Day: March 8, 2017

Google spent $30 billion on its cloud and is making some…

If there’s one question that the top brass at Google are sick of being asked it’s this: How are you going to catch up in the cloud market to Amazon and Microsoft? Google’s answer is pretty straightforward: the old-fashioned way. It plans to build out its tech, making it reliable, affordable, with just enough differentiation to attract customers.

China Said to Plan Stricter Bank Capital Rules to Contain Risks

China’s central bank plans to apply a stricter method for assessing banks’ capital as part of efforts to contain financial-sector risks, people with knowledge of the matter said. Under the proposed change to the so-called Macro Prudential Assessment framework, the People’s Bank of China will remove an intermediary category in its evaluation of banks’ capital adequacy, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private.

Congress May Overturn Obama-Era Rules on Internet Privacy

Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers' Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced a resolution on Tuesday backed by 34 other senators to undo the regulations under a provision that allows Congress to repeal recently approved federal regulations. Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who chairs a House panel on telecommunications, introduced a companion measure on Wednesday.

TopBuild: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

When companies break up, they can create enormous value, and nowhere is that more evident than with TopBuild , the former services arm of Masco that began trading as an independent company in July 2015. Since the spinoff, shares of TopBuild have rallied 50% and Cramer said the move is not yet over.

Avangrid: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

For an “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer sat down with James Torgerson, CEO of Avangrid , the wind-power utility which just posted a three-cents-a-share earnings beat. Shares of Avangrid are up 10% for the year with a 4% dividend yield.

6 changes the FCC has made in just six weeks

Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2mI3xq2 One of the FCC’s moves under the new administration was the removal from the agenda an order that would require pay-TV providers make free apps so subscribers could watch programming without a set-top box. In just six weeks under the Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission has quickly made its mark on issues such as Net neutrality and online privacy.

Uber to Ban ‘Greyball’ Tool Used to Stymie Regulators

Uber is dismantling a secret weapon it used against local regulators who have been trying to curtail or shut down its ride-hailing service in some cities around the world. The about-face announced Wednesday comes less than a week after a report published in The New York Times exposed the existence of a technology feature nicknamed “Greyball” that identified regulators posing as riders while trying to collect evidence that Uber’s service was breaking local laws governing taxis.

US Marines just deployed on the ground inside Syria

A Marine detachment from an amphibious task force has left its ships to deploy to Syria near Raqqa, defense officials told The Washington Post. While special-operations advisers have been on the ground in the country for some time, the move shifts more conventional personnel into the country and represents a new escalation of the US’s involvement there.

Republicans will regret ignoring the Congressional Budget Office

Rather unusually, Republicans in the House of Representatives are intent on moving their plan to repeal and replace Obamacare through committees before they even have estimates of how much the plan will cost, how many people it will cover, or what it will do to insurance premiums. The Congressional Budget Office will likely come out with those estimates next week .

Senate Dems grill FCC chairman

Democrats grilled the new Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, at his first hearing before Congress since taking over the agency. In his first month on the job, Chairman Ajit Pai has quickly begun rolling back a number of Obama-era initiatives and regulations, and faced tough questions from Dems at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

What To Expect When J.Jill Goes Public Tomorrow

The specialty women’s clothing retailer’s IPO – which isn’t its first – of 11.67 million shares is expected to be priced between $14 and $16 and could generate about $150 million, valuing the company from $750 million to $800 million. The Quincy, Mass.-based retailer, which caters to the college-educated woman from 40 to 65, touts itself on having a “passionately devoted customer base,” as 70% of its 2015 gross sales came from people who had shopped at J.Jill for at least five years.

What To Expect When J.Jill Goes Public Tomorrow

The specialty women’s clothing retailer’s IPO – which isn’t its first – of 11.67 million shares is expected to be priced between $14 and $16 and could generate about $150 million, valuing the company from $750 million to $800 million. The Quincy, Mass.-based retailer, which caters to the college-educated woman from 40 to 65, touts itself on having a “passionately devoted customer base,” as 70% of its 2015 gross sales came from people who had shopped at J.Jill for at least five years.

Gold Has Room to Run Says Economist

The current environment may prove to be an ideal backdrop for higher gold prices, at least that’s what a renowned economist and three-time New York Times bestselling author suggests. A keynote speaker at the PDAC convention in Toronto, Dr. Dambisa Moyo told Kitco News there are many reasons to be bearish on the economic outlook, particularly in the United States.

Why Lansing lobbyists just broke another spending record

In 2016, lobbyists spent a record $39.99 million to get their messages to Michigan politicians, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network dug into the numbers and discovered spending on lobbying was higher in 2016 than any other year: lobbyists spent $39.99 million last year, which broke 2015’s record of $38.7 million .

Why Lansing lobbyists just broke another spending record

In 2016, lobbyists spent a record $39.99 million to get their messages to Michigan politicians, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. The Michigan Campaign Finance Network dug into the numbers and discovered spending on lobbying was higher in 2016 than any other year: lobbyists spent $39.99 million last year, which broke 2015’s record of $38.7 million .

How Donald Trump Could Boost the Price of Gold — Or Crush It Just the Same

Global economic uncertainty, the potential for rising deficits and increased demand are all leading investors to rethink gold and silver as part of their portfolios. Though there’s been little focus on it lately, President Trump has vowed to increase spending on U.S. infrastructure, rebuilding bridges, strengthening the energy grid against cyber attacks and more, in an effort to spur economic growth.

Sarah Benali

Sarah Benali is the Senior Producer in Digital Media for Kitco News. She earned a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Finance in Montreal, Canada.