Ma Anand Sheela Talks To Neha Dhupia On Working For Osho: There Is A Certain Spirituality In Criminality – Koimoi
Posted: February 3, 2020 at 12:41 pm
Ma Anand Sheela has become a celebrity and it is probably not for all the right reasons. She is known for her work that she did under Oshos guidance and we all know that it was not very righteous. But Ma Anand Sheela never regretted being a part of the cult. She disappeared after Oshos cult dissolved itself and only reappeared recently.
Sheela has been giving interviews about her time with Osho and has been very open about her experience. She appeared on Netflixs show Wild Wild Country and is now even looking forward to her biopic. She recently sat for a chat with Neha Dhupia at the closing session of the 11th TiEcon in Mumbai. She talked about her life, her new business and urged businessman to live life on their own and build their business.
Talking about working with Osho, Ma Anand Sheela said, I worked for a mad man and I loved every minute of it. Every hour of my existence now is a fragrance of Bhagwans teachings that I have carried in my heart and brains. The way I ran my homes, I have run my homes, there is same love and same intensity. It began from small things like cleaning up, administration and implementation of laws. Before I did Bhagwans work, now I am my own boss.
She also talked about her famous statement that there are similarities between spirituality and criminality. There is a certain spirituality in criminality. What bigger crime is there than to sell you a product that has no guarantee? People sell meditation and enlightenment. Spiritual leaders make false promises.
I do not want to discourage anybody here who is meditating or who is spiritual or is into enlightenment, but I cannot be duped by that. If you understand the concept and logic, you will use the time that you used in meditation into self-reflection, she said.
Talking about her biopic, Priyanka Chopra will soon start shooting for it. The biopic on Ma Anand Sheela will be directed by Barry Levinson.
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Ma Anand Sheela Talks To Neha Dhupia On Working For Osho: There Is A Certain Spirituality In Criminality - Koimoi
Bob Dunning: Get everyone invested in the outcome – Davis Enterprise
Posted: February 2, 2020 at 4:47 pm
Several years ago in this space I opened by saying, In case you hadnt noticed, today is Super Bowl Sunday, which is billed as the world championship of professional football. But the reason this is appearing on Page 2 instead of the sports page is that this is the one sporting event that can claim more non-sports viewers than any other.
That statement remains true today. In fact, given that the 49ers have returned to the grand stage for the first time in seven years, this years Super Bowl battle with the Kansas City Chiefs will be heavily watched in our town and throughout Northern California, even if no one east of the Mississippi has any interest at all in the outcome.
If you are not a football fan, but have been asked to bring seven-layer bean dip to the neighborhood party, what follows if for you. Its a little game we play in our home that keeps the kids interested from the National Anthem through the coin flip to the final gun and the obligatory bath of Gatorade for the winning coach..
What we have is a series of questions that relate directly to the game but dont require much knowledge about football itself.
Each question has a point value for a correct answer, with swell prizes at the end when the final point totals are tallied.
We let the kids play as one team, answering all questions ahead of time and them marking them off on a giant posterboard mounted directly above the living room television.
We light a fire in the fireplace, bring out the snacks and settle in for an afternoon of fun with our own version of that time-honored game Twenty Questions.
Basically, the alleged adults in our family put their heads together and come up with these questions and the points awarded for each correct answer.
The beauty here is that the kids are all on the same team, rooting for each other instead of against.
This years questions were released last night, which allowed for careful consideration throughout the 12-hour pre-game show that begins early Sunday morning.
The coin flip is the question that regularly kicks off this annual contest, offering a chance to earn valuable points before the game even starts.
Believe it or not, this is also a popular wager in Las Vegas, presumably because you dont need to know a lot about the 49ers and Chiefs to have a decent chance of coming up with the correct answer.
Given that there are four kids debating heads or tails, the possibility of a 2-2 split exists, which teaches them the value of negotiation and compromise, ideals theyve pretty much given up on after watching the United States Congress in action for the last several years.
Another chance to pick up points before the game starts comes with the length of the Star Spangled Banner. You can bet over 2 minutes or under 2 minutes.
Trust me, with all eyes glued to the TV and stopwatches running, this is perhaps the most exciting and stress-producing part of the entire telecast. Im serious. Try it and youll see what I mean.
Our kids routinely bet on the over 2 minutes, even though the historic average is 1:59.
The last few seconds, as The land of the free gets stretched out by whomever has been selected to sing the Anthem, is as intense as any fourth-and-goal with the game on the line.
This years game is in Miami, which lends itself to the question Will 49ers running back Raheem Mostert rush for more yards than the official high temperature in Miami today? A simple yes or no question with 30 valuable points on the line.
And just think, weve now introduced meteorology and scientific inquiry into an otherwise boring football game.
Other questions concern which team will score first, which team will score last, which quarterback will throw the first interception, will there be overtime and how many times the announcers will say It all depends on the spot when officials are measuring for a first down.
The festivities conclude in the early evening when we order a pizza, silence the TV and settle in for our own awards banquet.
This years prizes, which we vary from year to year, are as follows:
0 points: Uber to West Sacramento and back
50 points: Medium Jamba Juice
100 points: Trip to YoloBerry and two toppings
200 points: Dinner at Symposium
500 points: Weekend at Donner Lake
750 points: Hamilton matinee and lunch in San Francisco
1,000 points: Were going to Disneyland
And for those who do care about who wins this game, you should know that the final score will be 49ers 31, Chiefs 28.
You can bet on it.
Reach Bob Dunning at [emailprotected].
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Bob Dunning: Get everyone invested in the outcome - Davis Enterprise
World ORTs investment in Israels education system is reaping rewards – The Jerusalem Post
Posted: at 4:47 pm
Our countrys failings in comparison to other OECD nations have come as a major shock to Israels education establishment. The PISA results for 2018, announced in December, revealed Israeli students performing significantly worse than expected. Gaps between the strongest and weakest students across our country are more substantial than in any other participating nation. The gaps between Israeli Arab students and their Jewish peers are now the equivalent of three to four years worth of schooling according to the OECD. It is embarrassing how is it that in an advanced country, where our progress in cyber and tech are held aloft as a beacon, the performance in classrooms has fallen so far behind countries such as Estonia, with far more limited education budgets than our own? But these results do not reflect the reality I see when I visit our World ORT Kadima Mada schools in the north and south of Israel, nor the experiences of the hundreds of thousands of students we reach in more than 30 countries. For 140 years we have worked to bridge the gap between ability and opportunity. By unleashing the potential of young people, we assist them to lead fulfilling lives and have a positive impact on the world around them. And so at World ORT Kadima Mada, we are bucking the Israeli trend. Our Kfar Silver Youth Village near Ashkelon saw matriculation rates rise by 43% in three years higher than the national average and benefiting among others our Bedouin students who would otherwise not progress in their education in such a successful way. Our YOUniversity Excellence Centers across the country welcome more than 8,000 students a year. Aged six to 18, they come from secular, Charedi, Orthodox and Arab backgrounds. The subsidized science and technology after-school courses, with innovative hands-on education provided by highly-trained instructors using the most modern equipment, give students choice and the chance to be part of an elite learning group. Successful education takes many forms inside and outside the classroom. Karam Abo Mosa was a Bedouin student at our Kfar Silver Youth Village. He credits the school as being key to earning his bagrut because the teachers fought for him. He didnt speak Hebrew and initially struggled to integrate with Jewish students when he arrived. Now he is a successful, ambitious young man and the first Bedouin to attend the Derech Eretz Mehina ahead of entering the IDF in March. Students such as Karam represent the possibilities for our education system and our country. Israels Ministry of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galil, works closely with us to improve the educational opportunities available to children living outside central Israel. Last month ministry CEO Ariel Mishal acknowledged the equal opportunities we provide in the periphery. We picked Kadima Mada for a reason, he said. They gave the best offer of how to give the children the best opportunities, the best instructors. We know now that the children who go to the excellence centers stay there. They want more. In all the places we see the benefit. We are helping children fulfil their dreams. Over the past 12 years, we have invested more than $100 million in working to reduce gaps in Israels education framework. We are in the frontline in changing how Israel thinks about education and with it we will help improve the countrys performance in the international league tables. Avi Ganon is Director General and CEO of World ORT, a global education network driven by Jewish values which celebrates its 140th anniversary in 2020
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World ORTs investment in Israels education system is reaping rewards - The Jerusalem Post
FedEx Hopes Its 3 Big Investments Will Pay Off – Motley Fool
Posted: at 4:47 pm
In order to adapt to the rise in e-commerce deliveries and tap into growing global e-commerce demand, FedEx (NYSE:FDX) management has made some costly decisions over the past several months. These decisions have included investments in a residential delivery system, seven-day delivery service, and the purchase of TNT Express.
While the company invests in these areas, this shipping company has seen its financial figures under stress, which has led to some concern from investors.FedEx's second-quarter fiscal 2020 unadjusted earnings fell to $560 million, or $2.13 per share, compared to $935 million, or $3.51 per share, the same quarter a year before -- a total of $1.21 loss per share.
Of course, a few external factors are also at work to dampen earnings. Weak global economic conditions, Amazon'sholiday-season ban on using FedEx for shipping (only recently lifted), and the later timing of the Thanksgiving holiday all played a part in lowering FedEx's bottom line.
Image source: Getty Images.
To better understand FedEx's 3 recent investments and their effects on the business overall, let's take a closer look at each.
Put simply, e-commerce has changed the way people shop, and therefore how delivery services operate. According to Statista.com, e-commerce sales totaled $3.53 trillion in 2019, and that number is expected to keep growing in the years ahead. For a company like FedEx, embracing this transformation is essential to remaining relevant.
But while shipping companies must make changes to accommodate modern buying habits, this isn't always good for business. Residential deliveries generally cost more and are less profitable than business-to-business deliveries.
Over the last year, FedEx has grown its Ground network to adapt to increased e-commerce deliveries -- and that's led to lower operating margins and profits. According to FedEx's fiscal 2020 second-quarter report, its operating margin dropped from 5.5% to 2.2%, and profits fell 40%.
But these drops seem to be temporary: FedEx management expects its Ground network to see an increase in its marginal profits within this year. "In the fourth fiscal quarter, we forecast FedEx Ground margin [percentages] will again be in the teens," FedEx founder and Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith said during the latest earnings call on December 17. Later in that call, Alan Graf, executive vice president and chief financial officer, shared that the company's "year-over-year adjusted operating profit comparison should improve in Q3 and Q4 relative to Q2."
Investors should watch the next earnings report, slated for March 17, for signs of progress in this area.
The pressure to match Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) rapid delivery time has many delivery services upping their game -- and FedEx is no different. FedEx officially switched from six days a week of delivery to a full seven-day delivery service in January 2020.
However, that extra delivery day, coupled with the loss of Amazon volume and the shift in holiday sales to the third quarter, led to a 60% margin decline for the company when compared to the same quarter the year before. "Clearly, we didn't do the greatest job of forecasting our cost," Smith admitted during the latest earnings call.
While the initial cost of Sunday deliveries was high, the company stands to gain a lot once the program stabilizes. FedEx rolled out its seven-day delivery service a few weeks early to compensate for increased deliveries during the winter holiday. During the second weekend in December 2019, management saw signs of the program's early success.
"(W)e delivered over 14 million packages on Saturday and Sunday. We weren't even delivering any packages on the weekend a couple of years ago," Smith explained on the December investor call.
Beyond delivering more packages, the seven-day service will also speed up some of FedEx's regular shipping routes by one and two full transit days. Compared to UPS ground service, FedEx is already faster by at least one day in 25% of its shipping routes. Quick shipping routes are especially valuable for shippers and consumers of perishable goods and healthcare items, which provides FedEx with a favorable advantage against its competitors.
In 2016, FedEx purchased Dutch delivery company TNT Express for $4.8 billion to boost its international presence and cut network costs.
Unfortunately, the merger is taking longer than predicted. Much of this delay is due to a 2017 cyberattack on TNT's network, which significantly affected its operations and communications systems. Rebounding from this attack has cost the TNT division around $300 million.
Going forward, FedEx believes the amount of business it will gain through this integration (TNT currently ships around one million packages daily) will outshine these setbacks. As FedEx grows its intra-European parcel business, the company will benefit from a lower pickup and delivery cost.
"We remain confident in the long-term strategic value of the FedEx Express/TNT Express combination," said FedEx's President and Chief Operating Officer Rajesh Subramaniam in a press release.
In the short term, FedEx's numbers don't look great, and the company has continued to lower its 2020 earnings outlook. The shipping giant expects to earn between $10.25 and $11.50 per share on an adjusted basis for the year, compared to its previous range of $11 to $13 per share.
That said, investors may not need to panic just yet. Most of FedEx's profit loss derived from these so-called "home improvement" efforts, and these negative effects should be temporary.
As noted, FedEx has already seen some success from its seven-day delivery service. However, the benefits of growing its Ground network and integrating with TNT remain to be seen. Investors should pay close attention to both the third and fourth quarter earnings calls, to see if FedEx forecasted its Ground margins correctly. Shareholders should also watch what happens once the TNT integration is complete during the first fiscal quarter of 2022.
If management's predictions prove correct, then now may turn out to have been a great time to acquire FedEx stock. But if its predictions are wrong, then FedEx's share price will sink to even deeper lows. Much is at stake for the company while these upgrades play out -- so investors should expect the recent volatility to continue in the next several months.
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FedEx Hopes Its 3 Big Investments Will Pay Off - Motley Fool
It’s not just about saving. Teach your teen to invest now to set them up for a financially healthy life – CNBC
Posted: at 4:47 pm
Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images
Teaching kids how to save is a valuable first step toward learning how to manage money. But it shouldn't stop there. While savings accounts are a safe bet and an easy concept to grasp, the real earning power comes from investing their hard-earned cash.
That's because kids possess a very powerful gift: time. The earlier your child starts investing his or her money, the greater the rewards are later. That's due to the magic of compounding, wherein the gains continue to grow, because each year money is made from the previous year's profits.
For instance, if $100 is invested in the S&P 500 and it gains 10% in a year, that holding will be worth $110 by year's end. After another year and another 10% gain, it's worth $121. After a third year it's $133.
According to CNBC's "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer, with that 10% average annual return, an investor can double his money in about seven years.
Kids will surprise you with how much they will understand. ... If you start with very simple things like relating it to products or services they use, you can explain the high-level concept of investing to most kids.
Tim Sheehan
co-founder and CEO of Greenlight
"The magic of compounding works best the younger you are, because that means you have more time for your money to grow," he told CNBC viewers on his show.
But can kids really grasp the concepts of investing?
Tim Sheehan, co-founder and CEO of Greenlight, the teen-focused digital banking company that provides parent-managed debit cards for kids, says they absolutely can. "Kids will surprise you with how much they will understand and how much they can do," he said. "If you start with very simple things like relating it to products or services they use, you can explain the high-level concept of investing to most kids."
Greenlight's approach to teaching kids money-management skills is working: To date more than 700,000 users have signed up with its app-based service, which provides customers three accounts in one: a spending account, savings account and giving account so kids can donate to a charity. Now the company is about to launch its investment account feature, encouraging kids as early as 10 years of age to research and invest in stocks with parental supervision.
Greenlight will soon release a built-in investing feature to its teen-focused digital banking app. To date more than 700,000 families use its app-based service, which provides customers a spending account, savings account and giving account so kids can donate to a charity.
Greenlight
"I think teens are interested in learning. They don't want it to be something they read from a book. If they can learn by doing, they will adopt it and they will actually learn the key things you want them to learn," said Sheehan.
"To build true wealth, you do that through investing," he said. "You don't really build wealth with a savings account. The earlier you begin to teach and prepare your kids, the more time they have to learn, ask questions and make mistakes in a safe and supervised way. And if you learn to do it properly and do it well," he said, "it can make life easier."
Greenlight is not the first kid-focused financial platform aiming to help parents introduce their kids to investing. In 2017 BusyKid partnered with Stockpile to become the very first chore/allowance platform that allows kids to use their allowance to purchase real stock. Today 45,000 kids are using the platform.
"We target kids 5 to 15," says BusyKid co-founder and CEO Gregg Murset. "That decade is the most crucial to teach kids and lay a good foundation for them. After teaching your kids not to lie and cheat, money skills are the best things we can give them, because this sets them up for a better future."
Murset is a certified financial planner and leading advocate for sound parenting, child accountability and financial literacy. As a father of six, he points to the strides his two teen sons are making in the world of stocks thus far. "One of my sons bought Disney stock because he likes Disney movies; the other bought Ford because he likes pickup trucks. They both know exactly what they are trading at, exactly what they bought it at, they both know what their gain is or loss is, and they like to rub it in each other's faces, which I think is fantastic. If you can start it at an early age, you really just start something growing within them that'll lend to a lot of good decision-making in the future.
"Imagine what they are going to do if they have some experience in stocks and investing in their teen years and they get their first job and get offered a 401(k) and have investment options and even a company match. They'll know what it's about. Imagine the impact that has 40 years down the road when they go to retire. Huge," said Murset.
He cautions, however, that pushing your child to invest in something they aren't passionate about is "a waste of time. I let them invest in small increments in something they care about or they think is cool."
Here are some additional tips from Greenlight's Sheehan.
1. Explore investing as a family to teach the keys to long-term wealth. Work with kids to pick stocks of companies whose products and services they understand and use. Encourage them to research the companies to understand what they do. Together, look at their performance now and discuss how it might change in the future.
2. Teach them that investing is about the long term. Encourage kids to invest only money that they don't need in the short term, because most successful investors take a "buy and hold" approach to investing. Share stories and books about successful long-term investors like Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch.
3. Start small and learn from mistakes. Show kids the power of investing with a small sum of money so they can make mistakes and learn from them without it costing a large amount. Some investing resources allow you to invest in fractional shares, lowering the risk and barrier to entry
4. Invest in something you care about. Encourage kids to invest their money in something they care about, as they will be more interested in following their investments and watching their money grow. You can also explain that many people invest in index ETFs and "index mutual funds which invest in all of the companies included in a specific index, like the S&P 500.
5. Make it a habit. When kids earn or receive money whether from gifts, allowance or chores encourage them to invest a portion of it, because it will help them build the healthy financial habit of saving and investing.
"We need to change the mindset of this next generation. Student loan debt is at an all time high, consumer debt is at an all-time high, national debt is at an all-time high. I think we really need to change the way we do this with the next generation or we're in big trouble," said BusyKid's Murset.
Sheehan agrees: "Raising a financially smart generation can lead to a healthier generation one with less financial stressors which allows everyone to reach their full potential. Imagine what that world would be like."
More from Invest in You:How to financially prepare your family for the worst-case scenario How to save a cool $1,000 without living on ramen or giving up caffeineThe secret to multiplying your savings
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It's not just about saving. Teach your teen to invest now to set them up for a financially healthy life - CNBC
Why Is Microsoft Investing in Adaptive Biotechnologies? – The Motley Fool
Posted: at 4:47 pm
20 years ago, scientists for Celera Genomicsand the Human Genome Project sequenced the human genome. To accomplish this task, 30,000 genes were sequenced. It was a very big deal, and it opened the door to a new wave of biotech gene therapies.
Fast forward to today, Seattle-based companyAdaptive Biotechnologies(NASDAQ:ADPT)is sequencing the human immune system. This is far more difficult than mapping the human genome. Forget 30,000 -- your immune system houses 100 million genes. And on top of that, the company is mapping more than 30 billion immune receptors. (Adaptive has data rights to 20 billion of those receptors.)
All of this genetic sequencing requires massive amounts of computational power, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. And that's whereMicrosoft(NASDAQ:MSFT) comes in.
Image source: Getty Images.
In 2017, Microsoft and Adaptive signed a collaboration agreement. The companies are uniting to create a universal blood test that will allow doctors to read your immune system and find out what diseases your body is fighting. If you have cancer, for instance, your body is aware of the threat and your immune system is fighting the cancer cells. The idea is to have a blood test that allows doctors to hack into a person's immune system and find out what it knows. This will enable doctors to diagnose diseases early before symptoms develop. This early diagnosis would enable doctors to prescribe medicines that boost the immune system and cure the disease.
Adaptive calls this technology immunoSEQ Dx. Once Adaptive has mapped the immune characteristics of several diseases, it will be possible to look at an individual's immune system and determine what, if any, diseases the person's immune system is currently fighting. The idea is that your doctor can take a blood sample and screen for infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancer. CEO Chad Robins is forecasting the arrival of the universal blood test in six to eight years.
As part of the collaboration agreement, Microsoft invested $45 million in thebiotechstart-up.At a recent price of $30 a share, Microsoft's investment in Adaptive is now worth about $135 million. But Microsoft is doing more than just providing financing and equipment to Adaptive -- the software giant has also provided people. A joint team of about 50 employees built the AI from scratch. Co-founders Chad and Harlan Robins led the team from Adaptive; Jonathan Carlson, senior director of immunomics at Microsoft, and Desney Tan, the general manager of Microsoft Healthcare, headed up the software side. Speaking at a Geekwire summit, Tan said, "We really integrated ourselves as a single team. We've got offices in each other's facilities."
While the immunoSEQ Dx project with Microsoft might be the most exciting work Adaptive is doing, it's several years away. In the meantime, the AI engine is already producing diagnostic kits for the market. Using Adaptive's clonoSEQ technology, doctors can now test for minimal residual disease (MRD) in blood cancers. The Food and Drug Administration has already cleared clonoSEQ for a blood cancer called multiple myeloma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The company is submitting clonoSEQ to the FDA for chronic lymphoblastic leukemia as well.
Adaptive is also using immunoSEQ to create a diagnostic kit for research labs and biotech companies. According to Adaptive, more than 2,000 academic researchers are now using its technology. More than 125 biotech companies are using immunoSEQ, and this technology has facilitated 480 clinical trials.These revenue streams brought in $26 million in the third quarter, up 52% year over year.The company is estimating $85 million in revenues for the full year.
Adaptive also received $300 million in cash fromGenentech, a subsidiary ofRoche(OTC:RHHBY), last year. Genentech wants to use Adaptive's technology as the foundation of a new treatment paradigm for cancer. The idea is to tailor an individualized treatment for each patient based on what's discovered via the patient's immune system. The Roche deal could be worth over $2 billion to Adaptive if certain commercial milestones are hit.The alliance with Microsoft and the massive Genentech deal are a real validation of the underlying science.
In 2020, Adaptive plans to submit the first immunoSEQ diagnostic kits to the FDA for review. While the "universal blood test" is several years away, Adaptive will add indications one at a time. The company is starting with Lyme disease, celiac disease, and ovarian cancer.
As Tan said, "These guys are going to change the world, and we're thrilled to be a part of it."
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Why Is Microsoft Investing in Adaptive Biotechnologies? - The Motley Fool
Almost $10B Invested In Privacy And Security Companies In 2019 – Crunchbase News
Posted: at 4:47 pm
Close to $10 billion was invested in privacy and security companies in 2019, an all-time high in the last decade up more than five-fold from $1.7 billion in 2010.
Seed and early-stage deals represent 44 percent of invested dollars ($4.4 billion) with Series C+ and larger rounds at 56 percent ($5.5 billion) of all dollars in 2019. The growth in funding year over year is attributable to Series C+ and larger rounds adding $1 billion.
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Some of the largest rounds in 2019 include:
Year-over-year deal counts are down by a quarter, but will lessen over time. Much of the difference in funding round counts are attributed to the seed stagedown 40 percentwhere we see the most reporting delays. We fully expect these numbers to go up during 2020, but not supersede 2018 round counts of 1,100. Reporting delays for funding amounts are less pronounced in Crunchbase data.
In our analysis over the last five years we found the five top countries for privacy and security investments include the United States, China, Israel, Great Britain and Canada in that order. For 2019, Israel jumps to the second spot after the U.S.
There were 85 venture backed privacy and security companies acquired in 2019 exiting at $4.8 billion. The largest exits of 2019 include Shape Security, a company providing defense against malicious attacks, which was acquired by F5 Networks for $1 billion. And Recorded Future a threat intelligence firm was acquired by Insight Partners for $780 million. The most active acquirers are Palo Alto Networks with five acquisitions and Akamai Technologies with three. Cisco, Fortinet, Mastercard, Microsoft, Proofpoint and VMWare all acquired two companies in this space.
Six venture-backed companies in privacy and security went public in 2019. They include California-based CrowdStrike, Cloudflare and Fastly. Also included are Denver-based Ping Identity, Boston-based Tufin and Mumbai-based Affle.
Leading investors in security companies include established venture firms Bessemer Venture Partners, Accel, Battery Ventures, LightSpeed Venture Partners, Vertex Ventures, CRV, Kleiner Perkins, Norwest Venture Partners and Scale Venture Partners. Growth-stage investors include Insight Partners, Goldman Sachs and ClearSky. Corporate investors are also active in this category with Bain Capital Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, Intel Capital and Salesforce Ventures. TenEleven Ventures and ForgePoint Capital are uniquely placed as firms specifically focused on cyber security investments.
Crunchbase will be at RSA 2020. You can find us at How-To For Innovators on Feb. 24, 2020.
Based on Crunchbase data, companies exhibiting at RSA 2020 have collectively raised $3.8 billion in 2019.
Analysis is based on data in Crunchbase as of Jan. 28, 2020. For this report we look at reportednot projecteddata, which means that 2019 numbers will increase over time, relative to previous years.
Privacy and Security include the following categories: Cloud Security, Corrections Facilities, Cyber Security, DRM, E-Signature, Fraud Detection, Homeland Security, Identity Management, Intrusion Detection, Law Enforcement, Network Security, Penetration Testing, Physical Security, Privacy, Security
Please note that all funding values are given in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. Crunchbase converts foreign currencies to U.S. dollars at the prevailing spot rate from the date of funding rounds, acquisitions, IPOs and other financial events as reported. Even if those events were added to Crunchbase long after the event was announced, foreign currency transactions are converted at the historic spot price.
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Almost $10B Invested In Privacy And Security Companies In 2019 - Crunchbase News
Future Returns: How to Invest in Global Infrastructure – Barron’s
Posted: at 4:47 pm
Theres a new interest and urgency in infrastructure investing due to shifts in energy sources, climate change, and catching up on years of underinvestment across the globe.
Alina Osorio, president and CEO of Fiera Infrastructure, a leading investor in infrastructure based in Toronto, says that as an industry, infrastructure continues to grow due to this spending gap.
The McKinsey Global Institute has estimated that between 2016 and 2030 the investment in global infrastructure projectslike energy, telecom, transportation, and water systemsneeded just to support anticipated growth rates is about US$3.3 trillion a year.
Whats happening for one of the first times in my career is that were seeing this convergence of the supply sidethe underinvestment recognitionand more and more projects coming to the market for private capital, Osorio says.
Infrastructure spending is a key element of Democratic presidential campaigns, including US$1 trillion proposals from Michael Bloomberg and Pete Buttigieg; President Trump once pledged a similar investment, though it hasnt come to pass.
Osorio says the conversation is global and that a number of developed and developing economies have attractive long-term investment opportunities. India, for example, has a five-year, US$1.5 trillion plan for infrastructure spending where private companies will make up about 25% of investments.
Investing in the U.S. Market
In the U.S. market, Osorio says energy is an attractive area in which to invest.
Were always considering that very important subsector, but we look for investments out of pure energy that really help diversify your holdings, she says, like renewables.
Fieras focus, she adds, is not your traditional energy in the sense of midstream and pipelines.
Osorios also hopeful the increasing demand for social infrastructure, such as hospitals, housing, and roads, means public-private partnership procurement models will continue to gain greater acceptance and attractiveness.
Telecom infrastructure, in particular fiber, is another area she has her eye on due to the increased need for data transmission and the deployment of 5G networks.
Because people need social assets for everyday use and due to their high correlation to an economys productivity, Osorio says they tend to be quite stable and predictable from a cash flow perspective and provide downside risk.
Infrastructure investments can even track and protect against inflation.
When you tend to put [infrastructure investments] through an asset liability study... it does spit out quite a suggested strong allocation for the asset class, she says.
Seek Unlisted Infrastructure
Osorio says its important for investors to specifically seek out alternative products that invest in pure play infrastructure, beyond traditional stock market opportunities.
For [higher net worth investors], I think it is important for them to seek access to private capital infrastructure, she says.
In some countries, these investments have been allowed and encouraged for many years.
Osorio advises this because she says private capital infrastructure investments are both close to the asset or projects and more directly managed to explicitly provide attractive returns for investors.
While she notes there are a number of utility stocks in the public markets, they tend to be large, vertically integrated companies that have a number of operations.
Unlisted infrastructure is less correlated with the public markets and provides more of the characteristics that make infrastructure allocation attractive for a diversified portfolio, she says.
Role of Regional Forces
Osorio says one of the challenges particular to infrastructure as an asset class is accounting for regional differences.
Its a very global asset class, but also important to note is that its subject to a lot of regional forces, Osorio says.
This is why she encourages diversifying not only among the asset class itself, but across different geographies to mitigate risk.
When investing in renewable energy, for instance, she says investors might hit a period where for a year or two, a resource like solar or wind power may be impacted due to climate change or weather patterns.
Regulated utilities are another challenge, she says, using the example of an unfavorable rate hearing that impacts an investments performance.
This is a fine balance which can swing in either direction, from time to time, she says, noting its a consistent challenge across all countries Fiera invests in.
By having a diversified portfolio, however, investors can offset challenges or risk in one area, with assets in other jurisdictions.
Mix Yield and Capital Appreciation
When Fiera puts portfolios together, Osorio says it looks beyond the assets and projects that constitute them at the mix of returns.
As an investor Id be seeking a balance between yield and capital appreciation, she says. Yield tends to come with stable, core investments which are probably on the lower-returning side but will give you nice cash yields.
On the flip side, she adds, Fiera invests in what they call Core Plus investments. These tend to be investments that have higher growth prospectsand therefore higher returnsbut require reinvesting the capital back into the business.
You tend to give up a little bit of yield, but then through portfolios, you can do a combination of both yield and capital appreciation, she says.
Roughly speaking, Osorio adds a good rule of thumb is targeting half of a portfolios expected returns from yield and half from capital appreciation on a blended basis.
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Future Returns: How to Invest in Global Infrastructure - Barron's
Investing Insider January 29: Davos themes, India investing, – Business Insider – Business Insider
Posted: at 4:47 pm
Dear Readers,
I spent last week attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Across more than 15 separate conversations with top investors, executives, strategists, and thought leaders, a clear theme emerged. In fact, it can be boiled down to a single word: upskilling.
The concept is straightforward: as technology disrupts workplaces worldwide, companies are trying to find ways for existing employees to work in tandem with it. Many experts describe it as a solution that keeps companies from having to cut jobs.
To learn more, check out our exhaustive compilation of executive commentary on upskilling.
Another hot topic of discussion at Davos was the rise of India as the next global business superpower. We spoke to Rishi Kapoor, the co-CEO of InvestCorp, who laid out his highly compelling investment thesis around India and the specific areas he's targeting.
Other key discussions included the CEO and global markets chief at Barings telling us that they have no real fears of recession. They did, however, outline a scenario that would get their attention very quickly.
We also sat down with the ever-colorful Anthony Scaramucci, who shared his bullish thoughts on bitcoin, and explained why he's a lot more confident now that Trump will lose than he was just last week.
Going beyond our Davos musings, here's a rundown of some more recent coverage:
A real-estate investor who started buying properties with $0 down shares a little-known financing strategy that he's grown into a multi-million dollar portfolio
Gabriel Hamel, founder and CEO of Hamel Investments, started buying up real-estate investment properties using an unconventional method of financing. He says that this methodology can create a "win-win" scenario for both buyer and seller.
READ MORE HERE >>
GOLDMAN SACHS: Stocks that pay huge dividends are historically cheap. Here are the 12 poised to make the biggest payouts to investors through 2021.
David Kostin, chief US equity strategist for Goldman Sachs, says high-dividend stocks are a compelling opportunity because they're historically inexpensive compared to lower-dividend companies. In addition to being cheap relative to their expected earnings, Kostin says the stocks offer double the dividend growth.
READ MORE HERE >>
The world's most accurate economist breaks down 2 overlooked risks to markets right now and shares his top advice for investors
Christophe Barraud was recently ranked by Bloomberg as the most accurate forecaster of the US economy for an eighth straight year, and of the European economy for a fifth. He spoke with Business Insider about what he sees coming next.
READ MORE HERE >>
Other good stories from the investing realm:
The rest is here:
Investing Insider January 29: Davos themes, India investing, - Business Insider - Business Insider
Investing to boost crude output rewards oil majors with glut, slim profits – Reuters
Posted: at 4:47 pm
(Reuters) - The worlds largest oil companies invested billions of dollars to boost crude production and their success has turned around and bit them and their shareholders.
FILE PHOTO: Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. Picture taken August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo
Oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), Chevron Corp (CVX.N) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) all reported earnings on Thursday and Friday that showed key units significantly underperformed, particularly refining and chemicals. Investor discontent with weak returns, previously concentrated on smaller shale companies or oil services firms, has worked its way up to the majors.
In the last six months, the broad S&P 500 is up 10.4%, while Chevron shares have lost 8%, Shell is down 10%, and Exxon has lost 12%.
The worlds oil-and-gas giants have been hit by falling oil and natural gas prices, weaker margins in chemicals and refining due to sagging demand, and growing investor discontent with their response to a warming planet.
To keep investors onboard, oil majors are cutting costs and selling billions of dollars worth of assets around the world to focus on new developments and the most profitable businesses.
The global economic slowdown in recent months, amplified by the coronavirus outbreak, has further strained their income, pressuring stock performance.
This quarter is disappointing. These companies need to focus on cutting more cost, selling their most unproductive assets, and returning excess cash to shareholders, said Kevin Holt, Houston-based manager of Invescos Comstock Fund, which has about $20 billion under management. They have to do a better job.
On Friday Exxon said quarterly profit fell 5% and Chevron reported a $6.6 billion loss on a $10 billion impairment charge. On Thursday, Shell said fourth-quarter profits were cut in half, and its shares fell to near a three-year low.
Booming output in the United States and other places such as Brazil has sharply boosted world crude production in the last few years. The shale boom has pushed U.S. output alone past 13 million barrels per day, with natural gas output also at a record and poised to keep growing.
The lower profits and weaker cash generation follow years of deep cost cuts and asset sales following the 2014 oil price crash which led to a strong recovery and boards committing to boost shareholder returns.
But weak oil prices have left many companies out of pocket. Shell this week slowed the pace of share buybacks as its debt ballooned. Exxon and Chevron responded to the shale boom by laying out ambitious spending plans, and all three have run into a global chemicals glut, the effects of the U.S-China trade war, and weakening margins in fuels.
The pain has been felt most in the chemical segment, where companies have invested heavily in recent years, betting on growing Asian demand.
Shell reported a 65% drop in chemical earnings in 2019 from a year earlier, while oil product sales declined by 3%. Exxons chemicals division saw an 81% decline in earnings in 2019.
Chemicals demand in some cases is actually disappearing, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said on Thursday. Asia is the toughest because that is where the demand destruction is mostly.
(GRAPHICS: Exxon vs. Shell in 2019: here)
Shell, which sold over $30 billion of assets between 2015 and 2018 to pay for the acquisition of BG Group, aims to sell an additional $10 billion in 2019 and 2020.
Van Beurden said the Anglo-Dutch company is currently marketing around $13 billion of assets around the world.
Exxon, which is investing heavily in ramping up production in the Permian and in Guyana, has launched a $25 billion divestment program.
Reporting By Ron Bousso and Jennifer Hiller; additional reporting by Jessica Resnick Ault; editing by David Gaffen and David Gregorio
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Investing to boost crude output rewards oil majors with glut, slim profits - Reuters