Capital One, JPMorganChase and Bank of America are responsible for 75% of all AI-related patent filings since 2023. What’s more, U.S.-based banks are outpacing global peers when it comes to AI patent filings and are responsible for 85% of AI related patent filings through 2023, according to a recent report from think tank Evident AI, which tracked 1,516 patents filed by 21 banks since 2023. While patents are not required to be made public by […]
This week, a new report from economist Will Page revealed that the global value of music copyright reached an all-time high of $47.2 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, YouTube announced it will stop providing data to Billboard‘s US charts after more than a decade, following changes to Billboard’s streaming methodology.
Elsewhere, HYBE made a push into Africa via a new partnership with Tyla’s managers Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle.
Also this week, The Weeknd closed a reported $1 billion catalog deal with Lyric Capital while maintaining creative control.
Additionally, MBW broke the news that Universal Music Group proposed divesting Curve to address European Commission competition concerns over its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.
Here are some of the biggest headlines from the past few days…
The global value of music copyright (both recordings and compositions) reached a new all-time high of $47.2 billion in 2024.
That’s according to a new report from Will Page, the former Chief Economist at both Spotify and UK collection society PRS for Music, published on Page’s website, Pivotal Economics.
The 2024 figure was up just $2.3 billion (5.2%) on the prior year. According to the report, “growth is slowing largely because this is the first year where the pandemic effects have vanished”… (MBW)
YouTube says it will soon stop providing data to Billboard for inclusion in the US charts, ending a partnership that has lasted more than a decade.
The decision, announced on Wednesday (December 17) by Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s Global Head of Music, comes just one day after Billboard revealed changes to its chart methodology that will actually narrow the weighting gap between paid and ad-supported streams.
Under Billboard’s current formula for the Billboard 200, one album ‘unit’ equals 1,250 paid/subscription streams or 3,750 ad-supported streams — a 1:3 ratio.
Billboard’s new methodology tightens that ratio to 1:2.5, with one album unit now equalling 1,000 paid streams or 2,500 ad-supported streams… (MBW)
South Korea-born entertainment giant HYBE has been rapidly growing its geographic footprint beyond its home market over the past few years.
First, it expanded into Japan, followed by the United States, and then Latin America in late 2023.
More recently, the company established operations in China (April 2025) and India (September 2025). Now, after expanding across Asia and the Americas, HYBE is making a push into Africa… (MBW)
The Weeknd has closed a deal with Lyric Capital Group that brings outside investment into his music catalog while keeping the artist and his team as shareholders with “creative control” over his catalog.
That’s according to a report from Variety over the weekend, which cited confirmation from representatives for the artist. The reported confirmation arrives less than four months after Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the Canadian singer is looking to raise roughly USD $1 billion in financing backed by his stake in publishing rights and master recordings.
The news outlet reported at the time that New York-based Lyric Capital was leading the talks and that the artist already reached out to other investors to assemble the financing package of up to $1 billion… (MBW)
Universal Music Group has proposed divesting Downtown’s Curve royalty accounting business to address European Commission competition concerns over its $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings.
UMG submitted formal commitments to the EC on December 11, outlining a plan to sell Curve Royalty Systems as a standalone business to an independent buyer approved by the Commission.
The EC sent out letters last week to potential buyers as part of the proposed divestment process. A document outlining the remedies package, seen by MBW, commits UMG to divesting the entire Curve business, including all employees (except two retained engineers), customer contracts, and the Curve Platform software and related assets... (MBW)
Partner message: MBW’s Weekly Round-up is supported by BMI, the global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music. Find out more about BMI here. Music Business Worldwide
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I learned early on that baking doesn’t need to be fancy to be good.
If something smells right and fills the house with warmth, it’s usually worth eating. I never worried about perfect shapes or smooth tops. Those things don’t change the taste, and nobody remembers them once the plate is empty.
A small notebook in the kitchen makes a difference. Not for complicated recipes, but for little notes… how a cake turned out with less sugar, or how much flour it took when the dough felt too soft. Those quiet lessons prevent mistakes and save ingredients later.
When the oven is on, I make sure every bit of heat counts. I slide apples onto the lower rack to soften for tomorrow, or toast stale bread while something else bakes. Heat costs money, and I don’t let it go to waste.
I don’t bake to impress you. I bake so there’s something ready when you get hungry. A simple cake on the counter keeps hands away from expensive store treats and disappears faster than anything fancy.
Over time, I stopped being afraid of substitutions. If you’re short on milk, thinning yogurt with water works just fine. When butter runs low, oil steps in without fuss. Baking is kinder than it looks, and it rewards confidence more than strict rules.
I taste as I go, but carefully. A small bite of batter tells me more than any written recipe. That way, I don’t overdo sweetness or waste ingredients trying to fix things later.
I don’t throw food away just because it’s imperfect. A cracked loaf still feeds people. A dry cake can be toasted or softened with a little milk. Waste is what truly ruins a recipe, not flaws.
Above all, I bake with intention. I bake because it will be eaten, shared, and enjoyed. That’s how baking stays frugal, and that’s how it has always made sense to me.
You’ll love: $50 Grocery List For 2 And Weekly Meal Plan
Baking at home has always been one of the best ways to save money on food.
Long before specialty flours and fancy mixers, people baked with what they had and made it work.
Frugal baking isn’t about cutting corners, it’s about habits that save money while still producing good, comforting food.
The cheapest baked goods usually come from the simplest ingredients.
Flour, sugar, eggs, oil, butter, baking powder, and baking soda can be used in dozens of recipes.
When you build your baking around these staples, you avoid spending money on one-use items that end up forgotten in the back of the cupboard.
Buying flour, sugar, and oats in larger bags is often cheaper per kilo, especially if you bake regularly.
Stored properly, these basics last a long time and give you more flexibility when you want to bake.
Some ingredients sound essential but can be easily replaced. Buttermilk can be made at home by adding a little vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk.
Oil can often replace butter in cakes and muffins, cutting costs without changing texture too much. Applesauce or mashed bananas can replace part of the fat in many recipes and work especially well in quick breads.
Skipping expensive flavorings can also save money. Vanilla extract is nice, but many baked goods taste just as good without it, especially when cinnamon, cocoa, or fruit is already doing the heavy lifting.
Homemade baking is almost always cheaper than boxed mixes or bakery items.
Pancakes, muffins, banana bread, and brownies are especially affordable when made from scratch. Once you learn a few basic recipes, you can adjust flavors and add-ins based on what you already have at home.
Baking from scratch also reduces waste because you’re using ingredients you would buy anyway, rather than purchasing a mix that only serves one purpose.
Frugal baking often starts with saving food that might otherwise be thrown away. Overripe bananas are perfect for banana bread or muffins.
Stale bread can be turned into bread pudding or baked French toast. Leftover oats can be mixed into cookies or breakfast bars.
Using ingredients at their “last chance” stage is one of the easiest ways to bake cheaply without planning ahead.
Ovens use the same amount of energy whether you bake one loaf or three.
Baking in batches saves electricity and time. Muffins, cookies, and sliced quick breads freeze very well and make easy snacks later.
Having homemade baked goods in the freezer also reduces the temptation to buy expensive store-bought snacks.
You don’t need special pans, silicone molds, or gadgets to bake well.
Most recipes can be made with a bowl, a spoon, and one or two basic pans. Simple tools not only save money but also make baking less stressful and easier to clean up.
Classic flavors are usually the cheapest. Cinnamon, cocoa powder, citrus zest, and raisins add a lot of taste without adding much cost.
Trendy ingredients often cost more and get used once, which is rarely a good deal.
Simple baked goods tend to be the most forgiving and the most popular, especially for everyday eating.
Butter, chocolate, and nuts can be expensive, but they often go on sale. When they do, buying extra and freezing them can save money over time.
Baking supplies are also heavily discounted after major holidays, making it a good time to restock.
Frugal baking works best when it replaces something you would otherwise buy. Baking snacks for school lunches, simple desserts for the week, or bread to go with meals keeps costs low and reduces food spending elsewhere.
When baking is part of your everyday routine instead of a special event, the savings add up quickly.
Couponing and shopping apps can quietly lower baking costs when used with intention.
Instead of chasing every deal, it makes sense to focus on staples that are bought anyway, like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and oil.
Digital coupons and cashback apps work best when paired with sales, especially for higher-priced items like butter and chocolate.
Even small savings add up over time, and checking an app before a regular grocery trip often turns planned purchases into cheaper ones without extra effort.
Used this way, couponing supports frugal baking without leading to overspending or buying things that weren’t needed in the first place.
Hi, I’m Ashley a freelance writer who’s passionate about personal finance. Ever since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by the power of money and how it can shape our lives. I’ve spent years learning everything I can about budgeting, saving, investing and retirement planning. So if you are looking for tips, advice, or just a little bit of inspiration to help you on your financial journey, you have come to the right place. I am always here to help, and I am excited to share my passion for personal finance with you.
Update: Mesa have now shared on its website that it will automatically redeem all remaining eligible rewards points for statement credit, which only gets you a value of 0.6 cents per point. Not great value, but better than nothing for those who were not able to trabsfer their rewards. Here’s the relevant text:
To ensure all cardholders receive the full value for their accrued rewards, we will be applying all remaining eligible rewards points as a statement credit that will automatically be applied to your account.
Mesa has abruptly closed all cards. They sent out these emails to all cardholders yesterday:
We are reaching out today to share the unfortunate news that, effective immediately, your Mesa Homeowners Card account will be closed. As such, your credit card will be deactivated and you will not be able to make any new purchases or earn Mesa Points. We will provide you with separate guidance with regards to your remaining Mesa Points balance. This account closure has nothing to do with your account standing and is not the result of any wrongdoing or any actions taken by you with regards to your account.
IMMEDIATE ACTION CHECKLIST
We understand this is an inconvenience, and we are committed to making this process as smooth as possible.
There’s also a message on the website confirming that all accounts are closed.
Effective as of December 12, 2025, all Mesa Homeowners Card accounts are closed. All credit cards have been deactivated and you are no longer able to make any new purchases or earn Mesa Points.
A comment at DoC, you can still transfer points out. I’m not sure if this is still working or not, but worth a try. Here’s how:
Do an instant transfer since you never know how long this option will last. Instant transfer options include:
You also have the option to redeem for statement credit, but only at 0.6cpp.
HT: Richard in DDG Facebook Group
This article is presented by Walker & Dunlop.
Smart multifamily investors don’t wait until tax season or year-end to understand how their properties are performing. The most successful owners take time each quarter to closely review both their internal numbers and the trends around their property. A consistent quarterly routine helps you catch issues early, identify opportunities, and make confident decisions backed by clear data.
The challenge for many investors is that their information is scattered. Financials sit in one place, property operations in another, and market research is across multiple websites.
That is why tools like WDSuite can be helpful. Instead of hunting down market insights across multiple sources, WDSuite brings together neighborhood-level data, rent benchmarks, demographic context, and valuation estimates into a single, easy-to-access platform.. This makes the market side of your quarterly review much easier to manage.
Quarterly reviews give you a clear picture of where your portfolio stands today, and what adjustments you may need to make for the future. Here is a simple framework to follow.
A strong quarterly review focuses on three core areas.
This comes directly from your internal books. You look at income, expenses, cash flow, and your overall financial stability.
This covers your occupancy, leasing activity, turnover, and maintenance. These metrics show how well the property is performing day-to-day.
This is where WDSuite supports your process.The platform provides rent benchmarks, market-level occupancy context, demographic information, and valuation estimates to help you understand the environment in which your property competes.
By using the same structure every quarter, you create a repeatable system that reveals patterns earlier and leads to better decision-making.
Your financial data tells you how your property performed during the quarter, but it needs market context. WDSuite does not track your internal financials, but it strengthens your review by providing market context that helps you understand how your property stacks up against local comps.
Your NOI comes from your own income and expense statements. Once you calculate it, you can use WDSuite’s rent benchmarks and market data to assess how your NOI performance aligns with broader neighborhood conditions..
Your OER helps you identify unusual changes in spending. WDSuite adds context by allowing you to compare current rents against historical and projected benchmarks. If your expenses climb while local rents stall, that may signal a need for operational adjustments.
Your rent roll tells you what you are charging today. WDSuite allows you to compare those numbers with local rent data. If nearby properties are charging more or seeing stronger growth, that’s a helpful signal for your pricing strategy.
While DSCR is an internal calculation, WDSuite’s Automated Valuation Model gives you an updated estimate of your property’s value based on current market inputs. This helps you monitor how your equity position may be shifting over time.
Operational data comes from your property management system or team, but WDSuite provides important context that helps you interpret this information.
Your occupancy numbers show how full your building is. WDSuite provides market-level occupancy context that can help you determine whether broader market conditions may be influencing performance.
Turnover costs and turn times are internal metrics, but WDSuite’s demographic insights such as income levels and renter share can help explain why resident behavior may be shifting over time.
While maintenance trends come from your own systems, WDSuite can provide helpful neighborhood context. Changes in demographics or demand patterns may influence resident expectations or upkeep needs.
Your operations do not exist in isolation. WDSuite allows you to compare your performance against broader market benchmarks and indicators so you can understand whether you are ahead of local competitors or beginning to fall behind.
This is the part of the quarterly review where WDSuite provides the most value. Understanding your market position helps you interpret your internal results with much greater clarity.
WDSuite shows rent benchmarks and rental share information for your neighborhood.. This allows you to assess whether your pricing strategy aligns with local trends.
Local occupancy patterns help you understand whether your building’s performance is driven by internal operations or external market shifts.
WDSuite provides insight into income levels, population trends, employment characteristics, and renter shares. These details help you anticipate leasing trends and plan for future demand.
The platform’s Automated Valuation Model provides an estimated property value that reflects recent market data and can be reviewed as part of a quarterly asset review.. This is a helpful way to track the direction of your equity position.
WDSuite summarizes key market indicators so you can understand how your property compares to similar buildings in the area. This helps you identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
WDSuite does not replace your property management tools or financial reports. Instead, it fills the market intelligence gap that most investors struggle with. By consolidating rent benchmarks, market-level occupancy context, demographic insights, and valuation estimates, WDSuite gives you the context you need to understand how your property fits into the current market.
This makes your quarterly review faster, more precise, and far more actionable. Market research becomes easier to access, valuation signals are readily available, and the competitive landscape becomes much easier to interpret.
Here is a simple step-by-step process that combines your internal data with the insights inside WDSuite.
This workflow keeps your review simple and consistent, while giving you a strong foundation for decision-making.
Quarterly reviews give multifamily investors a powerful advantage. Your internal financials and operations show what happened inside your property, but you also need to understand what is happening around it. WDSuite strengthens your review process by providing the market-level data you need to interpret your results with clarity and confidence.
By pairing your internal numbers with reliable neighborhood insights and valuation estimates, and granular multifamily tenant credit data, you can make smarter decisions, spot trends early, and protect the long-term health of your portfolio. A simple quarterly routine, supported by strong market data, is one of the most effective habits an investor can build.
By Erik Hertzberg
(Bloomberg) — Canadian retail sales surged in November after posting a small decline the previous month, suggesting consumption rebounded modestly in the fourth quarter.
Receipts for retailers rose 1.2% last month, according to an advance estimate from Statistics Canada on Friday. That’d be the biggest increase in five months.
The drop followed a 0.2% decline in October, which was weaker than the flat expectation in a Bloomberg survey of economists. In volume terms, sales fell 0.6% that month.
Sales in October fell in four out of nine subsectors and were led by decreases at food and beverage retailers. The agency said beer, wine, and liquor retailers contributed most to the decline in core retail sales, coinciding with labour disruptions in British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province.
Motor vehicle and parts sales rose 0.6% in October, led by new cars and other motor vehicle dealers. Gasoline sales fell that month.
Retail sales are set to grow 0.3% in the last quarter of 2025, assuming the agency’s flash estimate is correct, and no growth in December. Receipts for retailers were flat in the third quarter.
It’s the latest in a string of data suggesting Canada’s economy is holding up better than expected, even as U.S. tariffs slam exports and weaken business investment. Household consumption shrank in the third quarter, according to gross domestic product data, but the strong retail receipts toward the end of the year suggest consumers are proving more resilient. That’s despite slowing population growth and families renewing mortgages at higher rates.
The increased spending may be partly due to a surge in household financial assets this year — Canadians’ wealth has been boosted by the increase in the value of North American stock. The Bank of Canada also trimmed interest rates by 100 basis points this year, adding some relief for borrowers.
The central bank has signalled a prolonged pause, and markets and most economists expect policy-makers to hold rates steady for most of 2026.
–With assistance from Mario Baker Ramirez.
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
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Last modified: December 19, 2025
D-Wave’s rapid rise could be a dramatic fall over the next year if investors move away from speculative investments.
Many quantum computing stocks have been on fire in 2025, as investors seek the next big thing in tech. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS +3.09%) has benefited from the surge in interest in quantum computing, with its share price increasing by 390% over the past year.
With such a great year for D-Wave investors, can they expect more of the same over the next 12 months?
Image source: Getty Images.
D-Wave sells its quantum computing services to companies, offering a full-stack solution that includes everything from software to its Advantage2 quantum computer hardware. The company is betting on a potentially significant quantum computing market, which could be worth $100 billion by 2035.
But it’s important to note that the company has minimal sales right now and they’re not likely to increase substantially over the next year. Some D-Wave bulls like to point to the fact that revenue doubled in the third quarter as a sign D-Wave is on the right track. While notable, I think it’s more important to focus on the fact that D-Wave’s revenue was just $3.7 million in the quarter.
Those sales are minuscule compared to the company’s net loss of $140 million in the quarter. What’s more, D-Wave’s losses are widening, as operating expenses rose by 40% to $30 million. This pattern will likely continue over the next year as D-Wave tries to expand its services and invests in new technology.
Most predictions for when the quantum computing market will have real-world use cases say that companies are still about five years away from reaching that goal. Even quantum computing rival Rigetti Computing has said that it won’t see tangible revenue from its services until three to five years from now.
All of which means that D-Wave and the larger quantum computing market likely won’t make meaningful progress with their sales over the next year.
D-Wave’s substantial losses and minimal revenue haven’t deterred investors from pushing up the company’s share price to astronomical heights. But the huge gains it’s made in such a short time, paired with its lack of sales and earnings, means that D-Wave’s shares are now very expensive.
D-Wave’s stock has a price-to-sales ratio of 286, which is far higher than the tech sector’s average P/S ratio of under 9. With such a high valuation, even if D-Wave’s shares tumble over the year, they’ll still be overpriced.
Investors have been overly excited about the quantum computing market, despite many of its real-world use cases still being years away. Part of the reason for the euphoria is that investors haven’t wanted to miss out on new tech trends, and are assuming that getting in on quantum computing stocks now is like buying artificial intelligence (AI) stocks a few years ago.
The problem with this strategy is that most quantum computing companies, including D-Wave, aren’t even close to profitable, while many leading AI companies are very profitable. Investors are trying to ride the wave of AI and quantum computing as if they’re one big tech trend, but there are far less tangible benefits from quantum computing than from AI right now.
Today’s Change
(3.09%) $0.77
Current Price
$25.66
Market Cap
$8.7B
Day’s Range
$25.42 – $26.52
52wk Range
$3.74 – $46.75
Volume
500K
Avg Vol
50M
Gross Margin
82.82%
While it may seem like the good times won’t end for D-Wave right now, with its shares priced for perfection, I think investors are taking a considerable risk by owning the company’s stock.
Consider that the latest jobs report showed the U.S. added 64,000 jobs in November, but the unemployment rate ticked higher to 4.6%. More concerning was that October jobs figures showed a loss of 105,000 — the third time in six months that jobs growth fell into negative territory.
Speculative investments tend to fall the hardest when economic uncertainty comes. If jobs and economic data continue to move in a negative direction over the next year, I think D-Wave’s shares will likely decline as investors opt for less speculative investments.
Their difficulties could foreshadow economic trouble in the coming year.
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