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SINGAPORE  – Oil prices eased on Friday, with major benchmarks headed for their second straight week of losses, as the market awaited further signs of fuel demand recovery in China to offset looming slumps in other major economies. Brent crude futures fell 34 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $81.83 a barrel by 0740 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slid 37 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $75.51. Both contracts have dropped by more than 5 percent so far this week, with mixed signals on fuel demand recovery in China, the world’s top oil importer, keeping a lid on prices. ANZ analysts pointed to a sharp jump in traffic in China’s 15 largest cities following the Lunar New Year holiday, but also noted that Chinese traders had been “relatively absent”. The prospect of an economic rebound in China after COVID-19 curbs eased has buoyed the oil market so far this year, along with a weaker dollar that makes the commodity cheaper for those holding other currencies. The … [Read more...] about Oil weakens as market awaits signs of China demand recovery

BEIJING  – China’s policymakers plan to show more support for domestic demand this year but are likely to stop short of splashing out big on direct consumer subsidies, keeping their focus mainly on investment, three sources close to policy discussions said. In recent weeks, top policymakers have repeatedly signalled their intention to work towards harvesting the consumer power of China’s 1.4 billion people, after economic growth in 2022 slumped to one of its weakest levels in nearly half a century. That has raised expectations that large-scale household stimulus measures could be announced at an annual parliament meeting in March. Prominent academics have felt emboldened to speak publicly about sizeable demand-side measures such as 1 trillion yuan ($148.28 billion) or more in nationwide consumption vouchers. The sources close to policy discussions, however, expect China to stick more closely to its familiar playbook of policies to support key industries and splurge on … [Read more...] about Big stimulus unlikely as China considers steps to support consumers-sources

LONDON/SYDNEY  – A global stock rally, powered by hopes of central banks ending aggressive rate rises, ran into roadblocks on Friday following weak earnings from U.S. tech giants and as key U.S. jobs data loomed. The MSCI World Stock Index slipped 0.2 percent, but was still near its highest since last August following a sharp rebound in recent weeks on hopes that central bank rate hikes are nearing an end. Wall Street stock futures fell sharply, with contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 2 percent lower, on disappointing earnings from Google, Apple and Amazon. S&P 500 futures slid 0.9 percent. Investors are also watching the fallout from this week’s plunge in shares of India’s Adani group, which continued to nosedive on Friday with market losses amounting to $115 billion in the wake of a U.S. short-seller’s report. In Europe, the Stoxx 600 share benchmark fell 0.6 percent. Germany’s benchmark 10-year bond yield inched 2 basis points (bps) higher to 2.097 percent, having on … [Read more...] about Tech giants call time on stocks rally, U.S. payrolls loom

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin In a first for science, the wild smalleye stingray ( Megatrygon microps ) has been tagged by scientists! Known as the world's largest and rarest marine stingray, this animal is still globally classified as “Data Deficient” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Researchers at the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) believe Mozambique's smalleye stingrays are likely to be subject to artisanal fishing pressures and incidental capture in gill and seine nets. Due to their elusive nature, smalleye stingrays are poorly understood within the scientific and diving communities despite their size. In spite of their distribution throughout the Indo-West Pacific, wild encounters have been rare. In fact, prior to the early 2000s, there were only a few confirmed live sightings of smalleye stingrays! Yet off the eastern coast of Africa seems to be a different story. Southern Mozambique is a global hotspot for sharks and rays, and it … [Read more...] about World’s Largest Ocean Stingray Tagged For First Time

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This segment of What’s Ahead discusses how the rise of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) is going to profoundly and positively change American schools. Government money goes into accounts controlled by parents, which can be used to send their kids to nonpublic schools. The money follows the student rather than being controlled by school bureaucrats and unions. Iowa has just enacted a sweeping ESA program, as has Utah. West Virginia and Arizona already have ESAs and several other states are seriously considering them. The unsatisfactory state of all too many public schools has been known for decades, but reforms such as charter schools have reached only a small proportion of students. ESAs decisively put the parents in charge. The unnecessary and destructive shutdowns of public schools during the pandemic aroused parents as never before when they saw firsthand what was being taught—and not taught—and … [Read more...] about A Revolution Is Coming To Education — What Every Parent Needs To Know

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When people think about the economic drivers of the Colorado tourism industry, the obvious ones quickly surface. Cannabis, craft beer, skiing, hiking, and camping all bring throngs of visitors to the Mile High State. But another industry has been steadily drawing more visitors each year yet is still flying under the radar, but that could soon change. We’re talking about the wine industry. Though wine has been produced in Colorado since the late nineteenth century, the industry essentially jump-started in 1990 when new laws allowed independent wineries to take root. Since then, the number of vineyards has expanded from just five in 1990 to over 170, according to the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. That has led to a 10% average annual growth rate. A large portion of the wineries operate inside two American Viticultural Areas (AVA’s), Grand Valley and West Elks. Located in the Western Slope region of the Rocky … [Read more...] about Colorado’s Wine Industry Is Bringing Economic Growth To A State Known For Fun

PHUKET: The easiest way to get 3G service in Phuket involves a trek to the True office in Phuket Town, in the little building in front of Robinson’s department store. There you will find several people who understand 3G (believe me, that’s quite an accomplishment), and they’ll set you up with 3G service. If you already have a True SIM card, and a dongle, 3G iPad or 3G capable smartphone, you only need to enable the 3G service from True. You can keep your old phone number. 3G will run about 800 baht per month, in addition to your regular phone charges. But you’ll be limited to three gigabytes in total data transmission during any particular month. If you go over the allotment, True automatically drops you back to plain old everyday GPRS service, which is painfully slow. Three gig is enough for moderate web surfing and email work, but won’t even scratch the surface if you download torrents or movies. Related news Police bust Belarusian man in Phuket for … [Read more...] about Phuket Live Wire: Still dreaming about 3G

(CTN NEWS) – SEOUL – In the contest to lead the party through next year’s general elections, Reps. Kim Gi-hyeon and Ahn Cheol-soo are the two leading candidates. And candidate registration for the leadership election of the ruling PPP commenced on Thursday. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration keeps a tight eye on the race because it wants a Yoon supporter to steer the party through the parliamentary elections. That will determine if Yoon can advance his program in the National Assembly for the remaining five years of his tenure, until 2027. It is widely assumed that Yoon’s office is supporting Kim. Kim Gi-hyeon (R) and Ahn Cheol-soo, lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party who have expressed their intention to run in the party’s leadership race in March, attend a New Year’s meeting of the party’s chapter in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Jan. 11, 2023. (Yonhap) Kim previously held the lead in the race, but current surveys indicate that Ahn has … [Read more...] about Registration For PPP Leadership Races Opens In South Korea

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Active listening is a skill that needs to be cultivated to be an effective leader, and often, employees can be your best source of inspiration for this. They know the day-to-day concerns of the company and can offer unique, valuable insights and perspectives. However, leaders tend to be pulled in many different directions each day. They often feel they need to make quick, executive decisions without consulting others, sometimes to the detriment of the business. Here, a panel of Forbes Business Council members share their best tips for managers who want to improve their active listening skills to create a more comfortable, successful business environment. 1. Follow Up On Feedback Aside from common active listening practices such as paying attention to nonverbal cues and uninterrupted communication, it all comes down to action. An employee is only ever truly heard when their thoughts are put to practical use and … [Read more...] about 15 Key Tips For Developing Active Listening Skills As A Leader

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When founder Kerry Fitzmaurice was preparing to open Pure Grit BBQ, her plant-based BBQ and fast-casual eatery in New York City in the spring of 2019, the proliferation of COVID stopped her in her tracks and delayed its debut. After she spent a year researching the menu, conducting market research, and refining her cooking and smoking expertise, she decided to maintain her momentum by bottling its sauces and rubs to get it off the ground. She turned to Hell’s Kitchen Hot Sauce, a bottler, to help produce it. The sauces are still on sale at the restaurant and produce about 10% of its overall revenue. That launch boosted Pure Grit BBQ’s brand name after articles appeared in The New York Times, Harpers Bazaar and the lifestyle company GOOP. Fitzmaurice raised the capital to open its retail location in May 17, 2023 from one main friend from elementary school in Greenwich, Ct and tapping her own funds. She also brought … [Read more...] about Vegan Pure Grit BBQ Opens In New York City After A Four-Year Delay