Unmasking the Mysterious Money Maze of Hamas

Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is stirring the Middle East pot yet again.

Using a kaleidoscope of resources, Hamas funnels its funds from friendly nations and charities, maneuvering through the Gaza tunnels like a well-practiced mole.

Not to forget the crypto cash-flow, deftly bypassing international sanctions.

These fiscal shenanigans are not going unnoticed. The group's recent rampage in Israel, claiming 1500 lives, has sparked the heaviest Israeli bombardment in 75 years.

Israeli police have spotted and frozen a Barclays bank account tied to Hamas fundraising.

Matthew Levitt, former U.S. counterterrorism official, estimates over $300 million of Hamas budget comes from taxes and funding from Iran, Qatar, and a plethora of charities.

Even as the group steps back from crypto after a string of losses, it certainly can't deny it's been a successful fundraising venture. Following a spate of violence in May 2021, Hamas-controlled crypto addresses raked in more than $400,000!

Though Israeli efforts in freezing accounts are commendable, Hamas's allies still find a way, with Iran reportedly providing up to $100 million annually to Palestinian groups including Hamas, through shell companies, shipping transactions, and precious metals.

Anybody else thinks that Hamas, Gaza's defacto government, could use their Billion dollar budget to help their own innocent citizens instead of spending it in weapons and terror training?

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Rite Aid Crashes into Bankruptcy

Rite Aid has joined the growing list of U.S. companies forced into bankruptcy due to the weight of lawsuits alleging their role in fueling the opioid epidemic.

Opioids have been a central player in over a million deaths since 1999, and companies that downplayed their risks face over $50 billion in settlements.

Joining the ranks of Mallinckrodt, Endo International, and Purdue Pharma, Rite Aid plans to close underperforming stores and has secured a $3.45 billion safety net from lenders to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings.

Isn't it peculiar that dope peddlers get year in jail and opioid dealers get $3 billion safety nets? The moral of the story might be that if you decide to push drugs, you better be wearing a white coat, or else ...

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Micro-IPOs: The Dream Crushers and Banker’s Treasure Chest

Venturing into the public market was once a dream of Actelis Networks, a Bay Area broadband company.

However, their stock price was below the $4 per share required by Nasdaq. In response, they performed a reverse split, merging 46 shares into a single $4 share.

With their stock plunging 95% after just 17 months, Actelis' tale is a stark warning of the perils faced by 'microcap' companies with a stock value less than $300 million.

Astoundingly, OTC Markets Group's research reveals that an average microcap IPO in 2022 saw its share value tumble 65% by August 2023, making retail investors the true losers.

Meanwhile, investment bankers are pocketing millions, like Boustead Securities that scored a $5.2 million windfall from Actelis' IPO.

If you're a retail investor with a penchant for risky ventures, remember that bankers are selling the sizzle and not the stake.

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Remote Working Gets a Cold Shoulder

Despite the freedom of wearing pajamas during Zoom meetings, it seems the tide is turning back to office cubicles.

The recent data has punched remote working in the gut, slumping from an early-2021 high of 40% to a lowly 26%.

Fewer than 26% of US households now have a telecommuter among them, and only in seven states and Washington, DC, does remote working remain a popular affair.

Once a bustling beehive of teleworkers, 31 states along with DC are making a beeline back to the office halls in the post-pandemic world.

Tech companies, which pioneered remote work continue with more rounds of layoffs. This time, LinkedIn slashed 668 roles across its engineering, product, talent, and finance teams.

Swivel your desk chairs, polish those coffee mugs, and get ready to decode the office politics again, it appears the biggest casualty of the pandemic could be the beloved home-office setup.

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