Chicago business voip

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust's (Sunway REIT) net property income (NPI) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (1QFY22) jumped 77.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM118.9 million from RM67.02 million driven by strong pick up in business activities for the retail and hotel segments due to the relaxation in movement restrictions. Earnings per unit rose to 2.96 sen from 0.94 sen a year earlier, Sunway REIT informed Bursa Malaysia on Wednesday (May 18). Quarterly revenue grew 47.67% to RM153.97 million from RM104.27 million underpinned by higher revenue from all segments. Gross revenue for the retail segment soared 83.5% to RM98.4 million from RM53.7 million a year ago, primarily contributed by strong performance from all retail malls on the back of pent-up demand, festive spending, relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures and marginal rental support. The hotel segment’s gross revenue increased 28.6% y-o-y to RM18.5 million compared … [Read more...] about Sunway REIT’s 1Q net property income jumps 77% on strong pick up in business activities

Small business owners' expectations for better business conditions fell to a record low, according to a survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Owners expecting better conditions in the next six months dropped as 32% cited inflation as their top business problem, the highest reading since the fourth quarter of 1980. The NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index was unchanged in April, holding at 93.2, the fourth straight month below the 48-year average of 98. Small business owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months decreased one point to a net negative 50%, the lowest level recorded in the survey’s 48-year history. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said in a statement, “small business owners are struggling to deal with inflation pressures. The labor supply is not responding strongly to small business’ high wage offers and the impact of inflation has significantly disrupted business operations.” The survey also found 47% … [Read more...] about Small Businesses Downbeat on the Economy

Ozzie Guillén talks too much? In other news, the earth is round. The former Chicago White Sox player and manager — and current NBC Sports Chicago analyst — once again has been accused of excessive verbiage, this time by shortstop Tim Anderson. After Guillén casually mentioned Tuesday night that Anderson should’ve played in the second game of a doubleheader the Sox lost to the Kansas City Royals, Anderson shot back with: “Ozzie need(s) to stfu sometimes … talk too much!” The tweet was later deleted, but too late to avoid a Twitter hubbub. Guillén’s son, Ozzie Jr., posted a “special edition” of Guillén ’s World on the family’s YouTube channel to discuss the beef. Ozzie Jr. said there were “no hard feelings” with Anderson and said his dad needed to “be a big boy” about the reaction. “He comes from a different time,” Ozzie Jr. said of his father’s outspokenness, while adding he would “pray” for Anderson and his family. Ozzie Sr. praised Anderson during a Wednesday … [Read more...] about Column: Beef between Tim Anderson and Ozzie Guillén? It’s up to the Chicago White Sox to make sure it’s not a bigger distraction.

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline A federal grand jury has assembled and issued at least one subpoena in the Justice Department’s probe into former President Donald Trump’s transfer of classified White House records to his Mar-a-Lago resort, suggesting the investigation into the former president is gaining steam, according to the New York Times . Key Facts Prosecutors in recent days subpoenaed the National Archives and Records Administration for boxes of documents shipped from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, according to the Times , citing two sources with knowledge of the matter. Investigators have interviewed some former Trump Administration aides about the boxes, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Neither the Justice Department nor a Trump spokeswoman immediately responded to requests for comment from Forbes . Key Background In April, the Washington Post reported the Justice … [Read more...] about Grand Jury Investigating Trump’s Transfer Of White House Records To Mar-A-Lago, Report Says

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline About 150 Netflix employees were laid off Tuesday, mostly in the United States, roughly a month after the streaming service reported a decrease in subscriber numbers for the first time in 10 years. Key Facts A spokesperson for Netflix told Forbes slow revenue growth and business needs, and not individual performance, was the reason behind the layoffs. The spokesperson said “none of us want to say goodbye to such great colleagues” and that the company intends “to support them through this very difficult transition." Big Number Over 11,000. That’s how many employees Netflix has. Key Background Netflix reported a loss of 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter, a stark turnaround from expectations to add 2.7 million. The company said it expected to lose another 2 million subscribers this quarter. After the news broke, Netflix’s stock dropped 35% to roughly $220, and was trading at roughly … [Read more...] about Roughly 150 Netflix Employees Laid Off After Subscriber Losses

MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim (The Edge filepix by Sam Fong) - A + A JOHOR BAHRU (May 18): The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project is expected to play a major role in boosting economic activities, potentially becoming as huge as the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor. Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim said the RTS Link project’s value cannot be measured only from the point of view of its construction, as it should also take into account how it would be able to attract investments in the long run. “Investments made by the government should provide returns in the short and long term, so we are letting the people around the world know that there are plenty of opportunities to invest in Johor Bahru due to this RTS project. “Our wish is that one day the Johor Bahru-Singapore corridor will be a rival or match to the Shenzhen-Hong Kong corridor…that’s what we … [Read more...] about RTS Link can be as big as Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor

Reuters filepix for illustration purpose only - A + A NEW YORK (May 18): The US is forcing Wall Street banks to embark on a systematic search through more than 100 personal mobile phones carried by top traders and dealmakers in the largest-ever probe into clandestine messaging on platforms such as WhatsApp. The Securities and Exchange Commission has been sending firms lists of key positions — in some cases pointing to around 30 people including heads of certain investment banking teams or trading desks — that are subject to the review, according to people with direct knowledge of the requests. Personnel in those roles are being ordered to hand over phones so devices can be examined by lawyers. The aim is to gauge how pervasively Wall Street professionals use unauthorized messaging platforms to chat with each other or clients as regulators decide which firms to punish, and how hard, for failing to preserve business-related messages sent via unapproved platforms. … [Read more...] about US pries into over 100 trader and banker phones in texting probe

- A + A NEW YORK (May 18): In public, Elon Musk’s erratic tweets have sent Twitter Inc’s shares flailing, as traders bet that the billionaire is preparing to walk away from or re-negotiate his US$44 billion takeover of the social-media company. Behind the scenes, it’s more like business as usual, as advisers on both sides plug away at the day-to-day work of closing a megadeal. One potential sign that the deal is still on track: the 139-page filing that hit early Tuesday, detailing how the offer came together and Twitter’s rationale for accepting it. That document was the result of weeks of coordinated work by both Musk and Twitter’s teams, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk himself signed off on the final version — complete with a deal price of US$54.20 a share — before it was filed, the people said. The situation is similar at the banks that promised to finance the transaction, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details are … [Read more...] about As Musk tweets, advisers plug away to keep Twitter deal on track

- A + A (May 18): A former senior official from the Chinese Central Bank is under investigation for “suspected serious violation of laws and discipline,” the Communist Party’s anti-graft watchdog said. Sun Guofeng, who was removed from his post as head of the monetary policy department in May, is under disciplinary investigation, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement Wednesday. At least 40 financial sector officials have been probed or penalized since the latest corruption crackdown on the sector was launched in October. The top disciplinary watchdog sharply criticized the People’s Bank of China among more than two dozen financial regulators, state banks, insurers and bad debt managers in February, saying the agencies had gaps in their work to implement the Party’s major strategy. Born in 1972, Sun joined the PBOC in 1996 and has spent most of his career in the monetary policy department. He’s been at the forefront of the PBOC’s … [Read more...] about China says senior Central Bank official under investigation

- A + A HONG KONG (May 18): Smarting from HSBC Holdings Plc’s move to scrap its dividend during the height of the pandemic, the bank’s largely silent mass of retail shareholders in Hong Kong is warming up to the idea of a breakup. Splitting up Europe’s biggest bank to separate out its Asian operations is being pushed by its largest investor, Ping An Insurance Group Co, based just across the border in Shenzhen. The call is winning support in Hong Kong’s retail base, which owns about a third of the bank, with some seeing it as a surefire way of preventing the steady stream of payouts from being cut off again. Their loyalty has been tested as numerous pivots in strategy fail to impress the market, leaving dividends at half of what they were in 2018 and the stock down more than 40%. The former British colony is the beating heart of the bank’s global operations, accounting for about 30% of the group’s 2021 adjusted profits. Yet decisions such as the halting of dividends … [Read more...] about HSBC’s mass of Hong Kong retail investors warms to breakup