Pelican Press

“Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island” is coming to PC and consoles on December 5th, 2024 “Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island” is coming to PC and consoles on December 5th, 2024 “Today, during the Cozy Quest Steam event, Whitethorn Games, publisher of inclusive, accessible, approachable games, and BAFTA-nominated developers, Polygon Treehouse, are thrilled to announce a December 5, 2024 release date for their upcoming exploration friendship adventure “Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island”. It was also announced that the game would launch on the Nintendo Switch, in addition to PC and Xbox.” – Whitethorn Games and Polygon Treehouse. Source link #Mythwrecked #Ambrosia #Island #coming #consoles #December #5th Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kierah ***** Miller: Accused attacker behind bars after alleged ******** on 84-year-old in Midland Kierah ***** Miller: Accused attacker behind bars after alleged ******** on 84-year-old in Midland A 29-year-old woman accused of attacking an elderly woman outside a Midland fast-food restaurant will spend the rest of the month behind bars. Source link #Kierah #***** #Miller #Accused #attacker #bars #alleged #******** #84yearold #Midland Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Operation Collision Point Comes To Clancys Rainbow Six Siege on December 3rd Operation Collision Point Comes To Clancys Rainbow Six Siege on December 3rd This looks like another great update. Shield Up in Tom Clancys Rainbow Six Siege on December 3 Operation Collision Point brings robust changes to anticheat, an Operator remaster. Source link #Operation #Collision #Point #Clancys #Rainbow #Siege #December #3rd Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Critically endangered’ ******** penguins just want peace and food ‘Critically endangered’ ******** penguins just want peace and food Mashudu Mashau says it takes about two minutes to catch a penguin, a task he does weekly to investigate sightings of injured or sickly seabirds. “We don’t rush… we go down, sometimes we crawl, so that we don’t look threatening, and when we’re close, we aim for the head, hold it and secure the penguin,” the 41-year-old ranger told AFP. Sometimes, when penguins waddle up from South *******’s coastline onto nearby streets and hide under cars, it is more of a struggle. “We had one today. They’re not easy to catch because they go from one side to the other side (of the car), but we got it,” said Mashau, who has dedicated the past eight years to working to protect the species. Once caught and placed with care into a cardboard box, the small feathered animals are sent to a specialist hospital for treatment. But conservationists and veterinarians are worried their efforts aren’t sufficient to stop the decline of the ******** Penguin, listed as critically endangered last month by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “No matter how much we do, if there isn’t a healthy environment for them, our work is in vain,” said veterinarian David Roberts, who works at the Southern ******** Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) hospital. Fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs are left globally, mainly in South *******, down from 42,500 in 1991, and they could become extinct in the wild by 2035, the BirdLife NGO says. – ‘Starving’ penguins – The dwindling numbers are due to a combination of factors including a lack of food, climate change, disturbances, predators, ********, oil spills and more. But the biggest threat is nutrition, says Allison *****, a marine biologist with the South ******** National Parks. “So many of the penguins are starving and are not getting enough food to breed successfully,” she told AFP. When penguins do not eat enough, preferably sardines or anchovies, they tend to abandon breeding. Authorities have imposed a commercial fishing ban around six penguin colonies for 10 years starting in January. But SANCCOB and BirdLife say the no-fishing zones are not large enough to have a significant impact, and have sued the environment minister over the issue. “Ideally we would want more fish in the ocean but we cannot control that. What we can ask for, is to limit direct competition for the remaining fish between the industrial fisheries and the penguins,” SANCCOB research manager Katta Ludynia told AFP. The South ******** Pelagic Fishing Industry Association says the impact of the fishing industry on penguin food sources is just a small fraction. “There are clearly other factors that have significant negative impact on the population of the ******** Penguin,” chairperson Mike Copeland said. The environment ministry has proposed a discussion group “to resolve the complex issues”, a spokesperson said. While a court hearing is scheduled for March 2025, the minister — only in the post since July — has called for an out-of-court settlement. Apart from the no-fishing zones, many other initiatives are underway to save the ******** Penguin, including artificial nests and new colonies. – Tourist traffic – Being labelled “critically endangered” can be a double-edged sword. While conservationists are hoping to get attention and funding, it also makes penguins even more attractive to tourists who sometimes disturb them. “Penguins are very susceptible… and the level of disturbance, people with selfie sticks, it’s becoming more and more of a challenge,” Arne Purves, coastal conservation and compliance officer for Cape Town, told AFP. “Especially as the penguins are now even more high-profile.” Tourism is a vital sector for South ******* and each year thousands of people visit the penguin colonies, bringing in millions of dollars in profit. For those on the frontlines to save the flightless ****** and white birds, like Mashau, the spotlight has been a long time coming. “In the last five years, it was the rhinos… we hope we’ll get the same respect now and the same assistance,” he said. It is also about protecting the environment. “This is a species that is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem that humans are also part of… and the healthier the penguins, the more humans also benefit,” he said. lhd/br/rlp Source link #Critically #endangered #******** #penguins #peace #food Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pokemon TCG Pocket Has It’s Own Top-Secret Exodia, But It Isn’t As Lethal As Players Need It to Be Pokemon TCG Pocket Has It’s Own Top-Secret Exodia, But It Isn’t As Lethal As Players Need It to Be Among the many cards in the game, Exodia’s presence enables players to dominate the field like nothing else. It is one of the most powerful card combos in Yu-Gi-Oh that you can summon, guaranteeing an instant win. Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Exodia is not nearly as powerful as the rest. Image Credit: Creatures Inc A similar card art also exists in Pokemon TCG Pocket. It might not be as effective as the other games but it still has its advantages. This Exodia has more to do with cosmetics than with utility. Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Exodia Is Not As Powerful The game is a huge collection of reset cards. Image Credit: Creatures Inc Exodia, the Forbidden One hails from Yu-Gi-Oh; it is the most powerful card art in the game that comes to life when 5 cards perfectly align well to give birth to the deadliest monster. In order to activate Exodia, you will need at least 5 cards representing its body parts, including 2 arms, 2 legs, and its head. Once summoned, it guarantees an instant win. Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Exodia sprung from the Snorlax full-art rare card. The card has a series of interrelated works of art comprising the various body parts of Snorlax. The Pokemon that can be seen in the full-art variant of Snorlax are Venonat, Oddish, and Bellsprout. Comment byu/karlatog from discussion inPTCGP Comment byu/karlatog from discussion inPTCGP Comment byu/karlatog from discussion inPTCGP A combination of these cards creates an interesting and unique card art that is being linked to Yu-Gi-Oh’s Exodia. The similarity between this and the other Exodia is in the aesthetics of it rather than competitive advantage. This combo offers more of a cosmetic upper hand than providing a strategic advantage over other players. This card art, unlike the other Exodia, will not enable an instant win. Pokemon TCG Pocket Is As Addictive As Its Predecessors Pokemon TCG Pocket is as good as the rest of the games. Image Credit: Creatures Inc The Pokemon TCG Pocket is shaping up to be an extremely celebrated addition to the franchise, with over 30 million players already playing it. The only major drawback faced by it was its unparalleled collection of reset cards, which fans were not a big fan of. However, the intricate Pokemon TCG battling is the most interesting aspect of the game and a large contributor to attracting more players to the game. Players are constantly trying to figure out ways to discover more creative and strategic builds in the game. The TCG Pocket is here to stay. The game has a lot to offer, and players seem to be enjoying it a lot. What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Pokemon #TCG #Pocket #TopSecret #Exodia #Isnt #Lethal #Players Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

stocks, news, data and earnings stocks, news, data and earnings City of London skyline view looking over the River Thames and Waterloo Bridge at sunset on 10th February 2024 in London, ******* Kingdom. Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty Images ********* markets were on track to rise as a new trading week kicks off Monday, with investors looking to shake off last week’s negative sentiment and attention turning to regional inflation data. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 was last on track to start the day 15 points higher at 8,084, Germany’s DAX was set to add 56 points to 19,278 and the French CAC 40 was due to rise 23 points to around 7,299. Italy’s FTSE MIB was also on track to open higher, adding 158 points to 34,060. Markets had closed lower on Friday, with the pan-********* Stoxx 600 recoding its fourth consecutive weekly decline. Investors this week will be looking to several key regional data points, including the latest inflation data out of the U.K. on Wednesday. The figures come after Friday’s U.K. ****** domestic product reading, which came in at 0.1% in the third quarter, falling short of expectations. A final reading of the euro zone consumer price index is also due this week. Meanwhile, a slew of purchasing managers’ index reports from across the region are slated for Friday. Before then, several central bank policymakers, including ********* Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, are set to give remarks, which investors will be parsing through for hints about whether the ECB will announce another interest rate cut when it meets in December. Overnight, Asia-Pacific stocks mostly rose to start the week, and U.S. stock futures were little changed. Attention stateside will this week turn to earnings from tech giant Nvidia, with investors especially looking for guidance about the company’s Blackwell AI chips. Source link #stocks #news #data #earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lego Horizon Adventures Best Settings Guide For PC Lego Horizon Adventures Best Settings Guide For PC Redemption-641d 10h ago @UnterArt None so as much as this singleplayer game with only two mainline entries. You mean like TLOU, GOW, Uncharted and Spider-Man? Here is something you might not know, you don’t bundle games that don’t sell. Plus, you are using the same talking point as those who keep complaining about Avatar do. It has no cultural impact, nobody talks about it, they keep releasing it, they are forcing it down our throats. At the end of the day bundles make up a small percentage of the game overall sales, at best 10-20%, the game would still sell over 15M plus if you remove all the bundle sales. And people buy said bundles because they want them, nothing is being forced. Also, Horizon Zero dawn has a higher completion rate than many games. It’s only a beating a ***** horse to those who live in a bubble. If you spend a lot of time online, then that is the narrative you carry, but as long as the game keeps selling, it is in Sony’s interest to not only keep going, but also ignore those online. Just like how people keep crying about MTX online, yet companies ignore them because players still keep buying them. Source link #Lego #Horizon #Adventures #Settings #Guide Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple Reportedly Plans to Discontinue Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter Apple Reportedly Plans to Discontinue Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter Apple, with its iPhone 15 series, made the shift from its proprietary lightning port to the USB Type-C in compliance with the regulations made mandatory by the ********* Union (EU). Now, it appears that the Cupertino-based technology giant is planning to discontinue its accessories which feature a lightning port, starting with the lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack which enables users with older devices to connect certain accessories such as earphones, according to a report. Apple to Discontinue Lightning Adapter This information comes from MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris, who claimed that Apple’s lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter has been listed as “sold out” in Apple Store in the US and most other countries. In the regions where it is still available, the report speculates that it may be the case until the remaining inventory is exhausted. Gadgets 360 staff members were able to verify these claims, and the adapter is listed as “sold out” on the Apple Store India website, too. The adpater, however, can be found on ecommerce websites like Amazon. Notably, Apple first introduced the lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter alongside the iPhone 7 lineup in 2016. It came bundled in the box with iPhone 7, iPhone 8, and iPhone X models, but subsequent launches did not get it as a free add-on. Instead, Apple continues to sell it on its website priced at Rs. 900. But if the claims are to be believed, those days might soon come to an end. However, it is not the only Apple accessory which is speculated to reach its end of life. The same MacRumors contributor previously claimed that Apple was also planning to discontinue its wired EarPods that debuted alongside the iPhone 5 in 2012. First offered with a 3.5mm headphone jack, Apple later updated them with a lightning port, and then a USB Type-C port. This move was speculated to take place in September when Apple launched the iPhone 16 series but that did not happen. The report suggests that all three models have been listed as “non-carry forward” by US retailer Target. Source link #Apple #Reportedly #Plans #Discontinue #Lightning #3.5mm #Headphone #Jack #Adapter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fury in Russia at missile move but ****** so far silent Fury in Russia at missile move but ****** so far silent President Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with long-range missiles supplied by the US has sparked a furious response in Russia. “Departing US president Joe Biden… has taken one of the most provocative, uncalculated decisions of his administration, which risks catastrophic consequences,” declared the website of the Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Monday morning. Russian MP Leonid Slutsky, head of the pro-Kremlin ********-Democratic Party, predicted that the decision would “inevitably lead to a serious escalation, threatening serious consequences”. Russian senator Vladimir Dzhabarov called it “an unprecedented step towards World War Three”. Anger, yes. But no real surprise. Komsomolskaya Pravda, the pro-Kremlin tabloid, called it “a predictable escalation”. What really counts, though, is what Vladimir ****** calls it and how the Kremlin leader responds. He said nothing on Sunday night. But Russia’s president has said plenty before. In recent months, the Kremlin has made its message to the West crystal clear: do not do this, do not remove restrictions on the use of your long-range weapons, do not allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russian territory with these missiles. In September President ****** warned that if this were allowed to happen, Moscow would view it as the “direct participation” of Nato countries in the Ukraine war. “This would mean that Nato countries… are fighting with Russia,” he continued. The following month, the Kremlin leader announced imminent changes to the Russian nuclear doctrine, the document setting out the preconditions under which Moscow might decide to use a nuclear *******. This was widely interpreted as another less-than-subtle hint to America and Europe not to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range missiles. Guessing Vladimir ******’s next moves is never easy. But he has dropped hints. Back in June, at a meeting with the heads of international news agencies, ****** was asked: how would Russia react if Ukraine was given the opportunity to hit targets on Russian territory with weapons supplied by Europe? “First, we will, of course, improve our air defence systems. We will be destroying their missiles,” President ****** replied. “Second, we believe that if someone is thinking it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to strike our territory and create problems for us, why can’t we supply our weapons of the same class to those regions around the world where they will target sensitive facilities of the countries that are doing this to Russia?” In other words, arming Western adversaries to strike Western targets abroad is something Moscow has been considering. In my recent interview with Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, ******’s close ally seemed to confirm the Kremlin has been thinking along these lines. Mr Lukashenko told me he had discussed the subject at a recent meeting with Western officials. “I warned them. ‘Guys, be careful with those long-range missiles,'” Mr Lukashenko told me. “The Houthi [rebels] might come to ****** and ask for coastal weapons systems that can carry out terrifying strikes on ships. “And if he gets his revenge on you for supplying long-rage weapons to [President] Zelensky by supplying the Houthis with the Bastion missile system? What happens if an aircraft carrier is hit? A British or ********* one. What then?” But some of the media reaction in Russia appeared designed to play things down. “The Russian armed forces had already [previously] intercepted ATACMS missiles during attacks on the Crimean shore,” a military expert told the Izvestia newspaper, which went on to suggest that President-elect Trump might “revise” the decision. This is, to put it mildly, an unusual situation. In two months’ time, President Biden will be out of office and Donald Trump will be in the White House. The Kremlin knows that President-elect Trump has been far more sceptical than President Biden about military assistance for Ukraine. Will that be a factor in Vladimir ******’s calculations as he formulates Russia’s response? Source link #Fury #Russia #missile #move #****** #silent Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to change jobs in the Dragon Quest III Remake How to change jobs in the Dragon Quest III Remake NoobFeed editor Joy Rahman writes – DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake successfully revitalizes a classic with stunning and enjoyable gameplay updates. While the frequent random battles and grind can be off-putting, the remake offers a fresh yet nostalgic experience. Source link #change #jobs #Dragon #Quest #III #Remake Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AI Technology Detects Cancerous Brain Tumours in 10 Seconds During Surgery AI Technology Detects Cancerous Brain Tumours in 10 Seconds During Surgery A groundbreaking artificial intelligence tool called FastGlioma has been developed, enabling surgeons to detect residual cancerous brain tumours within 10 seconds during surgery. The innovation, detailed in a recent study in Nature, is seen as a significant advancement in neurosurgery, outperforming traditional tumour detection methods. Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of California, San Francisco, led the study, highlighting its potential to improve surgical outcomes for patients with diffuse gliomas. Todd Hollon, M.D., a neurosurgeon at the University of Michigan Health, described FastGlioma as a transformative diagnostic tool that provides a faster and more accurate method for identifying tumour remnants. He noted its ability to reduce reliance on current methods, such as intraoperative MRI or fluorescent imaging agents, which are often inaccessible or unsuitable for all tumour types. Addressing Residual Tumours During Surgery As per the study from Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan, residual tumours, which often resemble healthy brain tissue, are a common challenge in neurosurgery. Surgeons have traditionally struggled to differentiate between healthy brain and remaining cancerous tissue, leading to incomplete tumour removal. FastGlioma addresses this by combining high-resolution optical imaging with artificial intelligence to identify tumour infiltration rapidly and accurately. In an international study, the model was tested on specimens from 220 patients with low- or high-grade diffuse gliomas. FastGlioma achieved an average accuracy of 92%, significantly outperforming conventional methods, which had a higher miss rate for high-risk tumour remnants. Co-senior author Shawn Hervey-Jumper, M.D., professor of neurosurgery at UCSF, emphasised its ability to enhance surgical precision while minimising the dependence on imaging agents or time-consuming procedures. Future Applications in ******* Surgery FastGlioma is based on foundation models, a type of AI trained on vast datasets, allowing adaptation across various tasks. The model has shown potential for application in other cancers, including lung, prostate, and ******* tumours, without requiring extensive retraining. Aditya S. Pandey, M.D., chair of neurosurgery at the University of Michigan, affirmed its role in improving surgical outcomes globally, aligning with recommendations to integrate AI into ******* surgery. Researchers aim to expand its use to additional tumour types, potentially reshaping ******* treatment approaches worldwide. Source link #Technology #Detects #Cancerous #Brain #Tumours #Seconds #Surgery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nubia Z70 Ultra Design Revealed Ahead of November 21 Launch; Confirmed to Arrive in Three Colourways Nubia Z70 Ultra Design Revealed Ahead of November 21 Launch; Confirmed to Arrive in Three Colourways Nubia Z70 Ultra will be launched in China in the coming days, and the ZTE brand has started to reveal details about its upcoming flagship smartphone. Through multiple teasers posted to Weibo, Nubia has provided a first look at the phone in three colour options. The Nubia Z70 Ultra is confirmed to come with IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. It will feature a 6.85-inch 1.5K display and will be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Edition chipset. Nubia Z70 Ultra Design, Specifications Teased Following the launch date announcement, Nubia published the first official images of the Nubia Z70 Ultra on Weibo. The renders show the phone in Amber, ****** Seal, and Starry Sky Collection (translated from ********) colour options with thin bezels. The Nubia Z70 Ultra’s display doesn’t have a notch or a ***** for the selfie camera. The design language of the phone resembles that of the Nubia Z60 Ultra Leading Version with a few minor tweaks. The main rear camera is repositioned to the top left corner of the back panel, and it appears to have a smaller camera housing than its predecessor. The primary rear camera has a variable f/1.59 to f/4.0 aperture. The Nubia Z70 Ultra is confirmed to be equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Edition chip with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. This is believed to be an overclocked version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC. RedMagic used the same variant on the Red Magic 10 Pro series. It will ship with IP68 and IP69 ratings, and it is confirmed to offer AI call translation and AI translation features. Nubia previously confirmed that the Z70 Ultra will feature a 6.85-inch display with 1.5K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 2,000nits of peak brightness and 95.3 percent screen-to-body ratio. The BOE-made display is touted to offer 430ppi pixel density. Its bezels will measure 1.25mm, according to the company. The launch of Nubia Z70 Ultra will take place on November 21 at 2:00pm (11:30am IST) in China, and the company is yet to announce plans to launch the handset in other markets. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Apple Reportedly Plans to Discontinue Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter Source link #Nubia #Z70 #Ultra #Design #Revealed #Ahead #November #Launch #Confirmed #Arrive #Colourways Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** glass manufacturer signs on for ClearVue ******** glass manufacturer signs on for ClearVue In a pivotal moment for ClearVue Technologies, the solar glass developer has locked down a big ******** manufacturer to produce and supply its unique solar windows around the globe. The company has signed a five-year original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with China-based Maxblue Industrial Glass to produce ClearVue’s solar windows that are able to soak up and generate energy from the sun. The recent move is intended to build a new supply and support avenue for regions lacking ClearVue licensees and the company’s existing global licensees requiring big-volume deliveries on major projects. Maxblue is a large manufacturer of advanced architectural glazing with a capacity to produce glass products for itself and for licensees. ClearVue views the cementing of its relationship with Maxblue as an opportunity to reinforce its ability to deliver product to global projects directly and also build a reliable backup supply chain. Under the terms of the agreement, ClearVue grants Maxblue the right to manufacture – on an OEM basis – ClearVue’s products which incorporate its photo-voltaic (PV) solar control and power generation technologies. The agreement is exclusive to ClearVue or at ClearVue’s direction for or on behalf of the company’s licensees. Maxblue already has a high-performance “E-glass” designed to achieve high-reflection of middle to far-infrared light to block solar radiation. Maxblue also has a product known as “warm edge technology” which employs a low thermal conductivity integrated “super-spacer” at the edge of the glass unit. Typically, most glass units transfer energy most rapidly through conductivity at the frame edges. The treatment reduces energy and helps to maintain the desired temperature of the room. We are excited to solidify and expand our partnership with Maxblue, a company we have collaborated with for a long time. Maxblue has been instrumental in refining the manufacturing process for our Generation 2 solar glass units. They played a crucial role in producing testing units, developing our flash tester, and integrating it into the production line. Their advice on the manufacturing process has been invaluable. Maxblue is recognised as one of the leading glass and IGU manufacturers in China. MaxBlue’s advanced production facilities include a fully automated super spacer IGU fabrication line and an automated lamination processing line. Maxblue’s director Po (Paul) Chen said “In today’s world, decarbonizing is crucial, and products like ClearVue’s solar glass are at the forefront of this movement. We are proud to be part of this journey, providing this cutting-edge technology to projects around the globe.” ClearVue says the partnership with Maxblue will give it the necessary fabrication support when needed, particularly when its licensees require extra assistance with specific projects. Maxblue is headquartered in Shanghai with production facilities in the Haimen Economic Development Zone in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China. The product and technological synergies between both ClearVue and Maxblue are apparent and the signing of a ******** factory with scalability just might be the missing link that ClearVue needs to take its product to market. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: *****@*****.tld Source link #******** #glass #manufacturer #signs #ClearVue Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google Pixel Tablet 2 Key Features Leaked; Tipped to Get Improved SoC, New Camera Google Pixel Tablet 2 Key Features Leaked; Tipped to Get Improved SoC, New Camera Google Pixel Tablet 2 may launch soon. Although the company has not yet confirmed the tablet, details about it have started surfacing online. A report claims that the second generation of Google Pixel Tablet may come with keyboard support. It has been suggested that the purported tablet will come with an upgraded chipset over the existing version. Google will likely pack a new camera in the Pixel Tablet 2, according to the report. The design is tipped to be similar to the current variant. Google Pixel Tablet 2 Features (Expected) The Google Pixel Tablet 2 will likely come with a new camera, according to an Android Authority report. The present Google Pixel Tablet version has 8-megapixel sensors in the front and the back. The report does not specify if the purported tablet will get a ******* or an upgraded sensor. The report added that Google is working on a keyboard cover prototype for the Pixel Tablet 2. According to the cited source, the keyboard cover for the tablet docks onto the tablet via rear pogo pins. The company was previously tipped to be working on a supported stylus for the existing tablet version but that never saw the light of day. Therefore, it may launch a stylus for the Pixel Tablet 2. Although the launch date has not yet been suggested, the Google Pixel Tablet 2 is expected to arrive in 2025. Depending on the time of release, it may run on Android 15 or Android 16 out-of-the-box. Previously, a report suggested that the Google Pixel Tablet 3 could get a less capable version of the Tensor G6 SoC. Therefore, the Pixel Tablet 2 could either carry a Tensor G4 or Tensor G5 chipset. Notably, the current Pixel Tablet is powered by a Tensor G2 SoC. Google Pixel Tablet Specifications The Google Pixel Tablet, backed by a Tensor G2 chipset and a Titan M2 security chipset, has a 10.95-inch WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) screen and ships with Android 13. It carries a 27Wh battery with support for 15W charging. Source link #Google #Pixel #Tablet #Key #Features #Leaked #Tipped #Improved #SoC #Camera Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

********* oil giants step back from renewables path ********* oil giants step back from renewables path By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) – Almost five years ago, BP embarked on an ambitious attempt to transform itself from an oil company into a business focused on low-carbon power. The British company is now trying to return to its roots as a big oil and gas player with a growth story to match rivals, revive its share price and allay investor concerns over future profits. Rivals Shell and Norway’s state-controlled Equinor are also scaling back energy transition plans set out earlier this decade. Their change of direction reflects two major developments – the energy shock from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a drop in profitability for many renewables projects, particularly offshore wind, due to spiralling costs, supply chain issues and technical problems. BP CEO Murray Auchincloss plans to plough billions into new oil and gas developments, including in the U.S. Gulf Coast and the Middle East, as part of his drive to improve performance and boost returns. BP has also slowed down low-carbon operations, halting 18 early-stage potential hydrogen projects and announcing plans to sell wind and solar operations. It has recently cut its hydrogen team in London by more than half to 40 staff, company sources told Reuters. A BP spokesperson declined to comment on the layoffs. Shell CEO Wael Sawan has vowed to take a ruthless approach to improve its performance and returns and close a yawning valuation gap with larger U.S. rivals Exxon Mobil and Chevron. The company has scaled back low-carbon operations, including floating offshore wind and hydrogen projects, retreated from ********* and ******** power markets, sold refineries and weakened a 2030 carbon reduction target. Shell is seeking buyers for Select Carbon, an *********** company it acquired in 2020 which specialises in developing farming projects used to offset carbon emissions, sources close to the company told Reuters. A Shell spokesperson declined to comment. SKILL SHORTAGE? Some BP employees wonder whether the company retains enough staff with the experience and skills necessary to reestablish itself as an oil and gas major. Employees peppered CEO Auchincloss with questions at an online town hall meeting in early October as he detailed some of his plans for turning the ship around, according to four employees on the call. He told them BP would and could develop new oil and gas production in a reversal of predecessor Bernard Looney’s strategy to build up renewable generation assets, reduce emissions and slowly cut oil and gas output targets. In conversations with Reuters, some employees said they doubted BP has enough reservoir engineers to jump-start oil and gas output growth after it let go of hundreds of the upstream division’s employees since 2020. Story Continues The BP spokesperson declined to comment on the town hall discussion. Equinor, Europe’s main supplier of natural gas since 2022, has launched a review of its low-carbon business, named internally REN Adjust, which included scrapping several early stage projects to focus on more advanced offshore wind projects. When asked for comment Equinor said it was adapting to market realities. “The goal is to strengthen competitiveness and to compete effectively when the industry rebounds after the current down-cycle.” But the companies have not abandoned investments in low-carbon energy altogether. Rather, executives said, they are focusing on areas such as biofuels, which they feel confident can generate profit quickly. Shell, BP and Equinor also continue to develop some offshore wind projects already under way, and say they could invest further if the returns are competitive. They are also developing hydrogen projects to use mostly to lower the carbon footprint of their refining operations. “What we’re finding with our transition growth businesses is that we need to expect the same level of returns as we do from our historic businesses if we’re going to deploy material capital over time,” Auchincloss told Reuters on Oct. 29. France’s TotalEnergies has become the outlier, continuously investing in low-carbon and strongly outpacing Shell and BP’s renewables capacity. BALANCING ACT The slowdown in the companies’ energy transition plans coincides with warnings that the world is set to miss a U.N.-backed target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century which is needed to avoid the catastrophic impact of climate change. It means companies will likely miss, or will have to revise down, emission reduction targets, said Accela Research analyst Rohan Bowater. And while industry executives focus on boosting near-term returns by spending more on oil and gas, the outlook for fossil fuel consumption is increasingly uncertain. The International Energy Agency said last month it expects global oil demand to peak by the end of the decade as electric vehicles sales grow. Investors remain sceptical about the ********* oil giants’ ability to sustain profits. Their shares have underperformed U.S. rivals, even as climate-focused investors have lamented the shift from renewables. “To make transition plans stick, companies need the right incentives for management, a clear mandate from shareholders, and a focus on demonstrating value,” Bowater said. “BP, for instance, ******** caught in the middle, struggling to balance low-carbon investment with shareholder expectations.” (Additional reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis. Editing by Jane Merriman) Source link #********* #oil #giants #step #renewables #path Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google Gemini Integration With Apple Intelligence Reportedly Delayed to 2025 Google Gemini Integration With Apple Intelligence Reportedly Delayed to 2025 Gemini, the native artificial intelligence (AI) model created by Google, will reportedly not be integrated with the iPhone for a few more months. Earlier this year, Apple announced a partnership with OpenAI, where the latter’s AI platform ChatGPT will be integrated with the former’s AI suite, Apple Intelligence. This integrated AI experience will reportedly be rolled out to users in December. However, Gemini, which was also touted to be integrated into Apple Intelligence, is said to be delayed in order to give ChatGPT an exclusive window. Gemini Integration With the iPhone to Reportedly Occur in 2025 In his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple Intelligence integration with Google Gemini is not planned till 2025. The update comes after Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple commented about it in an interview at the company’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC 2024). The executive said that the Cupertino-based tech giant might integrate its AI suite with other models such as Gemini. While Federighi mentioned integration with multiple AI models is possible, the specific name-dropping of Gemini raised curiosity among enthusiasts. Now, the Bloomberg report sheds further light on this development. Gurman claimed that Gemini is not expected to arrive in iOS until next year. However, whether that would happen in the first half of the year or near the iPhone 17 series launch ******** unclear. Gurman claims that Apple might be looking to give OpenAI a window of exclusivity before it integrates any other AI model. It is not known whether this was a clause mentioned in the partnership agreement or if Apple has agreed to this as it is not paying the AI firm for ChatGPT integration with Apple Intelligence. With regard to future updates to Apple Intelligence, the journalist also says that the iOS 18.2 update which is scheduled to arrive in December will finally bring Apple Intelligence to all compatible iPhone models. However, this global release will not include either Europe or China. The report claims that the Cupertino-based tech giant could expand Apple Intelligence to countries under the ********* Union in April 2025, and expansion into China is not likely till the iOS 19 release in October. Source link #Google #Gemini #Integration #Apple #Intelligence #Reportedly #Delayed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gold Miners’ Fundamentals Look Epic After Q3 Earnings Season Gold Miners’ Fundamentals Look Epic After Q3 Earnings Season The major gold miners’ latest quarterly results proved epic! Thanks to record prices, they achieved record revenues, record bottom-line earnings, and record operating cash flows. Such amazing profits drove down gold-stock valuations to their most-undervalued levels in many years. These super-strong fundamentals combined with gold’s healthy and overdue pullback are creating excellent buying opportunities. The VanEck Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:) ******** this sector’s dominant benchmark. Birthed way back in May 2006, GDX has parlayed its first-mover advantage into an insurmountable lead. Its $13.2b of net assets mid-week dwarfed the next-largest 1x-long major-gold-miners ETF by nearly 19x! GDX is undisputedly the trading vehicle of choice in this sector, with the world’s biggest gold miners commanding most of its weighting. Gold-stock tiers are defined by miners’ annual production rates in ounces of gold. Small juniors have little sub-300k outputs, medium mid-tiers run 300k to 1,000k, large majors yield over 1,000k, and huge super-majors operate at vast scales exceeding 2,000k. Translated into quarterly terms, these thresholds shake out under 75k, 75k to 250k, 250k+, and 500k+. Those two largest categories account for over 53% of GDX. Gold stocks have been correcting hard in recent weeks, exacerbated by gold plunging in the wake of the US elections. Traders view Trump’s tax cuts and tariffs as inflationary, slashing Fed-rate-cut odds. The prospects of higher yields going forward catapulted up the a massive 2.9% in just six trading days! That shook lose colossal gold-futures selling, hammering gold 6.1% lower since Election Day. Gold stocks per GDX plunged 11.3% in sympathy, actually making for fairly-mild 1.9x downside leverage to the metal which overwhelmingly drives their profits. Usually GDX tends to amplify material gold moves by 2x to 3x. At worst since late October, gold’s total pullback is running 7.6%. That selloff was overdue and expected. Just a few weeks earlier, I wrote a whole essay analyzing why . At best gold had soared an incredible 35.0% year-to-date, trouncing the ’s 21.9% gains! That left gold extremely-overbought, and speculators’ gold-futures positioning exceedingly-overextended. So a sentiment-rebalancing selloff on these hyper-leveraged traders normalizing their bets was inevitable. We ratcheted up trailing-stop-loss percentages on our gold-stock trades to prepare, soon realizing big-to-huge gains. While gold stocks have surged dramatically this year, they still really lagged gold with GDX up 42.2% YTD at best in late October. Gold stocks were starting to catch up with their metal, accelerating towards that 2x-to-3x upside leverage. But GDX’s correction ignited before gold’s, after the world’s largest gold miner reported disappointing and misleading Q3 results. There’s much more below on Newmont’s latest debacle. Gold stocks’ total correction extended to 19.3% as of mid-week, which is perfectly-normal 2.6x downside leverage to gold. Speculators and investors rushing to buy gold stocks in mid-October as GDX made a dazzling secular breakout and challenged a far-******* one ought to be licking their chops! Being able to now buy in about 20% cheaper with gold miners printing money in this gold environment is awesome. For 34 quarters in a row now, I’ve painstakingly analyzed the latest operational and financial results from GDX’s 25-largest component stocks. Mostly super-majors, majors, and larger mid-tiers, they dominate this ETF at 85.0% of its total weighting! While digging through quarterlies is a ton of work, understanding the gold miners’ latest fundamentals really cuts through the obscuring sentiment fogs shrouding this sector. This table summarizes the operational and financial highlights from the GDX top 25 during Q3’24. These gold miners’ stock symbols aren’t all US listings, and are preceded by their rankings changes within GDX over this past year. The shuffling in their ETF weightings reflects shifting market caps, which reveal both outperformers and underperformers since Q3’23. Those symbols are followed by their current GDX weightings. Next comes these gold miners’ Q3’24 production in ounces, along with their year-over-year changes from the comparable Q3’23. Output is the lifeblood of this industry, with investors generally prizing production growth above everything else. After are the costs of wresting that gold from the bowels of the earth in per-ounce terms, both cash costs and all-in sustaining costs. The latter help illuminate miners’ profitability. That’s followed by a bunch of hard accounting data reported to securities regulators, quarterly revenues, earnings, operating cash flows, and resulting cash treasuries. Blank data fields mean companies hadn’t disclosed that particular data as of the middle of this week. The annual changes aren’t included if they would be misleading, like comparing negative numbers or data shifting from positive to negative or vice-versa. In mid-October well before this latest earnings season got underway, I predicted in an essay. That concluded “dazzling record gold prices combined with forecast lower mining costs will catapult unit earnings to astounding levels. They are likely to about double to amazing records, extending gold stocks’ massive-earnings-growth streak to five consecutive quarters.” Indeed that mostly came to pass. Despite their epic quarter, as long-time readers know I’ve never been a fan of most of the world’s largest gold miners that dominate GDX. They perpetually fail to organically grow their production at their vast operational scales, unable to overcome depletion. They’ve mostly been able to boost output only through expensive acquisitions. And paradoxically their mining costs have been rising faster than their smaller peers’. So for a quarter-century now, our very-profitable subscription-newsletter gold-stock trading has focused on fundamentally-superior smaller mid-tiers and juniors. Operating fewer gold mines often at lower costs, they are better able to consistently grow production through expansions and new mine-builds. Both their earnings growth and stock-price appreciation have long proven way better than GDX’s super-majors and majors. GDX’s little-brother is much better. Like usual I’ll analyze the GDXJ-top-25 stocks’ Q3’24 results in next week’s essay. I bring this up now because the world’s biggest gold miners certainly aren’t best-in-breed. Last quarter was the seventh in a row where the GDX top 25’s production slumped, now by 1.4% year-over-year to 8,491k ounces. That seriously underperformed this industry. About a month after every quarter when earnings season is underway, the World Gold Council publishes the best-available global gold supply-and-demand data. That’s detailed and analyzed in the fantastic Gold Demand Trends reports, which are essential reading for gold-stock traders. The WGC found that world gold-mining output actually grew a strong-and-impressive 5.8% YoY to 31,824k ounces in Q3’24! Last quarter’s GDX-top-25 output was only halfway up into its past-34-quarter range. That’s despite the world’s biggest gold miner Newmont reporting Q3 production rocketing up 29.3% YoY to 1,668k ounces! That sounds fantastic, but two big factors make it misleading. First the comparable quarter’s output was slashed by a major strike at one of Newmont’s larger gold mines in Mexico, which suffered zero output in Q3’23. Second Newmont paid $16.8b last year to gobble up *********** super-major Newcrest Mining, with that deal closing in early November 2023. Rather damningly even despite that strike, in Q3’23 the combined output of NEM and NCM actually ran 1,744k ozs which was much better than Q3’24’s! To establish a baseline, in the four quarters before Q3’23 NEM+NCM production averaged a way-higher 1,979k ounces. Newmont has actually cursed the gold-mining sector for years, seriously damaging sector returns and institutional-investor perceptions through rank mismanagement. I’ve written extensively about this in the past, including why NEM’s gold-stock mega-mergers are really bad for this sector. Newmont overpays wildly, resulting in tens of billions of dollars of subsequent writeoffs that really tank overall sector earnings. NEM is not only the world’s biggest gold miner, but the only one included in the S&P 500. So for large fund managers, Newmont is the only gold stock liquid enough for them to consider taking positions in. And Newmont’s operational performance has proven so inferior to its peers’ for decades that a Newmont-centric view of gold stocks will sour anyone on this sector. Q3’24 saw another infuriating case in point on this. Most gold miners offer production and cost guidance, trying to set market expectations. Released early in new years, this can naturally change as individual mines encounter operational challenges or unexpected outperformance. Good managements adjust their guidances as conditions shift, but not Newmont! It is endlessly overpromising, pretending everything is awesome, then underdelivering to disappoint everyone. Back in late February, NEM initially set 2024 guidance at 6.9m ounces of gold mined around all-in sustaining costs of $1,400 per ounce. That was good, as this company produced 5.5m ounces in 2023 at higher $1,444 AISCs. In late April Newmont’s Q1’24 results reported AISCs of $1,439, and management declared then NEM was “Firmly on track to deliver 2024 guidance for production, costs and capital spend”. In late July NEM reported mining 1.6m ounces at way-higher $1,562 AISCs in Q2’24. Management tried to obscure those from investors, removing AISCs from the opening summary of the quarterly press release to bury deeper in a table! And 2024’s guidance was again reaffirmed, with the assertion “On track to deliver 2024 guidance for production, costs and capital spend”. On the crucial AISC front, that meant $1,400. In H1’24, Newmont’s AISCs averaged $1,500 per ounce. Thus to hit that still-active guidance of $1,400 on the year, H2’24’s AISCs would have to plunge to a $1,300 average. NEM intentionally implied some hope of that, asserting “anticipating a sequential increase in production in the second half of the year, weighted towards the fourth quarter”. I was skeptical of $1,300 after Newmont’s long history of disappointing. Meanwhile gold and GDX were surging into late summer and early autumn, the metal hitting many new . GDX broke out to a 4.2-year high in late October, and closed a mere 0.9% under achieving an epic 11.8-year one! With gold still powering higher on balance, that psychologically-huge gold-stock secular breakout would’ve happened within days and accelerated the bullish sentiment shift. Most gold miners would issue separate press releases between quarterly results if operations materially affected their guidances. There were plenty of examples of that in Q3’24, including from the GDX top 25’s best performer operationally last quarter IAMGOLD (NYSE:). It is ramping up a major new mine-build, which is why its production soared and mining costs plunged. But that process encountered some setbacks. Processing plants naturally have to be adjusted when they first come online, as the actual ores run through vary from what geologists projected. IAG had to shut down its mill for over a week to replace components with ones better suited to the ores. So it warned that mine’s 2024 guidance was lowered from its 153k-attributable-ounce midpoint to the lower end near 130k. IAG’s stock still climbed 3.3% the next day! Investors fully realize plans change, we just like to be informed not blindsided. But the inept management running Newmont doesn’t respect investors. Just one day after GDX achieved that awesome secular high, NEM released its Q3’24 results after the close. Those were mostly great, with revenues, earnings, and operating cash flows skyrocketing 85%, 484%, and 64% YoY! 2024 output guidance was even reaffirmed. But management again tried to hide soaring AISCs, not mentioning them at all in the quarterly summary like every other gold miner. Those actually shot up 13.0% YoY to $1,611 in Q3’24, averaging $1,537 in 2024’s first three quarters! Still rather than come clean and raise 2024 cost guidance, NEM merely said it expected “All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC) of $1,475 per ounce in the fourth quarter”. Soaring costs weren’t analyzed. Most gold miners seeing rising costs detail exactly why and what they are doing to mitigate those. But not Newmont. If Q4’24 AISCs actually come in at $1,475 which seems unlikely given its long track record of misleading investors, 2024’s would average $1,522. That’s a big miss, but investors might not care much with far-higher prevailing gold prices. But NEM’s dissembling leaves analysts wondering what else it is disguising. In my line of work as a professional gold-stock speculator and newsletter writer for a quarter-century now, I talk with plenty of fund managers. I consult for some as well. Every time Newmont comes up, you can just feel the contempt for its poor management and endless underperformance. It has long been a pox on this sector, deadweight dragging down its peers. The day after those Q3’24 results, NEM’s stock crashed 14.7%! Dumbfoundingly that was its worst daily loss in 27 years in the best quarter ever for gold stocks! And that didn’t even happen in a weak sector tape, as gold rallied 0.7% that day for GDX to amplify. Most of the radically-superior mid-tiers and juniors in our newsletter trading books were flat or even climbed a bit that day! But NEM’s dishonest attempts to obscure cost challenges left institutional investors totally exasperated. Wall Street didn’t understand what had happened, blaming NEM’s ****** on a relatively-minor earnings-per-share miss. But that event tainted gold-stock sentiment among fund managers, prematurely forcing this sector to correct. Again for professional investors and analysts not focused on gold stocks, Newmont is the only supposed-blue-chip gold miner they would consider. And it pooped in the punch bowl with that Q3 report! Newmont wasn’t alone on costs, most major gold miners suffered sharply-higher ones last quarter. Those were mostly blamed on rising labor prices in the latest 10-Qs. A sizable fraction of the GDX top 25 said their AISCs this year are going to come in at the upper end of their 2024 guidances. Yet their stocks didn’t plunge after their Q3 results, as those managements were honest and open explaining those challenges. Unit gold-mining costs are generally inversely proportional to gold-production levels. That’s because gold mines’ total operating costs are largely fixed during pre-construction planning stages, when designed throughputs are determined for plants processing gold-bearing ores. Their nameplate capacities don’t change quarter to quarter, requiring similar levels of infrastructure, equipment, and employees to keep running. So the only real variable driving quarterly gold production is the ore grades fed into these plants. Those vary widely even within individual gold deposits. Richer ores yield more ounces to spread mining’s big fixed expenses across, lowering unit costs and boosting profitability. But while fixed costs are the lion’s share of gold mining, there are also sizable variable costs. That’s where recent years’ raging inflation hit hard. Cash costs are the classic measure of gold-mining costs, including all cash expenses necessary to mine each ounce of gold. But they are misleading as a true cost measure, excluding the big capital needed to explore for gold deposits and build mines. So cash costs are best viewed as survivability acid-test levels for the major gold miners. They illuminate the minimum gold prices necessary to keep the mines running. The GDX top 25’s cash costs last quarter soared 19.2% YoY to a record $1,142 per ounce. The previous high was the preceding Q2’24’s $1,020. Gold-mining costs naturally follow gold higher, but way more slowly than that. Better gold prices eventually allow lower ore grades to be mined, which force unit costs higher. Q3’s cash-cost inflation is concerning, way worse than the prior-four-quarter average increase of 3.2% YoY. All-in sustaining costs are far superior than cash costs, and were introduced by the World Gold Council in June 2013. They add on to cash costs everything else that is necessary to maintain and replenish gold-mining operations at current output tempos. AISCs give a much-better understanding of what it really costs to maintain gold mines as ongoing concerns, and reveal the major gold miners’ true operating profitability. Unfortunately the GDX top 25’s AISCs, which are mostly comprised of those cash costs, proved very disappointing as well in Q3. They surged 8.0% YoY to $1,431 per ounce, their highest levels ever! In the four quarters before that, GDX-top-25 AISCs had actually averaged 3.5%-YoY declines with inflation coming back under control. The previous record was $1,405 in Q3’22. Again labor costs were most often cited. Those sharply-higher AISCs were the chonky fly in the ointment in the major gold miners’ latest results. In my mid-October essay previewing gold miners’ epic quarter, I had explained that “A surprising number of major gold miners continued guiding to considerably-lower costs in Q3 and Q4.” I even used Newmont as an example, which I did qualify with “While I really doubt NEM will achieve such low Q3 and Q4 AISCs…” With Q2’24’s GDX-top-25 AISCs clocking in at a nine-quarter low of $1,239 and plenty of gold miners forecasting better H2’24 costs, my worst-case scenario for Q3’24’s was $1,350. So seeing $1,431 was quite a shock. And that includes Buenaventura’s crazy negative $680 per ounce! Its big silver, zinc, and lead output used as gold byproduct credits skyrocketed 122%, 98%, and 251% YoY from a mine expansion. Still since Q3’24’s average gold price soared 28.6% YoY to a nominal record high of $2,477, the major gold miners were super-profitable even with high $1,431 AISCs. Subtract those, and implied sector unit profits ran $1,046 per ounce. I sure didn’t expect them to print under Q2’24’s dazzling record $1,099, but those are still ****-and-rich earnings. They soared 74.0% YoY from Q3’23’s, and that’s nothing new for gold stocks. During these last five reported quarters ending in Q3, the GDX top 25’s implied unit earnings rocketed by 87.2%, 42.3%, 34.9%, 83.7%, and 74.0% YoY! That massive profits growth is unequalled in all the stock markets, truly remarkable. And despite gold’s healthy pullback, this current half-over Q4’24 is shaping up to be another stunner. So far this quarter, gold is averaging $2,686 which would make for a 36%-YoY soaring! But even if gold’s pullback or larger correction hasn’t fully run its course yet, if gold averages a far-lower $2,515 for the rest of Q4 this quarter would still achieve $2,600 overall. And the majority of the GDX-top-25 gold miners with guidances still see AISCs improving into year-end. Assume $2,600 gold and $1,400 AISCs in Q4, and we’d be looking at record $1,200-per-ounce profits skyrocketing another 100% YoY! While it was a bummer last quarter’s AISCs came in much higher than expected, the underlying hard accounting numbers reported to securities regulators were spectacular. The GDX top 25’s total revenues soared 27.0% YoY in Q3 to a record $34.2b! That matches gold’s quarterly-average 28.6% gain less that 1.4% output shrinkage. That huge sales growth catapulted bottom-line GAAP earnings an epic 142.7% higher! Those hit $5.3b for the GDX top 25, astounding levels! And they were pretty clean, as gold miners as a group are often flushing unusual large unrealized and sometimes realized gains and losses through their income statements. The most-common ones are impairments to mines’ carrying values on books and occasionally reversals of those. I track these, and reversing out material ones yields even-better Q3 profits. Adjusted those ran $5,828m, skyrocketing 152.0% YoY from Q3’23’s adjusted levels! Either way, major gold miners’ Q3’24 earnings were their highest ever reported by far. The gold miners are printing money at these lofty prevailing gold prices, which will enable them to expand existing mines and build new mines to overcome depletion and hopefully grow their output. Q3’24 indeed proved gold miners’ best quarter ever! That forced down gold-stock valuations to their lowest levels seen in my 34-quarter research thread, and maybe ever with such gigantic earnings. Early this week, the GDX top 25 averaged trailing-twelve-month price-to-earnings ratios of just 22.5x. That was skewed higher by a few outliers, with plenty of major gold miners trading in the low double-digits. And most of these P/Es don’t even yet include Q3’s just-reported profits! So the major gold miners’ Q3’24 results proved epic overall. It was disappointing AISCs surged sharply, and infuriating Newmont deceptively trying to hide them blasted gold-stock sentiment on the verge of a huge secular breakout! But holy cow the gold miners still have massive room to run to reflect these awesome prevailing gold prices. They could easily double from here with such epic fundamentals on strong gold. This overdue gold pullback and resulting gold-stock correction are great gifts. Speculators and investors who were interested in gold stocks in late October should be salivating at buying much lower soon here. After our newsletter trades were stopped out at big realized gains, I’m looking to reload our trading books with fundamentally-superior mid-tiers and juniors as gold’s selloff matures. Then gold stocks are off to the races. The bottom line is major gold miners just reported their best quarter ever by far! Fueled by dazzling record gold prices, revenues, earnings, and operating cash flows all blasted up dramatically to all-time record highs. And that was despite resurgent mining costs also climbing to records partially fueled by more-expensive labor. Those ****-and-rich profits drove gold-stock valuations to their lowest in many years. Gold stocks are correcting now, forced by gold’s overdue rebalancing selloff after it soared to extreme overboughtness on excessively-bullish speculator gold-futures positioning. The world’s largest gold miner trying to obscure rising costs sparked the gold-stock selling. But what an amazing opportunity to add gold stocks at deep discounts with their strongest and most-bullish fundamentals ever. Their upside is far from over. Source link #Gold #Miners #Fundamentals #Epic #Earnings #Season Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

She Moved to New Delhi for a Fresh Start, but the Air Made Her ***** She Moved to New Delhi for a Fresh Start, but the Air Made Her ***** new video loaded: She Moved to New Delhi for a Fresh Start, but the Air Made Her ***** transcript Back transcript She Moved to New Delhi for a Fresh Start, but the Air Made Her SickSince coming to New Delhi, which had the world’s worst air quality on Monday, Ameesha Munjal hasn’t been able to exercise or see friends. She has been on several medications to battle sickness caused by the pollution. The pollution was so bad that I went to the doctor, and he just said that, ‘you should move out of the city. You won’t be able to survive in this air.’ There’s a steroid nasal spray, allergy medicines, fever medicines. I can’t go for a walk downstairs. I can’t even go to the balcony to do yoga. I have not been able to meet friends because the doctor just advised me not to go out, which is obviously very heartbreaking. Like, I have to leave the city that I’ve grown up in just because of the air. Recent episodes in India Show more videos from India Source link #Moved #Delhi #Fresh #Start #Air #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Walmart Earnings Preview: Operating Margin Is the Story Walmart Earnings Preview: Operating Margin Is the Story Walmart (NYSE:) reports their fiscal Q3 ’25 financial results before the opening bell on Tuesday, November 19th, 2024. Walmart’s fiscal year ends in January ’25.) Here’s the detail on the consensus estimates coming into Tuesday’s release: Revenue estimate: $167.7 billion for expected y-o-y growth of 4.3% Operating income est: $6.56 billion for expected y-o-y growth of 8.6% EPS estimate: $0.53 per share for expected y-o-y growth of 4% Here’s the weekly Walmart chart showing the stock’s 61% YTD return as of 11/15/24:Source: Worden 2000 The chart shows the stock started to move in the last half of December ’23, and hasn’t stopped since. The weekly chart shows the stock traded around a split-adjusted $50 per share for most of the pandemic ******* from late 2010 to 2023. The lower 1/3rd of the Worden chart shows the stock currently “overbought” (too far extended) on the stochastics, and probably needs a pullback into the low $70’s to reset the momentum indicators. In Q2 ’25, reported in August ’24, Walmart reported what was thought to be a strong comp at 4.2%, since it was lapping a 6% comp from the same quarter in August ’23. The Walmart US operating margin rose 20 bp’s to 5.7% last quarter. For the holiday ’24 quarter or what is fiscal Q4 ’25, Walmart is expecting $0.53 in EPS on $180 billion in holiday revenue for the Q4 ending in January ’25. As a Costco (NASDAQ:) member, regular unleaded gasoline has fallen below $3 per gallon this week, as of the latest fill-up. What’s Driving the Latest Surge in the Stock Price? The biggest drivers are Walmart’s April, 2023 announcement that they were going to start to target their supply chain logistics costs (read this earnings preview from August ’23) and pay particular attention to the segment entitled, “historical operating margin”. Walmart is an AI beneficiary as the August ’23 earnings preview details, but the retail giant is also adding margin-rich revenue from a newly-emerged advertising revenue stream. Like the mega-cap 7 have added “advertising” to their revenue segments, Walmart was very quick to do the same. In the , written on this blog in May ’24, it was noted that – according to the conference call notes – roughly 1/3rd of Walmart’s operating income improvement is coming from new business segments, i.e. advertising, membership and data ventures, etc. Again that’s margin-rich revenue since it has a better operating margin attached to it than the traditional retail business. Valuation: Other than the price-to-sales ratio, which is trading right at 1x revenue if the fiscal Q3 ’25 revenue estimate is met, (as it’s expected to be), the 34x expected ’25 EPS (calendar ’24) PE ratio on expected 11% growth, makes for a rich multiple. Somewhat assuaging this rich PE ratio is that Walmart’s “cash-flow-per-share” is $4.19 versus the trailing twelve-month EPS of $2.38, or 2x cash-flow per share vs earnings per share on a TTM basis. Walmart could and should be buying back more stock, but the Walton family does not want the family’s ownership position to drift too far above 50%, so that limits Walmart’s ability to repurchase stock. The retail giant was spending about $2 billion per quarter on buybacks, but with the performance of the stock this calendar ’24, the Board has cut back to about a $1 billion repo rate per quarter. The Walmart family’s ownership position is thought to be around 46% currently, which would give the Walmart Board room to repurchase more stock, but the move in the stock price has undoubtedly curtailed the repurchase appetite. Conclusion: To keep this earnings preview short and to the point, while the stock needs a 10% – 15% pullback given it’s overbought status, the continued improvement in the operating margin at Walmart US, will be a significant plus for shareholders. With the earnings summary on Walmart later this week, (after the numbers are sliced and diced and estimates updated), the earnings review will cover Walmart is relation to Amazon (NASDAQ:). Both retail giants are slated to do $700 billion in revenue in what for both companies is calendar 2025. Walmart’s operating margin history is really interesting: from the late 1990’s through the January ’16 quarter, Walmart US was putting up an operating margin between 6% – 8% pretty routinely. Since that fateful January ’16 quarter, Walmart could only print a +6% operating margin once after that, and that was in the middle of Covid, and that specifically was the July ’21 quarter (+6.2%) and then the subsequent 12 quarters or 3 years have all been 4% – 5% operating margin quarters for Walmart US. These new businesses for Walmart may take a while to scale enough to impact a retail juggernaut that is on track to generate $700 billion in sales in calendar ’25. The new revenue streams are great, but the operating margin is the story, and it’s not going to be a linear progression. Personally, I’d love to see the stock correct 10% – 15% after earnings. It will be a good chance to buy more, and Walmart is already a top 10 holdings for clients as of October 31 ’24. Disclaimer: None of this is advice or a recommendation, but only an opinion. Past performance is no guarantee or suggestion of future results. Investing can and does involve the loss of principal, even over short periods of time. None of the information on this blog may be updated, and if it is updated, may not be done so in a timely fashion. All consensus EPS and revenue estimates (any estimate cited) is sourced from LSEG. Thanks for reading. Source link #Walmart #Earnings #Preview #Operating #Margin #Story Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Raw sewage from new homes being flushed into London rivers Raw sewage from new homes being flushed into London rivers CURB The outfall at Marnham Field is frequently filled with sewage Raw sewage is being dumped into London’s rivers from at least 100 homes, a charity has warned. Thames Water’s response to an Environmental Information Request (EIR) from Friends of the River Crane Environment (Force) showed seven blocks of flats in north, north-west and west London had been discharging waste into the rivers Crane and Brent. Force blamed the “appalling” situation on developers and a lack of enforcement, while Thames Water said although property owners and developers were responsible, it had a programme “to help identify and investigate misconnections”. The Environment Agency said it “encourages people to report any signs of pollution or any other environmental concerns”. CURB Ben Morris called it “a catastrophic ******** of regulation” Areas covered by the discharges include Barnet, Harrow, Ealing and Dollis and Yeading Brooks, with one case dating back to April 2018. The EIR response did not name the specific blocks or the developers. Misconnected pipes discharging raw sewage into surface water drains are ********, under Section 109 of the Water Industry Act 1991. Ben Morris, founder of the Clean Up the River Brent campaign (Curb), said: “It’s like going back to the mid-19th Century when there were no water treatment works. “We’ve gone back to a time when we’re no longer treating our sewage. “We’re just putting it straight in rivers; certainly a proportion of it is no longer being treated at all.” Both Force and Curb said they had reported the situation to the Environment Agency. CURB Several of London’s waterways are severely polluted Force trustee Rob Gray said this was causing a “hidden pollution scandal” that was having a “public health risk and environmental impact”. He said: “Together, thousands of these inputs across the capital are badly affecting the health of our rivers. “For London this is probably now a ******* issue than sewage inputs from sewage treatment works. “In our view this type of pollution is probably the largest source of chronic pollution for London’s rivers.” Thames Water runs a Surface Water Outfall Programme (SWOP) which, it said, aimed to “resolve misconnections into the surface water sewers in hotspot catchments”. But Mr Morris said this was “driven by volunteer reports”. Sewage spills into England’s lakes, rivers and seas by water companies more than doubled in 2023. The number of hours in which sewage was dumped into London’s River Thames more than quadrupled last year. The Royal Academy of Engineering has recently called for an upgrade of the ***’s sewage system and more widespread testing of the country’s waterways. CURB The government says a safe phosphate level is 0.1mg per litre but readings are many times higher in some areas A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Households and buildings which are connected to the wrong drainage pipe can have a serious impact on the environment. “Most misconnections will have been done entirely by accident but is the responsibility of the property owner, which is why we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they’re plumbed in properly. “We have a programme of work to help identify and investigate misconnections and we also fund local projects across our region, which have been a great way to increase awareness of the issue, while involving communities to take stewardship and help manage their local environments.” An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Misconnections are a major cause of pollution, especially in urban areas, where the high density of households and associated drainage increases the likelihood of misconnections and therefore the impact on nearby watercourses. “We encourage anyone who is installing a new *******, sink, washing machine or dishwasher, to make sure their plumber is connecting them to the wastewater sewer rather than surface water drains.” Harrow and Ealing councils did not respond to Local Democracy Reporting Service requests for comment. Barnet Council called the situation “unacceptable” and said it was concerned about the impact on residents, biodiversity, and the local environment. However, it also criticised the “fragmented legislation” that it said allowed it to happen. Its spokesperson said: “New property developments are required to submit detailed plans for the proper management of sewage to prevent such pollution. “However, many adaptations and conversions of existing properties take place without proper consideration and can result in these misconnections. “We are doing all that we can to raise awareness about this issue, including issuing advice to residents setting out how they can help by checking the water flow connections in their homes.” Additional reporting by Grant WIlliams, Local Democracy Reporting Service. Source link #Raw #sewage #homes #flushed #London #rivers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

S&P 500 Earnings: Nvidia and Walmart This Week – Both Matter S&P 500 Earnings: Nvidia and Walmart This Week – Both Matter earnings continue to be healthy, as evidenced by the weekly trend in the quarterly EPS and revenue growth rates for the S&P 500 that are detailed below in the Excel spreadsheet. In the bordered boxes, note the jump in Q3 ’24 S&P 500 EPS growth, since expected EPS growth for Q3 ’24 bottomed during the week of October 18th. The revenue improvement isn’t too shabby either. It doesn’t look like much, but a 1.3% increase over the 4% revenue growth estimate is healthy. S&P 500 Data: The S&P 500 forward 4-quarter estimate fell to $263.01 last week, from the prior week’s $263.39, and the October quarter’s start of $266.66; The PE ratio ended this week 22.3x vs last week’s 22.7x after this week’s 2% drop in the S&P 500; The has now risen 8 straight weeks, to close this week at 4.43%; The S&P 500 “earnings yield” ended the week at 4.48%, which is about where the earnings started the quarter; The “average” credit spread for the high-yield credit market ended the week at +264 (the equivalent Treasury), and has now tightened for 10 straight weeks; The S&P 500’s EPS “upside surprise” improved again to 7.7% this week; Nvidia: Nvidia (NASDAQ:) reports after Wednesday night’s, November 20th’s close, and the hype machine will be in full effect. EPS Estimate Revisions: Revenue Estimate Revisions: NVDA looks like it’s scheduled to report their fiscal Q3 ’25 financial results after the bell on Wednesday, November 20 ’24. Excuse the wayward cursor in the EPS estimate trend spreadsheet. Readers are seeing 18 months of both EPS and revenue estimate revisions for Nvidia. The revisions remain powerful in percentage terms. What caught my eye is expected 2028 revenue estimates. As of 11/16/24, those revisions are still doubling – really more than doubling – from the June ’23 revenue estimates. Usually, analysts tend to pull in their expectations for “further-out years” which in this case is more than 3 years from now. Walmart (NYSE:) is going to report its financial results on Tuesday morning, November 19th, 2024, and like Nvidia Walmart is on a January fiscal year end so Walmart too is reporting their fiscal Q3 ’25 financial results Tuesday morning, November 19th ’24. A separate Walmart earnings preview will be posted this weekend for readers. Walmart is +61.5% YTD as of the market’s close on 11/15/24. Conclusion: Because “send” was accidentally hit before this blog post was finished, this weekend’s S&P 500 earnings update is being concluded quickly to get the full blog post in readers hands. No question that the EPS and revenue estimate trends for NVDA remain positive. This blog has sold all of their (semiconductor ETF) and all of the NVDA position, (of which the SMH position was much larger) and have no direct or indirect exposure to NVDA today outside of some style ETF’s or direct index exposure. That may change before Wednesday night, as some short-term trading positions may be taken in NVDA stock prior to earnings, given the trend in estimate revisions. The SMH was sold about a 6 – 8 weeks ago in client accounts, and after Applied Materials (NASDAQ:) stock drop after their Thursday night, November 14th earnings results, that may have been the right move. AMAT was down 12% last week, while the SMH fell 7.50% last week. The semiconductor stocks are tough to trade, either on an individual stock basis, or the SMH ETF. Just be careful with the sector, as someone who has been in and out of the group over 30 years. NVDA’s estimate revisions are – again – a positive, but that can change quickly. The level of persistent and vocal bullishness around the stock is another red flag for NVDA. I get the fundamental story, and NVDA is a fabless semi, so the return-on-invested-capital is formidable over years, but I do fret over the sudden acquisition of the nuclear power facilities by Amazon (NASDAQ:), Microsoft (NASDAQ:) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:) all of a sudden, wondering if that disrupts NVDA fundamental story. With October retail sales reported Friday, 11/15/24, Walmart’s fiscal Q3 ’25 should be fine. The overall consumer ******** healthy, but what is driving or rather helping Walmart’s margins and revenue growth in fiscal ’25 is the “flywheel” effect of a growing advertising and data business. Walmart’s an AI beneficiary rather than an AI disrupter, which is already being seen in the numbers. As of 11/15/2024, Walmart was +61% in terms of YTD return while NVDA was +187% (non-annualized returns). Disclaimer: None of this is advice or a recommendation but only an opinion. Past performance is no guarantee or even suggestion of future results. Investing can and does involve the loss of principal even for short periods of time. Any content posted to this blog, may or may not be updated, and if updated, may not be done in a timely fashion. Readers should gauge their own comfort with portfolio volatility, and adjust accordingly. Thanks for reading. Source link #Earnings #Nvidia #Walmart #Week #Matter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ASX resources shares surge on geopolitical tensions ASX resources shares surge on geopolitical tensions The ASX 200 rose slightly during Monday’s trading, pushed higher largely by Australia’s resource companies. Source link #ASX #resources #shares #surge #geopolitical #tensions Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Reality Sets into the Economic Modern Family Reality Sets into the Economic Modern Family The week right after the election, the Family was downright jubilant. This past week, the best word to describe them as is disappointed. Disappointed is not as bad as say, dismayed. Nonetheless, all the gains after the elections dissipated. Some of the responsibility ***** with the Fed after the bit hotter and numbers and Powell’s statement that he sees no hurry to lower rates. The Family wants lower rates. The Family likes certainty. Adding to the uncertainty Powell’s statements created, the onslaught of changes henceforth with the new administration is confusing as well. Big Brother Biotechnology suffered the worst ***** with the announcement of RFK Jr head of Health and Human Resources. However, each one of the sectors and our Granddad () empathized to a degree. The 6-chart screenshot is of weekly charts. The 50-WMA is in blue, the 200-WMA in green. Starting with Granny Retail , I am totally sticking with the notion that the consumer will tell us all. Speaking of disappointment, XRT ******* to rally above the $80 level, the top of the 10-month consolidation. XRT though, did at least hold above $78 and could easily reverse up this week. Granddad Russell 2000 IWM, if you zoom out, ******* to make a new all-time high from the one IWM made in 2021. Double top? Maybe. IWM must fail 200 first. That’s a long way down. Biotechnology , the good news, is that it never took out 150 to the upside so it never had a true range breakout. Now, this week it gave up 23 weeks of price action! I thought we’d not see 132 support levels again for a long time, but here we are. Sister Semiconductors also disappointed. Though we must remember that she has underperformed since the July peak. This week NVIDIA (NASDAQ:) reports. Could that save this sector? One important thing to note-SMH has not ******* the 50-week moving average since early 2023. And a move over 260 would be healthy. Moving on to the rest of the Family: And the winner is-our newest member of the Family-Crypto! He is a millennial for starters. And he loves a pro-crypto administration. ******* on all cylinders, looks poised for 100k before we reevaluate. Not quite as exciting, Transportation did have an inside week after the spectacular move to all-time highs the week prior. That is good news should IYT hold above 69 and clear 74.00. It also means that the theory is alive and well with the optimism of a more robust US economy. This is why we are watching the retail sector so carefully. Finally, Prodigal Son Regional , held the breakout area or $65. Also a good sign if that continues this coming week. This week watch Granny first and foremost. Then of course, NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:) and what the tech sectors does after it reports. As mentioned at the start of the Daily, disappointment can switch back to joy before it becomes dismay. Both joy and dismay are infectious. ETF Summary (Pivotal means short-term bullish above that level and bearish below) S&P 500 (SPY) 575 support 600 resistance Russell 2000 (IWM) 227 support 244 the area to clear Dow (DIA) 430 support Nasdaq (QQQ) 500 now pivotal Regional banks (KRE) 65 pivotal Semiconductors (SMH) 235 the 200-DMA to hold 250 resistance Transportation (IYT) Looks good if it holds over 71 Biotechnology (IBB) 132 support 138 now resistance Retail (XRT) 78.50 key pivotal support iShares iBoxx Hi Yd Cor Bond ETF (HYG) 79.50 pivotal Source link #Reality #Sets #Economic #Modern #Family Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*********** woman accused of ***** smuggling in Japan says she is innocent as trial begins *********** woman accused of ***** smuggling in Japan says she is innocent as trial begins CHIBA, Japan (AP) — An *********** woman accused of smuggling amphetamines in a suitcase appeared in a ********* court on Monday nearly two years after her arrest, saying she is innocent and that she was tricked into carrying them as part of an online romance scam. Donna Nelson from Perth, Australia, was arrested at Japan’s Narita International Airport just outside Tokyo when customs officials found about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of stimulants, or phenylaminopropane, hidden in a double-bottom suitcase she was carrying. Nelson, 58, said she received the suitcase from an acquaintance of a man she met on social media and brought it from Laos to Tokyo as instructed. She was supposed to meet up with the man in Japan but he never showed up, according to prosecutors. She was arrested on the spot and later charged with violating the stimulants control and customs laws. She has been in custody for nearly two years. Monday’s trial comes just weeks after the recent acquittal of an 88-year-old former boxer, Iwao Hakamada, who was on ****** row for about half a century on wrongful ******* convictions. That case rekindled concerns about Japan’s closed-door investigation processes and lengthy trials. Nelson, in a brief statement at the Chiba District Court near Tokyo, said she did not know the drugs were hidden in the suitcase and that she was carrying them for a man she thought she loved. Prosecutors acknowledged the case is linked to a romance scam but accused Nelson of smuggling the drugs, claiming she knew the contents of the suitcase. Nelson entered the courtroom escorted by a pair of uniformed guards who removed her handcuffs and a rope around her waist as she took a seat to stand trial. She repeatedly looked toward her daughters who were seated in the audience. It was an emotional moment for her and her family to see each other for the first time since her trip two years ago. Her daughters said they believe their mother is innocent. One of Nelson’s daughters, Kristal Hilaire, said she wants the court to know her mother is a good person. “She thought she was coming to Japan for her love story. She didn’t have any other intentions other than that. And that’s what we need everyone to know and hear at the court this week,” Hilaire said. The daughter added that the family is “just trying to be strong because when mum locks her eyes with us, I want her to feel our strength and that she will feed off that.” During Monday’s session, Nelson’s lawyer Rie Nishida said her client is the victim of a romance scam and that she “had her trust and love taken advantage of.” Nishida said that customs officials’ limited English-language ability led to mistranslations and the accusation that Nelson knew what she was carrying. ___ AP video journalist Mayuko Ono contributed. Source link #*********** #woman #accused #***** #smuggling #Japan #innocent #trial #begins Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

S&P 500: Where Will the Index Close 2024 Amid High Valuations, Positive Earnings? S&P 500: Where Will the Index Close 2024 Amid High Valuations, Positive Earnings? S&P 500: Where Will We End In 2024 Forecasting the Future The index for the Standard & Poor () monitors a wide range of the ********* stock market, has experienced many ups and downs in 2024, and forecasts for where it will end the year range from bearish to bullish but are generally constructive. Evaluating the corporate earnings, interest rates, as well as economic indicators, analysts are now estimating where the index could land at the end of 2024. Current Market Context The S&P 500 has had a great 2024 to date as of mid-November, up about 20%. It has been propelled higher by resilient corporate profits, especially for technology companies, coupled with optimism among investors who contemplate a near-term “soft landing” for the economy. December monetary policy actions by the Federal Reserve, such as interest rate cuts, have also influenced the general market dynamic. Analyst Predictions Goldman Sachs now sees the S&P 500 hitting 6,000 by the end of 2024, an increase from its prior forecast of 5,600. The positive prognosis is driven by improvements in profitability and earnings. Goldman analysts expect that earnings per share (EPS) for the index will grow to $268, or 11% year-on-year. They argue that strong broad-scale macroeconomic conditions will sustain this expansion, and profits margins should see gradual expansion from 11.5% to 12.3% through next year. Meanwhile, RBC Capital Markets has gone for a somewhat more cautious forecast that suggests the S&P 500 will finish the year near 5,300. Their median outcome: an 11% increase from levels in December 2023, based on a range of economic models and projections. From RBC: There are some positives in the growth profile and valuation picture, but we also still see a few risks that could be a roadblock to further gains. Things actually get so bullish that Lite-Finance has the S&P 500 potentially hitting 6,084 by December 2024. This expectation is largely based on the expected deep growth in sales and a deep dividend yield in coming years. Coin-Price-Forecast analysts are similarly indicating that powerful corporate performance and investor trust may push the index to even higher levels. Source: Woxsen Bloomberg lab Predictors with an Impact There are a few key drivers of these predictions: Corporate Earnings: The S&P 500 has been powered along this year by solid earnings reports. Better-than-expected earnings from tech and consumer discretionary companies has also supported broad market optimism. Interest Rates: Interest rates, especially in relation to the federal reserve. Analysts believe rate cuts, should they happen as currently priced into market expectations, may lend a further boost to sentiment and help support elevated equity multiples. Economic Indicators: While inflation rates and economic development forecasts stay in the headlines. Inflation could still be worse in the 2024 spectrum, but a lot of analysts expect it to cool off through for the rest of 2024 which would allow consumer spending and business investment. Market Sentiment: Positive news on artificial intelligence and technology have provided strength to investor sentiment. As a result of this excitement, there has been money flowing into tech stocks, which have a big weight in the S&P 500 due to their large valuations. Risks and Considerations While that is a positive over the short term for the S&P 500, there are risks involved that equity investors need to think about: Valuation Concerns: Where valuations are concerned, some analysts are warning that they could be getting stretched, particularly if earnings growth fails to keep up with stock prices. Should the market conditions change in any drastic way this is bound to lead to a whole bunch of corrections. Geopolitical Tensions: Continued geopolitical conflicts and economic uncertainties may have adverse effects on the markets. These are the risks that investors should stay vigilant at how they can play in the market. Possible Economic Slowdowns: Although most forecasts see continued growth, any economic slowdown/recession could weigh on investor sentiment/stock prices. Conclusion Heading into the last quarter of 2024, the forecasts for the S&P 500 are both cautiously optimistic and filled with potential hurdles. At a range between 5,300 to more then 6,000, it is quite clear, analysts see a potential growth of this key index. Nevertheless, investors should stay alert to the inherent risks and pay attention to economic indicators when adjusting their investment strategies in this changing market landscape. While you might be able to see gains come year-end, consensus indicates above-average watchfulness will be required to deal with any turbulence in a constantly shifting environment. Source link #Index #Close #High #Valuations #Positive #Earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]