Opening Bell: 6.3.15
Merkel Steps In to Speed Greek Deal as Tsipras Heads West (Bloomberg)
As head of the biggest country contributor to Greece’s 240 billion-euro ($268 billion) rescue, Merkel stepped in to unblock the stalemate at finance minister level as European Central Bank President Mario Draghi called for a “strong agreement” to resolve the deadlock.
Hayes Paid Brokers for ‘Help and Information,’ Libor Trial Hears (WSJ)
Mr. Hayes, a former UBS AG and Citigroup Inc. trader, on trial for conspiring to defraud through attempted benchmark interest rate rigging, told investigators with the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office that he routed trades through helpful brokers to generate commissions for them, and that one brokerage company received a quarterly fixed fee.
Jamie Dimon Becomes Billionaire Ushering in Era of the Megabank (Bloomberg)
With JPMorgan shares near a record high, Dimon’s net worth is about $1.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Dimon’s fortune derives from a $485 million stake in New York-based JPMorgan, where he’s been chief executive officer since the end of 2005, and an investment portfolio seeded by proceeds from Citigroup stock sales. Dimon’s status is unusual because, with the exception of former mentor Sanford “Sandy” Weill, few bank managers accumulate that much wealth.
Bill Ackman reveals his latest multimillion dollar investment (NYP)
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has unveiled his latest investment — a 21.7 percent stake in Nomad Holdings, an acquisition vehicle for food companies. Nomad, set up as a special acquisition company on the London Stock Exchange last year, on Monday closed its first acquisition with the $2.9 billion purchase of frozen foods company Iglo Foods...Nomad — a so-called platform company — was co-founded by his longtime friend and business partner Martin Franklin.
Failed McDonald's proposal 'was a doofus move' (UPI)
A Los Angeles man whose McDonald's-themed marriage proposal was rejected shared hidden camera footage of the fast food failure. Michael Joseph, 30, shared a video on YouTube showing how he took his girlfriend, Ann, 23, through a McDonald's drive-through and revealed an engagement ring concealed in a Crispy Chicken Deluxe sandwich. "This is a joke," Ann says in the video. "You're not serious." "You can't ask me to marry you in a chicken sandwich," she says. Joseph says he was aiming to "surprise" Ann, but she still does not accept the proposal.
ECB Stands Ready to Provide More Stimulus (WSJ)
The European Central Bank stands ready to provide more stimulus to ensure it meets its inflation target, although it sees “no reason” to do so, President Mario Draghi said Wednesday.
College Dropouts Thrive in Tech (WSJ)
The new crop of dropouts has grown up with the Internet and smartphones. The tools to create new technology are more accessible. The cost to start a company has plunged, while the options for raising money have multiplied. Moreover, the path isn’t as lonely. Many of the baby-faced entrepreneurs in Mr. Weinstein’s house have known each other for years, via Facebook groups, Twitter and a thriving circuit of weekend technology competitions called hackathons. They call the house, above a vegan taqueria in San Francisco’s Mission District, Mission Control. It resembles college housing, complete with a sink full of dirty dishes and common living areas cluttered with empty pizza boxes. In the bedrooms, clothes spill out of open suitcases.
Paulson Gives Harvard Record $400 Million for Engineering (Bloomberg)
Billionaire hedge-fund manager John Paulson gave $400 million to Harvard University’s engineering school, the biggest donation in the college’s 379-year history. Harvard said it will rename the engineering school after Paulson and establish an endowment to benefit research, faculty development and financial aid.
M&A: Dealmaking like 2007 all over again? (CNBC)
The value of deals signed across the world so far in 2015 has reached $1.4 trillion, according to M&A analysts Mergermarket. This means the amount paid for deals is 16 percent higher than over the same period in 2014 – although it remains 14 percent below the record-breaking levels of 2007 at this stage.
Your toothbrush probably has your roommate’s poop on it (NYP)
Recently, bearded hipsters came under fire for after the discovery that their facial hair contained feces. However, people wouldn’t have been as quick to judge if they knew what was about to be unearthed. A new study held in bathrooms at the Quinnipiac University in Connecticut claims to have found there is a 60 percent chance your toothbrush is covered in poop. Even more concerning, the study found people using communal bathrooms with an average of nine people had around an 80 percent chance that the faeces belonged to another person.