#delta stock market

[rjmbaboonbooks]

Daily Comic Journal: July 19, 2021: "Hypocrites. They're All Lying Hypocrites."

For months, these hypocritical talking heads have been steering their viewers from getting these free, safe vaccines to help get the country out of this pandemic. They’ve been telling their viewers to not do the simple act of wearing a covering over their mouth & nose when out in public, especially if they’re not vaccinated. Wearing a mask that could help prevent the spread of the virus and help…

[mostlysignssomeportents]

AI is a WMD

I'm in TARTU, ESTONIA! AI, copyright and creative workers' labor rights (TOMORROW, May 10, 8AM: Science Fiction Research Association talk, Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures building, Lossi 3, lobby). A talk for hackers on seizing the means of computation (TOMORROW, May 10, 3PM, University of Tartu Delta Centre, Narva 18, room 1037).

Fun fact: "The Tragedy Of the Commons" is a hoax created by the white nationalist Garrett Hardin to justify stealing land from colonized people and moving it from collective ownership, "rescuing" it from the inevitable tragedy by putting it in the hands of a private owner, who will care for it properly, thanks to "rational self-interest":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/04/analytical-democratic-theory/#epistocratic-delusions

Get that? If control over a key resource is diffused among the people who rely on it, then (Garrett claims) those people will all behave like selfish assholes, overusing and undermaintaining the commons. It's only when we let someone own that commons and charge rent for its use that (Hardin says) we will get sound management.

By that logic, Google should be the internet's most competent and reliable manager. After all, the company used its access to the capital markets to buy control over the internet, spending billions every year to make sure that you never try a search-engine other than its own, thus guaranteeing it a 90% market share:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

Google seems to think it's got the problem of deciding what we see on the internet licked. Otherwise, why would the company flush $80b down the toilet with a giant stock-buyback, and then do multiple waves of mass layoffs, from last year's 12,000 person bloodbath to this year's deep cuts to the company's "core teams"?

https://qz.com/google-is-laying-off-hundreds-as-it-moves-core-jobs-abr-1851449528

And yet, Google is overrun with scams and spam, which find their way to the very top of the first page of its search results:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

The entire internet is shaped by Google's decisions about what shows up on that first page of listings. When Google decided to prioritize shopping site results over informative discussions and other possible matches, the entire internet shifted its focus to producing affiliate-link-strewn "reviews" that would show up on Google's front door:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

This was catnip to the kind of sociopath who a) owns a hedge-fund and b) hates journalists for being pain-in-the-ass, stick-in-the-mud sticklers for "truth" and "facts" and other impediments to the care and maintenance of a functional reality-distortion field. These dickheads started buying up beloved news sites and converting them to spam-farms, filled with garbage "reviews" and other Google-pleasing, affiliate-fee-generating nonsense.

(These news-sites were vulnerable to acquisition in large part thanks to Google, whose dominance of ad-tech lets it cream 51 cents off every ad dollar and whose mobile OS monopoly lets it steal 30 cents off every in-app subscriber dollar):

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

Now, the spam on these sites didn't write itself. Much to the chagrin of the tech/finance bros who bought up Sports Illustrated and other venerable news sites, they still needed to pay actual human writers to produce plausible word-salads. This was a waste of money that could be better spent on reverse-engineering Google's ranking algorithm and getting pride-of-place on search results pages:

https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/

That's where AI comes in. Spicy autocomplete absolutely can't replace journalists. The planet-destroying, next-word-guessing programs from Openai and its competitors are incorrigible liars that require so much "supervision" that they cost more than they save in a newsroom:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/29/what-part-of-no/#dont-you-understand

But while a chatbot can't produce truthful and informative articles, it can produce bullshit – at unimaginable scale. Chatbots are the workers that hedge-fund wreckers dream of: tireless, uncomplaining, compliant and obedient producers of nonsense on demand.

That's why the capital class is so insatiably horny for chatbots. Chatbots aren't going to write Hollywood movies, but studio bosses hyperventilated at the prospect of a "writer" that would accept your brilliant idea and diligently turned it into a movie. You prompt an LLM in exactly the same way a studio exec gives writers notes. The difference is that the LLM won't roll its eyes and make sarcastic remarks about your brainwaves like "ET, but starring a dog, with a love plot in the second act and a big car-chase at the end":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/01/how-the-writers-guild-sunk-ais-ship/

Similarly, chatbots are a dream come true for a hedge fundie who ends up running a beloved news site, only to have to fight with their own writers to get the profitable nonsense produced at a scale and velocity that will guarantee a high Google ranking and millions in "passive income" from affiliate links.

One of the premier profitable nonsense companies is Advon, which helped usher in an era in which sites from Forbes to Money to USA Today create semi-secret "review" sites that are stuffed full of badly researched top-ten lists for products from air purifiers to cat beds:

https://housefresh.com/how-google-decimated-housefresh/

Advon swears that it only uses living humans to produce nonsense, and not AI. This isn't just wildly implausible, it's also belied by easily uncovered evidence, like its own employees' Linkedin profiles, which boast of using AI to create "content":

https://housefresh.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Advon-AI-LinkedIn.jpg

It's not true. Advon uses AI to produce its nonsense, at scale. In an excellent, deeply reported piece for Futurism, Maggie Harrison Dupré brings proof that Advon replaced its miserable human nonsense-writers with tireless chatbots:

https://futurism.com/advon-ai-content

Dupré describes how Advon's ability to create botshit at scale contributed to the enshittification of clients from Yoga Journal to the LA Times, "Us Weekly" to the Miami Herald.

All of this is very timely, because this is the week that Google finally bestirred itself to commence downranking publishers who engage in "site reputation abuse" – creating these SEO-stuffed fake reviews with the help of third parties like Advon:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/03/keyword-swarming/#site-reputation-abuse

(Google's policy only forbids site reputation abuse with the help of third parties; if these publishers take their nonsense production in-house, Google may allow them to continue to dominate its search listings):

https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/03/core-update-spam-policies#site-reputation

There's a reason so many people believed Hardin's racist "Tragedy of the Commons" hoax. We have an intuitive understanding that commons are fragile. All it takes is one monster to start shitting in the well where the rest of us get our drinking water and we're all poisoned.

The financial markets love these monsters. Mark Zuckerberg's key insight was that he could make billions by assembling vast dossiers of compromising, sensitive personal information on half the world's population without their consent, but only if he kept his costs down by failing to safeguard that data and the systems for exploiting it. He's like a guy who figures out that if he accumulates enough oily rags, he can extract so much low-grade oil from them that he can grow rich, but only if he doesn't waste money on fire-suppression:

https://locusmag.com/2018/07/cory-doctorow-zucks-empire-of-oily-rags/

Now Zuckerberg and the wealthy, powerful monsters who seized control over our commons are getting a comeuppance. The weak countermeasures they created to maintain the minimum levels of quality to keep their platforms as viable, going concerns are being overwhelmed by AI. This was a totally foreseeable outcome: the history of the internet is a story of bad actors who upended the assumptions built into our security systems by automating their attacks, transforming an assault that wouldn't be economically viable into a global, high-speed crime wave:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/24/automation-is-magic/

But it is possible for a community to maintain a commons. This is something Hardin could have discovered by studying actual commons, instead of inventing imaginary histories in which commons turned tragic. As it happens, someone else did exactly that: Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom:

https://www.onthecommons.org/magazine/elinor-ostroms-8-principles-managing-commmons/

Ostrom described how commons can be wisely managed, over very long timescales, by communities that self-governed. Part of her work concerns how users of a commons must have the ability to exclude bad actors from their shared resources.

When that breaks down, commons can fail – because there's always someone who thinks it's fine to shit in the well rather than walk 100 yards to the outhouse.

Enshittification is the process by which control over the internet moved from self-governance by members of the commons to acts of wanton destruction committed by despicable, greedy assholes who shit in the well over and over again.

It's not just the spammers who take advantage of Google's lazy incompetence, either. Take "copyleft trolls," who post images using outdated Creative Commons licenses that allow them to terminate the CC license if a user makes minor errors in attributing the images they use:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/24/a-bug-in-early-creative-commons-licenses-has-enabled-a-new-breed-of-superpredator/

The first copyleft trolls were individuals, but these days, the racket is dominated by a company called Pixsy, which pretends to be a "rights protection" agency that helps photographers track down copyright infringers. In reality, the company is committed to helping copyleft trolls entrap innocent Creative Commons users into paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to use images that are licensed for free use. Just as Advon upends the economics of spam and deception through automation, Pixsy has figured out how to send legal threats at scale, robolawyering demand letters that aren't signed by lawyers; the company refuses to say whether any lawyer ever reviews these threats:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/13/an-open-letter-to-pixsy-ceo-kain-jones-who-keeps-sending-me-legal-threats/

This is shitting in the well, at scale. It's an online WMD, designed to wipe out the commons. Creative Commons has allowed millions of creators to produce a commons with billions of works in it, and Pixsy exploits a minor error in the early versions of CC licenses to indiscriminately manufacture legal land-mines, wantonly blowing off innocent commons-users' legs and laughing all the way to the bank:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/02/commafuckers-versus-the-commons/

We can have an online commons, but only if it's run by and for its users. Google has shown us that any "benevolent dictator" who amasses power in the name of defending the open internet will eventually grow too big to care, and will allow our commons to be demolished by well-shitters:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/09/shitting-in-the-well/#advon

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

--

Catherine Poh Huay Tan (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/68166820@N08/49729911222/

Laia Balagueró (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbalaguero/6551235503/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[thebeeshaveknees]

Uhhhh so I decided my first attempt at a trolls fic would be a rewrite of the whole third movie because I'm Silly and I wanted to put JD x DD as like frenemies but romance but I ended up going heavy on the romance and it made me sad so I'm throwing it to the wolves for judgement

When John Dory had fallen into Delta Dawn's pod yet again, he hadn't expected to wake up with a ladybug on his chest.

He nudged her with his foot to wake her up. "Uh. DD."

She grumbled some alliterate curse at him, but rolled over and also saw the ladybug. "John, on my life if you don't get that vermin out of my bed I'll make you walk to the jailhouse in your underthings."

He picked it up, rolled out of bed and was about to put it on the floor when he got smacked upside the head. "Not on my floors neither', John, it's your woods' bug."

John sighed dramatically, waddling to the window with the bug held at arm's reach. "Could you get the window?"

Dawn opened the window latch and John tipped the insect up trying to fit it through, and he noticed the note. "It's a messenger ladybug?" He showed her the underside with eight squirmy legs and a note tied to it with a string. Dawn cringed but grabbed the note around its spindly legs and JD put it out the window. "Sheriff mail?"

She gave him a short look. "Yes, you snoop, now put on a shirt." She said, sitting herself down on the bed to read the letter.

JD threw on his leather jacket, before peeking over DD's shoulder at the note.

"Nothin' interesting, interloper." She teased, looking up at him. "A troll from Pop Village is missing, I'll up patrols for a little while, but it's already been a month - really, ladybugs for messengers.

Something in John's gut twisted, and he'd been following his gut for two decades without fail. "What's their name?"

She opened the letter again. "Branch. Dark blue hair, teal skin, dull coloured." She read, before looking back up at him.

John Dory froze. He felt his stomach twist in knots. "From Pop Village?"

"You look pale, darlin."

"Did it say anything about his disappearance?"

She put her hand on his shoulder, but went back to reading the letter. "Says he was taken from Pop Village by something, it left a trail to the big folks' road but no farther." She looked at him. "You know the troll?"

"He's my brother." John blurted before he could really think it through, leaning into Delta, eyeing the cardstock in her hand. "My baby brother."

"I'm sorry, darlin." She said very softly, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "When are you leaving?"

"As soon as the market opens, I need to stock up."

"Any ideas where he could be?"

"Not yet, but it's Bitty, I'm sure I could… Maybe I could ask my other brothers for help."

DD sighed, but put her head on his. "Should I come along, interloper?"

JD let his eyelids droop. "I wish, but it seems a traveler can only ever chase the Dawn."

She snorted. "How on earth did I fall for a poet?" She pulled John further into her side. "Don't go chasing what's waiting for you, cowboy."

"If I didn't, how would I keep you on your hooves, Sheriff?"

She sighed, and both just enjoyed the warmth for a moment. "Be safe, you hear?"

"As safe as I usually am." John replied.

They waited for the market to open, for John to leave, in warm silence.

[carnutzphoto]

1946 Stinson V-77 Gullwing - ACD Museum, August 2023

The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio in 1920 by Edward Stinson. By 1927, Northwest Airlines (now known as Delta Airlines) utilized Stinson aircraft in their fleet. E.L. Cord acquired 60% of Stinson stock in September 1929 through the Cord Corporation, which allowed Stinson to offer six aircraft models in 1930 and gave Cord his first foray into the world of air transportation. This Stinson V-77 was built for military use in WWII as a utility aircraft. Under the At-19 designation, it was used by the United States Army for training. Following the end of WWII, the surplus Stinson aircraft were sold on the civilian market as the V-77 Gullwing. This Stinson was completely restored with a wood instrument panel, leather seats and lace curtains.

SPECIFICATIONS Model: V-77 Gullwing Engine: Lycoming R-680-E3B 9-cylinder radial Horsepower: 300 at 2,200 rpm Wingspan: 41 feet, 3 inches Length: 28 feet, 3 inches – Height: 8 feet, 7 inches Maximum Speed: 145 mph Ceiling: 14,000 feet – Range: 575 miles Crew: Up to five – Armament: None Weight: 4,150 lbs.

MOVING A PLANE INSIDE Moving a plane inside a building is no easy feat. It took planning, scale drawings, and figuring out just the right angles to move the plane inside. The wings needed to be removed prior to installation inside the museum, while the horizontal stabilizers stayed on. Once the plane was inside, the wings were carefully installed using a forklift, soft moving cloths and a team of knowledgeable volunteers.

[thesims3help]

Masterlist - Gameplay enhancing mods pt 2. [100+ Sims 3 mods!]

Part 1 || This is everything that didn't fit in part 1.

Celebrity:

Testers Wanted: Harder Celebrity Difficulty & More (Late Night)

Food/Cooking/Eating/Drinking:

Cooking and Ingredients Overhaul + More Nectar Ingredients

Let them eat cake! - Non-Birthday Birthday Cakes

Toddler Food Bowl

Quicker Cooking & Eating OverRide

Breakfast At Twinsimming's (Update 7/8/23) - No Cooking Overhaul Version

Baby Food Default Replacement

Pasteurize Milk Mod (Update 7/18/23) - Tunable Hunger Motive Delta

Buy Takeout And Order Food At Restaurants

Nectar Combinatorics

No More Acrobatics! - bartending animations tweaks

Better Bartending!

Eat & Put Away Your Leftovers

Coffee Ingredients Made Choosable

Gain Cooking Skill Faster At Work!

Winter Holiday Cookies

Quicker Cooking & Eating OverRide

Pets:

Pets Don't Eat Plants

Bathe Animals Correctly

[Pets] Improved Beloved Pet, and other Animal-Related Traits - 1.63 - 1.67 by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

[Pets] Improved Relationship Gain with Pets by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

New Pet Genetics - No More Skinny Clones

Minor Pets Won't Run Away

Dogs collecting shinies fills Destruction motive

Cats stalking for crawlies fills Scratch motive

University:

Lost & Found: Honors Scholarship (Plus Other Aptitude Test Tweaks)

Write Scholarships for Money

New Scholarships (Update 10/26/23) - Talent Scholarships & No Store Version

Attend University Online (Update 10/26/23) - Wish Fix

University Life Visual Fixes (Send Insulting Text, Texting Idle, Heat of the Moment Kiss)

Studying Tweaks

Jobs/skills:

Check For Work In Rabbitholes

Observatory Assistant -- Part-Time Astronomy Job

Flower Arranging - Interaction and Skill

Knitting for TS3 - Interaction and Skill

Writing, Painting, Gardening, Tinkering More Fun

Study Skills Online V37

Yoga Mod (Update 3/1/23) - New Features!

Scribbling Pad + Buzzler's Scribbling Pad - Fixed

TS2 > TS3 Functional Sewing table [BETA V2.0.0]

Programming Skill

Investment Mod (Update 9/3/23) - MultiTab Compatible

Lost&Found: Stock Market

Sim State - The Sims 3 Open For Business Mini Expansion v1.4

Layoff Mod

Ultimate Careers (Version 4.3)

Objects:

Functional Washboard - Sims 4 Conversion

Harvestable Tree Default Replacement

Same Energy Gain For Every Bed

Super Hampers -- Automatic Laundry Pick Up (Plus Bigger Hampers) by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

Spring Harvest And CookBook

Harvestable Flowers

Better Hoverboards

Canning Station Overhaul

Build/Buy:

One More Slot Please! (with vertical shifting)

[TS3] Catalog Search Mod | Patreon

Add Any Lot Size

TS3 HD Textures Series - Terrain Pack [UPDATE: Fixed road tiling]

No more ugly snowprints

Builder Stuff

Reworked & Improved EA Lights

More Light Coming Through Windows

Other:

Write Thank You Notes Fix

Futuristic Transportation Charge

Advice Social Interactions

Have Sim Arrested Mod

No (or fewer) automatic memories (with custom tool to make your own mod) Edited 01/16/2014

nraas - OnceRead

nraas - Woohooer

Retuned Attraction System

More Traits for All Ages

Lot Population Mod

No Social Groups

Random Sim Fixes 2.0

SetHour Cheat

Let Me Take a Selfie (Update 9/3/23) - Pets Fix

Sunscreen

Burglars Steal Simoleons Too

Tooth Fairy Mod

Dirty Laundry Mod (Update 8/8/23) - Maid & Butler Tweaks

Acne Mod (Update 7/22/23) - Version 2.2

Enhanced Hospitals(Updated 30/1/23)

More Senarios Upon Moving

The Journal Mod

[Public Beta] The Randomizer Mod - REWORKED!

Moar Interactions

DouglasVeiga's Dancer Service

Aging Manager

No Car Relationships

Lightning Enhanced Mod (Lightning in the Sky and Strikes)

Realistically Slower Cars, Taxis, and Bikes

Take Sims To Court - Sue Sims, Become a Lawyer, Have Court Weddings and More!

Social Clubs Mod (+ banking) - Grow Memberships, Push Activities, Make Bank Accounts and More!

Deep Conversations

Sleep on the couch, new interaction

o violet on Tumblr - Pure CAS lighting mod

Reduce/Remove Lag caused by Houseboats

[thewriteroflucifenia]

Ideas from the Fanfiction Nursery

The Domestic Battles of Juri Han

Juri dealing with domestic bullshit in the most chaotic way possible.

Set in the same continuity of The Spider and the Bee, but during her relationship with Crimson Viper.

Juri Fights the HOA - Crimson's neighborhood has a really shitty HOA and Juri decides to fight the power by throwing a massive party where she and the other fed up neighbors rev their engines, play loud music, and paint their fences garish colors. She also vandalizes the HOA leader's fence and car, giving them pink and blue cheetah print. This all started because they started giving them fines over the pride flag on the porch, then Juri's bike, then the trash, then the length of the grass, and Juri isn't patient enough for malicious compliance.

Juri Fights the School Board - Juri doesn't approve of the School Board's ruling on local book bans and decides to be a menace about it.

Juri Fights River Creek Methodist Church- Crimson is trying to kiss up to her boss by going to the same church as him, and it would really help if Lauren would get baptized for her, but Lauren gets cold feet so Juri decides to step in and pretend to have a religious epiphany for the sake of her girlfriend's promotion. The baptism is held in the pool of a neighborhood full of mansions and is decorated with fancy statues and waterfalls. The line "Lauren, Mommy needs you to suck it up, talk about Jesus, and go get dunked in that bougie pool by the preacher" gets said.

Juri Fights the County

Juri Fights the Manager of a Local Hardware Store

Working Title - Why you shouldn't kidnap Cammy's family members

Set before SF2 when Cammy's 18. She's living with her new, adoptive family, got literally no idea where she spawned from other than vaguely in Eastern Europe, and she's just kinda training for her career working for her adoptive father.

She and George are stuck slumming it at the house while everyone else is on a mission they ain't qualified for.

Cammy's bummed her family is away during the anniversary of her adoption, with the exception of George Ginzu, who's like "we should go do something fun in town"

Famous last words, he gets abducted by Shadaloo. Cammy's fucking pissed.

She's playing Rambo now. She tracks their asses down to break out her little brother and give everyone hell.

The Dolls recognize her and become horrified that she's alive, but not responding to her own name or recognizing them. It's like she's been brainwashed or something!

Juri is mad Akuma gets to Bison before she does, proceeds to sulk all the way to SF4.

Rather depressing oneshot about Decapre mourning Cammy after her "death" between Alpha 3 and SF2.

I kinda just want an excuse to write backstories I came up with for minor characters like the Dolls, Lauren, and Delta Red.

Why Marz was so willing to yeet herself to death

She fell in love with Rashid's friend, friend got the ax, now she's decided to be a Sister Repentia and just fucking die.

Rashid's friend is rewritten to be his sister

She and Marz were both massive Warhammer nerds and decide they'll meet again in space.

Marz imagines herself and all her loved ones as Sisters of Battle and Space Marines watching the Imperium crumble before she flatlines and she smiles.

Fuck yeah, she gonna play Orks in the next life.

Lauren and Li-Fen Try Wrestling

These two rascals hunt down Poison and try to pitch themselves as wrestlers

It's a weirdly dramatic plotline

Li-Fen's character is a pirate who's parents were brutally slaughtered by Lauren's character so she turned to piracy and stock market fraud to fill the void. She's hellbent on revenge until she realizes Lauren's character is kinda hot.

Lauren's character is a super soldier with cat ears that is totally not her GI Joe oc. She works for totally not Cobra but secretly thinks clubbing baby seals kinda sucks, but they match five percent to her 401k so she's stuck morality be damned.

Their characters are in a situationship and most of their wrestling is the girls waxing poetically on the meaning of life and love while body slamming each other.

They're just larping at poor Poison who can't find a way to leave discreetly, she's just trapped with these hyper teenagers who really want to tell her all about their OCS.

[alpinefury]

Free City of New Salamanca

New Salamanca is a port city on the southern coast of North Hesperida, originally founded in the early 17th century by Castilians.

New Salamanca occupies a crucial position on the lower Mishisipone river, representing the last port on the river navigable by heavy draft ships. Almost all goods trafficked down the length of the Mishisipone river eventually make their way here. It is the only European founded city on the Gulf of Hesperida's entire northern coast.

Should one find oneself in New Salamanca it is very easy to eat well there. It is a favoured port of call for many Hesperidine and European vessels, with well stocked markets featuring all sorts of provender from across the Hesperides, but the wider regio of New Salamanca and its allies is also well provisioned, not only with maize and prodigious hauls of seafood, but also with rice, hesperidine grape, and batat nuts, among many others. The city's 'abiernas do their best to combine the multitude of culinary influences mixing in New Salamanca, to great success.

The site upon which New Salamanca presently sits was formerly a boundary between at least two Hesperidine nations, which according to local legend and backwater history was marked with a standing red pole, a practice sometime associated with the Mascogine speaking peoples. The Mishisipone river itself is a great artery that links the very heart of North Hesperida with its south-eastern coast, and there is plentiful evidence of contact and trade between the cultures along its banks long before Europeans ever set foot upon the continent. The great Mantac mound to modern New Salamanca's west was already built in this earlier period.

Thus, though no city occupied what would become New Salamanca, the region was certainly no empty quarter beforehand, but a rich, well managed landscape, whose peoples held complex court. That the city was founded at all was only due to the largesse of the Hesperidine peoples of the region, in part due to the sorry state of those who sought to settle there. And the story of those settlers had been very sorry indeed.

During King Juan IV's reign in Castile a somewhat ill-considered scheme was hatched to both leech some of Castile's domestic turmoil and increase the kingdom's prestige when reckoned against its neighbour, and rival, the Crown of Aragon. Goffredo d'Escors, the expedition's commander, was only given limited resources, as King Juan didn't want to give the impression of an armed expedition directed against Aragon. This was the inauspicious start to what soon became a complete misadventure. After a series of disasters, including being fired upon by Kuban coastal batteries, the arrival of d'Escors' bedraggled survivors into the mouth of the Mishisipone delta in April 1612 was the only good stroke of fortune they had experienced.

There was never any question of the new arrivals attempting to conquer or otherwise subjugate their Hesperidine rescuers. Whilst the expedition's gratitude towards their new neighbours was genuine, particularly after the Citimasha people not only helped to feed the starving Castilians but showed them how to grow Hesperidine crops, any remaining temptation to become a latter day Alexander was snuffed out by the twelve years it took for any Castilian ship to find them. New arrivals soon started to trickle into New Salamanca, little more than a palisaded village at this time. These new arrivals did not only come from Castile. New Salamanca's relative isolation, coupled with Castile's hands-off governance, made it an ideal destination for certain Europeans fleeing religious persecution or other forms of hardship.

A substantial number of the original founders of New Salamanca had married into local Hesperidine nations, and more than a few of the new arrivals did the same. Martim de Sousa, a Portuguese trader said in 1638, that he recognised very little in the developing settlement as 'evoking a purely Christian character'. This was meant to be an invective against New Salamanca, but it accurately reflected both its principles of religious toleration and cultural diversity. Indeed, New Salamanca was increasingly untethered from Castile, who had provided the colony with only intermittent financial support. This resulted in the growing settlement briefly soliciting Aragonese financial interest, which allowed New Salamanca to complete its first stone fortifications in 1645. Whilst this resulted in Castile banning Aragonese traders from New Salamanca in retaliation, it succeeded in its short term aim of acquiring resources for the town, and in drawing loose Castile's purse strings, at least for a time.

When Castile's attention and finances were inevitably drawn elsewhere once more in the 1660s, New Salamanca turned to another, somewhat unlikely backer; the United Commonwealths. New Salamanca's religious tolerance aligned with the principles of the U.C, but the latter had spent much of the past century preying on Catholic-owned colonies, and New Salamanca was still at least a nominal demesne of the King of Castile. However, the U.C was in no position to maintain any kind of garrison or governance over the city. Backing the city's continued quasi-independence and seeing how the dice fell was a more promising enterprise. This secured the city's mercantile future, but also enabled the purchase of a few obsolete warships. These ships' nominal purpose was the prevention of piracy, but they also decreased the city's nominal dependence on the king of Castile yet further.

Matters would come to a head in 1686. King Bermudo IV was facing a Castilian financial crisis that threw the New Salamanca situation into sharp relief. Either the crown had to restore a Castilian monopoly on the city, due to the proportion of its trade ending up in other European states, or abandon the expensive ambition of the colony altogether. King Bermudo made his choice, and sent an armed expedition under the command of Roque de Menga. This was the first time Castile had ever attempted to mount a cross-continental military expedition, with predictably disastrous results. The expedition, its forces much reduced by disease and one sunken ship, was forced to make for the Aragonese port of La Mercè on Nema island. The Aragonese governor, Ferran Geribert, essentially strongarmed de Menga into accepting Aragonese 'assistance', which would have likely led to New Salamanca passing into the hands of the Aragonese crown.

However, New Salamanca had not been idle in the intervening years. New Salamanca had further fortified the Mishisipone Delta. Its batteries and small navy were enough to prevent any realistic attempt at a sea-led assault. It had also begun to conduct formal treaties of defense, at times even alliance, with many neighbouring Hesperidine peoples, most of whom already had friendly relations with the city. Those Aragonese-Castilian forces that landed on the coast found themselves under near constant arrow and musket fire. The invaders found themselves forced to retreat within an hour, leaving numerous casualties behind them. Among them was Ferran Geribert. His death was was the harbinger of a revolt against Aragonese rule on Nema within less than a month.

The battle marked the beginning of de facto independence for New Salamanca, along with the foundation of the Mishisipone Confederacy. The Castilian crown could not simply keep throwing expensive expeditions across the Atlantic in the hopes of recapturing what was, at the end of it all, simply one successful merchant town. New Salamanca's independence was formally recognised in 1697 in the same Treaty of Lorraine that brought Europe's Wars of Religion to their end. It was the first European-founded settlement to have its independence diplomatically recognised in such a fashion. It would not be the last.

Whilst New Salamanca remains free to conduct its own foreign affairs, it is also a component of the Mishisipone Confederacy, acting as the Confederacy's main commercial hub and sometime political capital. As trade along the Mishisipone has increased over the past century and a half, so also has it increased across the Atlantic, not only between the Hesperides and Europe but between the Hesperides and most other continents of the world. New Salamanca gained its independence as a bustling market town, but has become a substantial city every bit the equal of its European peers. Both the city and the Confederacy have grown prosperous and powerful, and are now a crucial component of the Haudenosaunee's diplomatic wall arrayed against any newly introduced European 'interest' in North Hesperida (and, where possible, the Hesperides as a whole). New Salamanca has recently become a major exporter of Japanese goods. These originate from the Tokugawa possessions on the west coast of North Hesperida, officially termed Koganeyama Domain by the shogunate. These include both the growing agricultural bounty of Koganeyama proper and Japanese textiles. This has added yet further to the complex cultural layers that make up New Salamanca's population. The city is also home to the largest Jewish population in the Hesperides, the only Hussite knightly order to have arisen from the Iberian peninsula, and the largest urban population of indigenous Hesperidines north of Meshiko.

[accapitalmarket]

US Index Futures Lower, Oil Rebounds

US stock markets were closed on Thursday for a day of mourning to honour the late former President Jimmy Carter who died at the age of 100.

However index futures fell, indicating fresh falls on Friday, amid ongoing concerns over a slower pace of interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve in 2025, amid uncertainty over incoming President Donald Trump’s policies.

US30Roll Daily

Minutes of the Fed’s December policy meeting, when the central bank slashed its outlook for rate cuts in 2025 citing concerns over sticky inflation, were released on Wednesday night. These showed policymakers were concerned over the inflationary impact of Trump’s planned trade tariffs.

Treasury yields and the dollar surged after the Fed minutes were released and continued to rise on Thursday. The benchmark US 10-year Treasury note yield hit an 8-1/2 month high of 4.73% on Wednesday. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.12% to 109.15

There was also nervousness ahead of Friday’s US December non-farm payrolls report. Strength in the labor market could give the Fed even more headroom to cut interest rates at a slower pace, although fears over a labor market slowdown were one of the main motivations for the Fed cutting rates by 1% in 2024.

Futures for the Dow Jones lost 0.2% to 42,809, while those for the S&P 500 shed 0.3% to 5,942, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.3% to 21,287.

NAS100Roll Daily

The fourth-quarter corporate earnings season is set to begin in earnest next week, with several major banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup all set to report on Wednesday.

Before that, Delta Air Lines and Walgreens Boots Alliance will report earnings on Friday.

The key though will be whether heavyweight technology stocks - the key driver for Wall Street’s gains in 2024 – are able to maintain their earnings growth.

On commodity markets, oil prices rose on Thursday as cold weather gripped parts of the US and Europe, boosting winter fuel demand.

UW WTI crude was up 0.4% to 74.24 a barrel, while UK Brent crude rose 0.4% to 77.21 a barrel.

USOILRoll H1

Analysts at JPMorgan expect oil demand for January to expand by 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) year-on-year to 101.4 million bpd, primarily driven by the increased use of heating fuels in the Northern Hemisphere.

Disclaimer:

The information contained in this market commentary is of general nature only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You are strongly recommended to seek independent financial advice before making any investment decisions.

Trading margin forex and CFDs carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Investors could experience losses in excess of total deposits. You do not have ownership of the underlying assets. AC Capital Market (V) Ltd is the product issuer and distributor. Please read and consider our Product Disclosure Statement and Terms and Conditions, and fully understand the risks involved before deciding to acquire any of the financial products provided by us.

The content of this market commentary is owned by AC Capital Market (V) Ltd. Any illegal reproduction of this content will result in immediate legal action.

[harbourfronttechnologies]

Momentum in the Option Market Part 4-Intraday Case

Momentum in the Option Market, Part 4-Intraday Case Momentum in the options market is an emerging and active area of research. For example, Reference [1] demonstrated that delta-hedged straddle positions exhibit momentum, where firms with strong option performance over the past 6 to 36 months are likely to experience high option returns in the subsequent month. Reference [2] extended this line of research to focus on intraday options returns. The authors pointed out, In this paper, we uncover novel seasonal patterns in intraday returns on individual stock option straddles. These returns display the same persistent seasonality pattern as those of their underlying stock, even though straddles are delta-neutral. We find straddle return in a given half-hour interval today to positively predicts the return in the same intraday interval tomorrow, especially at the market open and close. These two momentum patterns are driven by different economic forces. While the morning momentum reflects investors’ underreaction to volatility shocks, afternoon momentum is driven by persistent inventory management by option market makers. In summary, it was shown that a straddle's return during a particular 30-minute trading interval today positively predicts its return during the same interval on subsequent days. Morning momentum reflects a continued under-reaction to overnight volatility news. Afternoon momentum, on the other hand, is attributed to persistent price pressure caused by inventory management from option market makers. Two important observations were made: First, it remains unclear whether the delta-neutral straddles are dynamically rehedged after the trade is initiated throughout the day to maintain neutrality, Second, while Reference [1] argued that option momentum is a distinct factor unrelated to stock momentum, the authors of Reference [2] linked morning momentum in options to the underlying stock momentum, suggesting a connection between the two. Let us know what you think in the comments below or in the discussion forum. References [1] Heston, Steven L. and Jones, Christopher S. and Khorram, Mehdi and Li, Shuaiqi and Mo, Haitao,  Option Momentum (2022). https://ift.tt/Zyzv9T8 [2] Da, Zhi and Goyenko, Ruslan and Zhang, Chengyu, Intraday Option Return: A Tale of Two Momentum (2024). https://ift.tt/wleYGBK Post Source Here: Momentum in the Option Market, Part 4-Intraday Case via Harbourfront Technologies - Feed https://ift.tt/tiGgVvm January 03, 2025 at 12:26PM

[smgblogs]

Derivatives and Risk Management in the Best Share Market Courses

As financial markets become increasingly complex, understanding derivatives and risk management is essential. The best share market course provide insights into these advanced concepts, empowering traders to navigate modern markets effectively.

1. What Are Derivatives?

Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is derived from underlying assets like stocks, commodities, or currencies.

Options: Provide the right to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price.

Futures: Contracts to buy or sell an asset at a specified future date and price.

Swaps: Agreements to exchange financial obligations.

2. Importance of Derivatives

Derivatives play a crucial role in modern financial markets:

Hedging: Protect investments from adverse price movements.

Leverage: Amplify potential returns with a smaller initial investment best share market course.

Price Discovery: Reflect market expectations and influence asset prices.

3. Risk Management Strategies

The best courses teach practical risk mitigation techniques:

Stop-Loss Orders: Set predefined levels to limit potential losses.

Portfolio Diversification: Spread investments across asset classes to reduce risk.

Delta Hedging: Offset risks associated with options trading.

4. Derivatives in Modern Trading

The growing popularity of derivatives among young investors underscores the need for education.

Retail Participation: More retail traders are exploring options and futures.

Technology Integration: Platforms simplify derivatives trading with user-friendly interfaces.

Conclusion

The best share market course equip participants with a deep understanding of derivatives and risk management, preparing them to tackle the challenges of modern financial markets with confidence.

[tucker-ross-advisors]

Regulátoři zveřejnili seznam nelegálních brokerů a investičních služeb

Finanční regulátoři z Velké Británie (FCA), Španělska (CMNV), Belgie (FSMA) a Lucemburska (CSSF) zveřejnili rozsáhlý seznam nelegálních brokerů a investičních služeb, které jsou nabízeny neoprávněně. Níže zmíněné subjekty oslovují rezidenty zemí Evropské unie, čímž ale porušují zákon, protože zde nejsou regulované.

Dejte si tak pozor na tyto brokery a investiční služby:

CAPITAL4BANK

CCFD BANK

CRYPTO ROBOT 365

BITCOIN TRADE ROBOT

BINARY ROBOT 365

DELTA FX MARKETS

TRADES FLY

FOREXROBOTPLUS

GULF BROKERS

IMM FX

LIBRAMARKETS

NOVATRADES

INSTAFX24

GLOBAL STOX

ATLAS STOCKS

GLOBE STOCKS

EUROPEAN STOCKS

STOCK TREND

WORLDFXM

Swiss Investment FX

Alysa Group

Bitcoin Markets Cap

Bitcoin Traders Pro

Coinsmex

Crypto SFS

ETC Markets

Fisherih

LTC Markets

STS Royal

TDS Capital Group

Invest Teck

Tucker and Ross Advisors

[complaintreviews]

Regulátoři zveřejnili seznam nelegálních brokerů a investičních služeb

Finanční regulátoři z Velké Británie (FCA), Španělska (CMNV), Belgie (FSMA) a Lucemburska (CSSF) zveřejnili rozsáhlý seznam nelegálních brokerů a investičních služeb, které jsou nabízeny neoprávněně. Níže zmíněné subjekty oslovují rezidenty zemí Evropské unie, čímž ale porušují zákon, protože zde nejsou regulované.

Dejte si tak pozor na tyto brokery a investiční služby:

CAPITAL4BANK

CCFD BANK

CRYPTO ROBOT 365

BITCOIN TRADE ROBOT

BINARY ROBOT 365

DELTA FX MARKETS

TRADES FLY

FOREXROBOTPLUS

GULF BROKERS

IMM FX

LIBRAMARKETS

NOVATRADES

INSTAFX24

GLOBAL STOX

ATLAS STOCKS

GLOBE STOCKS

EUROPEAN STOCKS

STOCK TREND

WORLDFXM

Swiss Investment FX

Alysa Group

Bitcoin Markets Cap

Bitcoin Traders Pro

Coinsmex

Crypto SFS

ETC Markets

Fisherih

LTC Markets

STS Royal

TDS Capital Group

Invest Teck

Tucker and Ross Advisors

[next-gen-investent]

Understanding Option Chain: A Comprehensive Guide

 An option chain is a listing of all available options contracts for a specific underlying asset. It provides crucial data for traders to analyze and make informed decisions about trading options. Here's a detailed explanation of the components, formulas, and usage of an option chain.

Key Components of an Option Chain:

Strike Price (K): The fixed price at which the holder of the option can buy (call) or sell (put) the underlying asset.

Expiry Date: The date on which the option contract expires.

Premium: The cost of buying the option.

Call and Put Options: Listed side-by-side in the option chain, calls are on the left, and puts are on the right.

Open Interest (OI): The total number of outstanding contracts for a particular strike price and expiration date.

Implied Volatility (IV): The market’s expectation of future volatility of the underlying asset, expressed as a percentage.

Delta (Δ\Delta): Measures the rate of change of the option’s price concerning the price change in the underlying asset.

Volume: The number of contracts traded during a given period.

How to Read an Option Chain:

Choose the Underlying Asset: Select the stock or index for which you want to trade options.

Look at the Expiry Date: Identify the relevant expiry date for your strategy.

Examine Strike Prices: Compare premiums, open interest, and volume for different strike prices.

Analyze Open Interest and Volume: High open interest indicates strong market activity.

Check Implied Volatility (IV): Use IV to gauge the expected price movement of the underlying asset.

Important Formulas Used in Option Chain Analysis:

Intrinsic Value of Call Option:Intrinsic Value=max⁡(S−K,0)\text{Intrinsic Value} = \max(S - K, 0)

SS: Spot price of the underlying asset

KK: Strike price

Intrinsic Value of Put Option:Intrinsic Value=max⁡(K−S,0)\text{Intrinsic Value} = \max(K - S, 0)

Time Value:Time Value=Option Premium−Intrinsic Value\text{Time Value} = \text{Option Premium} - \text{Intrinsic Value}

Option Pricing Using Black-Scholes Formula:C=SN(d1)−Ke−rtN(d2)C = SN(d_1) - Ke^{-rt}N(d_2)

CC: Price of call option

SS: Current stock price

KK: Strike price

rr: Risk-free interest rate

tt: Time to expiration

N(d)N(d): Cumulative standard normal distribution

For puts, use:P=Ke−rtN(−d2)−SN(−d1)P = Ke^{-rt}N(-d_2) - SN(-d_1)Where:d1=ln⁡(S/K)+(r+σ2/2)tσtandd2=d1−σtd_1 = \frac{\ln(S/K) + (r + \sigma^2/2)t}{\sigma\sqrt{t}} \quad \text{and} \quad d_2 = d_1 - \sigma\sqrt{t}

σ\sigma: Volatility of the stock

Advantages of Using an Option Chain:

✓ Provides a clear view of market sentiment through OI and volume.

✓ Helps identify liquidity and activity at various strike prices.

✓ Enables traders to select the best strike price and expiry based on premium and IV.

Practical Tips for Analyzing an Option Chain:

Focus on Open Interest (OI): High OI at specific strike prices indicates key support or resistance levels.

Track Implied Volatility (IV): Use IV to identify whether options are cheap or expensive.

Monitor Volume: High volume often points to significant market activity and liquidity.

Compare Call vs. Put Data: Evaluate the call/put ratio to assess bullish or bearish sentiment.

Understanding the option chain is fundamental for traders aiming to profit from options trading. By analyzing components such as open interest, volume, and implied volatility, and applying relevant formulas, you can make informed trading decisions and better manage risk. Options trading requires skill and knowledge, but mastering the option chain is a crucial step toward success.

[optionsmeister]

Enhancing Your Trading Approach with Delta Management!

For traders looking to increase their profitability and properly manage risk in the fast-paced world of options trading, it is important to understand the specifics of different Greeks. Delta is a very important Greek to understand.

Options Meister is dedicated to providing traders with thorough insights, and a fundamental component of our Delta Management In Trading. This effective tool will greatly improve your trading techniques and approach to risk management, which will ultimately result in better-informed and possibly profitable choices.

What is Delta?

Delta is a measure of how sensitive the value of an option is to shifts in the price of the underlying asset, like an index or stock. It measures the amount that the value of an option will change in reaction to a one-unit shift in the price of the underlying asset.

For call options, delta is a number between 0 and 1, and for put options, it ranges between 0 and -1. When the delta is zero, it means that the price of the option is completely unaffected by changes in the price of the underlying asset. A delta of 1 (for calls) or -1 (for puts), on the other hand, indicates that the price of the option moves in perfect harmony with the price of the underlying asset.

The Value of Delta in Trading Options

For several reasons, delta is an important measure in options trading.

Risk Control: A useful instrument that traders can use to evaluate the possible effects of changes in the underlying asset's price on their option positions, delta is more than just a number. By using this information to manage risk and modify positions appropriately, you can feel secure and confident in your trading choices. Techniques for Trading: An essential part of delta hedging, a tactic to reduce the risk of price fluctuations in the underlying asset, is delta. Traders can figure out how many options contracts are required to counter possible portfolio losses by knowing delta is a better

Exposure to the Market: The directional exposure of an option position is indicated by the delta sign, which can be either positive or negative. A positive delta indicates a bullish position that gains from a rise in the price of the underlying asset, while a negative delta indicates a bad position that gains from a fall in price.

Optimizing a portfolio: With the use of delta analysis, traders can assess the entire risk profile of their options portfolio and modify it to better suit their risk tolerance and investing goals.

Conclusion

Form the above discussion, it is clear that we make wise trading decisions; it is important to keep in mind that delta should be combined with other risk indicators and analytical methods. We also offer Active Trading Strategies an exciting opportunity to profit from short-term market movements.

[arfacapital]

Global Market Highlights: December 16, 2024

European Markets

European equities began the day on mixed footing, oscillating between gains and losses as traders digested PMI data and geopolitical uncertainties. Sentiment weakened further as the session progressed, leaving most major indices in negative territory. The Eurozone’s latest PMI readings highlighted ongoing challenges, particularly in manufacturing, reinforcing the case for additional ECB easing measures. However, the data failed to spark significant market moves. Sector performance reflected a defensive bias, with healthcare leading gains, buoyed by Novo Nordisk's (+1.9%) approval for its Catalent acquisition. Autos were among the weakest performers, with Porsche SE (-1.7%) pulling the sector lower after withdrawing its full-year guidance. Meanwhile, US equity futures edged higher, indicating a slightly firmer start for Wall Street compared to Europe.

US pre-market

The final full week of 2024 began with US equities displaying remarkable resilience, outpacing declines in Asian and European markets. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures surged to record highs, fueled by optimism surrounding upcoming Federal Reserve policy decisions. Bitcoin also reached a fresh all-time high of $106,000, bolstered by growing interest in cryptocurrency investments. As of 8:00 AM ET, S&P futures were up 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures gained 0.5%. This momentum was led by stocks such as MicroStrategy (+6% premarket), benefitting from its imminent inclusion in the Nasdaq 100. On the other hand, Super Micro Computer tumbled 15% following its removal from the same index during its annual reconstitution. Key Drivers - Anticipation of a Federal Reserve rate cut (expected 25 bps) on Wednesday. - Strong earnings expectations under a Trump administration economic agenda. - Resilient demand for US technology and cryptocurrency-linked stocks.

Fixed income markets

European government bonds (EGBs) faced selling pressure, with Bunds trading in a narrow range and slightly softer overall. Sentiment was influenced by mixed PMI data, with better-than-expected German services readings offset by persistent weakness in manufacturing. - French OATs underperformed following Moody’s unexpected downgrade of France's credit rating to "Aa3," citing political fragmentation and fiscal challenges. - Gilts saw minimal changes after the UK PMI release, with mixed data showing resilience in services but continued weakness in manufacturing. US Treasuries remained rangebound, with the focus shifting to this week’s FOMC meeting. Yields were marginally lower, with the curve flattening slightly.

Commodities

Crude Oil: Oil prices softened amid a risk-off tone, with Brent futures dipping below $74/bbl. The pullback reflected subdued sentiment in European markets and a lack of significant catalysts during the session. Gold: Gold prices climbed, finding support near $2,662/oz after an earlier dip to $2,643/oz. The rebound was aided by safe-haven demand amidst geopolitical tensions and mixed economic data. Base Metals: Copper and other industrial metals traded lower, weighed down by lackluster risk sentiment despite slightly positive industrial production data out of China. Key developments in commodities: - Marathon's Detroit refinery workers ratified a pay deal, ending a three-month strike. - Oil spills were reported in both Nigeria's Delta region and the Black Sea, adding to supply chain concerns.

Currencies

The US Dollar Index (DXY) remained steady within a narrow range, trading at the lower end of Friday’s levels as investors awaited US Flash PMI data and the upcoming FOMC meeting on Wednesday. - EUR/USD hovered near the 1.05 level, seeing choppy trade following mixed Eurozone PMI results. ECB President Christine Lagarde reiterated the central bank’s cautious stance, with her remarks offering little new insight. - GBP/USD strengthened, buoyed by better-than-expected UK Services PMI data, which pushed the pair to the top of its daily range around 1.2670. - JPY underperformed slightly, with USD/JPY trading above Friday’s levels at 153.79 as Japan’s PMI showed improvements in both manufacturing and services. - Antipodeans saw modest gains, led by NZD/USD, which outperformed AUD/USD after breaking Friday's highs. The Norwegian Krone also strengthened following Norges Bank's announcement to sell foreign currency and purchase NOK to fund government transfers.

Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin soared to a record $106,000, driven by institutional adoption and increasing interest in crypto-related equities.

Political and World News

- South Korea’s President Impeached: South Korea’s parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, with 12 members of his party supporting the motion following his controversial martial law declaration. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has assumed the role of acting leader as the Constitutional Court deliberates the decision. - Cyclone Ravages Mayotte: The French overseas territory of Mayotte suffered catastrophic damage from the strongest cyclone in over 90 years. Thousands are feared dead, with limited access to the affected islands hampering rescue efforts. - Israel-Ireland Diplomatic Rift: Israel announced the closure of its embassy in Ireland amidst escalating tensions over Ireland’s pro-Palestinian stance, which Israeli officials have condemned as biased. - ABC Settles Trump Defamation Case: ABC News (DIS) has agreed to a $15 million settlement over a defamation lawsuit filed by President-elect Trump. The network will also issue a public apology. - The Great Wealth Transfer: A staggering $124 trillion is expected to be passed down through inheritance in the U.S. by 2048. This unprecedented wealth transfer includes $62 trillion from the wealthiest 2% and is poised to reshape wealth management and luxury markets.

Economic Highlights

- Fed Rate Cut Expected: The Federal Reserve is widely expected to announce a 0.25% rate cut at its meeting this Wednesday. However, officials have signaled caution on further cuts due to persistent inflation and a robust labor market. - France's Downgraded Credit Rating: Moody’s downgraded France’s credit rating to Aa3, citing political instability and a ballooning budget deficit of 6.1%—double the Eurozone average. New Prime Minister François Bayrou faces challenges in addressing the country's $3.36 trillion national debt amid rising borrowing costs. - European Business Activity Stabilizes: The contraction in Eurozone business activity eased in December, with the services PMI rising to 51.4 and the composite PMI improving to 49.5, signaling slight stabilization despite weak demand for goods. - China’s Economic Indicators: China’s property market showed signs of stabilizing, with home prices declining just 0.1% in November, the slowest rate in 17 months. However, retail sales growth slowed to 3% from 4.8% in October, while factory output rose modestly. - India’s Private Sector Growth: India’s private sector output hit a four-month high in December, with its PMI rising to 60.7, reflecting robust demand across both services and manufacturing sectors. - Moody’s Downgrades France: Moody’s lowered France’s credit rating from Aa2 to Aa3, citing heightened political uncertainty and fiscal pressures. The outlook remains stable. - ECB Commentary: President Lagarde suggested further rate cuts are forthcoming, emphasizing that inflationary risks are now balanced. ECB’s Holzmann, however, cautioned against cutting rates purely to support growth.

Geopolitical Updates

Middle East: - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to expand settlements in the Golan Heights, citing strategic concerns amid the ongoing war. Meanwhile, Syrian media reported strong explosions near Tartous and Latakia, attributed to Israeli airstrikes. - The US reportedly conducted strikes against Houthi sites in Yemen, adding to regional tensions. US-China Relations: - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Chinese banks of potential sanctions over aiding Russia and discussed lowering the Russian oil price cap. South Korea: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached over his controversial martial law declaration, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo assuming the role of acting president.

Corporate Highlights

- Broadcom Hits $1 Trillion Market Cap: Broadcom (AVGO) achieved a $1 trillion market capitalization, driven by a strong demand for artificial intelligence-related products. The company reported AI revenue growth of 150% year-over-year, reaching $3.7 billion in Q4. Broadcom’s stock has surged by an astonishing 760% since 2018. - MicroStrategy Joins Nasdaq 100: MicroStrategy (MSTR), known for its extensive Bitcoin holdings now valued at $45 billion, has been added to the Nasdaq 100 index. The company's shares have risen 550% year-to-date, closely tied to Bitcoin's performance, which hit a new record high of $106,509 over the weekend. - Novo Nordisk’s Expansion: Novo Nordisk (NVO) announced plans to invest $1.2 billion in a new facility in Denmark dedicated to producing treatments for rare diseases, including hemophilia. Shares rose 2% in premarket trading following the news. - Big Oil’s Pivot to AI Data Centers: Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) are set to use natural gas paired with carbon-capture technology to power AI-focused data centers. Meanwhile, tech giants like Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOGL) are exploring nuclear energy options to meet the energy-intensive demands of AI. - T-Mobile’s Shareholder Returns: T-Mobile (TMUS) unveiled a $14 billion share buyback program through 2025, part of a larger $50 billion capital return initiative over three years. The company plans to allocate $80 billion toward shareholder returns and investments through 2027. - U.S. DOE Loan for EV Battery Factories: The Department of Energy finalized a $9.63 billion loan to Ford (F) and South Korean partner SK On to establish three electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants in Kentucky and Tennessee, advancing EV adoption in the U.S. - Amazon’s Warehouse Controversy: A Senate investigation found that Amazon (AMZN) ignored warnings linking its stringent productivity quotas to elevated workplace injury rates, which are nearly double the industry average. - Box Office Highlights: Disney's (DIS) "Moana 2" topped the box office over the weekend, grossing $26.6 million domestically, bringing its global total to $717 million. Meanwhile, Universal’s "Wicked" reached $500 million worldwide, but Sony's (SONY) "Kraven the Hunter" underperformed with a disappointing $11 million debut. - TikTok Legal Battle: A U.S. appeals court dismissed TikTok’s attempt to pause legislation requiring its parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app by January 19 or face a ban. TikTok plans to escalate the case to the Supreme Court.

Recent Earnings Recap

There were no significant earnings reported today, but the full earnings calendar remains available.

Upcoming Earnings

Scheduled for Wednesday: - Micron Technology (MU): Expected revenue of $8.55 billion (+80.91% YoY) and EPS of $1.76. - Lennar (LEN): Projected revenue of $10.08 billion (-8.1% YoY) and EPS of $4.26 (-17.6% YoY). - General Mills (GIS): Anticipated revenue of $5.13 billion (-0.18% YoY) and EPS of $1.22 (-2.4% YoY). Scheduled for Thursday: - Accenture (ACN): Estimated revenue of $17.17 billion (+5.83% YoY) and EPS of $3.42 (+4.59% YoY). - Nike (NKE): Projected revenue of $12.47 billion (-6.86% YoY) and EPS of $0.83 (-19.42% YoY). - FedEx (FDX): Anticipated revenue of $22.14 billion (-0.27% YoY) and EPS of $3.95 (-1% YoY).

IPO Activity

- Health In Tech (HIT): A stop-loss health insurance marketplace with 231.93% YoY revenue growth, scheduled for Tuesday. - Leishen Energy Holding (LSE): A Chinese oilfield services company reporting 56.44% YoY revenue growth, slated for Wednesday. - Fast Track Group (FTRK): A Singaporean event-management firm with 2,589.48% YoY revenue growth, scheduled for Friday.

Market Outlook and Future Events

Markets are entering a pivotal week, with central bank decisions likely to shape the near-term trajectory for equities, bonds, and currencies. While US exceptionalism continues to dominate, weak Chinese data and European instability serve as reminders of the challenges facing global growth. Investors remain cautiously optimistic, betting on resilient earnings and accommodative monetary policies to sustain the rally into 2025. Read the full article