In finance news, today I volunteered with a cohort of Morgan Stanley employees as part of the company’s mission to #GiveBack to communities around the globe. We rolled up our sleeves and served a delicious subsidized Father’s Day lunch to 150 seniors at the United Jewish Council social services agency on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Our smiles hardly capture the ineffable satisfaction we gained from stepping away from our desks to engage with a local needy community. While our few hours is a drop in the bucket, when you add up the thousands of hours contributed by employees globally, being part of that aggregate is a real point of pride. #MSGivesBack #613 #mitzvahday
4-June-2019
On the US markets, the ride sharing market is abuzz as competitors UBER and LYFT face off in their first weeks as public companies. Uber’s poor Q1 earnings prompted a frenzy of responses from early investors, who were quick to point fingers at the company for going public at too high a price tag. Uber is fighting a public relations war stemming from recent safety concerns, hoping that positive advertising and marketing promos can buoy its stock price and declining market cap. Still, as investors worry about the profitability of the company, equity analysts industrywide are recommending that Wall Street buy the stock over its smaller competitor LYFT.
On the home front, the US and China are smack in middle of a rampant trade war, as each slams the other with high tariffs. This has so adversely affected American farmers that Trump is supplementing their income in the billions of dollars.
Trump is also dangling purse strings in front of Mexico, threatening to impose a 5% import tax if the nation doesn’t tighten its border. In response, Mexico has been detaining and deporting thousands of migrants in an effort to pacify Trump.
In Esti news, I have learned the word for watermelon in Italian, anguria, 🍉 not to be confused with anguilla (eel).
2-24-2019
In world news, Venezuela is in the spotlight as a riches-to-rags story. The country has spiraled into an insurmountable humanitarian crisis. Its economy is imploding as inflation skyrockets and hunger and disease plague its citizens. The morbidity rate among newborn children rivals that of Syria. 90% of the country lives in poverty. This is a regional crisis, and neighboring Latin American countries struggle with absorbing refugees in search of a better life. Millions have escaped to Columbia, Peru, North America and Europe.
How did this unravel? Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez came to power in the late 90s and aimed to fight poverty, but ended up milking the oil cash cow to gain at the expense of Venezuelan economic security. The administration adopted social programs where the state owned the oil companies and production, and used its soaring oil as collateral to borrow from foreign countries. But it had no reserves, instead spending their money without considering the future. Chavez mismanaged the cash cow, and ran oil to the ground.
When countries stopped lending to Venezuela, its capital markets dried up, and the Venezuelan economy plummeted along with oil prices.
Venezuela could no longer buy food and medicine imports, and could not repay its 150B in debt. Venezuela is playing a blame game with the US, which has imposed sanctions against the country for its mistreatment of its citizens.
In Esti news, word games are my thing….
2-19-19
In world news, Karl Lagerfeld, creative designer at Chanel and Fendi fashion houses, has died at the age of 85. Lagerfeld, with his iconic silver hair and jet black sunglasses, is a global fashion symbol, often seen clad in black and white.
On the home front, Walmart investors bullish on the company responded with glee to Q4 earnings. Earnings reports showed the wholesaler posted 43% sales growth from the prior quarter, thanks in part to online grocery shopping. With its growing selection of online services, Walmart is gaining a well-deserved spot at the table as a nascent competitor to Amazon Prime and Google Express.
In the news with #estihana, today the sun glistened so brilliantly, creating a photo opportunity of the cityscape from 40 floors above sea level.
1-1-2019
E gia, siamo gia qui! Il mondo è caduto a pezzi e diventato un anno nuovo, e vi scrivo da mondo mio….
Per quelli voi che vi ricordate le carte di ‘Continuare a Sorridere,’ vi prego di sapere che rimangono solo quattro nel mio portafoglio. In quest’anno mi sono riuscito a dare ventuno carte a ventuno persone a NYC, a lavoro, in Israele, in Italia! E invece ho raccolto ventuno grandi sorrisi in tutto il mondo.
Ieri sera quando era zero gradi ho deciso senza motivo logico di allenarsi fuori. Così. Sotto il cielo scuro di notte con la luna mezza piena. La prima istante sembrava come qualcuno mi ha tirato l’acqua alla gola. Avevo freddissimissimo. E poi all’improvviso, dopo cinque minuti, ho cominciato a sudare, a sudare sotto il sole che non c’era. E mi sono reso conto che anche se è meglio non riscaldare le minestre, il freddo posso scaldare con il solare, e che un giorno freddissimo può diventare più solare.
Questo mi ha fatto sorridere.
E gia – a casa mia siamo pronti per te con sorrisi! Buon anno.
11-21-2018
On the markets, Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN $1,516) is still treading upward, up 27% from Jan of this year. With the late announcement of Amazon’s new headquarters in NYC and Arlington, Virginia, the two cities are primed to enjoy a bounty of benefits. In exchange for billions in tax abatements, Amazon promises to create a combined 50,000 jobs for the cities. Half of those will be in tech, and half in custodial and admin positions. The company is said to be focused on bringing fulfillment costs down, while maintaining impressive sales growth.
On the home front, Thanksgiving is upon us and we segue into ‘thankful’ mode.I am thankful that I have turned freezing temperatures and howling winds into bygone enemies. I’m living my best winter yet clad in my #RQLFurs parka. The coolest thing is that it’s custom made!!! I got to design it myself – the interior, exterior, cuffs, and hood. It is fashion-forward, uber-warm, and super sleek. One does not wear this coat without donning celebrity status along with it…. When you see me promenading all over Manhattan in my fur, be sure to wave hello!
You too can become a celeb. Join the club @RQLfurs (Instagram).
#womeninbusiness #womensupportingwomen
In the news with #estihana
11-4-18
On the home front, we’re gearing up for the midterms on Tuesday. A highly polarized nation will set out to the polls on Election Day, some with the intent of handing Congress over to the Democrats and others fighting tooth and nail to keep it in Republican hands. In the midterms, we’re assigning place cards to empty seats in the House and 1/3 of the Senate, and choosing a city mayor, etc.
In NYC news, the NYC TCS Marathon took place this Sunday, beginning in the forgotten fifth borough of Staten Island, snaking through Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and ending in Manhattan’s Central Park. A 28-yo Ethiopian man won 1st place at 2:05:59. A Kenyan woman won’s the Women’s Division at 2:22:48.
In Esti news I am so proud of my colleague, friend and working super-mama @mariiiamalave who crossed the finish line today!!!!!!!!!!! Her resilience, ability and motivation are unbelievably inspiring 🙌🗽
in the news with www.estihana.wordpress.com
8-26-18
On the home front, Hawaii was hit by a hurricane-turned-tropical-storm this past weekend, suffering flood damage and 150mph winds. The islands are recovering.
In the political world, John McCain has died. He served six terms as US senator and ran for US president under the Republican Party.
In NYC, remember to stay hydrated, stay smart and stay polished 🤩
8-19-18
In Esti news….
Ho delle belle notizie nel mondo mio! Fin’ora ho scritto solamente in Inglese ma basta, ormai proverò qui a scrivere in Italiano. Allora! Sono super contenta di farvi sapere che ho preso 25 cartoline piccole di “Continuare a Sorridere,” a gratis, del sito web www.thedailysmile.com.
Il sito offra le cartoline in 27 lingue, ma poiché già ne ho uno in ebraico sul mio desk a lavoro, ho scelto l’italiano. Sulla cartolina c’è scritto alcune frase del valore di un sorriso in un modo molto creativo e simpatico. Un idea semplice ma efficace! Sai perché? Che appena ho dato cinque cartoline a cinque persone e invece ho raccolto cinque sorrise!
Non sai quando incontrerai qualcuno che ha bisogno di un sorriso – a lavoro, sulla strada, e magari ad una cena di Shabbat, quindi metto due o tre nel mio portafoglio, cosi sono pronta sempre a dare a qualcuno….Se conosci qualcuno che manca un sorriso, mettici in contatto 
🙂
Continuare a sorridere, amici!
8-8-18
In finance news, Elon Musk has been taking his “private” thoughts to Twitter, tweeting of his plans to take Tesla private at 420/share. TSLA (NASDAQ) closed at $370.34 today, so 420 is quite a jump (and may put short-sellers up the creek). It values Tesla at 71B, requiring the largest leverage buyout in history. An LBO is what private equity firms use to “buy out” companies, “leveraging” the billion dollar purchase with debt, on top of equity. The buyer expects that their return on the acquisition will outweigh the interest they pay on the debt financing, turning them a handsome profit. But without a hard confirm, Tesla stock still has time to fluctuate–and time will tell which investment firm will be financing the deal.
In the news with #estihana
