Business

[ad_1] American policymakers and automakers just got a big wake-up call with China’s announcement that it will require a special export license for battery-grade graphite, effectively restricting exports. While other critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt receive more attention, graphite is equally essential for the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles, and the Chinese government currently controls more than…

[ad_1] A bad boss a day keeps the employee away—or at least highly irritable. Unless you’re a muppet working on Sesame Street, you’ve likely encountered some version of The Simpson’s Mr. Burns when clocking into a miserable job. While they might not always be as sinister as to suggest to “release the hounds,” a bad boss typically has a penchant…

[ad_1] WeWork Inc.’s bankruptcy filing caps a years-long saga that revealed breathtaking flaws in the investment style of Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, damaging his professional reputation far beyond the money he lost. Son overrode his lieutenants’ objections and handed WeWork founder Adam Neumann billions of dollars from both SoftBank Group Corp. and the Vision Fund, lifting the co-working office space’s valuation to…

[ad_1] The Securities and Exchange Commission, one of the major federal regulators looking to rein in the crypto industry, is having trouble hiring crypto experts, according to a new report from the agency’s inspector general. Most federal agencies have an Office of Inspector General, or independent authority that reviews and oversees the operations of, say, the Federal Trade Commission or…

[ad_1] Jeff Bezos announced this week that he’s moving from Seattle back to Miami, where he went to high school. In doing so, he set off heated debates about state taxes—despite never mentioning them when announcing his decision on Instagram on Thursday. Instead the Amazon founder, with an estimated net worth of $162 billion, expressed his love for Miami and…

[ad_1] Home buyers and sellers had a big week. Significant changes to how—and how much—they pay real-estate agents became more likely after a $1.8 billion verdict on Tuesday against the National Association of Realtors and large residential brokerages. The defendants artificially inflated commissions and “conspired to require home sellers to pay the broker representing the buyer of their homes in…

[ad_1] Not too long ago, vegan and plant-based offerings at fast-food restaurants seemed like the wave of the future. Now, they’re starting to look like a relic of the past. “It’s not a big part of the current focus,” said Josh Kobza, chief executive officer of Restaurant Brands International Inc., the parent company for Burger King. The chain made headlines in 2019 when it…

[ad_1] Matthew Russell Lee is staring at three computer monitors, his back turned to the press room entrance of the Southern District of New York courthouse. He prefers this station to his actual cubicle, which is a few feet away, cluttered with spare shirts and notepads. One computer provides unlimited access to PACER, the database of federal court records, which…

[ad_1] Charles Schwab finished cutting as much as 6% of its 35,900-member workforce, amid efforts to curb costs as it continues to integrate TD Ameritrade, according to a company spokesperson.  The number of cuts, ranging from 5% to 6% of staff at the Westlake, Texas-based company, translates to as many as 2,154 employees, based on a corporate fact sheet that…

[ad_1] As the United States injects hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy through its signature climate law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, criticism is growing louder about where, how and whether new development should be allowed. As opposition grows, once-routine regulatory processes are taking several years, if they are completed at all. Some communities are concerned about…