AUCKLAND, New Zealand — On the eve of the Women’s World Cup, U.S. Soccer has extended its partnership with Visa for the next five years.
As part of the agreement announced Tuesday, Visa
V,
again vowed that 50% of investment will go towards programs surrounding the U.S. women’s national team and women’s soccer initiatives.
The deal ensures Visa’s ongoing involvement in the SheBelieves Cup international tournament in the United States each year. The financial services company is the tournament’s presenting sponsor.
“It’s very aligned with our focus on sports but more importantly, with our focus on women and ensuring that women really do get equality,” said Mary Ann Reilly, head of North America marketing for Visa.
The sponsorship also comes as the United States is set to host the 2026 men’s World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
“We’ve actually done more with the U.S. women’s team from a SheBelieves Cup perspective, but I think it’s a huge opportunity for U.S. soccer,” Reilly said about the 2026 World Cup. “As a mom who has a daughter who played competitive soccer, it’s a game that has not really reached the heights that it has in other countries, and I think it really has the potential to do so. So we’re really excited to help to bring the World Cup to the U.S. and North America.”
When a U.S. player wins a Player of the Match award at the Women’s World Cup, Visa will award a grant to small businesses owned by women in the athlete’s hometown or market. The grant fund is $500,000.
The tournament, hosted by New Zealand and Australia, kicks off on Thursday. The U.S. women are vying for their third-straight title. Visa is also a global partner of the Women’s World Cup.
Other aspects of the sponsorship include fan experiences around U.S. Soccer matches and collaborations with women-owned companies.
In addition to its role as presenting sponsor, Visa also sponsors the SheBelieves Cup MVP award. The company has pledged a $25,000 grant to a women-owned business on behalf of the winning player.
By River Davis
Honda Motor Co. is betting that the spread of hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles in the U.S. and China will help it turn a profit in a new business selling fuel-cell systems.
Honda said Thursday that it plans to begin selling fuel-cell systems–modules that make electricity to power a motor from hydrogen and air–in the mid-2020s. It targets sales of 60,000 units of the system in 2030, a level by which Senior Managing Executive Officer Shinji Aoyama said the business should be able to turn a profit.
At that scale, “it’s like counting one’s chickens before they’ve hatched, but I believe it will be commercially viable,” Mr. Aoyama said, speaking at a roundtable in Tokyo on Thursday.
High costs and limited charging infrastructure have thus far inhibited wide uptake of hydrogen-powered sedans such as Toyota Motor Corp.’s Mirai and Honda’s Clarity. Mr. Aoyama said he sees fuel-cell passenger cars playing a minor role in Honda’s 2040 zero-emission vehicle lineup.
Compared with batteries, fuel cells have higher energy density by weight and are viewed by some as a better option for powering commercial vehicles, which are heavy and travel long distances. With regard to Honda’s fuel-cell systems, “commercial trucks will be at the center, in terms of regions in America and China,” Mr. Aoyama said.
Write to River Davis at River.Davis@wsj.com
By Robb M. Stewart
OTTAWA–New-house prices in Canada are projected to be muted this year after holding steady in December following three straight months of declines.
Elevated mortgage rates in the country, and the risk of further increases in 2023, coupled with a fall in lumber prices should continue to cool prices for new houses, at least during the first half of the year, Statistics Canada said Monday.
New-home prices rose 7.7% nationally in 2022–with a fall toward the end of the year as a jump in mortgage rates following a string of central bank policy-rate increases curbed demand–cooling from growth of 10.3% in 2021, the data agency said.
Statistics Canada’s new-house price index was unchanged in December from the month before, and was up 3.9% from a year earlier. Prices declined 0.4% from July to December after rising early in the year, the agency said.
A big driver of economic growth in 2021, Canada’s housing market cooled last year as the Bank of Canada drove one of the most aggressive rate-rising campaigns among developed-world central banks in an effort to tackle inflation. The bank raised its main interest rate by 4 percentage points over the course of the year to 4.25%, the highest level in almost 15 years, but has signaled it is at or near the end of its tightening campaign. The bank is set to decide monetary policy on Wednesday, and most economists forecast a further one-quarter percentage point increase.
Last week, the Canadian Real Estate Association said sales of existing homes edged 1.3% higher in December from the previous month, but remained sharply below the level of sales recorded a year earlier, while new listings were down 5.7% for the month. The association projected the number of properties that trade hands in 2023 will slip by 0.5% after a drop of about 25% in 2022, while average prices are expected to fall 5.9% after rising 2.4% last year.
Statistics Canada said lower softwood lumber prices, which were down 57.3% in December from a high in March, and higher mortgage rates are expected to weigh on new home prices this year. However, as mortgage rates stabilize and uncertainty in markets calms, housing demand and prices should edge up in the latter half of 2023. This and other factors, including increased immigration targets for Canada and continued inter-provincial migration, could lead to price increases for new homes, it said.
The new-house price data from Statistics Canada covers single-dwelling, semi-detached and row houses. It doesn’t incorporate prices for newly built condominium units.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com
By Robb M. Stewart
Canada is paving the way to become a launching pad for commercial space flights, with plans by Ottawa to establish regulations aimed at supporting launches by private entities.
The move promises to better position Canada to tap into increase in money that has poured into the space sector in recent years, as a number of countries have increased their level of space activity to join or take on industry titans like the U.S.
The federal government said Friday that while Canada is well positioned to support space launches, the regulatory framework needs to be modernized and a number of measures are planned to support commercial launch activities.
In the interim, the government said it plans to allow commercial space launches in Canada under existing legislation and regulations, on a case-by-case basis. During this period, which is expected to last three years, Transport Canada intends to work with other federal departments and agencies to develop regulatory requirements, safety standards and licensing conditions needed for commercial space launches in the country.
The government said the transportation department also will establish an interdepartmental review process to ensure any launch is considered and approved in a way consistent with domestic legislation, international treaties, and national security and foreign policy interests.
“A long-term Canadian commercial space launch regulatory framework is key to maintaining Canada’s leading role in outer space exploration and development and represents an important evolution in Canada’s space activities,” said Annie Koutrakis, parliamentary secretary to the minister of transport. “Canadian space launch capability will create lasting economic opportunity for the Canadian space sector, encourage innovation and research, and support national security.”
Since the early 1980s, nine Canadian Space Agency astronauts have flown to space 17 times. The government said that in 2020, the Canadian aerospace industry contributed more than $16 billion and close to 207,000 jobs to the country’s economy.
In a report released Friday, McKinsey & Co. said the space sector has experienced massive growth in investment, with public and private markets globally injecting $10 billion in fresh capital into space companies in 2021, compared with $300 million a decade earlier. And while the U.S. remains in the lead for funding, with a civil space budget that represents more than 40% of the worldwide total, many countries are raising their level of space activity and about 70 have established national space agencies, the consulting firm said.
A first attempt to launch satellites from British soil reached space earlier this month, though fell short of reaching its target orbit. In November, India tested its first privately developed rocket with a suborbital launch that was a step forward in its efforts to develop a commercial space industry.
Maritime Launch Services Inc., which is developing a launch site in the eastern province of Nova Scotia that will provide satellite delivery services to clients, welcomed Canada’s support for commercial launch activities.
“With today’s announcement, the global space industry can be confident that commercial launch in Canada is not only here, but it has this government’s support,” Maritime Launch Chief Executive Stephen Matier said.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com
By Anthony O. Goriainoff
Gateley (Holdings) PLC said Wednesday that pretax profit rose for the first half of fiscal 2023 as revenue from its consultancy services grew, but flagged a more challenging second half.
The legal and professional services group said for the six months ended Oct. 31 pretax profit was 8 million pounds ($9.8 million) compared with a pretax profit of GBP7.3 million for the first half of fiscal 2022.
Revenue rose to GBP76.1 million from GBP62.3 million in the year-prior period. The company said revenue from consultancy services grew substantially to GBP18.2 million from GBP8.9 million the year before.
The board proposed an interim dividend of 3.3 pence a share, up from 3.0 pence a share in the year-prior.
The company said that although it has started seeing transactional activity levels being slightly reduced from the unprecedented highs of fiscal 2022 and the first half of fiscal 2023, “we are also seeing revenues beginning to pivot towards some of our more counter-cyclical lines.”
“Growing, diversified and resilient business model, combined with a strong first half fiscal 2023 performance, leaves the group well-placed to navigate the more challenging economic environment that is beginning to emerge in the second half of the financial year,” the company said.
Shares at 0805 GMT were up 3 pence, or 1.6%, at 192 pence.
Write to Anthony O. Goriainoff at anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com
Dear MarketWatch,
I’m from New Jersey. My daughter and I are looking to invest in a multi-family unit for our family. I’m retired and live in a luxury apartment paying $2,000 a month for rent, soon to increase to $2,200.
My daughter is a homeowner and her property currently has $75,000 to $100,000 in equity.
We would like to know if it would make sense for my daughter to sell her home (she would make at least $75,000 at the rates homes are selling in her area), and we move together into a rental home for $3,300 a month, and plan to wait a year for the housing prices to go down before purchasing a multi-family?
Thank you.
Timing the market
‘The Big Move’ is a MarketWatch column looking at the ins and outs of real estate, from navigating the search for a new home to applying for a mortgage.
Do you have a question about buying or selling a home? Do you want to know where your next move should be? Email Aarthi Swaminathan at TheBigMove@marketwatch.com.
Dear Timing,
Given the headwinds in the housing market right now, I’d say, go for it: Sell now, and slowly start looking for a home to buy.
As a buyer, the environment isn’t great. The number of homes for sale is low, as homeowners are locked in to ultra-low mortgage rates. They’re not going to give that up easily, so you have few options. That will also keep prices relatively high in New Jersey.
Plus, mortgage rates are still above 6% still, which means you’re gonna have to budget for higher monthly payments.
Interest rates may fall this year. “I think 2023 will be a year of volatility. The economy is already performing better than many expected, which is giving the Fed less of an incentive to cut rates,” Mohannad Aama, a portfolio manager at Beam Capital, recently told MarketWatch.
But as a seller, this same environment presents a great opportunity.
“We have an extreme lack of inventory that is causing the market to favor sellers at almost every price point,” Melissa Rubenstein, a Realtor for Christie’s Real Estate New Jersey, told MarketWatch.
“‘We have an extreme lack of inventory that is causing the market to favor sellers at almost every price point.’”
But do adjust your expectations. The house may not fetch the price you both have in mind. According to one study by Wharton, some homeowners list their home prices higher than the market rate. As a result, homes stay on the market longer and, as the Wharton report notes, listing a house at above the market rate creates a “psychological dependence on the original purchase price [and] generates an aversion to losses that is 2.5 times larger than the prospect of gains.”
Timing the sale before the spring may work out for you. Spring is generally the start of the home-shopping season.
“I would take advantage of that situation and get the most money possible for your daughter’s home before any rush of inventory in the spring,” Rubenstein added.
So yes, it may make sense to move ASAP on selling the home. But wait before you buy, either for rates or prices to drop, or inventory to rise.
Plus, homeowners are starting to turn to the rental market for cash flow, so you may actually get a discount on rents too, in New Jersey.
But be warned: There are no guarantees when trying to time the market.
By emailing your questions, you agree to having them published anonymously on MarketWatch. By submitting your story to Dow Jones & Company, the publisher of MarketWatch, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
By Joe Hoppe
Braveheart Investment Group PLC shares fell Tuesday after it said that portfolio company Phasefocus Holdings Ltd.’s 2022 sales were lower than forecast.
Shares at 0816 GMT were down 1.75 pence, or 18% at 7.75 pence.
The London-listed investment company–which holds 44.69% of Phasefocus–said that since its interim results in October, Phasefocus has increased its stock holding of critical components to provide customers with shorter lead times. However, due to the loss of Cytena as lead distributor, sales in 2022 missed forecasts.
Phasefocus is now marketing and selling in the E.U. and U.S. directly and has already developed a promising pipeline of sales, Braveheart said. The company said it remains optimistic about Phasefocus’s future prospects and intends to participate in a proposed further funding round of 300,000 pounds ($365,550).
Braveheart also said that wholly-owned portfolio company Paraytec Ltd.’s clinical study to develop rapid tests continues to recruit participants, running alongside the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust existing drive-through coronavirus test service. However, the program has recently experienced further delays due to a shortage of available NHS staff to collect additional swab specimens for analysis, and initial test results are now expected in February.
“The commercial justification for the second phase, a longitudinal study, will then be determined after consideration of the prevailing coronavirus test market,” Braveheart said.
Write to Joe Hoppe at joseph.hoppe@wsj.com
By Will Feuer
Commercial Metals Co. posted higher profit for the fiscal first quarter as the company said it saw signs that some cost pressures peaked in the quarter.
The steelmaker reported net income of $261.8 million, or $2.20 a share, for the three months ended Nov. 30, up from $232.9 million, or $1.90 a share, in the same period a year earlier.
Stripping out costs associated with pre-commissioning activities at its Arizona 2 micro mill project, adjusted earnings came to $2.24 a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected adjusted earnings of $1.90 a share.
Sales rose to $2.23 billion from $1.98 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had been looking for $2.13 billion in revenue.
In North America, controllable costs per ton of finished steel were relatively flat from the prior quarter but remained higher than a year ago, mostly due to higher costs tied to energy, alloys and freight. The company signs emerged during the recently ended quarter that costs for certain consumables, like electricity and alloys, may have peaked.
The average selling price for steel products rose in North America from the prior quarter, while the cost of scrap fell, helping boost steel products margin over scrap.
Commercial Metals said downstream bid volumes, which are representative of the construction project pipeline, improved from a year ago, while demand from industrial end markets held stable from both a year ago and the prior quarter.
Write to Will Feuer at Will.Feuer@wsj.com
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‘My son is not careful with money’: I want to rescue him from his ‘tiny’ 800-square-foot apartment. Should I buy him a home, and have him sign a promissory note?
I have an adult son who is 27 years old and works in the tech industry. I love my son, but he is not disciplined when it comes to money. He has been living in an 800-square-foot apartment in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. Buying a place on his own is out of the question given his salary, current property prices and rising interest rates.
My solution to rescue my son from his tiny apartment is to buy a house for him. He is not married. I want him to sign a promissory note and pay me back interest-free over the next 20 years. I want to somehow insert this promissory notice into the title so that he will not be able to sell the house without my consent. Also, if he does not keep up with his payments I will have recourse to take action. I am 99.99% sure that all my concerns will end up groundless, but I want to have this in writing to be sure.
“‘I am 99.99% sure that all my concerns will end up groundless, but I want to have this in writing to be sure.’”
His monthly payments will be important but not critical to my daily life. I have more than enough money to cover my expenses, but it is important for me not to create an opportunity — even to the most innocent mind — for doing something silly. I want to be fair to my son, who has been a very good kid, but I do not want to compromise too much during my own retirement years. I have been working since I was 14 years of age (I’m now over 65), and I recently retired comfortably.
Is this a good plan? Should I proceed with it? Is such a promissory note sufficient, and can that be inserted into the title in the same way a lien works? My son is not careful with money. I hope that this process teaches him a bit of financial responsibility and that his quality of life improves significantly. That is my main objective.
Please let me know what you think.
Loving Father
Dear Father,
For many young people living in big cities in 2023, an 800-square-foot apartment would be an absolute luxury.
It’s safest to make financial decisions with a cool head and a steely resolve. Of course you love your son, but you should not allow emotion to rule your finances. This will be one of the biggest purchases — if not the biggest — you make in your lifetime, and you will be relying on a third party to pay the bills. Seek legal and financial advice before promising anything.
You would need to arrange — with a real-estate attorney — a promissory/mortgage note and a deed of trust. The former outlines the terms of the loan: the interest rate (0% in this case), when each payment is due, the length of the loan, etc. The latter establishes that your son is obligated to repay the loan and outlines exactly what happens if he defaults.
Alternatively, you could reduce your financial commitment by giving your son a down payment or paying for a portion of the house so that the mortgage repayments are within his reach, cosigning on the loan and putting both your names on the deed. With the 30-year interest rate edging closer to 7%, however, this may be a less attractive option.
If you did cosign on a mortgage with your son and you contributed to the closing costs, that contribution could be viewed by the Internal Revenue Service as a gift if it’s more than the annual exemption ($17,000 for an individual in 2023). Under current rules, an individual may give away $12.92 million in assets or property over the course of their lifetime.
Neil Carbone, trusts and estates attorney at Farrell Fritz, said you could provide your son with an intrafamily mortgage loan. “Intrafamily loans can be good estate-planning vehicles because the interest on such a loan is generally lower than can be obtained through a commercial lender,” he says.
“The interest rate will typically be set at the AFR, or applicable federal rate, which is the lowest rate that can be charged without the loan being considered a gift. Another benefit of an intrafamily loan is that the repayment terms can be more flexible than a commercial lender may be willing to provide. “
For example, the loan can provide for payments of interest only for a period of time, with a balloon payment at the end, he says, and the loan must be carefully documented and the mortgage will be listed as a lien against the property, so you will have protection if your son fails to make the payments.
“‘This gift would change his life and show him how fortunate he is to have such a generous father, and he should — in theory — change his ways. Unfortunately, however, life rarely works like that.’”
This gift would change his life and show him how fortunate he is to have such a generous father, and he should — in theory — change his ways. Unfortunately, however, life rarely works like that. Financially reckless people don’t change overnight and, if the years I have spent writing this column have shown me anything, it’s that free gifts rarely spark a complete transformation.
In fact, they risk doing the opposite. Free gifts often have the capacity to seem like a reward for imprudent behavior. Although you expect your son to meet his monthly obligations, as any landlord will tell you, you should prepare yourself for a missed payment here and a missed payment there, or for 90% of the payment one month and 100% the next, followed by 70% the next.
You should ask your son some questions before you go ahead with this: Has he paid off his credit-card debt? Does he have six months’ worth of emergency savings? Would he submit to a monthly “wallet check” over a period of six months to make sure he can stick to a budget and resist the temptation to overspend? Would he agree to meet with a financial planner?
You should also meet with a financial planner to “stress test” your finances. How would a default affect your credit? Will you incur a gift tax? What if you had a medical emergency or needed long-term care? From what you say in your letter, your son may not be in a position to help you out. Do you have long-term care insurance?
And be prepared for the unexpected. Home values generally go up over time, but they can also fall without warning. The housing market has been on a tear for the last three years, but there could come a time when property values fall and the house is worth less than what you paid for it, or less than what you owe if you decide to take out a mortgage.
Alternatively, you could create a trust for your son’s benefit and put the house in that trust, and make a gift of cash to the trust, which could be used to purchase the house, Carbone adds, and as a beneficiary of the trust, your son could be permitted to live in the house rent-free provided that he pay for the upkeep of the house. (Or, preferably, charge him rent and ask him to be responsible for the upkeep, so it keeps him accountable and also helps with your own cash flow.)
Hard knocks, learning from past financial mistakes and wins, and appreciating the value of a dollar by working hard for what he has — along with advice from a financial adviser and trusted attorney — are far more likely to help your son than the proverbial gift horse. Your son, like millions of people his age, is living in a small apartment and getting a sharp dose of reality.
It is, regrettably perhaps, a rite of passage. But it will help build character and allow him to appreciate any steps he takes up the property ladder in the future. He may even look back on this part of his life fondly. The gift of a house should be more than a way to teach him a bit of financial responsibility. And I’m not sure it will help him in that endeavor. In fact, I recommend you have him meet a series of financial goals before you decide to sign on the dotted line.
You have the opportunity to give your son a head start, but I hope that he also learns how to stand on his own two feet.
You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions related to coronavirus at qfottrell@marketwatch.com, and follow Quentin Fottrell on Twitter.
Check out the Moneyist private Facebook group, where we look for answers to life’s thorniest money issues. Readers write in to me with all sorts of dilemmas. Post your questions, tell me what you want to know more about, or weigh in on the latest Moneyist columns.
The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.
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