FCC Greenlights T-Mobile's $4.4 Billion US Cellular Acquisition
The Federal Communications Commission cleared T-Mobile US Inc. to acquire much of the wireless business of US Cellular Corp and some of its network infrastructure.
The approval comes after T-Mobile committed to eliminating diversity and inclusion programs to win the favor of the commission. The US Justice Department decided earlier this week not challenge the $4.4 billion deal on antitrust grounds.
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Kai Trump's endorsements have made her a teenage millionaire
Kai Trump, the eldest of President Donald Trump's grandchildren, is already following in her family's business-forward footsteps with multiple name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals amounting to more than $1 million. Before heading to the University of Miami next fall to begin playing on the school's golf team, Kai, 18, has already scored deals with Accelerator Active Energy, Leaf Trading Cards, and TaylorMade Golf. With more than six million followers on social media, Kai has an NIL valuation of at least $1.2 million, according to On3. That's among the top female student-athlete NIL earners alongside Louisiana State University gymnast Livvy Dunne, who had an NIL valuation of $4.1 million, and basketball player Flau'jae Johnson, who has an NIL valuation of $1.5 million, according to Sports Illustrated. NIL deals enable college athletes to earn money from endorsements, sponsorships, collaborations, and other opportunities based on their personal brand, rather than their athletic performance. Kai Trump has a reported $1.2 million in name, image, and likeness contracts related to her aspiring golf career with several companies (AFP via Getty Images) Trump reportedly intends to sign an executive order establishing national standards for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's NIL program, according to people familiar with the plan, as CBS News reported earlier this week. Kai, who attended The Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida, has leveraged her personal brand to secure such deals. She has approximately 1.8 million followers on Instagram, 3.2 million on TikTok, and 1.17 million on YouTube. Her latest NIL deal is with Accelerator Active Energy, a sugar-free energy drink that has also partnered with Dunne. The eldest Trump grandchild utilizes her social media following to offer fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the political landscape in Washington, D.C., and her experiences with golf. While Kai is well-known to fans of Trump, as she is the daughter of the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., her public prominence skyrocketed last year after she delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention. She told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that she 'always wanted' to create content on social media and serve as a role model for younger people. Kai Trump, an aspiring professional golfer, says she spends any free time golfing (Getty Images) However, her true passion lies in golf, a game popular with her grandfather. Kai told Fox News Digital that she intends to pursue a professional golf career after college. 'If I have two hours, I'm not going to hit a few balls, go on my phone, scroll. No, I'm going to take full advantage of the time I have on the course. So, I mean, I think that's going to get me onto the next level for sure,' Kai told Fox News. One of Kai's NIL deals is with TaylorMade Golf, a leading manufacturer of golf equipment and apparel. Kai also has access to some of the best golf teachers in the world, including her mother Vanessa Trump's new boyfriend, Tiger Woods.
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PepsiCo moves toward North America 'integration' in productivity drive
PepsiCo is seeking to boost its productivity by 'integrating' its two-largest businesses in North America, snacks and drinks. That was one of the key messages to emerge from chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta's second-quarter results presentation yesterday (17 July) as he outlined an expected 'sequential improvement' in PepsiCo's revenue and market share through the rest of the 2025 financial year. 'One North America will modernise our company and improve our agility and marketplace competitiveness over time,' Laguarta said in his prepared remarks. Laguarta implied the integration will include PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America reporting and operating division, along with PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA), each with revenues in 2024 of $24.8bn and $27.8bn, respectively. It was not clear if Quaker Foods North America, which posted sales last year of $2.7bn, will also feature in the amalgamation but it seems likely judging by the CEO's follow-up comments to analysts' questions. 'When it comes to the North America market, we have one new layer of opportunity that is going to give us a lot of opportunities to improve our cost structure over the next three, four years, which is the North America integration. 'We have two large businesses, almost $30 billion each that have been operating almost a full value chain side by side. Now, with the investments we've made in technology, with the new data that we have in systems, we're going to start looking at those businesses in a more integrated way to perform some of the value chain tasks in an integrated way.' Laguarta highlights synergies The finer details of the workings of that plan have yet to emerge - whether PepsiCo will consolidate its North America business units into one standalone division or still have separate reporting divisions. Integration would 'create both efficiency and cost reduction, but also growth opportunities for the business in a combined way', Laguarta added. He used another adjective, 'synergise', in terms of 'two large operating businesses that are sitting side-by-side servicing the same geographies, the same customers and then the same consumers'. Laguarta explained further: 'That, for us, is a huge idea to optimise how we do most of the task in our value chain, how we do this at low cost and a better performance. 'This will be our priority and where we will focus our efforts for the next three, four years to capture value and come out of this as a lower-cost business and better-performing business.' The PepsiCo chief also outlined historical and ongoing efforts to boost productivity 'enabled by automation, standardisation, and increased use of digital tools and data analytics', which, Laguarta said, 'will provide continuous, ongoing support for our necessary operational investments and commercial activities'. They also include AI. Savings from those productivity initiatives will be 'used primarily to invest in capabilities that accelerate growth and improve profitability', he said. PepsiCo's international division (40% of the company's 2024 group revenue of $91.8bn) was outlined as a key driver of revenue growth at the first-quarter results stage in April. That remains the case but foodservice is also now seen as a major growth opportunity, with innovation at the heart of both the out-of-home and retail push. Laguarta slipped in the planned 'big push' into protein beverages, with no 'artificials', to complement its no-sugar and functional drinks. And also so-called permissible snacks in the health space, including simple ingredient Frito-Lay and Tostitos brands that too will have no 'artificials'. The protein-drinks launch is slated for the final quarter or into the first three months of the next fiscal year, Laguarta suggested, adding: 'We will be participating in the liquid-protein space with, I think, superior propositions that have no artificials, that are great tasting, and that I think will give us the return on what is clearly a consumer trend that is scaling up in the US and it's part of the repertoire of our consumers'. Finance chief Jamie Caulfield said PepsiCo expects to deliver 70% more productivity savings in the second half than in the first six months across the group, much of which will be centred on Frito Lay because of the 'need to right-size the assets and some of the other fixed costs'. 'We're pushing on every cost lever that is available and that's what's going to drive the incremental productivity in the second half,' Caulfield said. "PepsiCo moves toward North America 'integration' in productivity drive" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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4 minutes ago
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USD sees worst start in 50 years thanks in part to Trump's tariffs — but for investors it's not all bad news
Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. The USD has dropped 10% over the last six months alone, according to the U.S. Dollar Index. This means the dollar has reached its lowest value since the Nixon years, when the price of gold was unlinked from the USD in 1973, creating a rapid decline in the dollar's value. This decline is being felt most by Americans traveling abroad. Since the dollar has dropped 13% against the euro and 6% against the Japanese yen, international travellers are experiencing the pain of an increased summer vacation budget when visiting trendy destinations like Tokyo, Rome, Paris and Barcelona. Don't miss Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) You don't have to be a millionaire to gain access to this $1B private real estate fund. In fact, you can get started with as little as $10 — here's how This time around, the sudden drop is happening partly due to President Donald Trump's recurring tariff threats creating an isolationist foreign policy, according to the New York Times. With Trump's recently passed 'big, beautiful bill' set to increase the debt by $3.4 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, inflation worries and rising government debt are also pushing the value of the dollar down further. So what does this mean for your investments? Here are four ways to protect your retirement fund when the USD takes a nosedive. Let gold work its magic Since the value of gold is no longer tied to any particular country or currency, it can be a great way to hedge against a dropping dollar. A recent report from JPMorgan notes that the current share of gold in foreign exchange (FX) reserves is 'more than double the 4% seen a decade ago,' which highlights the current bull market gold is experiencing. With prices forecast to climb toward $4,000 per ounce by mid-2026, these gold highs don't appear to be going away anytime soon. This means a percentage of assets in gold could be a solid strategy for growing your investments while the dollar is down. If you want to get some tax advantages while you're at it, one option is opening a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold. Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold. This can make them a good option if you're seeking to shield your retirement funds against a declining dollar. When you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can receive up to $10,000 in precious metals for free. Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — Invest in the housing market Real estate provides another solid option for diversifying your portfolio against market shocks. 'A weaker dollar makes U.S. real estate more attractive to foreign investors as their purchasing power increases,' noted Private Banker International during a previous dollar dip in 2023. A decrease in the dollar's purchasing power typically leads to rising inflation. While this isn't great for your pocketbook, inflation leads to real estate prices rising due to the increased cost of materials. This means rental income tends to increase, giving landlords a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation. But, if you don't want to be a landlord, there are other options for tapping into real estate as an alternative asset. One opportunity is the $34.9 trillion home equity market. Homeshares allows accredited investors who don't want the headache of buying, owning or managing property the ability to invest in hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund. With a $25,000 initial investment, Homeshares can provide an effective, hands-off way to invest in high-quality residential properties minus the stress of being a landlord. And if you're curious about short-term rental investing, but don't want the hassle of being a host, there's an easier option. Arrived offers access to shares of SEC-qualified investments in rental homes and vacation rentals, vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Backed by world class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived makes it easy to add real estate to your portfolio to protect yourself against market swings. Even better, you can get in the door with a $100 initial investment to see if Arrived is a good fit for you. Consider adding fine art to your portfolio Fine art investing can help set your portfolio up for success even when the dollar is low. Fine art is known for appreciating significantly over time. Contemporary art returns outpaced the S&P 500 by 43% from 1995 to 2024, and the total estimated global value of wealth held in art is $2.1 trillion, according to Deloitte. But the process of finding and investing in fine art can feel opaque and overwhelming. If you're not sure how to get started, Masterworks provides a simple way to bring beloved, time-tested artwork into your portfolio through the power of crowd funding. Masterworks helps you quickly tap into this asset class. All you have to do is invest in fractional shares of artwork from the likes of Picasso and Banksy. Masterworks then takes care of finding, purchasing and storing the artwork for you, making it a simple hands-off process. Then, when Masterworks sells the painting, you earn a profit. From 23 exits so far, Masterworks investors have realized representative annualized net returns like +17.6%, +17.8%, and +21.5% among assets held for longer than a year. If you're looking for a new alternative investment, see if you qualify for Masterworks today. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey invest in fine art. Why not you? See important Regulation A disclosures at Make sure to include some international investments When trust is lost in the dollar, investors often move away from U.S. stocks. 'Investors tend to invest in places where their capital is treated best,' Kristian Kerr, head of macro strategy for LPL Financial, told Investor's Business Daily. 'So, if U.S. assets start to underperform, it's likely investors will move some assets to parts of the world where they can generate better returns.' While international investments should always make up some percentage of a well-diversified portfolio, now is a good time to look at the balance you have set up between U.S. and international markets. Kerr added that some foreign investors are now 'rebalancing' their portfolio due to an 'overweight' in U.S. assets. Carrying a healthy mix of international assets can protect you when the dollar is low. But if you're not sure which international investments to add to your portfolio, you might benefit from an advisor's advice. can match you with an advisor who can help find the right portfolio mix for you. Since the platform's advisors are legally obligated to act in your best interest, you know your money is in good hands. How it works is simple — answer a few questions about yourself and your goals and will match you with a vetted financial advisor. Book a free, no-obligation call today to see if they're the right fit for you. What to read next How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you'll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement 5 simple ways to grow rich with US real estate — without the headaches of being a landlord. Start now with as little as $10 This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Financial aid only funds about 27% of US college expenses — but savvy parents are using this 3-minute move to cover 100% of those costs Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
