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U.S. President Donald Trump will visit the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday to unveil its 2025 honorees for artistic excellence and tout a major renovation as lawmakers push to rename the venue for the Republican president. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump teased the announcement, saying, “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS.” Trump also teased a physical overhaul of the center in Washington, D.C., saying he planned to restore it to the “absolutely top level of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.” No details were immediately available. Since returning to power in January, Trump has sought to put his stamp on American culture and institutions to align them closer with his political and personal preferences. His administration has ordered a review of some Smithsonian museums and exhibitions to “remove divisive or partisan narratives.” At the White House, Trump has added gold leaf to the Oval Office, paved over the Rose Garden, and embarked on plans for a $200-million ballroom. Trump did not attend events at the Kennedy Center during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second, vowing to overhaul an institution he and his “Make America Great Again” supporters view as too liberal. He pushed out its chairman in February and took on the role himself, fired its longtime president, and installed his former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, as interim president. In a post on X, the Kennedy Center said its building which opened in September 1971 would undergo renovations thanks to Trump’s advocacy aimed at restoring its “prestige and grandeur.” The arts facility also hinted at the 2025 winners: “A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House.” Republicans recently voted as part of a sweeping tax cut and spending bill to earmark $257 million for the building’s renovation, conditional on the opera house being named after first lady Melania Trump. Republican Representative Bob Onder in July introduced a bill that would rename the modernist building the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts. Trump last visited the Kennedy Center in June for a performance of “Les Miserables,” where he and his wife were met with a loud mix of boos and cheers. Ticket and subscription sales have fallen since Trump’s conservative takeover of the venue, and some shows, including the hit “Hamilton,” have canceled their engagements. Under his leadership, the center has sought to add conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ. Andrea Shalal, Reuters
Category:
E-Commerce
The world’s biggest retailer of IKEA furniture said on Wednesday CEO Jesper Brodin was stepping down after eight years, to be succeeded by Spaniard Juvencio Maeztu, the first non-Swede to lead the group. Maeztu takes the top job at Ingka Group as the Swedish retailer grapples with U.S. tariffs, wars and geopolitical tensions that risk disrupting its operations spanning 31 countries from Europe to China, India and the United States. Brodin, CEO since 2017, said his decision to step down was not easy, but that it was the right time to do so. Maeztu is to start in the new role by November 5, with Brodin staying at the company until the end of February to ease the transition. Deputy CEO and chief financial officer since 2018, Maeztu, 57, started at IKEA in 2001 as manager of the Alcorcon store in Madrid, later managing the Wembley store in London, before a six-year stint as CEO of IKEA India. “We’ve been riding through quite some storms together pandemic, geopolitical issues, war, etcetera,” Brodin, 56, told Reuters. “So in a way I feel proud of the things we have achieved but also super confident that the IKEA house is in good order and we’ll be able to take off for the future with Juvencio.” Under Brodin, Ingka Group invested heavily to improve online shopping for IKEA, driving the retailer’s online sales up. Ingka also set new emissions reduction targets and reported in January that emissions fell by 30.1% from its 2016 baseline. Brodin said the appointment of Maeztu, who grew up in Cadiz and does not speak Swedish, shows IKEA’s global culture works. The incoming CEO is setting off on a “listening tour” of its big blue stores around the world, starting in Asia, as he builds his strategy to grow the company which last year reported weaker net profit and revenue after slashing prices. “I am fully determined to make IKEA grow and to really be relevant for many millions more consumers around the world,” Maeztu told Reuters. He has said tariffs make it harder for IKEA to keep prices low. Privately-held Ingka Group will report sales figures in mid-October for its financial year ending August 31. As the biggest franchisee, Ingka sells IKEA products manufactured by brand owner and franchiser Inter IKEA. Helen Reid, Reuters
Category:
E-Commerce
Another highly anticipated IPOs is happening today. Cryptocurrency trading platform Bullish is expected to make its debut on the stock market. Already, its stocks initial public offering price has been revised up multiple times, suggesting a healthy appetite for shares. However, only time will tell if its IPO will end up going the way of Circle or eToro, two other crypto-related companies that went public in recent months. Heres what you need to know about Bullishs IPO. What is Bullish? Founded in 2021, Bullish is a cryptocurrency exchange that focuses on spot and derivatives trading. Its CEO is Thomas Farley, who was previously the president of the NYSE Group, which operates the New York Stock Exchange. Bullish received an early investment from VC heavyweight Peter Thiel. The company says it has more than 275 employees. For its most recent quarter, which was its Q1 2025 period, Bullish says it had $647 billion in total spot volume, according to its Form F-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Additionally, Bullish says it had $111 billion in total perpetual futures volume for the quarter. The company said its average daily volume totals around $2.6 billion, and that trading volume for Q1 2025 was up 78% versus the same quarter a year earlier. However, Bullish isnt only a crypto exchange. In 2023, the company purchased the crypto media outlet CoinDesk from the Digital Currency Group. CoinDesk, according to Bullish, now has 48 million unique visitors annually. It also receives more than 600 million monthly API calls to its CoinDesk Data offerings. Bullish IPO share price rises yet again One already notable thing about Bullishs IPO is that ever since the company announced its intention to go public, its estimated IPO share price has continually risen. As Fast Company reported yesterday, Bullish initially said its shares would be offered for $28 to $31 each. But on Monday, the company upped its estimated initial share price to between $32 and $33 each. That estimated initial share price was again revised upwards later in the day yesterday, to its final IPO offering price of $37 per share. In addition to its increased IPO price, Bullish also raised the number of shares it offered in its IPO. Initially, Bullish said it would issue 20.3 million shares in its IPO. Its final share issue was nearly 50% higher, at 30 million shares. In its Form F-1 filed with the SEC, Bullish says its plans to use the proceeds from its IPO for general corporate and working capital purposes, including funding potential future acquisitions. When is Bullishs IPO? Bullish priced its shares yesterday and is expected to begin trading today: Wednesday, August 13, 2025. What is Bullishs stock ticker? Bullishs stock will trade under the ticker BLSH. What exchange will Bullish shares trade on? Bullish shares will trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). What is the IPO share price of BLSH? Bullishs IPO price is $37 per share. As previously noted, thats a significant increase from the $28 to $31 price range that Bullish shares were forecast initially to begin trading at. Its also higher than BLSHs revised expected range of between $32 and $33 each. The fact that BLSH shares have been continually revised upwards suggests there is strong interest in the stock. How many BLSH shares are available in its IPO? In the companys latest press release on the matter, Bullish announced that it is offering 30,000,000 ordinary shares in its IPO. How much did Bullish raise in its IPO? With 30 million shares sold at $37 each, it means that Bullish raised approximately $1.11 billion from its IPO. How much is Bullish worth? Bullish is now valued at around $5.4 billion, according to Reuters. How have other crypto IPOs done this year? Bullishs IPO will be closely watched today as its performance will be used to judge investor confidence in other potential cryptocurrency-related IPOs. In general, investors have been more bullish (no pun intended) on cryptocurrencies and crypto-related companies since President Donald Trump took office. Trumps administration is seen as being much more friendly to the crypto industry, and it has passed significant laws giving clarity to the regulations surrounding the industry. When it comes to IPOs, this crypto-friendly climate has perhaps benefited no other company more than Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL), an issuer of stablecoins. Since CRCL shares went public in early June, they have surged more than 400% as of yesterdays close (at one point, they were up more than 750%). However, while Circle shares have surged, another crypto company has seen less stellar results since its IPO. In May, crypto trading platform eToro Group Ltd. (Nasdaq: ETOR) went public. But according to Yahoo Finance data, as of yesterdays market close, ETOR shares have lost 2.4% of their value since its IPO. Many on Wall Street will be eagerly watching Bullishs stock price over the next several weeks to see if it will follow in the footsteps of Circle or eToroor somewhere in between.
Category:
E-Commerce
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