Table of Contents

• Who wants to own the Celtics?

• Fernando Alonso: A masterclass in continuous devel …

• Top Tickers

• On finding the largest stocks powering markets tod …

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Who wants to own the Celtics?

Weeks after clinching the NBA championship, the Boston Celtics are up for sale — and the price tag will certainly be high

The Boston Celtics’ ownership group announced that it plans to sell the team, according to a statement posted to the Celtics’ account on X.

The controlling family of the ownership group, Boston Basketball Partners LLC, said it intends to sell all of its shares in the team “for estate and family planning consideration.”

The sale of a majority stake is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 or early 2025, with the remainder of the sale closing in 2028, according to the statement.

As sports franchise valuations soar, the Celtics could fetch a particularly high price. The team is among the most successful and most widely followed in U.S. professional sports, and won its NBA record 18th championship last month.

This, plus the soaring cost of sports media rights, will likely lead to a valuation close to — if not more than — the record $4 billion price tag the NBA’s Phoenix Suns received in 2023, sports consultants said Monday.

Fyi, here are the top five NBA teams by valuation, according to Forbes:

• Golden State Warriors: $7.7 billion

• New York Knicks: $6.6 billion

• Los Angeles Lakers: $6.4 billion

• Boston Celtics: $4.7 billion

• Los Angeles Clippers: $4.65 billion

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Fernando Alonso: A masterclass in continuous development and adaptation

Fernando Alonso's lasting threat in F1's age of digital drivers

Fernando Alonso, a stalwart of F1, is a testament to the power of continuous development and adaptation. With a career spanning over two decades, Fernando’s journey from an ambitious young driver to a seasoned competitor is a compelling study in personal and professional growth. His ability to remain competitive in an ever-evolving sport underscores the importance of adaptability, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Later this year, Fernando will also become the first driver in history to start 400 Grands Prix - or 35 per cent of all the F1 races in the sport's 75-year history. Although his car has been somewhat erratic this season, the Spaniard regularly qualifies close to the front and, last year, he scored eight memorable podiums for Aston Martin. So has anything changed in his driving and in how Fernando lives F1 today?

Fernando’s journey from a young prodigy to a seasoned veteran in the highly competitive world of F1 offers valuable lessons for professionals across all fields. Embracing change, building resilience, committing to continuous learning, and leveraging experience are key takeaways from Fernando’s remarkable career. By applying these principles, individuals and organizations can navigate changing conditions and achieve sustained success, much like Fernando has in the dynamic world of Formula 1.

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Top Tickers

Some of the most active and relevant securities and quotes (compared to previous day's closing price)

On finding the largest stocks powering markets today

Success stems from the depth of research and the long-standing experience

Jennison Associates' Kathleen McCarragher and her team have been early investors in many of the largest stocks powering markets higher today (investing in Nvidia in 2016, for example).

A decades-long large-cap growth investor, McCarragher says she and her team have also prolonged their average investment periods in large-cap growth stocks, as these companies build up the sustainability of their business models, McCarragher says. “Some of these companies have scaled globally, and they have meaningful market opportunities. At some point, maturation or the law of large numbers will set in, and growth will slow. But right now, the competitive barriers and dominant industry positions allow them to continue to grow at really attractive rates.”

And while artificial intelligence is clearly benefiting big tech companies, it will also enhance growth rates, productivity, and returns across other large-cap sectors, she says. “When you go beyond technology, we start to talk about productivity gains,” McCarragher says. “The way we believe we will see them first is skill sets that can be enhanced rather than headcount reductions. Over time, what we will find is that as these technologies move into other industries — whether it's healthcare, whether it's education, whether it's oil and gas — we expect to see real foundational capabilities emerge out of utilizing this technology.”

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FC Barcelona’s ambitious plan to address its financial woes by launching its ‘Barca Media’ arm on the NASDAQ stock exchange has officially been terminated. Initially announced by President Joan Laporta in August 2023, the initiative aimed to generate substantial capital through a SPAC investment vehicle. However, complications with key investor Libero and delays in the launch timeline ultimately led to the collapse of the scheme.

The Barca Media brand, encompassing all digital and audiovisual activities of the club, was valued at €1 billion but faced skepticism regarding its optimistic valuation. This termination poses further financial challenges for the club, necessitating a revision of the €400 million valuation listed in the 2022-23 accounts. Additionally, this development impacts Barcelona’s ability to register new players for the upcoming season due to salary cap constraints.

However, there is also positive news for Spanish football: The Spanish squad is in the semis. The German team unfortunately is not...

Have a great weekend!

Irg

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