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☆ Is the ‘100 envelope challenge’ a smart money move?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Christine Romans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It’s called the “100 Envelope Challenge” on TikTok, and it promises to put more than $5,000 in your pocket in just 100 days. Continue this way until day 100, when your final savings deposit of $100 will bring you to a grand total of $5,050. But given how popular the envelope challenge has become, I decided to ask certified financial planner Doug Flynn of Flynn Zito Capital Management for his take. “I’m all for whatever it takes to get people talking about saving money. The envelope challenge videos have a get-rich-quick flair that is certainly viral and entertaining, but obviously the exception, not the rule.

Separately, the Commerce Department said gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annualized rate of 2.9% in the fourth quarter, above expectations of a 2.6% rise. "It's clear the economy remains relatively strong in the face of the Fed's efforts, suggesting they're succeeding." Growth stocks have been on a winning spree in January, with the S&P 500 Growth index (.IGX) recouping more than half of the losses logged last month. Keeping a lid on gains for Dow e-minis was chemical firm Dow Inc (DOW.N) that slid 3.3% after it missed Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit, hurt by higher energy costs, weaker demand and supply chain disruptions. ET, Dow e-minis were up 81 points, or 0.24%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 22.25 points, or 0.55%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 121.75 points, or 1.03%.

Tesla jumped 10.1%, boosting the S&P 500 consumer discretionary sector index (.SPLRCD). Battered growth stocks have been gaining in January, with the S&P 500 Growth index (.IGX) recouping more than half of the losses logged last month. So far, 126 companies in the S&P 500 have reported fourth-quarter earnings, with 69% topping consensus estimates which is below the average of the past four quarters at 76%, according to Refinitiv. Analysts now see aggregate S&P 500 earnings dropping 2.7% year-on-year. The S&P index recorded 19 new 52-week highs and no new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 63 new highs and 11 new lows.

☆ Jeff Bezos' partner Lauren Sánchez talked about being rejected as flight attendant because of her weight and becoming a pilot instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Media personality Lauren Sánchez has been publically dating billionaire CEO Jeff Bezos since 2019. Sánchez was also married to her former spouse, Patrick Whitesell, the executive chairman at William Morris Endeavor, at the time. "This is one of the only places I feel entirely in control," Sánchez told the outlet. "I don't know why more women don't do it," she told The Journal. "It's going to be women who are making a difference in the world and who are impactful and have a message to send,'" Sánchez told The Journal.

☆ Britain sounds alarm on Russia-based hacking group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( James Pearson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A Russia-based hacking group named Cold River is behind an expansive and ongoing information-gathering campaign that has struck various targets in government, politics, academia, defence, journalism, and activism, Britain said on Thursday. "There is often some correspondence between attacker and target, sometimes over an extended period, as the attacker builds rapport," the advisory said. A second, Iran-based, group known as Charming Kitten has deployed the same "spear-phishing" techniques to gather information, according to the NCSC. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said the Iranian government had no knowledge of the group. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies, cybersecurity researchers and western government officials told Reuters.

☆ Oil prices steady after smaller-than-expected U.S. crude build
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Smaller-than-expected build in U.S. crude stocksBroader markets weighed by economic slowdown concernsU.S. business activity contracts in JanuaryOPEC+ unlikely to tweak oil policy at Feb. 1 meetingBENGALURU, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Oil prices were largely unchanged on Wednesday, after government data showed a smaller-than-anticipated build in U.S. crude inventories, countering weak economic data from Tuesday. Brent crude was up 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $86.38 a barrel by 1:41 p.m. EST (1841 GMT) after declining 2.3% in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 49 cents, or 0.6%, to $80.62 a barrel, after a 1.8% drop on Tuesday. "If we look at crude, the increase in stocks was much smaller-than-anticipated, and that is raising concerns about tightness in supply. On Wednesday, oil prices and broader financial markets were weighed down by data published on Tuesday showing U.S. business activity contracted in January for the seventh-straight month, raising concerns about an economic slowdown.

Jan 25 (Reuters) - U.S. crude inventories rose last week as demand for fuels tapered off, and while the increase was less than expected, crude stocks reached the highest level since June 2021, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday. U.S. crude futures rose by more than $1 to a session high of $81.23 on Wednesday morning, before paring gains. Total product supplied, a proxy for fuel demand, fell 867,000 barrels per day to 19.4 million bpd, EIA data showed. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub (USOICC=ECI) rose by 4.3 million barrels in the last week, the EIA said. Net U.S. crude imports (USOICI=ECI) fell by 1.79 million barrels per day, the EIA said.

☆ Oil edges up after less-than-expected U.S. inventories rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 39 cents, or 0.5%, to $80.52 a barrel, after a 1.8% drop on Tuesday. U.S. crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) rose by 533,000 barrels in the last week to 448.5 million barrels, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday. "If we look at crude, the increase in stocks was much smaller-than-anticipated, and that is raising concerns about tightness in supply. An OPEC+ panel is likely to endorse the group's current policy at a Feb. 1 meeting, OPEC+ sources said on Tuesday. OPEC+ in October decided to trim output by 2 million barrels per day from November through 2023 on a weaker economic outlook.

"If prices keep increasing, rural consumers will move towards smaller pack sizes since there's a strain on wallets," said Alok Shah, a consumer analyst at India's Ambit Capital. Shah said poorer rural consumers could move to cheaper locally-made products instead of those produced by Unilever. HUL, the biggest consumer company in India by sales, said last January that demand in rural India - where average incomes are lower than urban areas - had begun to slow as prices rose. Unilever did not respond to questions on how much of its revenues come from rural consumers. HUL Chief Executive Sanjiv Mehta said, however, the company had begun seeing signs of a pick up in rural sales as inflation eases and farm incomes rise again.

☆ I'm a stay-at-home dad who makes $20,000 a month through YouTube and email marketing. The first year I only made 13 cents — here's how I scaled up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Perri Ormont Blumberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In 2017, I started to research how to make money online and teach myself digital marketing because I wanted to make extra money from home while taking care of my boys. I repurpose my videos on YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok, which brings in additional revenue. Video titles that I've seen success with are related to working from home, how to work remotely, and how to make money online. I also just hired someone to start repurposing all my YouTube videos and turn them into 60-second vertical videos for TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook all work on algorithms, and they need time to learn about your content so they can show it to the right people.

☆ What we know about the Biden classified documents drama
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Ryan Flynn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ UK parliament considers recalling Amazon exec after lawmaker "unhappy" with testimony
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An Amazon spokesperson strongly denied the executive - European policy chief Brian Palmer - misled the committee. It cited legal filings related to U.S. court cases and testimony from workers at five warehouses in the UK. "We were extremely unhappy with his testimony," McDonald told Reuters. An Amazon spokesperson said that Amazon used CCTV cameras "to ensure the safety of employees and security of products". "To suggest that the use of these standard business practices amount to surveillance of employees is wrong," the Amazon spokesperson added.

☆ QAnon influencer who accused Democrats of pedophilia was himself convicted of abusing 8-year-old boy in 1999
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A clip shows a QAnon influencer being confronted over a past child-abuse conviction. The clip is from HBO Max documentary "This Place Rules." The belief that elite Hollywood figures and Democrats covertly run child abuse rings is one of the core claims of QAnon, the sprawling online conspiracy theory movement that Todeschini has promoted. "Do you feel like maybe you're projecting by …" said Callaghan, before Todeschini jumps back in to say: "No, I'm not projecting." "This Place Rules" explores the undercurrents that resulted in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and is being streamed on HBO Max.

☆ Musk’s Twitter restores accounts of prominent election deniers two years after Jan. 6 attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk’s Twitter has restored the accounts of two prominent election deniers who were banned from the platform following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. “Stop the Steal” organizer Ali Alexander’s account was restored on Monday. Alexander assumed a leadership role in the movement that discredited the 2020 election in the weeks leading up to January 6. Watkins played a central role in spreading conspiracy theories about voting machine and the 2020 election. An HBO documentary in 2021 identified Ron as potentially being the anonymous figure behind the conspiracy theory, an assertion that Ron has denied.

Brent crude was up $1.29, or 1.6%, at $79.80 a barrel by 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 GMT). "The gradual reopening of the Chinese economy will provide an additional and immeasurable layer of price support," said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM. The rally followed a drop last week of more than 8% for both oil benchmarks, their biggest weekly declines at the start of a year since 2016. As part of a "new phase" in the fight against COVID-19, China opened its borders over the weekend for the first time in three years. "The NY Fed data should be supportive for oil prices, as it suggests that inflation is peaking," said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures group.

☆ Elon Musk allowed Michael Flynn — one of the most notorious 2020 election deniers — back on Twitter on the 2nd anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk reinstated Michael Flynn on Twitter on Friday — two years after the deadly Jan. 6 attack. The former national security advisor was one of the most vocal 2020 election deniers. Flynn thanked Musk directly in a Friday tweet for allowing him back on the platform. Prior to his suspension, Flynn frequently shared falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election results with his more than 1 million followers. Roger Stone, a staunch Trump ally soon took up Flynn's cause, tweeting directly at Twitter CEO Elon Musk asking the billionaire to reinstate Flynn.

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A Russian hacking team known as Cold River targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies since the invasion of Ukraine, according to cybersecurity researchers and western government officials. 'INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION'In May, Cold River broke into and leaked emails belonging to the former head of Britain's MI6 spy service. Reuters was unable independently to confirm why Cold River targeted the NGOs. "Google has tied this individual to the Russian hacking group Cold River and their early operations," he said.

A majority of the 10 global asset and hedge fund managers surveyed by Reuters said commodities are undervalued and should thrive as global inflation stays elevated in 2023. Preqin said just 915 hedge funds were launched in 2022, the lowest in 10 years. "It's the perfect environment for macro hedge funds: central bank policy divergence, interest rate differentials, geopolitical tension, bottlenecks and each country on its own. Macro hedge funds led the industry performance through November, according to financial data firm HFR, up roughly 8%. Lyons is keen to allot more to macro hedge funds and also thinks there are good opportunities in corporate credit.

☆ Gen. Mark Milley said there were talks about court-martialing former military officers who wrote 'very critical' op-eds of Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen. Mark Milley said there were talks of retaliating against retired officers critical of Trump. Several former military officers wrote up-eds criticizing Trump during his presidency. Milley said he was concerned about politicization of the military in his testimony before the January 6 committee. Milley responded by saying he was concerned about the politicization of the military, and that the issue had come up during the Trump administration after op-eds written by retired military officers were "very critical of then President Trump." Milley did not specify which retired military officers were considered for court-martialing, but several wrote critical op-eds of Trump during his time in office.

☆ Hiking has become a nationwide New Year's Day tradition
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Just 380 people participated in the initial First Day Hike in 1992 at the nearly 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation just south of Boston. On Sunday, tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in First Day Hikes at hundreds of parks in all 50 states. The late Patrick Flynn, the former supervisor at Blue Hills, came up with the original plan. In 2012, First Day Hikes went nationwide when the National Association of State Park Directors endorsed the idea. Elijah Bristow State Park near Eugene is even offering a first day horseback ride.

☆ HBO documentary filmmaker says cable news 'ramped people up' for Jan. 6th and influencers like Alex Jones deserve jail time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Daniel T. Allen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

He interviewed far-right figures, including Alex Jones, Enrique Tarrio, and supporters of QAnon. Andrew Callaghan interviewing Alex Jones on the set of Info Wars. You interviewed Alex Jones, Enrique Tarrio, and other fringe figures for "This Place Rules." Alex Jones makes millions of dollars selling brain pills, basically. I think the people who should be in jail for it are brainwashed content creators like Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn, Enrique Tarrio, and Alex Jones.

Ali Alexander said he believed White House wanted him to lead rallygoers to Capitol "Stop The Steal" organizer Ali Alexander believed the White House wanted him to lead attendees of Trump's Jan. 6 rally to the Capitol, the report said. Alex Jones, who has claimed the White House told him to lead the march, texted Wren at 12:27 p.m. Finally one of the staffers told Trump they thought he should focus on his speech. Trump told Jan. 6 demonstrators at the Capitol in a Twitter video that he loved them but that they should go home. The information was expected to be available as soon as Thursday — the day the House Jan. 6 committee is set to issue its final report on the riot.

WASHINGTON — The House Jan. 6 committee on Thursday unveiled its formal report, the final product of its historic 18-month investigation into the deadly attack on the Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. It was the first time in history that a congressional committee had made criminal referrals for a U.S. president. A video of former President Donald Trump is shown at the House Jan. 6 committee's final meeting Monday. "Among the most shameful of this committee’s findings was that President Trump sat in the dining room off the Oval Office watching the violent riot at the Capitol on television. At her final news conference as speaker Thursday, Pelosi praised Thompson, Cheney and the other Jan. 6 members for their "persistent, patriotic leadership."

☆ Colombia's oil theft soars, leaving trail of environmental harm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Oliver Griffin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Reuters accompanied a police unit tasked with tackling oil theft in September to two sites near Tumaco, a Pacific port in southwest Colombia that is the terminal for the country's Transandino oil pipeline. The animals, the trees - everything is totally burned," said Colonel Johan Pena, commander of the police unit charged with tackling oil theft in Narino, a province bordering Ecuador that is known for cocaine production. Reuters approached more than a dozen environmental groups, rights advocates, government agencies and international organizations who either said they had no detailed information on the extent of the environmental damage in Colombia from oil theft or did not respond to questions. Oil spills on land smother soil pore spaces, restricting microorganisms' access to oxygen, said Martha Daza, a professor at Cali-based university Universidad del Valle's school of engineering of natural resources and the environment. Regional health authorities in Narino did not immediately respond to questions about the health impact of oil spills.

☆ Net new store openings far outweigh store closures, says Kimco Realty CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNet new store openings far outweigh store closures, says Kimco Realty CEOConor Flynn, Kimco Realty CEO, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss what Kimco's tenants are telling Flynn about sales, Flynn's concerns about 2023 and more.

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