Vegas64

Lots of people are looking at this as a barometer of Biden's Anti-trust stance, according to the NYT: A new era of ‘populist antitrust’ Broadcom’s expected $60 billion bid to buy VMware, which would be one of the largest deals of 2022, could raise a number of questions. The biggest one: Will the Biden administration, which has vowed to fight corporate concentration, allow a deal to go forward? The U.S.’s top deal cops, the Federal Trade Commission head Lina Khan and the Justice Department’s Jonathan Kanter, have been pushing for the government to have more authority to block corporate deals. But criticism is mounting that antitrust efforts have gone too far. Earlier this week, Larry Summers, a Harvard University professor and former top Obama adviser, tweeted that a new era of “populist antitrust policy” could lead to a U.S. economy that is “more inflationary and less resilient.” In the past, a deal like Broadcom’s potential acquisition of VMware would not have been an issue. The two companies are not direct competitors. Instead, the acquisition in deal terms is closer to what is often called a vertical integration — when one company buys another in a related industry. Horizontal deals, where the two companies are direct rivals, have traditionally been the ones that the government has policed, fearing that fewer competitors in one market would lead to higher prices. Government officials are signaling that vertical and other deals are problematic as well. “By myopically treating transactions as vertical or horizontal, we may miss important details that a broader perspective can provide,” F.T.C. Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter said last year. In addition, the Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is reportedly pushing for a vote by early summer on legislation that he and others argue will address the way Big Tech has exploited gaps in antitrust regulations to eliminate competition. Summers argues the Biden administration is dangerously headed back to failed policies of the past. He tweeted that the administration’s policy statements “better reflect legal doctrines of the 1960s than economic understandings of the last two decades.” Summers said attacking deals just because they are big ignores the benefits that can come from larger, more efficient companies. What’s more, Summers said using antitrust regulation to limit layoffs ends up embedding higher costs into the system. “There are real risks,” Summers tweeted. “Policies that attack bigness can easily be inflationary if they prevent the exploitation of economies of scale or limit superstar firms.”

To bring back the topic on Biden and the campaign promise of student loan forgiveness. Sounds like the $10k isn't such a bad figure if this is true:

Why would anyone other than us make this trade? A man can dream I guess I legit thought this was an NBA2k on Rookie mode where AI accepts all trades screenshot at first. Speed817 can't be serious that anyone, anywhere would take this serious.

Hey, God bless. I mean, you are the American Dream that immigrants and natural born citizen alike dream.

Interesting. Fair enough.

Spider-man Homecoming and Spider-man Far From Home, in anticipation of finally getting around to watching the latest one with the children. They didn't seem to age as well as I thought on a second viewing, a little boring and lame. Especially the Mysterio villain and storyline. Homecoming was much better.

Also, for a bit of good-ish news? For the first time since 1976, US economic growth is expected to outpace China. Due to covid lockdowns, China’s GDP is only expected to grow 2% this year, while the US GDP is projected to grow 2.8%.

Great post. Agree, it seems to cut both ways, and on top of what you said there is an apparent lagging or trailing indicator syndrome in that what we pump and dump in a bubble and/or pop the bubble today, we won't feel the full effect until X months later.

A pull-back or recession is obviously coming, if not already here. From what I have read recently, though, is that a lot of this stuff is confidence-based and the more we repeat the doom-and-gloom, to the posters point about the news and media, the worse we are doing for ourselves as it becomes a bit of a fulfilling prophecy to a degree. As anyone else heard that theory or is it complete snake oil? I think the Target and Walmart earnings report of last week really got everyone scared and deeper into the recession is inevitable mindset, but I think we've all long known this was coming in the middle innings of the "inflation is transitory, no wait, it's not" days of a few months ago.

Chitown had Henry freaking Kravis or some other capitalist vulture of that ilk pay him 8 figures. That is an anomaly and probably not a good example as it seems like it would be easy for fatty or anyone really to have a change of heart when you become a 20-millionaire overnight and all of the sudden you can dedicate your prime years to the highest of Maslov's heirarchy.

@closetohumping 1) Depending on your industry and what you sell, for professional services, consulting, and strategic software (platform, 1st tier partner type software), I don't foresee a geo-based territory or accounts model. You see that more with more immature and emerging firms anyways, but once you reach a certain point, industry expertise and point of view is too valuable than having generalists who manage 18 different accounts across 8 different industries who know a little bit about everything but a lot about nothing. 2) Weird to hear there are still companies limiting or not letting their field sales travel. Travel has been full bore since Q4 of last year and in person events and trade shows are in full swing. I would personally like a break from the travel having been in NYC, Chicago, Denver, Dallas and Austin the past 3 weeks.

Ladainian Tomlinson

Great value. Deal hunting season is here and it makes complete sense. Tons of M&A will happen in the next 6 to 12 months I think. Market seems to be reacting positively, which is interesting because Broadcom has a reputation for acquiring companies and then ruining them. To be fair, VMware had peaked anyways, IMO.

Then he needs to be transitioned out to the pasture or front line coaching and we need someone who can rebound and play defense and contribute. Also my son told me that Dwight Powell had a 40 point game this year, which I find to be unbelievable, because this guy is nothing but mediocre every single time I've watched him. I almost vomited in my mouth when he did one average thing averagely, and the announcers starting praising him last night.

Are you saying Brunson is Matthew Villanueva?

It sucks, but when you have nobody who can rebound with the likes of a Looney, you give up way too many second and third (putrid) offensive chances. We need a big man. Doesn't have to be a Gobert, but even a Looney type. Someone who can play interior defense and get rebounds. It baffles me why we have Boban on the roster. You have to bring more to the table than just a goofy personality that juxtaposes with your size, right? I get he's a fan and teammate favorite because he's such a nice affable guy, but dang, can you play the actual sport of basketball to any degree that you can help us out here when we are getting killed on the boards by a 50 differential? He doesn't play except for the last 30 seconds of mop up duty. If the ostensible reason for him on the roster is because he is tall, why not use him when we need rebounds? With the way Klay was shooting and going 0 for 38, we should have been up 20, but they kept getting his rebounds on every brick it felt like.

Agree agree agree

All playoffs the 3rd quarter is the make or break quarter.

Where you been on the other thread? Did I miss something?

Not sure if this is a Simone de Beauvoir or a Joel and Ethan Cohen bit.

As inflation crimps profits and the Fed tightens the monetary screws, stocks continued their slide with no bottom in sight. A number of American corporate giants, including Walmart, Target, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, and Intel, hit 52-week lows yesterday.

What happened after they did their 2 years at ACC? Were they just members Fresh and Soph year? I guess those are the best years to be active in a fraternity anyways.

True but, also, convicted felons would be a super majority of democratic voters and I don't think that is even debatable by any serious person. The debate is not political with an eye to voter outcome though, the debate is ethical and moral obligation to citizens who have done their time and are free again.

I guess that is as good as any of a summarized conclusion. I thought it was an interesting attempt to explain the "why" of how 1 out of 3 Americans are bought into this.

Honestly, yes, an overwhelmingly majority of convicted felons would vote Democrat. That doesn't mean it's not morally or ethically the right thing to do.