October 30, 2020 06:14 ET | Source: Research and Markets

Dublin, Oct. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Investment Funds and Asset Management Market in Poland, 2020-2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

"Investment Funds and Asset Management Market in Poland 2020-2022" provides a comprehensive overview of investment funds and asset management sector in Poland. The analysis covers three main pillars of the market including mutual funds, insurance, and pension assets. The report also includes a mid-term forecast of key volumes for the period 2020-2022.

In line with trends observed in previous years, assets under management in Poland remained very volatile in 2019 and in the 1st half of 2020. Total assets went down to PLN 588 billion in H1 2020 and this drop could be attributed to a very weak performance of equity markets impacted by accelerating Covid-19. The extraordinary situation has negatively affected all segments of the AM sector, although this was not equally visible across particular segments, in particular in the case of the 3rd pillar, where strong new inflows more than offset falling valuations.

Outlook

Overall assets under management in Poland are expected to fall in 2020 but then rebound through 2022. Particularly promising will be the 3rd pillar pension segment where significant new flows will drive AuM regardless of their initial performance. The new legal framework, in force since mid-2019, has mandated employers to enroll their employees and to match employee contributions. A further boost to 3rd pillar assets will be supplied by the final dismantling of 2nd pillar pension funds, expected around 2021-2022.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Asset Management Market

3. Investment Funds

4. Pension Funds

5. Insurance Assets

6. Forecasts

7. Notes on methodology

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i29rku

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Formats available:

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Poland Investment Funds and Asset Management Market Report 2020: Focus on Mutual Funds, Insurance, and Pension Assets - GlobeNewswire

BEIJING, Oct. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Puhui Wealth Investment Management Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: PHCF) ("Puhui" or the "Company"), a third-party wealth management service provider with a focus on wealth management services for high net worth ("HNW") individuals and corporate clients, today announced its financial results for the year ended June 30, 2020. The Company also filed these results on Form 20-F with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which can be viewed at http://www.sec.gov. All amounts in this press release are in USD unless otherwise noted.

Financial and Operating Highlights

Mr. Zhe Ji, the Chairman and CEO of the Company, stated, "There was a considerable impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on our business during the past fiscal year, as our offices remained closed between February and June 2020. Since that time, we have begun to see business return due to a combination of strong relationships with our customers along with demand for investment and financial planning expertise in China's wealth management industry following the pandemic. While it was a challenging period, we did take the opportunity to focus on operational improvements through providing our workforce with the ability to service clients remotely. We are in a stronger position today to handle any potential challenges in the future than prior to the pandemic."

Mr. Ji continued, "We believe that the fundamental aspects of our independent wealth management business have increased value in the current volatile market environment. HNW clientele across China are continuing to seek an independent advisor that provides access to several investment products without bias. At Puhui, we are solely focused on aligning our available products with whatever financial objectives our clients are seeking. Our acquisition of Granville in December 2019 represented our first entry into the international market, which increases our potential customer base over time. Our focus for the remainder of the year is to add new HNW customers that can take advantage of our product offering, and intend to be active in marketing as well as optimizing our branch network in the coming months."

Financial Review for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2020

Wealth Management

Asset Management

Revenues

Cost of Revenues

Operating Expense

Net Loss Attributable to Puhui Wealth

Liquidity and Capital Resources

About Puhui Wealth Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Headquartered in Beijing, China and founded in 2013, Puhui is a third-party wealth management service provider focusing on marketing financial products (including private equity and other diversified products and services) to, and managing funds for, individuals and corporate clients in the PRC. On December 27, 2018, the Company's ordinary shares were listed and began trading listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (ticker: PHCF).

Additional information about Puhui can be found at the Company's corporate website: http://www.puhuiwealth.com.

Additional Disclosure Concerning COVID-19

The impacts of COVID-19 on Puhui's business, financial condition, and results of operations include, but are not limited to, the following:

Forward Looking Statement

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "plan", "outlook", and "project" and other similar expressions that indicate future events or trends or are not statements of historical matters. These statements are based on our management's current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events.

Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside of our control and all of which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements can be found in our reports filed with theSecurities and Exchange Commission, which are available, free of charge, on theSEC'swebsite atwww.sec.gov.

PUHUI WEALTH INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CO., LTD AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

For the Years Ended June 30,

2020

2019

REVENUES

Revenues

$

1,481,980

$

3,052,371

Revenues - related parties

697,500

128,263

Total revenues

2,179,480

3,180,634

OPERATING EXPENSES

Cost of revenues

(202,637)

(316,718)

Selling expenses

(1,517,968)

(2,005,367)

General and administrative expenses

(4,977,537)

(3,427,040)

Total operating expenses

(6,698,142)

(5,749,125)

LOSS FROM OPERATIONS

(4,518,662)

(2,568,491)

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES)

Interest income

74,824

62,967

Other finance expenses

(191,238)

(206,081)

Other income, net

126,858

808

Total other income (expenses), net

10,444

(142,306)

LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

(4,508,218)

(2,710,797)

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

Current

-

11,803

Deferred

179,449

380,302

Total income tax provision

179,449

392,105

NET LOSS

(4,687,667)

(3,102,902)

Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

(641,719)

(645,716)

NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO PUHUI WEALTH

$

(4,045,948)

$

(2,457,186)

NET LOSS

$

(4,687,667)

$

(3,102,902)

OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

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Puhui Wealth Investment Management Co. Ltd. Announces Financial Results for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2020 - PRNewswire

Bitcoin (BTC) has gained significant notoriety in the decade since its 2009 launch. Big mainstream players such as MicroStrategy have recently begun to invest large sums of money into the asset, normalizing its viability as an investment for some. Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, said Bitcoin is now an obvious financial play.

"On a risk-adjusted basis, BTC is an easier bet today than it has ever been," Novogratz said in an Oct. 27 tweet. "Its being de-risked daily."

Cointelegraph reached out to Novogratz for additional details, but received no response as of press time. This article will be updated accordingly should a response come in.

"Adjusted by its volatility, Bitcoin has presented the best return in one or two years against all other asset classes," Cointelegraph markets contributor Marcel Pechman said when asked to weigh in on Novogratz tweet. "Few investors expect gold to rally 60%, but it never went below -8% so the Sharpe index adjusts returns based on volatility.

Although MicroStrategy bought more than $400 million worth of BTC in recent months, it is not the only mainstream giant to join the party. Square, headed up by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, purchased $50 million of Bitcoin recently, publicized on Oct. 8. After disclosing his BTC holdings in May 2020, billionaire Paul Tudor Jonescompared the asset to an investment in Apple before its boom.

With its mainstream involvement, including thetraditional trading productsbeing built around it, Bitcoin is much easier to gain financial exposure to today than it once was. Though it was originally designed as an alternative form of currency, Bitcoin has gainedprevalence more as a store of value and investment option in recent years.

"I don't think Bitcoin is going to be used as a transactional currency any time in the next five years," Novogratz said in aninterview with Bloomberg TV, posted onOct. 23. "Bitcoin is being used as a store of value," he added. "People are worried that the central banks around the world are debasing fiat currencies."

The U.S. government, for example,printed a massive amount of its national currency in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic; and action that could ultimately decrease the value of the American dollar as a whole.

See more here:
Bitcoin becoming less-risky as an investment, Novogratz says - Cointelegraph

It could be the long-awaited turning point in the world of venture capital and beyond. Yale, whose $32 billion endowment has been led since 1985 by the legendary investor David Swensen, just let its 70 U.S. money managers across a variety of asset classes know that for the school, diversity has now moved front and center.

According to the WSJ, Swensen has told the firms that from here on out, they will be measured annually on their progress in increasing the diversity of their investment staff, from hiring to training to mentoring to their retention of women and minorities.

Those that show little improvement may see the prestigious university pull its money, Swensen tells the outlet.

Its hard to overstate the moves significance. Though Yales endowment saw atypically poor performance for part of last year, Swensen, at 66, is among the most highly regarded money managers in the world, growing Yales endowment from $1 billion when he joined as a 31-year-old former grad student of the school, to the second-largest school endowment in the country after Harvard, which currently manages $40 billion.

Credited for developing the so-called Yale Model, which is short on public equities and long on commitments to venture shops, private equity funds, hedge funds and international investments, Swensen has inspired legions of other endowment managers, many of whom worked for him previously, including the current endowment heads of Princeton, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania.

It isnt a stretch to imagine these managers and many others will again follow Swensens lead, one that was inspired by the growing diversity with Yale itself. Should such metrics become standard, they could dramatically change the stubbornly intractable world of money management, which remains mostly white and mostly male.

Indeed, while the dearth of woman and minorities within the ranks of venture firms may not be news to readers, a 2019 study commissioned by the Knight Foundation and cited by the WSJ underscores how big an issue it remains across asset classes. According to its findings, women and minority-owned firms held less than 1% of assets managed by mutual funds, hedge funds, private-equity funds and real-estate funds in 2017, even though their performance was on a par with such firms.

As for why Swensen didnt write this letter much sooner to the universe of fund managers backed by Yale, Swensen tells WSJ that he has long talked about diversity with them but says he held off on asking for systematic changes owing to a belief, in part, that there were not enough diverse candidates entering into asset management.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement that gained momentum this spring, he decided it was time to take the leap anyway.

As for that perceived pipeline concern, fund managers will have to figure it out. For his part, Swensen reportedly offered a suggestion to those same U.S. managers. He proposed that they forget the same resumes for which theyve long looked and consider recruiting directly from college campuses.

Continued here:
Yale may have just turned institutional investing on its head with a new diversity edict - TechCrunch

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Turning Point Brands, Inc. ("TPB") (NYSE: TPB), a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded consumer products with active ingredients, today announced a $15 million strategic investment in leading global cannabinoid companydosistand an exclusive co-development and distribution agreement of a new national CBD brand, created in partnership withdosist'sthc-free business unit. Additionally, TPB has an option to invest another $15 million at pre-determined terms within the next 12 months.

"The cannabis market is exploding and now is the opportune time to invest in the space and significantly expand our addressable market," said Larry Wexler, CEO of Turning Point Brands. "With its leadership in results-oriented plant-based formulas and dose control technology, global recognition, consumer trust and scalability, dosist was the clear choice to be our new partner in this critical growth market. We couldn't be more pleased to enter into this agreement with dosist, to not only help fuel its exciting new business and co-create a completely new CBD brand for our retail partners, but also to leverage their expertise as a marketing powerhouse to help build the future of both our companies."

"We are extremely proud to partner with Turning Point Brands on our next phase of growth and distribution as we continue to transcend the way consumers think about their health and wellness," said Gunner Winston, CEO of dosist. "Turning Point's leadership team has demonstrated remarkable foresight and vision about the future and opportunity for federally legal cannabinoid products. The synergy between our brands around this scope and mission is incredible and we are excited by what we will achieve together with this partnership."

Since its launch in 2016, dosist has quickly established itself as a pre-eminent and globally recognized cannabis brand through its award-winning innovations (Time Magazine, Fast Company, Bloomberg), and superior marketing prowess. The renowned dosist product portfolio, including its internationally patented dose-control inhalation technology, delivers scientifically engineered formulations targeting key human need states. dosist formulas offer consumers a complete range of solutions, starting with its core line featuring balanced ratios of cbd to thc, and their thc-plus line, a collection of high potency formulas designed for targeted thc-forward experiences.

All dosist formulas are delivered via their proprietary dose-controlled devices, which include their completely re-engineered inhalable disposable dose pen, the newly launched dose pen rechargeable system and the dose dial, which dispenses a 3.7 mg sublingual tablet. In the coming 3-6 months, dosist plans to expand on its current platform with a substantial innovation pipeline including tinctures, gummies and dynamic live resin and full spectrum formulas developed in collaboration with some of the most progressive brands in the space.

dosist'sleading cannabis products are currently available in California, Colorado, Nevada and Canada, serving a total dispensary network of more than 700 stores. The company has plans to launch into key new markets in the coming months, adding geographies as they continue their North American expansion. dosist has consistently elevated the retail experience across all markets which they currently service, including a transformative retail store on iconic Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice, CA, and a flagship shop-in-shop in Planet 13 in Las Vegas, the largest cannabis retail destination in the world, in addition to other numerous and impactful retail experiences across their distribution channels.

In addition to their robust portfolio of current and upcoming thc-regulated products, dosist plans to launch a globally scaled omni-channel platform in November, dosist thc-free, bringing the brand's leading standards of precision, quality and targeted performance to the rapidly growing CBD market across multiple product lines. The partnership between TPB and dosist also includes the co-creation of a completely new national CBD brand aimed at the mass market. This partnership combines Turning Point Brands' best-in-class sales and operations infrastructure with dosist's expertise in product innovation, marketing and brand development. The new brand will be exclusively distributed by TPB, which services more than 180,000 points of sale in the United States.

dosist thc-free products will be available nationally across the US starting early November at http://www.dosistthcfree.com and select retailers. For more information about dosistthc-freeand its products follow them on Instagram @dosistthcfree.

Transaction Details

The proceeds of TPB's investment are being used by dosist's thc-free and Canadian business units and cannot be used in connection with or for any cannabis or cannabis-related operations in the United States, unless and until such operations comply with all applicable laws of the United States. TPB has been issued a warrant to receive preferred shares of dosist that will automatically be exercised upon a change in federal laws in the United States to reschedule or deschedule cannabis and/or permit its general cultivation, distribution and possession. As part of this agreement, TPB will also have an option to fill a seat on the board of directors of dosist upon legalization.

About Turning Point Brands, Inc.

Turning Point Brands (NYSE: TPB) is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded consumer products with active ingredients through its iconic core brands Zig-Zag and Stoker's, and its emerging brands within the NewGen segment. TPB's products are available in more than 210,000 retail outlets in North America in addition to sites such as http://www.zigzag.com, http://www.nu-x.com and http://www.solacevapor.com. For the latest news and information about TPB and its brands, please visit http://www.turningpointbrands.com.

About dosist

dosist, based inLos Angeles, California, launched in 2016 and has since become known as a disruptor in the health and wellness industry. dosist was named one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2016, was recognized by Fast Company as one of 2018's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in the health sector, and was designated by LinkedInas the number two Top Startups 2019: Hottest U.S. Companies To Work For Now. dosist's new thc-free business is scheduled to launch in early November, providing natural options for some of our most common ailments through dose-controlled targeted cbd+ formulations such as calm thc-free, sleep thc-freeand relief thc-free. For more information about dosistthc-freeand its products visit the website at dosistthcfree.com and follow them on Instagram @dosistthcfree.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements may generally be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "intend," "plan" and "will" or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. As a result, actual events may differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by TPB in this press release speaks only as of the date hereof. New risks and uncertainties come up from time to time, and it is impossible for TPB to predict these events or how they may affect it. TPB has no obligation, and does not intend, to update any forward-looking statements after the date hereof, except as required by federal securities laws. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to:

Investor Contacts:Robert Lavan, Senior Vice President and CFO, Turning Point Brands [emailprotected]

Anne-Marie Dacyshyn, Chief Marketing Officer, dosist [emailprotected]

Media Contact: Sonia Hendrix, Founder, GALLERY PR [emailprotected]

SOURCE dosist

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Turning Point Brands Makes Strategic Investment into dosist A World-Class and Globally Recognized Cannabis Brand - PRNewswire

PT Tokopedia's mascot Toped sits on display in the reception area at the company's offices in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016.

Photographer: Dimas Ardian

Photographer: Dimas Ardian

Google and Temasek Holdings Pte have agreed to invest about $350 million in PT Tokopedia, people familiar with the matter said, a major cash infusion that will bankroll the Indonesian online malls post-Covid-19 expansion.

The Alphabet Inc. unit and Singapores state investment firm could sign an agreement for the funding soon, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing the deal before its formally concluded. The financing falls short of the initial goal of between $500 million to $1 billion that Bloomberg News reported in July, though Tokopedia may still be looking for more investors.

Tokopedia, the online marketplace backed by SoftBank Group Corp., was said to have held talks with U.S. internet giants including Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. The backing of Google and Temasek is a vote of confidence for one of Indonesias biggest e-commerce operators, which rode a surge in online shopping during the pandemic.

Americas largest internet corporations have looked increasingly toward Asia as growth in the U.S. and Europe slows, seeking to tap the regions rapidly growing smartphone-savvy population. Facebook is buying a stake in Indias Jio Platforms, while its WhatsApp unit struck a deal to invest in Gojek, which has a popular digital payments service called GoPay. Representatives for Google, Tokopedia and Temasek declined to comment.

Tokopedia co-founder and Chief Executive Officer William Tanuwijaya built Indonesias most valuable startup after Gojek by scoring early backing from SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. co-founder Jack Ma.

E-commerce platforms like Tokopedia, Alibabas Lazada Group SA and Singapore-based Shopee -- a unit of Sea Ltd. -- moved quickly to serve the millions of people forced to make their first online purchases during widespread lockdowns. Indonesia has become a key battleground between the regional rivals: The countrys e-commerce market is projected to expand from $21 billion in 2019 to $82 billion by 2025, according to a recent study by Google, Temasek and Bain & Co.

Indonesia is the biggest contributor to the internet economy's growth in the region

Source: Google & Temasek / Bain, e-Conomy SEA 2019

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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Google, Temasek Agree to Invest $350 Million in Tokopedia - Bloomberg

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These money and investing tips can help you figure out which portfolio moves if any to make now - MarketWatch

A symbol of TikTok (Douyin) is pictured at The Place shopping mall at dusk on August 22, 2020 in Beijing, China.

VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images

BEIJING The haggling over TikTok is the latest signal of a change in U.S.-China deal-making: rather than buying each other, companies may soon be looking to sell their cross-border holdings.

Amid the shock of the coronavirus pandemic and escalating U.S.-China tensions in the first half of this year, the total value of foreign direct investment and venture capital deals between the two countries fell to a near nine-year low, research and consulting firm Rhodium Group said in a report Thursday. The research said the $10.9 billion in deals for the January to June period was the lowest since the second half of 2011.

The decline continues a trend of the last three years, reversing a flurry of mergers and acquisitions by Chinese conglomerates in the U.S. that included purchases such as the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Both countries have had a part to play in this development. The Chinese government has sought to limit capital outflows, while U.S. President Donald Trump who is seeking re-election in this November's election has increased scrutiny on Chinese purchases of American assets.

The total announced Chinese divestitures in the U.S. have amounted to $76 billion in the last 20 years, with the bulk occurring in the last two years, according to Rhodium's analysis.

The latest ongoing high-profile case involvesBeijing-based ByteDance, which acquired short-video app Musical.ly in late 2017. ByteDance subsequently merged the users of the U.S.-focused start-up onto one app called TikTok that has exploded in popularity worldwide. Citing concerns about data security, Trump issued an executive order in August requiring ByteDance to divest its interests in the U.S.

After rejecting a bid from Microsoft, TikTok is expected to list its global operations publicly on a U.S. stock exchange, withU.S. software company Oracle and retail giant Walmart set to take stakes, sources told CNBC.

There will likely be more political pressure for Chinese stakeholders to sell out to American businesses.

The Rhodium report noted the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is stepping up its scrutiny of Chinese investments in the country to include a retroactive review of transactions that were not submitted voluntarily.

And companies were far from eager to pursue cross-border deals in the first half of the year.

Completed U.S. direct investment into China fell 31% to $4.1 billion, while Chinese investment into the U.S. would have plunged if not for Tencent's $3.4 billion minority stake in Universal Music, the report said. With the technology giant's purchase,Chinese businesses completed direct investments of $4.7 billion into the U.S. in the first half of the year, up from $3.4 billion a year ago, according to Rhodium.

"Flows are unlikely to recover in (the second half) amidst persisting systemic concerns and US election politics," the authors of the report wrote.

Although they expect some pressure to subside following the election, they said, "systematic concerns driving caution on Chinese investment in high technology, critical infrastructure and personal data assets will not subside."

"China's new 'internal circulation' campaign suggests that Beijing reads the writing on the wall to mean less two-way engagement with the world, especially the US, in the years ahead," they added.

Chinese authorities are also increasing scrutiny on inward flows, according toa separate report co-released this week by the Rhodium Group.

The quarterly review of China's progress on economic reform is called "The China Dashboard" and released by the Asia Society Policy Institute and the Rhodium Group.

Analysts said in the report that regulators "disproportionally targeted foreign firms in their merger reviews" in the first three months of this year.

The share of foreign-involved deals subjected to review soared to 32% the highest on record, the report said, adding that fewer than 10% of domestic deals faced such scrutiny. It noted that deals tied to overseas firms fell 17% year-on-year to 151, while domestic deals declined 9% year-on-year to 324 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In public, China's top government leaders and various departments have emphasized efforts to support foreign direct investment into the country. Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed actual use of foreign capital rose 15% year-on-year in August, bringing the year-to-date change to near break-even at negative 0.3%.

"We had unprecedented access to the Chinese leadership over the last month,"Joerg Wuttke, president of theEuropeanUnionChamber of Commercein China, told reporters last week. He pointed in particular to a conversation a day earlier with Hu Chunhua, a vice premier of China, along with representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in China and other foreign business groups in Beijing.

American and European business associations have also noted that members generally remain keen on staying in China to access the large domestic market.

Rhodium's report on cross-border flows pointed out that China's agriculture and food sector became a new popular industry for U.S. investment this year, andmany significant American deals for Chinese companies in industries such as finance and energy remain on track.

"In particular, capital expenditure from the ongoing greenfield constructions are baked in for the next few years, so a rapid drop-off like we've seen in the other direction is unlikely to happen for US FDI in China," the report said.

More:
U.S.-China investment flows hit their lowest in 9 years as companies feel the pressure to pull out - CNBC

The 32nd round of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) begins today as delegations pursue a final arrangement before

Photo: Yves Herman/ Pool/ AP

The 32nd round of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) begins today as delegations pursue a final arrangement before the end of this year.

The CAI negotiations began in 2014 as an effort to expand access and reduce investment barriers in both markets. The previous round focused on forced technology handovers, state-owned enterprises and transparency surrounding subsidy rules. This weeks meetings aim to resolve the remaining disagreements regarding market access equality and sustainable development.

One obstacle to finalising the CAI is Chinas recent record of human rights violations. The EU has previously attempted to decouple these issues from the negotiations; however, they were brought up at last weeks high-level EU-China Leaders Meeting. No progress was made, delaying the discussion till the upcoming EU-China Human Rights Dialogue.

Anticipate some progress to be made this week as parties negotiate residual investment issues. In the near term, expect EU officials to hold discussions on balancing its aspiration for bilateral investment relations with China and its strong belief in human rights protection in order to conclude the CAI by 2021. Should the EU decide to insert human rights into later negotiations, China will resist any categorical denouncement or regulation of its record, potentially derailing the EUs investment ambitions in Asia.

Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. DownloadThe Daily Brief.

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EU and China to begin next round of investment talks - Foreign Brief

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The Saints gave quarterback-of-all-trades Taysom Hill a two-year, $21 million contract in the offseason. The question is whether the money was spent on a player the Saints plan to use accordingly, or whether the contract represents a downpayment on the ability to make him the starter whenever Drew Brees retires.

Based on the first week of the 2020 season, it seems to be the latter. On the field for 25 percent of the offensive snaps and 36 percent of the special-teams plays, Hill had three carries for 13 yards, one reception for four yards, and a garbage-time pass on a gadget lateral from Brees for 38 yards, to Alvin Kamara.

Those are all reductions from the last time we saw Hill, in the wild-card game against the Vikings. Hill participated in 41 percent of the offensive snaps and 84 percent of the special-times play. He ran the ball four times for 50 yards, caught two passes for 25 yards, and threw one pass for 50 yards.

With receiver Michael Thomas expected to be out for several weeks, Hill becomes one of the candidates to replace some of the production of the player who caught 149 passes last year, especially since Thomas operates roughly 25 percent of the time from the slot. But if the plan is to use Hill sparingly in order to keep him healthy and to continue his development during practice as a passer, logic points to seeing him in smaller doses.

If, at some point, Hill will be on the field for every snap, it makes more sense to see him on the field more than once out of every four. Given that hes making $10.5 million per year, it makes sense to see him more often than that.

Regardless of whether hes being groomed to succeed Brees, Hill routinely pops when given the chance to participate. If the Saints hope to move the ball and score points effectively without Thomas, Hill may need to be involved more than he was last Sunday.

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Taysom Hill, weapon or investment? - NBC Sports - NFL