Putin's Energy Giant Falls on Hard Times - Bloomberg View

Putin's Energy Giant Falls on Hard Times - Bloomberg View





Current regulatory intervention in the energy sector has the potential to have huge consequences on the group's income and is therefore considered to be a significant factor. The current direction of energy policy in favor of renewable energies -- particularly in Germany -- may severely limit the competitiveness of natural gas. Both current price regulation for grid usage and potential future price regulation for underground storage facilities will have negative consequences on the marketing and trading of natural gas and may limit Gazprom Germania's investment and project activities.

Facebook’s Playbook For Monetizing Messenger And WhatsApp | TechCrunch

Facebook’s Playbook For Monetizing Messenger And WhatsApp | TechCrunch



So instead, Facebook launched Pages, allowing businesses to set up a free presence on the social network. It asked users to subscribe to News Feed posts from businesses they cared about, and provide Insights analytics so companies could track the impact of their Pages. Once people were accustomed to businesses in the feed, it slowly started letting businesses pay to amplify the reach of “Sponsored Stories” to people whose friends had interacted with their brand. Eventually, it introduced more flexible News Feed ads, and most recently, auto-play video ads.

Sound Advice

The 10-Point: My Guide to the Day's Top News. - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail



Hotels are paying a new level of attention to the music they play. While hip, cutting-edge and independent establishments have long focused on their tunes by hiring DJs and producing concerts, the trend is now spreading. Traditional hotels are increasingly working with music-design companies to compile playlists for different spaces and for particular times of day. They’re even zeroing in on the optimal number of beats per minute. However, finding the right music can be difficult. “You can have children and grandparents in one place. The trick is to make everybody feel they belong,” said one music programmer.

The Mystery Money Creating The Unicorn Herd | TechCrunch

The Mystery Money Creating The Unicorn Herd | TechCrunch

In 2014, Dow Jones reported that the amount of venture capital invested in the United States soared to $52 billion, from $35 billion in 2013, an increase of almost 50 percent. How could VC investment increase when VC fundraising declined?

The answer is semantics. The cash that’s now being called “venture capital” isn’t truly venture capital. Instead, the mystery money is coming from asset classes such as mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity funds and corporate venture capital that have started actively investing in venture-backed technology companies. That money explains the rapid rise in investments into venture-backed companies during the past two years.

...vastly more capital at their disposal than traditional venture capitalists. Preqin data shows the hedge fund asset class alone has approximately $3.5 trillion of investment capital.

Why would these asset classes, which have traditionally shunned private technology companies, suddenly embrace them? The answer may lie in the IPO market resurgence. During 2013 and 2014, IPOs produced returns that outperformed the broader markets and that, in many cases, greatly exceeded other asset classes....

The venture capital business is a marathon, not a sprint. ...

While comparisons to the late-90s bubble are inevitable, the froth is different this time. It’s in later-stage companies and being driven by different forces and investors. My definition of a bubble is when a majority of the asset class is overvalued.

The unicorns are driving today’s bubble conversation and, despite their outsized press, only amount to fewer than 150 companies out of nearly 5,000 venture capital-backed companies. Because of that, I’m not ready to call a VC bubble.

Why Homejoy closed down - ran out of money - CrunchWeek: Tech Makes Money, Reddit’s Implosion Continues, And Your Favorite Startup Is Doomed | TechCrunch

CrunchWeek: Tech Makes Money, Reddit’s Implosion Continues, And Your Favorite Startup Is Doomed | TechCrunch



wasn't making enough money on $19 hour homecleaning.



venture model:

give it away for free; rely on venture money (lots of it); think about monetization later (but don't run out of vc money first.



(also closed Circa - everybody liked, great design...



The question is can you get growth (where is the growth) and can you get scale?



Also, the issue of the "sharing economy" - convenience and saving us from doing something by having others do it for us - maybe too many companies trying to target this market.



Also, in terms of sharing there is the issue of "that would be nice" but "I don't need it!"



Homejoy also had the risk of lawsuits over the independent contractor status of its cleaning people (a risk that needs to be addresses - and hasn't - and is a grey area of the law and not something vcs want to be exposed to; therefore, no more money.

Dmail Makes Your Gmail Messages Self-Destruct | TechCrunch

Dmail Makes Your Gmail Messages Self-Destruct | TechCrunch

One possible feature that Delicious could charge for is the ability to expand the “self-destructing” functionality to documents.

“I love the idea of giving someone access to a PDF file or document and then be able to revoke viewing access,” says Jones. “In our business we see it all the time,” he says, referring to Science’s position as startup backer. “We might have a sensitive financial file or investor deck that we really just want to open once and then revoke the access, and there’s no simple way to do it.”

The newest Obamacare fail: penalties of $36,500 per worker - MarketWatch

The newest Obamacare fail: penalties of $36,500 per worker - MarketWatch

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that benefits account for 32% of compensation packages, with cash wages responsible for the remainder. However, low-benefit plans are likely to be attractive to employers with low-skill workforces in the restaurant, retail, and leisure and hospitality industries.

Although large employers can legally offer low-benefit plants, small employers are not allowed to do so. 

The newest Obamacare fail: penalties of $36,500 per worker - MarketWatch

The newest Obamacare fail: penalties of $36,500 per worker - MarketWatch

This new IRS penalty does not assist in the ACA’s stated goal of expanding health insurance in the United States. Rather, it does the opposite. It discourages people from finding and purchasing the insurance that suits them. It also discourages companies from hiring. Consider that 14% of businesses that do not offer group health insurance have some sort of arrangement to reimburse their employees for insurance costs, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.

Small employers with a workforce of between 50 and 100 employees are required to offer the more expensive ‘essential health benefits.’

Thousands of Apps Secretly Run Ads That Users Can't See - Bloomberg Business

Thousands of Apps Secretly Run Ads That Users Can't See - Bloomberg Business

Today: An Uber Election. The Dying Death Penalty. - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail

Today: An Uber Election. The Dying Death Penalty. - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail



Bed and Bad Breaks
The tragedy of children without safe places to call home is worsening in the U.S. As many as 2.5 million languish in cars, shelters, spare rooms and run-down hotels — like the Country Inn in San Bernardino, where homelessness among public school children is around 9%. They live in the shadow of drugs and despair — and they learn to look out for themselves. 

Jet.com Takes On Amazon With The Promise Of Lower Prices | TechCrunch

Jet.com Takes On Amazon With The Promise Of Lower Prices | TechCrunch

”[Jet’s] value proposition is very simple: you spend $50 per year and you save hundreds of dollars relative to the lowest prices online.” And if you don’t save at least $50 per year, Jet refunds your money.

Jet.com has already raised $220 million and is reportedly planning to raise $300 million more over the next five years, also according to The WSJ, potentially raising the valuation from $600 million to $3 billion during the process.

In tests performed by The WSJ and elsewhere, Jet offered significant savings, but it did so at a great cost to its own bottom line. For example, The WSJ found that for 22 items it ordered on Jet, 12 were shipped by other retailers including Walmart, JC Penney and Nordstrom. Jet’s cost on the items was $518.46, but it charged just $275.55, taking a loss of $242.91. (Shipping is free on orders over $35 on Jet.com).

Eventually, the plan is to wind down the “concierge” service, but it will continue beyond just the early phases of Jet.com’s launch, requiring the startup to have large coffers to draw from while it scales its product selection and partner base.

Working With Retailers

In the meantime, the company is finding that not all online retailers want to work with Jet.com. Lore admits some fashion retailers like Nordstrom have already asked to be removed, and Jet has agreed. “Fashion retailers seem to be less interested in us coming to their store to buy stuff even though we’re sending them volume,” he says.

The problem is that, while these retailers may not mind the sales bump that Jet could provide, they lose the possibility of building a relationship with their customers in the process.

Employees Wise Up | TechCrunch

Employees Wise Up | TechCrunch

The report follows another widely read report by the law firm Fenwick & West. It analyzed the financing terms of 37 U.S.-based venture-backed companies that raised money at valuations of $1 billion or more in the 12-month period ending March 31 and reported that, in all cases, investors in these financings received significant downside protection in case the companies’ value declines. (Called a liquidation preference, the companies’ later-stage investors have basically received the right to get paid ahead of other investors, as well as the companies’ management teams and employees.)

“In many of these cases, company valuations could fall 80 percent in value, and investors would still get their money back,” Barry Kramer of Fenwick & West told this reporter in May, when the report was published.

The Future Of Retail Won’t Be So Good For Consumers | TechCrunch

The Future Of Retail Won’t Be So Good For Consumers | TechCrunch

As OEMs gain experience selling direct, they become more retail-focused in their thinking. A strategic move by OEMs to move to MAP (manufacturer’s advertised price) could disrupt the competitive market model. MAP pricing requires that products must be sold at a manufacturer-set price everywhere, resulting in a net price increase for all.

OEMs can then earn additional margin from direct sales over and above the wholesale price retailers pay. This new margin goes toward product promotion and further domination of the market.

Apple, Samsung, Video Game Consoles, Beats and smartphones are all examples where pricing is tightly controlled by the OEMs today.

The Morning Ledger: Venture-capital investments hit $19.2 billion in second quarter.

The Morning Ledger: Highway Bill Buys Time to Push for Corporate Tax Overhaul - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail



Venture-capital investments hit $19.2 billion in second quarter. Venture capitalists invested $19.19 billion in Airbnb Inc.,Uber Technologies Inc. and other startups during the second quarter, up 24% from a year ago and nearing levels last seen during the dot-com boom. Deal pace is below the 2000 rate—there were 1,309 deals in the fourth quarter of 2000, for instance. That is because large amounts of money are now going to ! substantial companies that find private markets more attractive than public ones. This has drawn public-market investors such as mutual funds back into venture capital, where they have financed a raft of companies with valuations of $1 billion or more.

Crowdfunding Focused on Cash Flow

Crowdfunding Focused on Cash Flow

Recycling Industry Created Its Own Mess - Bloomberg View

Recycling Industry Created Its Own Mess - Bloomberg View

Confidential IPOs still a blind spot for bankers.

The Morning Ledger: Foreign Firms Enjoy Inversion Advantage in M&A - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail



Confidential IPOs still a blind spot for bankers. Investment bankers are still struggling to adapt to a more secretive initial-public-offering market, since the law let companies start filing confidentially for IPOs three years ago, Emily Chasan reports. More than 50% of investment bankers think that the lack of transparency created by the JOBS Act’s confidential filing provision has a negative impact on their ability to advise clients about potential competitors in the mar! ket, according to a survey.

Bloomberg Business

EU Tells Tsipras the Party’s Over as Euro Exit Door Swings Open

The Morning Ledger: CFOs Ring-Fence Greek Troubles - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail

The Morning Ledger: CFOs Ring-Fence Greek Troubles - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail



Is this a coffee shop or a bank? Some newer Capital One Financial Corp. bank locations resemble cafes more than they do traditional bank branches. That is part of banks’ broader struggle to maintain a connection with customers in the age of digital banking.

GoPro Introduces Smaller, Simpler Action Camera - Bloomberg Business

GoPro Introduces Smaller, Simpler Action Camera - Bloomberg Business



by filling more price points and customer requirements. 



broaden their product portfolio to generate excitement among current users and drive interest in new segments,”

U.S. Sided With Tax-Avoiding Companies Over Contracting Ban - Bloomberg Business

U.S. Sided With Tax-Avoiding Companies Over Contracting Ban - Bloomberg Business



 submitted to Homeland Security by one of the country’s largest inverted companies, the manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand Plc. The company argued in part that U.S. trade agreements with foreign governments invalidated the law that would prohibit it from winning federal contracts.

Exclusive video: Watch Jeffrey Gundlach and David Rosenberg at the 2015 Strategic Investment Conference - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail

Exclusive video: Watch Jeffrey Gundlach and David Rosenberg at the 2015 Strategic Investment Conference - btbirkett@gmail.com - Gmail



https://arena.managedinvestments.com/arena_funds/investor_main.aspx?

BBC - Earth - The Devonian extinction saw the oceans choke to death

BBC - Earth - The Devonian extinction saw the oceans choke to death

Leon Black’s Sell-Everything Call Has Been Heard by His Rivals - Bloomberg Business

Leon Black’s Sell-Everything Call Has Been Heard by His Rivals - Bloomberg Business



In an echo of Leon Black, Frank Maturo, vice chairman of equity capital markets at UBS AG, said, “Private equity is selling everything that’s not bolted down. With the robust valuations in today’s market, they are accelerating monetizations of companies they own.”