Peter Russell

Jamie Dimon sees ‘storm clouds’ ahead for U.S. economy later this year

The risk that the Federal Reserve accidentally tips the U.S. economy into recession as it combats inflation is rising, according to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
“I’m simply pointing out that those are storm clouds on the horizon that may disappear, they may not,” Dimon said.
In the event that a recession does develop, the bank would “have to put up a lot more” for loan loss reserves, Dimon told reporters.

Google employees bombard execs with questions about pay at recent all-hands meeting

Following an employee survey that showed Google staffers are increasingly unhappy about pay, executives were hit with a barrage of questions on the topic.
“It’s a very competitive market,” said Bret Hill, Google’s compensation and rewards head.
CEO Sundar Pichai told employees that executives are discussing changes to their long-held pay assessments.

Chinese EV maker XPeng leads investment in $200 million fund focused on ‘frontier technology’

XPeng said Thursday it led an investment into a new $200 million fund along with high-profile venture capital players like Sequoia China and GGV Capital.
Rockets Capital will focus on “venture and growth stage investments in Smart EV industry value chain, clean energy, and frontier technology areas.”
The fund has already “entered into agreements” to invest in companies, XPeng said without disclosing any names.

Rocket builder Firefly aiming for second launch attempt in May, raises $75 million

Firefly Aerospace aims to make its second attempt to reach orbit with its Alpha rocket in the coming weeks, having received government approval to resume launch operations.
Private equity firm AE Industrial Partners last month acquired stake in Firefly from a fund run by Ukrainian entrepreneur Max Polyakov, who came under scrutiny for national security concerns.
Firefly also closed a $75 million fundraise led by AE Industrial Partners, which Markusic says means the company’s broader growth plan is “fully funded.”