Opening Bell: 6.19.15
Eurogroup talks end with no deal on Greece (CNBC)
Greece has not managed to reach a deal with its creditors at the latest Eurogroup meeting in Luxembourg, and officials said they would hold a new summit on Monday...Euro zone finance ministers were meeting in Luxembourg for a session that had been billed as the final chance to reach a cash-for-reform deal. Greece owes the International Monetary Fund 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) by the end of June. It has not been able to reach a deal for austerity measures and pension reform that would satisfy creditors.
Activist investor Elliott set sights on Asia's family-run firms (Reuters)
In the past few months, Singer's $26 billion firm Elliott Management has taken on South Korea's Lee family, founders of the Samsung Group, as well as the Li family, which founded Hong Kong's third-largest lender Bank of East Asia Ltd. While Asian firms including Japan's Sony Corp and robot maker Fanuc Corp have faced off with activist investors such as Daniel Loeb of Third Point, the region's family-owned conglomerates have so far been largely left alone.
State Street Gets Wells Notice From SEC (WSJ)
State Street Corp. warned Thursday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may bring a civil enforcement action accusing the bank of violating securities law tied to its use of consultants.
At Cannabis Trade Show, Vendors Tread a Careful Line (NYT)
A question hung in the air at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan on Thursday: How do you show off your wares in a place where actually using them would be illegal? The sales pitches were carefully honed. “These are for tobacco only,” Raj Tiwary, a vice president for the vaping accessory maker Ultimate Vapor Source, said repeatedly, while demonstrating a line of pipes and pens. “Tobacco and dry herbs.” Nearby, a set of self-watering pots housed several thriving tomato plants — “the pots work well for all kinds of plants,” Marc Lippman, the co-owner of Aqua Camel, emphasized — and a $2,000 vacuum sealing machine showed off its power by endlessly reinflating and resealing a pouch stuffed with spinach.
Man with over 100 tattoos has inked last blank place left on his body - his eye balls (Mirror)
Ted Richards, known as the 'parrot man', has 110 tattoos, 30 piercings and seven implants covering his body. The 56-year-old has had pretty much every kind of body art done, including splitting his tongue in half and having five transdermal implants - objects being placed beneath the skin. He has three beads down his forehead and two horns implanted, but in his latest feat, has inked his eyeballs. Retired shoe factory worker Ted, from Hartcliffe, Bristol, said: "With the eyes they have to put a needle in five or six times to each and you feel that, but after it's in, it's fine...Having received his first tattoo in 1976, he now has an array of different pictures, including two parrots on his face that are a tribute to his "babies".
Dealbreaker Dramatic Reading Night Returns June 24th (DB)
Buy your ticket to the greatest night of all our lives now.
Demote Hamilton on the $10 Bill? Not So Fast, Treasury (The Upshot)
"I’m all in favor of honoring a woman, but it’s obvious the government should instead remove Andrew Jackson from the $20. Mr. Hamilton was one of the best economic policy makers in American history; Mr. Jackson, in addition to being a terrible person, was one of the worst. Hamilton pushed for the creation of a national currency; Jackson hated paper money. Either the folks at Treasury have a dark sense of humor, or they know nothing about the two men."
This ‘Barbarian’ Banker Has Turned Into a Friendly Activist (Bloomberg)
Make no mistake: Robbins, 57, is still in it for the money. But his strategy seems a departure from KKR’s epoch-defining buyout of RJR Nabisco, the $25 billion megadeal chronicled in the book “Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco.” “We’re a friendly activist, that’s been a key to our success,” said Robbins, referring to the hedge fund he founded in 2004, Blue Harbour Group. “We don’t invest if we don’t like the management team, we don’t invest where we’re not welcome.”
Deutsche Bank Said to Part Ways With Two in CMBS Trading Group (Bloomberg)
Aaron Greenberg, co-head of trading in the group, and Joseph Reardon, a salesman, left the bank this week, said the people, who asked not to be named because the decision wasn’t public.
Banks That Failed to Fix Mortgage Services Face Restrictions (Dealbook)
JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and four other large banks have failed to make long-promised improvements to their mortgage operations, a federal regulator said on Wednesday. The six banks, and several others, had agreed in 2011 to make dozens of changes to the way they issue and service mortgages after being accused of wrongly foreclosing on homeowners after the financial crisis. Homeowners had faced problems including bungled loan modifications, deficient paperwork, excessive fees and wrongful evictions that stemmed from the sprawling mortgage issues. As a result of their failure to comply with the 2011 agreement, the banks will now have new restrictions on their mortgage divisions, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said on Wednesday.
Man literally gave his ex half of everything they owned (CNBC)
The disgruntled ex-husband, who goes by the name Der Juli online, posted a video to YouTube showcasing him cutting chairs, beds and phones in half for his ex-wife. The video's translated description reads "Thank you for 12 'beautiful years,' Laura! You've really earned half. Greetings also to my successor." Phones, laptops, teddy bears—you name it, he split it. From their mailbox to their sofa, all of the man's remaining halves are now up for sale on eBay, reports Mashable...Unfortunately for Americans looking for some cut-up furniture, the man is not shipping to the U.S. If you are in the neighborhood though, he says he will accept cash payment upon delivery.