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Alphabet Stock Pullback Just Opened a Window for Smart Investors Alphabet Stock Pullback Just Opened a Window for Smart Investors After a stunning 40% run since September, Alphabet (NASDAQ:) hit an all-time high in early February before experiencing a post-earnings pullback. The 10% decline in recent weeks may have shaken some investors, but this could be a golden buying opportunity for those paying attention. While the contained a revenue miss that spooked the market, it’s worth remembering that Alphabet still posted record-breaking revenue, driven by a 30% surge in Google Cloud growth. Combine that with the stock approaching oversold levels and a continuing wave of almost universal bullish analyst support, and the argument for stepping in at current levels becomes hard to ignore. Alphabet’s Earnings Reveal Strength Beyond the Headline Revenue Miss Alphabet’s February earnings report may have been overshadowed by its revenue miss, but a closer look reveals plenty of reasons to stay bullish. While total revenue came in slightly below expectations, it still hit a record, driven by strong ad revenue and accelerating cloud growth, the latter helping to reaffirm the company’s role as the market leader in the space. CEO Sundar Pichai wasn’t slow about emphasizing the momentum behind Alphabet’s AI initiatives, which are expected to drive even greater revenue expansion in 2025 and beyond. Despite the market’s initial reaction, this solid quarter highlighted Alphabet’s ability to scale its most important business segments. Alphabet’s Long-Term Trajectory Remains Strong, According to Analysts While the stock’s subsequent drop suggested investors were rattled by the revenue miss, Wall Street’s biggest names remain exceedingly bullish. For example, Piper Sandler, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup all reiterated their bullish ratings in the aftermath of the report, with price targets ranging as high as $229. From where Alphabet closed last week, that implies nearly 25% upside from current levels. For those wondering whether this pullback is a buying opportunity or a warning sign, analysts seem to be answering loud and clear: Alphabet’s long-term trajectory remains firmly intact. Confidence Remains, But Analysts Are Watching Growth Trajectory Closely It has to be noted that the team over at DZ Bank stood out among the analysts covering Alphabet, as they actually downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold in the aftermath of the report. The revenue miss undoubtedly raised some concerns about Alphabet’s near-term growth stability. Although Google Cloud’s impressive expansion is helping to offset this, the DZ Bank team is waiting to see whether Alphabet can reaccelerate revenue growth in the coming quarters before turning more aggressively bullish. However, their refreshed $198 price target still suggests the stock is undervalued at its current levels. Additionally, while analysts remain confident, some have trimmed their price targets, suggesting that valuation concerns are creeping in. A P/E ratio that remains above some of its tech peers means Alphabet needs to maintain strong earnings growth to justify its premium valuation. One of the Best Buying Opportunities in Months? From a technical perspective, Alphabet’s current setup is highly attractive. The stock’s RSI sits at 42, signaling that it is verging on oversold territory, a level that often precedes a rebound. The recent decline has also started to run out of steam, with shares continuing to see gains since last week’s low on Wednesday. If momentum continues to build in the coming sessions, especially with bullish analyst support and strong underlying fundamentals, Alphabet could easily mount a recovery rally back toward its February highs. For those waiting for the right moment to get involved, this dip could be one of the better entry points investors have seen in months. If the broader tech market remains strong, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Alphabet back above $200 in the near future. Original Post Source link #Alphabet #Stock #Pullback #Opened #Window #Smart #Investors Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Netherlands to return stolen Benin statues to Nigeria Netherlands to return stolen Benin statues to Nigeria Wereldmuseum These are pendants worn by high ranking officials in Benin The Netherlands says it will return more than 100 Benin Bronzes that British troops looted from Nigeria in the late 19th Century and which ended up in a Dutch museum. Thousands of these culturally significant sculptures and carvings were stolen during the violent destruction of Benin City, in modern-day Nigeria’s Edo state, in 1897. The treasures were sold, some to private collectors and others to museums like the Wereldmuseum in The Netherlands, which has displayed these artefacts for decades. The return of the 113 artefacts is the “largest repatriation of Benin antiquities”, said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). Despite the name, not all the statues are made of bronze. They include figurines, tusks, sculptures of Benin’s rulers, and an ivory mask. They were made during between the 15th and 19th Centuries. A transfer of agreement is due to be signed on Wednesday. Mr Holloway added that he hoped this would set a good example for other countries. In 2022, Germany was the first to return over 20 Benin bronzes in a bid to deal with its “dark colonial history”. “With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” said Dutch Minister of Culture, Education, and Science Eppo Bruins, reports the AFP news agency. Wereldmuseum The king and important dignitaries wore armbands such as this one The sculptures, prized for their beauty and technical artistry, are of spiritual and historical significance for the people from that part of Nigeria. Their theft still remains a point of pain for the descendants of those from the ancient Benin kingdom. This move may increase pressure on other institutions to return the Benin Bronzes, especially the British Museum, which has over 900 artefacts. Protests and demonstrations have taken place outside the British Museum as part of a campaign for their return. However, an act of parliament prevents the British Museum from sending them back. For many in Nigeria, the Benin Bronzes are a potent reminder of the violence of colonialism. The NCMM has issued formal repatriation requests to museums across the world. Nigeria said it plans to open the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City in 2026, designed by the British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, to house the largest collection of Benin Bronzes ever assembled. Wereldmuseum This statue depicts a Benin king, known as an Oba More about the Benin Bronzes from the BBC:Getty Images/BBC Source link #Netherlands #return #stolen #Benin #statues #Nigeria Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Warren Gatland: Ex-Wales head coach ‘weighed down’ by criticism before mid-Six Nations exit Warren Gatland: Ex-Wales head coach ‘weighed down’ by criticism before mid-Six Nations exit Several members of Gatland’s Grand Slam-winning squads are now pundits, and he says he felt disappointed by the criticism from some ex-players. “You give that facade in terms of not showing everything or too much emotion,” he said. “I’ve felt a huge amount of negativity in the Welsh press and that just kept weighing down on me. I just kept thinking, ‘where is someone in my corner or someone fighting a little bit for me?’. “It’s been tough. They (former players) are trying to find their feet in the game and sometimes you have to be seen to be objective. And by being objective, be critical. I look and can say that there’s a number of them that wouldn’t be in the media if they hadn’t played for Wales, or hadn’t played for the [British and Irish] Lions, or hadn’t been successful.” Gatland said current players were also affected by the criticism, but believes his Wales exit will create “breathing space” to allow the squad and coaches a chance to rebuild. Gatland added that he was surprised former assistant Rob Howley has not been retained by interim head coach Sherratt, while warning his permanent successor will need “thick skin”. He added: “There’s a lot of people who want you to succeed, but there’s also a lot of people who want you to fail as well. And I’ve experienced that.” Source link #Warren #Gatland #ExWales #coach #weighed #criticism #midSix #Nations #exit Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump suggests 25% tariffs on autos, pharma and semiconductors that could go even higher – CNBC Trump suggests 25% tariffs on autos, pharma and semiconductors that could go even higher – CNBC Trump suggests 25% tariffs on autos, pharma and semiconductors that could go even higher CNBCTrump’s new tariff proposals: how would they impact China? South China Morning Post Source link #Trump #suggests #tariffs #autos #pharma #semiconductors #higher #CNBC Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, February 19 NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, February 19 Table of Contents Table of Contents How to play Connections Hints for today’s Connections Today’s Connections answers NYT Connection FAQs Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends. Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you’re having a little trouble solving today’s puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. And if you still can’t get it, we’ll tell you today’s answers at the very end. How to play Connections Connections is a daily game about finding common threads between words. Players must select four groups of four words without making more than three mistakes. Play now. pic.twitter.com/CqObVOqeUs — The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2024 Please enable Javascript to view this content You can play Connections on the New York Times website or with the NYT Games app on iOS or Android. In Connections, you’ll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc. There are generally words that seem like they could fit multiple themes, but there’s only one 100% correct answer. You’re able to shuffle the grid of words and rearrange them to help better see the potential connections. Each group is color-coded. The yellow group is the easiest to figure out, followed by the green, blue, and purple groups. Pick four words and hit Submit. If you’re correct, the four words will be removed from the grid and the theme connecting them will be revealed. Guess incorrectly and it’ll count as a mistake. You only have four mistakes available until the game ends. Hints for today’s Connections We can help you solve today’s Connection by telling you the four themes. If you need more assistance, we’ll also give you one word from each group below. Today’s themes STRUCTURES BY THE SHORE SMALL IMPERFECTIONS SOUNDS A CUCKOO CLOCK MAKES ___ TAIL One-answer reveals STRUCTURES BY THE SHORE – BOARDWALK SMALL IMPERFECTIONS – DENT SOUNDS A CUCKOO CLOCK MAKES – CHIME ___ TAIL – ***** New York Times Today’s Connections answers Still no luck? That’s OK. This puzzle is designed to be difficult. If you just want to see today’s Connections answer, we’ve got you covered below: STRUCTURES BY THE SHORE – BOARDWALK, DOCK, LIGHTHOUSE, WHARF SMALL IMPERFECTIONS – DENT, DING, NICK, SCRATCH SOUNDS A CUCKOO CLOCK MAKES – CHIME, CUCKOO, TICK, TOCK ___ TAIL – *****, MOCK, PIG, PONY Connections grids vary widely and change every day. If you couldn’t solve today’s puzzle, be sure to check back in tomorrow. NYT Connection FAQs What time does the Connections puzzle change? The puzzle changes daily at midnight local time. Who edits the NYT Connections game? Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles at The New York Times since 2020, edits Connections daily. “A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been greenlighted and was in search of an editor,” wrote Liu in an article explaining her process in June 2024. Most of my puzzle experience has been working with crosswords, and I was excited at the chance to try something different. I’ve enjoyed learning how puzzle editing plays out once a game is greenlighted, and seeing how our team fits into a larger ecosystem.” On the one-year anniversary of Connections launching earlier this year, Liu posted this TikTok about her favorite puzzles so far: Source link #NYT #Connections #hints #answers #Wednesday #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*** set to be warmer than Greece as spell of cold weather ends *** set to be warmer than Greece as spell of cold weather ends With low pressure in the Atlantic now in the driving seat, conditions will become more unsettled for all with spells of wet and windy weather forecast, especially across western parts. Met office yellow warnings for wind and rain have already been issued for parts of the western *** in the coming days. There is a chance that these warnings might be upgraded this weekend, as there is the risk of a deep low tracking to the north of Scotland on Sunday, which could result in the first named storm of this month. The last week of February is expected to remain unsettled with spells of wet and windy weather or sunshine and showers. The weather will be more typical for the end of winter. Temperatures are likely to drop back to nearer normal and nights will become chillier again. Source link #set #warmer #Greece #spell #cold #weather #ends Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apptoide, the so-called first free App Store for iOS, is now available for free in the EU Apptoide, the so-called first free App Store for iOS, is now available for free in the EU Aptoide, the independent App Store, is now available for free on iOS for EU users While it calls itself the first alternative app store to arrive for free, the Epic Games Store did hit first But Aptoide may have a claim to being the first general, third-party storefront If you’ve been looking for an alternative to the iOS App Store, you’ve mostly been out of luck as Apple has been enormously protective of their own personal walled garden. Fortunately though, after years of legal cases things began to open up last year, and following the arrival of the Epic Games Store to iOS a new player has arrived in the form of Aptoide. Eagle-eyed readers will recall that we previously covered Aptoide when we wrote about their initial beta back in mid-2024. But now, all users (in the EU) on iOS can download Aptoide for free and give it a try. While it does make the bold claim of being the first alternative storefront on iOS most of you will also recall the Epic Games Store pre-empting them (at least in full release) by a few months. However, where Aptoide seems to differ is in the breadth of releases available. Not just focusing on gaming they also boast more general apps and an innovative feature where you can select the version of a release which you want to play that is apparently exclusive to their storefront and previously only available to Android users. Alternatively, yours While what I’ve written so far may sound like thinly veiled scepticism I do think Aptoide has a genuine claim to being the first (especially if you take into account their beta *******). The Epic Games Store, which I mentioned above, for example, is really third-party only in the sense it isn’t owned by one of the big two. But at its core, the EGS is still a storefront held by a major player in the industry. So, for those of us who’ve been watching the ongoing Epic v Apple saga and the subsequent opening of the formerly closed realm of iOS to more storefronts, this is pretty good news. But now I think we’ll all be watching closely to see if Aptoide can really grab those dissatisfied with Apple. Source link #Apptoide #socalled #free #App #Store #iOS #free Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Will US Stock Market Exceptionalism Finally Be Challenged in 2025? Will US Stock Market Exceptionalism Finally Be Challenged in 2025? After two straight years of performance dominance by US equities, foreign stocks in developed markets are leading the major asset classes by a wide margin so far in 2025, based on a set of ETFs through Tuesday’s close (February 18). It’s anyone’s guess if the leadership for equities ex-US continues, but at the moment the change in fortunes is a striking reshuffling of recent history. Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets Index Fund ETF (NYSE:) has surged 8.5% year to date, well ahead of the second-best performer, commodities (), which is up 6.2%. In third place: emerging markets ()) with a 4.7% increase. US stocks () are currently the fourth-best performer via a 4.4% advance. For context, the Global Market Index (GMI) is up 4.6% so far this year. GMI is an unmanaged benchmark (maintained by CapitalSpectator.com) that holds all the major asset classes (except cash) in market-value weights via ETFs and represents a competitive benchmark for multi-asset-class portfolios. The changing fortunes mark a switch following two consecutive calendar years of strong leadership for US equities. , for example, American shares rallied nearly 24%, far ahead of the rest of the field. What’s driving the changing fortunes? Analyst Ed Yardeni this week suggests the Trump factor may be a reason: “So far, Trump’s tariff turmoil seems to be weighing more on the US, Canada, Mexico, and many other emerging markets than on China and most European countries. That could change once reciprocal tariffs are actually imposed by the US in early April, unless Trump changes his mind, again.” Whatever the catalyst, foreign developed markets are on a tear. VEA’s regional weighting tells the story. The Europe-developed category has the biggest weight in the fund: more than 40%, followed by Japan with a 21% share and the *** at 12%, according to Morningstar.com. Meanwhile, the long-term expected return for US equities has fallen recently relative to the red-hot run over the past decade, {{art-based on modeling by CapitalSpectator.com}}. By contrast, ex-ante performance for foreign-developed stocks has been revised higher lately. Despite the revisions, US and foreign-developed stocks are currently expected to generate similar results in the 8%-9% annualized total return range over the long haul. Using this year’s rally in foreign shares as a guide, however, suggests that the crowd is pricing in a wider divergence in the near term. Source link #Stock #Market #Exceptionalism #Finally #Challenged Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Editorial: Tanya Plibersek’s Woodside delay has industry on edge Editorial: Tanya Plibersek’s Woodside delay has industry on edge After 40 years, gas resources in the North West Shelf are dwindling. Opening up new gas fields to the north could extend the project’s life. But its success is under threat. Source link #Editorial #Tanya #Pliberseks #Woodside #delay #industry #edge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Wednesday, February 19 NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Wednesday, February 19 Table of Contents Table of Contents How to play Strands Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s Strand answers Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you’ll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle. Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There’s no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you’re stuck and need to know the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below. How to play Strands You start every Strands puzzle with the goal of finding the “theme words” hidden in the grid of letters. Manipulate letters by dragging or tapping to craft words; double-tap the final letter to confirm. If you find the correct word, the letters will be highlighted blue and will no longer be selectable. If you find a word that isn’t a theme word, it still helps! For every three non-theme words you find that are at least four letters long, you’ll get a hint — the letters of one of the theme words will be revealed and you’ll just have to unscramble it. Every single letter on the grid is used to spell out the theme words and there is no overlap. Every letter will be used once, and only once. Each puzzle contains one “spangram,” a special theme word (or words) that describe the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. When you find the spangram, it will be highlighted yellow. The goal should be to complete the puzzle quickly without using too many hints. Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s theme is “‘Pick your own prefix” Here’s a hint that might help you: small sweet treats. Today’s Strand answers NYT Today’s spanagram We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and solve the rest of the puzzle on your own: Today’s Strands answers RASP STRAW HUCKLE ****** SALMON GOLDEN ELDER BLUE Source link #NYT #Strands #today #hints #spangram #answers #Wednesday #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pixel 9a High Resolution Renders Surface Online; Suggests Flat Rear Camera Module Pixel 9a High Resolution Renders Surface Online; Suggests Flat Rear Camera Module Google is likely to announce the Pixel 9a soon. As we wait for the formal announcement, a set of new high-resolution renders has leaked online offering a clearer look at the Pixel 8a successor. The renders showcase the phone in four colour options. The Pixel 9a appears to have a new rear camera module design, flush with the rear panel. This is a departure from the visor-like camera island of Pixel 8a. The Pixel 9a is expected to ship with Android 15 and Tensor G4 processor. Google Pixel 9a Design Leaked in New Renders Tipster Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414) shared official-looking renders of Pixel 9a on X. The renders without a watermark show the phone in ******, pink, gold, and blue colour options. Google is expected to market these colours as Obsidian, Peony, Porcelain, and Iris. At the back, the alleged Pixel 9a appears to have a dual rear camera setup that’s arranged horizontally in a pill-shaped camera island. The camera module is positioned slightly to the left and is nearly flush with the rear panel, marking a departure from Google’s signature camera visor. The Google logo appears to be arranged at the centre of the back. The Pixel 9a seems to have a hole punch cutout on the display to house a selfie shooter. The bezels on the display appear to be symmetrical. The right side of the phone appears to have volume and power buttons. Google Pixel 9a Specifications (Expected) The Pixel 9a is rumoured to be available for pre-orders from March 19. It is expected to go on ***** on March 26. The price of the handset may start at $499 (roughly Rs. 42,000) for the 128GB storage option. As per past leaks, the Pixel 9a is tipped to come with a Tensor G4 processor like the Pixel 9 series. It is expected to feature a 6.3-inch Actua display with 2,700nits peak brightness, and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The handset is likely to pack 8GB of RAM and 256GB of inbuilt storage. It may have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. For optics, the Pixel 9a could feature a dual camera unit comprising a 48-megapixel primary camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor. It is expected to house a 5,100mAh battery, with 23W wired and 7.5W wireless charging support. Source link #Pixel #High #Resolution #Renders #Surface #Online #Suggests #Flat #Rear #Camera #Module Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Here are 7 scary stats that will make you ‘rethink’ retirement in America — know them now before it’s too late Here are 7 scary stats that will make you ‘rethink’ retirement in America — know them now before it’s too late Here are 7 scary stats that will make you ‘rethink’ retirement in America — know them now before you make your next big money move Retirement should be a time when you get to relax and enjoy the fruits of your savings, but that may not be the case for many Americans. According to Ramsey Solutions, some startling statistics suggest many Americans could be in for a tough time in their golden years. Preparing for retirement is essential, but these stats paint a scary picture that explains why many Americans aren’t preparing much at all. If you’ve got your retirement top of mind and you don’t want to be included in this cohort, here are seven troubling retirement statistics that could scare you and your retirement savings into action. In total, more than 90 million adults in the United States owe more to their credit card companies than the amount that they’ve saved for retirement. This is a huge problem, especially with credit card interest averaging 21.47% as of January 8, 2025. Those with massive credit card debt who are paying these high rates have committed a lot of their current and future income to creditors, which of course makes it harder to save money for retirement. Americans saddled with heavy credit card debt also have compound interest working against them, as interest is added onto their balance and they end up paying interest on interest. Credit cards are a handy financial tool, but racking up credit card debt can have a crippling effect on your ability to save for retirement. Investing in the stock market is one of the best ways to prepare for retirement because your assets can earn higher returns than most other investments offer. The higher the returns, the harder your money works for you and the easier it is to build wealth. Say, for example, you invest $500 a month for retirement every year for 30 years, putting the money into an S&P 500 index fund that has consistently earned a 10% average annual return (AAR) over many years. At the end of those 30 years, you’d have a nest egg worth $986,964.14. But if you were to put $500 a month into a high-yield savings account earning an average of 2% AAR over 30 years (which would be pretty competitive over the long term), you’d have just $243,408.48. Story Continues As you can see, simply saving money is one way to prepare for retirement, but investing in the stock market has long-term potential that far surpasses what a savings account can do for you. Among non-retirees, 66% say they feel like they are behind on achieving their retirement savings goals, according to Ramsey Solutions. Sadly, many of these Americans appear to be correct. The average defined contribution account balance for Vanguard participants was just $134,128 in 2023, while the median balance was just $35,286. These kinds of savings are far too low for American retirees to live on. And while these median and average balances span all age groups, when you look at the specifics, virtually every age group is behind where they should be. Among those aged 55 to 64, for example, the average balance is $244,750 while the median is $87,571. People in this age range are nearing retirement, and a savings account with a balance of $87,571 would allow them to spend just $3,502.84 annually — if they employed a safe withdrawal rate of 4% per year. That, simply put, is not enough to retire comfortably. Read more: Home prices in America could fly through the roof in 2025 — here’s the big reason why and how to take full advantage (with as little as $10) With savings rates as low as they are, many Americans are likely hoping Social Security can fill the gap and provide the income they need to retire comfortably. But, unfortunately, these benefits are not going to provide as much money as some may think. The Social Security Administration reports the average monthly benefit was just $1,976 as of January, 2025. This means the average American retiree brings home just $23,712 in Social Security benefits per year, which doesn’t exactly make for a very comfortable retirement. The reason this average is so low is because Social Security was never meant to be the sole source of a retiree’s income. Social Security was designed to work with your savings — and a potential pension fund — to provide financial security. Without those other income sources, retiring seniors could be in trouble. Preparing for retirement is hard without a target number, and close to half of all workers don’t have one. It’s critical to decide how big your nest egg should be so you can break that big goal down into small goals and track your progress. There are different ways to set a savings goal, but the best option is to talk with a financial advisor who can provide personalized advice. However, for those who want a simple method for setting retirement goals, you can just assume you’ll need about 10 times your preretirement income saved by the time you call it a career. One big reason why so many people are unable to set retirement savings goals is because they have no one to turn to for help. When it comes to retirement, many important decisions — from how much to invest to which accounts to invest in — need to be made. Unless you feel comfortable researching these issues on your own, you should find a trusted financial advisor who can help with setting up a solid retirement plan. Finally, the last troubling statistic suggests that nearly half of Americans simply don’t have any money to save. And when you spend nearly all of your money covering the daily necessities, it’s next to impossible to invest in your savings and prepare for your golden years. Those living paycheck to paycheck should aim to make a detailed budget, slash fixed expenses as much as possible and find ways to work some savings into their monthly budget. Otherwise they’re likely to end up with their retirement looking very different than what they may have imagined. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Source link #scary #stats #rethink #retirement #America #late Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Marvel Rivals team hit with layoffs despite huge success of game Marvel Rivals team hit with layoffs despite huge success of game ******** game publisher NetEase has laid off Marvel Rivals development team members including the game director, Kotaku reported. Some of those let go expressed surprise and dismay at the move considering that the team-based PVP shooter has consistently been in the top ten on Steam since its December debut. A large part of the Marvel Rivals development team is located in China, but only North American layoffs were reported. It’s not clear yet how many people were let go. “This is such a weird industry,” wrote game director Thaddeus Sasser on LinkedIn. “My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games… and were just laid off.” “I don’t get it, man,” wrote game artist Del Walker on Bluesky. “You make one of the most successful LIVE service titles of the generation, despite the world telling you LIVE service is dead – and still get laid off? What are we even doing at this point.” Marvel Rivals currently sits at number six on Steam’s top seller list and just had its first big content update for Season 1 that happened at nearly the same time as the layoffs. The game has received solid reviews for its Marvel lore and straightforward gameplay and has reportedly been very successful in its first month. It has been one of the rare good stories in terms of live service games, following announcements from Sony that some of its titles in development had been scrapped. There are concerns that more layoffs may be coming from China-based studios in response to US tariffs. In a statement to VentureBeat, however, NetEase denied that it is eliminating its foreign investments and overseas gaming studios. “For 2025, we have an extensive pipeline of titles in development, feature a variety of genres, including FragPunk, Ananta and more,” NetEase said in the statement. “[However] as part of our investment strategy, we started scaling down two of our studios at the end of 2024. This decision was based purely on business evaluations and not influenced by other factors. And this represents only a small portion of our overseas studio portfolio.” Source link #Marvel #Rivals #team #hit #layoffs #huge #success #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Leakers may have been wrong about AMD’s next-gen GPU Leakers may have been wrong about AMD’s next-gen GPU AMD’s RX 9000 series is almost here, ready to battle it out against some of the best graphics cards. Not a day goes by without some new leaks about the cards’ performance or price. Today, we got some scoop on the former from a reliable leaker on X (formerly Twitter). While pretty vague — as these things often are — the leak implies that some of the predictions we’ve already heard about the RX 9070 may have been wrong. The latest update on RDNA 4 comes from momomo_us on X. This is a reliable leaker with a good track record for GPU and CPU news, but as always, take the following with some skepticism. The leaker shed some light on the expected clock speeds for AMD’s next-gen GPU. They didn’t clarify which card they were talking about, though, but based on these frequencies, I’m thinking that this is the RX 9070 non-XT and not the flagship RX 9070 XT. The clocks are a subtle upgrade over the RX 7700 XT, which tracks. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming base 1440 game 2210 boost 2700 — 188号 (@momomo_us) February 19, 2025 According to momomo_us, the mysterious AMD GPU will come with a base clock of 1,440MHz; a game clock of 2,210MHz, and a boost clock of 2,700GHz. For comparison’s sake, the RX 7700 XT came with a 1,435MHz base clock, a 2,171MHz game clock, and a 2,544MHz boost clock. Surprisingly, the RX 7800 XT (while overall an excellent card) had lower clocks all around. As the RX 9070 XT is likely to be the equivalent of the RX 7900 XT, this supports my theory of this being the non-XT version. Leakers have long been saying that AMD’s new GPUs would offer clock speeds of up to 3GHz. Today’s update shows that they may have been wrong, although it is possible for both the previous predictions and this one to be right: The RX 9070 XT might still hit 3GHz and up, while the non-XT model maxes out at around 2.7GHz as seen above. We’ve seen a bunch of leaks about the performance and the specs of both the RX 9070 XT and the non-XT version. Leakers predicted 3GHz and up for RDNA 3, and that never happened, so I’m approaching this with some caution, but it won’t be long until we find out. AMD is set to announce the card on February 28 during a special event. Source link #Leakers #wrong #AMDs #nextgen #GPU Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Energy Transfer Looks to Turbocharge Growth Spending. Is Now the Time to Buy the Stock? Energy Transfer Looks to Turbocharge Growth Spending. Is Now the Time to Buy the Stock? Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) has never been shy about pursuing growth when opportunities come along, and that’s what it’s expecting in 2025. When the pipeline company reported fourth-quarter earnings this past week, the big news was that it’s looking for supercharged growth given the number of strong opportunities it is seeing, including the growing energy needs stemming from artificial intelligence (AI). Let’s delve into the company’s most recent results to see if this is a good time to buy the stock. Energy Transfer plans to spend $5 billion in capital expenditures (capex) on growth projects in 2025. That is a significant bump from the $3 billion it spent on growth capex in 2024. Much of Energy Transfer’s spending will be directed toward the Permian Basin in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it will be used for things such as increasing takeaway capacity, processing expansions, treating upgrades, and compression additions. One of its big projects will be the Hugh Brinson pipeline, which will provide additional natural gas takeaway out of the Permian Basin and connect to Energy Transfer’s intrastate natural gas pipeline network. The company also announced a long-term agreement with CloudBurst Data Centers to provide natural gas to its AI-focused data center developments in central Texas. Energy Transfer will provide CloudBurst’s planned facility with 450,000 metric million British thermal units (MMBtu) per day of natural gas from its Oasis pipeline. The deal is subject to CloudBurst reaching a final investment decision with its customer, with the facility expected to be online in the third quarter of 2026. The CloudBurst agreement is Energy Transfer’s first direct deal with a data center provider. However, the company said it now has requests from more than 70 prospective data centers in 12 states. In addition, it has connection requests from approximately 62 power plants in 13 states that it currently does not serve, as well as from 15 plants that it already does serve. It believes that, given its natural gas infrastructure, it is one of the companies best positioned to benefit from increasing natural gas demand. Turning to Energy Transfer’s Q4 results, the company saw its adjusted EBITDA in the quarter climb 8% to $3.88 billion. This it the main metric that midstream companies try to grow. In January, the company increased its per-share quarterly distribution by 3% year over year to $0.325. That equates to a forward yield of about 6.5% at recent prices. The company continues to expect to increase its distribution by 3% to 5% per year. Energy Transfer’s distribution is well covered by its distributable cash flow (DCF) to partners — which is how much cash a master limited partnership (MLP) like Energy Transfer generates before growth capex. Story Continues Looking ahead, Energy Transfer forecast full-year EBITDA to be between $16.1 billion and $16.5 billion, representing around 5% growth. The company has a history of being conservative with guidance and then raising it during the year. With the majority of its current growth projects set to go into service in 2026, it expects a big jump in growth in 2026 and 2027. Image source: Getty Images. There are currently a lot of attractive projects in the midstream space, with both Energy Transfer and Enterprise Products Partners among the companies announcing they are boosting their growth capex. Energy Transfer is looking for mid-teen returns on its projects, which would equate to around $750 million in incremental EBITDA from these projects once they are fully ramped up. That is a solid return for midstream projects and shows the favorable environment the market currently is in with natural gas demand increasing. While the jump in growth capex is a big step up, Energy Transfer should be pretty close to covering its $5 billion in growth capex and approximately $4.5 billion in distributions with its DCF given its projected EBITDA growth. With its balance sheet and leverage in good shape, it appears well positioned to tackle this growth opportunity. From a valuation perspective, the stock trades at an enterprise value (EV)-to-EBITDA multiple of about 8.5 times the high end of its 2025 guidance. While its valuation has risen, it’s still well below where it traded before the pandemic. Meanwhile, midstream MLPs traded at an average multiple of 13.7 times between 2011 and 2016. ET EV to EBITDA (Forward) data by YCharts Overall, Energy Transfer is well positioned to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the midstream space stemming from increasing natural gas demand, while the stock trades at a historically attractive valuation. As such, it continues to look like the stock has solid upside from here, both with price appreciation as well as its robust distribution. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $360,040!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $46,374!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $570,894!* Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. Learn more » *Stock Advisor returns as of February 3, 2025 Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Energy Transfer and Enterprise Products Partners. The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Energy Transfer Looks to Turbocharge Growth Spending. Is Now the Time to Buy the Stock? was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #Energy #Transfer #Turbocharge #Growth #Spending #Time #Buy #Stock Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Phil Spencer’s Approach with Protecting Libraries through Their Play Anywhere Approach Is a Key to Xbox’s Success Phil Spencer’s Approach with Protecting Libraries through Their Play Anywhere Approach Is a Key to Xbox’s Success The gaming industry is witnessing a remarkable shift in how platform holders view their content. While some companies still jealously guard their exclusives like dragons hoarding gold, Phil Spencer and Xbox have been championing a different philosophy—one that puts player choice above platform boundaries. Platform boundaries? Phil Spencer brought a wrecking ball. | Image Credit: Xbox/YouTube In a recent interview with XboxEra, Spencer doubled down on this approach, explaining how Xbox’s strategy isn’t about forcing players to switch platforms anymore. Instead, it’s about meeting gamers wherever they prefer to play while ensuring their game libraries remain accessible across generations. As we are aware, this refreshing take on gaming accessibility isn’t just talk—Xbox’s actions over the past year have consistently backed up Spencer’s words. From bringing beloved franchises to other platforms to strengthening their commitment to backward compatibility, Xbox is rewriting the rules of platform ownership. Xbox is building bridges, not walls The traditional console war mentality has always been about building walls—exclusive games that force players to choose one platform over another. But Xbox’s recent moves suggest they’re more interested in building bridges, and their 61% revenue growth in Q1 2025 (via Microsoft) suggests they might be onto something. Speaking to XboxEra, Spencer laid out their evolving philosophy with refreshing honesty: I’m not trying to move them all over to Xbox anymore. People were all so invested in where our games are. Let’s just allow more people to play. This isn’t just about being nice—it’s smart business. The revenue from multiplatform releases is helping fuel the company’s ambitious plans: The 70% that we make on games on other platforms is helpful to us being able to build great portfolios like we showed at the Dev Direct. And it all comes down to one simple philosophy that Spencer emphasized throughout the interview: I think we’ve shown respect for people’s libraries over the generations with back-compat and Play Anywhere, and I want to continue to do that. You can buy every game that’s in Game Pass, we’re not trying to funnel everybody into one business model. Play the games the way you want to play them. But what about the loyal Xbox fans who worry this might diminish their platform of choice? Spencer addressed these concerns head-on: I want to show respect to the people who voice their concerns. To me, like I get it. And I would never disrespect anybody who comes to me, concerned. I’ve got a library of games on Xbox console. I want to make sure I’ll continue to be able to play those games. This commitment to preserving player libraries while expanding access shows a deep understanding of both business realities and player needs. It’s not about abandoning the Xbox ecosystem—it’s about growing it in a way that benefits everyone. The end of the console wars? Crossing platforms: The new way to wage war. | Image Credit: Xbox While some might view Xbox’s multiplatform strategy as a retreat from the console space, the reality couldn’t be more different. Phil Spencer‘s vision isn’t about abandoning hardware—it’s about fundamentally changing how we think about gaming platforms altogether. It doesn’t really benefit people to gatekeep games. It used to be the fact that the largest thing in our industry were the platforms. The largest thing now are the games, and I think that’s a good thing for the games industry. This shift in thinking seems to be catching on. Even Sony, long known for its iron grip on exclusives, appears to be reconsidering its stance. Recent reports suggest more PlayStation titles are eyeing quicker PC releases, with some former exclusives potentially making their way to Xbox consoles in 2025. The implications of this industry-wide shift are massive. For developers, it means larger potential audiences for their games. For players, it means more choice in how and where they play. And for the industry as a whole, it might just mean the end of artificial barriers that have long divided gaming communities. As Spencer puts it: I want to build a platform that services creators that are trying to meet people on every screen. The gaming landscape is clearly evolving beyond the traditional console war mentality, and Xbox’s success with this approach might just be the push other platform holders need. After all, when everyone’s focused on making great games accessible to more players—rather than hoarding them behind platform walls—everybody wins! What do you think about Xbox’s approach to gaming accessibility? Should other platform holders follow their lead? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Source link #Phil #Spencers #Approach #Protecting #Libraries #Play #Approach #Key #Xboxs #Success Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

European and African tech skills programme could increase economic ties European and African tech skills programme could increase economic ties Emerging economies in Africa often have relationships with developed nations through dark colonial pasts, but today, digital tech is connecting previously unexpected partners. Developed nations looking for growth are targeting Africa as an opportunity, but must offer the countries of the continent something in return, and one programme to transfer IT professionals and knowledge between Africa and the Baltic region is an example that goes beyond filling a skills gap. As Computer Weekly reported recently, IT professionals in Africa are being connected to tech businesses in the Baltic region as part of a European Commission-funded project, known as the Digital Explorers programme. Fronted by Lithuania-based think tank Osmos, it aims to address skills shortages in the Baltic tech sector, and increase more business and government engagement between the Baltic nations and African countries. While countries in the Baltic region, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia lead the world in digital business, they lack people. Estonia, for example, while a leading digital nation, has a population of about 1.3 million. In contrast, countries like Nigeria are lagging in terms of digital economy, but have large and growing IT talent pools. Nigeria, for example, has a population of about 240 million and growing. But African countries offer more than a skills pool for Europe to tap, with a huge potential market for its goods and services. It’s hoped connecting people through digital technology initiatives, like Digital Explorers, will initiate cooperation between the two regions. New skills It also sees African IT professionals learn new skills that can be used to help the economic development in their home countries. At the Turing College data science school in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, the Digital Explorers programme has already remotely trained 90 junior to mid-level data analysts from Africa. These trainees then travel to and work in the Baltic region, particularly in its rich tech startup sector. It’s hoped the project will create a model for the wider European Union (EU) region to follow. Cindy Waweru, aged 24, from Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, was a policy analyst in the city at the time, and was invited by the Kenya Private Sector Business Alliance (Kepsa) to take up a role that blended economics with statistical analysis. She had the option of taking up the role in Kenya or Lithuania, and opted for the latter. “Once I saw the Lithuania option, I was pretty intrigued,” she said. With a degree in economics and statistics from the University of Nairobi, and experience as a policy analyst, Waweru took up a role at research institute Visionary Analytics in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius. “Originally I wanted to become a policy analyst and this could give me the opportunity to be a global one,” Waweru told Computer Weekly. “I have an IT background and worked initially as a data specialist in the Kenyan government. This was pretty important for the programme.” She is currently on a six-month placement at Visionary Analytics in Vilnius. After that, she will either be offered a role in Lithuania or take her learnings back to Kenya. In Kenya there will be opportunities for Waweru to work either in the tech sector or with tech-enabled organisations. She said her international experience could open up more opportunities for her in Kenya. There is a growing tech scene in the East African country, she told Computer Weekly. “They call Kenya the Silicon Savannah,” said Waweru. Kenya needs to emulate some of the strategies adopted in Europe, and Waweru said one of the main differences she has learned is the cooperation between nations. “I have noticed with in Europe generally and in terms of the framework and their policies that they operate within all EU member states,” she said. “We have something like that with the African Union, but a lot of the policies are led to the national governments. Something like intergovernmental working would help a lot in Africa.” Waweru hopes the programme will build a good reputation for African talent and lead to more European countries taking advantage of their skills to fill gaps in their workforces. But the programme is about much more than tech skills, with future business ties a major goal for both sets of economies. Ashley Immanuel, co-founder and chief operating officer at Nigeria-based Semicolon, which trains software engineers and other technology skills, is an ambassador of the Digital Natives programme. Immanuel said she is increasingly engaging with Baltic tech firms and tech ecosystems, as well as others across Europe. She said the ********* digital tech market has evolved quite quickly over the past 10 to 15 years. “There is activity in terms of technology startups, and then of course the digital transformation of established companies,” said Immanuel. “Historically in Nigeria, obviously oil and gas has been present, but also some of the larger corporates like banks and finance firms.” She said there is a huge population in Nigeria and that “people are anxious to find good jobs”, but added: “There has historically been a gap because the human capital that’s available here hasn’t been aligned to employer needs, especially for leading technology companies.” Baltic nations In contrast, the Baltic nations have small populations and a large tech sector. Immanuel said both regions have challenges and that Baltic employers and tech companies she has met have listed access to talent as one of their challenges. She said there is a mutual desire to learn from each other, as well as potential for business partnerships and relationships. On her travels in Europe, there is a lot of interest in working with African companies, she told Computer Weekly. Immanual agreed that diversity of the IT workforce is also important, with the rapid development of technologies such as AI, and that Africa and the Baltics’ relationship can contribute to increased diversity. Žilvinas Švedkauskas, managing director at Osmos, said it creates “unexpected country partnerships”. “We built the project around people, digital explorers and their digital journeys,” he told Computer Weekly. “We create connections that set the path for more business-to-business and government-to-government type of engagement between countries.” Source link #European #African #tech #skills #programme #increase #economic #ties Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

3 Stocks With Robust Growth Outlooks Insiders Are Buying 3 Stocks With Robust Growth Outlooks Insiders Are Buying Insider buying is a flimsy market signal without some other catalyst to drive the price action. In the case of TriSalus Life Sciences (NASDAQ:), Avadel Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:), and Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:), there is another catalyst: growth. These unrelated companies have unique catalysts to drive revenue and earnings growth in 2025, are undervalued relative to analysts’ targets, peers, or both, and the insiders are buying them. 1. TriSalus Life Sciences Insider Buying Ramps Higher in Q1 TriSalus Life Sciences is a medical technology company focused on drug delivery technology for oncology patients. Founded in 2009, it is a microcap company that came to market via a SPAC merger in 2023. The insider activity is noteworthy because it began in Q3 2024 and has ramped higher since. The buying activity in the first six weeks of 2025 is already greater than all of Q4 and may continue to increase. Buyers include directors, the CEO, the CFO, the CRO, and a major shareholder who, along with other insiders, holds more than 30% of the shares. Institutional activity is also significant. The institutions own only a small fraction of the company but have been buying on balance alongside the insiders since Q3. They own about 3% of the stock in mid-February. Surprisingly, this microcap company has ten analysts tracking it, and they rate it unanimously as a Buy and see it advancing at least 100% from early 2025 price levels. Among the reasons is the pipeline of candidates, which includes four candidates in Phase I trials and two potential candidates. 2. Avadel Pharmaceuticals Insiders Buy Ahead of Sales Ramp Avadel Pharmaceuticals is a biopharma specializing in sleep disorders, specifically narcolepsy. Its primary product is Lumyrez and it has already been approved for limited use. The critical takeaway is that additional studies are underway to expand the market worth $2 to $3 billion in 2025. Another critical detail is that Lumyrez is shown to be superior to the leading competitors and less invasive for its users. It is taken once before bedtime compared to twice nightly. Sales in the recently reported quarter are a drop in the bucket compared to the potential market size but up more than 600% YOY and expected to continue growing robustly in 2025. Insider activity is noteworthy because, after two quarters of inactivity, they started buying in Q4 2024 and have persisted in the first weeks of 2025. Buyers include a director, the CEO, and CFO and have their collective holdings near 5.0% of the stock. Institutional activity is mixed, with buying and selling ramping to multiyear highs in Q1. However, the balance of activity is bullish, equalling roughly 3.0% of the market cap, and has total interest up to 69%. Analysts’ activity is also mixed, including numerous price target reductions since October 2024, but bullish on balance. The eight tracked by InsiderTrades.com are bullish, rating the stock unanimously as a Buy, and see it advancing at least 15% at the low end of their target range. 3. Smithfield Foods IPO Leaves Market Fairly Valued: Robust Growth Ahead Smithfield Foods is a U.S.-based and ********-owned pork producer recently IPOd. WH Group remains the largest shareholder, but now investors can get a piece of the action. According to analysts at Hedgeye, the action is good, and they see a 50% upside for the stock. In their view, the market underestimates its growth potential and higher-margin business, which align it with the top-tier consumer staples companies. Insiders buying after the IPO include a director, the CEO, the CFO, and the CLO, bringing the total insider holding to nearly 2%. Original Post Source link #Stocks #Robust #Growth #Outlooks #Insiders #Buying Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Pope has double pneumonia; condition remains 'complex' – ******** News – English Pope has double pneumonia; condition remains 'complex' – ******** News – English Pope has double pneumonia; condition remains ‘complex’ ******** News – EnglishVatican authorities say the pope now has pneumonia in both lungs. How worrying is that? The Associated PressExplainer-Pope Francis has double pneumonia – what does that mean? AOLPope Warned Confidants He May Not Survive Health Scare YahooPope Francis, sensing he is close to death, moves to protect his legacy POLITICO Europe Source link #Pope #double #pneumonia #condition #remains #039complex039 #******** #News #English Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fortnite: What time does Chapter 6 Season 2 Lawless go live? Fortnite: What time does Chapter 6 Season 2 Lawless go live? Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 is released this week, but it’ll go live at a specific time. Epic Games doesn’t always make it clear when each new season is about to go live, but we do at least know when the current season will end. This helps us to at least figure out when Season 2 is going to go live, based on how long the gap has been between seasons in the past. Epic says Chapter 6 Season 2 will start on Friday, February 21, but it doesn’t given an exact time for when that’ll happen. What it has told us, however, is the exact time that Chapter 6 Season 1 will end. According to Epic, this will happen on the evening of February 20 at 11pm PT. Usually once a season ends Fortnite will immediately shut down, and Epic Games will then spend up to four hours performing maintenance work on the game to add the next season. With that in mind, then, here are the times when Chapter 6 Season 2 will almost certainly be ready to go in your part of the world. USA (Pacific Time) – Friday, February 21 at 3am USA (Eastern Time) – Friday, February 21 at 6am *** (GMT) – Friday, February 21 at 11am Europe (CET) – Friday, February 21 at 12pm (noon) South Korea (KST) – Friday, February 21 at 8pm Japan (JST) – Friday, February 21 at 8pm Australia (AEDT) – Friday, February 21 at 10pm New Zealand (NZDT) – Saturday, February 22 at 12am (midnight on Friday night) Fortnite: What’s in Chapter 6 Season 2, Lawless? As the name suggests, Chapter 6 Season 2 of Fortnite will focus on breaking the law. At the time of writing this article, Epic Games hasn’t confirmed exactly what the new Lawless features entail, but a description under the game’s latest trailer suggests it might be a sort of cops and robbers style theme similar to something you might see in GTA Online. “Ransack Fletcher Kane’s banks, pull off a train heist and make an explosive getaway in Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless, starting February 2,” it says. We also know about one of the cameo crossover characters who’ll appear in the next season. Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat will appear in Season 2, and will presumably be unlockable through the Battle Pass, just like Baymax was in Season 1. Source link #Fortnite #time #Chapter #Season #Lawless #live Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Eufy’s new camera smart lock covers blind spots your Ring doorbell might miss Eufy’s new camera smart lock covers blind spots your Ring doorbell might miss Eufy has launched a new smart lock with a built-in video camera The FamiLock S3 Max has an extra-wide field of view to record visitors The lock also has palm recognition, and can release the door in one second Eufy has just launched a new smart lock with a built-in camera to record visitors, and palm recognition that can open your door in just one second when it recognizes the unique pattern of blood vessels in your hand. The Eufy FamiLock S3 Max is available to pre-order now for $329.99 (about £260 / AU$530) if you’re an existing Eufy customer, and will go on general ***** for $399.99 (about £320 / AU$640) from March 17 at online stores including HomeDepot.com and BestBuy.com. That’s considerably more than most of the best smart locks we’ve tested, but the FamiLock S3 Max effectively doubles as a video doorbell thanks to its wide-angle 2K camera that captures crisp footage of visitors and package deliveries. The camera offers a 150-degree vertical head-to-toe view and a 180-degree diagonal view, which beats many of the best video doorbells on the market and covers blind spots other devices may miss. For example, although the latest Ring Battery Video Doorbell is excellent, its field of view is only 150 x 150 degrees, meaning it could miss movement that the FamiLock would detect. You can check out footage from the camera on your phone via the Eufy app, or using an indoor video screen (sold separately) that effectively works like a high-resolution peephole, and should be particularly useful for children and senior users who may not have ready access to a suitable smartphone. (Image credit: Eufy) Handy access The FamiLock offers a range of different opening options, the most interesting of which is palm-recognition. This tech (also used in the Philips 5000 Series Video Palm Recognition Smart Lock) uses an infrared sensor to detect the unique pattern of blood vessels in your hand and compares it to a database of up to 50 scanned palms to determine whether it’s a match. If so, the lock will open in just one second, letting you in without the hassle of rummaging for keys. You won’t need to worry about power outages, either. The lock has a 15,000mAh rechargeable lithium battery, plus four AAA batteries as a backup, which keeps it fully functioning for up to six months, and offers basic functions (auto-locking and PIN access) for up to a year. We’ve got our hands on the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max already, and will bring you a full review of the device very soon. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. You might also like Source link #Eufys #camera #smart #lock #covers #blind #spots #Ring #doorbell Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

New West Coast recruit Sandy Brock wants early shot to prove himself against former side Gold Coast New West Coast recruit Sandy Brock wants early shot to prove himself against former side Gold Coast West Coast’s newest Eagle is hoping to get stuck in early against his old side as Sandy Brock opens up on his Gold Coast days and a second chance at an AFL dream. Brock has been with the Eagles since November and on Wednesday got the nod he would be joining the club having been delisted by the Suns at the end of last season. “It’s been a really exciting process the team made me feel apart straight away,” he said. “I’ve been training really hard with the team and put my case out there and thankfully turned out well.” The nephew of *********** motorsport legend Peter, Brock spent three years at the Suns and while he failed to break into the AFL squad said he took plenty away from his time there. “Unfortunately I didn’t get a game but I learnt a lot there was a really good group of guys with some good key defenders and I just couldn’t quite crack the top,” he said. “I felt getting delisted was good for me to help me re-set and put my ambitions out there again.” Camera IconSandy Brock was at the Suns for three seasons. Credit: Albert Perez/AFL Photos/via Getty Images However, having earned a second crack at his AFL dream Brock would love to break his league duck against the side that never gave him a look-in. “I think there’s a lot of good key defenders but I’m going to put my best hand forward and I’d love to play round one against the old team,” he said on SEN. “But I think it’ll be a toss-up but it’s up to the coaches at the end of the day but if not then as soon as possible.” The 198cm key defender adds some much-needed depth to the Eagles backline following the departure of Tom Barrass and has been leaning on veteran Jeremy McGovern as much as he can this pre-season. “WA is a fair way away from the Gold Coast but what’s amazed me is seeing McGovern first hand and some of the tips he’s been able to give me have been huge.” Brock also said it hasn’t been difficult to adjust to McQualter’s game style seeing plenty of his former coach Damien Hardwick’s influence in the Eagles’ brand. “I’ve seen a bit of Hardwick’s style with Mcqualter real fast-paced and just get the ball forward,” he said, “I think being able to play on the likes of Ben King and now Jake Waterman and Oscar Allen put me in really good stead. “I think coming into a group of players that really trust me gives me confidence to play my game.” Source link #West #Coast #recruit #Sandy #Brock #early #shot #prove #side #Gold #Coast Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on automobile and semiconductor imports Trump plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on automobile and semiconductor imports The US government could impose hefty tariffs on automobile, chip and pharmaceutical imports. According to Reuters and CBS News, President Donald Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate that the tariffs on auto imports, specifically, will be “in the neighborhood of 25 percent” and that he’ll reveal more details about them on April 2. That’s the day he’s bound to get reports from members of his cabinet outlining options on duties for different imports across industries. When the president was asked how he could ensure that the European Union wouldn’t retaliate by imposing the same levies on US imports, the president reportedly reiterated that the bloc signaled it would lower tariffs on US cars. During the press briefing, the president also said that he’s imposing similar tariffs on imported semiconductors and pharmaceutical goods. He said the government could collect 25 percent in taxes, or higher, for those imports and that they will “go very substantially higher over course of a year.” It doesn’t sound like the president will announce new taxes on chip and pharmaceutical imports in April, though. He said he wants to give companies in those industries “a little bit of chance” to build factories in the US so that they can avoid the new tariffs. To note, Reuters previously reported that the US government is looking to renegotiate the CHIPS and Science Act deals closed by the Biden administration. The program seeks to give semiconductor manufacturing a boost in the US by awarding grants to companies building foundries on US soil. But Trump previously criticized the initiative and argued that increasing tariffs would compel chip companies to build factories in the US without the government having to shell out any money. Trump admitted that prices could go up in the US due to the higher tariffs on foreign goods, but the president believes it’ll only be a short-term problem and that they will benefit the country’s economy in the future. Source link #Trump #plans #impose #percent #tariffs #automobile #semiconductor #imports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Jim Keller says a ‘great Intel’ is worth $1 trillion, company would be sold at fire ***** pricing if sold now Jim Keller says a ‘great Intel’ is worth $1 trillion, company would be sold at fire ***** pricing if sold now Ex-Intel lead silicon engineer Jim Killer says Intel may not make as much money as it used to earn historically, but selling the company or some of its businesses is not a way to unlock shareholder value, but rather a fire ***** of a company that has high chances to prosper. Jim Keller, a legendary chip designer and now the chief executive officer of Tenstorrent, a promising AI processor developer, took to Twitter to express his views on the latest news of a potential split or ***** of Intel. “You build value by having a great goal and a team that loves working to the goal,” Keller wrote in an X post. “Intel built the fastest CPUs on the best process [technologies]. This [Handling Intel’s businesses to third parties] is not unlocking shareholder value, it is a fire *****. It makes me sad.” “[…] I think a great Intel is worth $1 trillion. Seems a little careless to throw it away,” he added later. you build value by having a great goal and a team that loves working to the goal.Intel built the fastest cpus on the best process.this is not unlocking shareholder value, it’s a fire ***** makes me sadFebruary 18, 2025 The latest rumors indicate that Broadcom could be interested in taking over Intel’s products business, whereas the Intel Foundry unit could form a joint venture with TSMC or even with a conglomerate involving TSMC, Broadcom, Qualcomm, and other companies that would inject money into a new independent chipmaker. One commenter in the thread suggested that a better outcome for Intel would be to become a private company with the help of American investors, fire the current board of directors, and then take the time to reinvent Intel. “It would be hard but doable,” Keller wrote in another post. “Humans are amazing when they have a great goal and a team they believe in.” The current U.S. government will unlikely support Intel’s fabs being run by TSMC or other foreign entities, even though the Trump administration encourages domestic manufacturing. However, if Intel gives up its own manufacturing, it will not only cease to be an integrated device manufacturer (IDM) but also lose one of its strong points: complete control over products and their manufacturing. Also, it’s unlikely that TSMC and other potential investors will be tremendously interested in investing in Intel Foundry, which bleeds money as it has yet to land orders from major companies. However, companies with deep pockets, such as Broadcom, could take over Intel’s products division to gain CPU capability and world-class product design teams. However, a change of Intel ownership automatically terminates the company’s broad cross-licensing agreement with AMD. This means the new entity could lose access to innovations developed by AMD and shared between companies as part of their broad cross-license agreement unless a new agreement is inked. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Jim #Keller #great #Intel #worth #trillion #company #sold #fire #***** #pricing #sold Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Buffett’s Billion-Dollar Bet: Will Constellation Brands Pay Off? Buffett’s Billion-Dollar Bet: Will Constellation Brands Pay Off? Warren Buffett, the legendary “Oracle of Omaha,” has made a splash in the alcoholic beverage market. His investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:), recently acquired a substantial $1.24 billion stake in Constellation Brands (NYSE:), the company behind popular brands like Corona and Modelo beer. This move immediately boosted Constellation Brands’ stock price, sending it up by over 4%. However, the fact remains that Constellation Brands’ stock price has fallen over 20% since the start of 2025 and over 30% in full one-year performance. This disparity has led investors to question whether Buffett’s optimistic outlook is enough to make Constellation Brands a worthwhile investment. Berkshire Hathaway’s $1.24 billion stake in Constellation Brands indicates that Warren Buffett sees intrinsic value in the company that the broader market might be overlooking. Given Buffett’s long and successful track record, his investment decisions are closely followed. This substantial investment suggests Buffett believes Constellation Brands has strong fundamentals and long-term growth potential, aligning with his value investing strategy of identifying undervalued companies. The market often interprets Buffett’s investments as a positive signal, leading to a phenomenon known as the “Buffett Effect,” where other investors follow suit, driving up demand and share price. The acquisition of 5.6 million shares is a clear indicator of confidence in the company. This, coupled with the fact that Berkshire is decreasing its holdings in other sectors, such as banking while making this substantial investment, further underscores the potential conviction behind the move. While we don’t know Buffett’s exact reasons, his historical investment style hints at an expectation of long-term growth and stability, even if current market conditions present challenges. Constellation Brands: A Portfolio of Potent Potables Constellation Brands is a major player in the international alcoholic beverage industry, producing and marketing a wide range of beer, wine, and spirits. Its business is structured into two primary segments: Beer and Wine & Spirits. Each segment caters to different consumer tastes and market dynamics. The Beer segment is the company’s dominant force. It thrives on its leadership in the U.S. imported beer market, with iconic ******** brands like Corona, Modelo, Pacifico, and Victoria. These “high-end” brands are known for their premium positioning and command strong consumer loyalty. The Wine & Spirits segment provides a diverse selection of brands across various price points. Key wine brands include Kim Crawford, Meiomi, and The Prisoner Wine Company. While the spirits division is smaller, it features brands like Casa Noble Tequila and High West ********. Constellation Brands’ core operations are situated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy, showcasing its international presence and global distribution network. This diversified approach, in product offerings and geographic reach, is a fundamental aspect of Constellation Brands’ business model. A Mixed Vintage: Constellation Brands’ Financial Performance Constellation Brands’ earnings report for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2025 (Q3 FY2025) presented a complex, mixed picture. While the beer business showed resilience, the wine and spirits segment faced significant challenges. In the third quarter, beer shipments were 102.7 million case equivalents, a 1.6% increase year-over-year, and beer depletions are up 3.2% year-over-year. Total net sales remained flat at $2.5 billion year-over-year, illustrating the balancing act between the segments. The Beer segment delivered a 3% increase in net sales, reaching $2.0 billion, with a 2% rise in operating income to $770 million. This demonstrates the continued strength of brands like Modelo and Corona. However, the Wine & Spirits segment experienced a significant downturn. Net sales dropped significantly by 14% to $431 million, and operating income suffered a 25% decline, landing at $95.2 million. Wine and spirits depletions are down -4.3%. This contrasting performance across segments highlights the core challenge facing the company. The overall comparable operating income for Q3 was $802 million, a 2% decrease year-over-year. The reported earnings per share (EPS) of $3.25 missed Constellation Brands analyst expectations, adding another layer of concern. Looking ahead, Constellation Brands revised its FY25 outlook. The company now anticipates total net sales growth of 2% to 5% on an organic basis. This means the growth is calculated, excluding any impact from acquisitions or divestitures, providing a clearer view of core business performance. The comparable EPS forecast was also lowered to a range of $13.40 to $13.80. Despite the mixed results, the company remains committed to significant capital expenditure, with approximately $1.3 billion primarily allocated to expanding beer production capacity, signaling long-term confidence in its beer business. Uncorking the Challenges While the beer business displays strength, Constellation Brands faces several significant risks. The most prominent is the potential for increased tariffs on ******** imports. As the company’s leading beer brands are produced in Mexico, tariffs could dramatically impact production costs and profitability. Analysts have warned that a substantial tariff increase could materially reduce earnings per share. This uncertainty weighs heavily on the company’s outlook. Beyond tariffs, the alcoholic beverage market is fiercely competitive. Constellation Brands faces pressure from both established rivals and emerging brands, particularly in the imported beer category. This necessitates continuous marketing investment and innovation to maintain market share. Consumer preferences are also evolving, with a growing trend toward health and wellness, which could impact demand for alcoholic beverages in the long term. Recent health reports linking alcohol consumption to ******* cases add another layer of regulatory and reputational risk. The recent EPS miss and downward-revised guidance reflect these challenges, demonstrating their tangible impact on Constellation Brands’ performance. Toast to Growth or a Recipe for Risk? Constellation Brands represents a compelling yet challenging investment proposition. Warren Buffett’s substantial stake undoubtedly lends a degree of validation and suggests long-term potential. The company’s strong beer portfolio, featuring market-leading brands, provides a solid foundation. However, significant counterweights exist. The Wine and Spirits segment’s underperformance is a clear concern, requiring a turnaround to unlock the company’s full potential. The threat of tariffs on ******** imports poses a substantial and unpredictable risk to profitability. Analyst sentiment, while generally positive, is marked by a considerable degree of uncertainty and recent downgrades. The decision to invest in Constellation Brands, therefore, hinges on individual risk tolerance and investment objectives. Investors with a higher risk appetite, who believe in Buffett’s long-term vision and are comfortable with potential volatility, might see Constellation Brands as an attractive opportunity. Those seeking more stability and clearer short-term catalysts may prefer to adopt a “wait-and-see” approach, monitoring future earnings reports, tariff developments, and the progress of the Wine & Spirits segment. Risk-averse investors might find the uncertainties surrounding Constellation Brands too significant, opting for investments with less complex risk profiles. Original Post Source link #Buffetts #BillionDollar #Bet #Constellation #Brands #Pay Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]