Sales Of $10 Million-Plus Homes In Brooklyn Reach A Record In 2022 While questions about the housing market in general continue to swirl and as we anxiously await how much deflation we are in store for in the housing industry, at least one area is on an upswing: Brooklyn. This week it was reported that a "record" number of homes in the borough sold for $10 million or more in 2022, according to Bloomberg. It once again paints a picture of people trying to get out of the heart of U.S. cities - Bloomberg noted that people were drawn to the "family friendly" neighborhoods. Last year there were 13 sales over $10 million, which was up from 3 in 2021, the report says, citing Compass.  Leonard Steinberg, a broker at Compass, commented: “A decade or so ago, people went to Brooklyn as a secondary choice because of affordability. Nowadays, a wave of people are choosing Brooklyn as a first choice and not even considering Manhattan. It has nothing to do with price. It has everything to do with quality of life, a sense of community and just that small town, big city feel that you can really only achieve there.” Of the homes that sold, six were in Brooklyn Heights, three in Park Slope and one in Cobble Hill, the report says.  Across the U.S., we are seeing a similar pattern from $10 million-plus markets. In places like Austin, sales of such homes were up from zero in 2021 to 5 in 2022. In North Florida, sales of similarly priced properties were up to four in 2022 from just one in 2021.  “What we're seeing is that wealth is spreading and wealth is very comfortable being removed from big cities because creating the wealth and maintaining the wealth can be done from multiple locations,” Steinberg continued.  Bloomberg noted that: "The most expensive deal in Brooklyn last year was at 88 Remsen St. in Brooklyn Heights, a brownstone with carriage house that traded for $18.3 million in September." Steinberg attributes the rise in prices not just to demand, but also "inflation in the prices of luxury homes and goods". “A lot of these homes have wonderful historic details that no one is going to recreate today. You'll pay an enormous premium for beautiful, move-in renovated homes,” he concluded.  Tyler Durden Fri, 02/03/2023 - 21:20.....»»

Five Memphis officers have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols' death. People protest in Memphis following the release of video showing the deadly encounter between police and Tyre NicholsShameka Wilson for Insider The Memphis Police Department fired a sixth officer involved in Tyre Nichols' death. Preston Hemphill, who had previously been suspended, was fired on Friday, according to officials. Hemphill can be heard on video of the traffic stop saying he hoped his fellow officers "stomp his ass." A sixth Memphis officer was fired Friday after an internal police investigation showed he violated multiple department policies in the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols, including rules surrounding the deployment of a stun gun, officials said.Preston Hemphill had previously been suspended as he was investigated for his role in the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died three days later. Five Memphis officers have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols' death.Hemphill was the third officer at a traffic stop that preceded the violent arrest but was not where Nichols was beaten.—Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) February 3, 2023 On body camera footage from the initial stop, Hemphill is heard saying that he stunned Nichols and declaring, "I hope they stomp his ass."Also Friday, a Tennessee board suspended the emergency medical technician licenses of two former Memphis Fire Department employees for failing to render critical care.The suspensions of EMT Robert Long and advanced EMT JaMichael Sandridge build on efforts by authorities to hold officers and other first responders accountable for the violence against Nichols, who was Black. Six Black officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other charges. One other officer has been suspended. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights probe into the attack that was captured on video.Three fire department employees were fired after Nichols died. Former fire department Lt. Michelle Whitaker was the third employee let go, but her license was not considered for suspension Friday. The department has said she remained in the engine with the driver during the response to Nichols' beating Jan. 7. He died Jan. 10.Emergency Medical Services Board member Jeff Beaman said during Friday's emergency meeting that there may have been other licensed personnel on scene — including a supervisor — who could have prevented the situation that led to the death of Nichols. Beaman said he hopes the board addresses those in the future.Matt Gibbs, an attorney for the state Department of Health, said the two suspensions were "not final disposition of this entire matter."Board members watched 19 minutes of surveillance video that showed Long and Sandridge as they failed to care for Nichols, who couldn't stay seated upright against the side of the vehicle, laying prone on the ground multiple times. They also considered an affidavit by the Memphis Fire Department's EMS deputy chief."The (state) Department (of Health) alleges that neither Mr. Sandridge nor Mr. Long engaged in emergency care and treatment to patient T.N., who was clearly in distress during the 19 minute period," Gibbs said.Board member Sullivan Smith said it was "obvious to even a lay person" that Nichols "was in terrible distress and needed help.""And they failed to provide that help," Smith said. "They were his best shot, and they failed to help."Fire Chief Gina Sweat has said the department received a call from police after someone was pepper-sprayed. When the workers arrived at 8:41 p.m., Nichols was handcuffed on the ground and slumped against a squad car, the statement said.Long and Sandridge, based on the nature of the call and information they were told by police, "failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr. Nichols," the statement said.There was no immediate response to a voicemail seeking comment left at a number listed for Long. A person who answered a phone call to a number listed for Sandridge declined to comment on the board's decision.An ambulance was called, and it arrived at 8:55 p.m., the statement said. An emergency unit cared for Nichols and left for a hospital with him at 9:08 p.m., which was 27 minutes after Long, Sandridge and Whitaker arrived, officials said.An investigation determined that all three violated multiple policies and protocols, the statement said, adding that "their actions or inactions on the scene that night do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department."Nichols was beaten after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation. Video released after pressure from Nichols' family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother.Six of the officers involved were part of the so-called Scorpion unit, which targeted violent criminals in high-crime areas. Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis said after the video's release that the unit has been disbanded.The killing led to renewed public discussion of how police forces can treat Black citizens with excessive violence, regardless of the race of both the police officers and those being policed.At Nichols' funeral on Wednesday, calls for reform and justice were interwoven with grief over the loss of a man remembered as a son, a sibling, a father and a passionate photographer and skateboarder.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

One of the stumbling blocks for people who want to get involved in blockchain is getting their head around the concept to begin with. To put it in the simplest possible terms, blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions distributed across a network of computers, which means it is decentralized and transparent. Each block in […] One of the stumbling blocks for people who want to get involved in blockchain is getting their head around the concept to begin with. To put it in the simplest possible terms, blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions distributed across a network of computers, which means it is decentralized and transparent. Each block in the blockchain contains a number of transactions. With each new transaction, a record of that transaction is added to the ledger. That decentralized database – that blockchain – is also known as distributed ledger technology. You can picture it like a digital version of Legoland. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get Our Activist Investing Case Study! Get the entire 10-part series on our in-depth study on activist investing in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or print it out to read anywhere! Sign up below! (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The best way to think of it is as a network of computers, similar to the internet except there are no central points where all the data is stored. The blockchain data is stored and copied on every computer or node in the network all over the world by whoever chooses to run a computer or node, which means the data is not controlled by a single group, party, or entity. (A node is a device or data point in a larger network. In networking, a node is either a connection point, a redistribution point, or a communication endpoint.) Every node on the network can be operated by anyone. If you download a bitcoin wallet, you’re probably running a bitcoin node without having to do anything to actively, or even knowingly, support the network. In addition to being decentralized, an important facet of the technology is the fact that it is secure. Every block of transactions is cryptographically secured through what is called a hash, which is a string of numbers and letters. Each unique hash can only be decrypted with a private key, or seed, provided by the person sending something via blockchain that has that hash attached to it. Now this may sound a little complicated, but at the most basic conceptual level, it is no different from buying a car or house and getting the unique set of keys to it along with your purchase. The Byzantine Generals Problem So why is blockchain such a game changer? The thing with blockchain is that it is the first time a network has been able to solve the Byzantine Fault Problem, also commonly known as the Byzantine Generals Problem. The problem is essentially this: Imagine you are in a battle and have an army attacking on two or more fronts; the enemy is strong enough to defend itself from one attacking army at a time but not two or more simultaneously. All parties must agree on a strategy and act in concert – otherwise your army will face complete failure and defeat. To add to the complexity, there may be officers, messengers, or other actors who are unreliable or corrupt working to undermine your victory. So how do you coordinate your soldiers to attack or retreat as one? If you are in multiple locations involving multiple decision-making processes and multiple actors, how do you reach consensus on what to do and execute that decision at the same time? While it is an interesting thought experiment, it is also a common real-world problem in many facets of society, including the internet. Blockchain creates consensus over the internet with transactions. It confirms transactions with many different nodes, which are then propagated as transactions across the network. It creates a permanent public record, so to speak. It takes the internet as it is today and adapts it to a completely digital world. What’s New About Blockchain? More and more of our everyday activity is taking place online. We have entered the age of the Internet of Things, wherein all devices are connected. We are sharing our lives and connecting online through social media, gaming, and other forums. We conduct our businesses, manage bank accounts, make purchases, and do a whole host of other things online. Blockchain opens up even more opportunities to do things online, but with one clear distinction: to have control over them. Let’s say you set up an Instagram account. You have ownership and control of your account – you can post whatever you like for the most part – but ultimately it’s not owned by you. The account is owned by the company. With blockchain/Web 3.0, you can create your own version of an Instagram account that no one can shut down or moderate. You can post anything, monetize it how you wish, take it with you anywhere (digitally or in the real world), and it connects to just about everything frictionlessly.   What Can You Do With Blockchain? If you’re a coder or developer, you can create a blockchain. The challenge is to create one that is efficient, cost-effective, secure, private, and scalable to millions if not billions of users and transactions – basically whatever your end user wants. Enter Vitalik Buterin. He is one of the most important people in the crypto space. Vitalik and a few other collaborators saw what Bitcoin was able to do, looked at the underlying technology that made it possible, and asked, “How can this decentralized, distributed network fulfill other uses?” Eventually they created Ethereum. Ethereum uses open-source blockchain technology to create other things that are decentralized, such as smart contracts. These are essentially self-executing contracts that do not require an entity to fulfill them. With a smart contract, you can do all kinds of things. It means you can eliminate a middleman. A smart contract establishes an agreement between party A and party B. For example, if you were to purchase real estate, you would normally need a broker. But using blockchain, you no longer need that broker to help navigate the legal and financial practices of the industry – in particular, the transferral of ownership. So there’s a crash course for you on blockchain. It is a flexible technology, and as such there are so many industries that blockchain will become an integral part of. We have only skimmed the surface of what can actually be done at scale. Article By Brandon Zemp About Brandon Zemp Brandon Zemp is an entrepreneur and investor. He made his mark early on as a trader in the fast-paced crypto market, and soon established his first company, BlockHash LLC, a blockchain consultancy providing educational resources for small business owners, students, developers, and investors......»»

InvestED is the most popular stock trading podcast, with the most Google searches per month Podcasts Animal Spirits and Mad Money are the second most popular podcasts, both receiving 1,400 searches per month worldwide Invest Like The Best is the third most popular stock trading podcast A new study reveals the most popular stock trading […] InvestED is the most popular stock trading podcast, with the most Google searches per month Podcasts Animal Spirits and Mad Money are the second most popular podcasts, both receiving 1,400 searches per month worldwide Invest Like The Best is the third most popular stock trading podcast A new study reveals the most popular stock trading podcasts, with InvestED taking the top spot as the most popular. .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The trading world has seen an ever-growing amount of interest over the past few years; worldwide searches for ‘how to get into trading’ increased 178%, and searches for ‘trading tips’ have seen a 195% increase over the past five years. Searches for ‘stock trading tips’ have increased by 204% worldwide over the past five years, proving how many people worldwide are interested in delving into the trading world. With the rise in popularity for podcasts skyrocketing over the past few years too, research was conducted to see which trading podcasts are the most popular. Ranking Most Popular Stock Trading Podcasts The research conducted by UK financial services provider CMC Markets explored Google search data by examining the average number of monthly searches for the top stock and trading podcasts, which resulted in a ranking of the most popular stock and trading podcasts. The most popular podcast in the rankings is InvestED, hosted by three-time New York Times best-selling author and hedge fund manager Phil Town and his daughter Danielle. The pair give advice and cast a light on the best investment strategies used by some of the most influential investors in the world. Stretching over 400 episodes, the father-daughter duo dominates the stock and trading podcast space, with fans worldwide tuning in to hear their advice. Searches for ‘InvestED podcast’ average at 1,600 searches per month worldwide, proving just how popular the podcast is. The following two podcasts in the rankings receive an average of 1,400 searches per month worldwide, placing them in joint second. The Animal Spirits podcast explores life, markets and investing and is hosted by Michael Batnick, a managing partner at Ritholtz Wealth Management and Ben Carlson, the author of the wealth management blog A Wealth of Common Sense. Their goal is to share their experiences in the markets and help make finance more understandable and accessible for their listeners. There are currently 454 episodes available for streaming, and with the podcast averaging 1,400 searches per month worldwide, fans are certainly listening to what they have to share. The Mad Money podcast is hosted by one of Wall Street’s most successful and influential money managers, Jim Cramer. The first episode was released in March 2005, and since then, the podcast has grown into a guide for people worldwide to become better investors. The podcast has a huge number of episodes, so there is plenty of advice on how to dominate the stock market. Cramer helps his listeners navigate the jungle of Wall Street investing in a lightning round where he offers his buy, sell and hold options to callers keen to hear his expertise. The third most popular stock trading podcast in the rankings is Invest Like The Best, hosted by Patrick O’Shaughnessy. This podcast provides insight into the minds of some of the best business and investment leaders across the globe, highlighting their trial-and-error methods of success and sharing stock market secrets exclusively to the show. The main goal of this podcast is to guide listeners on how to spend their time and money better, resulting in successful investment outcomes. Searches for ‘Invest Like the Best podcast’ average 1,000 searches per month worldwide, which secures its third-place spot in the rankings. The Meb Faber show is the fourth most popular stock trading podcast, averaging 400 monthly searches for the ‘Meb Faber podcast’ worldwide. The podcast aims to help listeners grow through wealth by making smarter investment decisions alongside featuring an array of top investment professionals dishing out their wisdom regarding investments. The podcast currently stretches to 526 episodes and is hosted by Meb Faber, a co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Cambria Investment Management. Faber has also written numerous successful books and is a frequent speaker on investment strategies which is why fans worldwide are keen to be regular listeners of the podcast.   The following two podcasts in the rankings receive an average of 300 searches per month worldwide, placing them in joint fifth. With currently over 1,000 episodes, is Motley Fool Money, a multi-viewpoint podcast hosted by investment genius Chris Hill, in which he is joined by a team of top investment analysts who explore the day's top headlines in finance and business. The podcast is aimed at business-driven investors and helps to break down the stock market by sharing the perspectives of Hill’s special guests. We Study Billionaires is currently strung over 650 episodes and has gained over 95 million downloads. Hosted by Stig Broderson, Clay Finck and Trey Lockerbie, We Study Billionaires is the chief podcast of The Investor’s Podcast Network. During the show, the hosts are joined by some of the industry's most famous financial billionaires, who guide listeners on applying the best strategies and methods in the stock market. The Most Popular Stock Trading Podcasts Rank Podcast Name Search Term Global Monthly Search Volume 1 InvestED Invested Podcast 1,600 2 Animal Spirits / Mad Money Animal Spirits Podcast Mad Money Podcast 1,400 3 Invest Like the Best Invest Like the Best Podcast 1,000 4 The Meb Faber Show Meb Faber Podcast 400 5 Motley Fool Money We Study Billionaires Motley Fool Money Podcast We study Billionaires Podcast 300.....»»

Meta Platforms issued mixed results and sent shares skyrocketing, investors should be wary. The news puts a floor in action but may not sustain a rally just yet. The analysts are warming up to Meta again and volatility is the only thing certain in the outlook. 5 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Meta […] Meta Platforms issued mixed results and sent shares skyrocketing, investors should be wary. The news puts a floor in action but may not sustain a rally just yet. The analysts are warming up to Meta again and volatility is the only thing certain in the outlook. 5 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), formerly known as Facebook, showed signs of a bottom long before the Q4 results were released. However, the combination of technical activity and analysts’ sentiment had the stock in a rebound from 7-year lows, which was confirmed by the Q4 results. The question now is if this will be a Vee-shaped recovery for the stock or if there is something more investors should be prepared for. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Charlie Munger in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The key takeaway from Facebook's report isn't that business us good; it's that it isn't getting any worse, which is enough for the market right now. Add in the new catchphrase, "the year of efficiency", and the stage is set for a larger recovery in share prices, but now it's time for the company to prove itself. Facebook Pops On Mixed Results Facebook reported what can only be called a mixed quarter and is mixed in ways unfavorable to higher share prices. The revenue of $32.17 billion beat the consensus estimate by $0.480 billion, which is good, but the margin of outperformance is slim; revenue is down 4.5% from last year, and margins contracted severely. Also mixed was news about DAP/MAPs and DAU/MAUs. The number of daily and monthly users rose in all metrics but did not result in an increase in revenue or aid the margin. Margins are impacted by restructuring, so that must be factored in, but a restructuring does little to improve the company's ability to monetize its traffic, only its costs. Regarding the earnings, the company reported $1.76 in GAAP earnings, which fell nearly 50% YOY and missed the Marketbeat.com consensus estimate by almost $0.50. The good news is that capital plans are still in effect, share repurchases have been increased, and strategies for "efficiency" are in the works, but these earnings are still very poor. The company will regain some margin as restructuring costs diminish, but how much and will it be able to improve monetization? Turning to the guidance, this news is also very mixed. Again, the good news is that guidance is as expected, but the bad news is that it's only as expected, and the bottom line is getting aided by a reduction in CAP-EX. This raises the question of how efficiency will impact the company's future. Saving money now is good, but foregoing reinvestment could hamper profitability in the future. And then there is the new repurchase plan. $40 billion in repurchases will help support price action, but could this money be spent in better ways? Bottom line, Meta's results and plans are what the market needed to hear, but they may not be enough to sustain a prolonged rally just yet, even if share prices move higher today. The Analysts Are Pushing The Stock Higher The analysts are pushing this stock higher so Meta stock could be expected to rally another potential 30%. There have been at least 22 commentaries released since the report was issued all including a price target reduction and three come with upgrades. The consensus price target is now at $199, which is up in the one and 3-month comparison but still below a potentially strong level of resistance. Since this stock has not yet had a major correction since the rebound began, investors should expect one to come. It may not happen at the $180 level, but it should be expected to begin at the $200 level if not sooner. In addition, the stock is already up a solid 100% since hitting its bottom, which is an attractive trigger for profit-taking.   Looking at the chart, the question is whether this is a VEE-bottom. If it is, the market should plow right through the $180 level on its way to $200, and then that barrier should fall fairly quickly. If not, the market should expect a double-bottom or even a head & shoulders to form, and those could take several quarters to play out and could even hit new lows before a rally truly takes hold. Should you invest $1,000 in Meta Platforms right now? Before you consider Meta Platforms, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Meta Platforms wasn't on the list. While Meta Platforms currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. Article by Thomas Hughes, MarketBeat.....»»

Mullen Automotive shoots higher on good news yet again. The bears are still out in force but there are signs they are weakening. If this stock gets about $0.40 it could move up to $0.60 PDQ. 5 stocks we like better than Mullen Automotive Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ:MULN) did it again. The company released more good […] Mullen Automotive shoots higher on good news yet again. The bears are still out in force but there are signs they are weakening. If this stock gets about $0.40 it could move up to $0.60 PDQ. 5 stocks we like better than Mullen Automotive Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ:MULN) did it again. The company released more good news that has the market moving higher. The latest news in a string of positive events that could launch this company to success is a new pilot program at LAX. The program collaborates with Menzies and builds on the partnership formed with Loop Capital last fall. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Charlie Munger in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Find A Qualified Financial Advisor Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. Menzies is the world’s largest airport services company, operating at 250 airports in 58 countries. Its fleet comprises 8,000 vehicles and it wants to upgrade to electric as part of its ambitious plan to reach net neutrality by 2033. What this means for Mullen and Loop is a 60-day opportunity to prove their value. Mullen will supply class-1 EV cargo test vans that will be evaluated in multiple use cases across LAX. Loop will provide the EV-charging infrastructure and fleet management software. The combination should enable the active use of EVs in virtually all scenarios, including recharging and maintenance. Among Loop’s offerings is cloud-based EVFMaaS or EV fleet management as a service which is a budding and potentially lucrative new industry. “Collaborating with suppliers, airports, and our airline customers is vital for Menzies to achieve its sustainability goals. We have committed to switching to electric vehicles wherever possible to reduce our carbon emissions; however, charging infrastructure can be a barrier, so it’s great to work with Mullen and Loop to pilot a solution at LAX. Early feedback is positive, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results from this collaboration,” said John Redmond, executive vice president of Americas, Menzies Aviation. What Does This Mean For Mullen Shareholders? So, what does this mean for Mullen shareholders? Assuming the pilot program is successful, it could result in another order for several thousand EV vehicles. That would be yet another resounding vote of confidence in the company and one that proves demand. In this scenario, Mullen Automotive may find it increasingly easier to find willing partners with the cash to ensure operations and production gets off to a good start. In this light, as speculative as it may be, the company may not have to lean into capital-raising activities like a dilutive share sale. It might also mean the share price would move higher, which is why the stock is moving higher now. The short interest in Mullen Automotive has ticked lower over the last week or so, but it remains very high at 47% and this could be driving share prices higher. The risk in the news trend is that Mullen will succeed, if not with Menzies then with one of its other ventures and this may have some short-sellers getting nervous. Penny stocks like this one can see wicked-fast price swings that take action up or down by high-double to triple digits with no apparent cause, and there are a growing number of catalysts for this one. The recent string of new hires is consistent with the idea production will start soon. The company is expected to begin delivering the first of the 6,000 vans ordered by the Randy Marion Group by the end of the quarter so the expectations are high. This, along with the first sales of the I-Go in Europe, would be another mover for the stock and one the short-sellers could not ignore. The Technical Outlook: Mullen Is A Coiled Spring The price action over the last few quarters has Mullen Automotive wound up like a tightly coiled spring. The market has been bouncing between downward-sloping resistance and upward-sloping support, which is coming to a head very soon.   The latest action has the price moving upward toward the top of the range, but short-sellers may meet it. If so, the wind-up will continue until the next news is released. If not, this stock may keep increasing, and the next target for resistance is near the $0.60 level or 50% above the current action. Should you invest $1,000 in Mullen Automotive right now? Before you consider Mullen Automotive, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Mullen Automotive wasn't on the list. While Mullen Automotive currently has a "hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. Article by Thomas Hughes, MarketBeat.....»»

The CIA chief said Ukraine needs to show Putin that Russia won't gain any more territory and is at risk of losing ground in occupied regions. Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014.Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images CIA chief William Burns said the Ukraine war is entering a "critical" phase in the next six months. Burns said it will be crucial for Ukraine to puncture "Putin's hubris" on the battlefield.  Russia is expected to launch a major offensive in the near future. CIA Director William Burns on Thursday warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "betting right now that he can make time work for him" and "grind down Ukrainians" as the West's support for Ukraine fades. The CIA assesses that the next six months of the war in Ukraine will be "critical," Burns, a former US ambassador to Russia who makes frequent trips to Kyiv, said during an event at Georgetown University.During this "crucial" period, it will be vital for Ukrainian forces to puncture "Putin's hubris" on the battlefield, Burns went on to say, underscoring that Ukraine needs to make it clear to the Russian leader "that he's not only not going to be able to advance further in Ukraine, but as every month goes by, he runs a greater and greater risk of losing the territory that he's illegally seized from Ukraine so far."Burns' assessment echoed comments from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in mid-January, when he said the war was entering a "decisive phase." The fight in Ukraine has morphed into a grinding war of attrition, with heavy losses on both sides and incremental gains. But Russia is expected to launch a major offensive in the near future, as Ukraine ramps up its requests for more advanced weapons from the West to help it defend against the Russian invaders and push to reclaim occupied territory. The US, Germany, and the UK recently announced they would provide battle tanks to Ukraine, fulfilling a major request. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Wednesday suggested that the expected Russian offensive is likely to occur close to the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion — February 24."We think that, given they live in symbolism, they are going to try to attempt something around February 24," Reznikov told French TV station BFMTV.Meanwhile, there are evolving discussions in Kyiv and Western capitals over the potential for Ukrainian forces to push Russia out of Crimea and regain control of the crucial Black Sea peninsula."We must do everything to ensure that Crimea returns home by summer," Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, recently told the Washington Post. "Crimea will be returned to us. I'll tell you more: It all started in Crimea in 2014, and it will all end there," he added. Russia invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, prompting outcry across the world. In many ways, this provocative action laid the foundations for Russia's full-scale invasion of its next-door neighbor last February.Crimea, home to a number of Russian military bases and Russia's Black Sea fleet, was used as a staging ground for Russia's invasion last year. Russian aircraft and warships continue to use Crimea as a base of attack for striking Ukraine. Top military analysts have made the case that regaining control of Crimea is key to Ukraine's long-term survival."The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea. The Ukrainian government knows that they cannot settle for Russia retaining control of Crimea," retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, told Insider in late January. "The next few months will see Ukraine setting the conditions for the eventual liberation of Crimea," he added.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

More Recession Signs: Money Supply Growth Went Negative Again In December Authored by Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute, Money supply growth fell again in December, falling even further into negative territory after turning negative in November for the first time in twenty-eight years. December's drop continues a steep downward trend from the unprecedented highs experienced during much of the past two years. During the thirteen months between April 2020 and April 2021, money supply growth in the United States often climbed above 35 percent year over year, well above even the "high" levels experienced from 2009 to 2013.  Since then, the money supply growth has slowed quickly, and since November, we've been seeing the money supply contract for the first time since the 1990s. The last time the year-over-year (YOY) change in the money supply slipped into negative territory was in November 1994. At that time, negative growth continued for fifteen months, finally turning positive again in January 1996.  During December 2022, YOY growth in the money supply was at –2.4 percent. That's down from November's rate of –0.55 percent and down from December 2021's rate of 6.44 percent.  The money supply metric used here—the "true," or Rothbard-Salerno, money supply measure (TMS)—is the metric developed by Murray Rothbard and Joseph Salerno, and is designed to provide a better measure of money supply fluctuations than M2.1 The Mises Institute now offers regular updates on this metric and its growth. This measure of the money supply differs from M2 in that it includes Treasury deposits at the Fed (and excludes short-time deposits and retail money funds). In recent months, M2 growth rates have followed a similar course to TMS growth rates. In December 2022, the M2 growth rate was –1.3 percent. That's down from November's growth rate of –0.01 percent. December's rate was also well down from December 2021's rate of 12.5 percent.  Money supply growth can often be a helpful measure of economic activity and an indicator of coming recessions. During periods of economic boom, money supply tends to grow quickly as commercial banks make more loans. Recessions, on the other hand, tend to be preceded by slowing rates of money supply growth. However, money supply growth tends to begin growing again before the onset of recession.  Negative money supply growth is not in itself an especially meaningful metric. But the drop into negative territory we've seen in recent months does help illustrate just how far and how rapidly money supply growth has fallen in recent months. That is generally a red flag for economic growth and employment. Money supply growth also appears to be connected to yield-curve inversion—itself a recession indicator. For example, the 3s/10s yield spread often heads toward zero as money supply growth moves in the same direction. This was especially clear from 1999 through 2000, from 2004 to 2006, and during 2018 and 2019, and beginning in 2022. This is not surprising because trends in money supply growth have long appeared to be connected to the shape of the yield curve. As Bob Murphy notes in his book Understanding Money Mechanics, a sustained decline in TMS growth often reflects spikes in short-term yields, which can fuel a flattening or inverting yield curve.  It's not especially a mystery why short-term interest rates are headed up fast, and why the money supply is decelerating. Since January 2022, the Fed has raised the target federal funds rate from 0.25 percent up to 4.75 percent.  This means fewer injections of Fed money into the market through open market operations. Moreover, although it has done very little to sizably reduce the size of its portfolio, the Fed has nonetheless stopped adding to its portfolio through quantitative easing and allowed a small amount (about 5 percent of $8.9 trillion) to roll off.  It should be emphasized that it is not necessary for money supply growth to turn negative in order to trigger recession, defaults, and other economic disruptions. With recent decades marked by the Greenspan put, financial repression, and other forms of easy money, the Federal Reserve has inflated a number of bubbles and zombie enterprises that now rely on nearly constant infusions of new money to stay afloat. For many of these bubble industries, all that is necessary for a crisis is a slowing in money supply growth, brought on by rising interest rates or a confidence crisis.  Numerous indicators now point toward recession along with the falling money supply and the inverted yield curve. The Leading Economic Index is in recession territory. Real wages have fallen for twenty-one months. Home builder confidence fell every month of 2022. The Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing index has been negative since September. Home price growth has been cut in half. The fact that the money supply is actually shrinking serves as just one more indicator that the so-called soft landing promised by the Federal Reserve is unlikely to ever be a reality.  Tyler Durden Fri, 02/03/2023 - 16:20.....»»

Subcontracted YouTube workers are fighting to have Google recognized as their joint employer. Several teams of subcontracted YouTube workers went on strike on Friday, to protest a return-to-office policy that they say is an attempt by YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, to bust their union. The case could have implications that reverberate across Silicon Valley. Around 40 workers in total, who are directly employed by Alphabet’s outsourcing partner Cognizant, walked out on Friday in a formal strike against what they say are unfair labor practices. Their jobs include verifying musicians’ pages on YouTube, maintaining official music charts, and scrubbing the platform of copyright infringement, for a typical wage of $19 per hour. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The workers, who have been remote since the beginning of the pandemic, petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency tasked with protecting workers’ rights, this past October to join the 1,200-member strong Alphabet Workers Union. In a complaint in January to NLRB, the YouTube workers alleged that Alphabet and Cognizant announced a return to the Austin, TX, office only after workers campaigned to unionize. They say that a return to the office would force many union members to quit their jobs, as many of them live far away from Austin and work second jobs to cover their living expenses. A copy of the workers’ NLRB complaint, reviewed by TIME, says the return-to-office policy is an attempt “to chill the union organizing effort.” “Having the ability to be remote allows us, right at five o’clock, to jump into our other jobs that are necessary because we’re not paid enough,” says Katie Marschner, an organizer of the strike and member of the Alphabet Workers Union, which is representing the workers in their complaint to the NLRB. “In Austin particularly, the musicians and artists that are the backbone of the whole culture of this city are being forced out because of giant tech companies moving in and increasing the cost of living for everyone.” After being informed of the workers’ intent to strike, a Feb. 1 amendment to the complaint says Cognizant and Alphabet “immediately” offered workers the option to work from home for two extra weeks, on the condition that they agreed to quit Cognizant’s work for YouTube. This alleged offer, the complaint says, was made “in order to discourage employees from engaging in any protected concerted activity.” A spokesperson for Alphabet declined to comment. Cognizant did not respond to a request for comment, but in a statement to Bloomberg, spokesperson Jeff DeMarrais said the firm’s return-to-office policy had been “communicated repeatedly and consistently” since before workers petitioned to unionize. “The small number of associates who voluntarily left the Austin area and are unable or unwilling to return have the opportunity to be considered for assignments on other client projects at Cognizant,” he added. “There is simply no merit to these claims.” Read More: TikTok’s Subcontractor in Colombia Under Investigation for Traumatic Work Potential to set a precedent Unionized workers and their lawyers believe the YouTube worker case could set a sweeping precedent in Silicon Valley, making Big Tech companies liable for the working conditions of the legions of subcontracted workers they rely on. The YouTube workers have submitted an appeal to the NLRB to be recognized as “jointly employed” by Cognizant and Alphabet—a designation that could force Alphabet to come to the negotiating table for better pay, working conditions and stability, and be held liable for any unfair labor practices. Alphabet, which employs armies of contractors via third party firms, has long seen joint-employer designation as a risk to its business. “If found to be a joint employer of a [contractor] by an agency or court, then Alphabet could be liable for employer obligations, as well as acts and omissions leading to employment related legal claims,” says an internal Google document, cited in a 2018 report by the Guardian. (Google’s parent company is Alphabet Inc.) The case comes as the NLRB is weighing an expansion of its criteria for determining whether joint employer status can be granted. Under the current system, joint employment may only be determined if both companies exercise “direct and immediate” control over employees’ pay, working conditions, or discipline. Under the proposed new rules, these terms would be significantly widened to include any companies that even “indirectly” control employees’ terms of employment. (Even under the previous narrower definition, the YouTube workers have a strong argument to be recognized as jointly employed, an attorney working on their behalf told TIME.) If two companies are ruled to be joint employers, “both must bargain with the union that represents the jointly employed workers, both are potentially liable for unfair labor practices committed by the other, and both are subject to union picketing or other economic pressure if there is a labor dispute,” says the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional body for HR workers, on its website. Tech companies have been at the forefront of a labor market trend toward subcontracting labor but retaining direct control, oversight, and surveillance of outsourced workers, according to Frank Kearl, an attorney who represents Amazon worker organizers. “Companies recognize the fact they can avoid a lot of liability by contracting out work to companies that are completely under their control, but they have drawn a fictional line between their corporate entity, and the entity that actually employs the workers,” he says. “You get all the benefits of the labor and the control, without getting any of the liability.” “By recognizing both Alphabet and Cognizant as our joint employer, the NLRB will be setting a new precedent that will finally allow thousands of contract workers to hold major corporations accountable to their obligations towards workers,” said Neil Gossell, a spokesperson for the Alphabet Workers Union, in a statement to TIME. Read More: Meta Accused Of Human Trafficking and Union-Busting in Kenya Growing scrutiny of Big Tech’s labor practices The calls for Alphabet and other tech companies to employ their workers directly, rather than at arms length, are gathering steam. Alphabet’s use of subcontracted labor is “a business practice that depresses workers’ wages and degrades working conditions, exacerbates occupational segregation, weakens temp workers’ collective voice on the job, and locks them into a system of permanent temporary work,” says a 2021 report by the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group. “Tech companies—as well as all other companies that contract out work to intermediaries like temp agencies—should be responsible as joint employers for working conditions for their contracted workers.” The movement is growing internationally, too. On Monday, a judge in Kenya is scheduled to rule on whether Facebook can be sued in a Kenyan court for alleged unfair labor practices at one of its subcontracting partners. Facebook argues that it cannot be held accountable under Kenyan law because it does not have an official presence in the country; the plaintiff in the lawsuit argues that Facebook was his de-facto employer. The ruling will be a major test of whether tech companies can be held accountable under the legal system of a country where they outsource much of their labor—and could encourage workers in other countries to bring similar suits. In Texas, the striking YouTube workers make a similar argument. “I think what we’re doing is historic, because we could set precedent for this type of contract between companies that are as big as a nation state, and small agencies that they put all the legal responsibility on for these employees,” says Marschner, the YouTube worker organizer. “We hope that this does change this model, because it’s extremely unfair and exploits workers.”.....»»

The U.S. added 517,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate saw a minor decrease to 3.4%, according to the latest Employment Situation Summary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The analysis found that along with the unemployment rate, the number of unemployed persons, at 5.7 million, changed little in January. The unemployment rate… The post Jobs Report Shows Increase of 517,000 in January; Unemployment Decreases to 3.4% appeared first on RISMedia......»»

Beginning in January 2020 the world experienced something we have not seen since the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak. For the most part we had become comfortable with the idea that modern medicine could keep the population of the world healthy. However, COVID 19 spread like wildfire, hopping from continent to continent via world travelers who […] Beginning in January 2020 the world experienced something we have not seen since the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak. For the most part we had become comfortable with the idea that modern medicine could keep the population of the world healthy. However, COVID 19 spread like wildfire, hopping from continent to continent via world travelers who were unaware they were carrying a virus. The chaos that began to ensue in the wake of the initial spread was soon calmed. However, the changes this pandemic brought about would leave indelible imprints on our memories. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Movement Restriction Nations all around the globe began instituting incredibly strict mandates regarding travel, the wearing of masks, and in some cases restricted citizens to staying inside their homes. Even within the United States we saw governors, mayors and other politicians pass ordinances and bills restricting the movement of citizens. This was all done in an attempt to limit face to face interactions and staunch the spread of the virus that was sweeping across the planet. However, all of these lockdowns also had another much darker effect. Mental Health Related Issues As people went into lockdown mode, not leaving their homes for months in some cases, mental health became an issue. Portions of society already at high risk for mental health related issues found themselves cut off from human interaction. Humans are sociable creatures. We thrive on interaction with each other as a means of coping with the day to day stress of survival. We congregate for many different types of gatherings in an effort to mingle with each other. Weddings, funerals, birthdays, weekend barbecues, and family vacations are just a few ways we strengthen our social bonds with other humans. When all of these events were suddenly restricted or stopped altogether, the human race found itself staring at an empty abyss of loneliness. How Technology Helped During A Pandemic However, there was one bright light that helped families and friends stay connected throughout the pandemic. Social media has become a major part of most of the world's daily life over the last two decades. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms have become focus points for people to share their opinions and photographs with other people. Video communication platforms, such as Facebook's messenger and Zoom, became a means for families to stay connected by hosting family video chats and meetings. Aside from families, the workplace also took part in a paradigm shift that led to millions of people working directly from home via their computers. Zoom, Discord and other voice and video communication apps saw huge increases in the number of active users. These increased numbers indicated one important fact - humans NEED social interaction with each other to maintain their mental health. When that interaction was limited due to health risks, the human race sought another way to interact and survive. We found that solution in technology. While most people think of community as their neighbors on the block, or the town they live in, that word has taken on a whole new definition in a post pandemic world. Streaming services like Twitch.tv saw a dramatic increase in the number of content creators on its platform who were sharing their daily life in a live stream video format. Millions of people flocked to these streaming services to share their own experiences, or simply to watch the experiences of others in an effort to maintain a sense of normalcy. Content creators suddenly found themselves with a community made up of people who liked the same things they did, and friendships began to be formed in a whole new way. Gaming content creators grew exponentially during the pandemic, as people who liked the same genres of games began to gather and create communities. The friendships created through these platforms are just as real as friendships created through face to face encounters in a local setting.   Building Relationships The relationships are also equally important to the people involved in them as face to face relationships. In a report from Ohio Wesleyan University, Assistant Professor of Psychology Kira Bailey, writes that "there's nothing virtual about online connections." She states that websites like eHarmony provide a real and solid platform for building relationships. In fact, nearly 40% of all dating relationships take place in an online setting in modern times. While some may write this off as being unimportant, the numbers do not lie. The current national average divorce rate is around 50%. However, the divorce rate among couples who met on eHarmony is just 4%. During the pandemic the world began to look for ways to stay connected. Social media platforms, streaming services, and dating platforms provided this connection. Had it not been for modern technology, we most likely would have seen a much higher spike in mental health related illnesses. In short, technology helped keep the world sane during one of the worst pandemics any of us have ever seen in our lifetime......»»

Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) CEO John Stankey on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. AT&T CEO: Societal Trends For Networking Companies Paint A Rosy Future Picture JOE KERNEN: Let’s get right […] Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) CEO John Stankey on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. AT&T CEO: Societal Trends For Networking Companies Paint A Rosy Future Picture JOE KERNEN: Let’s get right to our first guest of the hour to talk telecom and much more probably not Bitcoin, AT&T CEO John Stankey. AT&T has sponsored the Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 1986 and thank you for doing that and I guess we should start out what, how much has the charity in Monterey area accumulate to— if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Walter Schloss Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Walter Schloss in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   JOHN STANKEY: This charity actually has a record for the PGA Tour. It's over $200 million throughout the longevity of the tournament and they just do a fantastic job. We really like working with them on it. KERNEN: I wanted to make that birdie on 17 so badly. STANKEY: I heard you choked. KERNEN: I didn’t choke. BECKY QUICK: Did you make it? STANKEY: You choked. You missed it. KERNEN: Yeah but it was about 12 foot putt. Did, it was the best— STANKEY: How many times have you played that green Joe? I mean you think you’d know it by now. KERNEN: I mean it’s all green at least. Yeah, I wanted to because if I did, it would have been 2,500 to, for someone to get— STANKEY: There’s some poor child in Monterey County now that doesn't have a laptop because your— KERNEN: Because of my crappy— because of my. You have a much more focused company— STANKEY: We do. KERNEN: As we know, but then I when I look at what you're going to try to do in the future, I, it's really not any easier in terms of how smart you need to be, how expensive it's going to be, and decisions you're gonna have to make just connecting everyone so that we can do everything, we have the giga data to do what we want to do, and it's going to be an unbelievable future, but it's up to you to to make it happen again so you can't relax. STANKEY: Yeah, I think you're, you're making the case why it's so encouraging what the future holds, the skilled infrastructure and a high-performance network that is going to be really critical. And there aren't just a lot of companies around who can do this kind of thing. And I think we're one of the unique companies that have the scale and the wherewithal and the experience in doing the hard work to actually get the right amount of infrastructure out in this country. And when you start talking about the applications and what's to come, it's needed. It's going to be required. And so I actually think it's a really rosy future given it's going to be customer applications, and just what I would call societal trends that can be really good for networking companies like ours. KERNEN: But it's still going to take, what, what do you think you'll average in terms of capital expenditures over the next— STANKEY: You know, we'll probably settle in somewhere around the 15% of revenues range, you know, maybe a little bit more one year, a little bit less the next, but it will be probably right around that range. But we also have a dynamic coming on where there's nearly $50 billion of government subsidy that's about ready to be released into the system later this year. I think we can be a really competitive force in deploying that, so there'll be some government subsidy that comes in and acts as a private capital. That may take the industry up a bit over the next three, call it three, four years. QUICK: Hey John on that call, your CFO just pointed out that for this year, you're anticipating about 24 billion in capex, thinks that it will come down after 2023. Is that because you don't need to spend as much when it comes to 5G or other issues or is that because you're bringing in partners like Blackstone with what you're doing? STANKEY: It's a combination of all those things, Becky. What you look at right now is we are at a unique time where we are deploying a new area interface in the wireless business 5G that comes about once every 10 years and when it comes, it drives a bit of an uptick in capital deployment. And so, we're going to be through that cycle largely this year. And then we're largely at that point left with more fiber capillaries. So that allows us to take it down because we're through that cycle and you know, it's just a normal trend we typically see and look, when you see what we're trying to do right now with alternate partnerships to bring other investors into the business, our you know, our BlackRock discussion is a really important one because we can go try some different things that we haven't done before. We're moving outside of our traditional operating footprint. The capital that they're going to bring in allows us to try some different deployment constructs and different business models. We think it's going to be really, really helpful and it's going to give us a little more scale. KERNEN: Where the payout is now in the dividend coverage, it's not, you're not concerned with it. You're not up at night, at all. STANKEY: We made a lot of hard decisions, you know, probably starting a year and a half two years ago prior to the divestiture of WarnerMedia, and one of it was resizing our capital structure and thinking about what we wanted to be over the next several years and we set the dividend at a level that we thought was sustainable for the business we have now. And I think you look at last year's performance and you look at the cash flow dynamics and we've got to do this year, you know, we got to do a $16 billion cash flow number, our dividend obligation and the years about 8 billion gives us a lot of latitude on top of that and we expect, you know, over the next three years or so, we have a great opportunity to manage our business more efficiently. We've done a really nice job taking cost out, about $5 billion over the last three years. We're going to do even more as we move forward and that gives us the flexibility we need especially with the growth we have. KERNEN: Can I keep my landline for how much longer? STANKEY: You know, I don't think copper-based landlines are long for this world. There's a lot of states that— KERNEN: So that’s a no. That’s what you told me.   STANKEY: But you've got a lot of other great replacements that work better than it and do a lot more than that. I think you'll be able to talk to somebody on the telephone forever Joe so you can still call. KERNEN: The way you just described what you need to do and I think maybe you are on to something, you don't need dealing with producers and directors and you don't need to create that content that's going to be on all these connected networks that you're building. If you had to do both, there's just no way and there's just no way you could have— STANKEY: Somebody made that choice, I guess. That's correct. And look there, I do believe we have a lot to do as you started out with. We are very focused on doing that and doing it well. I think in the future KERNEN: Stock’s starting to work too John so— STANKEY: I like it a lot better where we are right now than where we were this time last year. KERNEN: I like where we are right here at a place called Pebble Beach too so thank you, but good to have you on. STANKEY: Absolutely......»»

Following are excerpts from the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) CEO Michael Wirth on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth On Pushback From White House, Capital Expenditure Q4 2022 hedge fund […] Following are excerpts from the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) CEO Michael Wirth on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth On Pushback From White House, Capital Expenditure if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   All references must be sourced to CNBC. Wirth On Financial Priorities We actually are doing exactly what the White House is calling for. We’re staying consistent with our financial priorities and financial framework that we’ve long had for decades which is first to prioritize the dividend. We increased it 6% the 36th year in a row for dividend increases. We increased organic capital spending this year 30% above what it was last year, keep a very strong balance sheet and when we have cash excess for those needs, we return it to the owners of the company. Wirth On Repurchase Program We had a prior repurchase program that was authorized five years ago when we were repurchasing at about $5 billion a year and the program was a $25 billion program. We’re a stronger company this year. We’re repurchasing at $15 billion a year, a five-year execution on that plan would be $75 billion dollars. Wirth On Production Growth We’re growing at 3 to 4% production growth over the next several years. The demand for oil and gas is growing about 1% so we’re actually growing at a rate much faster than market demand. Wirth On China We’re starting to see signs out of China that there’s more activity that will drive demand. So you’re seeing a significant increase in airline flights being scheduled, so these are forward flights. We’re seeing road traffic and road congestion. There’s a number of different ways you measure this use of public transportation, people are moving around. Supply chains are restarting, businesses are restarting. I spoke to people in Davos that run businesses in China that are ramping up production so we do see indicators that the Chinese economy is beginning to grow and beginning to come out of the restrictions that it’s been under......»»

The internet giant added a net 3,455 people in the fourth quarter, Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said Feb. 2 on a conference call following the company's earnings report for the period. That was the least number of people it had added to its workforce since the fourth quarter of 2020 and was down 73% from the 12,765 it added in last year's third quarter......»»

"The relationships community colleges have with local companies are mutually beneficial, and there are a vast number of ways and opportunities for colleges and companies to work together.".....»»

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The typical Amazon customer buys just one or two items per transaction, and they make 83 purchases per year for an annual expense of $2,969. FILE PHOTO: Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in Manhattan. Eight out of 10 US shoppers are Amazon customers, Numerator data show.Reuters Amazon has 1,285 facilities in the US and employs more than 1.5 million people around the world. Eight in 10 US shoppers are Amazon customers, and they place an average of 74 orders per year. Amazon's average customer is a white woman in the Southeast who earns more than $80,000 per year. Amazon sells stuff online. Maybe you've heard of it.The ecommerce giant is the second-largest retailer in the world, making net product sales of $242.9 billion in 2022.Amazon, founded in Seattle in 1994, has an estimated 1,285 distribution centers, fulfillment centers and other facilities in the US, with another 1,088 in other countries around the world, according to MWPVL , a supply chain consulting firm. The retailer has an employee headcount of 1.5 million around the world, and 1 out of 153 American workers works for Amazon.Meanwhile, eight out of 10 US shoppers are Amazon customers, according to data from the analytics firm Numerator prepared for Insider.Numerator found that Amazon's typical shopper is a college-educated, white married woman, and split across two age brackets: 35 to 44 and 55 to 64. She typically lives in the Southeast, does not have children, and earns more than $80,000 per year.Amazon has the third-highest customer loyalty after Walmart and Target among the major brands surveyed, with nearly 89% of its 2021 shoppers returning in 2022.At the same time, the ecommerce giant added far fewer new customers than it lost by a ratio of nearly five lapsed customers for each new one last year.The typical customer orders just one or two items per transaction, but she makes a comparatively high number of transactions per year, with 83 orders at an annual cost of $2,969, Numerator found.About 9% of her spending takes place at Amazon — slightly less than what she spends at Walmart, the world's largest retailer. Amazon customers are also highly likely to compare prices on Amazon, even when shopping elsewhere.Their favorite product categories on Amazon are cell phone accessories, cases, and chargers, as well as medical supplies and small kitchen appliances. They tend to buy Amazon's in-house labels, and their favorite name brands are Disney, Hanes, Kraft, and Apple.Read more of our typical shopper profiles:Walmart: A 59-year-old white suburban woman earning $80,000 a yearCostco: A 39-year-old Asian American woman earning more than $125,000 a yearTarget: A millennial suburban mom with a household income of $80,000Whole Foods: A highly educated West Coast millennial woman earning $80,000Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Picsart, a photo and video editing company, debuted the tool as a way to help the broken-hearted purge their social media feeds of former flames. A new AI tool lets you swap out images of your ex with red flags and snakes.Picsart Picsart debuted a new AI tool that allows user to replace photos of their ex.  The tool can swap images of former flames with anything, including snakes, red flags, and baguettes.  The tool is the latest artificial intelligence use case as the technology continues to explode.  Broken-hearted and trying to purge pictures of your ex from your social media pages? A new tool puts a cathartic spin on dissolving their digital footprint. Picsart, a photo and video editing company, debuted a new artificial intelligence-powered feature that allows users to replace images of former flames with everything from red flags to snakes. Called "AI Replace My Ex," the tool lets users swap images "with virtually anything" and "in just a few seconds with no design skills required," per Picsart."We've all been there: you have a photo where you look super cute, but it's tainted by the presence of someone no longer in your life," Picsart wrote in a blog announcing the tool Monday. "You'd rather not see or think about them, but don't necessarily want to delete the hundreds (or even thousands) of photos you have together."The tool marks yet another use-case of AI as the technology continues to explode in popularity. It also joins efforts to support jilted lovers ahead of Valentine's Day, including the San Antonio Zoo's annual Cry Me a Cockroach fundraiser, in which you can name a roach, rodent, or plant after an ex or a bad boss. To make the swap, Picsart users can upload a photo, select the ex in question, hit "AI Replace," and then describe a replacement image. In addition to a classic red flag, the blog post shares several examples of ideas for swaps, including a snake ...Picsart... a baguette ...Picsart... and a dog. PicsartUsers can create a limited number of free images before they're required to pay a fee, Picsart said in the blog. While the feature is currently available only on Apple iOS products, it's expected to come to Android soon. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Gold futures settled Friday at their lowest in more than three weeks, down 2.7% from last Friday’s finish. Gold took a hit because “the positive surprise on the jobs number is a strong indication that the [Federal Reserve] has more than a single rate hike left in it,” said Brien Lundin, editor of Gold Newsletter. Gold was hit harder than equities because “it’s been outperforming stocks over the last few months,” he said. “Profits are being taken by those who have enjoyed that ride.” Gold for April delivery GCJ23 fell $54.20, or 2.8%, to settle at $1,876.60 an ounce on Comex.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news......»»

Baker Hughes BKR on Friday reported that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil fell by 10 to 599 this week. That followed declines in each of the two previous weeks. The total active U.S. rig count, which includes those drilling for natural gas, fell by 12 to 759, according to Baker Hughes. Oil prices continued to trade lower, with the March West Texas Intermediate crude contract CLH23 down $1.98, or 2.6%, at $73.90 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, weighed down in part by a sharp rise in the U.S. dollar.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news......»»