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☆ A china stock poised for a breakout amid this stimulus rally, according to the charts
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese central bank unrolled the most significant stimulus program since the COVID-19 pandemic and Chinese equities are starting to show signs that the long history of underperformance relative to western equities could possibly be on borrowed time. The name that has already demonstrated leadership that we want to focus on should this move into Chinese names continues is Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) . Before we get further into the company specifics it's important to reiterate that Chinese equities have under-performed U.S. equities since 2007. The goal of the program according to Chinese officials is to return the economy to a 5% growth rate. Turning to the focus company Tencent Holdings (TCHEY) is a multinational technology conglomerate listed on the Hong Kong exchange since 2004.

Persons: TCHEY, Todd Gordon, Gordon Organizations: Tencent Holdings, People's Bank of China, Hong, Inside Edge, CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ We're upping our price target on Costco after another steady quarter fortifies our thesis
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The report didn't blow us away, but it still offered plenty of reminders on why Costco investors should stick around. Total revenue in its fiscal 2024 fourth quarter totaled $79.7 billion, missing analysts' expectations of $79.97 billion, according to estimates compiled by LSEG. Costco has succeeded for decades, but the high inflation of recent years has made the company's value-focused ethos really shine. Put it all together, we're increasing our price target on the stock to $950 a share from $875. In the quarter, Costco's membership renewal rate in the U.S. and Canada came in at 92.9%, a tick lower than the 93% rate observed in the third fiscal quarter, while worldwide held constant at 90.5%.

Persons: Gary Millerchip, Ron Vachris, Millerchip, it's, Kirkland, Costco's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Costco, LSEG, Wholesale, Walmart, Club, Amazon, Costco's, Kirkland, Kirkland Signature, Management, U.S, CNBC Locations: Costco's, Yemen, U.S, Canada, Maine, Richmond , California

☆ Harris and Trump want to make stuff in America again. That’s really hard to do
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And it’ll be tough for either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump to turn that around if elected, no matter their grandiose campaign promises. Put together, such investments have resulted in a sharp pick-up in construction spending by manufacturers, according to government data. Manufacturing’s main pain points are sluggish demand and elevated interest rates, according to recent manufacturing surveys by the Institute for Supply Management and S&P Global. And, of course, there are issues specific to certain sectors of the manufacturing industry. It could get better, but it’s not clear whenIt’s not all doom and gloom for the manufacturing industry.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Biden, haven’t, hasn’t, Harris, ” Harris, Trump, ” Chris Williamson, ” Timothy Fiore, There’s, ” Lauren Goodwin, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, Act, Congress, Private, Manufacturers, Labor Department, Institute for Supply Management, P, P Global Market Intelligence, ISM’s Manufacturing, Survey, P Global, Boeing, Federal, New York Life Investments Locations: America, Pittsburgh, Savannah, China, Pennsylvania, Korea, North Carolina, Germany, Georgia

☆ 64% of Chinese Americans think tense U.S.-China relations affects how others treat them
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

For the study, released jointly by Chinese American civic engagement nonprofit Committee of 100 and NORC at the University of Chicago, researchers sampled 504 Chinese Americans in March. But the Biden-Harris administration published a memorandum in 2021 condemning the use of racist rhetoric toward Asian Americans. About two-thirds of respondents said they felt that the rhetoric used by U.S. media when reporting on the issue negatively affects how strangers treat them. Land restrictions, like in Florida, that limit Chinese citizens from buying property, could be affecting the Chinese community as well. “Regardless of the intention of these tough-on-China policies, there are unintended consequences on the treatment of Chinese Americans.”

Persons: ”, Nathan Chan, Steven Cheung, Donald Trump’s, Kamala Harris, Harris, ” Chan, Trump, ” Trump, Chan, Ann Yoo, Yoo, ” Yoo Organizations: U.S, University of Chicago, Loyola Marymount University, Chinese Communist Party, Democratic, Biden, Federal Government, Pacific Islanders, Trump, China Initiative, Republicans, FBI, Justice Department, Republican, Asian American Federation Locations: China, New York City, Florida

Trump was surrounded by Secret Service agents at his North Carolina event on Wednesday as he greeted supporters in the rope line. Congress just approved funding for both Harris and Trump to receive presidential-level protections, which one security expert said was unprecedented. “They are all now getting presidential-level protection from the U.S. Secret Service, which has never been done before,” said Evy Poumpouras, a former Secret Service agent. In a statement Tuesday, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung disclosed that Trump had received an intelligence briefing about Iran. An official with the Trump campaign said it had no intention of altering or modifying its campaigning after this briefing.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, ”, Kamala Harris, Harris, Evy Poumpouras, ” Poumpouras, Mark Felix, Kimberly Cheatle, Ryan Routh, Joe Biden’s, Covid, Ronald Rowe, Butler, “, Donald, Jim Watson, Steven Cheung, ” Cheung, ” Trump Organizations: Secret Service, Service, NBC, Marine, Naval Observatory, Trump, Secret, Getty, ”, Authorities, Republicans, Democratic Party, Harris, Tempe , Arizona . Police, Air Force, “, National Intelligence Locations: Iran, North Carolina, Carolina, U.S, Butler , Pennsylvania, West Palm Beach , Florida, Tempe , Arizona, AFP, United States

☆ Surging AI demand could cause the world's next chip shortage, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | Arjun Kharpal Is A Senior Correspondent For Cnbc In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The last major semiconductor shortage happened during the Covid-19 pandemic amid supply chain disruption and a rise in demand for consumer electronics as people were forced to stay and work at home. These GPUs which are housed in data centers are critical for the training of huge AI models which underpin applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Bain said demand for GPUs and AI consumer electronics could be the cause of a chip shortage. The semiconductor supply chain is spread across multiple companies. “Geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions, and multinational tech companies’ decoupling of their supply chains from China continue to pose serious risks to semiconductor supply.

Persons: Bain, Anne Hoecker, TSMC, ” Bain Organizations: Bain & Co, Technology, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Microsoft, Bain, CNBC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Samsung Electronics, Washington Locations: Americas, Taiwan, Netherlands, U.S, China

CNN —New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on at least one federal criminal charge, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. The indictment follows a monthslong federal investigation into campaign fundraising violations and foreign influence. The mayor is expected to have several days to turn himself in, according to sources familiar with the case. New York City campaign finance records show Arkan donated $1,500. As part of their investigation, FBI agents seized Adams’ cell phones days after the raid on Suggs’ home.

Persons: Eric Adams, Adams, “, ” Adams, He’s, Edward Caban, Lisa Zornberg, Adams ’, Zornberg, David Banks, Brianna Suggs, Suggs, Erden Arkan, Arkan, Suggs ’, ”, Jumaane Williams Organizations: CNN, New, New York City, The New York Times, Mansion, City Hall, US, Southern, of, NYPD, Democratic Party, New York Police Department, KSK, FBI, Democratic, Turkish Locations: New York, New, of New York, America’s, City, Brooklyn, New York City, Manhattan, Adams ’, Turkish, Turkey, Üsküdar

☆ 1 in 3 children worldwide is now nearsighted, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Nearsightedness, or myopia, refers to when closer objects are clear, but distant objects are blurry. Nearsightedness is expected to keep rising among children and adolescents. This could be due in part to the fact that East Asian children start formal education at the age of 2 or 3, earlier than kids in other regions, the researchers say. Progression of nearsightedness in children can be slowed by taking breaks and avoiding hour after hour on the phone or computer, he wrote. Limiting up-close reading time outside of school — screen time or otherwise — may help slow the progression of nearsightedness in children, he added.

Persons: Sun, Dibyangshu Sarkar, “, Dr, Benjamin Botsford, ”, Botsford Organizations: CNN, British, Ophthalmology, University, UMass Chan Medical Locations: Guangzhou, China, AFP, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, nearsighted, South Korea

☆ Surging AI demand could cause the world's next chip shortage, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The last major semiconductor shortage happened during the Covid-19 pandemic amid supply chain disruption and a rise in demand for consumer electronics as people were forced to stay and work at home. These are often referred to as AI-enabled devices and companies from Samsung to Microsoft have released such products. Bain said demand for GPUs and AI consumer electronics could be the cause of a chip shortage. Bain & Company noted that the semiconductor supply chain is "incredibly complex, and a demand increase of about 20% or more has a high likelihood of upsetting the equilibrium and causing a chip shortage." "The AI explosion across the confluence of the large end markets could easily surpass that threshold, creating vulnerable chokepoints throughout the supply chain," the report added.

Persons: Bain, Anne Hoecker Organizations: Bain & Company, Technology, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Microsoft, CNBC Locations: Americas

☆ How birria took over restaurant menus across the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Birria burrito surrounded by birria tacos, birria munchwrap, birria loaded fries and birria consommé at Little Miner Taco in North Bethesda, Maryland. Birria tacos use the slow-cooked meat as a filling and usually include a consommé on the side to dip the taco. Over the past four years, birria has seen its presence on restaurant menus grow 412%, largely thanks to midscale and casual-dining chains, according to market research firm Datassential. More recently, birria took off in New York City, with restaurants and food trucks serving up tacos and consommé across the five boroughs. Finding opportunityQdoba's Brisket Birria, seen here in the chain's quesadillas.

Persons: birria tacos, birria, Laura Chase de Formigny, chiles, El, Del, Taco Bell, Scott Suchman, Steven Alvarez, Alvarez, Don Guadalupe Zárate, Birrieria Gonzalez, TikTok, Qdoba's Brisket, Katy Velazquez, Qdoba, Velazquez, Lamb, Liz Hafalia Organizations: Little Miner, Washington Post, Getty, John's University, Butterfly Equity, San Francisco Chronicle, Hearst Newspapers Locations: Little, North Bethesda , Maryland, Mexican, U.S, Del Taco, Jalisco, Washington ,, St, Europe, Americas, Tijuana, Mexico, Los Angeles, California, New York City, Oakland , California

☆ I live in Australia, and my partner lives in the US. Long distance is hard — especially when I was detained and deported at the border.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Ree Winter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewI met my partner in New Orleans right before COVID changed everything, and I never thought our relationship would involve dealing with international borders and visa rules. Spending my 50th birthday alone in Australia after getting deported was devastating. Related storiesWhen I finally returned to the US with the correct visa, I thought the worst was behind me. AdvertisementLiving between two countries comes with its own set of challenges, and the trauma of being deported has only made it harder. Rene and I have had to learn to cope with constant travel, time apart, and the fear of facing immigration again.

Persons: —, COVID, Rene, weren't, wouldn't, hasn't, We've Organizations: Service, Mardi, Business Locations: New Orleans, Australia, Honolulu

☆ Here we go again: Egg prices are spiking. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Egg prices spiked by 28.1% in August from 12 months ago, easily the biggest increase out of any food item tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The main culprit for rising egg prices is a familiar one: bird flu. Where egg prices are rising the mostStill, the current BLS average of $3.20 per dozen eggs remains high. Zooming in to focus on just the past year, Datasembly found that egg prices have increased the most in Hawaii (+49%), Minnesota (+44%) and Alabama (+38%). When egg prices spiked to record highs in early 2023, Cal-Maine’s profit skyrocketed 718%.

Persons: ”, Phil Lempert, they’ve, Price, Brian Moscogiuri, Datasembly, Moscogiuri, graf, ” Moscogiuri, Kevin Bergquist, Musharbash, Emily Metz, ” Metz, Lempert, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, US Department of Agriculture, USDA, CNN, Shoppers, Food Institute, Farm, Maine Foods, Cal, Basel Musharbash, Monopoly, American Egg Board, SNAP Locations: New York, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Alabama, Hawaii, Wells, United States, Cal, Maine, Basel, Texas

☆ How Austin, Texas Cut Home Prices, Built Houses, and Stopped a Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

But as other pandemic Zoomtowns continue to see increases in prices and rents, Austin stands alone in its change of fortune. Housing in Austin has been through so many extreme distortions that nobody really knows what "normal" even means anymore. All told, Austin's housing stock has ballooned by more than 76,000 units since 2020, an 8.34% increase that includes single-family homes, condos, and townhomes. Considering the size of the Austin market, moving the stock of homes by nearly 10% is a colossal feat. Related storiesNobody watching the Austin market should be having flashbacks to the Great Recession.

Persons: Austin, homebuyers, homebuilders, Zillow, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Homebuyers, Keith Hughes, I'd, That's, Jason Lewris, Lewris, Doreen Sidney, Austin wasn't, Austin's homebuilders, Freddie, Sean Kelly, Rand, Freddie Mac, Jenny Schuetz, homebuilding, Kelly, he's Organizations: Austin, Oracle, Facebook, Google, Elon, Census, Parcl Labs, Federal Reserve, San Antonio —, Austin ., Freddie Mac, Brookings Institution Locations: California, Austin, Real, Texas, Francisco, San Francisco, San Antonio, Boston

☆ Oil prices steady as China stimulus hopes fade, U.S. crude stockpiles fall
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

General view of the Towers and oil platforms of the State oil Company of Venezuela, Venezuelan oil Company SA. Oil prices steadied on Wednesday after rising in the previous session on fading excitement for the economic stimulus in China, the world's biggest crude importer, though an industry report showing falling U.S. crude and fuel inventories supported the market. Analysts, however, warned that more fiscal help was needed to boost confidence in the world's second-largest economy, which reduced the initial impact on oil prices from the announcement. Still, declining U.S. crude oil and fuel stockpiles provided some support for the market, which has generally risen since prices fell to their lowest since 2021 on Sept. 10. U.S. oil stockpiles dropped by 4.34 million barrels last week while gasoline inventories fell by 3.44 million barrels and distillate stocks fell by 1.12 million barrels, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday.

Persons: Ibrahim Qubaisi, Israel, Qubaisi Organizations: State, Company, Venezuelan, Company SA, Brent, . West Texas, China, American Petroleum Institute, Hezbollah, Wednesday, Israel, Gulf Locations: Venezuela, China, U.S, East, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Florida, Texas , Louisiana, Mississippi

☆ Benard Arnault added $6 billion to his net worth in a day after China's stimulus sparked a rally in luxury stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's new stimulus measures helped boost Bernard Arnault's net worth by $6.2 billion in a day. LVMH shares surged 4% on the news. Bernard Arnault, the chairman of LVMH, saw his net worth soar $6.2 billion on Tuesday, according to data from Bloomberg, as shares of the luxury goods maker surged 4%. At one point in March, Arnault was the richest person in the world, but since the start of the year, he slipped in the net worth rankings as LVMH stock struggled and a huge mega-cap tech rally boosted the net worth of tech CEOs. AdvertisementArnault's net worth now stands at $183 billion, just ahead of Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison's $179 billion and behind the $200+ billion fortunes of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk.

Persons: Bernard Arnault's, —, Bernard Arnault, Arnault, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, Pan Gongsheng, Larry Ellison's, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk Organizations: Consumers, Service, Bloomberg, Dior, Tiffany, TAG Heuer, People's Bank of China, Oracle Locations: China

☆ Wisconsin mayor carts away absentee ballot drop box, says he did nothing wrong
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Madison, Wisconsin CNN —The mayor of a central Wisconsin city who ran for office on his opposition to absentee ballot drop boxes said Wednesday he did nothing wrong when he put on work gloves, donned a hard hat and used a dolly to cart away a drop box outside City Hall. Drop boxes were widely used in 2020, fueled by a dramatic increase in absentee voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wausau, with about 40,000 people, was among the cities that did not use an absentee drop box in the August state primary. The Wausau drop box was under video surveillance but had not yet been bolted down. Wausau resident Pamela Bannister, speaking at a city council meeting Tuesday night, called for Diny to apologize and return the drop box.

Persons: Doug Diny, ” Diny, “ I’m, Donald Trump, Trump, Diny, Kaitlyn Bernarde, ” Bernarde, wouldn’t, he’s, “, ”, Anne Jacobson, Pamela Bannister, ” Bannister Organizations: Wisconsin CNN, Wausau, City, Republican Party, Republican, Stanford, MIT, Republicans, The, The Wisconsin Supreme, Wisconsin Elections, City Hall, U.S, Election Locations: Madison, Wisconsin, Hall, Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Dodge County, Milwaukee, The Wisconsin, Wausau, Marathon County, ” The Wisconsin, City

☆ These 10 in-demand startups are hiring right now—many roles are remote and pay $100,000 or more
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Startups aiming to revolutionize artificial intelligence technology and health care are among the buzziest organizations to work for right now — and many of them are hiring for lucrative and remote jobs. 1 startup in LinkedIn's annual analysis of startups seeing rapid growth and demand. Rounding out the top three, Boston-based Cohere Health leverages AI to streamline processes in the health care system with the goal of enhancing both patient care and administrative efficiency. Altogether, these startups represent big opportunities for tech workers, especially those with machine learning specialties. Here are the top 10 startups seeing high growth and demand, plus some of their open roles and pay ranges, according to LinkedIn:

Persons: they've Locations: San Francisco, New York City, Boston

☆ Sam Altman-backed nuclear startup Oklo to start site work for Idaho microreactor
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

He expects Oklo to break ground at the Idaho site in 2026, with plans to have the reactor up and running by the following year. The CEO acknowledged there's a risk the 2027 start date gets pushed out depending on how long the NRC review takes. The average nuclear reactor in the current U.S. fleet is around 1,000 megawatts, according to the Department of Energy. The CEO acknowledged the NRC review could delay the 2027 start date for the Idaho microreactor: "There's definitely risk. At the end of the day, we can't control the NRC review timeline," he said.

Persons: Jacob DeWitte, Oklo, DeWitte, there's, Sam Altman's SPAC, Altman, Oklo's Organizations: CNBC, Department of Energy, Idaho National Laboratory, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, AltC, Department of Energy ., Industry, Constellation Energy, NYSE, NRC, World Health Organization, Idaho Locations: Idaho, Idaho Falls, Aurora

☆ Many 988 callers will now get help based on where they are, not their phone’s area code
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Before this change, 988 callers were routed to a call center based on their area code rather than physical location. Next month, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a rule that would require all wireless carriers in the US to implement georouting for 988 calls. “In times of crisis, every minute matters – especially when seeking help for yourself or a loved one in need of mental health support. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and comprises over 200 local crisis centers across the country. “No more 988 calls and messages will be needlessly sent to crisis centers hundreds of miles away,” Rosenworcel said.

Persons: “, ” Miriam E, Jessica Rosenworcel, SAMHSA, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Rosenworcel, ” Rosenworcel, “ I’m, ” CNN’s Jacqueline Howard, Mira Cheng Organizations: CNN, US Department of Health, Human Services, Federal, Mental Health Services Administration, Verizon, Mobile, Federal Communications Commission, Lifeline, Prevention, CNN Health, National Alliance, Mental, FCC, HHS Locations: Los Angeles, New York

☆ Consumer confidence fell more than expected this month
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Jeff Cox | Jeff Cox Is A Finance Editor With Cnbc.Com Where He Covers All Aspects Of The Markets | Monitors Coverage Of The Financial Markets | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The board’s Consumer Confidence Index slid to 98.7, down from 105.6 in August, the biggest one-month decline since August 2021. By contrast, the index had a reading of 132.6 in February 2020, a month before the Covid pandemic hit. Each of the five components the organization samples fared worse on the month, with the biggest fall coming among those aged 35-54 and earning less than $50,000. “Consumers’ assessments of current business conditions turned negative while views of the current labor market situation softened further. Consumers were also more pessimistic about future labor market conditions and less positive about future business conditions and future income,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board.

Persons: Dow, ”, Dana Peterson, Stocks, ” Peterson Organizations: Conference Board, Treasury, Federal Reserve

☆ Fed Governor Bowman explains dissent on rate vote, says she’s worried about inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Jeff Cox | Jeff Cox Is A Finance Editor With Cnbc.Com Where He Covers All Aspects Of The Markets | Monitors Coverage Of The Financial Markets | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Tuesday she thought her colleagues should have taken a more measured approach to last week’s half percentage point interest rate cut as she worries that inflation could reignite. In explaining her rationale, Bowman said the half percentage point, or 50 basis point, reduction posed a number of risks to the Fed’s twin goals of achieving low inflation and full employment. Though Bowman favored a reduction, she preferred the Fed lower by a quarter percentage point, more in line with the traditional moves at the central bank. In recent statements, Fed officials have cited easing inflation and a softening labor market as justification for the cut. At last week’s meeting, individual policymakers indicated they expect another half percentage point in cuts this year and another full point in 2025.

Persons: Michelle Bowman, Bowman, ” Organizations: Federal Locations: Kentucky

Half of registered voters plan to vote early this fall, new figures from the September NBC News poll show, with Democrats continuing to run up the score among early voters and Republicans getting stronger backing from those who plan to vote in person on Election Day. It's a smaller lead among a slightly smaller share of the electorate than Harris has over those early voters. The massive political difference of early and Election Day voters is the latest evidence of a dramatic and enduring shift in the Trump years. And with that jump came a massive partisan difference — future President Joe Biden led among early voters by 26 points in the survey, while Trump led with Election Day voters by 29 points. But while the share of voters planning to vote early has dropped between the end of 2020 and now, the major partisan split remains.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Trump, Harris, Bill McInturff, Republican pollster, Jeff Horwitt, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden Organizations: NBC, Republicans, Republican, Hart Research Associates, Trump, Wall, Election

☆ Ex-NYC Covid czar fired after he admits attending banned 'private gatherings' during height of pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The pharmaceutical executive who was once New York City’s Covid czar was fired Monday, days after he admitted participating in “private gatherings” that were prohibited during the height of the pandemic, a federal filing shows. Varma was the company’s executive vice president and chief medical officer, the filing says. Varma acknowledged the prohibited gatherings after a conservative podcaster posted video last week of what appeared to be hidden camera recordings that showed Varma describing them. Varma's spokesman previously said that he was a part-time City Hall consultant at the time and that all participants were vaccinated. “I served in City Hall between April 2020 — May 2021,” Varma said in the statement.

Persons: New York City’s, Jay Varma, Varma, Bill de Blasio’s, Irving, podcaster, “, ”, ” Varma Organizations: SIGA Technologies, Securities and Exchange Commission, Brooklyn Nets, Covid Locations: New York, New York City, City Hall

☆ September consumer confidence falls the most in three years
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The board's Consumer Confidence Index slid to 98.7, down from 105.6 in August, the biggest one-month decline since August 2021. By contrast, the index had a reading of 132.6 in February 2020, a month before the Covid pandemic hit. "Consumers' assessments of current business conditions turned negative while views of the current labor market situation softened further. Consumers were also more pessimistic about future labor market conditions and less positive about future business conditions and future income," said Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board. The last time the confidence index dropped more came as inflation was just beginning a climb to what ultimately was the highest level in more than 40 years.

Persons: Dow, Dana Peterson, Stocks, Peterson Organizations: Conference Board, Treasury, Federal Reserve

The Chinese central bank's largest stimulus measures since Covid should provide the world's second-largest economy with a much-needed boost, which should help our portfolio companies doing business there. The Club has a broad range of companies with significant sales exposure to China, and some with none. Here's a look at the percentages in our 32 stock portfolio, as well as recent earnings call commentary, about the business climate and the potential in China. On the industrial side, DuPont has the most China exposure because of its electronics and water businesses. Eaton and Dover don't have nearly as much China exposure.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Biden, Colette Kress, Tim Cook, Brian Niccol, Gamble, Andre Schulten, Peter Arduini, Lori Koch, Stanley Black, —, Jeff Marks, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Peng Organizations: People's Bank of China, Wall, Commodities, Republican, House, Democratic, Trump, Broadcom, Nvidia, AMD, Nvidia's, Apple, Starbucks, Investors, Huawei, Jefferies, Consumer, Procter, Barclays, GE Healthcare, GE, DuPont, Banking, Coterra Energy, Investing, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC Locations: Asia, China, America, U.S, Eaton, Dover, People's Republic of China

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