Investing

In the four decades since he founded SoftBank, Masayoshi Son has perfected the eye-catching presentation slide. Telepathic pets; doomed lovers; a pie chart of sorrow; unicorn foals soaring over a canyon. Without remotely clarifying strategy, these gems have confirmed their creator as a chief executive with ideas way too galactic for PowerPoint. Last week, however,

Within finance, working in the field of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) carries an extra patina of glamour. These corporate strategists study industries and buy, sell, divide, restructure, and combine companies with the aim of achieving greater growth and efficiency. Mergers and acquisitions analysts support these complex deals by evaluating financial reports, studying company operations, and

In this article AJRD BA Boeing’s Starliner capsule sits on to an Atlas V rocket on the launchpad before the launch of the OFT-2 mission. United Launch Alliance Boeing’s second uncrewed flight test of its Starliner spacecraft is delayed for at least two months due to issues with the capsule’s propulsion valves, the company said

US consumer sentiment slumped to its weakest level in more than nine years, as a rise in new Covid-19 cases damped Americans’ outlook for the economy and their personal finances. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index fell to 70.2 in August, the lowest reading since December 2011, according to a survey published on Friday.

The Taliban has captured Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, and has begun encircling the capital Kabul, prompting Nato allies to convene a meeting in the wake of the US troop withdrawal. The Islamist militia also captured Lashkar Gah in Helmand province after weeks of fierce fighting and now controls at least 14 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial

The social and economic implications of an aging population are becoming increasingly apparent in many industrialized nations around the globe. With populations in places such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan aging more rapidly than ever before, policymakers are confronted with several interrelated issues, including a decline in the working-age population, increased health care

If Donald Trump were presiding over the debacle in Afghanistan, the US foreign policy establishment would be loudly condemning the irresponsibility and immorality of American strategy. Since it is Joe Biden in the White House there is instead, largely, an embarrassed silence. It is true that Trump set the US on the path out of

Tech groups in China repeatedly hear one sound these days: the crack of Beijing’s whip. Ears ring most in the lucrative music streaming industry. Market leader Tencent Music, controlled by Tencent Holdings, will suffer most from the intensifying regulatory scrutiny. China’s biggest music streaming company was fined last month for unfair market practices and ordered

One of the biggest lessons the world learned from the crash of 1987 and the subprime meltdown of 2008 is that we should all proceed with caution when borrowing money to purchase or refinance a home. The type of mortgage you choose can mean the difference between owning your home outright one day in the

Tourists from countries with higher vaccination rates were “driving the travel recovery”, Airbnb said on Thursday as it reported strong revenue growth for the quarter. At the same time, the short-term rental provider warned that the “global spread of Covid variants” and inconsistent local regulations could adversely affect the number of bookings later in the

Olam International has picked London for the initial public offering of its multibillion-pound food ingredients business, as the Singapore-based agricultural trading house looks to tap growing investor interest in healthy eating and nutrition. The company said on Friday that Olam Food Ingredients was seeking a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange and a secondary

Debt consolidation and debt settlement are both financial strategies for improving personal debt load, but they function quite differently and are used to resolve different issues. At a very basic level, debt settlement is useful for reducing the total amount of debt owed, while debt consolidation is useful for reducing the total number of creditors

US health officials are preparing to authorise a third dose of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines for immunocompromised adults. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Food and Drug Administration had been working with vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna to “allow boosters”

Stocks on Wall Street wavered within a narrow range on Thursday as further economic data were reported in line with expectations. Initial jobless claims in the US came in at 375,000 last week, down from 387,000 a week earlier and matching economists’ estimates, the labour department said on Thursday. This was the third week in

Municipal bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide investors with diversified access to the municipal bond market. Municipal bonds, or munis, are debt instruments issued by states, municipalities, or counties for the purpose of financing public capital expenditures, such as the construction of highways, bridges, and schools. For investors, munis generally offer tax-free interest income. While many

Old scorebooks will tell you that I have never been a great cricketer. And that would be true. I am also out of practice, having played only twice in the past 10 years. My left shoulder pops out of its socket at the slightest provocation, ruling out most cricket shots. And I am extremely unfit.

The Taliban took control of a 10th provincial capital on Thursday, a day after the Afghan government replaced its army chief for the third time in just over a year. The militant group captured the city of Ghazni, which is strategically located on the highway from western Afghanistan to Kabul. The group also seized control

Zillow vs. Trulia: An Overview If you’ve ever done research online to rent, buy, or sell a home, or if you’ve just wanted to see how much your home may be worth, you’ve probably used Zillow (Z) or Trulia. Both sites are real estate databases that provide for-sale and rental listings to the general public

The White House has called on Opec to boost oil production in an effort to curb high petrol prices that Biden administration officials say “risk harming the ongoing global recovery”. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said in a statement on Wednesday that while Opec and its allies had “recently agreed to production increases”, the

An artist’s rendering of a Momentus Vigoride transfer vehicle deploying a satellite in orbit. Momentus Space company Momentus will later this week go public on the Nasdaq, a month after settling Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it misled investors. Stable Road Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company or SPAC, on Wednesday announced its

In his article about Apple’s plans to introduce new child protection policies, Richard Waters suggests the way Apple went about it had “cut short debate” about the potential impact of their planned measures (Opinion, August 10). Specifically Waters refers to Apple’s plan to inspect content on users’ devices before it is uploaded and placed into

The Dow and S&P 500 jumped to new intraday records on Aug. 11, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) release showed prices rose less than expected in July. The seasonally adjusted CPI posted an increase of 0.5% in July, after rising 0.9% in June.  Core CPI, which excludes more volatile

In this article VACQ Rocket Lab’s Photon satellite in orbit around the Earth. Rocket Lab Rocket Lab announced a deal with start-up Varda Space Industries on Wednesday to provide three Photon spacecraft to support Varda’s first in-space manufacturing missions beginning in 18 months. “In simple terms, we are the real estate and the utilities for

Poland’s ruling party failed in an attempt to push through a controversial bill that could force a US media group to sell its controlling stake in Poland’s main independent broadcaster. The bill, put forward by MPs from the conservative nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS), would prevent companies from outside the European Economic Area from

Within minutes of passing a sweeping $1tn infrastructure package on Tuesday, the US Senate moved to the next order of business: an even bigger budget bill with an estimated price tag of $3.5tn. But the “two-track” strategy of pursuing a pair of landmark bills creates the possibility that neither becomes law. While the infrastructure package

The economic impact of hosting the Olympics tends to be less positive than anticipated. Because most cities have ended up falling massively in debt after hosting the games, cities without the necessary infrastructure may be better off not submitting bids. Key Takeaways Many countries and the cities within them bid tens of millions of dollars

In this article PYPL The Ebay Inc. Venmo application (app). Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Venmo launched a credit card feature Tuesday that allows users to convert their cash-back rewards into bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The development is part of the broader crypto strategy of Venmo parent PayPal. The company launched a business

A British man working at the UK embassy in Berlin has been arrested on suspicion of passing information to the Russian intelligence services, German prosecutors said on Wednesday. The 57-year-old UK national, named only as David S, was arrested on Tuesday in Potsdam, a town to the south-west of Berlin, following a joint investigation by

The UK competition regulator has backed a move by Ofgem, the government energy governing body, to slash returns for investors in monopoly energy networks in Britain, despite appeals from companies including National Grid, ScottishPower, SSE and Cadent. The Competition and Markets Authority said on Wednesday that it would uphold the energy regulator’s decision to cut

Does everyone get Social Security? No. Still, American workers who will not qualify for Social Security retirement benefits are relatively rare. If you are one of them, it’s important to know, so you can secure other sources of income or determine whether it’s possible for you to become eligible. What follows are the eight most