This new trading year could bring a boom in mergers and acquisitions, and some stocks may be poised to benefit. According to Goldman Sachs, the number of completed M & A transactions in the U.S. could rise by 25% in 2025. That projection would be higher than the level of completed transactions seen in both 2023 and 2024. This comes as Wall Street has been preparing for a revival in M & A activity with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, whose second term is expected to be more business friendly. In light of that forecast, Goldman has screened for…
Author: usaeverydaylife
Headquarters of Ashford University in San Diego, a for-profit university belonging to Bridgepoint Education.Frank Duenzl | Picture-Alliance | DPA | APThe Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it would forgive $4.5 billion in student debt for 261,000 borrowers who attended the now-defunct Ashford University.Borrowers who qualify for the relief are those who studied at the largely online institution between March 1, 2009 and April 30, 2020.The California Department of Justice requested the loan cancellation for federal student loan borrowers based on evidence it gathered during its lawsuit against Ashford University and its parent company, Zovio, Inc., the Education Department said.More…
Capt. R.K. Smithley pauses as he searches for the appropriate word. He’s been asked to describe what it’s like flying a DC-10 just a few hundred feet above the ground, at 170 mph and carrying an 85,000-pound load, all while dealing with heavy winds, hilly terrain, other aircraft in the area and thick smoke billowing from the wildfires he’s helping to combat.What it takes is a special type of person, possessing specific qualifications. Smithley meets that standard.“Some guys adapt to this, some don’t,” Smithley, father of NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Garrett Smithley, told The Athletic on Monday. “It takes kind…
Marco Rubio, the Republican senator from Florida named by Donald J. Trump to be the next secretary of state, was warmly welcomed by senators from both parties at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. He has served for years on the Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees in the Senate, and is known as a lawmaker devoted to the details of foreign policy.“I believe you have the skills and are well qualified to serve as secretary of state,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of Hampshire, said in her opening remarks.The notable lack of tension at the hearing indicated that Mr. Rubio would almost…
BlackRock reported better-than-expected earnings Wednesday, lifting shares of the asset management giant higher as it embarks on a pivotal year of expansion into fast-growing markets. Revenue of $5.68 billion in the three months ended Dec. 31 exceeded expectations of $5.49 billion, according to LSEG. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $11.93 topped the consensus estimate of $11.19, LSEG data showed. Assets under management (AUM) totaled $11.55 trillion at the end of the quarter, a bit shy of the $11.65 trillion estimate, according to FactSet. BLK .SPX 1Y mountain BlackRock’s stock performance over the past 12 months versus the S &…
Investors are facing the prospect of “higher for longer” interest rates, and that presents an opportunity for those who want to build up portfolio income. The Federal Reserve dialed back its expectations for 2025 rate cuts at its December meeting, penciling in only two reductions this year – down from the four predicted in September. Inflation fears have also grown of late, spurring Bank of America to revise its forecast to zero cuts in 2025. At the same time, the 10-year Treasury yield has been on a steady upward march since late 2024, briefly topping 4.8% on Tuesday. Bond yields…
CEO of Chase Jamie Dimon looks on as he attends the seventh “Choose France Summit”, aiming to attract foreign investors to the country, at the Chateau de Versailles, outside Paris, on May 13, 2024. Ludovic Marin | Via ReutersJPMorgan Chase executives said the bank would increase share buybacks so that a mounting pile of tens of billions of dollars in excess cash doesn’t grow further.Fresh off a record year for profit and revenue, JPMorgan is facing questions over what CFO Jeremy Barnum admitted was a “high-class problem”: the bank has, by some estimates, roughly $35 billion in money that it doesn’t…
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 departs Los Angeles International Airport en route to Las Vegas on September 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Carter | Getty ImagesThe Department of Transportation on Wednesday sued Southwest Airlines, alleging the carrier operated chronically delayed flights, and fined Frontier Airlines for late-arriving flights.The lawsuit follows a $2 million DOT fine on JetBlue Airways for similar allegations.The lawsuit and fines come at the end of the Biden administration, which has taken a harder line toward consumer protections than previous administrations.The DOT said that Southwest’s flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Oakland, California, and from Baltimore to…
Charred remains of buildings are pictured following the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, U.S. Jan. 15, 2025. Mike Blake | ReutersGoogle and YouTube will donate $15 million to support the Los Angeles community and content creators impacted by wildfires, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced in a blog post Wednesday.The contributions will flow to local relief organizations including Emergency Network Los Angeles, the American Red Cross, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the Institute for Nonprofit News, the blog said. When the company’s LA offices can safely reopen, impacted creators will also be able to use YouTube’s production…
Let me tell you about my sister-in-law the proud Ohio State Buckeye. She grew up less than an hour away from campus. She graduated in 1998. Her three siblings attended Ohio State. Her parents too. And when it comes to Ohio State football, she is both fervent in support and gentle in judgment — you’re getting the benefit of the doubt if you coach or play for her team.This is not the “lunatic fringe” of which Kirk Herbstreit sometimes speaks. But this is what she said on the eve of Ohio State’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Tennessee: “I couldn’t…
