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"I don't have the brain for stock investments, and I am waiting to redeem mutual fund products once they break even. The interest in precious metals is a worrying indicator that China's efforts to revive its economy via domestic spending, after years of strict COVID curbs, may not be working. Households savings grew by 9.9 trillion yuan in the January-March period, after rising a record 17.8 trillion yuan in 2022. In 2021, they grew by 9.9 trillion yuan. "Economic fundamentals, risk aversion and the recovery of domestic consumption all drive the investment demand for jewellery and precious metals," said Pang Xichun, research director at Nanjing RiskHunt Investment Management Co.

☆ Scientists find an ancient virus might be the key to treating lung cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The remnants of ancient viruses that remain in human DNA can help people fight lung cancer. Scientists have found endogenous retroviruses can be awoken in cancer tissue and evoke an immune response. This could be the key to developing a cancer treatment vaccine and aiding survival rates. This discovery puts scientists closer to creating more effective treatments for lung cancer, he said. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the United States (when discounting skin cancer), with the organization estimating that 2023 will see roughly 238,340 new cases of lung cancer and 127,070 deaths from the disease.

"Weakness continues to develop in commercial real estate office," Wells Fargo Chief Executive Charlie Scharf said on a call with analysts. Stress in the commercial real estate sector could have broad implications for banks and the economy, as losses emanating there can tighten credit availability and exacerbate a downturn. More than $1.4 trillion in U.S. CRE loans will mature by 2027, with some $270 billion coming due this year, according to real estate data provider Trepp. As the epicenter for the technology industry downturn, California's CRE market has been hit hard. Citigroup and Wells Fargo declined to comment for this article.

☆ These 6 beaten-down bank stocks are about to make a big comeback in the upcoming earnings season, according to the director of equity research at CFRA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Here are six banks that should fare well in the Q1 earnings season despite the sector's challenges. A series of bank failures in early March sent shares of financial institutions plunging, and while bank stocks have stabilized in recent weeks, they haven't yet been able to mount a comeback. But when they kick off the Q1 earnings season in mid-April, banks can change the negative narrative — or reinforce existing concerns about the sector. "Banks may see higher revenue year-over-year and may surprise to the upside, beating consensus earnings estimates," Leon wrote. Below are the six bank stocks that CFRA expects to fare well in the first quarter earnings season, along with the ticker, market capitalization, and investment thesis for each.

☆ Get ready for a Goldilocks summer featuring a job market that's neither too hot nor too cold
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's set up a Goldilocks situation heading into summer, where the job market is cooling, but not enough to have an adverse effect on the average American. That could mean a summer of fewer price spikes at the grocery store, and less businesses scrambling to hire, while workers maintain some power in the job market. "We're still in a hot labor market," Nick Bunker, the economic research director for North America at Indeed Hiring Lab, told Insider. Getting to a just-right job marketBunker told Insider the US job market is getting close to something that looks like what we saw prior to the pandemic. If they did, it would represent a job market tipping into the "too cold" zone.

☆ The Fed is winning its war on inflation — and it means America could avoid a painful recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's a slowdown from the February's 6.0% reading, and it shows the Fed's war on inflation is working. That 5.0% inflation rate is the lowest since May 2021. While the Fed isn't planning on cutting interest rates this year, the latest economic data is a hint that a pause could be on the horizon. The bank's collapse amplified Powell critics' calls to pause interest rate hikes because of the economic uncertainty the debacle prompted. That along with too-high shelter and core inflation possibly keeping the Fed in a rate-hiking mindset means a recession isn't completely off the books.

☆ Black Americans are more likely to be working than white Americans for the first time on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Jason Lalljee | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In March, the Black employment-population ratio was above the white employment-population ratio for the first time since at least 1972. The unemployment rate for Black Americans also hit a record low of 5.0% in March. The employment-population ratio measures the share of a group that has a job, meaning that for the first time on record, Black Americans are more likely to currently be working than white Americans. Additionally, the unemployment rate for Black Americans fell by 0.7 percentage points to 5.0% in March, the lowest rate on record, according to Black unemployment data starting in 1972. Which is what makes March's low unemployment rate for Black Americans, and a higher employment-population ratio than the white employment-population ratio, so novel.

☆ The Fed could easily drive Black unemployment much higher than the overall jobless rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

However, the jobless rate isn’t expected to be that low for long. While that’s a small improvement from the central bank’s previous 4.6% jobless rate estimate, economists say it’s possible the unemployment rate could rise above the Fed’s expectations. It can be difficult to slow an unemployment spiralEconomists say it’s hard to guess the trajectory of the unemployment rate this year, noting it could very well exceed the Fed’s estimate. As such, the Fed’s tightening efforts could easily drive the Black unemployment rate much higher than the overall jobless rate, said William Spriggs, an economics professor at Howard University and chief economist to the AFL-CIO. The Black unemployment rate will easily get to 9% in that scenario.”One other likely consequence of growing unemployment is slowing wage growth, Bivens said.

"The fundamental consequence of Ince's (candidacy) is sending the elections to a second round," Panoramatr research director Osman Sert told Reuters. "But even if there is such a meltdown it would not prevent the election going to a second round," Sert said. POLITICAL STABILITYIf no presidential candidate gets more than 50% in the May 14 vote, the top two would compete in a second round two weeks later. Data from closely-watched pollster Metropoll showed Ince and undecided voters would determine the presidential vote, its head Ozer Sencar said. Among voters opposed to Erdogan, some voice dissatisfaction with the diverse main opposition alliance, partly as it includes parties led by former Erdogan allies and an Islamist party.

☆ An NYC real estate investor explains why the 'golden age' of being a landlord is over and he's switching to 'safer' investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A major NYC landlord told Bloomberg this week that he's selling off the bulk of his properties. He says the shifting political power of tenants and increased costs of being a landlord are why. Ben Carlos Thypin told Bloomberg this week on the "Odd Lots" podcast that he's pursuing an "orderly liquidation" of his properties. Power is slowly shifting from landlords to rentersWhen directly asked by Bloomberg about whether there ever was a "golden age" for landlords, Thypin pointed to research showing how policies in the 1950s helped create a boom for property owners. She added that real estate policies tend to target the creation of new properties, rather than protecting tenants in existing ones.

☆ Gen Z, Millennials Are Now As Sick and Tired of Their Jobs As Boomers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Young workers may not possess the experience or wisdom of their older colleagues. When Gartner asked people what was preventing them from going into the office, Gen Zers were more likely than other generations to cite social anxiety. Pollak, the consultant, told me about a client who complained that their Gen Z employees were "abusing" the company's vacation policy. But these are the very people who can help young workers feel more seen and motivated in their jobs. My suggestions are targeted to shore up engagement among young workers, but they'd actually be good for everyone.

☆ Office Doom Loop: Landlords Face a Reckoning As Companies Move to Fancy Offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The Gas Company Tower in downtown Los Angeles has a sterling pedigree, but even that can't save it from the doom loop facing many older office towers. A huge swath of America's office market is vulnerable to these twin threats of being under-equipped with amenities and underwater financially. This behavioral shift has deeply cut into demand for office space. The amount of sublease space nationally more than doubled from 118.5 million square feet at the end of 2019 to 242.8 million square feet at the end of 2022, Colliers stated. Lenders are often reluctant, he said, to seize office buildings because of the costs and expertise required to operate the properties.

☆ Apple's own execs are split on whether the company should make smart goggles. Experts say if Apple can't make smart glasses happen, no one can.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Apple is reportedly introducing its Reality Pro smart goggles in June. Experts say the goggles may not be a smash success, but if anyone can make it work, it's Apple. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that a rare wave of dissent made its way into the team behind Apple's mixed-reality smart goggles, called Apple Reality Pro. Apple Reality Pro will have a wow-factor to it because it's had time to improve upon the foundations laid by its competitors. The virtual reality headset market was worth $7.7 billion in 2022, according to a report by Grandview Research.

LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Reuters) - When Cassidy Jacobson was 13 years old, she posted a video of herself dancing on the popular app TikTok. Jacobson dreams of using her success on TikTok - an app used by 150 million Americans - to start her own curly hair care line and inspire others to love their natural curls. Last week, TikTok said the Biden administration demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential ban. Whether it’s creating all new content for YouTube reels or taking her TikTok content and transferring it over to Instagram, the influencer is making sure to diversify her content. Beyond popularity and fans, TikTok backers believe it provides livelihoods, paths to social change and a sense of community.

☆ China expected to account for 40% of this year's oil demand recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - China is expected to account for around 40% of the increase in global oil demand this year as its economy emerges from strict lockdowns, but the increased use will not take prices back to 2022 levels, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said on Thursday. This would equate to 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of a 2.6 mln bpd increase in global oil demand this year. A high-growth scenario, under which China's GDP rises by 7%, would add a further 400,000 bpd of Chinese demand, the report said. Global refining margins are set to decline to around $6/bbl in the fourth quarter compared with $11/bbl a year earlier, WoodMac said, as additions to global refining capacity outpace demand growth for transport fuels. The consultancy expects diesel profit margins to crude to average $30/bbl in the fourth quarter, while gasoline is expected to average around $5-6/bbl, Williams said.

Most carmakers said their battery packs are repairable, though few seem willing to share access to battery data. Lauterwasser said access to EV battery data is part of that fight. EV battery problems also expose a hole in the green "circular economy" touted by carmakers. Hill estimated at least 95% of the cells in the hundreds of EV battery packs - and thousands of hybrid battery packs - Synetiq has stored at Doncaster are undamaged and should be reused. 'PAIN POINTS'The British government is funding research into EV insurance "pain points" led by Thatcham, Synetiq and insurer LV=.

☆ The U.S. banking system from a capital position is in a good spot, says JMP's Devin Ryan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe U.S. banking system from a capital position is in a good spot, says JMP's Devin RyanDevin Ryan, JMP Securities director of financial technology research director, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss what the Credit Suisse sale means for the global banking picture and more.

While Xiaomi remained focused on selling mobile phones under 10,000 rupees ($120), Indian consumers were willing to pay up for better looking models with richer features. According to Counterpoint, the market share of the sub-$120 phones in India fell to 26% in 2022 from 41% two years ago. And premium phones - priced above 30,000 ($360) - saw their share double to 11% in the same period. Xiaomi and Samsung both count India as a key growth market, with smartphones their top selling electronic device. And premium phones accounted for only 0%-1% of Xiaomi's total India phone shipments in the last two years, when Samsung's higher-end phones more than doubled their share to 13%, Counterpoint data showed.

☆ Dirty Dozen list: Which fruits and vegetables could contain pesticides
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Each year, a rotating list of produce is tested by USDA staffers who wash, peel or scrub fruits and vegetables as consumers would before the food is examined for 251 different pesticides. Kale, collard and mustard greens contained the largest number of different pesticides — 103 types — followed by hot and bell peppers at 101. Concerned consumers can consider choosing conventionally grown vegetables and fruits from the EWG’s Clean 15, a list of crops that tested lowest in pesticides, the report said. When last tested in 2014, blueberries contained over 50 different pesticides. Testing in 2020 and 2021 found 54 different pesticides — about the same amount.

Persons: nutritionists, Kale, collard, ”, Jane Houlihan, Houlihan, Ian Berry, Alexis Temkin, ” Temkin, we’re, ” Chris Novak, ” Novak, Bryan Hitchcock, Temkin, “, “ Steer Organizations: CNN, Environmental, Produce, US Department of Agriculture, USDA, Environmental Protection Agency, Healthy, American Academy of Pediatrics, Futures, EPA, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, CropLife, Food Technologists, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: CropLife America

☆ Inflation cooled down again in February as the Fed wrestles with the Silicon Valley Bank failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The consumer price index rose 6.0% year-over-year in February, less than January's year-over-year change of 6.4%. The cooldown should be welcome news to the Fed as it prepares for its interest rate decision next week. According to Tuesday's consumer price index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI soared 6.0% year-over-year in February. More specifically, the change for the index for food at home was 10.2%, higher than the year-over-year change of 8.4% for food away from home. The Fed will also have to confront a new round of financial turmoil after regulators recently closed Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

☆ How self-service data analytics can deliver better business insights more quickly
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

That's exactly what self-service analytics is designed to do. Self-service analytics tools allow business users who are not trained in analytics or data science to perform queries and generate reports on their own, with minimal or no need of support from the IT department. Unfortunately, even with all the advances in products, analytics has not penetrated enterprises as much as it could, Menninger said. Two technical advances are helping improve self-service analytics, Menninger said. "With self-service analytics, we can consume and analyze multiple years of data, compared to previous spreadsheet-based data-wrangling methods that were limited to just 90 days of data."

☆ ‘Absolutely idiotic’. SVB insider says employees are angry with CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“That was absolutely idiotic,” the employee, who works on the asset management side of Silicon Valley Bank, told CNN in an interview. By the close of business that day, Silicon Valley Bank had a negative cash balance of about $958 million. “People are just shocked at how stupid the CEO is,” the Silicon Valley Bank insider said. “There should be no mistaking that Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse was a direct result of the Fed’s persistent and excessive interest rate hikes,” they wrote. Of course, Silicon Valley Bank had more than a year to prepare for both of those issues.

☆ US would destroy Taiwan's semiconductor factories rather than letting them fall into China's hands, a former national security adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A former security adviser told Semafor the US would destroy Taiwan's semiconductor factories if China invaded. Robert O'Brien, who served as national security advisor under Donald Trump, said the US "and its allies are never going to let those factories fall into Chinese hands." Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the world's largest chipmaker, making up an estimated 90% of the market for advanced processors. O'Brien is not the first to raise the idea of destroying Taiwan's semiconductor factories if China invades. "This could be done most effectively by threatening to destroy facilities belonging to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the most important chipmaker in the world and China's most important supplier.

☆ Li Qiang becomes China's premier, tasked with reviving economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Li Qiang, likely to become the next premier, is pictured here speaking at a major annual financial conference in Shanghai in 2020. Li Qiang, the former Communist Party chief of Shanghai, took office on Saturday as China's premier, the country's No.2 post, putting the close ally of President Xi Jinping in charge of reviving an economy battered by three years of COVID-19 curbs. Li Qiang is the first premier since the founding of the People's Republic never to have served previously in the central government, meaning he may face a steep learning curve in the initial months on the job, analysts said. Still, Li's close ties with Xi - Li was Xi's chief of staff between 2004 and 2007, when the latter was provincial party secretary of Zhejiang province - will empower him to get things done, leadership-watchers said. "My reading of the situation is that Li Qiang will have a lot more leeway and authority within the system," said Trey McArver, co-founder of consultancy Trivium China.

☆ The Great Resignation is pretty much over for some workers — but not everyone. See how your industry is doing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Right now, the Great Resignation is still strong in many blue-collar, service industries. But the Great Resignation is coming to an end in remote, knowledge-based roles. Information, which encompasses some tech roles, also saw employment decline from January to February. "If you read about the Great Resignation while you were working from home on a computer, in your pajamas, the Great Resignation's over," Terrazas said. In industries like retail and leisure and hospitality, the Great Resignation lives on.

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