The Daily Upside

Regulation

The FTC Starts Probe of Exxon’s Pioneer Acquisition

Photo by Raymond Kotewicz via Unsplash

Exxon’s $60 billion planned acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources has attracted the attention of the Federal Trade Commission.

1 min read
Policy & Power

Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Have Flocked to COP28 in Record Numbers

Photo by John Englart via CC BY-SA 2.0

The number of lobbyists for fossil fuel interests who registered for this year’s COP conference totaled at least 2,456.

2 min read
International Economics

China’s Financial Woes Grow as Moody’s Lowers Credit Outlook

Photo by Yan Ke via Unsplash

Moody’s Investors Service cut its outlook for China’s credit rating to negative from stable due to crushing debt at the local level.

2 min read
Artificial Intelligence

Consultancy Firms Are Using AI to Fast-Track Partnerships

Photo by Mojahid Mottakin via Unsplash

Large consulting and law firms are trying to get junior staffers on the fast track to partner using tools like ChatGPT.

2 min read

M&A

Roche Elbows into Weight-Loss Drug Market Via M&A

Photo by Andres Ayrton via Pexels

Roche agreed Monday to acquire anti-obesity drug developer Carmot Therapeutics for an appetizing $3.1 billion.

2 min read
Real Estate

Florida Developers Still See Building Wooden Homes as a Good Idea

All along Florida’s waterfront, developers are continuing to build cheaper wood-frame homes and apartments, The Wall Street Journal reported.

1 min read
Patent Drop

Apple’s LIDAR Patent Adds Another Piece to Rumored Car Offering

Photo by Prasad Panchakshari via Unsplash

Apple will likely face a lot of competition if it decides to get on the road.

2 min read
Indicators

As Job Market Cools, Small Businesses Scramble for Employees

Photo by Tim Mossholder via Unsplash

As the country’s largest companies have begun slowing down hiring, small businesses are hanging up “Help Wanted” signs at a record pace.

2 min read

Patent Drop

Microsoft May Check Your Mental Health Using AI

Photo by Windows via Unsplash

Microsoft’s patent for a computerized wellness check walks a fine line between privacy and convenience.

2 min read
Inflation & Prices

Deflation Begins to Hit Durable Goods

Photo by Federal Reserve Board of Governors under Public Domain Mark 1.0

Slowing inflation usually means prices are rising, just not as fast as before. But now there is actual deflation.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Intel Goes After Responsible AI with Ethics Index Patent

Photo via Intel Corporation

Intel’s ethics index aims to call out when people are using AI for the wrong reasons.

3 min read
Media & Entertainment

Rock Band Kiss Plans to Join the Avatar Concert Trend

(Photo Credit: Nainoa Shizuru/Unsplash)

After 50 years of performing, world-renowned shock rock group Kiss just played its final show, but the members say the show will go on.

1 min read

Real Estate

HOA Fees Are Adding to the Housing Affordability Problem

Photo by Dillon Kydd via Unsplash

Prospective homebuyers face limited supply, historically high mortgage rates, plus increasingly high homeowners association fees.

2 min read
Big Tech

Meta Files Lawsuit Arguing FTC’s In-House Courts are Unconstitutional

Photo by Julio Lopez via Unsplash

Meta on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission arguing its in-house trials are unconstitutional.

2 min read
Advisor Upside

Billionaires Inherit More Wealth Than They Make

(Photo by Quan Nguyen via Unsplash)

Newly minted billionaires got more of their money from inheritance than, well, making money, according to UBS.

1 min read
Patent Drop

Google May Use Drones to Keep Data Centers Healthy

Photo by Josh Sorenson via Unsplash

Google’s filing emphasizes the importance of continuity of services among cloud providers.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Ford Patent Seeks to Keep EV Batteries Running

Photo by James Penner via Unsplash

Given that EV batteries are a hot commodity, the tech could help cut costs for fleet operators.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Amazon is Narrowing the Gap in the AI Race

Photo by Web Summit via CC BY 2.0

The company filed a patent for a way to make AI models easily using pre-built machine learning models.

3 min read
Healthcare

Cigna, Humana Eyeing a Merger

Photo via Connor Lin / The Daily Upside

In a bid to scale up against larger rivals, health insurance players Cigna and Humana are reportedly in talks over a possible merger.

1 min read
Artificial Intelligence

Stability AI Is Reportedly Shopping Around for a Buyer

(Photo by UK Government via CC BY 2.0)

Stability AI, the startup behind AI-powered image-generator Stable Diffusion, is reportedly shopping itself to potential acquirers.

2 min read

Advisor Upside

Financial advisor news, market insights, and practice management essentials.

OpenAI Teams Up With Amazon for Even More Computing Power

Photo via Leonie Asendorpf/dpa/picture-alliance/Newscom

2 min read
Kimberly-Clark Takeover Offers $48 Billion of Pain Relief to Tylenol-Maker Kenvue

Photo via Michele Eve Sandberg/Sipa USA/Newscom

2 min read
Unease About Warren Buffett’s Retirement Overshadows Berkshire Earnings Beat

Photo via Lu Beifeng/VCG/Newscom

2 min read

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