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ECB WARNS OF DANGERS FROM DEBT LOAD

The massive debts taken on by Europe’s businesses and governments to survive the economic shutdown raise risks of financial turmoil if the economic recovery does not go smoothly, the European Central Bank (ECB) warned on 19 May in its latest review of the continent’s financial stability. “There is a reality that [2020’s crisis] will leave...

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WEWORK LOSES $2 BILLION, 25 PERCENT OF ITS MEMBERS

WeWork, the floundering landlord that rents shared office space to gig workers and start-ups, nearly quadrupled its losses to $2.1 billion in this year’s first quarter, compared to $556 million vaporized during 2020’s first three months, the Financial Times reported. WeWork paid $494 million to cancel leases, escape unprofitable locations, and otherwise restructure its assortment...

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DISCOVERY INC. EXPANDS MEDIA EMPIRE

Discovery Inc., a leader in unscripted television programs such as “Shark Tank” and “Fixer Upper,” has acquired a 29-percent share of AT&T’s WarnerMedia division in a deal valued at $43 billion, according to various reports. WarnerMedia will be merged into Discovery, with AT&T shareholders, not AT&T itself, owning the other 71 percent of the new...

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MAJOR HOSPITAL CHAINS GETTING BIGGER

Flush with government stimulus cash and payments for caring for COVID patients, major hospital chains are snapping up smaller rivals, independent hospitals, and physicians’ practices left weak by the coronavirus onslaught. The $178-billion federal Provider Relief Fund channeled government aid to hospitals during the crisis. However, the bulk of the aid went to the largest...

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HOME PRICES WILL RISE THROUGH 2023, STUDY SAYS

Home prices will continue to rise through 2023, although more slowly than 2020’s 11.4-percent peak pace, according to an Urban Land Institute (ULI) survey this month of 42 economists at 39 real estate organizations. Prices will inflate by 8.1 percent this year, 5 percent in 2022, and 4 percent in 2023, bringing the rate slightly...

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE: BOOM OR BUST?

Half of U.S. hotel rooms are empty most nights, malls struggle to survive, and office buildings are still largely unused. Commercial real estate values, which slumped during the economic shutdown, seem, however, to have stabilized, and, in some cases, have begun to rise again. Market prices for the properties fell only 11 percent last year,...

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HOME SALES FALL AS INVENTORY DRIES UP, PRICES CLIMB

Sales of existing homes slipped 2.7 percent in April compared to March, the third consecutive month of sliding sales, the National Association of Realtors (NRA) reported. A continuing lack of available homes has pushed up prices. That increase, combined with rising mortgage interest rates, has left fewer potential buyers able to qualify for loans. April’s...

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GAMBLERS DUMP SPACs

The Defiance Next Gen SPAC-Derived Exchange Traded Fund, which lists special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and the businesses that have gone public through them, has lost 30 percent of its value since mid-February and recently touched a six-month low, the Wall Street Journal reported. A SPAC is a publicly traded company that has no assets and...

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BLOCKCHAIN BATTLES

FED AND CHINA MOVES POUND BITCOIN AND ETHER. Investors continued to run away from cryptos in droves following a crackdown against crypto payments in China and emerging regulatory moves by the Biden administration in the U.S. Some of the news might not have been quite what it seemed, but it affected buying and selling nonetheless....