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[ad_1] Shanghai tightens COVID lockdown on second day of curbs [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Share Market News Today | Sensex, Nifty, Share Prices LIVE: BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 were trading over half a per cent up on Tuesday, on the back of positive global cues. BSE Sensex was hovering around 57900, while NSE Nifty 50 index topped 17300. UltraTech Cement, Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank were among top BSE Sensex gainers. ITC, Tata Steel, and NTPC were the top BSE Sensex losers in Tuesday’s trade. Barring Nifty Media, Nifty Metal, and Nifty Oil & Gas, all the sectoral indices were trading in the green. Bank Nifty was up half a per cent to trade at 35880 Veranda Learning Solutions’ Rs 200-crore IPO has opened for subscription on Tuesday, at a price band of Rs 130-137 per equity share. The Chennai-based company raised Rs 46.75 crore from three anchor investors, ahead of public issue launch. The company finalised allocation of 34.12 crore equity shares to anchor investors, at an upper price band of Rs 137 per equity share. This would be the second IPO to be launched for subscription in March 2022. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] In this HW+ Slack Q&A, Lead Analyst Logan Mohtashami gives the inside scoop on where rates are headed, whether or not he has updates to his 2022 forecast and more. As a member of HW+, you can us join for regular 30-minute Slack Q&As, where we invite the HW Media newsroom to break down the hottest topics in the industry. Tune in for our next event with Mohtashami happening April 6th at 12 CT in the #articlediscussion channel. The Q&A was hosted in the HW+ Slack channel, which is exclusively available to members. To get access to the next Q&A, you can join HW+ here. The following Q&A has been lightly edited for length and clarity. This Q&A was originally hosted on March 23rd. HousingWire: To begin, how has your 2022 forecast changed so far? What has remained the same? Logan Mohtashami: One of the things about my work is that I never revise my forecast every month like some economists do because I tend to forecast ranges in data rather than adjust the estimates based on an event. For example, my home price growth forecast for 2022 was between 5.2% – 6.7%; at first, that looked like it was too small. However, since I had the possibility of the 10-year yield getting to 2.42%  and 4% plus mortgage rates, I accounted for that in the range. The one thing that has happened in 2022 that has been worse is that national inventory levels have worsened in 2022 to start the year. Due to this reality, I have downgraded the housing market from unhealthy housing to a savagely unhealthy housing market. Inventory has been falling for years. It got worse in 2020 and 2021, dropping down to levels that are so bad for the national housing market that it warrants me to start discussing possible credit controls in 2023 if we begin another year at fresh new all-time lows. HousingWire: How will rising rates affect new home construction? What does this mean for first-time homebuyers? Logan Mohtashami: Rising rates make housing less affordable, so for a first-time home buyer that doesn’t have the benefit of selling their home with that nested equity, it makes it harder for them. Housing construction will be impacted if the monthly supply for new homes breaks above 6.5 months on a 3-month average. Today’s new home sales report was satisfactory. However, we need to be mindful of this going out. My article today on HousingWire will be going over that in more detail. The monthly supply rose to 6.3 months today, and the 3-month average is at 5.93 months. For now, it’s ok, but this is one sector that people need to keep their eye out on because it’s tied to mortgage buyers more than the existing home sales market. HousingWire: Switching gears really quickly, have you received any feedback on your savagely unhealthy housing market piece? Logan Mohtashami: People know that I haven’t been a big fan of this housing market since inventory levels broke under 1.52 million, and we are seeing massive forced bidding on homes. To downgrade it to a savagely unhealthy housing market caught some people by surprise. However, they understand why and why I am rooting for mortgage rates to rise and stay high. I have set specific markers for myself during this unique housing period in 2020-2024, and we have crashed through some of the markers. For example, I would be okay with home price growth being 23% and under in five years but not in 2 years. The days on the market to sell a home is too low. The only thing that I believe creates balance in the housing market is higher rates because the sellers and builders have too much pricing power in this low inventory environment.  HousingWire: What are some of the red flags for a recession that are currently occurring and what are future ones that you’re watching for? Logan Mohtashami: Right now, 2 of my six red flags are up, The unemployment rate getting to 4%, and the first Fed rate hike are flags 1 and 2. The next one I am looking for is the inverted yield curve, which I have been watching since Thanksgiving of 2021. When the 2-year yield and the 10-year yield slap hands and say hello, the market tells us a recession isn’t too far away. I have a much more complicated take on the inverted yield curve, so I will discuss it more when that happens. HousingWire: To wrap up, what are some final thoughts you want to share about the current housing market? Logan Mohtashami: The recent economic data has been solid such as retail sales. The one thing I am looking for toward the 2nd half of 2022 is can this data stay firm with the Russian Invasion creating havoc all over the world. Everything that I thought could go wrong with the housing market has happened, and the supply chain mess has made things worse. This is much different from the marketplace we saw from 2002-2005, a massive credit bubble. Housing starts completions shows the kind of stress the housing construction market is under now. We have solid housing permits and starts data, but it’s simply taking too long to build a home. Have more questions for Logan? Share them in the comment section below. We will work to address them here or in the next Slack Q&A session. The post Logan Mohtashami on why this is a savagely unhealthy housing market appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Wow! If you or someone you know loves fun planners, don’t miss this HOT deal! As an exclusive deal just for our readers, you can currently get this Denise Albright Ultimate Planner Bundle for just $19.49 shipped when you use coupon code MSM3522 at checkout! This is a $60 value and SUCH a hot deal! It’s currently on sale for $29.97, plus you’ll get an additional 35% exclusive discount + free shipping with code MSM3522 — making it just $19.49 shipped! This is a really incredible deal on this super popular planner, plus it comes with extras! Psst! Love Denise Albright products? You can also use this exclusive code MSM3522 at checkout to get 35% off any products site-wide! Just make sure you have the bundle included in your cart to get free shipping on your order! But that’s not all! The first 500 customers to order this bundle will also get a bonus set of 361 planner stickers included in their bundle (this is on top of the stickers already included in the planner)! That means for just $19.49 shipped, you’ll get: 18-month Reminder Binder® Planner (Jan 2022 – June 2023) Monthly Desk Calendar (Jan 2022 – June 2023) Mini Desktop 2022 Calendar Bonus Stickers Set with 361 stickers The popular Reminder Binder® features: Weekly, monthly, and yearly views. Weekly horizontal layouts with lots of white space for writing Hardcover built to last Laminated tabs Elastic Band Enclosure – your planner gets packed like your week, this band will help keep it all together! 361 Stickers to highlight special dates Holidays overview layout to see the holidays at a quick glance Two pockets 3 Dates to Remember pages And SO much more!! These make great gift ideas for Easter, Mother’s Day, birthdays, graduation, and more! You could even give it as an end-of-the-year teacher gift! Valid through April 3rd, while supplies last. Go here to get this limited time, exclusive deal. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Japan PM orders cabinet to compile relief package to combat rising prices [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] From movie stars to athletes, content creators and for that matter even social media influencers, have turned into angel investors. As a result, companies such as Qohoo (creator economy startup), WYLD (social currency card company), Growth School (live learning platform), Wint Wealth (debt investment aggregator platform), The CAI Store (direct-to-consumer footwear company), among others have raised funds. “These creators are category leaders and enjoy a massive fan following in the world of social media. Being in the space over the last few years, they bring in their own set of expertise and an understanding of the masses, which further acts as a value addition for companies,” Akshay Bhatnagar, co-founder, HYPD (the creator-owned marketplace that secured funding from Bhuvan Bam, Tanmay Bhatt, among others), told BrandWagon Online. According to industry sources, creators have invested anywhere between Rs two lakh- Rs 30 lakh across consumer companies and the creator economy. For Viraj Sheth, CEO and co-founder, Monk Entertainment, such investment is a win-win situation. “From the perspective of the brand, they know that the creator will push the brand wholeheartedly because the creator has vested interests in the growth of the company. The more the brand grows, the more the value of their equity in the company. With regards to the creator, they’re being part of the growth journey of a brand that they would anyway actively promote in a transactional manner,” he added.  Furthermore, according to the latest report by digital marketing agency iCubesWire, 90% of consumers engage with influencers on a weekly basis on Instagram, Youtube and Snapchat.  “Influencers and creators act as a link between brands and consumers. Meanwhile, brands get unadulterated access to their consumers in terms of likes, dislikes, reactions, content choices, and product preferences. The same can then be applied towards the strategy of businesses and help them get benefits and grow out of this,” Masoom Minawala, global influencer, entrepreneur and investor, said (who has invested in companies such as The CAI Store, The Betel Leaf & Co, One Impression and FrontRow). Minawala has over 1.2 million followers on Instagram.   Even as many of these creators have invested in startups rolled out in the gig economy space currently, experts believe that over the next few months, new formats or areas of investment are likely to emerge. “With more opportunities getting unlocked in areas such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), web3.0, robotics, gaming and other new sectors, the investment space is likely to evolve further,” Kunal Kishore Sinha, co-founder and COO, ClanConnect, an influencer marketing startup, said. Read Also: Parenting platform BabyChakra acquires Tinystep in an all cash deal; aims to expand its regional footprint Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] As lenders adapt to a purchase-centered market, HousingWire spoke to Brian Boero, CEO of 1000watt, about opportunities to grow lenders’ effectiveness in the Realtor and broker market. HousingWire: What’s happening right now in the Realtor world that lenders should know more about? Brian Boero: Well, this may seem obvious on the surface, but agents and brokers are facing a level of industry change that simply hasn’t existed before. I’ve been in this business 25 years, and the mix of disruptive forces at play right now is new, real, and, I think, lasting. First of all, there are simply too many Realtors chasing too few homes for sale. There were 1,522,801 Realtors in America as of the end of February. That’s nearly 200,000 above the previous peak in 2006. This has created an environment of scarcity. Agents and brokers are anxious about this, and no one sees it changing any time soon. There are too many mouths to feed from a shrinking table. For those agents who do have plenty of business, the velocity of the market is unreal. Working with buyers scrambling to compete in an insane seller’s market has become a 24/7 job; homes sell in the blink of an eye. Top agents are living a frenzied existence right now. It is into this environment that a historic level of money aimed at changing the way people buy and sell homes has flowed. iBuying has opened up a completely new path for sellers. “Cash offer lenders” are rewiring the traditional home buying process. The two largest home search portals are moving from an advertising model to a referral fee model in which agents pay 30-40% for new business. Things in the real estate agent and broker world right now are, in a word, intense. HW: OK, so how do lenders looking to do better in the Realtor channel approach this reality? BB: We’ve done hundreds of campaigns in this space and have conducted exhaustive research with real estate agents around the country, and if I had to distill those learnings into a couple basic truths they would be this: First, being a real estate agent is a profoundly uncertain way of being. You wake up every morning without a paycheck to play in an overcrowded market shaped by externalities you can’t control. The job of the lender partner is to mitigate that uncertainty. Mortgage marketers that convincingly communicate that they can meet that core need, and demonstrate how they do that, win. Second, most real estate agents are people people. And people people seek connection, especially in times like these. Much of the marketing we see from lenders doesn’t seem to get this fully. The messaging is flat, generic, impersonal and too focused on tech. Think about it this (admittedly cheesy) way: right now, real estate agents need a hug, not an app. Lastly, agents (and also their brokers) have become pretty skeptical about marketing claims — justifiably so, in our opinion. They are inundated by pitches and promises from all kinds of potential partners or vendors and have been let down a lot. This puts an extra burden on the marketer and brand builder. There’s a lot of wariness out there. HW: So what does a good lender brand or marketing campaign, or Realtor outreach program, look like then? BB: The specifics will vary, of course, but at a high level it would take certain things into consideration. Focus: We see too much broad-brush lender marketing in the real estate industry. It’s scattershot. More time should be taken on identifying the ideal target or targets. Is it the leader of an agent team at a virtual brokerage? A solo practitioner at a traditional “indie” brokerage? A tech native up-and-comer working online leads? There’s lots of profiles in this market, and they all have different needs, pain points and goals. A good campaign starts with a clear sense of who you’re speaking to. Awareness: Generally speaking, people respond to marketing and advertising that reflects shared truths. In other words, from the marketer’s perspective, show them that you understand. Housing affordability is top of mind right now, and agents working with buyers are looking for any edge they can get in a hypercompetitive market. Speaking to that candidly opens the possibility for connection. So let’s say a lender went with a message something like this: “It’s brutal out there for you and your buyers — our strategy-minded LOs and broad suite of products can give you the edge that makes the difference.” It acknowledges reality, offers a solution and communicates understanding. Difference: Pattern interruption is a powerful tool when everyone is pretty much doing the same thing. Most lender marketing Realtors see more or less looks and sounds the same. It’s important to ask yourself this: What can my brand say that no other brand is willing or able to say? Build from there. If you can’t gain attention, the rest of the marketing funnel doesn’t really matter. HW: 1000watt does a lot of branding work. Talk to us about your perspective on how this practice applies in the mortgage business. BB: There’s been a revolution of sorts in mortgage branding over the past few years. The shift to digital has driven some of this, and the rise of large non-bank, consumer-direct lenders with big marketing budgets and a brand-building mindset has also been at play. People are encountering mortgage brands that are warmer, more human, and place a greater emphasis on design. This is good to see, but there are lots of companies struggling to keep up with this shift. Branding, in our view, is business. It’s an integral part of strategy, customer experience, and differentiation. That manifests in design, storytelling, and messaging. That’s what we do every day, so it’s good to see a greater awareness of the importance of branding in the mortgage industry. The post Cracking the code on marketing to the Realtor channel appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] As of March 4, 2022, Costco has officially made the switch from the Capital One Costco Mastercard to the CIBC Costco Mastercard. Here’s what you should know if you’re considering this card—or have automatically been switched over from the Capital One card. Since opening its first Canadian warehouse store in 1985, Costco has become a staple shopping destination for people who want deep discounts on bulk buys. The catch? Costco requires a membership for you to shop there. (It’s $60 for a Gold Membership and $120 for an Executive Membership.) Once you have one, you can reap the benefits of the low prices it offers on everything from groceries, homewares, furniture, electronics and prescriptions to vacations, gas, tires and more. As you can imagine, the savings can be significant. Find your next credit card.What kind of credit card are you looking for? Get matched with the best cards for you in under 2 minutes at ratehub.ca. Let’s get started. I want to earn rewardsI want to pay low interest You will be leaving MoneySense. Just close the tab to return. Does Costco take Visa? No. In fact, until 2014, the only credit card accepted by Costco was a store-branded American Express. Unless you were carrying that card, you’d have to pay in cash at the till, making the shopping experience clunky and inconvenient. This deal changed in 2015 when Costco partnered with Mastercard instead. In general, this was seen as an improvement—American Express isn’t accepted at nearly as many places as Mastercard. Today, in addition to cash and debit, Canadians can pay for their Costco purchases using any Mastercard. Previously, the store had one branded credit card—the Capital One Mastercard for Costco members. But as of March 2022, that partnership ended and CIBC acquired the existing Canadian Capital One Costco Mastercard portfolio, becoming the exclusive issuer of Costco credit cards in Canada.   So, is the new CIBC Costco Mastercard the best one to use in store? What are the alternatives? If you have the Capital One Mastercard, what happens now? Read on to learn the details of the CIBC Costco Mastercard and learn about seven of its most attractive alternatives. What will happen to my Capital One Costco Mastercard card? If you’re a cardholder of the Capital One Costco Mastercard, there’s no need to worry. Essentially, all eligible Capital One Costco cards will be transferred to the new CIBC Costco Mastercard. Your CIBC card should arrive before August 31, 22, but in the meantime you can continue using your the Capital One card as usual.   Once your new CIBC card is activated, you (and any authorized users) will no longer be able to use the Capital One Costco Mastercard. All of your previous card details (like card number and PIN) will remain the same, as does your credit limit. Your pre-authorized payments should not be interrupted, either. For more details on the transfer read this. CIBC Costco Mastercard review The new CIBC Costco Mastercard will remain a no fee cash back card, just like its Capital One predecessor. But, there are a few key changes. First, you’ll earn 3% cash back at restaurants and Costco gas stations (the Capital One card gave 3% back at restaurants but only 2% on gas). You’ll also get 2% cash back at other gas stations, which is handy when you’re on the go, and 2% back when you shop at Costco.ca. For all your other purchase categories, you’ll earn 1% cash back (including at Costco). This card also comes with mobile device insurance, with up to $1,000 of repair or replacement coverage when you charge or finance the price of a mobile device on your card. With certain eligible purchases, you can also get security insurance and extended warranty insurance. If you meet certain requirements, like an income of over $60,000 per year, you may qualify for the CIBC Costco World Mastercard, which is essentially the same card, but includes World Mastercard benefits like car rental insurance, travel perks and more. However, there are a few drawbacks. While there is technically no annual fee, to truly reap the benefits of this card, it’s worth noting that you (obviously) have to have a Costco membership, which is upwards of $60 per year. Another point: there’s no limit on how much you can earn throughout the year. But, the cash back earn rate you receive does come with a cap. When you reach your annual spend in a certain category, you’ll still earn cash back—it will just be at the 1% rate for the remainder of the calendar year in that category. For gas, you will receive the 3% cash back rate (and 2% cash back rate at other gas stations) only on the first $5,000. After that, you’ll earn the 1% cash back rate. For Costco.ca purchases, the cap is $8,000 before you return to the 1% base rate. The way you can utilize the cash back might be considered a downside, too. While some cards pay it out monthly, straight on your statement or into your savings account, the CIBC Costco Mastercard gives it to you in the form of gift certificates, issued in January, that you can redeem for anything in the Costco warehouse.   While Costco’s official credit card benefits Costco members, there might be other Mastercard products, all of which can be used at Costco, that will better meet your needs. This no-annual-fee card doesn’t match the perks of some of the cards we’ll discuss below.   Annual fee: $0 Interest rates: Purchases 19.75%, cash advances, 21.49%, balance transfers 21.49% Earn rate: 3% cash back when you spend at restaurants and at Costco gas, 2% back at other gas stations and at Costco.ca, 1% on all other purchases (including Costco) Welcome offer: Get a $20 welcome bonus when you make a purchase with your card and apply for Register with the CIBC Mobile Banking App or CIBC Online Banking before December 31st, 2022. Income requirement: $15,000 Additional benefits: Mobile device insurance and

[ad_1] The post Yotta Savings Review appeared first on Millennial Money. Every year, Americans collectively spend nearly $80 billion playing the lottery. Almost half of that money is never paid out — meaning nearly everyone who plays comes out on the losing end.  With Yotta, you can enjoy the rush of playing the lottery without handing over your hard-earned cash at the convenience store counter. Plus, you can put money away in a high-yield account while you do it.  In this post, I’ll cover the ins and outs of Yotta’s lottery, along with the other features of its online savings account. To start, let’s get into a bit of background on how Yotta Savings works and what it has to offer so you can figure out whether it makes sense for you to sign up for an account. Overall Rating Pros No monthly fees Better APY than traditional savings accounts Weekly lottery Solid referral program Cons Low chance of Lower APY than other online bank accounts Sign-up bonuses are more lottery tickets — not cash Limited account options Features 8.5 Customer Service 8.0 App Experience 8.0 APY 7.5 What Is Yotta Savings? Yotta is a fintech company that was created around the idea that saving money doesn’t need to be boring. To this end, Yotta offers a high-yield savings account that’s tied to weekly drawings worth up to $10 million. The idea for Yotta was inspired by premium bonds in the U.K., which function similarly.  Yotta was founded in 2019 and is an entirely digital banking platform, meaning it has no brick-and-mortar branches. Its accounts are backed by Evolve Bank & Trust, an FDIC-insured financial institution.  Yotta Savings Features Mobile app The Yotta Savings app is available on iOS and Android devices and has enjoyed rave reviews on both platforms. It currently has a 4.8-star rating (out of 5) in the App Store and a 4.4-star rating (out of 5) in the Google Play Store.  Weekly number draws As a Yotta bank account holder, you earn free tickets for weekly drawings for cash prizes. You’ll earn one recurring ticket for every $25 in your account up to $10,000 and another ticket for every $150 on top of that. You can also earn bonus tickets when you enroll in direct deposit. Yotta gives you 20% bonus tickets for your first direct deposit, and each deposit after that earns 5%.  Here’s how the drawings work: Every ticket has seven numbers on it. Every night of the week, Yotta draws a random number at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. The process concludes with the Yotta Ball drawing on Sunday. If one of your tickets matches all seven numbers, you win the grand prize. So the obvious question is this: What are your actual chances of winning? The answer for the jackpot is, of course, not good. Yotta places the odds of winning $10 million at roughly 8.2 billion to one. If you hit everything except the final number, the secondary weekly prize is a Tesla Model 3. The car prize comes with (slightly better) 133 million to one odds. With all of this in mind, you should not open a Yotta account based on the hopes of hitting it big. Instead, think of the weekly lottery as a fun way to encourage your own savings habits, rather than an account feature that’s likely to earn real money.  0.20% annual percentage yield (APY) Fortunately, lottery tickets aren’t the only way to make money with Yotta. All of your deposits earn a 0.20% interest rate, which is well above the national average. There’s no minimum balance required to earn the APY, and your interest earnings are paid out on the first of every month. The 0.20% APY isn’t nearly as high as many other online banks. That said, it’s significantly better than what you’ll see with traditional banks like Wells Fargo or Bank of America.  Yotta debit card Yotta is branded as a savings account, but it functions as an all-in-one account that comes with a debit card. You can use it anywhere Mastercard is accepted and make fee-free ATM withdrawals at more than 55,000 Allpoint locations.  And in true Yotta fashion, the card comes with a chance to earn more tickets and prizes. For every $10 that you spend, you get an extra ticket in the weekly lottery. On top of that, you have the chance to get each purchase for free when you enroll in direct deposit with Lucky Swipes.  Every time you swipe your Yotta Card, you have a one-in-250 chance of the purchase being free. For in-person restaurant transactions, the odds go up to one in 100.  Savings buckets Rather than separating into two accounts, the Yotta Savings Account offers savings buckets to help you reach your goals. You can customize the various buckets however you like, set personal deadlines for your targets, and track your progress through the app. You can also quickly move money between different buckets, and all funds earn the same 0.20% APY.  Pool Play With Pool Play, you can increase your odds in the weekly lottery by teaming up with family and friends or other Yotta members.  You can create your own pool or join an existing one and choose how many of your tickets you want to allocate to it. If someone in your pool wins, the prize is distributed between everyone who joined, taking into account how many tickets each member contributed.  Crypto Buckets With your Yotta Crypto Bucket, you can convert your savings into cryptocurrency and earn more tickets and a higher interest rate. You earn one ticket for every $5 in your Crypto Bucket, and the funds stored there earn an average APY of 4.0%.  Credit Builder Bucket If you’re looking to give your credit score a boost, you can take advantage of Yotta’s Credit Builder Bucket. This effectively works as a small loan that you pay off over time while Yotta reports your on-time payments to the major credit bureaus.  Here’s how

[ad_1] I went to Kroger on Friday and picked up some great deals! My total was $72 for all the groceries shown above. Sugar was on sale for $1.27/bag with the digital coupon. Potatoes were on sale for $1.77/bag with the digital coupon. And nectarines and peaches were just $0.97/lb again. The Simply Steam veggies are just $0.99 each with the digital coupon. And I splurged and got a roast that was marked down to $10! I was excited about these pizzas to stick in the freezer for easy week night dinners! Have you ever seen or tried these berries before?? Are they any good? I saw them at the store (I don’t recall ever seeing them before!) and they looked like strawberries that didn’t ripen! I had gotten some tomato soup marked down a few months ago, we had bread and lots of cheese, so we did grilled cheese and tomato soup and it was a hit. Some of you suggested making the Irish Soda Bread into French Toast. Since we had gotten all those eggs marked down, it was the perfect week to try that. It was yummy! Silas made steaks for us one night. He loves to watch cooking shows and made his own marinade. They were so delicious! If you’ve been following for a long time, I bet you can guess what we’re using these ingredients for for dinner tonight! (Here’s a hint.) [ad_2] Source link