Ant Group and Alibaba: two integral pieces of Jack Ma's financial empire

Today, Ant Group is raising $34.5 billion in its dual initial public offering after setting the price for its shares. The IPO listing will be the largest listing of all time [in IPO history]. After the IPO listing is completed in November 2020, Ant Group's market cap valuation would equate to $313.37 billion. The market cap valuation would be higher than Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs, two of the biggest US financial institutions. The Chinese financial tech. behemoth is splitting its stock issuance uniformly across Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges. This process is done by issuing 1.67 billion shares in each location. Next, Shanghai-listed shares will be priced at 68.8 yuan ($10.27) each. Shanghai listed shares will raise 114.94 billion yuan, or $17.23 billion. Hong Kong listed shares will be priced at 80 Hong Kong dollars ($10.32). In addition, the HK listed shares will raise 133.65 billion Hong Kong dollars [or $17.24 billion]. Ant Group's IPO listing edges Saudi ARAMCO, by more than $5 billion. Ant Group is a financial services company, which is a huge part of Alibaba's conglomerate. Furthermore, China International Capital Corp. and CSC Financial will underwrite Ant Group's Shanghai listing. CICC, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan will underwrite the Hong Kong listing. Ant Group owns Alipay, a third-party mobile and online payment platform. Alipay was established in Hangzhou, China in 2004 by Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group. Meanwhile, Alibaba Group is one of the largest e-commerce businesses in the world. Ant Group is expected to start trading in Hong Kong on November 5, per its regulatory filing. The company has not revealed when its Shanghai shares will begin trading. In retrospect, Alibaba's IPO listing in September 2014 on NYSE was the largest listing of its time. Alibaba's stock symbol is BABA on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Alibaba Group is a multinational technology giant. Alibaba Group's IPO raised $25 billion in September 2014. Ant Group would be Jack Ma's second record breaking IPO. Alibaba Group's current market cap valuaton is close to $830 billion. In this penultimate paragraph, Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai's financial ownership stakes will be discussed further. Ma is no longer the largest shareholder of Alibaba Group, as he retired from Alibaba Group in 2019. Joseph Tsai is a co-founder of Alibaba Group, and he is the largest shareholder in the company. Joseph holds the executive vice chairman position, within Alibaba Group. Mr. Tsai is the current owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. In closing, Ant Group could even push its fundraising total just below $40 billion if it sells shares through ostensible greenshoe options. The agreements allow the company's underwriters to sell additional shares, than initially planned. See the picture above of Ant Group's financial powerhouse breakdown. The various lucrative pieces of the company are: 1. Lending; 2. Insurance; 3. Asset Management; and 4. Online payments. Hope you enjoy reading this post as much, as I delighted in writing it. Arrivederci to the global financial market pundits.

Adventures of G. Ripley; Nalino Kash$; plus Christie Morgan in DA Ranch

Today, our adventurous story has three major places. Place #1 is Amitabha Stupa Peace Park. Nalino Kash$ had not ventured to this beautiful park, in the red rock country of Sedona. G. Ripley had gone there back in 2016, with his friends [Shramya]. Nalino Kash$ met G. Ripley, and the Peace Park is the spot for this storyline. In this spot, G. noticed beautiful YSL's in lululemon tights; plus other attractive leggings. Finally, G. and Nalino saw 4 statues of Gautam Buddha. Next, G. Ripley stated that Buddha was his father in a former avatar. Buddha has a son named Rahula. Rahula is another alias, of the covert G. Ripley. Rahula is an avator of Rahulio Ganpuleone. Nalino found these statements to be quite facetious. Hitherto, G. Ripley and Nalino went to DA Ranch Winery or Place #2. G. Ripley had to pursue les femme fatales. One of them was named Christie, and she had beautiful green eyes. She had brunette hair, and she was the voluptous phsyique. Then, there was miss Morgan who was another exquisite damsel at the winery. Miss Morgan offered to buy G. Ripley a bottle of Tannat Rose. Yet, the other seven mademoiselles were not our glass of vino. Furthermore, the picture above is of watery fountain at DA Ranch Winery. Besides drinking flights of red and white, Mr. Kash$ pushed G. Ripley to pour 3 glasses of water upon himself in this Cornville setting. This process is called the R$G bath. At one point, a wedding party became quite amused at G. Ripley for doing the R$G bath twice. All in a days' work when you are the Talented L.A. Lip Action is what G. Ripley wanted to do with the ladies, yet they were part of the married crew. In closing, G. Ripley and Nalino ended the day at BelFry brewery in Cottonwood. At this final place, there was a nice blonde waitress which caught Ripley's eye. Perhaps, she could have been the one. Au revoir mes amis!! Until next time, it is time to say 'ciao Bellas.'

lymphadenopathy and lymphoma; plus survivors of both medical dilemmas

Today's post discusses lymphadenopathy and lymphoma; plus its differences. Lymphadenopathy is the condition of immune system glands that usually enlarge in response, to a bacterial or viral infection. It can be referred to as swollen lymph nodes, which makes the whole body feel a viral infection is attacking it. For myself, lymphadenopathy was my diagnosis in October 2006. But, my hematologist did not give me this diagnosis until lymphadenopathy disappeared 100% from my body in May 2007. It was my friend, Dr. NJ that told me I was diagnosed with this medical condition in December 2006/January 2007. He works in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles. In this second paragraph, let's look at why Lymphadenopathy is not considered to be cancer. If a person has swollen lymph nodes at .7 mm (millimeters), then it's considered mild. Once you get to 1 full MM, then the primary care physician can issue tests to you for cancer. The first test is a biopsy, and this one is standard to see if you have any cancerous tissue. With myself, the biopsy was not recommended since the lymphadenopathy disappeared. With lymphadenopathy, doctors might recommend you go through an endoscopy or colonoscopy. Next, let's look at Lymphoma. Lymphoma is cancer that begins in infection-fighting cells of the immune system. The infection fighting cells are called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes tend to grow out of control, and this step is the main cause of lymphoma. The main types of Lymphoma are Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (often termed as NHL). Treatment may involve chemotherapy, medication, and radiation therapy. In addition, Hodgkin's lymphoma is known for three main symptoms in the body. The three primary symptoms are night sweats; weight loss; and fever. Night sweats can appear in lymphadenopathy, but they will go away in less than 9-10 months. Lymph nodes can be swollen in the neck, arm, groin; or other body parts. For surviving Hodgkin's lymphoma, this feat can be done through various forms of treatment. Hodgkin's lymphoma can happen to a person when they are fairly young (19) or old (75 and above age bracket). In this penultimate paragraph, let's discuss the case of Paul Allen and non-hodgkin's lymphoma. Paul Allen was the owner of Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks (NBA team and NFL team), but he's known for founding Microsoft in 1975 with William Gates III. Paul Allen died in 2018 from his fight with non-hodgkin's lymphoma. At age of 65, the demise of the billionaire Allen hurt many in the sports world; technology world; and venture capital world in different ways. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, and tumors can come into the body's system. Tumors can be malignant or benign. In closing, Lymphoma and lymphadenopathy are medical dilemmas that cannot be taken lightly. A person may not know that they have either condition for months, unless they see a primary care physician. It is best to get treatment as quickly as possible. Human life is so precious, that time can only tell how long a person stays on this planet. My final statement is to be safe; be resilient, and take care of your body. Hope you learned valuable information about both medical dilemmas. Enjoy the photos of Paul Allen, the founder of Vulcan Ventures. In the second photo, Bill Gates is to the left of Paul Allen.

Are stocks overvalued?

On September 3, 2020; Wall Street had its worst day in months. The S&P 500 dropped 3.5% on this day, and tech stocks were the culprits. Despite continued high unemployment and a weak outlook for corporate profits, the stock market is continuing to be overvalued. With the US economy in a recession, one would think that stocks should not be so high. Investors have been optimistic about tech companies, including Amazon; Apple; Microsoft; Facebook; and Alphabet. Amazon was up more than 90 percent this year, Apple more than 80 percent, Microsoft and Facebook nearly 50 percent, and Alphabet nearly 30 percent. Furthermore, tech stocks have fueled the recovery of financial markets since late March 2020. Since March 2020, the S&P 500 is up more than 50%. At the same time, many analysts are warning that the stock market’s gains are detached from reality. The outlook for corporate profits and economic growth is far from positive. Lawmakers were not able to reach an agreement on a relief package. In addition, corporate profits for S&P 500 companies are expected to be down nearly 20 percent this year. Also, the pandemic-related shutdowns this year have created persistent problems for the labor market. The unemployment rate is 8.4%, as this news was reported on September 4, 2020. The S&P 500 is up nearly 7 percent for the year, which is some good news for investors. On the other hand, the election could produce a steep drop for the stock market depending on the result. Next, the Nasdaq reached an all-time high on September 2, 2020. Apple's market cap is above $2 trillion, and Amazon has the 2nd highest market cap at $1.65 trillion. Microsoft and Alphabet are the other two tech bellwethers, that have market caps above $1 trillion. If stocks continue on an upward trend, Facebook could be the next stock to reach $1 trillion. The Dow Jones industrial average is down close to 1.5% for YTD. In this penultimate paragraph, let's discuss the state of the economy during the global coronavirus pandemic. First, the pace of the economic recovery has decelerated. The U.S. is regaining jobs at a slower pace several months after the economy reopened. More people are spending money at fashion malls, and restaurants due to an uptick in some consumer spending numbers. Yet, the coronavirus has not gone away. Airports around the country are mostly empty, and hotel rooms are largely unoccupied. In closing, stocks are overvalued. Life is far from normal. Will the coronavirus pandemic lead the economy into a deeper recession in 2021, and beyond? Hopefully, an end to Trumpism may change the state of the economy in a positive way. Let's hope for a Biden victory on election day, to result in a better economic picture in the USA.

Pac-12 and Big 10 cancel fall football; and will delay it to Spring 2021 due to covid-19 scare

Almost two weeks ago, the Pac-12 and Big 10 conferences canceled their college football seasons for 2020. Let's fast forward to Spring 2021, and these two conferences might play football. Actually, both major conferences cancelled all of their Fall sports. It sounds like a major bummer for me, since college football and basketball are two of my favorite sports to watch on Saturday and Sunday. The conferences are doing this process, as they want the sports programs to be safe for everyone to play. Yet, the ACC and SEC decided that it is going to continue their Fall tradition of sports starting in two to three weeks. Furthermore, the University of Notre Dame will play college football in the ACC for this year. This news is a major surprise, as the renowned college football team plays as an Independent standing team (or in Independents conference) consistently. In campus related news, Notre Dame has shut down its university for the upcoming two to three weeks as some students were testing positive for covid-19. The students were sent home for about two weeks, but the campus may reopen in September. If fall sports at Notre Dame were canceled as covid-19 cases go up, the university would lose a lot of money. Next, UNC-Chapel Hill had a plan for in-person classes for Fall 2020. One hundred and thirty people tested positive for coronavirus, and the tar heels are sending students back home. The fall semester will be online at this time. There have been an influx of parties at Notre Dame; UNC-Chapel Hill; Purdue; and Pennsylvania State (aka Penn State) which result in a lack of social distancing for college students. The USA is going through a steady number of coronavirus cases on a daily basis. In addition, many healthcare professionals and scientists do not want to see a twindemic; of influenza and coronavirus for September 2020 through December 31, 2020. With Covid-19 cases reaching close to 5.9 million in the US, the virus may not be contained until second or third quarter of 2021. Globally, there needs to be a vaccine in place for people just like there is a flu shot. Brazil; India; Russia; and South Africa are the other four nations that have very high cases of coronavirus. These days, the NBA and MLB have players that wear masks to their stadiums and arenas. Many of the bench players and managers;coaches; etc. are wearing masks and social distancing is a major requirement. In this penultimate paragraph, fans are not allowed at NBA; MLB; and NHL games. If there is a vaccine and the coronavirus is contained in the next 6 to 12 months, fans might come back to sporting events. At this time, cardboard cutouts of fans are common in MLB and digitals fans are making their cameos at NBA games. So far, the MLB and NBA have started to get back on TV. The NBA has started their exciting playoffs, and the NHL is back on the ice in Canada. In closing, the NHL and NBA are playing in a bubble. Orlando and other nearby cities in the Magic Kingdom area are home to NBA games. The NHL is having their games in Edmonton and Toronto, Canada. See the image above the Nationals stadium, as there are no fans. Will these major sports bring back fans in 2021? Let's hope for the best.

Zuckerberg becomes centibillionaire. What is a centibillionaire?

Today, Mark Zuckerberg's net worth passed $100 billion. Since his market cap is above $100 billion, Mark is a centibillionaire. Personally, this term is a new one for me. A centibillionaire is a person that has a net worth of $100 billion or more. Jeff Bezos is considered to be the world's wealthiest man. He is in the centibillionaire club. In addition, today's blog post centers on Income and new terminology. While centibillionaire is part of the new terminology, some people may wonder what is the regular wage for middle class America. Middle Class America has a salary range of $45,000 to $136,000. This range is for a family of 4 people that includes two parents, and 2 kids. The real question is can you survive off of the salary of $65,000 to $70,000, or another higher income. This question fits into the problem of income inequality, in this country. Next, Kirsten Gillibrand and Bernie Sanders have introduced the Make Billionaires Pay Act. Ed Markey is a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, and he worked with Gillibrand and Sanders on this $731 billion tax plan. This plan is a 60% tax on the windfall wealth increases of billionaires during this pandemic. It is done to pay for all out-of-pocket medical expenses, for every person in America for a year. In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sanders worked on another bill regarding the taxation of the wealthy .001% in the USA. Furthermore, the Forbes 400 list started in 1982. This list is published annually by Forbes magazine, and it compiles a good number of people that have the most wealth in the US. Some of these affluent individuals are doing more to accumulate wealth, like Bezos who has owned the Washington Post also. The list depicts the shift in finances, philanthropy, and leadership positions. Bill Gates may not be CEO of Microsoft, but he is big into philanthropy thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In this penultimate paragraph, let's discuss the Forbes 400 wealthiest americans list. Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates were #1 and #2 respectively in the 2019 list. Bezos ex-wife, Mackenzie; joined the list with $36 billion. That number is #15 on the list. The gap between Bezos and Gates is $8 billion. Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison rounded out the top 5 list of wealthiest americans. In closing, the reader might be fascinated by the different names of wealth in this blog post. See the picture of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, at the top of this post. Most of the billionaires have an entreprenurial mindset, creativity, and a relentless work ethic. One great idea can make a billionaire amass their wealth, but it may take some failures before their big success takes off. These characteristics set billionaires apart from the common folk.

Trump cancels Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, FL; and Biden's vetting process for his VP candidate

Recently, Donald Trump has canceled the RNC activities in Jacksonville, FL; and this part was day 2 through 4 in the Republican National Convention (RNC). As of today, Trump has the RNC first part in Charlotte, NC on August 24, 2020 only. Canceling the second part of the RNC is an odd action, by Trump. In most swing states, Joe Biden is leading in the polls. Most of the polls have Biden leading, and the election is close to 100 days away. November 3 is election day, and there could be a lot of Mail-In Voting which Trump despises. As for Biden's VP candidate, he has narrowed it down to four women. His presumptive choices are Keisha Lance Bottoms, Kamala Harris, Susan Rice, and Val Demmings. These four women are in the vetting process, and Elizabeth Warren is not of his top four choices. Susan Rice is former United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013, as she served in this role under President Obama. Also, she served as National security advisor from 2013 to 2017 under President Obama. For Susan's education, she received her BA from Stanford University and her PHD from Oxford University. From a political experience standpoint, Rice has a vast amount of diplomatic knowledge which helps her tremendously. A big plus for Rice is she has had a long relationship, with Joe Biden. In contrast, Keisha Lance Bottoms is the current mayor of Atlanta. She has a BA from Florida A&M, plus a JD from Georgia State University. Next, Val Demmings is a politician representing Florida. She was former police chief of Orlando. Furthermore, Kamala Harris is a Senator from California. She is a former district attorney, and her presidential run as the presumptive democratic nominee ended in December 2019. If Joe Biden wants to pick someone that he has a close relationship, then Susan Rice seems to be a pragmatic choice. Yet, Harris seems to be woman that Joe could pick as well. Don't forget Keisha Bottoms or Val Demmings, as Biden has three weeks left to announce his VP candidate. The DNC (democratic national convention) is in Milwaukee, WI; from August 17 to 20. But, this event could be a virtual one because of the covid-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic continues to drive covid-19 cases up in Florida, canceling the RNC is an about face for Trump. Donald is trying to figure out how to make his big presidential candidacy speech. Frankly, Trump should have the RNC as a virtual event. Trump is a horrible speaker, and his strategy needs to shift for the Republican party to extend its support for him. In closing, there are lot of changes that could take place in the DNC and RNC formats. There are only three to four weeks until these two big conventions take place. Enjoy the picture above of the RNC logo, and the beautiful elephant symbol. RSG is wishing for some political peace, before Election Day.