financializer news A weblog highlighting financial topics making news in the international media.

uber: Amazon was the lead investor in a 575m 442m funding round, announced in May, which reportedly gave it a 16% stake in Deliveroo, according to The Guardian. Deliveroo has been seeking investment to boost its performance against other deep-pocketed rivals such as Uber Eats, owned by the taxi app company Uber, and Just Eat, the FTSE 100 delivery platform that is the subject of a bidding war. The Competition and Markets Authority announced the probe on Friday after Amazon and Deliveroo declined to offer concessions in response to the CMA's initial raising of concerns earlier this month. However, the CMA's decision to refer the transaction to a full investigation on Friday will cast doubt on whether the investment can go ahead. The CMA said the deal could leave customers, restaurants and grocers facing higher prices and lower-quality services. The regulator has the power to block the investment completely or demand specific remedies from the companies. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

points thursday: It rose 9.78 points the previous day, according to The Japan Times. Both indexes opened higher as Tokyo market participants applauded all-time closing highs of all three major U.S. stock indexes Thursday. The Nikkei average of 225 selected issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 87.20 points, or 0.36 percent, to end at 23,837.72, after rising 142.05 points Thursday. ; By contrast, the Topix index of all TSE first-section issues closed up 1.98 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,733.18. The rises in the U.S. indexes reflected expectations for progress in the U.S.-China trade talks and robust Christmas sales in the United States, brokers said. While the Topix index remained in positive territory, the Nikkei mostly fluctuated under the previous day's closing level for the rest of the session amid an absence of market players and a dearth of fresh trading incentives. But the Nikkei fell into negative territory soon, succumbing to the impact of stocks that went ex-dividend on Friday and selling to lock in profits, brokers said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

state enterprises: No specific investments were discussed or agreed upon, they said, according to The Japan Times. The state enterprises in attendance included oil giant Sinopec and conglomerate China Merchants Group, one of the sources said. At a meeting this week in Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong, senior representatives from nearly 100 of China's largest state-run companies were urged to do their part to help cool China's biggest political crisis in years, said three executives, including one who was present. ; At the meeting, the state-owned enterprises pledged to invest more in key Hong Kong industries, including real estate and tourism, in a bid to create jobs for local citizens and stabilize financial markets, two of the executives said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The meeting was organized by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission SASAC the powerful central body that oversees China's sprawling state sector, which includes some of the world's biggest companies in such industries as steel, energy, shipping and telecoms. Officials at Sinopec and also at China Merchants Group did not respond to emailed requests for comment and calls to the two companies went unanswered. SASAC did not respond to a faxed request for comment. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

relief policies: The project at the glass factory will cost up to 510 million yuan 72.79 million . Photo CNS Photo Major Chinese industrial firms recorded a remarkable recovery of profits in November after a decline of three consecutive months, as production, sales and prices improved significantly, largely boosted by robust stimulating measures to stabilize the economic growth, official data showed on Friday, according to Global Times China. While this unexpected turnaround in industrial profit might be hard to sustain as downward pressure on the world's second-largest economy lingers amid a deep industrial transformation, the widely expected relief policies, including cut to the reserve requirement ratio RRR will offer support to ensure the growth remains within the targeted range, analysts noted. In line with the country's massive industrial upgrading, Qinhuangdao has been investing heavily in modernizing its manufacturing sector. Industrial profits grew by 5.4 percent year-on-year to 593.9 billion yuan 84.9 billion in November, compared with a 9.9 percent decline in October, according to the National Bureau of Statistics NBS . In the first eleven months of the year, profits dropped by 2.1 percent year-on-year, recovering from a 4.9 percent fall in the January-October period. This can be viewed as another sign of the economic growth to remain steady in the last quarter of the year. This marks a huge improvement in not just the industrial sector but also in terms of the broader economy, Cao Heping, an economics professor at the Peking University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

security worker: Experts noted that overseas separatists and terrorists would persist to infiltrate China, therefore de-radicalization work in Xinjiang would not end, and targeted education will be offered by residential communities and families, according to Global Times China. In the afternoon hours of December 28, 2016, four terrorists rammed into a courtyard at the Moyu county government and hacked employees, besides lobbing homemade bombs. Residents of all ethnic groups hailed the hard-earned stability and praised Xinjiang for emerging as the safest region in China. One official and a security worker were killed and three others injured in the attack. China's national broadcaster CGTN aired two documentaries on Xinjiang's anti-terrorism efforts in early December, and broadcast rare footage of the attacks in Xinjiang for the first time. The terrorists were shot dead during the attack, Xinhua News Agency reported. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

nhs: Three-quarters of teams have vacancies and recruitment freezes and since 2010 the number of NHS district nurses has dropped from more than 7,000 to just over 4,000 in the past 10 years, according to The Independent. THIS IS TEMP CODE TO RESOLVE TEADS ISSUES ON SAFARAI - ISSUE-387 - START THIS WAS ORIGINALLY IN THE FOOTER EJS FILE THIS IS TEMP CODE TO RESOLVE TEADS ISSUES ON SAFARAI - ISSUE-387 - END Download the new Indpendent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines Download now The problem is now becoming so severe NHS bosses have been told their plans to transform the way the NHS works by caring for more patients at home will fail without the number of district nurses in training being doubled. New data has revealed district nurses, who deliver complex care in people's homes to help them recover and stay out of hospital, are being forced to work an extra day of unpaid overtime every week to try to meet the relentless demand for their services. Crystal Oldman, chief executive of the Queen's Nursing Institute QNI said District nursing is the backbone of nursing services in the UK. Every village and town will have access to a district nurse. Hospitals already under pressure would be under even greater pressure if people can't be cared for in their own homes and communities. But the pressures we are under mean that without a coherent workforce plan for district nursing the NHS long-term plan will be undeliverable. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

president retweeted: Trump draws attention to the alleged whistleblower's name President Trump isn't done with his crusade to expose the identity of the whistleblower whose complaint detailing the Ukraine pressure campaign sparked the impeachment inquiry, according to MSNBC. On Thursday night, the President retweeted an article from the Washington Examiner that names the person that Trump's allies allege to be the whistleblower. North Carolina Republican attempts to require photo identification to vote in North Carolina are being thwarted again by judges hearing arguments that the mandate is tainted by bias that would deter black and Latino residents. A brutal report on accused war criminal Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher Video interviews and documents leaked to The New York Times reveal how Navy SEALs turned against their own platoon leader with allegations that he killed for the sake of killing. Congress doesn't necessarily need Trump on this In a rare show of bipartisan unity, Republicans and Democrats are planning to try to force President Trump to take a more active stand on human rights in China, preparing veto-proof legislation that would punish top Chinese officials for detaining more than one million Muslims in internment camps. This unfolded faster than expected The Food and Drug Administration officially raised the age to buy tobacco in the U.S. from 18 to 21, fulfilling a key portion of the federal spending package that President Trump signed into law last week. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

health visitors: The abolition of the bursaries that previously paid the tuition fees of students doing a first nursing degree, as well as providing them with maintenance grants, was one of the worst decisions taken by the Cameron government since the devolved administrations continued to fund them, this is an issue specific to England; and since 89% of nurses and health visitors are female, policies concerning them must also be viewed through the lens of gender . Applications from first-time students for nursing degrees fell from 52,740 in 2016 to 39,665 in 2019, according to The Guardian. The fall in the number of mature applicants between 2016 and 2018 was even steeper at 40%, and a particular concern in specialisms such as mental health, learning disability and midwifery, to which they are seen to bring valuable life experience. The 323,000 registered nurses working in the NHS in England are the biggest staff group there are 146,000 doctors . While staff shortages are an issue across the service and increasingly understood not only as a national issue but as a global one predictions that the current figure of 43,000 NHS nursing vacancies could rise to almost 70,000 by 2023-24 have clearly focused minds. Without qualified staff, hospitals and health trusts cannot function properly. Retention of staff is just as important as recruitment, since there is not much point in training and hiring people if you cannot hold on to them. But the new 5,000-a-year grant which will increase to 8,000 for some students should be viewed as an important first step on a longer road to improving nursing, and not as a final destination. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

iraq personnel: Several US service members and Iraq personnel were also wounded, the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State said in a statement, adding that Iraqi security forces would be leading the response and investigation into the incident, according to Nine News Australia. US officials said, on condition of anonymity, that the service members were lightly wounded in the incident on Friday and believed to be back on duty. To improve your experience update it here News World Rocket attack kills US contractor in Iraq By AAP10 30am Dec 28, 2019Tweet Facebook MailA US civilian contractor has been killed in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, US officials say. One official said the United States was looking into the possible involvement of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militia group. Since then Washington has blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers this summer, including off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, and a major strike on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. In December, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iranian-backed forces for a series of attacks on bases in Iraq and warned Iran that any attacks by Tehran or proxies that harmed Americans or allies would be answered with a decisive U.S. response . Tensions have heightened between Tehran and Washington since last year when President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

north-west companies: She bought up stocks early in such famed north-west companies as Nordstrom, Microsoft and Starbucks, according to The Guardian. She was a very intelligent woman, meticulous record keeper, very organized, and had the wherewithal to buy stocks and hold on to them that a lot of people at that age didn't really do too much, said John Jacobs, 61, Gordon's godson and personal representative for the estate. Eva Gordon was known for accumulating a small fortune by being both thrifty and a shrewd investor. About one month ago, Eva Gordon's estate sent checks for 550,000 to 17 colleges across the state, including North Seattle College and Seattle Central College. Gordon was known for caring deeply for youth and education, and she regularly donated to and volunteered for children's and educational programs. The contribution was a shock for many of the institutions, as it was one of the largest donations the colleges have ever received. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

decade: As we get set to ring in 2020, we're also looking back at the legacy of the 2010s, a decade of political and technological change, according to MSNBC. In the past ten years, same-sex marriage became legal nationwide, and some states legalized recreational marijuana, fill-in co-host Vladimir Duthiers began as part of his intro, skipping over how the decade closed with a roaring economy. It even included the false hands up, don't shoot chants. Zora magazine editor-in-chief Vanessa De Luca went first, gushing that t he 2010s really was a decade where we flipped the table on the status quo. After a clip of the late Steve Jobs introducing the iPad to the world, CBS News contributor Terry Sullivan stated We started this decade with Barack Obama.... In many ways, where we're at started with Barack Obama because the American voters wanted something totally different. Oh boy. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

camp perimeter: Overview of a ranch in Colorado, the US Photo VCG For an annual fee of around 1,000, members can vacation at the camps in good times, and use them as a refuge during a societal collapse, according to Global Times China. If you've got a lot of weapons, if you've got a lot of members at guard posts, defensive walls, we don't think we're going to need to fight, said Miller, crouching on top of a fortified position on the camp perimeter. The former US Air Force intelligence officer said his latest Fortitude Ranch community, under construction below mountain forests, will shelter Americans fleeing anything from a bioengineered pandemic to an attack on the electricity grid. The expansion of Miller's camp chain underscores the growing mainstream appeal of the prepper movement long associated with anti-government survivalists. Then there is politics. In recent years prepping has overlapped with millennial interests in renewable energy, homesteading, minimalist living and concerns about climate change. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

daniel burdett: The 28-year-old had been on the run for five years, according to The Independent. He is suspected of leading a criminal gang smuggling guns, ammunition and drugs into the UK. Download the new Indpendent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines Download now But police pulled a cracker when they swooped on the fugitive as he celebrated the season of goodwill with a hearty festive feed. Daniel Burdett, from Liverpool, was detained on a European Arrest Warrant as he tucked into his festive meal in a restaurant in the Hague, in the Netherlands, on Christmas Day. THIS IS TEMP CODE TO RESOLVE TEADS ISSUES ON SAFARAI - ISSUE-387 - START THIS WAS ORIGINALLY IN THE FOOTER EJS FILE THIS IS TEMP CODE TO RESOLVE TEADS ISSUES ON SAFARAI - ISSUE-387 - END It is not clear if he was wearing a party hat at the time. UK news in pictures Show all 50 Created with Sketch. Created with Sketch. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

fukushima: The company currently oversees five REITs, according to The Japan Times. We are looking to increase our assets for the time being because it is quite possible that more money is waiting to flow into the market, Fukushima said in an interview. Japan's second-biggest brokerage is preparing to start a new private-placement REIT and considering having existing trusts issue new shares to raise money for expansion, said Toshio Fukushima, president of its Daiwa Real Estate Asset Management Co. unit. ; Fukushima said he expects the combined assets of real estate investment trusts under his firm's management to increase to more than 1 trillion 9.1 billion next year from around 900 billion as of September. Buying REITs from other companies is one option to bolster assets, he said, while noting that decisions involving acquisitions are up to the parent company. Banks have extended a record 80 trillion in loans to the real estate sector, central bank figures show, as office vacancies shrink and property prices rise. Prices of Japan's exchange-traded REITs are hovering near 12-year highs as institutional investors seek returns to make up for negative yields on government bonds. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

gain entry: Using power tools to gain entry, officers confiscated laptops and other electronic equipment, according to The Independent. According to Mr Navalny, the raid was linked to his refusal to comply with a court order and delete an investigation into prime minister Dmitry Medvedev from his You Tube site. The opposition leader was arrested following a raid at his Moscow offices shortly after noon on Thursday. The arrest itself was not unusual over the last calendar year, Mr Navalny has spent one in every eight days in police cells. THIS IS TEMP CODE TO RESOLVE TEADS ISSUES ON SAFARAI - ISSUE-387 - START THIS WAS ORIGINALLY IN THE FOOTER EJS FILE THIS IS TEMP CODE TO RESOLVE TEADS ISSUES ON SAFARAI - ISSUE-387 - END Download the new Indpendent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines Download now Ruslan Shaveddinov, 23, was detained on Monday night at his home in Moscow. But it followed the more extraordinary news that one of his employees had been seized at his home and dispatched to a remote military base in the Arctic. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

joseph stalin: The comment marked a continuation of Putin's fiery rebukes of a resolution by the European Parliament that condemned the Soviet Union's 1939 pact with Adolf Hitler, which prevented the two nations from attacking each other at the onset of the war, according to The Independent. The September resolution claimed the agreement paved the way for Nazi Germany and called on Russian leadership to reconcile with its history. This is clear from documents, archival documents, Putin told Russian defense leaders at a meeting, according to a translation of the footage by The Independent. Days after Joseph Stalin, then-leader of the Soviet Union, signed the treaty on August 23, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, beginning World War II. Germany later broke agreement and attacked Soviet Russia without warning in 1941. Russian President Vladimir Putin C greets participants as Presidential Administration's Chief of Staff Anton Vaino L during his annual meeting with top business executives, at Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, December, 25, 2019. Putin said Tuesday that the country had been forced into the nonaggression treaty after other European nations signed similar deals with Hitler, according to reporting by the Agence France-Presse AFP . Most Western historians agree that Stalin was worried about Western democracies' reluctance to oppose Germany and fostered some affection for Hitler's cause. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

bottom line: Live Nation Entertainment Inc, according to Market Watch. LYV, 0.15% Chief Executive Michael Rapino told Liberty Media Corp. investors last month that concert tickets are an incredible bargain relative to other entertainment options, and that increasing prices represent a huge opportunity for our bottom line. And you should expect to pay more in the future, even as the average ticket price for the largest tours has already approached 100. The Ticketmaster parent company's president, Joe Berchtold, echoed the sentiment in a recent conversation with Market Watch. Since 1996, the average price for a top-100 tour ticket in North America has climbed more than 250%, according to Pollstar statistics recently cited by Bloomberg News. The average ticket price for the top-100 world-wide tours rose to 96.17 in 2019, according to music-industry trade publication Pollstar, and has increased 23% in the past five years. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

clinton: The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own, according to CNN. He was an advisor to John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

case: It is an extremely cruel and brutal case in which the happily living family members, including an eight year old and 11 year old, were all murdered because of truly selfish reasons, she said. ; Wei, a 40-year-old former language student in Japan, had pleaded guilty to the four murder counts but had contended he was not a central figure in the case, according to Asahi Shimbun. The trio, reportedly allured by money, robbed the home of Japanese businessman Shinjiro Matsumoto, 41, in the south-western city of Fukuoka in June 2003 and strangled him with a tie. Ms Masako Mori said she ordered the execution of Wei Wei after careful consideration over robbery and multiple murders carried out with two other students in 2003. His 40-year-old wife Chika was drowned in a bathtub and the children strangled or smothered. ; The victims' bodies were found dumped in Hakata Bay in Fukuoka, handcuffed and weighted down. According to the Asahi Shimbun daily, the first execution of a foreigner since the ministry began announcing the names of those executed was in 2009.A Chinese man was hanged for killing three Chinese whom he lived with near Tokyo and for injuring three, the Asahi said. The other two suspects fled to China but were arrested there. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

rights groups: That order, confirmed by three sources close to the supreme leader's inner circle and a fourth official, set in motion the bloodiest crackdown on protesters since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. ; About 1,500 people were killed during less than two weeks of unrest that started on Nov. 15, according to The Japan Times. The toll, provided to Reuters by three Iranian interior ministry officials, included at least 17 teenagers and about 400 women as well as some members of the security forces and police. Gathering his top security and government officials together, he issued an order Do whatever it takes to stop them. The toll of 1,500 is significantly higher than figures from international human rights groups and the United States. The U.S. State Department, in a statement to Reuters, said it estimates that many hundreds of Iranians were killed, and has seen reports that number could be over 1,000. A Dec. 16 report by Amnesty International said the death toll was at least 304. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

russian diplomats: In a bunch of countries, including Russia's closest allies, we have seen political instability, protests and even incidents, which were unambiguously interpreted by Moscow as coups d' tat and coup attempts, according to Global Times China. The row started in January with the apogee of the Venezuelan conflict that had been growing through the last few years. Russian Defense Ministry photo The passing year has been extremely difficult for Russian diplomats responsible for Latin American affairs. The reason was the decision of the lawmaker Juan Guaido to declare President Nicolas Maduro a usurper and to assume a rival interim presidency . This step has divided the world into two parts more than 50 countries including the US supported Guaido, while others refused to recognize him as a legitimate state leader. The country is now suffering the worst economic and humanitarian crisis in its history. The position of Washington is clear there is no room for Nicolas Maduro in the prosperous and democratic Venezuela of the future. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

t change: The US won't change its fundamental policy, whether Trump is reelected or not, according to Global Times China. Let me try to explain this from the fundamental point of view of the US economy. But I suppose the answer is No. Some believe that the big crisis that hit the world in the 1930s, the Great Depression, caused World War II. From an economic point of view, I'm sorry to say this is irrational. But after that, we can see the US economy has been slowing down for 50 years. The human cost of the war was terrible, but it produced the fastest growth ever in the history of the US economy. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

u.s.-mexico ties: They were driven in part by concerns that such designations could harm U.S.-Mexico ties, potentially jeopardizing Mexico's cooperation with Trump's efforts to halt illegal immigration and drug trafficking across the border, said two sources, including a senior administration official. ; Another key concern was that the designations could make it easier for migrants to win asylum in the United States by claiming they were fleeing terrorism, the senior administration official and two other sources said, according to The Japan Times. Stephen Miller, one of the most influential White House advisers and the architect of Trump's policies to stem immigration, was among the officials who voiced concerns during deliberations that preceded two high-level meetings resulting in recommendations to shelve the designation plan, according to two of the sources. The recommendations, which some of the sources described as unanimous, have not been reported previously. The White House and Miller declined comment on the record. RELATED STORIESTrump warns of 'carnage' committed by Syrian, Russian and Iranian forces in rebel stronghold of Idlib Reuters could not determine whether the president had been briefed on the recommendations before announcing, during a Nov. 26 interview with conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly, that he was going forward with the plan. All of the sources who spoke to Reuters requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

year holidays: Check out Here are the markets closed for Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year holidays How are benchmarks performing The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, 0.08% rose 105.94 points or 0.37% to 28,621.39 and has gained for 9 of the past 11 trading days to post a year-to-date rise of 22.69%. The S&P 500 SPX, 0.00% gained 16.53 points, or 0.51%, to 3,239.91 for a year-to-date return of 29.24%. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.17% rose 69.51 points, or 0.78%, to a new record at 9,022.39 after posting a record close for a 10th straight day, the longest winning streak since July 1997, according to Market Watch. Year-to-date the Nasdaq has risen 35.98% Most major markets were closed on Wednesday for Christmas, but on Tuesday the Dow retreated 36 points, or 0.1%, to end at around 28,515.45. Amazon led the market up, with the stock gaining more than 4% after the e-commerce giant said the holiday shopping season broke all records. The S&P 500 SPX, 0.00% shed 1 point to finish around 3,223.38. What's driving the market Stocks typically rise in the last few days each year during the so-called Santa Claus rally as funds adjust year end positions. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 7 points, or 0.1%, to end at 8,952.88. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

forestry corporation: The long-term lease of Forestry Corporation's 230,000 hectares of softwood plantations is expected to be one of the first assets off the block in the new year, according to The Guardian. The state forests produce about 14% of Australia's timber, including much of the supply for the housing industry. The second half of Ausgrid, the second half of West Connex and some water assets are also in the government's sights. The transaction, expected to raise 1bn, is likely to be announced early in the new year and will involve a long-term lease of land and the right to grow timber, rather than the sale of land. The sale will be controversial in regional areas such as Bathurst, Oberon, Bega, Tumut and the north-west, where large softwood plantations are important employers. The bank and financial services company UBS has undertaken a scoping study in the past three months while the accountancy firm KPMG has worked on the tax implications and the law firm Minter Ellison on the legal structures. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

industry: But can it survive WeWork was a darling of the tech industry, according to MSNBC. But can it survive WeWork WeWork office in Chicago on Aug. 14, bought Meetup in November 2017 at a time when the real-estate rental startup seemed unstoppable. But can it survive WeWork is additional taxonomy that helps us with was a darling of the tech industry. Almost exactly two years later, WeWork has emerged as a poster child of the excesses of the tech (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.