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☆ Amyloid Gains Converts in Debate Over Alzheimer’s Treatments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Joseph Walker | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The success of Eisai Co.’s new Alzheimer’s drug has helped quiet a decadeslong dispute over a leading theory of what causes the disease and how to treat it, with proponents declaring victory and some former skeptics switching sides. Since the early 1990s, many scientists have thought that removing clumps of a sticky protein called amyloid from the brains of Alzheimer’s patients could help slow the disease, if not stall or reverse it. The theory was an outgrowth of the “amyloid hypothesis,” which held that an abnormal accumulation of brain amyloid was the central trigger in a complex neurodegenerative process leading to Alzheimer’s.

Recent price trends imply better profitability for U.S. farmers to plant corn over soybeans this year, and both analysts and USDA agree corn acres will rise above the year-ago levels. USDA’s 91 million corn acres were nearly identical to the trade’s 90.9 million and above last year’s 88.6 million. I polled Twitter on Wednesday for the most likely surprise in this year’s intentions, offering choices of corn acres high or low or soybean acres high or low. Those long-term tables also had 2023 wheat plantings at 47.5 million acres, soybeans at 87 million and corn at 92 million. USDA’s trend corn yield is calculated with planting progress and summer weather assumptions.

☆ India's sugar output could fall further as cane matures early
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lower sugar output could prevent the world's second-biggest exporter from allowing additional exports, potentially supporting global prices , , and helping rivals Brazil and Thailand to increase their shipments. Another global trade house has reduced output estimate to 32.4 million tonnes, anticipating a big drop in Maharashtra's production to around 11.3 million tonnes. Maharashtra's sugar cane commissioner was expecting the state to produce 12.8 million tonnes. "The cane crop is just 10 months old, but started flowering last month and losing weight," Avinash Thombare, a sugar cane grower from Satara district, said, as he showed the crop with white flowers. India has allowed sugar mills to export only 6.1 million tonnes of the sweetener in the current season, down from the record 11 million tonnes exported in the previous season.

☆ Sleep experts explain why your dreams are so vivid that you remember them long after waking up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Carla Delgado | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The most vivid dreams typically occur during rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. A typical sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes and transitions between two primary stages: non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. Why your dreams are so vivid and sometimes disturbingYou're more likely to remember dreams closer to waking up. Therefore, we're more likely to remember dreams closer to waking up compared to right after falling asleep. Moreover, "we are more likely to remember dreams if … they are upsetting or if we consciously try to remember them," Mundt added.

☆ Worried residents near Ohio train derailment report dead fish and chickens as authorities say it's safe to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Aria Bendix | David K. Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. For days, authorities have been telling residents of the area around East Palestine, Ohio, that it is safe to return home after a 150-car train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed Feb. 3. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the chemical spill resulting from the derailment had killed an estimated 3,500 small fish across 7½ miles of streams as of Wednesday. For some people who live near the derailment site, the reports continue to spur fear that they and their animals might be exposed to chemicals through the air, water and soil. The Ohio Department of Agriculture said the risk to livestock remains low.

☆ Chinese A.I. stocks jump on growing ChatGPT interest, state media warns of risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Visitors walk past a stand with AI (artificial intelligence) security cameras using facial recognition technology at the 14th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing in 2018. With growing interest surrounding OpenAI's ChatGPT, stocks related to artificial intelligence listed in mainland China have soared this year – with one company having tripled in valuation since January. Alibaba told CNBC it's working on a rival product similar to ChatGPT, while Baidu announced earlier this week it will launch "Ernie bot," its own artificial intelligence chatbot. Hanwang Technology is up 124% and CloudWalk Technology Company rose 105% as of Wednesday's trading session. "Please pay attention to investors, avoid capital risks, hype, make rational decisions, and invest prudently," it said in a Tuesday filing.

☆ Why Vaccine Skepticism Is Growing on the Right
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Allysia Finley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Republicans cheered when Covid-19 vaccines rolled out two year ago. “I think the messaging should be, ‘Get a vaccine because it’s good for you to do it. You’re not going to have to have to be doing anything abnormal. The message from the Biden administration and public-health officials has been different: Vaccines are safe and effective. Those who don’t trust us should shut up.

In 2021, banks reported nearly 250,000 cases of check fraud nationwide, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a unit of the U.S. Treasury Department. By last year, that number exploded: nearly 460,000 check fraud cases were reported – an increase of 84%. "Check fraud, and perhaps fraud in general flourishes on Telegram mainly due to its unrestrictive nature," Noriega said. Even so, Q6 was able to find at least 30 channels on Telegram dedicated to providing the latest tips and techniques to commit bank fraud. "Telegram is unfortunately a source for all things check fraud," Noriega said.

☆ JPMorgan reviews oversight of traders amid boom in financial markets - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Stefania Spezzati | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KPMG is reviewing JPMorgan’s oversight of traders across the bank's markets division globally, the people said. The CBOE Volatility Index (.VIX), a measure of market volatility, remains above its pre-pandemic levels. JPMorgan, when asked by Reuters why it had hired KPMG, said: "We invest heavily in our compliance and surveillance systems and often engage third parties to benchmark our capabilities." Under the agreement, which ends this year, the bank committed to enhance its compliance efforts and to report fixes to its oversight, the DoJ said. The volatility in UK government bonds, known as gilts, triggered a flood of compliance alerts from JPMorgan’s traders, one of the sources said.

☆ Cowen says buy Regeneron, success of drugs could help pharmaceutical stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Regeneron 's stock could get a boost as one of its major drugs gains a competitive edge and another continues dominating, according to Cowen. Analyst Tyler Van Buren on Monday upgraded the pharmaceutical stock to outperform from market perform. Van Buren said Eylea has an "incremental improvement" over competing drug Vabysmo after previously being considered equal. "The HD Eylea data has altered the trajectory of Regeneron," Van Buren said in a note to clients. Van Buren said Regeneron's cancer portfolio continues to post little to no value, but there's potential opportunity in Odronextamab and Fianlimab specifically.

☆ I'm a leg-lengthening surgeon. Most of my clients are men with confidence issues — here's what the procedure's like
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Natalie Rahhal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Shahab Mahboubian performs 30 to 40 cosmetic limb-lengthening surgeries a year. The only field in medicine that uses all of these tools is orthopedic surgery, so it seemed like the right fit. I specialized in limb-lengthening surgery specifically because I wanted to do something that was different from everybody else. People that undergo limb-lengthening surgery are from all walks of life, and many used COVID lockdowns to recover post-surgery. I would say 80% to 85% of my cosmetic limb-lengthening patients are men, and 15% to 20% are women.

☆ Tyre Nichols video showed how ‘culture of policing’ and ‘ancient’ procedures were on display, ex-officers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Memphis authorities on Friday released videos from multiple vantage points showing the aftermath of the traffic stop. Five Memphis police officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder, and other crimes, including aggravated assault and kidnapping. Georgetown Law professor and NBC News legal analyst Paul Butler appeared on MSNBC Saturday to discuss the release of the Nichols video. Video shows Nichols escaped while on the ground and an officer shot a stun gun at him. “The bottom line is there were sufficient number of officers to do as such and to get him corralled and handcuffed at that traffic stop.

☆ Tyler Posey is going to keep playing Scott McCall as long as 'Teen Wolf' fans will let him
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Tyler Posey as Scott McCall on season one of "Teen Wolf." Tyler Posey as Scott, Vince Mattis as Eli, and Crystal Reed as Allison in "Teen Wolf: The Movie." "I hope there's more 'Teen Wolf,'" Posey reiterates. Tyler Posey as Scott McCall in "Teen Wolf: The Movie." "But also, 'Teen Wolf' has been known to bring every single person back from the dead, so it's never finite."

[1/3] Vehicle lights cause light streaks on the road along a market, during country-wide power breakdown in Karachi, Pakistan January 23, 2023. But the blackout in Pakistan on Monday was its second near-complete grid failure and the third in south Asia in three months. Grid operators attempt to keep the frequency of the grid stable at 50 hz, with deviations over 0.05 hz typically considered abnormal. "Transmission lines tripped, which resulted in isolation of north and south system," Akthar said in the note. About 11.35 gigawatts (GW) of power plants were in operation across the country when the transmission lines tripped and separated the northern and southern grid, the note read.

The company reiterated it expects to generate $3 billion to $5 billion in free cash flow in 2023. Boeing generated $3.1 billion in free cash flow in the final quarter of 2022. Boeing reported $2.3 billion for all of 2022. Boeing reported fourth-quarter revenue of $20 billion, up from $14.79 billion in the same quarter in 2022, and a loss per share of $1.75. Earlier this month, Boeing reported a sharp jump in airplane orders and deliveries in 2022.

☆ New York Stock Exchange blames ‘manual error’ for trading glitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —New York Stock Exchange officials said Wednesday that a “manual error” was responsible for the massive price swings and trading halt of hundreds of company stocks that punctuated Tuesday’s market open. The root cause of the error, which the exchange said has been resolved, was an error tied to the company’s “disaster recovery” configuration, they said. In total, more than 1,300 trades and 84 stocks were impacted by the error and marked as abnormal, according to NYSE. The exchange compiles these buy and sell orders and formats a single price that is then quoted at market open. The price is meant to balance out supply and demand for the stock and limit volatility in early trading.

☆ Boeing posts a big loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Boeing reported a $650 million operating loss in the fourth quarter, surprising Wall Street analysts who had expected the aircraft giant to turn a profit. What’s more, Boeing had to shell out an unspecified amount of compensation to 787 customers whose deliveries were delayed by about a year. Boeing has reported only two profitable quarters in the nearly four years since the grounding of the 737 Max. So while that’s an improvement from the loss of $7.69 a share in the fourth quarter of of 2021, it’s also a big disappointment. Boeing finally brought in $3.5 billion more cash than it spent, and the company reaffirmed its guidance for 2023 of positive operating cash flow of between $4.5 bililon to $6.5 billion.

☆ Bank earnings become a post-Covid parlor game
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Chief among the mysteries is how much interest banks will harvest in 2023 and beyond. Even then, the link between benchmark interest rates and the rate banks actually charge is getting harder to forecast. Bank of America boss Brian Moynihan said that depositors who used to have roughly $3,500 with the bank now have almost four times more. Goldman just laid off 6% of its workforce, but it remains bigger than it was in 2019; Bank of America says it’s still hiring. To that end, the fog is arguably less troublesome for Goldman and Morgan Stanley than it is for JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citigroup (C.N).

☆ Buy these 42 stocks in BMO's market-crushing US dividend growth portfolio to earn income and hedge against high prices in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Here are the 42 stocks in BMO's US dividend growth portfolio, which beat the market soundly in 2022. One such model, the US dividend growth portfolio, beat the S&P 500 convincingly in 2022, falling just 5.4% after dividends compared to the index's -18.1% total return. And in 2021, the US dividend growth portfolio matched the S&P 500's performance exactly by rising 28.7%. Still, Belski noted that 30 of the 42 stocks held in BMO's US dividend growth portfolio topped the S&P 500 in the fourth quarter. Below are the 42 stocks in BMO Capital Markets' market-beating US dividend growth portfolio right now, along with the ticker, market capitalization, sector, and dividend yield for each.

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - European Union energy regulators published their first daily liquefied natural gas (LNG) price assessment on Thursday, a first step in the EU's plan to launch a new European LNG benchmark price by the end of March. WHY DOES THE EU WANT A NEW LNG PRICE? Unlike pipeline gas, LNG is not widely traded on exchanges, so there is less visibility on how much the fuel costs. HOW WILL ACER'S LNG PRICE BE DIFFERENT? ACER can only produce a price assessment if it receives at least five transactions in the assessed five-day period.

☆ Japan's yield control faces biggest test to date as BOJ debates policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But with inflation exceeding its 2% target, the BOJ is facing its biggest test so far for its stimulatory policy, which is called yield curve control (YCC). The cap for the 10-year bond therefore became 0.5%. Market expectations of an early rate hike have boosted yields broadly, with the eight-year moving higher than the 10-year yield. In considering the BOJ's options, some analysts bet it will further widen the band and allow the 10-year yield to rise as far as 0.75%. Others expect the central bank to raise the 10-year yield target above 0%, change it to one targeting a shorter-dated maturity, or abandon it altogether.

☆ Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly had to repeatedly remind the former president he could not share classified information with friends, NYT journalist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump's former chief of staff did not trust how he handled classified information, NYT journalist says. Michael Schmidt said John Kelly was concerned that Trump "could damage national security." "Kelly did not trust that Trump knew how to handle classified information,' Schmidt said. "Kelly did not trust that Trump knew how to handle classified information,' Schmidt said. Schmidt added: "Here's the chief of staff to the president of the united state concerned that the president of the united states could damage national security.

"George Santos' campaign last year was a campaign of deceit, lies and fabrication," Nassau County Republican Party Chairman Joseph Cairo said at a news conference. "He deceived the voters of the 3rd Congressional District, he deceived members of the Nassau County Republican committee, elected officials, his colleagues, candidates, his opponents and even some of the media," Cairo said. Nassau County Republican Party chairman Joseph Cairo and members of the Nassau County Republican Committee hold a news conference regarding the future of U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) at Nassau County Republican Committee in Westbury, New York, U.S. January 11, 2023. "He's a national joke, he's an international joke, but this joke's got to go," said Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin. As a member of Congress, Santos represents parts of Queens and Nassau County, a region of Long Island in New York.

Silbert is the founder of Digital Currency Group (DCG), a crypto conglomerate that includes the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust and trading platform Genesis. Winklevoss, along with his brother Tyler, co-founded Gemini, a popular crypto exchange that, unlike many of its peers, is subject to New York banking regulation. Winklevoss and Silbert were linked through an offering called Earn, a nearly two-year-old product from Gemini that promoted returns of up to 8% on customer deposits. With Earn, Gemini loaned client money to Genesis for placement across various crypto trading desks and borrowers. Silbert has avoided responding directly to Winklevoss' latest accusation, though the company has taken up his defense.

☆ Eli Lilly has spent years and billions of dollars in search of an effective Alzheimer's drug. But success is not all or nothing for the stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +22 min

Eli Lilly (LLY) has spent decades researching Alzheimer's disease without successfully bringing to market a treatment that slows the memory-destroying condition. For Eli Lilly as a company, an Alzheimer's drug is an important pursuit. Lilly's Alzheimer's history Eli Lilly's "first real foray" into Alzheimer's came in the 1990s, according to Dr. John Sims, Eli Lilly's head of medical development for donanemab. Financial implications for Lilly LLY mountain 2021-10-08 The Club started a new position in Eli Lilly (LLY) in October 2021. The Eli Lilly logo is shown on one of the company's offices in San Diego, California, September 17, 2020.

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