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Biden Plans To Put Big Tech In Charge Of Its Own Regulation

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Big Tech’s election interference to propel Joe Biden to the Oval Office appears poised to pay off as the president-elect considers tech-friendly corporate lawyers to lead the antitrust division at the Department of Justice.

According to The Intercept reporting with The American Prospect, Renata Hesse, a former Obama Justice Department official who went on to work for Google during the Trump years, is a top contender to lead the antitrust division at the DOJ during a pivotal moment for the California tech giants facing intense pressure from government regulators on both sides of the aisle. While in private practice, Hesse played a primary role in the Amazon merger with Whole Foods and also represented major pharmaceutical giants.

“As recently as a couple years ago, Hesse seemed to dismiss antitrust concerns from Google’s control of the online search market,” the papers reported, highlighting testimony at a field hearing with the Federal Trade Commission. “She also said that it’s ‘really easy to switch’ away from Google if users don’t like the product.”

The Intercept and Prospect also reported that Juan Arteaga, another former Obama DOJ official, is in the mix to be assistant attorney general for antitrust. Arteaga represented AT&T in its merger with Time Warner and has defended JPMorgan along with several other major financial firms in fraud cases. Sources reportedly told the papers, however, that Arteaga is more likely to land as deputy assistant attorney general for antitrust under Hesse.

The leading contenders have raised anxieties among Big Tech critics that a Biden administration staffed with former tech lawyers and lobbyists deferential to their corporate interests would be a missed opportunity at a critical time to reign in the unchecked power of a runaway Silicon Valley. The House Antitrust Subcommittee released the findings of its 15-month-long investigation on Big Tech anticompetitive market practices last fall, detailing bipartisan support for changes in tackling the monopoly power of Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon. There also remains a series of ongoing bipartisan state and federal antitrust lawsuits targeting Facebook and Google launched in recent months.

Forty national, state, and local groups sent an open letter to the incoming president Monday, warning Biden against choosing Big Tech elites to regulate Big Tech elites as the president-elect’s team considers a series of high-powered veterans of Silicon Valley’s corporate class for key roles in the new administration.

“As you prepare to take office, we urge you to avoid appointing to key antitrust enforcement positions individuals who have served as lawyers, lobbyists, or consultants for Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google,” the groups wrote through the American Economic Liberties Project. “Instead, we encourage you to appoint experienced litigators or public servants who have recognized the dangers of, rather than helped to exacerbate, these corporations’ market power.”

Colorado Republican Congressman Ken Buck also decried the potential appointments of friendly tech veterans to roles where they might regulate the same industry they spent years protecting.

Joe Biden should not be appointing someone who worked for Google and Amazon to lead the Antitrust Division.

This is very concerning for those of us who want to hold Big Tech accountable. https://t.co/IKi0LyCRTO

— Congressman Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) January 19, 2021

As for who might lead the Justice Department at the top, Biden nominated former 2016 Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

This content was originally published here.

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Stash app – the tool to manage your finances, with all the tools to upgrade them

If there are two things I wish I knew in college, one is learning how to cook something other than ramen, and the second, but most important one, is to understand how to manage my money.

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Stash gives you the necessary tools to manage finances, budget, and financially plan what the next steps are going to be. It provides tools to grow wealth whilst making investing, accessible to learn.

Stash really knows how to:

Manage money effortlessly

The app was created to make personal finances a learnable experience, giving you all the features you need to buy stocks for the first time, get rewards when spending money, and start saving for your future.

Investing money can sound overwhelming, but do not stress cause Stash teaches you
Download it for free and try it right now

How to invest, by starting small

Stash enables you to learn how to invest your money, starting with as little as $5, so as not to lose significant amounts of money due to rookie mistakes. It can usually feel overwhelming with the many investment options out there, but Stash narrows down the field of investment choices based on your risk level, so you can invest in comfort while continuing to learn with time and experience.

The rules of investing can be hard to follow, fortunately, Stash analyzes your portfolio and makes investment recommendations for you, ensuring you have the proper guidance throughout the process. 

For example, if buying a whole stock sounds like too much for you, you can choose to buy a percentage of it and get a fractioned stock, which will still help you gain money. 

This is just one of Stash’s features, making the investing experience enjoyable and headache-free.

Your investing and budgeting buddy will teach and empower you to take control of your financial decisions and future, and never leave you clueless.

As soon as you download the app and select your monthly plan, you’ll see how many options are available in individual stocks, funds, ETF’s, and learn investing terms along the way.

Signing up is easy and every plan offered enables you to learn at your own pace. As soon as you catch on to the basic principles and enjoy investing, you’ll want to move to the following membership and choose Stash +. 

The premium plan will provide you with even more features to learn and invest in by giving you the chance to buy more significant stocks and eventually earn higher returns that can go directly into the savings account provided by Stash.

If learning how to invest at your own pace and being guided still leaves you uncertain, keep in mind that Stash gives you:

Easy banking and fast results

Within the banking1 section of Stash, you can set your own savings goals and automate savings to fund those goals. Users can track spending too, which helps you understand your expenses better and guide you when planning your monthly budget.

Forget how you think about online banking and its benefits: cashback is old school. Stash gives you the option to use their Stock-Back® Card2 for affiliated brands’ purchases, so instead of getting cash back, you will get stock rewards in exchange3. Does it get any better than that?! You are investing while you spend on your favorite brands.

Another major benefit of using Stash is the security behind the app; when you are handling money, you want a safe and secure product and this app gives you exactly that by using the latest security measures to protect your money, including 256-bit encryption, biometric authentication, and other cutting-edge technologies.

Why Stash

So to sum things up If you want to learn to cook ramen, ask me, I’m the expert, but If you are looking for an app that will make your financial life easier, Stash is hands down the best option for you.

Here are some of the pros and cons that I experienced, laid out for your convenience:

Pros:

  • Automatic savings and investing tools
  • Earn stock back through Stock-Back® Card purchases
  • Low minimum investment requirement
  • Educational content included with the app
  • Substantial investing and business educational content
  • Automatic rebalancing on managed portfolios
  • Round-ups on assets and adding micro-investments

Cons:

  • Automated IRA management in development.
  • Wealth management services are currently unavailable.

Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. Investing involves risk and investments may lose value. Holdings and performance are hypothetical.

Nothing in this material should be construed as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation to buy or sell any security. All investments are subject to risk and may lose value.

1 Bank Account Services provided by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC.

2 All rewards earned through use of the Stash Visa Debit card (Stock-Back® Card) will be fulfilled by Stash Investments LLC. Rewards will go to your Stash personal investment account, which is not FDIC insured. You will bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the investments that you earn, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash. Stash Stock-Back® Rewards is not sponsored or endorsed by Green Dot Bank, Green Dot Corporation, Visa U.S.A., or any of their respective affiliates.

3 What doesn’t count: Cash withdrawals, money orders, prepaid cards, and P2P payment. If stock of the merchant is not available for a qualifying purchase, the security will be in shares of a predetermined ETF or from a list of predetermined publicly-traded companies available on the Stash Platform. See full terms and conditions.

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DISNEY NEWS ROUNDUP: Fantastic Live Entertainment News, New Offerings at Epcot and Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom Attraction News, Avengers Campus Update & Limited-Edition Epcot Posters Now Available

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This week we got some fantastic news regarding the return of live entertainment to Walt Disney World. There are also several new offerings over at Disney Springs and Epcot to check out. Rumors were finally debunked, and questions about the future of a Magic Kingdom original attraction were answered. Several of the Epcot posters everyone wanted last year are now available with more coming this year, and we got some pretty cool news out of California for Marvel fans. Check out the full details below in this week’s news roundup.


1 – Disney Announces the Return of ‘The Festival of the Lion King’

Something we have really missed at Walt Disney World is the fantastic entertainment offerings, particularly our absolute favorite, ‘The Festival of the Lion King.’ That’s why we’re so excited to learn that the show will return this summer. Learn more at the link below.

Click here to learn more about the return of ‘The Festival of the Lion King.’

The new year has seen new restaurants and new stores come to Disney Springs. We’ve already shared our excitement for Everglazed Donuts and Cold Brew, but there is so much more to explore. Learn more at the link below.

Click here for details on what’s new at Disney Springs and what is coming soon.

3 – Partial Opening of Expanded France Pavilion

We recently shared a video of the newly expanded France Pavilion and photos of the new section on our Instagram account. This week, we’re happy to share that Disney has opened part of this new section, including a walkway, a great view of the water, and new bathrooms. The area in front of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure remains closed off by construction walls. Disney Cast Member, Zach Ridley, shared details on the design of the area. Learn more below.

4 – President Joe Biden will be Added to the Hall of Presidents

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, the Hall of Presidents closed for refurbishment. Disney confirmed a Joe Biden animatronic figure would be part of the show. No other details, such as how big a role he will play or other changes to the show, were released. Rumors were swirling that the Muppets would somehow be added to the show, but that “big announcement” was that all five seasons of The Muppets Show will be released on Disney+ on February 19.


5 – Tom Holland as Peter Parker in WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure Coming to Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort

As we long for Disneyland and the new Avengers Campus to open we’ll have to take what we can get. Disney released photos and video of Tom Holland, the actor who plays Peter Parker, checking out the new attraction WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Michael Ramierez:

When Avengers Campus opens at the Disneyland Resort at a future top-secret date, you will see a very familiar face inside the Worldwide Engineering Brigade – or WEB as the kids call it. As we shared before, Tom Holland reprises his role as Peter Parker for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.

We previously caught up with Tom who shared more details about his role in the attraction and his excitement for working with Walt Disney Imagineering on this new adventure. Check out this first look below!

In the WEB workshop, young engineers specialize in developing innovative technologies to equip and empower a new generation of Super Heroes. This workshop showcases the inventions of Peter Parker and the rest of the WEB Tech team, including their adorable Spider-Bots, which are designed to be robotic sidekicks capable of building anything a Super Hero might need. When Peter’s demonstration goes awry, the Spider-Bots are stuck in a replication loop, creating even more Spider-Bots!

Donning 3D glasses, your mission will be to test-drive the aspiring inventor’s latest invention, the WEB Slinger vehicle, and discover your web-slinging super powers! Through specially designed, innovative technology that recognizes body movements and gestures, you will reach out your hands and sling webs from your wrists, just like Spider-Man. As the WEB Slinger vehicles progress, you will virtually pass through several other Campus addresses, including Pym Test Kitchen, Avengers Headquarters and the Collector’s Fortress, also home to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! As the mission continues, Spider-Bots will become harder and harder to beat as they continue to multiply.

WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure is just one of the many addresses found inside Avengers Campus, an entirely new land dedicated to discovering, recruiting and training the next generation of heroes at Disney California Adventure park.

6 – Limited Release Screen Print Posters & Lithographs Inspired by EPCOT Coming to shopDisney.com

Last year Disney unveiled big plans for Epcot and the surprise stars of the show were the very cool retro styled attraction posters. We received a ton of questions from readers where they could buy copies of the posters. Until now the disappointing answer was, “you can’t.” However, we have some great news! Disney is now selling some of the posters online with more to be released as the year goes on. Disney Cast Members Anthony Armenia shares more below:

For all of our EPCOT fans like myself, I’m excited to share that if you were unable to get your hands on last year’s limited edition EPCOT posters, you’re in luck! A new collection of stunning screen print posters and lithographs featuring favorite attractions andmagical park experiences of the past and future are coming to shopDisney.com throughout 2021!

“Make way, make way!” The first screen print poster themed to the upcoming Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana” experience is available now and has kicked off this yearlong series of limited release posters featuring the four EPCOT neighborhoods that are part of the park’s historic transformation currently underway. The initial set of posters – launching over the next few months – highlight experiences from the World Nature neighborhood including Soarin’ Around the World, The Land and The Living Seas.

Each poster in the collection is 24×36 inches in size and differ from previous EPCOT posters as they are screen printed on archival black paper and feature glossy, metallic art finishes! Stay tuned because new posters will be released each month throughout the year and once a new piece launches, the previous design will no longer be available…

Along with the new posters, each quarter, you’ll be able to collect fun 14×18 inch open edition EPCOT lithographs of the posters along with others from the accompanying neighborhood also available now on shopDisney.com.


For a no obligation, FREE Quote on a Disney vacation package, please contact our travel partner Magical Vacation Planner at 407-442-0227 (407-442-0215 for Spanish). You can also request a FREE quote online by Clicking HERE.


The post DISNEY NEWS ROUNDUP: Fantastic Live Entertainment News, New Offerings at Epcot and Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom Attraction News, Avengers Campus Update & Limited-Edition Epcot Posters Now Available appeared first on DisneyLists.com.

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Crypto Derivatives Surge, Bitcoin Options Open Interest Climbs to $9.6 Billion

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Crypto Derivatives Surge, Bitcoin Options Open Interest Climbs to $9.6 Billion

Bitcoin options open interest has reached $9.6 billion according to derivatives market data as the metric is nearing the high captured on January 7, 2021. Moreover, the aggregate open interest in bitcoin futures is steadily nearing all-time highs.

While cryptocurrency spot markets have consolidated, bitcoin-based derivatives markets have seen continuous action. At the time of publication, both bitcoin futures and options open interest has been rising significantly.

For instance, researchers at skew.com recently tweeted that “bitcoin futures open interest [is] quickly bouncing back to a new all-time high.” Skew also added that CME Group was now the largest open interest “by some margin.” Data from exchanges dealing with bitcoin futures shows that open interest continues to climb.

Okex holds the reins as far as bitcoin futures open interest today, followed by the platforms CME and Binance. These three leading bitcoin derivatives markets are followed by Huobi, Bybit, FTX, Bitmex, Deribit, Bitfinex, Kraken, and Coinflex respectively.

In addition to bitcoin futures nearing all-time highs in terms of open interest, ethereum futures and options have seen increased demand as well as the crypto asset’s spot markets near all-time price highs as well. Skew analytics indicates total ETH options interest is around $1.7 billion with Deribit commanding $1.5 billion. Deribit’s ETH options open interest is followed by Okex ($153M), Bitc.com ($41M), and Huobi ($9.7M).

Alongside the desire for crypto futures, bitcoin options have increased substantially during the first month of 2021. The estimated notional value of all open bitcoin options positions is $9.6 billion with an expiry set for January 29, 2021.

The crypto exchange Deribit commands the lion’s share of BTC options with 84.37% ($8.1B) of open interest. Deribit is followed by derivatives platforms such as Okex ($511M), Bit.com ($470M), CME ($398M), Ledgerx ($176M), and Huobi ($9.4M).

The aggregate of open interest on bitcoin options has swelled progressively over the last six months. Data from Bybit’s 24-hour long/short ratio shows shorts are up 50.64% while longs are 49.36%.

BTC longs and shorts stemming from Bitfinex according to Tradingview data shows longs are increasing while BTC/USD shorts have remained low.

The increased demand for bitcoin-based derivatives, follows BTC’s lifetime all-time price high of $42,000 recorded only 12 days ago. At the time of publication, BTC/USD spot market prices are still down 11.8% since touching the $42k handle.

Meanwhile, with the 258,818 BTC in options open interest, 99,753 BTC or $3.7 billion is set to expire in ten days.

What do you think about the recent increase in open interest for bitcoin derivatives like futures and options? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, Skew.com, Twitter,

Purchase Bitcoin without visiting a cryptocurrency exchange. Buy BTC and BCH here.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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