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BlackRock expands tokenized money market fund to Polygon, other blockchains BlackRock expands tokenized money market fund to Polygon, other blockchains The BlackRock logo is pictured outside the company’s headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City on May 25, 2021. Carlo Allegri | Reuters BlackRock has expanded its tokenized money market fund to include several more blockchains. The investment manager said Wednesday that its USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) is now available to investors on the Aptos, Arbitrum, Avalanche, OP Mainnet (formerly known as Optimism) and Polygon blockchains. It initially launched the fund on Ethereum in March. The BUIDL fund, which BlackRock debuted two months after iShares Bitcoin Trust, its popular bitcoin ETF, gives investors an opportunity to earn U.S. dollar yields through a blockchain-based vehicle. The idea of tokenizing “real world assets” like gold – a key aspect of decentralized finance, or DeFi – has gained popularity among financial institutions that are cautious on crypto assets but keen on the underlying blockchain technology. “There’s some irony in the fact that with … [iShares Bitcoin Trust], we took a crypto native investment exposure and we put it in a traditional finance wrapper … and with tokenization, we’re taking traditional finance investment exposure, and we’re putting it in a crypto native wrapper,” Robert Mitchnick, BlackRock’s head of digital assets, said in March. “That dichotomy will persist for a while,” he added at the time. “But eventually, we expect there will be some convergence that looks like the best of the old system and the best of this new technology fused into a next generation infrastructure set in finance.” The announcement follows a week-long rally in cryptocurrencies – Polygon’s token climbed 28%, according to Coin Metrics – after Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. On the campaign trail, Trump promised more supportive regulations for crypto projects and businesses – a reversal from Biden administration policy, in which the Securities and Exchange Commission has largely regulated the industry through enforcement actions, hampering growth. DeFi is one of the most popular sectors among crypto market participants but has suffered from the lack of regulatory clarity – with tokens of some DeFi projects being classified as securities in SEC lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase last year. Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC PRO: Source link #BlackRock #expands #tokenized #money #market #fund #Polygon #blockchains Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Workers in China Remove Flowers at Memorial for Car ******* Victims Workers in China Remove Flowers at Memorial for Car ******* Victims Flowers placed at the site of a deadly car ******* in Zhuhai, China, were cleared as officials turned away bystanders and discouraged them from taking photos. Source link #Workers #China #Remove #Flowers #Memorial #Car #******* #Victims Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Phil Spencer Confirms Xbox is Planning an Xbox Handheld, But It's a Few Years Away Phil Spencer Confirms Xbox is Planning an Xbox Handheld, But It's a Few Years Away Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed that Xbox is planning an Xbox handheld console, but it’s a few years away from release. Source link #Phil #Spencer #Confirms #Xbox #Planning #Xbox #Handheld #It039s #Years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Intel’s Special Edition Core i9-12900KS plummets to all-time low $240 — get 80% off Intel’s Alder Lake flagship 16-core chip Intel’s Special Edition Core i9-12900KS plummets to all-time low $240 — get 80% off Intel’s Alder Lake flagship 16-core chip Intel’s three-generation-old Core i9-12900KS special edition flagship is on the best deal it’s ever been on. Originally priced at a whopping $739, this chip is now 80% off at just $240 on Amazon for a limited time. The Core i9-12900KS is Intel’s fastest Alder Lake CPU out of the 12th Generation family. It has a record-high 5.5 GHz boost clock (for Alder Lake), a 300 MHz improvement over the more mainstream Core i9-12900K. The CPU has eight Golden Cove P-cores, eight Gracemount E-cores, and a 150W TDP. For its time, the Core i9-12900KS was the fastest gaming CPU, significantly outperforming all of Intel’s previous generation parts and AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series chips. The Core i9-12900KS falls short against newer chips, but it’s still a capable gaming CPU. At $239, it is the most significant discount we’ve ever seen on a special edition Intel CPU. One of the benefits of the Core i9-12900KS is Alder Lake’s reliability. It is the only other LGA1700 CPU lineup unscathed by the instability issues that plagued Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh chips, which were eventually resolved. The Core i9-12900KS faces explicitly heavy competition from the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, which is significantly faster in gaming and cheaper, being just $209 on Amazon at the time of writing. Intel’s newer 13th Gen CPUs are also a better deal, with even Intel’s mid-range Core i5-13600K being noticeably faster than the 12900KS in gaming, thanks to Raptor Lake’s ******* L2 cache. The 13600K is priced significantly lower than the Core i9 part at just around $180 at the time of writing. Regardless, if you’re in the market exclusively for a 12th Gen CPU, nothing comes close to Intel’s latest Core i9-12900KS deal. It is an excellent deal on the fastest Alder Lake CPU you can buy today, with the highest clock speeds of any Alder Lake chip and the most processing cores of any consumer 12th Gen part. Source link #Intels #Special #Edition #Core #i912900KS #plummets #alltime #Intels #Alder #Lake #flagship #16core #chip Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Credit card debt hits record $1.17 trillion, New York Fed finds Credit card debt hits record $1.17 trillion, New York Fed finds Collectively, Americans now owe a record $1.17 trillion on their credit cards, according to a new report on household debt from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Credit card balances rose by $24 billion in the third quarter of 2024 and are 8.1% higher than a year ago. Despite that increase, credit card delinquency rates improved — with 8.8% of balances transitioning to delinquency over the last year, compared to 9.1% in the previous quarter, the New York Fed found. That change could “suggest that rising debt burdens remain manageable,” the New York Fed researchers said on a press call Wednesday. “Overall, balance sheets look pretty good for households,” the researchers added. Credit card debt has remained stable over the last two decades; however, in the years since the pandemic, households largely spent down their excess savings, which sparked a rebound in credit card balances. Consumer spending continues to remain strong, despite high borrowing costs. But now, growth in credit card balances has slowed, a separate quarterly credit industry insights report from TransUnion also found. The average balance per consumer stands at $6,329, rising only 4.8% year over year — compared with an 11.2% increase the year before and 12.4% the year before that, TransUnion found. More from Personal Finance: 28% of credit card users are paying off last year’s holiday debt Holiday shoppers plan to spend more while taking on debt 2 in 5 cardholders have maxed out a credit card or come close In the last three months, 42% of Americans said their total debt hasn’t changed, while 28% of have seen their debt rise, according to another survey by Achieve, which helps consumers manage debt. Of the latter group, most said the increase was due to the ongoing difficulty of making ends meet. Others cited general overspending and a lost job or reduced wages. Achieve polled 2,000 adults with one or more kinds of consumer debt in October. “Across the board, unemployment is low and wages have risen, but those macroeconomic conditions aren’t felt equally across the population, especially for consumers who live in areas where the impact of inflation is the greatest,” Brad Stroh, Achieve’s co-CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. Credit card rates still top 20% Meanwhile, credit cards have become one of the most expensive ways to borrow money. Lower-income households, who had to stretch to cover price increases, have been hit especially hard after the Federal Reserve’s string of 11 interest rate hikes lifted the average credit card rate to more than 20% — near an all-time high. Even as the Fed lowers its benchmark, the average credit card rate has barely budged. For those with variable rate debt, such as credit cards, “it’s obviously going to help if rates come down,” the New York Fed researchers said. However, “the borrowing amount is more important than the interest rate,” they added. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Source link #Credit #card #debt #hits #record #trillion #York #Fed #finds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The megadonors who fueled Trump’s election and what they may want from his second term The megadonors who fueled Trump’s election and what they may want from his second term More than $20 billion flooded into the 2024 presidential campaign, shattering the record for political spending in a single election. In an accelerating trend in ********* politics, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and their allies raised colossal sums of money from billionaires. A majority of these megadonors were Republicans, according to Open Secrets, the nonpartisan watchdog organization that tracks the influence of money on politics. And with Trump’s decisive victory, they hit the jackpot. So, who are these high rollers and what do they want in return for their generosity? Often, megadonors get lumped together in a single basket as plutocrats whose largesse is mostly about increasing their wealth with government contracts, tax breaks and regulatory relief, corrupting the democratic process along the way, according to critics of the U.S.’ campaign finance system. There’s certainly truth to that, but the story is more complicated. The super wealthy titans of tech and industry don’t always share the same motivations and goals. Some are single-minded about bankrolling candidates as a way to bolster their bottom lines. But others are more ideologically driven, passionate about **** policies or reforming the way the government operates. Still others are driven by the scale of their ambitions or they crave the contact high of proximity to power. In some ways political giving defies neat categories, and some megadonors may have overlapping interests. Some donors’ primary motivation may be an ideological commitment to unleashing the power of free markets, but that may also benefit their personal business interests. Others may be more transactional, fending off government investigations into their businesses or securing lucrative contracts, although that might coincide with their political beliefs. “Megadonors can have a variety of financial, ideological or personal motivations for pouring millions into politics,” said Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director of Undocumented, an investigative watchdog group. “These motivations can operate on a spectrum or as a Venn diagram.” But either way, with so much money flooding into ********* politics, it is helpful to be aware of the agendas and interests behind the torrent or cash gushing into the system. What follows is a taxonomy of the *********** donor class in the wake of a momentous election that has many wondering where the country is headed and who stands to benefit from the money that is driving the change. The Oligarch One dictionary definition of an oligarch is a “very wealthy business leader who helps to run the government.” That would seem to fit Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who personally gave more than $130 million (and his super PAC gave $200 million) to help Trump win back the White House. Musk has wasted no time taking advantage of his election dividend. He’s been weighing in on key staffing decisions, has been named to head up (along with Vivek Ramaswamy) a commission on government efficiency and, according to Axios, even joined a call that Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week. Musk also traveled with Trump to Washington Wednesday for meetings with President Biden and with congressional Republicans. File: Elon Musk embraces *********** presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds on October 05, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Musk stands to benefit financially from that clout he has with the incoming administration. His companies are mammoth players across some of the most powerful sectors of the economy, from electric vehicles to rocketry and space exploration, from satellite-powered internet technology to artificial intelligence. According to the New York Times, Musk has at least 100 different contracts with the federal government with 17 different agencies. His SpaceX rocket company already has tens of billions of dollars in government contracts and stands to gain billions more during a Trump presidency. And Musk has carefully cultivated key government regulators who could bring him a financial windfall after Trump takes office. One, according to Politico, is FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who Trump is expected to name as the agency’s chairman. Carr has been critical of his fellow commissioners for cutting Musk’s Starlink satellite company out of the Biden administration’s rural broadband program, denying him hundreds of millions or even potentially billions in subsidies. Meanwhile look for Musk to influence SEC and other regulatory appointments that could stop investigations into his businesses. But what makes Musk unique is that his influence far transcends U.S. policies that could benefit his own businesses. Musk, through his global business empire, has the power to affect geopolitics on a scale perhaps greater than any person outside of government in history. His personal wealth, estimated at $314 billion dollars (it jumped about $70 billion since Trump was elected), is greater than the GDP of multiple countries combined and the defense budgets of many industrialized Western countries. Musk’s Starlink owns at least half of the satellites currently in orbit. Through Starlink, Musk has the power to alter the course of wars, since the communications constellation he controls is often the primary way governments can get internet access in combat zones. His ambitions seem boundless — he even hopes to be at the forefront of colonizing space. And none of that even takes into account his ownership of X, the social media platform he bought for $44 billion in 2022 and positioned as a MAGA megaphone to help Trump. “All oligarchs have wealth power at their disposal, but not all are positioned in the same way,” said Jeffrey Winters, a professor at Northwestern who is an expert on oligarchs. “Some sell candy bars everyone eats. Others are engaged in space, high tech, own major media or have defense contracts. This takes their power to another level.” The Pragmatist These are the megadonors who are laser-focused on influencing policy and legislation on behalf of their business interests. They may be hard-edged conservatives, but they are pragmatic about how their political giving can help their bottom line and the ********* economy. A quintessential example would be Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of the Citadel hedge fund, who gave $100,000,000 in the 2024 cycle, putting him at No. 5 on the list of top contributors, according to Open Secrets. File: Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of the hedge fund Citadel LLC, speaks at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference on May 6, 2024, in Beverly Hills, California. Apu Gomes / Getty Images A self-described “Reagan ***********,” Griffin has long given to more establishment-oriented Super PACs like the Senate Leadership Fund and its counterpart in the lower chamber, the Congressional Leadership Fund. He has given far less to MAGA-oriented candidates, including Trump. Nor has he given money to political causes closely associated with Trump’s America First agenda. Instead, he has been tactical in his giving, focusing often on *********** candidates in down-ballot races who have business experience or are military veterans and can give Congress a more business-oriented complexion. “Griffin is more of an establishment *********** more aligned with the traditional goals of the party, rather than the Trumpy wing,” says Anna Massoglia, a campaign finance expert. Griffin said in a statement to CBS News, “I’m grateful for our country and to those who’ve built, served, and defended it. Going forward, we all share a duty to further strengthen our nation and improve the lives of our fellow citizens. As such, I support solution-oriented leaders who share my commitment to individual rights and freedom, economic policies encouraging prosperity and upward mobility, access to high-quality education for all children and young adults, safe communities, and a strong national defense.” A more cutting-edge example of the pragmatists are donors who back the crypto-currency industry. Crypto Super PACs such as Fairshake and Defend ********* Jobs have been determined in their contributions to help elect pro-crypto candidates. Defend America Jobs poured in $40 million to help elect Bernie Moreno, the crypto-friendly candidate who defeated long-time Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in the Ohio Senate race. Among those boosters of crypto and other digital currencies who gave heavily during the 2024 cycle were Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, whose venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz ponied up $45.2 million to pro-crypto super PACs. CBS News was not able to reach Andreesen Horowitz for comment. Winklevoss Capital Management, the firm run by twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, chipped in another $5 million. “The crypto army is striking!” Tyler Winklevoss posted on X on Election NIght, hailing Brown’s defeat. But bucking the trend toward purely partisan contributions, the crypto industry gives to Republicans and Democrats alike, so long as they commit to keeping their industry unshackled by government regulations. The Ideologue These megadonors are more driven by personal causes that are not directly tied to their business interests. A representative example is Miriam Adelson, who along with her now-deceased husband Sheldon Adelson has been a casino magnate and major supporter of ******* and ******* causes. In 2024, Miriam Adelson contributed more than $132 million to help Trump’s election effort. Adelson knows that her largesse drives results. File: Miriam Adelson, widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, welcomes Donald Trump to the stage to speak before prominent ******* donors at an event titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America” on Sept. 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images After the Adelsons donated tens of millions of dollars to help Trump win the White House in 2016, the new president announced the U.S. government would recognize Jerusalem as *******’s capital and said he would move the ********* embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Adelsons even offered to pay for the construction of the new embassy. Miriam Adelson has not responded to a request for comment. “These are passion projects, not attempts to feather the nest,” says one *********** who knows Adelson but asked not to be named in discussing her donations. Another high-profile example of ideological givers are the billionaire shipping supply magnates Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein. The Wisconsin-based manufacturers of cardboard boxes and other packaging supplies, the Uihleins’ business skyrocketed in sales in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic ignited an e-commerce *****. The Uihleins did not respond to a request for comment. During the 2024 campaign cycle, they were among the top five political donors, contributing more than $133 million to ************* causes. While much of their money went to Trump’s election, they also gave generously to other MAGA-allied causes. They’ve given to so-called election integrity groups that questioned the results of the 2020 election, as well as organizations like Moms for Liberty, which advocates against public school curricula that mention LGBTQ rights or critical race theory and supports book bans. The Enigma Some megadonors are so discreet about their political giving that it is hard to know what category they belong in. One example is Tim Mellon, the reclusive railroad magnate and heir to the Gilded Age Mellon fortune who happens to have given more money to Trump’s election (at least $197 million) than any other donor. Mellon doesn’t go on cable TV or hobnob with politicos at party conventions, but he has written a memoir and penned some opinion pieces that offer some clues. Early in his ****** life, he held ******** views on race, the problem of income equality and the environment. But as Mellon’s business career evolved, he developed a strong antipathy for what he viewed as intrusive government regulations on business, which seems to have strongly shaped his political views. One defining episode for Mellon occurred after he bought an airport in Connecticut in the late 1990s. He cut down 340 trees, arguing that they posed a danger to pilots landing their planes. But state environmental regulators ultimately sued him and won. He was ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages. Did that experience fuel his ******* to influence politics with his vast fortune? Perhaps, but it is also the case that Mellon has contributed to causes that would seem to have little to do with his particular business interests. In the 2024 cycle he also gave $25 million to support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential run. Some speculated that Mellon was trying to be a spoiler to help Trump, whom he was also backing financially. But last August, he wrote an article in the ********* Spectator explaining his support for Kennedy. Mellon, it turns out, is a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic. “I could not fathom how a ‘vaccine’ could be foisted on the general public with so little (if any) adequate testing.” He began giving to Kennedy’s Children’s Health Defense, which promotes false information about vaccines — and later to the Super PAC supporting Kennedy. None of that would seem to help Mellon’s personal business interests. Mellon did not respond to a request for comment. More from CBS News Daniel Klaidman Daniel Klaidman, an investigative reporter based in New York, is the former editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and former managing editor of Newsweek. He has over two decades of experience covering politics, foreign affairs, national security and law. Source link #megadonors #fueled #Trumps #election #term Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Homebase collapses with 2,000 jobs at risk Homebase collapses with 2,000 jobs at risk Getty Images Homebase has collapsed into administration, putting 2,000 jobs at risk. Its owner Hilco had been looking to sell the struggling retailer, but has not managed to find an outright buyer. However, homeware chain The Range is buying up to 75 stores and the brand, safeguarding about 1,600 jobs. But this leaves 49 stores without a buyer, and thousands of jobs at risk in the stores and head office. Source link #Homebase #collapses #jobs #risk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

College Football Playoff rankings: Georgia bumped out of bracket while Oregon, Ohio State hold steady at top College Football Playoff rankings: Georgia bumped out of bracket while Oregon, Ohio State hold steady at top Georgia plummeted from No. 3 to No. 12 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday following a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss, its second loss of the season, while previously undefeated Miami dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 after falling to Georgia Tech. If the season ended today, the 7-2 Bulldogs would be the first team left out of the bracket, because No. 13 Boise State would claim an automatic berth as the fifth conference champion. “Their offense hasn’t been consistent, and they’ve struggled with some turnovers,” committee chairman Warde Manuel said of Georgia. “Their defense has been solid, though in their loss to Ole Miss, with their offense struggling, their defense was on the field quite a bit.” Oregon and Ohio State remained atop the rankings, while Texas, Penn State and undefeated Indiana moved up behind them, giving the Big Ten four of the top five teams. Undefeated BYU jumped from No. 9 to No. 6 following its dramatic win over rival Utah late Saturday. Tennessee remained at No. 7, while Notre Dame moved up from No. 10 to No. 8. Alabama, coming off a blowout win at LSU, moved up one spot from No. 11 to No. 10, with Ole Miss jumping up from No. 16 to No. 11. The Rebels would receive the last at-large berth if the season ended today. Manuel said the fact Alabama and Ole Miss both beat Georgia head-to-head contributed to the Dawgs falling as far as they did. College Football Playoff Top 25 Is Georgia in trouble? While Dawgs fans may be freaking out over being left out of this week’s hypothetical bracket, Georgia will move right back up if it beats seventh-ranked Tennessee at home this week. It would be Georgia’s second Top 10 win this season (it previously beat No. 3 Texas), and its two losses were to the committee’s No. 9 (Alabama) and No. 10 (Ole Miss) teams. But the Dawgs would not be out of the woods yet. They close with Georgia Tech, which knocked off Miami last weekend. Barring a surge of upsets elsewhere, Georgia presumably cannot afford a third loss, unless it comes in the SEC championship game. Can BYU breathe easier? BYU, then 8-0, found itself behind five one-loss teams from the Big Ten and SEC last week. With Miami and Georgia dropping, the Cougars made up ground and now have some breathing room should they lose in the Big 12 championship game. But as Georgia found out, the committee can drop a team precipitously at any time. BYU won’t be truly safe unless it earns an automatic berth. How’s the G5 race shaping up? Boise State dropped a spot from last week but is still rolling along as the highest-ranked Group of Five team, best positioned to earn one of the five bids reserved for conference champions if the Broncos win the Mountain West. But there are now two teams from the ********* Athletic Conference in the rankings. Unbeaten Army is at No. 24, while 8-2 Tulane entered at No. 25. The Green Wave, also unbeaten in the AAC, play at Navy with a chance to clinch a spot in the conference title game, but Tulane seems unlikely to make up 12 spots on Boise State unless the Broncos lose once. Army, which is plagued by its poor schedule strength to this point, has a golden chance to boost its resume when it faces No. 10 Notre Dame next week. Required reading (Photo: Tom Hauck / Getty Images) Source link #College #Football #Playoff #rankings #Georgia #bumped #bracket #Oregon #Ohio #State #hold #steady #top Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GOG Preservation Program aims to keep old games playable on modern PCs GOG Preservation Program aims to keep old games playable on modern PCs GOG has announced a new Preservation Program designed to ensure that classic games remain playable on modern systems forever. 100 classic games from its catalog are being re-released today with updated or quality-tested builds, and GOG has committed to using its own resources to maintain their compatibility with modern PCs. On the GOG store, games included in the Preservation Program are identified with a dedicated stamp, and players can see how GOG has worked to update each title by looking at its Preservation Log. The first compatibility-certified games include entries in the Resident Evil, Warcraft, Dragon Age, Fallout, System Shock, Diablo, Heroes of Might and Magic, Dungeon Keeper, The Witcher, and Monkey Island franchises. GOG said it plans to keep adding more games to the Preservation Program over time. It also shared a statistic from the Video Game History Foundation, which claims that 87% of games created before 2010 are inaccessible today. It was recently announced that the PC version of the upcoming remaster of Croc: Legend of the Gobbos will be exclusive to GOG. The game is currently available to wishlist on the store page, and is set for release later this year. Source link #GOG #Preservation #Program #aims #games #playable #modern #PCs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bitcoin climbs above $91,000 for the first time as investors digest postelection gains, inflation data Bitcoin climbs above $91,000 for the first time as investors digest postelection gains, inflation data Bitcoin rose above $91,000 for the first time on Wednesday, adding to its postelection rally, as traders pored through October inflation data Wednesday. The price of the flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by more than 2% at $91,705. At one point it briefly rose to a fresh record of $92,066.16. Traders were digesting the most recent consumer price index, which showed prices increased 0.2% in October, bringing the 12-month inflation rate up to 2.6%. That was in line with expectations Bitcoin, which has recently benefited from a big postelection rally across risk assets, is seen by many investors as a hedge against potential fiscal policy that could spark inflation. Other cryptocurrencies got a small boost as traders digested the past week of postelection gains. Ether and the Solana token were each higher by about 1%. Dogecoin added 8%. It’s been one of the biggest winners since the election thanks to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign and forthcoming role in his administration, which was announced Tuesday night. Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC PRO: Source link #Bitcoin #climbs #time #investors #digest #postelection #gains #inflation #data Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

2025-26 FAFSA will open on Dec. 1 — Here’s how to prepare 2025-26 FAFSA will open on Dec. 1 — Here’s how to prepare The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for 2025-26 will be available for all students and contributors on or before Dec. 1, the Education Department says. Typically, students have access to the coming academic year’s form in October, but this year’s delayed release follows a “phased rollout” meant to address reported issues from the 2024-25 FAFSA cycle. Last year’s new, simplified form was plagued with problems at the outset, some of which are still outstanding. More from Personal Finance: Top 10 colleges for financial aid More of the nation’s top colleges roll out no-loan policies Some families pay $500,000 for Ivy League admissions consulting Although the extended testing ******* for the 2025-26 FAFSA is important, another delayed start “creates a compressed timeline for students and families to submit their financial information, which can lead to missed opportunities for aid,” Beth Maglione, interim president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said in a statement. How to prepare for the 2025-26 FAFSA “I would encourage families to start gathering their financial documents and information now, so they’re ready to apply as soon as the application becomes available,” Maglione said. “Taking these steps early will help ensure they don’t miss out on vital financial support for college.” According to Maglione, there are five key moves that students and parents can make now to prepare for their application as soon as it becomes available. Here is her best advice: Set up a studentaid.gov account: Before the new form opens, students and their parents (if the student is a dependent) can set up a username and password, commonly called the FSA ID, to access and complete the FAFSA electronically. Gather personal information: Students should have their Social Security number on hand (as should parents, if the student is a dependent, or student spouses, if applicable). However, if a student spouse, parent or stepparent does not have an SSN, they can still register for an FSA ID. The form may also ask for your driver’s license or state identification number. Non-citizens should have their Alien Registration number handy. Federal tax information: Applicants will need tax information from the prior-prior tax year. In this case, that means students should have 2023 tax returns for the 2025-26 FAFSA. Financial records: The FAFSA requires records of the student’s (and the parents’, if applicable) bank accounts, stocks, bonds, real estate (not including the family home) and other investments. Any records of untaxed income, such as child support or government benefits, should be documented as well. List of schools: Finally, FAFSA applicants should have a list of schools the student is applying to or attending, which will need to be listed on the FAFSA application. Why the FAFSA is so important For many students, financial aid is crucial when it comes to covering the cost of college. Higher education already costs more than most families can afford, and college costs are still rising. Tuition and fees plus room and board for a four-year private college averaged $58,600 in the 2024-25 school year, up from $56,390 a year earlier. At four-year, in-state public colleges, it was $24,920, up from $24,080, the College Board found. The FAFSA serves as the gateway to all federal aid money, including federal student loans, work-study and especially grants — which have become the most crucial kind of assistance because they typically do not need to be repaid. Submitting a FAFSA is also one of the best predictors of whether a high school senior will go on to college, according to the National College Attainment Network. Seniors who complete the FAFSA are 84% more likely to enroll in college directly after high school, according to an NCAN study of 2013 data. How FAFSA failures have impacted students After last year’s FAFSA complications, it became clear how much financial aid weighed heavily on decisions about college. In part because of issues with the new form, the number of new first-year college students sank 5% this fall compared with last year, according to an analysis of early data by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The declines in first-year student enrollment were most significant at four-year colleges that serve low-income students, the report also found. At four-year colleges where large shares of students receive Pell Grants, first-year student enrollment dropped more than 10%. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Source link #FAFSA #open #Dec #Heres #prepare Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** construction along buffer zone with Syria violates ceasefire, UN says ******** construction along buffer zone with Syria violates ceasefire, UN says BBC The BBC saw construction work on the ******** side of the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights The ******* Nations says ******** construction along a demilitarised buffer zone with Syria has led to “severe violations” of a 50-year-old ceasefire agreement, which risk increasing tensions along their shared frontier in the occupied Golan Heights. Satellite photographs show new trenches and earth berms dug over the past few months along the length of what is known as the Area of Separation (AoS). The BBC has filmed construction taking place alongside a military vehicle near the town of Majdal Shams, and fresh earthworks in rural land further south. The work in both locations is believed to lie within ********-controlled areas. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) says most of the ******** construction does not breach the AoS, but that some trenches – dug under protection from military vehicles including tanks – do cross into it, and that ******** army vehicles and personnel have also entered the buffer zone. Bernard Lee of UNDOF told the BBC’s Lucy Williamson that two major lines of trenches had been dug Beneath the watchtower at UNDOF’s Camp Ziouani base, the ******** fence snakes towards a line of volcanic mountains; a Syrian flag flutters in the trees beyond the post, marking the other side of the separation zone. UNDOF observers monitor the 80km (50-mile) long strip of land 24 hours a day. Chief of Mission Bernard Lee told the BBC that two major lines of trenches had been dug, along with three more limited ones, each some 6m (20 ft) wide. He estimated that trenches crossed into the AoS in a handful locations, by a couple of metres in each case, but said he had not visited the sites himself. UNDOF was not able to immediately share visual evidence of the reported incursions, and permission for the BBC to view or film the locations from a nearby observation post has so far not been granted. Initial searches of satellite photographs have not produced images in enough detail to independently confirm the UN allegations. The AoS was set up as part of *******’s ceasefire agreement with Syria in 1974, following *******’s earlier occupation of the Golan Heights. ******** forces are required to be west of the so-called Alpha Line, while Syrian forces must be east of the Bravo Line, which runs along the other side of the AoS. ******* unilaterally annexed the Golan in 1981. The move was not recognised internationally, although the US did so unilaterally in 2019. ******** settlers there live alongside about 20,000 Syrians, most of them Druze, who stayed on in the Golan after it was captured. Despite the presence of Iran-backed militia groups in Syria, this frontier has remained relatively calm, as ******** ground forces have battled Iranian allies in Gaza and Lebanon over the past 13 months. But UNDOF said in a statement that the Syrian authorities had “strongly protested” the ongoing ******** work. And that the UN itself had “repeatedly” taken its concerns over the ******** violations to *******’s military authorities. ******** Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani told the BBC that the trenches were designed to protect against infiltration by Iran-backed groups in Syria – and did not break the ceasefire agreement. “******** officials have been communicating with the UN about these issues,” he said. “And I can tell you that the IDF is operating on ******** territory making sure that a ******* invasion is not possible, making sure we are defending our borders.” The ******** military said the trenches were designed to protect against infiltration by Iran-backed groups in Syria The threat of a surprise invasion by *******’s neighbours has loomed larger here since the 7 October ****** attacks. “Will [the trenches] stop what happened on 7 October? Yes,” said Bernard Lee. “Could you get a pick-up truck over it? No.” But the defences being built along this frontier don’t address the more immediate threat from drones and missiles regularly launched by Iranian militia groups in Syria and Iraq – and frequently shot down by ******** forces. Nor do they address *******’s concerns about Syria being an “oxygen line” for Iran to smuggle weapons to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. Mr Lee said commercial smugglers already used the AoS to smuggle cigarettes and electronics between Syria and Lebanon. And that a new patrol road, built by the UN, is assisting them. “They come over the mountain, enter the area of separation with a trail of pack horses, eight at a time, with two armed guys,” he said. “They unload the pack horses and a pick-up truck meets them at our road: we’ve motorized the smuggling business.” Asked whether the same route could be used to take weapons from Syria into Lebanon, he replied: “That is what the IDF are concerned about.” UNDOF observers monitor the 80km (50-mile) long Area of Separation 24 hours a day ******* has also pointed to what it says are “daily” violations along the demilitarized frontier by Syria. In May, *******’s ambassador to the UN wrote to the secretary-general to complain about Syrian violations, including “armed presence in the area of separation” which “only heighten tensions in our already volatile region”. Iran-backed militia in the area are a concern for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, too, after years of civil war. It has appeared unwilling to be drawn in to the *******-Hezbollah war, despite frequent ******** strikes inside Syria targeting Hezbollah and Iranian positions and weapons shipments. Eco-lodge owner Farhat says the ******** works along the buffer zone give people a “sense of security” “The situation is frightening,” said Farhat, a Syrian hotel owner in the occupied Golan Heights. “Our eyes are looking more to the sky than to the plants. There’s ***** here.” Farhat’s eco-lodge, with its yurt accommodation surrounded by orchards, looks out onto rows of fresh trenches along the buffer zone. “It gives us a sense of security,” he said. “We can sleep in peace, because there’s someone taking care of the border and not letting terrorists cross towards us.” ******* is already fighting Iranian allies – ****** and Hezbollah – on two of its borders. But more than a year into this regional conflict, friction is also being felt along its quietest frontier. Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr and Ed Habershon Verification work by Richard Irvine-Brown and Benedict Garman Source link #******** #construction #buffer #zone #Syria #violates #ceasefire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Michael Strahan anthem controversy shouldn’t make you ****, unless you’re looking to be **** Michael Strahan anthem controversy shouldn’t make you ****, unless you’re looking to be **** And here I thought the biggest takeaway from the most recent edition of “Fox NFL Sunday” was former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski jumping out of an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter. Wrong! Turns out it’s Michael Strahan who’s topping the newsmaker charts, this after the former New York Giants defensive end was caught, if that’s the right word for it, failing to hold his right hand over his heart during the playing of the national anthem. To fill out the picture here, the “Fox NFL Sunday” show was done live from Naval Base San Diego on Sunday as part of a Veterans Day salute, and during the anthem, all of the panelists, except Strahan, are shown with their right hand across the heart. Strahan has his arms in a resting position in front of his body, right hand over left. We conclude our show at the Naval Base San Diego with the national anthem pic.twitter.com/lDb2g6oF0f — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 10, 2024 According to the U.S. Flag Code, civilians “ … should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.” It’s the “should” part of this that would seemingly give Strahan an avenue for a pass, but that’s playing word gymnastics, don’t you think? This isn’t a legal case, because Strahan didn’t do anything ********. What’s more, he looked quite dignified and focused during the anthem, as though in *******. What, then, did Strahan do wrong? He apparently was not acting in strict adherence to the U.S. Flag Code, but in every other respect, Strahan presented himself as a respectful, loyal ********* citizen. Criticizing Strahan becomes an even more difficult exercise when one takes into account his family. His father, Major Gene W. Strahan Sr., served 23 years in the Army. According to the younger Strahan’s Fox Sports biography, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer and member of the Giants’ 17-14 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII spent part of his childhood living in Germany, where his father was stationed. Strahan posted a photo of his father on Instagram on Monday, along with these words: “Thank you to all veterans and active service members who courageously risk their lives to protect us every day. Your selfless sacrifice is beyond measure.” There was more. “This is my hero, it is also my father, Gene W. Strahan, Sr.,” Strahan wrote. “He served for 23 years in the army and was a proud member of the 82nd Airborne Division. Just as I honor my father, I keep all of you in my thoughts each and every day as we would not have the safety and freedoms we cherish without you. Thank you.” Jay Glazer, a member of the “Fox NFL Sunday” cast, took to X to highlight Strahan’s family history. “Let me tell you this, I don’t know if I have a friend who is more proud of his military roots than Michael, growing up on an army base constantly talking about what he learned from his dad Major Gene Strahan and how his time there shaped him,” Glazer wrote. “I heard it CONSTANTLY, still do! “But also, with no fanfare i personally saw him donate thousands of dollars of clothes to veterans, including many homeless veterans as well clothes for veterans to go on job interviews.” That, right there, can easily be put to use in dismissing all the social media Captain Midnights who became outraged by Strahan’s lack of hand over heart during the playing of the anthem. But to pull Major Gene W. Strahan’s military record out of a file cabinet misses the point because it speaks to a much larger point: Major Strahan’s service to his country helped preserve our right — your right, my right, Michael Strahan’s right — to observe the playing of the national anthem in whatever manner we see fit. No doubt lots of people would prefer that the playing of the anthem be a Norman Rockwell painting come to life, with everybody standing on Main Street as the high school band strikes the notes that put us in a patriotic mood. A mayoral proclamation is read. Cannons are fired. War veterans salute. And, yes, citizens place hand over heart. The national anthem is so much more complicated in the 21st century — especially at sporting events, what with artists who feel the need to decorate their performances with signature flourishes that sometimes reduce the exercise to so many cats on so many keyboards. Furthermore, it’s pointless to monitor how people comport themselves during the anthem and then make judgments about patriotism based on the findings. If you don’t believe me, take a good, long look around your section during the playing of the national anthem next time you’re at a sporting event. Granted, the setting for the latest edition of “Fox NFL Sunday” was Naval Base San Diego, and, yes, that was a genuine military band performing the national anthem. No disrespect to every singer, band and choral group that’s ever performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” nothing catches the moment better than a military band. And yet “Fox NFL Sunday,” while saluting Veterans Day, did so in a way that played up the strength of its cast members. Count me among the millions who loved watching Gronkowski jump out of a helicopter, but in the end, it was all just a vehicle for the kind of hijinks we’ve come to expect from him. No problem here. He’s fun. And Michael Strahan? He didn’t do anything that should make you ****, unless you’re the type who looks for things to get **** about. If that’s the case, look *******. (Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images) Source link #Michael #Strahan #anthem #controversy #shouldnt #**** #youre #**** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stellar Blade Coming to PC in 2025 is Just What the Game Needed to Introduce 1 Fan-favorite Character All Modders Love Stellar Blade Coming to PC in 2025 is Just What the Game Needed to Introduce 1 Fan-favorite Character All Modders Love Released back in April, Stellar Blade was a massive success. Not only did the title receive a positive reception from fans and critics alike, but it also did quite well financially, shipping over a million copies. The title was such a big hit that developer Shift Up ended up raising $320 million during its initial public offering on the South Korean Market! Stellar Blade will be released for PCs sometime in 2025. (Image via Shift Up) Back in June 2024, Shift Up revealed that it was considering bringing Stellar Blade to PC. However, it’s finally confirmed we’ll soon be able to experience EVE’s post-apocalyptic adventure on PCs! With the game’s PC debut, we’ll obviously see the addition of various exciting mods introducing various characters, skins, and whatnot. But one that definitely must make it into the game is none other than CJ from GTA: San Andreas. It’s Time to ****** As CJ In Stellar Blade’s PC Port Shift Up has finally decided to bring the PC version of its action-adventure game, Stellar Blade, in 2025. During its recent earnings report, the studio noted the success of games such as ****** Myth: Wukong and hopes that Stellar Blade will be even more successful on Steam than it was on Sony’s PS5. Currently, it’s still not known when exactly the PC port will hit the shelves, but information will be shared in the coming months. The game will likely debut after the much-anticipated Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 finally arrives on PC. The game’s PC debut will undoubtedly unlock the game’s true potential as a modding community will display how they can enhance this post-apocalyptic world. The ultimate way to do this would be by bringing one character everyone loves, CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It won’t be the first time or the last time we’ll see CJ being modded into a game again. Over the last couple of years, the gaming community has modded the iconic character into every game under the sun! We only hope that modders bring CJ’s “Ah sh*t, here we go again” dialogue in Stellar Blade. It’s not just CJ; the modding community will most probably also replace EVE with Shrek once the game debuts on PC. Comment byu/laytblu from discussion ingaming Gamers just can’t wait to see what the talented, creative modders will do with such a beloved game. Comment byu/laytblu from discussion ingaming Others ***** that Sony might’ve not learned its lesson from the PSN controversy a few months ago and may treat Stellar Blade in a similar fashion. Comment byu/laytblu from discussion ingaming It’s going to be interesting to see what modders come up with for Stellar Blade, as there’s just unlimited potential with this title in particular. Still, though, somehow, we’ll have CJ in Stellarblade before GTA 6! Stellar Blade has Another Surprise For Gamers Stellar Blade is collaborating with another iconic game. (Image via Shift Up) It just isn’t the highly-awaited PC port for Stellar Blade! The PlayStation blog has revealed a massive update for the game, which is planned to drop on November 20th, alongside the arrival of Stellar Blade’s Nier: Automata DLC. The directors of the two titles, Kim Hyung Tae and Yoko Taro, share mutual respect for each other, and it’s no secret that Stellar Blade was inspired by NieR: Automata. According to the official announcement, the Nier: Automata character Emill will appear in Stellar Blade, and players will be able to get their hands on 11 different crossover-special items from Emil’s Shop. These items will bring an enriched experience mixing the best of both games. Not much has been shared about the DLC yet. Fans will also be delighted to know that the highly-demanded Photo Mode is also coming to the game with this update. It was revealed way back in July and was supposed to be released in August, but it was delayed, which stuck out like a sore thumb for many players. With the update, players will also get lip-sync support for additional languages and other in-game improvements. With that said, are you excited about Stellar Blade‘s debut on PC? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Stellar #Blade #Coming #Game #Needed #Introduce #Fanfavorite #Character #Modders #Love Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why 2025 will be the year of the AI smart glasses Why 2025 will be the year of the AI smart glasses A decade after universally mocking Google Glass wearers, AI smart glasses may finally have their moment. We’re starting to see AI-enhanced wearables for the face appear with an ever-growing array of features designed to entice you, with big names like Meta and Baidu, as well as startups like Brilliant Labs and Solos employing AI models and advanced hardware to change how we see the world, literally and metaphorically. Here are the biggest reasons 2025 will be the year for AI smart glasses. Smart glasses focus AI in useful ways. As people become more comfortable with using advanced AI tools, they want to use them in more settings. That can be annoying if you’re driving or don’t want to pull out your phone constantly. Unlike Google Glass, modern smart glasses are designed around easy access while not being distracting to people around you. Meta’s partnership with Ray-Ban, for example, offers a device that can take photos and videos, link you to the Meta AI assistant, and still look like stylish frames. Throw in features like real-time translation and health metrics, as showcased in the Solos AirGo 3 Smart Glasses, and the blending of eyewear and AI makes a lot of sense. Plus, smart glasses may be the best way to get generative AI into hardware. Compare the excitement over smart glasses to t the struggles of devices like the Humane AI Pin, the Rabbit R1, and the Plaud.ai NotePin. Smart glasses feel like a much safer bet than any other devices made explicitly for AI. Productivity face Converging with the recognition of smart glasses as the best vehicle for AI is how people use AI in ways that lend themselves to smart glasses. Next year, you might be wearing your personal study buddy or office assistant on your face. Brilliant Labs is envisioning that future with their Frame Smart Glasses. Equipped with the proprietary Noa AI assistant, they’re specifically aimed at busy people by linking reminders, contextual information, and task lists to the wearable. The same goes for Baidu and its new Xiaodu Smart Glasses. Powered by the Ernie large language model, Baidu’s glasses include answers about the world around you, like nearby restaurants, and even track calories from your meals. Context-based conversational AI has only become feasible on a wide scale in recent months, but having sensors and communication tools on your face makes it a lot better for task management. The two trends reinforce each other. Augmenting reality with augmented reality Smart glasses can include everything from tiny speakers linked to a voice assistant to a small screen inset on one of the lenses. But augmented reality offers to completely overlay what you see with extra information. Improvements in augmented reality alone wouldn’t mean AI smart glasses will have a huge 2025, but as Meta has teased with Orion, smart glasses that employ augmented reality along with AI could be a huge new market. Orion doesn’t come out until next year, but it’s not alone in leveraging AR with AI. Brilliant Labs’ Frame Smart Glasses are also big on boosting experiences through AR with an open-source platform that encourages developers to create tailored applications, meaning you could soon have custom-built apps suited to your needs. It may not be exactly around the corner, but a future where we are all wearing AI-fueled smart glasses is coming more into focus every week. You might also like… Source link #year #smart #glasses Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Goldman sees 20% upside as Philip Morris moves to smoke-free products Goldman sees 20% upside as Philip Morris moves to smoke-free products Philip Morris shares have more room to run as the Marlboro maker continues to shift its focus from cigarettes to smoke-free products, according to Goldman Sachs. Analyst Bonnie Herzog has a $150 price target on the stock, which implies shares can jump 21% from Tuesday’s close. Herzog also reiterated her buy rating and called Philip Morris a top pick heading into 2025. “PM is transforming into a faster growing and more profitable business — an earnings compounder with an attractive valuation,” Herzog told clients in a note on Wednesday. “Bottom line, we believe many investors are not sufficiently appreciating PM’s improving/accelerating fundamentals and its compelling valuation.” Herzog said she is “incrementally bullish” on Philip Morris achieving long-term, double digit percentage growth in earnings per share. That comes as the company attempts to see two-thirds of its business tied to smoke-free products by 2030. The potential smoke-free market in the U.S. increases Philip Morris’s total addressable market by some 60%, according to Goldman Sachs estimates. Herzog said the company can expand the business mainly due to two products. First, she said the Zyn ***** nicotine pouch has a continued runway after showing major growth. Zyn has become the public face of the move away from cigarettes toward alternatives. Philip Morris announced earlier this year that it would invest $600 million to build a new Zyn production facility in Colorado. Easing supply constraints for the product in the U.S. would help boost the stock, Herzog said. PM YTD mountain PM, year to date Herzog also said Philip Morris shares will benefit from the domestic debut of heated tobacco product Iluma. In addition to the Iluma rollout, she pointed to the possibility that fourth quarter earnings will top expectations and “the likelihood that initial FY25 guidance is robust” as additional catalysts for the stock in 2025. Philip Morris shares have jumped more than 33% in 2024. The stock hit all-time highs following what Herzog described as a a strong third-quarter earnings report late last month. Source link #Goldman #sees #upside #Philip #Morris #moves #smokefree #products Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This Keurig coffee maker just dropped to a super-cheap price for ****** Friday This Keurig coffee maker just dropped to a super-cheap price for ****** Friday Retailers are already rolling out ****** Friday deals to get a headstart on the holiday rush – like this one at Walmart on one of Keurig’s most reliable single-serve coffee makers. You can get the Keurig K-Express Essentials Pod Coffee Maker at Walmart for $29.88 (was $59.99). The K-Express Essentials Coffee Maker is a cheap, compact coffee maker that comes in a variety of vibrant colors and supports many widely available pods you can find in a number of grocery stores. Today’s best Keurig coffee maker deal As its name might suggest, the Keurig K-Express Essentials Single Serve Coffee Maker only makes one cup at a time. Its compact size makes it ideal for multiple scenarios from studio apartments to home offices. It holds up to 36 oz of water in its reservoir, which can fill at least four 8 oz cups within minutes. You don’t even need to wait between each cup – you can brew cups back-to-back using your K-Cup pods of choice. It also automatically turns off five minutes after your last brew to save energy. In addition to the Keurig K-Express, check out the recommendations in our best coffee maker list and best Keurig coffee maker deals. You might also want to compare Nespresso vs Keurig to make sure you get the machine that best fits your needs. Source link #Keurig #coffee #maker #dropped #supercheap #price #****** #Friday Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Top Trump 2.0 Dividend Trades Top Trump 2.0 Dividend Trades As we income investors roll into Trump 2.0, it’s time for us to “flip the script” on the trades that have worked for us over the past two years. Things have the potential to get wild. Fortunes made; retirements lost. Let’s re-calibrate to make sure we own the stocks that will benefit most from the Trump 2.0 presidency. Yes, I emphasized equities intentionally. Fifteen months ago, we contrarians started the bond bandwagon. It’s hard to believe now, but back then, the financial suits hated fixed income. We faded their fears, bought bonds and benefited. Now, however, the fixed-income trade is a bit tired. Bonds will likely be under pressure for four years as inflationary pressures ultimately force rates higher again. The wired trade for the next administration? Dividend growth. Why? For the same reason, I’m now cautious on bonds. The yield has been on a tear since Jay Powell first cut the Fed Funds Rate. Bond Vigilantes Scoff at Powell’s Rate Cuts You can’t make this stuff up. On September 18, Powell cut rates by 50 basis points. However, this was only the “short end” of the yield curve. The 10-year yield meanwhile (the “long end”) popped from 3.7% to 4.4% in a matter of weeks! Oh, the irony! The bond vigilantes returned from a multi-decade hiatus. They put Powell on notice that inflation is not ***** yet. So, did Powell take the hint? Nope—he cut rates again last week! The loved it, of course. Woohoo, free money! If it sounds like Powell is like a desperate poker player on tilt, well, it gets worse. The Fed Chair is aware, as we all are, that Trump dislikes him. Powell has already said he will not resign if asked by the President-elect. Which is a funny question because Powell does not report to the President. Perhaps even funnier that he answered it. Net-net we should look for Powell to keep his punch bowl flowing to ease the political pressure on him. He’s already been conducting quiet QE. Why not keep loosening money? Liquidity is bullish for stocks, which increases consumers’ spending power and the prices of what they buy. Meanwhile, we have three pillars of Trump 2.0: economic growth, tariffs and lower immigration. Three more boosts for higher prices. Which means bonds, especially the vanilla kind issued by the US Treasury, are not the most appealing place to stash money for 10 years. Would you want to lend to Uncle Sam for a decade at just 4.3% annually given the backdrop we just discussed? Rate-sensitive stocks, such as indebted utilities, become hot potatoes in this environment. These “bond proxies” not only lose some luster as rates rise, but their leveraged balance sheets are a ****** when debt becomes more expensive. So, let’s not only be careful with fixed income but also with stocks that act like bonds. But why pigeonhole ourselves in bonds and their proxies? Why not ride the upcoming growth trend to stay ahead of inflation and, to be blunt, make a boatload of cash? A ***** is coming. We have been prepping for a “no landing” economic scenario here at Contrarian Outlook before it was cool. The election results cemented our theory and reminded us that we must stay ahead of inflation, which is coming back and bringing higher rates. To hedge against inflation and make serious gains, we look to a high-octane play like EOG Resources (NYSE:). A hot economy will bring rising energy prices. EOG sports the largest drilling permit portfolio in the entire industry. The “long view” of the permit king’s divvie is impressive. Since inception, EOG’s dividend has fattened 22% per year and oh by the way, just increased another 7% last Friday: The Permit King’s 22% Per Year Payout Growth Source: Income Calendar Since 2014, the oil price required by EOG to achieve 10% return on capital (ROC) has dropped from $86 per barrel to just $42 last year: Oil Price EOG Needs for 10% ROC Which means upside on oil is pure cash for EOG. The company returns roughly 75% of its cash flow to investors via regular and special dividends every year. This number will increase further with the price of energy. Last week, CEO Ezra Yacob confirmed that not only is EOG in position to exceed its usual commitment but also will be able to return all of its free cash flow to shareholders soon. It’s good to be the permit king. EOG is already up 8% since I called it a best buy last month. The stock’s dividend magnet is likely to drag it even higher from here. FedEx (NYSE:) is another pure play on higher growth. This is the type of stock I always watch, waiting for a pullback. It directly benefits from a megatrend, a bull market in e-commerce sales. The company’s cash flow and dividend always go one way—up: Special Delivery Dividends Source: Income Calendar E-commerce as a percentage of retail sales gained for two decades and then spiked in 2020. After a respite, e-comm sales are taking out their previous highs: E-Commerce Sales as $ of Total Retail Sales FedEx delivered cautious guidance for 2025 and the stock pulled back. At the time I said the dip was a screaming buy because the right bet was the “over” on the sad guidance. This was solely based on the “no landing” economic scenario, and on cue FDX is up 7% since then. But now we have no landing meeting Trump 2.0. It’s a bad time to be a bond, but a great moment to be a package carrier. The bull market in e-commerce just got another shot in the arm. Disclosure: Brett Owens and Michael Foster are contrarian income investors who look for undervalued stocks/funds across the U.S. markets. Click here to learn how to profit from their strategies in the latest report, “7 Great Dividend Growth Stocks for a Secure Retirement.” Source link #Top #Trump #Dividend #Trades Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*** stabbing accused to go on trial in January *** stabbing accused to go on trial in January A teenager is due to go on trial in January accused of murdering three young ****** in a ****** ******* in northern England in July, a ****** that horrified the country and was followed by days of rioting. Axel Rudakubana, 18, is charged with ******** the ****** aged between six and nine who were at a Taylor Swift dance event in Southport, as well as 10 other counts of attempted *******. He is also facing charges of producing the deadly poison ricin and the possession of an al-Qaeda training manual. Holding his grey sweatshirt over the bottom of his face – as he has done at previous hearings – the teenager did not speak when asked to confirm his name when he appeared by videolink from London’s Belmarsh prison for the hearing at Liverpool Crown Court. A further hearing will be held on December 12 where he is due to enter a plea to the accusations. Judge Julian Goose told him the trial was listed to begin on January 20 next year and would last between four and six weeks. ******* Kingdom-born Rudakubana was arrested shortly after the ******* on the summer holiday event for children in Southport, a quiet seaside town north of Liverpool. Large disturbances broke out in the town after false reports spread on social media that the suspected ******* was a ******** Islamist migrant. The disturbances spread across the *** with attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer blaming the riots on “far-right thuggery”. More than 1500 people were arrested, with prosecutors bringing about 1000 charges as the authorities took tough action to curb the disorder. At Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutor Deanna Heer confirmed that the Southport incident was not being treated as **********-related. Source link #stabbing #accused #trial #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Klay Thompson wanted a low-key Warriors homecoming, but warm embrace could help heal wounds Klay Thompson wanted a low-key Warriors homecoming, but warm embrace could help heal wounds SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson didn’t want any of the pomp and circumstance. The warm welcome from 400 or so Warriors employees who met him at the Dallas Mavericks’ team bus Tuesday and cheered for him as he walked toward the visitors’ locker room inside this familiar Chase Center. The sailor caps that were inspired by his boating passion and worn by everyone, from Warriors owner Joe Lacob to the rest of the sellout crowd of 18,064 that made sure his incredible legacy was honored. The Stephen Curry pregame speech that was scrapped, as Thompson shared, when the Splash Brothers exchanged text messages the night before and decided to pull it from the script. According to league sources, Thompson’s message to his old team heading into his night of celebration was that less was more. But the Warriors, who were determined to pay homage to the massive part he played in their dynastic run in first-class fashion, pulled out all the stops anyway. This reunion game, one in which the Warriors went to such great lengths to honor the 13 years of memories between them, was bound to be uncomfortably ironic. Here you had Golden State officials trying so hard to show proper respect to his storied past, only to be met with a lukewarm response that served as a reminder that the perceived disrespect regarding his future was the primary cause of this bitter basketball divorce. Unless Lacob found a way to put the two of them in a time machine and travel back to two summers ago, then committed to keeping the Warriors’ celebrated trio together by giving Thompson the same four-year, $100 million deal that he gave to Draymond Green, then these wounds were bound to stay open. Or so it seemed. Curry’s late flurry ruined Thompson’s plans for a revenge game. The Warriors won 120-117 after Curry ******* the Mavs in video game form during those wildly entertaining final minutes. Still, it was quite clear that healing had occurred between the two sides. And by the time Thompson took the postgame podium, having hit six 3s en route to 22 points but surely lamenting his missed 3 that rimmed out with 89 seconds left, the tone that he had set behind the scenes coming into this emotional affair had changed for the better. GO DEEPER Curry, Warriors ruin Klay Thompson’s Bay Area return with 120-117 win “It was a really cool experience,” he said of the evening that also included a video tribute. “I appreciate the fans very much. The captain’s hat ended up being a great touch, since I’m such a passionate boater. I saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. That was a warm-hearted feeling. So it was really cool to see fans with gratitude towards myself, and it’s something I won’t take for granted. It’s very, very awesome. “It was a cool moment to feel the energy from the fans, and especially, you know, all the chatter that I heard — it was all positive. (That) just means a lot to myself, because I really enjoyed my time here and … left it all out on the floor.” The pregame greeting from the employees, specifically, was a special touch that some in Thompson’s circle had hoped — like the Curry speech — would be scratched from the program. Yet as Thompson shared afterward, the gesture had the desired effect. “That was really cool,” he said. “I’m very grateful for the employees to give me that kind of love. Totally unexpected, and definitely put a smile on my face. It’s something I’ll never forget.” No matter the context, Thompson’s willingness to share warm feelings about the Warriors organization signaled a thawing of the iciness in this relationship that is only right considering all the history between them. Beyond the four titles, five All-Star appearances and countless good times in between, there was a special bond between Klay and the Bay that can’t be properly preserved if the friction ********. And while the disagreement surely ******** about how his contract situation was handled, with Thompson believing he should have received equal treatment to Green and the Warriors pointing to his devastating stretch of injuries as justification for their more measured approach, the affectionate postgame scene came with signs of genuine reconciliation that should only get better from here. Thompson hugged Warriors coach Steve Kerr first, and was then embraced by Curry. Next came longtime Warriors trainer Rick Celebrini, then Andrew Wiggins, Trayce-Jackson Davis, Moses Moody, various staff members, Green, fellow Bahamian and his replacement, Buddy Hield, Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, Gary Payton II, and assistant coach Bruce Fraser. It’s unclear if Thompson connected with Lacob, but it reaches a point in this post-Warriors saga where that sort of subplot doesn’t truly matter anymore. “The Warriors did an incredible job of honoring him,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, a Bay Area native who attended Cal and knows the passion of these local fans well. Warriors mission accomplished, in other words, with a win to boot as they improved to an unexpected 9-2 mark. Anyone who knows Thompson well knows he likely didn’t sleep much after this one. Curry’s 37-point performance overshadowed Thompson’s dynamic night, with No. 30 celebrating the win as if he were still in a gold-medal march with Team USA rather than a mid-November NBA affair. Thompson left the floor with a sense of appreciation, tossing his headband into the stands on his way through the tunnel before being greeted by a long line of admirers. Andre Iguodala, his fellow Warriors legend and current National Basketball Players Association executive director, visited the Mavericks locker room before the game and returned for a postgame chat as well. Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob waited to see him too, as did former Warriors big man and current liaison between basketball and business, Zaza Pachulia. For Thompson’s part, his mind inevitably turned to the next basketball challenge ahead. His Mavericks are just 5-6 now, with this Luka Dončić–Kyrie Irving-Thompson trio still finding their way amid a parity-filled Western Conference that is up for grabs. As the nostalgia faded, with all those Warriors years irrelevant to the task at hand, he looked ahead. “We’ve had like four games this year that could have gone either way,” Thompson said. “This one really stung, being up seven (points) with four minutes left. We’ll watch the film and get better. But I am really proud of how this team keeps fighting. We’re still getting to know each other, and I keep telling the guys, it’s better to go through this stuff early in the season versus Game 60. So I know we have a chance to be great. We’ve just got to stay the course.” He would know, of course. There’s a past basketball life where his transcendent play sparked an annual charge to the NBA’s mountaintop. The Warriors cherish those days, and want to ensure they’re not forgotten. And if Tuesday night was any indication, Thompson does too. (Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images) Source link #Klay #Thompson #wanted #lowkey #Warriors #homecoming #warm #embrace #heal #wounds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lego Horizon Adventures Brings Back Sylens With Help Of Star Trek Legend Lego Horizon Adventures Brings Back Sylens With Help Of Star Trek Legend Following the tragic ****** of actor Lance Reddick in 2023, Horizon fans were curious about what the fate of his character Sylens would be. With the release of Lego Horizon Adventures this week, it has been confirmed–in that spin-off game at least–that Sylens does appear and is voiced by Star Trek Voyager actor Tim Russ. A deuteragonist in the games, Sylens is similar to Horizon’s hero Aloy in several ways, as he also explores the secret history of the world following a cataclysmic event that saw machines rise to the top of the food chain. Russ is no stranger to the Horizon series, as he’d previously played the character Jetakka in Horizon Forbidden West. In Lego Horizon Adventures, he appears as “DJ Sylens” (via IGN). You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. I’m Not Convinced Horizon Makes Sense As A Lego Game | Hands-On Preview Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter Earlier this year, Horizon developer Guerrilla said that Sylens had been recast for Lego Horizon Adventures, but it wasn’t ready to share details at the time. Several of the original Horizon voice actors are also in the Lego game, including Ashly Burch as Aloy, JB Blanc as Rost, and John Macmillan as Varl. In addition to Sylens, Reddick also voiced Zavala in Bungie’s Destiny games. Following his passing, Destiny 2 players held an in-game vigil for the actor, and Bungie later announced that his role would be inherited by Keith David starting in The Final Shape expansion. “Via bricks and minifigs, Horizon is charmingly remade for a younger audience, though its formulaic missions may strain players of all ages,” Mark Delaney wrote in GameSpot’s Lego Horizon Adventures review. The game officially launches for PS5, PC, and Switch on November 14. Source link #Lego #Horizon #Adventures #Brings #Sylens #Star #Trek #Legend Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Solidigm reveals 122TB SSD, the world’s highest-capacity drive for AI workloads — D5-P5336 offers unlimited write durability Solidigm reveals 122TB SSD, the world’s highest-capacity drive for AI workloads — D5-P5336 offers unlimited write durability Solidigm has unveiled a new D5-P5336 solid-state drive that can now store up to 122TB of data. The new SSD doubles the capacity of its predecessor and is engineered for applications that need a lot of storage space and maximum storage density, such as AI servers, but not necessarily the highest performance possible. The new Solidigm D5-P5336 122TB relies on the same platform as its predecessor: a proprietary NVMe 2.0-compliant controller with a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and 192-layer 3D QLC NAND. Preliminary performance estimations indicate that the new drive supports a sequential read speed of up to 7,400 MB/s and a sequential write speed of up to 3,200 MB/s at up to 25W. As for random performance, it supports up to 930K random read IOPS and up to 25K write IOPS. When it comes to endurance, Solidigm rates the drive for 0.6 drive writes per day (DWPD) over five years, or 134.3PB. Also, the D5-P5336 122TB is the first SSD offering unlimited Random Write durability over five years, which, according to the manufacturer, makes it ideal for applications where continuous writing and accessing of data are crucial, such as AI training and large-scale data processing workloads. (Image credit: Solidigm) Also, as the drive is rated for 25W max power and less than 5W idle, the 122TB SSD offers unprecedented energy efficiency. The D5-P5336 enhances storage density by delivering 3.4 times more terabytes per watt than competing 30TB TLC SSDs, enabling significant cost-cutting. This boost in density allows for greater storage capacity in smaller physical spaces, allowing data storage expansion without additional physical infrastructure. “Data center architects are scrambling to solve their power and space efficiency needs, and they can help address these issues with Solidigm’s 122TB D5-P5336 that is designed to make every watt and square inch count,” said Greg Matson, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Marketing at Solidigm. “This massive capacity SSD is a game-changer — using far fewer watts per terabyte and freeing up valuable energy for other data center and edge power priorities.” (Image credit: Solidigm) Solidigm’s D5-P5336 122TB SSD will come in U.2, E1.L, and E3.S form factors like its predecessors. In some scenarios, the new drives will be drop-in compatible with existing infrastructure, enabling seamless upgrades when needed. The SSDs also support OCP 2.0 features and are FIPS 140-3 Level 2 compliant. Solidigm’s D5-P5336 122TB in the U.2 form factor is currently sampling with customers. Considering that it uses the already familiar controller and NAND, its qualification should be relatively easy. Depending on the form factor, the company will start shipments of its 122TB SSDs in Q1 – Q2 of 2025. As for pricing, it will depend on multiple factors, but considering this will be the industry’s only 122TB drive with a PCIe interface, it will be priced accordingly. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Solidigm #reveals #122TB #SSD #worlds #highestcapacity #drive #workloads #D5P5336 #offers #unlimited #write #durability Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump wants to provide caregivers with a tax credit. What experts say Trump wants to provide caregivers with a tax credit. What experts say JGI/Tom Grill | Tetra images | Getty Images At a recent campaign rally, President-elect Donald Trump promised new financial help for family caregivers. “I will support a tax credit for family caregivers who take care of a parent or a loved one,” Trump said during an October speech at New York’s Madison Square Garden. “It’s about time that they were recognized, right?” he said. “They add so much to our country and are never spoken of ever, ever, ever, but they’re going to be spoken of now.” Trump has not elaborated on the details of that tax credit and his team did not respond to requests for comment. He has also promised other tax breaks aimed at helping Americans, including eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits, tips and overtime and a deduction for auto loan interest payments. “It definitely adds up to big net tax cut,” Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, said of the president-elect’s tax proposals. Family caregiving having a ‘political moment’ Family caregiving had a “bit of a political moment” this election cycle, with both presidential candidates addressing the topic, Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer at AARP, said during a Monday webinar hosted by the organization, which represents people ages 50 and up. About 48 million Americans help taking care of aging parents, spouses or other loved ones, according to AARP. And about 78% of those caretakers have paid for care-related expenses out of their own pockets. On average, that adds up to about $7,200 per year. “This adds to the economic strain they feel and anxiety about their long-term financial security,” LeaMond said. “They’re cutting back on personal spending, dipping into their savings and reducing what they’re saving for their own retirement.” A record number of Americans are expected to turn 65 in the coming years. However, the share of potential caregivers is projected to shrink versus the number of older adults who may need long-term care, according to AARP. No one policy will be a ‘silver bullet,’ expert says To enact a caregiver tax credit, Trump will need Congress’ support. A bipartisan bill — the Credit for Caring Act — proposes a credit of up to $5,000 per tax year to help caregivers cover long-term care costs. Under the terms of the proposal, the credit would cover 30% of expenses exceeding $2,000. To be eligible, caregivers would need to have more than $7,500 in income and be paying for long-term care for a spouse or other dependent. “We will urge new leadership in Congress and the White House to take it up and pass it,” LeaMond said. Some states have already taken up the issue, she said. Oklahoma and Nebraska recently passed their own caregiver tax credits, while Maryland has created a caregiver expense grant program. An October AARP survey found roughly 90% of Americans ages 50 and over support a federal tax credit for eligible family caregivers. Earlier this year, a national poll from Bipartisan Policy Center Action found 82% of registered voters support caregiver tax credits. More from Personal Finance: What Trump’s presidency could mean for the housing market Trump’s win may put popular student loan forgiveness program at risk What the Fed’s latest interest rate cut means for your money The federal caregiving tax credit proposal provides a “key opportunity” to include family caregivers in upcoming federal tax policy discussions, said Jason Resendez, president and CEO at the National Alliance for Caregiving. However, no one policy is going to be a “silver bullet” to alleviate the burden of caregiving, he said. “We can’t lose sight of the ******* and larger-scale investments that we need,” Resendez said, including stronger home and community-based supports, paid family and medical leave and additional long-term services and supports. To be sure, as lawmakers consider tax policy proposals, they may adjust the parameters to limit how much Trump’s proposed tax breaks may cost, Watson said. “Step one is to figure out amongst Congress what their tolerance is for any debt increase,” Watson said. Source link #Trump #provide #caregivers #tax #credit #experts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump and Biden are meeting at the White House today. Here’s what to know. Trump and Biden are meeting at the White House today. Here’s what to know. Biden to host Trump at White House Biden to host Trump at White House as he builds his administration, Cabinet 03:40 President-elect Donald Trump and President Biden are meeting at the White House on Wednesday as part of the transition process, a formality that Trump skipped in 2020. Melania Trump will not meet first lady Jill Biden, although the first ladies do traditionally meet. Melania Trump met with Michelle Obama in 2016. The last time Trump and Mr. Biden met face-to-face was at the June debate, during which Mr. Biden called Trump a “convicted felon” and said he had the “morals of an alleycat.” Trump, for his part, said the U.S. had turned into a “third-world country” under Mr. Biden, and referred to him as a “Manchurian candidate.” Mr. Biden struggled during the debate, and his campaign later said he had a cold, but his performance alarmed Democrats and he dropped out of the race weeks later — leaving Trump to face Vice President Kamala Harris in the general election. While the meeting Wednesday is likely to be courteous, the pair are bitter rivals. Also on Wednesday, Elon Musk, a huge backer of Trump’s 2024 bid who was named on Tuesday night as the head of a new Office of Government Efficiency, was with Trump on his plane as they headed to Washington, a source said. He will attending the House *********** conference meeting on Capitol Hill with Trump, a source familiar with House Republicans told CBS News. Although Trump has made a slew of Cabinet appointments since the election, he has not made any public appearances since speaking to supporters at his election headquarters in West Palm Beach as it became apparent he won the election. More Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Source link #Trump #Biden #meeting #White #House #today #Heres Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Swiss villagers pack up for evacuation over fears of a rockslide Swiss villagers pack up for evacuation over fears of a rockslide GENEVA (AP) — Families in a tiny Swiss village were packing up Wednesday after authorities issued an evacuation order with a weekend deadline because of the threat of a possible rockslide from a Alpine mountainside overhead. Authorities in charge of the eastern village of Brienz say they analyzed the potential danger with geology and natural-hazards specialists and recommended the precautionary evacuation by 1 p.m. Sunday, they said in a statement Tuesday. ********** Gartmann, a member of the crisis management board in the town of Albula, which counts Brienz in its jurisdiction, says inhabitants of the village, population 90, were preparing quickly. A similar evacuation took place 18 months ago. “It has begun, immediately actually. People in the village organized themselves,” Gartmann said by phone. Authorities advised villagers to take essential items, like computers, winter wear, school and work materials, for up to six months out of town, he said. “It’s not a total moving-out,” Gartmann said, summarizing the order to locals as “take everything that you need for the next few months. If you have some cheap … sofa at home, leave it.” Temporary lodging out of the village, which sits in between Italian and *******-speaking parts of southeastern Switzerland, has already been arranged for about three-quarters of residents, and some were staying nearby with friends or family, he said. The main threat is posed by rocks that are already strewn along the mountainside, not a larger breakage, Gartmann said. Prospects for a controlled ********** to trigger a rockslide to reduce the risk have been ruled out, in part because 300 tons of explosives would be needed, blasting crews would face their own risks, and a detonation could affect a nearby mountain, he said. Source link #Swiss #villagers #pack #evacuation #fears #rockslide Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]