As another Jobs Report rapidly approaches, the Labor Department released new data showing that job openings “remained near record levels” last month, while “the number of workers voluntarily leaving their positions increased.” The figures “serve as indicators of how much demand there is for workers in the U.S. economy and the extent to which employers are still struggling with labor shortages months after the economy began recovering from the pandemic’s worst damage” - NYTimes and Bloomberg and HuffPost
A PE-firm group led by Paul Singer’s Elliott Management Corp. has struck a deal to purchase Nielsen Holdings PLC, the TV ratings company, as part of an agreement that values Nielsen at $16 billion including debt - WSJ and Bloomberg and Law360 and NYTimes
The United States and its European allies are reportedly preparing a new round of sanctions aimed squarely at the “supply chains of Russia’s military industrial sector” in an effort to hamper the Kremlin’s ability to sustain its attacks on Ukraine - NYTimes and WSJ
The FTC has filed a N.D. Cal. Action against Intuit’s TurboTax unit over what the Commission claims are deceptive ads claiming that users can file their taxes for free. According to the complaint, “in many cases people don’t qualify to file for free on TurboTax and are instead pushed to pay for services” - WSJ
Just days after Credit Suisse acknowledge that it was setting aside north of $500 million related to a Bermuda-based suit by former Georgia Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili against the bank, Bermuda Supreme Court Chief Justice Narinder Hargun ruled that a bank subsidiary owes Ivanishvili $555 million “for allowing a private banker to steal from [him] and mismanage his money” - WSJ
The Musk/SEC drama continues. This time, with lyrics – Law360
Come on, Billy . . . say it ain’t so! Ackman suggests he’s giving up his short-selling ways and will keep his Pershing Square group focused on “quieter ways” of pushing for value - MarketWatch
High demand and low supply helped propel U.S. home prices upward in January, with prices up nearly 20%, as buyers scrambled to beat anticipated increases in mortgage rates - WSJ and Bloomberg
Meet the 54 households at the center of a grand experiment in Busan, South Korea, where these residents of the Eco Delta Smart City are helping pave the way for a promised wave of “smart cities” intended to improve life “based on data and a holistic approach to creating healthier and more sustainable live-work environments” - NYTimes
Stay safe,
MDR
