The Daily Upside

Healthcare

Moderna Is Still Stuck in Post-COVID Limbo

Photo by Mufid Majnun via Pexels

Moderna walked a tightrope trying to convince shareholders it can both develop a new portfolio of drugs and keep costs down in the process.

2 min read

Today’s Upside

Recent News

Patent Drop

Ford Patent Signals Privacy Problems with Connected Vehicles

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

As vehicles become more connected and autonomous, they also collect a lot more data.

2 min read
Energy

Shell Sold Millions of ‘Phantom’ Carbon Credits

Photo by Flickr via CC BY 1.0

Oil industry titan Shell has sold millions of carbon credits linked to CO2 removal that never actually occurred, the Financial Times found.

2 min read
International Economics

Japan Looks to Leave its Lost Decades Behind

Photo illustration by Connor Lin / The Daily Upside

After years of chronic stagnation, prices are rising again, with inflation exceeding the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for two years running.

7 min read
Inflation & Prices

US Cattle Prices Take a Hit as Bird Flu Spooks Traders

Photo by Etienne Girardet via Unsplash

Futures prices had surged to record highs in recent months because of droughts contributing to the country’s smallest herd since the 1950s.

1 min read
Banking

UBS Mulls a Massive Cost-Cutting

Photo by Claudio Schwarz via Unsplash

The slow integration of Credit Suisse has only exacerbated existing problems with UBS’s asset management unit.

1 min read
Social Media

Universal Music Squashes its Beef with TikTok

Photo by Lars Crommelinck via CC BY 2.0

The new deal enmeshes UMG’s music into TikTok’s burgeoning e-commerce business while also battling AI-generated songs.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Microsoft’s Model Screener Could Create More Responsible AI Tools

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Microsoft may want its language models to prove their worth.

2 min read
Media & Entertainment

Cable Dispute Blacks Out MLB Games in 15 US Markets

Photo by Andy Witchger via CC BY 2.0

As the latest MLB season kicks into full gear, fans in 15 markets across the US can’t watch local game broadcasts.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Goldman Sachs Files Blockchain Patent Despite Crypto Disinterest

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Goldman Sachs may want to use blockchain for anything but crypto.

2 min read
Technology

Starlink is Poised to Move into Yemen

Photo by Anirudh via Unsplash

Elon Musk’s Starlink is set to receive official approval to enter Yemen, where a civil war has been raging since 2014, Bloomberg reports.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Disney Generative AI Patent Taps Into Users’ Memories

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Disney wants to use AI to help you recall fond memories.

2 min read
Inflation & Prices

Fed Keeps Interest Rates Steady Amid Solid Job Growth

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

The central bank held the funds rate at 5.25% to 5.5%, citing a “lack of further progress toward the Committee’s 2% inflation objective.”

2 min read
Consumer

McDonald’s May Have to Tap Out on Raising Prices

Photo by Lucas van Oort via Unsplash

First-quarter revenue rose, but global same-store sales grew just 1.9%, slightly below what Wall Street had predicted.

1 min read
Consumer

Climate Change Insurance Startup Arbol Raises $60 Million

Photo by John Middelkoop via Unsplash

The new fundraising comes just a month after Arbol spun up a subsidiary catering to homeowners in US coastal communities

2 min read
Regulation

FTC Challenges Hundreds of Pharma Patents

Photo by Chemist4U via CC BY-SA 2.0

The regulator sees some patents as ploys to keep companies from developing cheaper generic versions of 20 different brand-name drugs.

2 min read
Media & Entertainment

Paramount Ousts CEO Amid Sale Effort

Photo via Hannah Wernecke

As Paramount Global very publicly pursues a sale, longtime executive Bob Bakish has found himself increasingly on the outs.

2 min read
FA Upside

Older, Wealthy Americans Are Delaying Rate Cuts With Their Big Spending

Photo by Matt Bennett via Unsplash

Spending by older affluent Americans is helping grow the economy. But it’s also contributing to a delay in the Federal Reserve cutting rates.

1 min read
Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI Inks Licensing Deal with the Financial Times to Train Chatbots

Photo by Financial Times via CC BY 2.0

On Monday, the Financial Times said it struck a deal with OpenAI to allow the generative AI darling to license the FT’s content.

2 min read
Consumer

Blade to Launch Hamptons-Bound Luxury Bus Line

Photo by Sue Elias via CC BY 2.0

Tickets start at $195, with passengers treated to free Sweetgreen salads and espresso martinis.

1 min read
Markets

General Catalyst Closes $6 Billion Fund

Photo by Hardik Pandya via Unsplash

It’s a possible sign that the VC industry’s newest chapter is a story of the haves and have-nots.

2 min read