Jamie LaReau Detroit Free Press Published 11:54 p.m. UTC May 31, 2018 General Motors and the SoftBank Vision Fund are teaming up to invest in GM Cruise to bring self-driving vehicles to market by next year, the company said Thursday. SoftBank is a large technology investment company invested in such companies as Uber. It will invest $2.25 billion in GM Cruise Holdings and GM will invest $1.1 billion in GM Cruise when the transaction closes at the end of June, the company said. “Our Cruise and GM teams together have made tremendous progress over the last two years,” GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said in a media statement. “Teaming up with SoftBank adds an additional strong partner as we pursue our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.” More: Higher interest rates, gas prices could slow May new car sales More: Detroit area's cutting edge center for self-driving autos is set to open The SoftBank Vision Fund investment will be made in … [Read more...] about GM’s self-driving car unit to get $3.35B investment, plans to bring a vehicles to market next year
Equities markets
Thor Equities adds new tenants in Cinco Ranch retail project
By Katherine Feser Published 4:35 pm, Monday, May 21, 2018 Photo: Thor Equities Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 Thor Equities announced several new tenants at The Shoppes at Cinco Ranch, a development at Spring Green Boulevard and FM 1093 in Katy. Thor Equities announced several new tenants at The Shoppes at Cinco Ranch, a development at Spring Green Boulevard and FM 1093 in Katy. Photo: Thor Equities Thor Equities adds new tenants in Cinco Ranch retail project 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Thor Equities announced several new tenants and a new building in The Shoppes at Cinco Ranch, a 35-acre retail center anchored by Lowe's in Katy. About Face & Body Medical Spa will relocate to 1,800 square feet of space, Starbucks has opened a 2,000-square-foot store, and Medical Clinic At … [Read more...] about Thor Equities adds new tenants in Cinco Ranch retail project
Nissan says equity change in Renault alliance an option
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor (7201.T) and its French automaking partner Renault SA are considering a range of options, including a more balanced equity structure, to ensure their alliance survives beyond its current leadership, the Japanese company said on Monday. The logo of Nissan Motor Co is seen at its showroom in Tokyo, Japan February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai Speculation about the alliance’s future, including a possible merger, has been brewing since Reuters reported earlier this year the two companies were discussing plans for a closer tie-up in which Nissan could acquire the bulk of the French state’s 15 percent holding in Renault (RENA.PA). The partnership, which also includes Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T), was the world’s top-selling passenger vehicle maker in 2017, but as the global auto industry consolidates, the group is looking to strengthen its alliance before chairman Carlos Ghosn retires in the coming years after … [Read more...] about Nissan says equity change in Renault alliance an option
Nissan says equity structure change to Renault alliance an option…
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor (7201.T) announced the company and its automaking partner Renault SA (RENA.PA) were considering a range of options, including a more balanced equity structure, to ensure the existing alliance will survive beyond its current leadership. The logo of Nissan Motor Co is seen at its showroom in Tokyo, Japan February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai Speculation about the alliance’s future, including a possible merger, has been brewing since Reuters reported earlier this year that the two companies were discussing plans for a closer tie-up in which Nissan could acquire the bulk of the French state’s 15 percent Renault holding. The automaking partnership, which also includes Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T), was the world’s top-selling passenger vehicle maker in 2017, but amid growing consolidation in the global auto industry, the group must find a way to strengthen its framework before alliance chairman Carlos Ghosn … [Read more...] about Nissan says equity structure change to Renault alliance an option…
Fast growth in a fast-changing marketing world
Columbia-based Merkle is adding jobs at a breakneck pace — 200 this year and hundreds more in the past few years, during a time when many employers have held the line or cut back.Total workforce: 1,500. That's a heck of a change since chief executive David Williams bought the marketing company in 1988 and became employee No. 24.Williams, 48, had no marketing background when he leaped from a stock brokerage into entrepreneurship in his mid-20s. He simply wanted to run his own company, and Merkle was available. It proved a good pick — though that wasn't so clear in the setback-laden first few months.Williams, who lives in Annapolis, talked with The Baltimore Sun recently about the potential and perils of high-tech marketing, about how social media is changing the way companies interact with customers, and about how his company is expanding so quickly. Merkle doubled its revenue in the past five years to $300 million.How have you managed such rapid growth?We're in the right … [Read more...] about Fast growth in a fast-changing marketing world
Better World Cos., HM Equity Management pick up Victoria apartment portfolio
By Katherine Feser Published 3:41 pm, Friday, April 13, 2018 Photo: Better World Cos. Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 | Better World Cos. Better World Cos. and HM Equity Management Partner have purchased the 104-unit Tanglewood Apartments, the 224-unit Victoria Station Apartments and the 216-unit Silvermine Apartments in Victoria. Better World Cos. and HM Equity Management Partner have purchased the 104-unit Tanglewood Apartments, the 224-unit Victoria Station Apartments and the 216-unit Silvermine Apartments in Victoria. Photo: Better World Cos. Better World Cos., HM Equity Management pick up Victoria apartment portfolio 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Two Houston multifamily investment companies have teamed up on the acquisition of three apartment complexes in Victoria totaling 544 units. … [Read more...] about Better World Cos., HM Equity Management pick up Victoria apartment portfolio
Baltimore-based eNeura will begin marketing migraine treatment device to patients
eNeura Inc., a Baltimore-based medical technology company, plans to expand the commercial marketing of its migraine treatment device with the help of a $17 million investment round led by Camden Partners Nexus, a Baltimore-based private equity firm.Proceeds of the financing will be used to give more patients access to the company’s sTMS mini neuromodulation device, which treats and prevents migraines by sending magnetic pulses into the brain, eNeura said Tuesday.Besides Camden Partners, co-founded by former mayoral candidate David L. Warnock, other local investors include the Abell Foundation, entrepreneur David Oros, Marc Blum and the Fischell family, who also founded the company.Migraine patients in the past have had to depend on combinations of pharmaceutical drugs, all of which have possible side effects, said David K. Rosen, eNeura’s president and CEO.“This is an option that the doctor can recommend for the treatment and prevention of migraines,” Rosen … [Read more...] about Baltimore-based eNeura will begin marketing migraine treatment device to patients
Permian pipelines trade hands in $1.75B private equity deal
Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle Published 1:13 pm, Monday, April 9, 2018 Photo: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 Pipelines are increasingly carrying crude and natural gas bound for foreign markets. Pipelines are increasingly carrying crude and natural gas bound for foreign markets. Photo: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg Permian pipelines trade hands in $1.75B private equity deal 1 / 1 Back to Gallery A private equity fund managed by Morgan Stanley is paying $1.75 billion in cash to buy big into Permian Basin pipeline assets. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners is acquiring Fort Worth-based Brazos Midstream and its pipeline network from Boston-based private equity outfit Old Ironsides Energy. The deal is through a Morgan Stanley investment fund called North Haven Infrastructure … [Read more...] about Permian pipelines trade hands in $1.75B private equity deal
Jumping market jitters
IMMEDIATE gratification, immediate data and nonsense news, immediate response. The new world? The oxymoron of ‘smart' phones is lost on me. If they were smart, or as smart as a teacher, they would tell us to turn them off.I hadn't thought at all about how people use their phones in relation to investments until I recently saw them used to check up on investment values on an hour by hour basis and it dawned on me the stress that must cause, especially in light of recent market movements.For the record, I do not do that with my own money. There is no point. I would also not be around for long. What risks does excessive monitoring cause? I've heard many statements regarding markets ‘going' up, or ‘going' down. As we've mentioned before, that can often lead to knee-jerk reactions where you jump a queue at completely the wrong time, and indeed this was covered in the last quarter for the same reason.Markets never, ever use the present participle. They are never … [Read more...] about Jumping market jitters
China retaliates, slaps duties on U.S. soybeans, planes; markets skid
NEW YORK (Reuters) - China hit back quickly on Wednesday against the Trump administration’s plans to impose tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods, retaliating with a list of similar duties on key U.S. imports including soybeans, planes, cars, beef and chemicals. FILE PHOTO: Soybeans being sorted according to their weight and density on a gravity sorter machine at Peterson Farms Seed facility in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S., December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Dan Koeck/File Photo COMMENTS: JOHN STOLTZFUS, CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGIST, OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT, NEW YORK “At this point, when you look at the broad nature of the decline, it shows elements of a ‘tariff tantrum’ happening in the market. There’s not a trade war going on at this point. Both sides are firing shots across the bow. They’re responding to each other with heavy-handed tactics. It’s not so deep as to cause the reaction the market is taking right now. It’s … [Read more...] about China retaliates, slaps duties on U.S. soybeans, planes; markets skid