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☆ China is likely headed for a lost decade and won't 'eat our economic lunch,' former IMF official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's economy is stumbling and is likely headed for a lost decade similar to Japan's. That's according to former IMF official Desmond Lachman, who said China may no longer be the world's growth driver. But a lost decade also means "we no longer need to worry that China will eat our economic lunch." "One silver lining of a likely lost Chinese economic decade is that we no longer need to worry that China will eat our economic lunch," Lachman added. "As occurred with the supposed Japanese economic miracle in the 1980s before it, we will find that the Chinese economy had clay feet."

Persons: Desmond Lachman, —, Lachman Organizations: Service, International Monetary Fund, American Enterprise Institute, Federal Reserve Locations: China, Japan, Barron's

☆ US home prices just jumped for the second-straight month, suggesting the housing downturn could be over. Here are the 6 cities where prices are rising the fastest.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In the 20-city version of the index, all 20 of the cities saw home prices rise month-over-month. "That said, the challenges posed by current mortgage rates and the continuing possibility of economic weakness are likely to remain a headwind for housing prices for at least the next several months." "A shortage of listings, plentiful jobs, and strong wage growth are largely offsetting the headwind to housing from high mortgage rates," Adams told Insider. Their reasons include high mortgage rates, historically low affordability, and a potential recession. Below, we've listed in descending order the six cities in the Case-Shiller 20-city index that posted month-over-month growth of at least 2%.

Persons: Craig J, Lazzara, Bill Adams, Adams, Suisse's Ray Farris, Rosenberg Research's David Rosenberg, Ian Shepherdson, American Enterprise Institute's Desmond Lachman, Skylar Olsen Organizations: Home, NSA, Redfin, Comerica Bank, American Enterprise Locations: Denver, Detroit, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Minneapolis, West Coast, Miami , Florida, Tampa , Florida, Charlotte, North Carolina

☆ Famed economist David Rosenberg says home prices are set to fall further as buyers retreat to the sidelines and a hawkish Fed means stubbornly high mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

With mortgage rates unlikely to budge and incomes unlikely to grow, prices are due to drop. Housing affordability is calculated by accounting for three variables: home prices, mortgage rates, and incomes. Ian Shepherdson, the chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics who said in the 2005 that a housing downturn would spark a recession, made the same argument in recent weeks. Now that's quite striking because mortgage rates are no longer at peak, but applications are still falling. This would send interest rates — and therefore mortgage rates, which trade closely with Treasury rates — higher, further hurting demand and affordability, Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi recently told Fortune.

☆ ‘Master Gardener’ Review: Paul Schrader’s Solitary Man
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Part of the kick of “Master Gardener” is that the writer-director Paul Schrader manages to pull off this improbable movie. As has been the case in many of Schrader’s stories, this one centers on a man who’s of this world and apart. That character — “God’s lonely man,” as he’s called in “Taxi Driver,” which Schrader wrote — has appeared repeatedly in his filmography. That lonely man is here again, risen once more in “Master Gardener,” but now named Narvel Roth and played like a clenched fist by Joel Edgerton. In all three movies, a solitary, soul-weary man in crisis — who’s invariably seen alone in a room writing in a journal he shares in voice-over — undergoes a kind of transfiguration.

☆ Credit Suisse's chief US economist says home prices will likely fall another 5-10% — and that gridlock between buyers and sellers will prevent both appreciation and a larger crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Credit Suisse's Chief US Economist Ray Farris says home prices will see a 'long recession.' Rather, the market is likely to go through a sort of holding period, where activity stays low and prices neither boom nor bust. You can spread the housing market over many more locales in the US and that's what's happening." And the way I think of that, as a base case, it means that even as mortgage rates come down, the housing market doesn't recover rapidly. Morgan Stanley's Ellen Zentner is one economist that — like Farris — doesn't expect a recession, and only sees prices falling another 4% this year.

☆ A chief economist who called the 2008 housing crisis says home prices are set to drop another 15% as falling mortgage rates and a recession will create a supply-demand imbalance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This will drag 30-year mortgage rates — which track closely with 10-year Treasury rates because they typically have a lifespan of around 12 years — down to 6% or lower. One might argue that falling mortgage rates would also stimulate demand enough to meet the rise in supply, holding prices relatively steady. Now that's quite striking because mortgage rates are no longer at peak, but mortgage applications are still falling. Tight monetary policy and a pullback in lending will lead to a cooling labor market, he said, and that's bad for housing demand. Below is the National Association of Realtors' Housing Affordability Index, which takes into account incomes, home prices, and mortgage rates.

☆ Don Sebesky, Arranger Who Helped Broaden Jazz’s Audience, Dies at 85
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Neil Genzlinger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Sebesky’s musical interests ranged far and wide. From the beginning, Mr. Taylor and CTI were on a mission to broaden the audience for jazz by exploring intersections with pop, rock and R&B, and by making music that was more accessible to mainstream audiences than some of jazz’s more esoteric strains. It was an approach that displeased some purists, but it sold records, and Mr. Sebesky’s arranging skills were pivotal to that success. Mr. Sebesky arranged the saxophonist Paul Desmond’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970), an album of interpretations of Simon & Garfunkel songs. Pairing Mr. Benson with that song was an idea Mr. Sebesky had proposed to Mr. Taylor, but with a twist.

☆ A former IMF official says it's 'very likely' US home prices fall 15-20% as a credit crunch creates a lose-lose scenario for the housing sector and the debt ceiling standoff threatens a substantial re
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A credit crunch, an already-slowing economy, and the debt-ceiling standoff risk a downturn. If these smaller institutions are loaning out less money, this further hurts demand in the housing market, meaning home prices have to fall accordingly. On the other hand, a credit crunch puts the US economy at significant risk of a recession, Lachman said. "Housing gets hit by tighter credit conditions, but then it also gets hit if the economy goes into recession." KPMG's Yelena Maleyev believes prices could fall as much as 20%, while Interactive Brokers' José Torres sees 15% downside.

☆ NBA roundup: Jimmy Butler, Heat eliminate Bucks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Apr 26, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives against Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) during game five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Butler followed up his franchise-playoff-record, 56-point performance in Game 4 by helping the eighth-seeded Heat overcome a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit with 12 straight Heat points during one stretch before converting an alley-oop in the final second to force overtime. Bam Adebayo collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who will face the fifth-seeded New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Antetokounmpo recorded 38 points and 20 rebounds and Khris Middleton pumped in 33 points for the Bucks. Anthony Davis amassed 31 points and 19 rebounds and Austin Reaves registered 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the seventh-seeded Lakers.

REUTERS/Edgar SuSINGAPORE, April 27 (Reuters) - Vera Liu, a Singapore property agent, was panicking in the wee hours of Thursday morning after new property taxes saw two of her deals fall through. Policymakers are growing concerned that foreign investors increasingly see Singapore property as a hot asset class, squeezing out locals. Christine Sun, the senior vice president of research & analytics at OrangeTee & Tie, called it a "freezing measure" for foreign buyers. Shares of Singapore property companies fell on Thursday, with City Development (CTDM.SI) and UOL Group (UTOS.SI), which have large Singapore footprints, hit hardest. "There's little impact on the other 90%," said Mak, who has been analysing Singapore property for more than two decades.

☆ NBA roundup: Anthony Davis, Lakers sprint past Grizzlies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Apr 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder (17) shoots the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy (27) in the fourth quarter during game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James added 25 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference matchup. D'Angelo Russell had 17 points and Rui Hachimura scored 16 for Los Angeles, which led by as many as 29 points in the wire-to-wire victory. Desmond Bane (18 points) ended the Morant run with a 3-pointer that cut the Los Angeles lead to 108-99 with 1:24 remaining. James Harden collected 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

☆ Opinion | Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction to Poverty
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

According to the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, 14.3 percent of Americans — nearly 50 million people — were living in poverty in December. The scale of poverty in the U.S. dwarfs that of most of our peer countries. And it raises the question: Why does so much poverty persist in one of the richest countries in the world? For the Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond, the answer is simple: Poverty is a policy choice. But his new book, “Poverty, by America,” is less about the poor than it is about the rest of us.

☆ NBA roundup: Short-handed Bucks even series with Heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jimmy Butler had 25 points to pace the Heat, and Bam Adebayo added 18 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots and Desmond Bane added 17 points for the second-seeded Grizzlies. LeBron James had 28 points and 12 rebounds and Rui Hachimura added 20 points off the bench for the seventh-seeded Lakers. Michael Porter Jr. scored 16 points and Aaron Gordon had 12 points and 10 rebounds for top-seeded Denver. Denver went on an 8-0 run to open the final quarter, grabbing a 95-89 lead before Minnesota moved in front 99-98.

☆ Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Catch a Fire’ Turns 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jamaican music was hardly foreign to American ears or the U.S. pop charts in 1973. Starting with Harry Belafonte ’s recording of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” in 1956, singles became hits using Jamaica’s brassy ska and mellow rocksteady styles. These included Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop” (1964), Johnny Nash ’s “Hold Me Tight” (1968) and “I Can See Clearly Now” (1972), the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (1968) and Desmond Dekker & the Aces’ “Israelites” (1968). Then, in February 1973, the Jamaican crime film “The Harder They Come,” starring singer Jimmy Cliff , was released in the U.S. along with the soundtrack album. Many Americans were exposed for the first time to reggae—a bass-heavy rhythmic style that emerged in 1968 with the Maytals’ “Do the Reggay.”

☆ NBA roundup: Mavs' playoff hopes dashed by Bulls
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The result ended the Mavericks' hopes of reaching the Western Conference play-in tournament. Chicago, which had already clinched an Eastern Conference play-in spot, played without leading scorers DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine as well as Patrick Beverley. Orlando, which was in contention for a play-in spot over the past month following a 5-20 start, played its second game since being eliminated Tuesday. Grizzlies 137, Bucks 114Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 36 points to lead seven Memphis players in double figures as the Grizzlies clinched the No. Pascal Siakam scored 19 points, Precious Achiuwa added 16 points, and Fred VanVleet had 12 points and eight assists.

☆ NBA roundup: Knicks get by Wizards, clinch playoff berth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

[1/4] Apr 2, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) dribbles against Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. New York led by no fewer than eight and by as many as 20 the rest of the way. Atlanta got 25 points from Dejounte Murray, 18 points and 10 rebounds from John Collins and 14 points and 11 boards from Clint Capela. Dallas also got 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists from Doncic and 18 points from Wood. The Rockets' starting backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green combined for 44 points with Green adding seven assists.

☆ 5 alarming stats on U.S. economic inequality in Pulitzer-prize winning author's new book
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

(Desmond's findings are based on data from a number of sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Pew Research Center.) (Desmond analyzed tax data from a number of sources, including the Office of Management and Budget.) watch now"Most families who enjoy those subsidies have six-figure incomes and are white," Desmond writes. "There is growing evidence that America harbors a hard bottom layer of deprivation, a kind of extreme poverty once thought to exist only in faraway places of bare feet and swollen bellies," Desmond writes. Racial wealth gap is as large as in the '60sLooking at the work of other authors and Federal Reserve data, Desmond found that the racial wealth gap is as wide today as it was more than five decades ago.

☆ NBA roundup: Warriors withstand Joel Embiid's 46-point game
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/5] Mar 24, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the basketball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. A 23-9 run in the first 5:59 out of the locker room quickly flipped the game in the Kings' favor. Booker finished with 32 points, 14 in the fourth quarter, and Ross' 30 points marked a season high. Italian rookie Simone Fontecchio led Utah with 26 points, while Kelly Olynyk chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds. Haliburton and Myles Turner each scored 20 points to lead Indiana, which trailed by 29 in the fourth quarter.

"Knock at the Cabin" is an apocalyptic psychological horror film by M. Night Shyamalan. You can stream the horror thriller with a Peacock subscription, or buy it to watch online through digital retailers like Amazon and Vudu. How to watch 'Knock at the Cabin'"Knock at the Cabin" is now available to watch at home with a Peacock membership. If you don't want to sign up for Peacock, you also have the option to watch "Knock at the Cabin" through a digital retailer. "Knock at the Cabin" is based on "The Cabin at the End of the World," a 2018 novel by Paul G. Tremblay.

☆ Why hasn't U.S. poverty improved in 50 years? Pulitzer-prize winning author Matthew Desmond has an answer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In his new book, "Poverty, by America," sociologist Matthew Desmond proposes a reason for that stagnation: We benefit from it. His last book, "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. I think many of us can go about our daily lives only confronting poverty from the car window or in the news. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwardsAN: So you think there should be fewer tax breaks like the home mortgage interest deduction and more policies to help poor Americans? Matthew Desmond sociologist and authorAN: Thinking that poverty in the U.S. is avoidable makes its existence feel so much worse.

☆ NBA roundup: 3-pointer at buzzer pushes Mavs past Lakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Anthony Davis scored 26 points with 10 rebounds for the Lakers after missing Wednesday's defeat to the Houston Rockets because of load management. Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Dennis Schroder added 15 as Los Angeles played its 10th consecutive game without LeBron James (foot). Washington's 12 points and Kelly Oubre Jr.'s 11 points led Charlotte. Jalen Green paced Houston with 25 points while Kevin Porter Jr. added 20. Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 31 points and six assists, while Jonas Valanciunas had 22 points and 17 rebounds.

☆ Want an annual investment return of up to 12%? This 'boring' strategy's the way to go, investor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"I know it sounds boring, but we do try and look at where we think things will be in three to five years' time. A discount rate is the rate of return used to discount future cash flows back to their present value. Desmond said the firm applies a discount rate of 8% across its portfolio, which remains constant across the entirety of a financial cycle. I think if you keep moving your discount rate around every day, your valuations get very, very sensitive and it can really just whipsaw you. Stick to the 'Steady Eddies' Desmond characterizes the firm's investment approach as "a bit boring."

☆ NBA roundup: Red-hot Knicks outlast Celtics in double OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Julius Randle added 31 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, who also received 29 points and 11 rebounds from RJ Barrett. Jayson Tatum had 40 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who have lost their last two home games. Bennedict Mathurin scored 17 points, Myles Turner added 16 and Chris Duarte had 15 for Indiana. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 points for Charlotte, which dropped its third straight. Walker Kessler (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Kelly Olynyk (15 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles in the loss.

☆ NBA roundup: Nets stun Celts with NBA's biggest comeback of season
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Cam Johnson added 20 points for the Nets, who also received 17 points apiece from Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith. Jayson Tatum, who turned 25 on Friday, finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, but he missed all eight of his 3-point attempts. Terry Rozier posted 22 points, Gordon Hayward 17 and Mark Williams 13 points for Charlotte, which was hurt by 21 turnovers. Kings 128, Clippers 127De'Aaron Fox recorded 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Sacramento won its fifth straight game by prevailing over visiting Los Angeles. Jonathan Kuminga, coming off the Golden State bench, chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

☆ NBA roundup: Suns win in Kevin Durant's debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Bucks 139, Magic 117Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists to fuel streaking Milwaukee's victory over visiting Orlando. Orlando's Cole Anthony scored a season-high 28 points off the bench and Markelle Fultz recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 24 points and chipped in seven assists, while Josh Giddey added 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. The 76ers, who snapped a two-game skid that included a home loss to the Heat, also got 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists from James Harden. Ja Morant had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Memphis, which led by as many as 28 and won its third straight.

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