—— Apollo and Blackstone Eye SVB Assets; U.S. Core CPI Rises Above Forecast; U.S. Job Posting Transparency Improves Sharply; Saudi Orders $37 Billion in Boeing Jets; Meta Lays Off Another 10,000; U.S. Egg Prices Finally Drop; Bitcoin Surges Past $26,000
1. Apollo and Blackstone Eye SVB Assets
Sources revealed that private equity giants Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Inc. are interested in acquiring parts of the loan book from the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).
As of December 31, 2022, SVB held $73.6 billion in loans. It’s unclear how much of this the firms will acquire; Blackstone may also purchase non-loan assets.
SVB had $209 billion in total assets at the end of last year, including over $175 billion in client deposits and a range of discounted venture loans and long-term bonds.
Insiders believe the bank run wasn’t caused by asset quality issues, making these holdings appealing to buyers.
Last weekend, the FDIC held an auction for SVB, but no winning bidder emerged.
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2. U.S. Core CPI Rises Above Forecast
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, core CPI—which excludes food and energy—rose 0.5% month-over-month and 5.5% year-over-year in February, topping economists’ 0.4% forecast.
Core CPI is widely considered a more accurate reflection of inflation. The stronger-than-expected figure highlights the Fed’s difficult path ahead—especially as banking sector stress complicates its policy response.
Just a week before SVB’s collapse, the Fed had considered increasing its pace of rate hikes. Now, most economists expect the central bank to slow or pause tightening.
Following SVB’s failure, the Fed must weigh the risks of further hikes more carefully.
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3. U.S. Job Posting Transparency Improves Sharply
According to a new report by salary data firm Comprehensive.io, nearly 75% of job listings in New York City and two-thirds in California now disclose salary ranges.
Across the U.S., 44% of job posts on Indeed now include salary information—up 18 percentage points from three years ago. Indeed economist Cory Stahle called the transparency progress remarkable.
California and NYC have pushed for greater pay transparency in recent years, and more employers are voluntarily complying. Major firms such as Microsoft, Citigroup, and Google say they support disclosure even without mandates.
States like Illinois, Oregon, and Kentucky are also considering mandatory salary disclosure laws.
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4. Saudi Orders $37 Billion in Boeing Jets
Sources said Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund plans to order up to 121 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman aims to launch a new national airline, Riyadh Air, to compete with Emirates and Qatar Airways.
The total deal value could reach $37 billion. Boeing CEO David Calhoun is expected to formally announce the agreement.
The U.S. Commerce Department estimates the deal will support 1 million jobs across the supply chain in 44 states—including 150,000 manufacturing jobs.
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5. Meta Lays Off Another 10,000
Today, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a blog post that the company will cut another 10,000 employees—its second major layoff in four months.
In addition, Meta will shut down low-priority projects, slow hiring, and cancel 5,000 open roles. HR, communications, and marketing teams will be most affected.
Several senior executives have recently resigned, including VP of sales Nada Stirratt and COO Marne Levine, highlighting internal instability.
Zuckerberg said last year’s economic reversal was a wake-up call and that the company must prepare for a prolonged downturn.
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6. U.S. Egg Prices Finally Drop
New U.S. Labor Department data show that egg prices fell 6.7% month-over-month in February—the first decline in five months.
Last year, the U.S. experienced its worst bird flu outbreak on record, affecting millions of poultry and driving egg prices to historic highs.
Besides eggs, prices for oranges and bacon also dropped, reducing the cost of a classic American breakfast.
February’s food CPI rose 0.4% overall, with prices for bread, beef, ham, potatoes, and frozen vegetables still climbing.
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7. Bitcoin Surges Past $26,000
Since the March 10 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Bitcoin has jumped 30% to $26,510—its highest level since June 2022.
According to crypto derivatives data provider Coinglass, $230 million in short positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours.
City Index analyst Fiona Cincotta noted that despite financial chaos, rising distrust in traditional banks is pushing investors toward crypto.
Bitcoin has now broken above its 200-day moving average—if sustained, it could signal the start of a bull market.
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This content is sourced from Financial Times, Bloomberg, and The Real Deal, among other financial news outlets.