on Wednesday, announcing that Brad Grey will leave as CEO of Paramount Pictures. In a mover that follows a reorganization of Viacom’s cable TV network group, Bakish on Wednesday announced that Brad Grey will leave Paramount Pictures after 12 years atop the Hollywood studio.

Three Big ETF Themes for 2017

As investors shift around their portfolios in anticipation for what’s ahead, State Street Global Advisors offers some big exchange traded fund themes to better manage risk and potentially enhance returns.

Bond ETFs for a Rising Rate Environment

The U.S. economy has picked up momentum, along with inflation, fueling expectations of a tightening monetary policy out of the Federal Reserve to head off an overheating economy. Consequently, fixed-income investors may consider an interest-rate hedged exchange traded fund strategy that can hold up during periods of rising rates.

Spirit Air CEO Sees No-Frills Seats Backfiring on Largest Rivals

A surge of no-frills seats at the biggest U.S. carriers potentially will backfire as passengers discover all the perks they’re giving up, said the chief executive officer of discounter Spirit Airlines Inc. Prohibitions on changing a reservation or bringing a roll-on bag may disappoint some customers of the new fares at American Airlines Group Inc. and United Continental Holdings Inc., Spirit CEO Bob Fornaro said Wednesday. While Spirit charges for carry-ons and even soft drinks, at least customers know what they’re getting, he said.

Prudential May Press Wells Fargo as Fake-Account Fallout Spreads

Prudential Financial Inc., facing regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits over a sales relationship with Wells Fargo & Co., said it may press its partner to cover costs after halting the offering — another sign the bank has yet to contain the full fallout of its bogus-account scandal. Prudential “has provided notice to Wells Fargo that it may seek indemnification,” the Newark, New Jersey-based insurer said in a Feb. 17 regulatory filing, referring to their agreement to sell MyTerm life coverage to Wells Fargo customers.

Tesla Model 3 on Track as Musk Posts Narrower Quarterly Loss

Tesla Inc. posted a narrower quarterly loss than estimated and said the much-anticipated Model 3 electric sedan remains on schedule, as Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk closes in on his pursuit of more mainstream car buyers. The electric-car maker expects to deliver as many as 50,000 vehicles in the first half of the year and still sees Model 3 production starting in July, according to a letter to shareholders Wednesday.

Barclays Said to Cut Investment Bank Bonus Pool for Third Year

Barclays Plc cut the bonus pool for its investment bank by a similar amount to last year’s decline, when it was reduced 7 percent, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The pool fell in part because of job cuts and a hiring freeze during 2016, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.