Likely narrow GOP House majority may jeopardize Trump’s tax cuts, Raymond James says
Likely narrow GOP House majority may jeopardize Trump’s tax cuts, Raymond James says
Republicans are nearing a sweep in Congress, but Raymond James says that it won’t be easy for President-elect Donald Trump to sign off on the legislation he wants — including the tax cuts that were part of his platform. As of Tuesday afternoon, Republicans secured 215 seats in the House of Representatives compared with the Democrats’ 206, according to NBC News. The *********** Party will have control of the Senate , with 52 seats versus the Democrats’ 47, but the GOP’s margin in the House is looking notably narrow this time, according to Raymond James’ Washington policy analyst, Ed Mills. “In 2025, Trump’s influence on Congressional Republicans will be stronger but his margin in the House will be in the single digits (down from 47 in 2017). … The narrow House majority will complicate the passage of any tax bill in 2025,” he said. Mills said the GOP is expected to use the budget reconciliation process to pass any of President-elect Trump’s tax proposals. However, even when the party held its wide House majority in 2017, he noted that 13 Republicans voted against then-President Trump’s proposed tax cuts due to disagreements over a $10,000 limit on the state and local tax, or SALT, deduction. That measure, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , ultimately passed and went into effect in 2018. However, a slate of provisions are expected to sunset at the end of 2025 , setting the table for talks in Washington on how to extend the tax breaks . One point of discussion as to how to fund tax cuts this time around has been to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which is another likely point of contention, Mills added. “The narrow margins will make this more difficult, especially given the number of Congressional Republicans with IRA-funded projects in their districts,” the analyst said. In order to keep GOP lawmakers from defecting on the tax bill, legislators may seek compromises on the SALT deduction, tariffs or changes to Medicaid, according to Mills. Wolfe Research analyst Tobin Marcus also thinks passing a tax bill is a “complex challenge” with such narrow majorities across the House and the Senate. “The Congressional negotiations over this package will be complex, so there will absolutely be wrinkles we don’t expect here. But we think the hefty price tag for extending expiring individual tax provisions past EOY25 will sharply limit how much incremental tax cutting Republicans can do, and will compel them to include some real offsets despite reluctance from some parts of their coalition,” Marcus wrote in a research note Tuesday.
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Mirthwood Review | Stardew Valley But Darker｜Game8
Mirthwood Review | Stardew Valley But Darker｜Game8
“The Oceanside-based (CA, the US) indie gamea publisher V Publishing and Pacific Northwest-based (the US) indie game developer Bad Ridge Games, today announced with great joy and thrill that their medieval fantasy RPG/life-sim adventure “Mirthwood”, is now available for PC via Steam.” – Jonas Ek, *TGG.
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Google Learn About is the patient teacher with a bag full of tricks we all wanted as kids
Google Learn About is the patient teacher with a bag full of tricks we all wanted as kids
AI chatbots can be useful tools for learning about the world, but they aren’t usually designed as educators and often are full of caveats regarding where their data comes from. Google has debuted a new AI tutor called Learn About to solve those issues. It’s a personal tutor capable of adapting its teaching style in real time. Learn About isn’t just a conversational AI chatbot; it combines visual aids and the ability to expand and simplify subjects as needed, like an interactive and intelligent textbook.
Learn About doesn’t rely on the Gemini AI models employed by Google in most of its AI services. Instead, it uses the LearnLM model introduced at Google I/O this year. LearnLM has been trained specifically on educational and research-oriented data and is supposed to encourage users to think for themselves. That means the AI doesn’t just give a quick answer but tries to impart the facts and the knowledge behind the straightforward answer, including diagrams and annotated text, along with suggested topics related to your initial query.
LearnLM also makes sure the common hallucinations and wrong information regurgitated by AI chatbots are less of an issue. You can ask a question, suggest a topic, or even upload images and let the AI run with whatever it can find about what’s in the images. Learn About is currently available to a limited number of U.S. users, but expansion is likely coming soon.
Robotic education
(Image credit: Future)
As an experiment, I asked about building a humanoid ******. Learn About didn’t just cite an encyclopedia on what that would entail. Instead, I got a whole list of necessary elements broken down with images, context boxes, and further reading. The ‘get images’ button at the bottom did exactly what it said it would, while the double-check with Google just seemed to confirm the information was accurate. The ‘go deeper’ button quickly led me down a path of technical details for machining an arm ******. Two paragraphs in, I was lost.
I had much more fun with the ‘simplify’ button because each time I tapped it, the AI would get more creative in being simple. First, it talked about building a ****** like a toy, then it tried to explain how to build a ****** like a gingerbread man, then a puppet show, and then a magic Lego man. After that, the AI apparently decided I didn’t understand analogies and used very small words to explain robots without any window dressing. Still, the analogies and accompanying images and diagrams were like a window into textbooks for ever-younger children.
People don’t always want a personal tutor. Sometimes, the trivia expert version of AI is preferable. But Gemini and LearnLM point out that Google wants people to continue thinking of it as the source of all knowledge, whether that’s a simple yes or no answer about where a famous landmark is located or a full lecture on its history and place in local culture. Learn About helps Google set itself up as an information resource and a digital learning companion. And I have to give credit to Learn About for inspiring my upcoming gingerbread puppet show about robots.
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What a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Could Look Like Under Trump’s Presidency
What a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Could Look Like Under Trump’s Presidency
With Donald Trump’s recent election as President of the ******* States, his campaign promise of creating a strategic reserve is seeing renewed interest.
While the idea has not yet been implemented, many are now wondering how a US Bitcoin reserve could look if it became a reality.
A Strategic Bitcoin Reserve can be understood as a government-held asset aimed at stabilizing the economy during periods of financial disruption.
An analogy for this would be the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), created in the 1970s to ensure oil availability during crises.
Like the SPR, a Bitcoin reserve would act as a financial backstop, supporting economic stability in times of inflation or market turbulence.
By holding a substantial amount of Bitcoin, the government would secure a hedge against such risks, enhancing its array of economic safeguards.
Proponents believe Bitcoin’s limited supply and decentralized nature make it a strong potential hedge against inflation and market instability, much like gold.
While the US economy depends on oil as a fundamental resource, Bitcoin does not play such an essential role.
Critics liken holding a Bitcoin reserve to stockpiling consumer goods rather than vital commodities. Yet, Bitcoin’s global appeal and rising value are fueling the argument that it could become a critical economic asset.
Renewed enthusiasm for a US Bitcoin reserve has been further fueled by Bitcoin’s recent price surge, which nearly reached $90,000 on Monday night.
This momentum aligns with Trump’s presidential win, creating a favorable climate for discussions around how Bitcoin might enhance the country’s economic strategy.
One of the initiative’s strongest advocates is Senator Cynthia Lummis, a *********** from Wyoming known for her commitment to advancing crypto-friendly legislation.
In July, Lummis introduced the “Bitcoin Act,” a bill that proposes a decentralized network of secure Bitcoin vaults managed by the US Department of Treasury.
The act outlines an ambitious plan for the government to acquire up to 200,000 BTC annually over five years, potentially accumulating a total of 1 million BTC, or around 5% of Bitcoin’s total supply.
Following Trump’s victory in the primary election on Tuesday, November 5, Lummis voiced her support enthusiastically on social media, posting on X:
“WE ARE GOING TO BUILD A STRATEGIC BITCOIN RESERVE.”
Her Bitcoin Act proposal would be funded by reallocating Federal Reserve assets, including bonds, loans, and gold, currently valued around $7 trillion, without adding to national debt.
Currently, the US government holds about $18 billion worth of Bitcoin seized through ********* cases, according to Arkham Intelligence data.
This existing stockpile could potentially be incorporated into a broader Bitcoin reserve.
Supporters argue that establishing a Bitcoin reserve would signal the US government’s confidence in Bitcoin’s viability, potentially encouraging other countries to follow suit.
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Starmer announces *** target for 81% carbon emissions cut by 2035
Starmer announces *** target for 81% carbon emissions cut by 2035
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced fresh climate change targets at a global summit, saying he wants the *** to lead on cutting emissions.
The *** will now aim for an 81% cut in its emissions by 2035, he told the UN conference of parties (COP29) in Azerbaijan.
The target updates a 78% pledge by 2035 under the previous ************* government, although that also included international aviation and shipping emissions, and goes beyond another pledge of a 68% reduction by 2030.
Sir Keir insisted the government would not “tell people how to live their lives” but the target was vital to the ***’s future prosperity and energy security.
The prime minister said the new target was based on recommendations from the ***’s independent climate change committee (CCC) aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5C compared to levels in 1990.
He was one of only seven G20 leaders attending the summit, with 13 absentees including the premiers of the US, China, France and Germany.
Sir Keir would not be drawn on his views about president-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to cut climate rules during his election campaign.
He said: “Make no mistake, the race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of tomorrow, and I don’t want to be in the middle of the pack – I want to get ahead of the game”.
The target will be included in papers to go before Parliament before February and, although Sir Keir did not announce any new policies, he did commit to continuing to provide £11.6bn of climate finance until March 2026, a pledge made under the previous government.
Announcing a £1bn investment in a wind turbine project in Hull, which he said would create 1,300 local jobs, Sir Keir said the world was standing at a “critical juncture in the climate crisis”.
The *** has called for other countries to match the new target, following stark warnings from the ******* Nations that the world is on course for a 3.1C rise without further cuts.
The latest target is broadly in line with the ***’s legally-binding carbon-cutting path towards net zero emissions by 2050, contained in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
That international agreement ties the *** to ratcheting up new “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) for carbon reduction every five years, which has seen the a 68% cut by 2030 increase to an 81% cut by 2035.
The Climate Change Act 2008 also set legally-binding domestic agreements on carbon budgets in five year chunks until 2050, which unlike the NDC targets also include international aviation and shipping emissions.
The latest of these is the sixth carbon budget, which runs between 2033-2037, and has already been set at 78%.
Since taking power in July, Labour has ended an effective ban on new onshore wind projects and pledged not to issue any new oil and gas exploration licenses in the North Sea, as well as closing the ***’s last coal power plant in September.
The switch towards greener energy has already halved the ***’s annual greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 – but the CCC has previously said further reductions will be difficult without lifestyle changes.
The government advisers said taxes on meat and dairy might be needed if people do not voluntarily reduce their consumption of the products, and there should be moves to phase out the use of petrol cars.
Speaking at the summit, Sir Keir said the new *** target would be “difficult” but “achievable”, and he wanted government to “tread lightly on people’s lives”.
“It’s not about telling people how to live their lives – I’m not interested in that,” he added.
“I am interested in making sure their energy bills are stable, that we’ve got energy independence, and that we also along the way pick up the next generation of jobs.”
However, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho claimed the new target would lead to “hardship” for the British people.
During energy questions in the Commons, Coutinho said making “already stringent carbon emission targets even higher” would require a “shift away from meat and dairy” and “less travel”.
The ************* MP claimed the approach would “see our reliance on ******** imports – a country which is 60% powered by coal – go through the roof”.
In response, energy minister Kerry McCarthy said: “It’s really important that we are stepping up and showing global ambition.
“Reaching net zero in this country and getting to clean power by 2030 is a massive opportunity – it is not a cost.”
The interim chair of the CCC, Professor Piers Forster, welcomed the new target and said it was feasible based on the latest science, technological developments, and the ***’s national circumstances.
“Our analysis shows that this is a feasible target that will support jobs and investment,” he said, adding the *** was currently running behind schedule on delivering its 2030 target of 68% cuts.
He added: “A target is only as meaningful as the delivery against it.
“The *** needs to get back on track to deliver against our existing 2030 NDC commitment.
“We need to see further urgent action to speed up deployment of low-carbon solutions such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, and tree planting.”
All countries who have signed up to the Paris Agreement should submit their latest carbon reduction targets by a deadline of February next year and a copy of that memo, known as the Information to facilitate Clarity, Transparency and Understanding (ICTU), will be presented to MPs before then.
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The coffee table book of Apple Music’s Best 100 Albums will set you back $450
The coffee table book of Apple Music’s Best 100 Albums will set you back $450
Apple has a history of eye-popping price tags, but the company is reaching new heights with a product that isn’t even a gadget. After Apple Music unveiled a list of the 100 best albums of all time earlier this year, the streaming service is releasing a companion coffee table book. You can grab one of the 1,500 copies for a cool $450.
I find these endeavors to rank and quantify art hilarious, because music is subjective and personal by nature. But people do love to debate their own artistic opinions, so if that’s your jam there’s plenty to dig into with Apple Music’s assessment. (And before you ask, the top spot was claimed by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.) This particular countdown was assembled by “Apple Music’s team of experts alongside an exclusive group of artists including Maren Morris, Pharrell Williams, J Balvin, Charli XCX, Mark Hoppus, Honey Dijon and Nia Archives, as well as songwriters, producers and industry professionals,” according to the book listing.
I’m sure this limited-run hardcover will be very beautiful, and maybe the liner notes analyzing each entry are deeply insightful. But I also wonder who would bother to buy it. If you are one of those 1,500 people who wants one, the book is due to start shipping in January.
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S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl and MSFS 2024 arrive next week — here are the system requirements and driver details
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl and MSFS 2024 arrive next week — here are the system requirements and driver details
Two of the most hotly anticipated games are slated to arrive next week: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Both will be under our microscope for performance, and the GPU companies are already gearing up for the releases. Nvidia has Game Ready driver 566.14 with support for both titles, and it also patches several issue, including the infamous Corsair iCUE CPU utilization bug.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the sequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, which debuted in 2007. The second game is a hybrid first-person shooter, immersive sim, and horror game all wrapped into one. The game takes advantage of Unreal Engine 5, potentially giving the game excellent visual fidelity and graphical realism — and perhaps inevitably the performance issues and bugs that Uneal Engine 5 is known for.
The game heads back to the Chornobyl reactor and surrounding environment, inspired by the real-life nuclear disaster that took place at the Chornobyl plant — paired with a fictional story and timeline. The game takes place in a 64 km squared open world centered around Chornobyl full of radiation, mutants, and anomalies. The story has several different paths set by in-game decisions, enabling the player to make their own story.
The system requirements look somewhat tame, though we have to wonder what level of performance they target. You’ll need at least an AMD Ryzen 5 1600X or Intel Core i7-7700K processor, 16GB of memory, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB, or Intel Arc A750 graphics card. You’ll also want 160GB (!) of SSD storage.
Recommended system specs are quite a bit higher: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X or Intel Core i7-11700, 32GB of memory, and either an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, or Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070. And 160GB of SSD storage still.
How will the game run? We’ll do our own testing as soon as we’re able, but in the interim Nvidia has provided some benchmarks, showcasing both native and DLSS 3 performance as usual:
(Image credit: Nvidia)
Nvidia benchmarks reveal that, just like every other Unreal Engine 5 title, the game is incredibly taxing on even the best graphics cards at maximum settings if you don’t take advantage of performance enhancers including upscaling and frame generation.
At 4k maximum settings, the RTX 4090 doesn’t even hit 60 FPS, delivering just 52.4 FPS average with DLSS off. Nvidia’s mid range RTX 4070 Super barely surpasses the 30 FPS mark, with 34.7 FPS average. Turning on With DLSS performance mode upscaling and frame generation helps the RTX 4090 to reach 123 FP, and the RTX 4070 Super gets 87 FPS.
Stepping down to 1440p and 1080p naturally makes things quite a bit less difficult, in terms of hardware. At native resolution with DLSS off, the RTX 4090 achieved 74.8 FPS and 85.5 FPS, respectively. With DLSS on (this time with quality mode upscaling), the RTX 4090 hits 145 and 166 FPS, and the RTX 4070 Super and other Nvidia RTX 40-series GPUs all hit playable levels as well.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 doesn’t have any benchmarks yet, but it’s the company’s next iteration of its class-leading flight sim. The game comes with a big focus on player career, with multiple career options including shipping, chartering, racing, and more. The game will ship with the full brunt of Nvidia features: DLSS 3, DLAA, ray tracing, and Reflex.
Minimum system requirements consist of an AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-6800K processor, 16GB RAM, a Radeon RX 5700 or GeForce GTX 970 GPU, 50GB of disk space, and at least a 10 Mbps internet connection. Recommended specs list an AMD Ryzen 7 2700X or Intel Core i7-10700K, 32GB RAM, Radeon RX 5700 XT or GeForce RTX 2080, still 50GB of storage, and a 50 Mbps or faster internet connection.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl comes out November 20th while MSFS 2024 comes out a day earlier on November 19th.
Nvidia’s 566.14 drivers also mark the end of the road for GeForce Experience and the Nvidia Control Panel, at least in terms of updates and bug fixes. The Nvidia App has reached the full release milestone (version 11.0.1 technically) and now takes over from GFE and NCP.
What about AMD and Intel drivers for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and Flight Simulator 2024? They’re not available yet, though we suspect there’s a good chance both will push out updates before next week.
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Judge Blocks Louisiana Law Mandating 10 Commandments in Schools
Judge Blocks Louisiana Law Mandating 10 Commandments in Schools
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Louisiana law that would have required every public school classroom to display the Ten Commandments.
U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles of Baton Rouge ruled Tuesday that the law is “unconstitutional on its face” and violates the free exercise and establishment clauses of the First Amendment.
A coalition of parents supported by The ********* Civil Liberties Union, the ********* Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans ******* for Separation of ******* and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit to block the requirement that was signed into law in June.
As CBN News reported, the law required every Louisiana classroom from kindergarten to the university level, which receives state funding, to display the commandments “on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches” by Jan.1.
Each poster was required to be paired with the four-paragraph “context statement” describing how the Ten Commandments “were a prominent part of ********* public education for almost three centuries.”
Litigation began quickly with the ********* Civil Liberties Union vowing to challenge the law as soon as it was signed.
“Our public schools are not Sunday schools…and students of all faiths — or no ****** — should feel welcome in them,” reads a statement released by the group.
Supporters of the law said the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance to the foundation of U.S. law. They added that the commandments displays were going to be paid for by private donations so the state wasn’t going to fund them.
deGravelles, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, granted a preliminary injunction while a lawsuit proceeds. This means the state is not allowed to plan to promote or create rules surrounding the law.
He also ordered state Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office to “provide notice to all schools that the Act has been found unconstitutional.”
At a news conference after the hearing, Murrill pushed back at the ruling saying the posters are constitutional.
“This law, I believe, is constitutional, and we’ve illustrated it in numerous ways that the law is constitutional. We’ve shown that in our briefs by creating a number of posters,” Murrill said. “Again, you don’t have to like the posters. The point is you can make posters that comply with the Constitution.”
Murrill is expected to appeal the ruling.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that a Kentucky law requiring all public schools to post the Ten Commandments in each classroom was unconstitutional. In Stone v. Graham, the justices ruled 5-4 that the law violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause and was “plainly religious in nature.”
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***** Launches A New Classics Merch Collection At Amazon
***** Launches A New Classics Merch Collection At Amazon
***** has just launched a gigantic apparel collection on Amazon, featuring iconic games like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe. The merch drop follows hot on the heels of ***** announcing dozens of its games will be delisted in December–fueling speculation that some sort of collection is in production. For now, however, you can enjoy T-shirts, hoodies, crew necks, tank tops, and long sleeves of your favorites, most of which are available in various styles, sizes, and colors.
One of our favorite designs in the ***** Classics Collection is for Jet Set Radio, as it features the game’s stylized graphics and is available in over 16 colors. Available as a T-Shirt for $20, hoodie for $40, or baseball tee for $29, it should make a nice addition to any retro gamer’s wardrobe.
Streets of Rage T-Shirt, Jet Set Radio T-Shirt, Golden Axe Hoodie
Gallery
If you’re a fan of the side-scrolling Golden Axe, there’s plenty of merch to peruse. The simple Golden Axe ****** Adder Pullover Hoodie is a solid choice, featuring little more than a stylized logo on the front. It’s available in six colors, though standard ****** looks best with its golden font.
Oddly enough, Sonic is missing from the collection, but Hedgehog aside, this is a well-rounded collection. You’ll find gear for Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Altered ******, ChuChu Rocket, Alex Kidd, and House of the *****. Check a few more picks below, or head over to Amazon to see the full ***** Classics apparel line.
Best of the ***** Classics Collection
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3 Nuclear Energy Stocks to Benefit From AI-Driven Demand
3 Nuclear Energy Stocks to Benefit From AI-Driven Demand
AI products have an inherent power cost. Their electricity requirements ramp up from text-to-text to text-to-image generation and then even more to text-to-video content.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that, by 2026, AI data centers will need 10x more power than in 2023. Last year, Nvidia’s 100,000 AI chips amounted to 7.3 TWh of annual electricity consumption. For comparison, estimated electricity consumption to secure its network was 120 TWh during 2023, out of 130 TWh total for all cryptocurrencies.
Consequently, the IEA expects nuclear power generation to reach a new high in 2025. As the most cost-efficient energy source, it is currently expanding rapidly in Asia, which should give incentives to the West to catch up. Not only is nuclear energy density off the charts compared to , coal, and oil, but nuclear fuel rods are recyclable up to 97%.
As all other energy generation sources are less reliable, both Microsoft (NASDAQ:) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:) have already made deals to buy energy from nuclear reactors. With this trend clear on the horizon, here are some nuclear infrastructure stocks investors should keep in mind.
BWX Technologies, Inc.
Based in Lynchburg, Virginia, this company should be viewed as exceedingly safe nuclear (investing) exposure. The company is critical for US and *** navies’ nuclear application. Conversely, it is directly involved in securing the US hegemony and dominance, which is key to constant growth of the S&P 500 index.
On top of that, BWX Technologies Inc (NYSE:) also plays an important commercial role in the US nuclear sector, from components to microreactors. Case in point, this June, Wyoming Energy Authority picked BWX to deploy small-scale nuclear reactors to augment the state’s energy needs.
Additionally, BWXT Medical division has a diversified pipeline servicing the nuclear medicine sector, primarily by supplying diagnostic radioisotopes. All of these sectors have high human and technological capital requirements. This scarcity makes BWX role similar to the nuclear sector what TSMC is for the semiconductor industry.
Year-to-date, BWXT stock has gone up 64%, presently priced at $125.38, against the 52-week average of $95 per share. Should investors take the BWXT plunge at the forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 36.90? In Q3 earnings, delivered on November 4th, the company raised its revenue guidance for FY24 from $2.6 billion to $2.7 billion.
According to 8 analyst inputs aggregated by Nasdaq, the average BWXT price target is $131.14 per share, with a potential for a $166 ceiling twelve months ahead. When there is a stock market correction after the Trump enthusiasm wanes, BWXT should be on investors’ radar.
NexGen Energy (TSX:)
On the riskier side of the nuclear spectrum, NexGen Energy Ltd. (NYSE:) is a pre-revenue uranium exploration company. Nonetheless, 22 nations pledged at UAE’s COP28, at the end of 2023, to triple global nuclear power generation by 2050. Accounting for regional instabilities and geopolitical tensions, this is bound to create a high uranium demand.
In November’s investor presentation, NexGen is heavily focused on developing the Rook I Project located in Saskatchewan, Canada. Its untapped uranium potential, graded at 29.2 Mlbs U3O8 annual production for 11.7 years, could make it one of the world’s largest uranium suppliers.
For the Western hemisphere, Rook has the potential to supply half of needed uranium supply. Rook’s ********* location is an extra plus, as US investors don’t have to worry about regional stability. NexGen expects uranium prices to go up 127% by 2030, which would pave NexGen’s path to become the world’s top 10 uranium mining companies.
As of the latest financial report ending September, the company holds CAD$537.7 million in cash against CAD$468.8 million in total liabilities, of which CAD$429.9 million is in convertible debentures. These are hybrid debt instruments that combine bonds and shares at a fixed interest until investors’ conversion into equities.
Year-to-date, NXE stock is up 6.3%, presently priced at $7.21 against the 52-week average of $7.07 per share. The $7.1 range is the bottom forecast by 9 analyst inputs, while the average NXE price target is $8.79. The high ceiling is $10 per share.
Vistra Corp.
Back to the safer side of the nuclear spectrum, Vistra Energy Corp (NYSE:) is an electricity generation company. Given the fact that utility companies provide layer zero for civilization to function, and that they can always tweak prices with inflation, VST is a low-risk stock exposure.
Preparing for the AI datacenter future, Vistra acquired Energy Harbor for $3.43 billion in March, which expanded its nuclear reactor fleet to rank as the 2nd largest in the US. From an investing perspective, Vistra is a solid pick to capture dividend yield growth.
As of the end of October, Vistra’s dividend growth is 6.52% quarterly, at an annual payout of $0.89 per share. VST stock itself is up 263% year-to-date, presently priced at $138.39 per share.
Since 2021, Vistra has been executing $4.58 billion in stock buybacks, of which $2.2 billion ******** to be authorized. In the latest Q3 financial report delivered on November 7th, Vistra raised 2025 guidance to $5.5 – $6.1 billion range.
Annually, Vistra targets ~$300 million in dividend payouts. Image credit: Vistra
For the next year, the company already hedged 96% of energy prices, ensuring cash flow stability. Against the 52-week average of $74.83 per share, the average VST price target is $163.11. The current price of $138.39 is closely aligned with the bottom forecast of $135 per share.
***
Neither the author, Tim Fries, nor this website, The Tokenist, provide financial advice. Please consult our website policy prior to making financial decisions.
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Arc Raiders Receives New Gameplay Trailer
Arc Raiders Receives New Gameplay Trailer
Arc Raiders, the upcoming extraction shooter from Embark Studios, has just revealed its gameplay.
The new Arc Raiders gameplay trailer features early tech test gameplay recorded in October 2024. The footage shown in this trailer is still a work in progress and “does not represent the final quality” of the game.
The Arc Raiders gameplay reveal shows us what it feels like to be a part of the game’s universe, which is set in a distant future on Earth. In the gameplay trailer, we follow the mission of three raiders who are trying to complete a quest in the ******* City. Players begin in Speranza Piazza, a haven in the rust belt that protects civilisations from the Arc machines on the surface.
However, this haven always needs resources, and Raiders venture out to bring these vital materials from the surface. The journey is treacherous, as the Raiders have to deal with the deadly Arc Machines that occupy the surface and be vigilant of rival Raiders who might be looking to steal their loot.
The Arc Raiders gameplay trailer reveals that players can access multiple surface regions through a network of tunnels from the Piazza. This mission takes players to Calabretta, ******* City. Here, players glimpse the post-apocalyptic universe created for the title while the Raiders explore the deeper city to retrieve a seed vault from a research facility.
During this mission, the Raiders loot different types of resources while plotting a course for medical supplies at the pharmacy. While exploring, they see a red flare in the wild, which signifies a Raider being knocked down. However, there’s no way of knowing what happened without scoping out the location.
The players in the Arc Raiders gameplay trailer then proceed to the research facility, where they are greeted with bullets from the drone-like Arc machines. During this segment, we see the shooter mechanics as the Raiders ****** down several machines and ****** other rival Raiders.
The end of the Arc Raiders trailer explains that sometimes an aggressive approach might be the only way; however, there will be many other times when stealth might be the way to go. The Rust Belt is a land of opportunities and secrets to uncover, and players get to shape the Raiders they want to be in this world.
In other news, players can get Indian Jones and the Great Circle for free when purchasing an Nvidia GPU. Also, Sony has temporarily cut the price of the PS5 by $70. What are your thoughts on the Arc Raiders gameplay reveal? Let us know in the comments or our new community forum!
For more information from Insider Gaming, read about Payload Studios laying off more staff. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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Foord steers Arsenal towards Champions League QFs
Foord steers Arsenal towards Champions League QFs
Matildas superstar Caitlin Foord has netted once and made another as Arsenal won 4-0 at Juventus to put one foot in the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals.
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#Foord #steers #Arsenal #Champions #League #QFs
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Rime studio Tequila Works has filed for insolvency
Rime studio Tequila Works has filed for insolvency
Spanish development studio Tequila Works has filed for insolvency.
The founders of the Madrid-based outfit behind titles including Rime and Gylt have also stepped down, GamesIndustry.biz reports.
The news follows last month’s announcement that Tequila Works was laying off a “small” number of staff following the decision to cancel an unannounced project that had been in development.
In a statement, newly appointed general manager Térence Mosca said he was “proud of what [the team] has accomplished together” but “prolonged market conditions” meant the company had to file for insolvency.
“Since its founding in 2009, Tequila Works’ game-development philosophy has always focused on ‘creating things with gusto’,” the statement said.
“We are doing everything we can to provide support and guidance to our teams during this difficult time.”
Tequila Works’ debut game was 2012’s Deadlight. Notable releases in the years since have included 2017’s Rime and The ***** Brutale, and 2019’s Gylt.
Tencent became the company’s majority shareholder in 2022, when Tequila said the funding would be used to fuel studio growth for the development of original IPs.
Its most recent game was last year’s Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, which was released under the now defunct Riot Forge publishing label.
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Ruben Gallego defeats Kari Lake in Senate race
Ruben Gallego defeats Kari Lake in Senate race
PHOENIX — Rep. Ruben Gallego defeated Kari Lake in the U.S. Senate race in Arizona. The Associated Press, CNN and Fox News, as well as other news outlets, called the race for Gallego on Monday night.
According to the secretary of state’s website, Gallego is 2 percentage points, or 72,626 votes, ahead of Lake with more than 93% of the ballots counted.
“Growing up the way I did in the environment I did, growing up poor, being here is something that was literally a dream,” Gallego, 44, said during an impromptu celebratory press conference Monday night.
Will Kari Lake concede?
He is set to become Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator, filling the seat left open by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was elected as a Democrat but switched her party affiliation to independent while in office. She decided not to seek reelection.
Gallego is a Harvard alumnus who later fought in the Iraq war before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015. After his win was official, he made a promise: “As hard as I fought in the Marines, I will ****** as hard for Arizona in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Despite Gallego’s growing lead in recent days, Lake’s campaign volunteers, in partnership with Turning Point Action, hit the streets to ‘cure’ ballots. This involves reaching voters with ballots that need fixing, but the deadline to cure passed Sunday, closing the final pathway to close the gap. The Arizona Supreme Court declined a voter rights group’s request to extend the curing deadline since 60,000 ballots had yet to be processed.
“Thank you to all of the grassroots patriots who worked so hard to ensure that every vote gets counted,” Lake said in a post on X. “I love you, Arizona.”
Barring a last-minute legal intervention, the ******* for ballot curing has closed.
Thank you to all of the grassroots patriots who worked so hard to ensure that every vote gets counted.
I love you, Arizona. pic.twitter.com/NTLTqz8puK
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 11, 2024
She has not yet conceded the race, even though, earlier this week, she said, “I will accept the results of the election.”
“I have had a few concerns, but we’ve done a lot of legwork to prevent any problems,” she added.
*********** majorities in Senate and House
Lake ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2022. She alleged ****** and challenged the results in court. Her past performance led to doubts about her ability to win, and a GOP-funded PAC, run by allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell, didn’t run ads for Lake, according to the Phoenix New Times.
Lake’s loss doesn’t affect Republicans gaining control over the Senate. They will capture the upper chamber with a 53-seat majority, while Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents are projected to have 47 seats. The *********** Conference successfully flipped seats in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Montana.
Republicans are also projected to reclaim control of the U.S. House of Representatives. More than a dozen races have not yet been called, but the results appear favorable for GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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Ancient Necropolis Found at Kastel Fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ancient Necropolis Found at Kastel Fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s historic Kastel Fortress is one of the rare locations in Europe with layers dating from the early Stone Age (before 10,000 years BC) through multiple eras leading up to the 20th century. The latest round of excavations at the site revealed the presence of an ancient necropolis of an undetermined age, as radio-carbon dating will need to be conducted to determine the *********’s true antiquity.
In addition, the archaeologists involved in this discovery also found an ancient coin, which they’ve been able to date all the way back to the 4th century BC.
Following the Excavations: A Mish-Mash of Many Layers
As one of the most visited sites in central and eastern Europe, the fortress at Kastel is now the national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the oldest historical monument in the city of Banja Luka, which is located in the thickly-forested Bosanska Krajina region of northwestern Bosnia.
Kastel is believed to have been constructed over the ******** of a Roman settlement known as Castra. Excavations were first carried out there in the 1980s, and over the years they have followed both an interesting and unusual trajectory.
Six years ago, students of archaeology and history from public universities in Republika Srpska (RS) participated in a ‘cleaning project’ at the site, assuming that extensive and thorough excavations had already been conducted. But this assumption proved to be incorrect.
“During the first cleaning, six years ago, we found that it was not fully examined and that additional archaeological layers remained. We then decided to make this a regular archaeology school, which now serves as practical instruction for History and Archaeology students,” explained Boris Radic, the Senior Associate at the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural and Historical Heritage, to the Sarajevo Times.
This proved to be a wise choice. The continuous habitation of Kastel, a prime location on the left bank of the Vrbas River between the City Bridge and the month of the Crkvena River, meant that scientifically students had a chance to observe how different excavation layers from different historical periods were mixed together at that location.
Archaeological excavation site at Kastel Fortress in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Vasyatka1/CC BY-SA 4.0).
At the same time, they were left flummoxed by the mixing, as it made it difficult to discern each layer individually. For example, a lot of the ancient pottery found had intermingled with Turkish pottery pieces; the ancient coin too left them confused, though it’s location could be more random and coincidental than initially thought.
With respect to the *********, Radic mused about how unexpected the discovery was, particularly considering that it contained actual human skeletons. He explained that it was not a conventional *********, which was gleaned from the orientation of the deceased, and not aligned with ********** or ******* burial symbols or customs. Embedded into ancient walls, the oldest graves were disregarded by later users, who dug further graves and destroyed walls dating to the 2nd century BC.
This current excavation project has been conducted in collaboration with the Museum of Republika Srpska, the Association of Archaeologists of Republika Srpska, the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Banja Luka, and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of East Sarajevo. It received co-financing from the Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska and the city of Banja Luka.
The Lore of Kastel Fortress: From New Stone Age to Rome and Beyond
Earlier excavations were what cemented the lore of Kastel Fortress, as flint tools from the Gravettiena *******, the earliest stage of the upper Palaeolithic ******* (before 10,000 BC) were found in the first set of excavations in the 1980s.
Ground level view of Kastel Fortress in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Sasa Knezic/CC BY-SA 4.0).
A settlement dating back to the Eneolith *******, with ceramic pieces of the Baden culture group (3700-2700 BC) and a smaller number of fragments from the Vučedol culture (3000-2000 BC), were also found. Archaeologists conducted detailed studies and accessed ancient maps to finally learn more about about the Roman settlement known as Castra, which helped the Romans establish a strong presence in this region of central and eastern Europe .
The Ottoman Empire captured the fortress in 1527, and by 1528 the entire territory of Jajačka Banovina, stretching from Jajce to the Sava River, came under Ottoman control. The fortress underwent further expansions and improvements during the restoration by Numan-Pasha Ćuprilić between 1712 and 1714, with the builders adpoting the defensive principles of Vauban’s fortification system.
Its final restoration took place in 1868. Under Austro-Hungarian occupation, a battalion was stationed within its walls. After World War II and up until 1959, the fortress continued to serve military purposes. Since the 1960s, however, Kastel has been repurposed for a range of civic and cultural activities, and it has proven to be an incredibly popular tourist destination in a region that had struggled to draw visitors in the wake of the disastrous wars of the 1990s.
Top image: Overhead view of Kastel Fortress in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Source: Tomas Damjanovic Banjaluka/CC BY-SA 4.0.
By Sahir Pandey
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Forget Babylon of BO6, Call of Duty Fans Always Knew the 5 Worst CoD Maps to Ever Exist Across All Franchises
Forget Babylon of BO6, Call of Duty Fans Always Knew the 5 Worst CoD Maps to Ever Exist Across All Franchises
Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 has just been released. After completing the Modern Warfare trilogy, Activision is now looking to revive its ****** Ops series. The last game in the series, ****** Ops Cold War, didn’t get a favorable reception from the fans, which is why all the honors lay on the shoulders of the recently launched title.
Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 was released on October 25. | Credit: Activision.
Right now, things are not going very well for BO6, as the game is heavily criticized for its launch maps, especially Babylon because of its boring setting. However, there are other maps in the COD franchise that are worse than Babylon.
Top 5 Worst Call of Duty Maps of All Time
Crisis (****** Ops)
The half of the map with buildings somehow managed to feel claustrophobic and unpleasant, even though it was a huge map that took an absurdly long time to traverse. Aside from that one ******* who hangs out for the entire match and manages to get three ******, the other half of the map was a mostly deserted beach that didn’t support any sort of strategy.
Carrier (****** Ops 2)
Treyarch should be commended for taking the chance of having a map on an aircraft carrier, and Carrier is a good idea. However, the final product is an unpleasant map with a camper issue. To make matters worse, there are horribly designed levels on one side of the map. In addition, the map’s obstacles appear to be modeled after a child’s disorganized room.
Genesis (Infinite Warfare)
The Greycube Dynamics location can be found in the Infinite Warfare multiplayer map Genesis. It is comparatively small and provides little more than the possibility of good CQB.
Our issue is that it shows some developer indolence because the map’s design is essentially the same as two others: Dome in Modern Warfare 3 and Strikezone in Ghosts. The issue is that neither of those maps was sufficient to justify more recent iterations with minor aesthetic adjustments.
Downturn (Modern Warfare 3)
It appears as though a child with a short attention span created Downturn. It’s one of the few maps that you can play repeatedly without figuring out your location. Although the concept of fighting in a demolished Wall Street setting is fantastic, this map’s creation was cruel.
Fuel (Modern Warfare 2)
In contrast to Wasteland, Fuel is a huge, badly designed map that is so big that it actually looks fine. If Wasteland has a saving grace, it is this: at least there is a focal point in the center where action is nearly always present. Fuel is not in the same category. Approximately two-thirds of the map’s actual land is wasted, and if you spawn at the top of the map, you might want to use up your power bar because the journey back to the buildings where all of the fighting actually occurs is unreasonably lengthy.
What Does the Community Say?
Babylon is the worst map in Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6. | Credit: Activision.
There might be maps like Brecourt, Yemen, Cliffside, and many more where we still **** to play with our friends and relive our childhood. ****** Ops 6 lacks the ability to build any trust in the fans about making these kinds of new OG maps once again.
However, the COD franchise is also infamous for some of the worst maps of all time. Here’s what the fans say:
Redcard is one of the worst maps in COD.
Stonehaven from Ghost was pretty bad as well.
****** Ops 4 removed Arsenal Sandstrom.
This fan mentioned one from our list.
****** Ops Cold War‘s Miami was another shot from one fan.
What’s the worst Call of Duty map according to you? Share your views with us in the comment section.
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David Einhorn to speak as the priciest market in decades gets even pricier postelection
David Einhorn to speak as the priciest market in decades gets even pricier postelection
David Einhorn speaking in New York City on April 3, 2024.
Adam Jeffery | CNBC
Hedge fund investor David Einhorn’s cautious stance all year made his performance suffer as he navigated what he believes is the priciest stock market of his career at Greenlight Capital.
Einhorn’s hedge fund returned just 9% in 2024 through the end of the third quarter, net of fees and expenses. That compares with the S&P 500′s more than 20% gain during the same *******.
The high-profile investor said he’s neither calling the market a bubble nor being outright bearish, but sky-high prices caused him to be conservatively positioned.
“The market isn’t just making all-time highs. It is, by many measures, the most expensive stock market that we have seen since the founding of Greenlight,” Einhorn said in the latest investor letter last month. Einhorn founded Greenlight in 1996.
Einhorn is speaking at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha Investor Summit on Wednesday in New York City. It will be the first chance for investors to hear from Einhorn postelection and whether his views on equity valuations and inflation have changed with the Trump and *********** policies on the way.
After a buyers’ strike at the end of 2023, Einhorn came back in the market hunting opportunities, acquiring medium-sized positions in names like software firm Alight and drugmaker Viatris. Investors will be interested to hear if he’s still finding any values.
Last month, he made a bullish case for Peloton, saying the shares are significantly undervalued.
Last third of the bull market?
These new stock picks didn’t necessarily create a ton of alpha, however. Greenlight was hurt this year by its low net exposure to the market and a lack of investments in the red-hot Magnificent 7 names.
“We are likely to continue to underperform a rising market, as we have all year, but we don’t wish to position ourselves to lose money should the market continue to rise,” he said in the letter. “We think Paul Tudor Jones is right when he says that managing the last third of a great bull or bear market move is often the toughest.”
Stock Chart IconStock chart icon
S&P 500, 5 years
Meanwhile, he spent most of this year calling for a reacceleration in inflation, making gold a very large position in his portfolio. This bet has fared relatively well even as inflation has moderated with spot gold hitting a record high in late October, up 27% this year.
Einhorn, a 55-year-old Cornell grad, founded Greenlight Capital nearly three decades ago and went on to produce a whopping 26% annualized return for the next decade, far outpacing the broader market and many peers. He then thrived during the financial crisis, predicting the fall of Lehman Brothers. His stellar track record made him one of the most followed hedge fund managers on Wall Street. In recent years, he’s found some success purchasing value stocks that have buyback strategies in place.
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Meta slashes EU Facebook, Instagram subscription fees by 40%
Meta slashes EU Facebook, Instagram subscription fees by 40%
This picture taken on April 27, 2023 in Toulouse, southwestern France, shows a screen displaying the Meta logo and the ********* flag.
Lionel Bonaventure | Afp | Getty Images
Meta cut the price of its ad-free subscription versions of Facebook and Instagram by 40% for ********* Union users to comply with regulatory demands in the region.
The social media company will also offer EU users access to Facebook and Instagram for free if they agree to be shown ads based on a limited set of user data, the company said in a Tuesday blog.
Meta originally debuted an ad-free subscription service for the EU in October 2023 due to an EU regulation intended to clamp down on anti-competitive practices by tech companies. The subscription service also came into effect after regional regulators fined the company over $400 million for violating EU data privacy laws.
“The changes we’re announcing today meet EU regulator demands and go beyond what’s required by EU law,” Meta President Nick Clegg said Tuesday on Threads.
The company said it will drop the price of its EU monthly subscription service from 9.99 euros to 5.99 euros for desktop users and from 12.99 euros to 7.99 euros for iOS and Android users.
If EU users choose the “less personalized option” to access Facebook and Instagram for free, they will see ads that “may be less relevant to a person’s interests,” the company said. For this version, Meta said it will show ads based on “a minimal set of data points,” including users’ age, gender, location and how they engage with ads.
Additionally, EU users who choose the free option will also see unskippable ads that are intended to “provide value to advertisers,” Meta said.
The EU’s tough regulations have impacted Meta’s ability to quickly debut new services in the region compared to less-regulated areas like the U.S. In 2023, for instance, it took nearly half a year before Meta was able to offer its Twitter-like Threads service to ********* users after it launched in the U.S. that summer.
Pedro Pavón, a Meta global policy director, said that while EU regulators make it difficult for online-advertising based companies to operate in the region, he believes that business practice of offering personalized ads represents the “the foundation of a modern, free internet” and lets people “connect with the brands and products most relevant to them in seamless and non-disruptive ways.”
“This is why I expect that even when presented with several equal choices, most people will still choose our personalized ads service,” Pavón said in a LinkedIn post said.
Watch: Cramer’s **** Dash: Alphabet and Meta
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A First Look at BeastieBall—Literally Changing The Game | CGM
A First Look at BeastieBall—Literally Changing The Game | CGM
This RPG looks similar to Pokémon, but rather than taking part in turn-based battles your creatures (known as Beasties) take part in turn-based volleyball matches instead.
Each Beastie has a unique personality and teamwork style, which helps them build different types of relationships with other Beasties and learn various combo moves as a result.
The aim is to progress through the game’s story and win the Beastieball League.
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These high-yielding assets could be called back as the Fed cuts rates
These high-yielding assets could be called back as the Fed cuts rates
Investors who scored a little more interest from their callable certificates of ******** may soon find themselves left out in the cold. The Federal Reserve last week dialed back interest rates by a quarter point, bringing its target rate range down to 4.5%-4.75%. Since the central bank kicked off its rate-cutting campaign in September, yields on cash instruments have been sliding, including the amount that savers earn on money market funds. Consider that the Crane 100 Money Fund Index now has an annualized seven-day yield of 4.57%, compared with 5.1% at the end of August. Banks have also slashed the interest they pay on high-yield certificates of ******** – with Marcus by Goldman Sachs lopping 10 basis points from the annual percentage yield on its one-year CD to 4.1%, according to a Sunday report from BTIG. Banks’ adjustments for the lower-rate world have been particularly painful for investors holding callable CDs, as issuers paying rich levels of interest are redeeming the instruments ahead of maturity, financial advisors say. “The call ******* could be a difference of six months, but that six months matters so much to the bank that they’ll give up 15 to 20 basis points to entice you to go shorter,” said Malcolm Ethridge, certified financial planner and managing partner at Capital Area Planning Group in Washington, D.C. “The CDs that we had that were callable – they’re being called right now,” he said. Give and take In addition to buying CDs directly from a bank, investors can also shop for brokered CDs through their brokerage. This gives them a wide range of issuers, CD terms and yields to choose from – and investors may find rates that are sweeter than what they’d get buying directly from a bank. There’s also the fine print: call provisions. The issuing bank can call or redeem your brokered CD ahead of its maturity. However, investors are paid a little more for taking on that call risk. Consider that investors can shop on Vanguard for a brokered CD with a maturity of 10 to 12 months and an annualized yield of 4.55% if the instrument is callable. For comparison, noncallable brokered CDs of a similar maturity on the platform, have an annualized yield of 4.25%. “I’d say it used to be 1 in every 10 brokered CDs had a call feature as an option, now it’s like 20% of those that are available also have a call option,” Ethridge said. Indeed, a client holding a 12-month brokered CD with an APY of 4.65% had their instrument called with six more months to go, he said. The call provision can be a rude awakening for investors who were banking on the interest income. They’re faced with reinvestment risk, meaning they have fewer places to turn for the same level of yield. “If you had something yielding 5%, you’re not going to be able to replace that with anything now – not Treasurys or CDs,” said Dinon Hughes, CFP and financial consultant with Nvest Financial, which has offices in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kennebunk, Maine. “If you were wise enough to start locking those in six months ago, a year ago, you probably want to double check and make sure they’re not callable,” he added. The next best thing For investors facing call provisions, the next step with those proceeds will depend on their time horizon and risk appetite. Even as CD rates are considerably off their highs, several issuers are still offering yields upward of 4% on one-year instruments. Bread Financial has an APY of 4.3% on its one-year CD, while Capital One pays 4.2%. Investors can also ladder CDs of varying maturities, which can deter them from “breaking” the CD ahead of maturity should they need the money. Individuals who need their cash readily accessible – perhaps for a down payment on a home – may want to turn toward a high-yield savings account. The Federal ******** Insurance Corp. backs bank CDs and savings accounts up to $250,000 per depositor and per ownership category. Treasury bills also give investors some peace of mind, as they are backed by the full ****** and credit of the U.S. government. A bonus: Interest from Treasurys isn’t subject to state or local taxes. It is, however, taxable on a federal level. For savers with a longer time horizon and who don’t mind some price fluctuation, short-duration bond exchange traded funds are another alternative. For instance, Vanguard’s Ultra-Short Bond ETF (VUSB) has an expense ratio of 0.1% and a 30-day SEC yield of 3.74%. Ethridge said that his client who had a CD called back ultimately stashed the proceeds in a money market fund offering a yield of about 4.6%. “The time with the brokered CDs has probably come to an end,” he said. “We will probably just be doing high-yield money market funds from here on out.”
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FAA bans U.S.-Haiti flights for 30 days
FAA bans U.S.-Haiti flights for 30 days
Spirit Airlines airplanes at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday banned U.S. civilian flights to and from Haiti for 30 days after a Spirit Airlines airplane was struck by gunfire trying to land in Port-au-Prince a day earlier.
The FAA’s ban also prohibits U.S. flights from traveling under 10,000 feet in Haiti’s airspace.
On Monday, Spirit Airlines Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, diverted to Santiago in the Dominican Republic at around 11:30 a.m. after it was damaged by gunfire, the airline said. Spirit said one flight attendant on board “reported minor injuries” and that no passenger injuries were reported.
It diverted two other flights. JetBlue Airways and ********* Airlines have also canceled flights to the Haitian capital.
The U.S. State Department on Monday said that the embassy in Port-au-Prince “is aware of gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed *********, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports.”
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Trump to nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be U.S. ambassador to *******
Trump to nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be U.S. ambassador to *******
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has selected former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as the U.S. ambassador to *******.
“Mike has been a great public ********, governor, and leader in ****** for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves *******, and the people of *******, and likewise, the people of ******* love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”
The post requires approval by the Senate, though Huckabee is unlikely to face major obstacles to confirmation in the upper chamber, where Republicans are expected to hold at least 52 seats in the next Congress.
Huckabee is among the early picks announced by the president-elect as he begins building out his Cabinet and other key posts. Among those are Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.S. ambassador to the ******* Nations and Rep. Michael Waltz as national security adviser. Sources say he is expected to tap Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, though the selection is not finalized.
Huckabee served as Arkansas’ governor from 1996 to 2007 and unsuccessfully sought the *********** presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016. After leaving office, he hosted a show on Fox News and a radio program. He is a staunch defender of ******* and has said he has visited the country more than 100 times over the course of 50 years.
During his first term, Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during his first term, which President Biden maintained.
If confirmed next year, Huckabee will take over the post amid Isreal’s war with ****** and ******’ holding of dozens of ******** hostages, including four ********* citizens. Discussions about a cease-***** between ******* and ****** have repeatedly stalled, and on Saturday, Qatar, a mediator with ******, announced it had suspended its efforts and would resume them when “the parties show their willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war and the ongoing suffering of civilians.”
Sen. Bill Hagerty, a *********** from Tennessee, said in an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that he believes “the environment has totally changed” following Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris last week.
******** Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has spoken with Trump three times in recent days and called the conversations “good and very important.” ******** President Isaac Herzog met with Mr. Biden at the White House on Tuesday.
More than 1,200 civilians were ******* and 250 were abducted when ****** launched its ******* attacks on ******* on Oct. 7, 2023. Roughly 100 hostages are believed to be still in Gaza, although a third are thought to be *****. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been ******* in *******’s offensive, according to the ******-run health ministry, though it is unclear how many are civilians and how many are militants.
Following the start of *******’s war with ******, Iran-allied Hezbollah, began ******* rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon into *******.
Melissa Quinn
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.
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FAA bans U.S.-Haiti flights for 30 days
FAA bans U.S.-Haiti flights for 30 days
Spirit Airlines airplanes at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US.
Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday banned U.S. civilian flights to and from Haiti for 30 days after a Spirit Airlines airplane was struck by gunfire trying to land in Port-au-Prince a day earlier.
The FAA’s ban also prohibits U.S. flights from traveling under 10,000 feet in Haiti’s airspace.
On Monday, Spirit Airlines Flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, diverted to Santiago in the Dominican Republic at around 11:30 a.m. after it was damaged by gunfire, the airline said. Spirit said one flight attendant on board “reported minor injuries” and that no passenger injuries were reported.
It diverted two other flights. JetBlue Airways and ********* Airlines have also canceled flights to the Haitian capital.
The U.S. State Department on Monday said that the embassy in Port-au-Prince “is aware of gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed *********, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports.”
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Pelican News
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