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☆ Djokovic canters into French Open round two as Stephens lays down marker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The twice Roland Garros champion breezed through the first two sets before encountering resistance from the 24-year-old American whose lack of experience then showed in the tiebreak on the world's biggest clay court. Djokovic ended the contest with a sizzling service return on his first match point and will face Hungarian journeyman Marton Fucsovics for a place in the third round. "It's always a pleasure to come back here, one of the best tournaments in the world," said Djokovic, who made his Roland Garros debut in 2005. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova celebrated her return to Roland Garros with a dominant win over Czech Linda Fruhvirtova after fearing for her career a year ago due to a knee problem. Sloane Stephens, runner-up at Roland Garros in 2018, dismantled former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-4.

☆ Man City outclass Real Madrid to reach Champions League final
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MANCHESTER, England, May 17 (Reuters) - Manchester City marched into the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons after outclassing holders Real Madrid 4-0 for a 5-1 aggregate victory at a raucous Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. With Inter Milan awaiting in the final, City will now be huge favourites to finally deliver the trophy Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour has craved since buying the club in 2008, having lost to Chelsea two years ago. Just as in the Spanish capital, City took an early stranglehold with Real barely stringing two passes together and finding it almost impossible to escape their own half. City toyed with the 14-times champions for the rest of the half and could have been further ahead. With their place in the Istanbul showpiece secured, City can win their fifth Premier League title in six seasons this weekend and they also have an FA Cup final to look forward to.

☆ Gen Z is forcing fast-food restaurants to change their menus. They're now offering more spicy food and chicken to lure in younger diners.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen Z diners crave spicy food and chicken more than other generations. Restaurant execs say that younger diners crave spicy food and chicken. "Spice levels generally heat up with younger generations," Fabiola Del Rio, VP of integrated marketing communications at Panda Express, told Insider. And where they can, Gen Zers like to get their chicken spicy, too. Or a restaurant exec who's noticed interesting dining patterns among your Gen Z customers?

☆ Pacific Northwest Starts Sizzling Under Heat Dome
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wildfires erupted in the western Canadian province of Alberta earlier than usual this season. Photo: Government of Alberta Fire Service/Associated PressMore than 12 million people across the Pacific Northwest are under a weekend heat advisory as unseasonably high temperatures as high as the 90s take hold across the region. A heat dome created by a high pressure area could raise temperatures at least 20 degrees above normal and may worsen wildfires in western Canada, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.

☆ Americans Escaping Pricey Cities Bring Higher Housing Costs, Inflation With Them
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Gabriel T. Rubin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Tampa area has one of the highest inflation rates in the nation. Photo: Octavio Jones for The Wall Street JournalTampa, Fla., residents face some of the hottest inflation in the country, but when excluding sizzling housing costs, price increases are nearly as cool as in Minneapolis. The disparity shows regional inflation is heavily influenced by home prices and rent costs. The Tampa area has one of the highest inflation rates in the nation, 7.7% in March, according to the Labor Department. But when shelter costs are removed from the index, the Florida metro’s rate was 3.8%—putting it in line with the Minneapolis area, where inflation excluding housing was 3.6%.

☆ Nvidia, Tesla and Meta are helping power a growth-stock surge that has challenged BlackRock and Goldman Sachs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Zinya Salfiti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Growth stocks are beating value peers by the most in 3 years, despite interest-rate increases and banking-sector turmoil. Sizzling rallies in Nvidia, Meta and Tesla shares have helped power the surge in growth stocks. BlackRock strategists projected a similar view, saying in a late February report that they expect value stocks to outperform. Nvidia, Tesla, MetaStunning rallies in the shares of tech giants such as Nvidia and Meta as well as electric-vehicle maker Tesla have helped growth stocks beat their value peers by such an impressive margin. "Lower rates feed into lower discount rates, making future cash flows of growth companies more attractive," Dutta said.

☆ Guy Fieri on His Signature Frosted Tips and Mayoral Ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Lane Florsheim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The name Guy Fieri has become synonymous with America’s beloved roadside eateries, where regional comforts are served up on sizzling griddles. On “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” the Emmy-nominated host and restaurateur has established himself as a greasy-spoon connoisseur with a wardrobe full of bowling shirts and a crown of frosted tips. That signature look wasn’t exactly his choice, Mr. Fieri, 55, says.

☆ Picking up the pieces in the wake of SVB's collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's just over a week from Federal regulators announcing they would be bailing out depositors of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. Now, the FDIC said Sunday that New York Community Bancorp's Flagstar Bank will take on nearly all of Signature Bridge Bank's deposits. Credit Suisse, whose problems long preceded SVB's downfall, to be fair, is getting acquired by Swiss rival UBS. Silicon Valley Bank was the bank for tech. The people backing venture capitalists, known as limited partners, share their thoughts on how VCs handled the crisis at Silicon Valley Bank.

☆ This startup is one step closer to cracking the code on 3D printing shoes with a $3 million investment led by former Nike executives
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The company makes 3D-printed footwear. Footwear manufacturing is inherently wasteful and time consuming. Hilos' technology works like this: When a customer purchases a shoe, Hilos makes another one available in a matter of days. Hilos makes soles from a type of plastic, technically TPU, or thermoplastic polyurethane, that is made from 80% recycled material. "If you started with the premise of, 'I want to make a new footwear company,' how would you do it?

☆ Szokol takes three-shot lead after sizzling 64 at Sentosa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - World number 153 Elizabeth Szokol outplayed a stellar field with an eight-under-par 64 to take a three-stroke lead after the opening round of the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore on Thursday. After a bogey at her first hole, the American bagged seven birdies and an eagle to build a solid lead over the chasing pack, which was led by Yuka Saso on five-under after the Japanese world number 36 shot a flawless 67. American world number two Nelly Korda carded a 68 for a share of third place with five other players, including fellow major winners Patty Tavatanakit, Kim Hyo-joo, Ariya Jutanugarn and Lee Jeong-eun. Top-ranked Lydia Ko (70) of New Zealand and South Korea's reigning champion Ko Jin-young (72) endured difficult days with the putter at the Sentosa Golf Club and finished in a share of 14th and 36th respectively. Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru, editing by Nick Mulvenney and Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Amid a confounding mix of economic signals, Wall Street shares edged up on Monday, a sign of potential bargain hunting. U.S. two-year Treasury yields , the most sensitive to shifts in interest-rate expectations, have risen almost 80 bps in that time, while the S&P 500 (.SPX) has lost 6% from Feb. 2's five-month highs. On Monday, the two-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 2 basis points to 4.785%, while 10-year Treasury yields dropped 2.3 basis points to 3.926%. Bruce Kasman, head of economic research at JPMorgan, has added another quarter-point hike to the ECB outlook, taking it to 100 basis points. The dollar has been the main beneficiary of the shift in expectations for Fed rates.

A raft of euro zone inflation figures will also shape investor expectations for next month's central bank meeting. On Monday, the two-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.6 basis points to 4.799%, while 10-year Treasury yields dropped 2.9 basis points to 3.922%. Bruce Kasman, head of economic research at JPMorgan, has added another quarter-point hike to the ECB outlook, taking it to 100 basis points. The dollar has been the main beneficiary of the shift in expectations for Fed rates. Additional reporting by Wayne Cole in Sydney; Editing by Susan Fenton and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stocks are still too expensive even after falling from 2023 highs as inflation proves stickier than expected, Barclays says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Barclays has an 2023 S&P 500 target of 3,724, more than 6% lower than current levels. The base case at Barclays is for the S&P 500 to land at 3,724 in a shallow-recession scenario in 2023. The S&P 500 last week dropped by 2.6%, the worst weekly selloff of 2023 and the third consecutive weekly decline. Stocks started 2023 with a rally after last year's plunge but have recently suffered alongside a jump in bond yields. The S&P 500 pushed higher during Monday's session after stocks last week notched their worst weekly performance of the year.

☆ Why the 2023 stock market rally may be over already
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —So much for that big stock market comeback this year. At one point in mid-January, the average of 30 blue chips was up nearly 4% in 2023. It’s harder to justify more expensive valuations for the market in an environment where higher interest rates will likely eat into profits. He speculated that if inflation doesn’t cool off soon, the Fed may need to keep raising rates all the way up to 6%. “If there is a recession, profits will likely fall sharply.”Still, Kelly is cautiously optimistic that 2024 and beyond will be better years for earnings, and therefore stocks.

☆ Banks’ Golden Deposits Could Turn Back to Lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Telis Demos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bank stocks have been sizzling this year, but they should be handled with care. The latest earnings season for banks was marked by rising loss reserves and depressed Wall Street revenue, plus the view in some corners that interest rates might not keep rising for long—a trifecta of what is typically rough news for bank stocks. But the market seems to have liked what lenders have reported. The KBW Nasdaq Bank index has gained almost 14% this year, close to double the S&P 500’s rally.

☆ The sizzling rally in stocks is nearing its end as investors are about to realize a recession has merely been postponed, JPMorgan says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sizzling rally in stocks will come to an end, as the risks of recession have only been postponed, JPMorgan said. Though investors are less worried about a downturn, some areas of GDP data are still weak, and interest rates remain high. "A weak trajectory for US domestic demand keeps recession risk elevated, even as the tightness in labor markets postpones this recession risk." "A weak trajectory for US domestic demand keeps recession risk elevated, even as the tightness in labor markets postpones this recession risk," the note said. That weakness is also exacerbated by high interest rates, strategists said, with the fed funds rate approaching 5%.

☆ ADP jobs report December 2022:
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The jobs market closed out 2022 on a high note, with companies adding far more positions than expected in December, payroll processing firm ADP reported Thursday. Professional and business services grew by 52,000, while education and health services added 42,000. The big jobs surprise comes despite the Federal Reserve's attempts to slow a sizzling jobs market that has helped push inflation to near its highest level in more than 40 years. The central bank raised interest rates seven times in 2022, totaling 4.25 percentage points, and officials have identified labor market imbalances as a pivotal area they want to target. The ADP report comes a day before the Labor Department's count, which is expected to show growth of 200,000 in nonfarm jobs and an unemployment rate holding steady at 3.7%.

We talked to several workplace experts to gain their insight on phrases you shouldn't say to your boss, even if you're close. 'I can't'A can-do attitude is always a valued trait, and just because you're friends, it doesn't mean you'll get called on the next time an important project comes up. It's fine if you have to leave early, but don't say it's because "things are slow" or you have "nothing to do." 'I'm going to be out these days,' or 'I'm leaving early tomorrow'Just because you're friends, it doesn't mean you should tell your boss you're going on vacation or leaving the office early. "Your boss hopes you're honest 100% of the time, and what you're about to say is not an aberration," said Taylor.

☆ King dollar's worst slump in over a decade is hammering one of 2022's biggest winners – but the greenback's dominant run might not be over just yet
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Still, the dollar could advance next year thanks to its safe-haven status as recession risks rise, strategists told Insider. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. But the US currency is more likely to bounce back than to continue sliding next year, some strategists told Insider. "There's immense uncertainty around so much right now – Ukraine, China, recession, and interest rates, oil prices and OPEC." "Our expectation is that it continues hiking rates well into 2023 — and then the dollar should rise again."

☆ A year only lasts 17.5 hours on the ‘hell planet’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

One year for this planet lasts about 17.5 hours on Earth. A team of researchers used a new tool known as EXPRES, or the EXtreme PREcision Spectrometer, to determine the precise nature of the planet’s orbit. But the hell planet is not the only planet orbiting Copernicus. An illustration shows just how closely the planet Janssen (left), depicted as an orange dot, orbits its host star Copernicus. Once Janssen moved in closer to Copernicus, the hell planet became even hotter.

☆ Veterans Messi and Lewandowski face off for knockout berth
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Andrew Cawthorne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Two of the most intimidating strikers in world football, Argentina's 35-year-old Lionel Messi and Poland's 34-year-old Robert Lewandowski, line up against each other on Wednesday with a last 16 place at stake in the World Cup. A draw would be enough for the South Americans too if Mexico and Saudi Arabia also end level. 'EMOTIONAL' LEWANDOWSKILike Messi, Lewandowski is also his nation's all-time top scorer and is on possibly his last mission at a World Cup. He has been in sizzling form for Messi's old club Barcelona and has also had an eventful start in Qatar. Lewandowski uncharacteristically missed a penalty in Poland's opening draw with Mexico before scoring his first ever World Cup goal in their 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

Farmers in both are fighting a losing battle to save the soil that produces our food. By contrast, there's not enough water in the vast Yangtze basin, which produces a third of China's crops. Soil erosion could lead to a 10% loss in global crop production by 2050, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Similarly, other measures such as digging thousands of new wells and encouraging farmers to switch crops to boost yields have limited impact. Options include not tilling soil to reduce erosion, and planting off-season cover crops to prevent erosion and nutrient loss.

☆ Cortez Masto makes a final push with Latina voters in close Nevada Senate race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“I didn’t know how I was going to pay the rent.”Barreat credited Cortez Masto for helping her secure small-business assistance to help her business survive the economic hit. And Cortez Masto’s campaign and allied groups say Latinas hold her political salvation in their hands. The strategy to target Latinas began months ago in the spring, before Cortez Masto even knew whom she’d be up against in the general election. Then, Somos PAC, a Democratic-aligned group that advocates for Cortez Masto, began an air assault against Laxalt on Spanish- and English-language TV. “Hispanic voters are leaving Senator Masto just [like] Joe Biden for the same reason everybody else is,” Laxalt said.

ONE AFTERNOON last month, Eristheo Raif freed his shins with the swoosh of two zips. Mr. Raif, 35, a Los Angeles high-school teacher, had been in a chilly classroom all morning, but it was time for P.E. Since the bottom halves of his new convertible cargo pants detach above the knees, he could unsheath his shanks in seconds. When a student inquired, “Weren’t they pants?” Mr. Raif replied, “Yeah, but it got hot, so now they’re shorts!” He last wore convertible cargos in the early 2000s. Indeed: These pants are “a big thing,” said Katie Devlin, an analyst at trend-forecasting agency Stylus.

☆ Chevron's $11.2 bln quarterly profit soars past estimates
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chevron posted a third-quarter net profit of $11.2 billion, or $5.78 per share - almost double the $6.1 billion from the same period last year, and well ahead of Wall Street's $4.86 estimate. The results will back higher project spending and increased oil and gas production next year, Chief Financial Officer Pierre Breber told Reuters. The company's cash flow from operations soared to a record $15.3 billion, far higher than the previous quarter. Its oil and gas business posted an operating profit that surged 81% to $9.3 billion, while its oil refining business nearly doubled to $2.5 billion. Still, profit from refining cooled from the second quarter, keeping overall earnings below the company's all-time record of $11.6 billion.

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