Short run umpire signal

- A + A LONDON (June 23): Britain's economy is showing signs of stalling as high inflation hits new orders and businesses report levels of concern that normally signal a recession, a closely watched industry survey showed on Thursday. S&P Global's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), covering services and manufacturing firms, also showed companies raising pay and passing higher costs on to clients, a worry for the Bank of England. The PMI's preliminary composite index held at 53.1 in June, above the median forecast of 52.6 in a Reuters poll of economists and unchanged from May. But the PMI's measure of new orders effectively stagnated as it fell to 50.8, the lowest in over a year. Factory orders dipped below the 50.0 growth threshold to 49.6. "The economy is starting to look like it is running on empty," Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said. "Business confidence has now slumped to a level which has in the past … [Read more...] about UK economy ‘running on empty’ as recession signals mount — PMI

- A + A NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (June 23): The European Central Bank’s Isabel Schnabel started it. In February, she flashed a chart showing how much the euro had weakened against the US dollar. Two months later, the Bank of Canada’s Tiff Macklem bemoaned the decline of the Canadian dollar. Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan suggested he’d like to see a stronger franc. The US dollar had been soaring — now up 7% for the year — as the Federal Reserve prepared to aggressively combat inflation. And so one by one, central bankers elsewhere, just as desperate to tame the relentless march of inflation in their own backyards, began sending not-so-subtle signals that they would for once welcome a stronger currency — which helps reduce the cost of imports by boosting buying power abroad. It’s a form of intervention so rare that their jawboning alone moved markets. On June 16, two of them upped the ante: Switzerland surprised traders with the first rate increase since … [Read more...] about Currency war breaks out in a world short on fixes for inflation

Netflix, Inc. ( NFLX ) shares fell more than 13% in Wednesday's post-market after the streaming giant missing U.S. and international subscriber estimates. The company blamed weak second quarter programming for the shortfall, but it raised rates during the period, indicating that there's a limit to the price that customers will pay for streaming entertainment. International political tensions also contributed to the disastrous quarter, with the American band losing its luster in many parts of the world. CEO Reed Hastings and company are entering a dangerous period, with major competition set to come online in the fourth quarter. Dow components Apple Inc. ( AAPL ) and The Walt Disney Company ( DIS ) will fire up their own streaming services at that time, while AT&T Inc. ( T ) and Comcast Corporation ( CMCSA ) will follow suit in 2020. Disney will be an especially dangerous rival, removing a treasure trove of blockbuster content from the Netflix site. Netflix stock … [Read more...] about Quarterly Shocker Could Signal Netflix Top

Dow component American Express Company ( AXP ) has rallied more than 35 points off March's three-year low in the $60s but faces major headwinds in coming quarters, raising the potential for profitable short sales . That downside could unfold before the end of the second quarter because weekly relative strength readings are probing overbought levels even though the three-month uptick has failed to dislodge highly bearish monthly readings. Rivals Mastercard Incorporated ( MA ) and Visa Inc. ( V ) are better positioned to survive and prosper in coming years, with robust digital payment systems that have become even more attractive due to the worldwide pandemic. Meanwhile, American Express remains highly dependent on business travel, which may never return to pre-pandemic levels because many corporations are adapting quickly to the virtual meeting world. Of course, other travel-oriented companies have taken a beating so far in 2020, with plummeting revenues and transactions … [Read more...] about American Express Stock Could Offer Profitable Short Sales

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Unions seem to be winning today, with headline-grabbing victories at an Apple store , some Starbucks stores and some Amazon distribution centers. The National Labor Relations Board reports a surge in union organizing petitions. These gains are small relative to the entire non-unionized workforce, but organizers and the Biden administration are hopeful for more wins. Why are workers joining in union campaigns more now than in past years? The Biden administration’s policies, and especially the National Labor Relations Board’s practices, are frequently mentioned. But that’s a small part of the story. The labor market is tight in virtually all parts of the country and most occupations. The fact that workers have more bargaining power is no surprise in the current environment, but one important question is why workers put effort into organizing a union rather than simply walking across the street to one of the many companies … [Read more...] about Unions And Stress—What Businesses Should Learn

Most of the knowledge and skills you need to do well at work are things that you were not taught in school—even if you have a college degree or advanced degrees. For one thing, each organization has its own processes and procedures, so the knowledge and skills you got during your education will need to be adapted. For another, the pace of change in business is so fast that much of what you learned is probably outdated less than a decade after the last time you set foot in a classroom. advertisement advertisement So, when you’re hiring someone who does not yet have a lot of experience in your industry, knowing what they studied (and even how well they did in school) isn’t going to tell you much about whether they will grow into their job. Instead, there are a few other things you need to be looking for in new hires: Ownership of mistakes and resilience One reason why good grades in school don’t necessarily predict success at work is that getting good … [Read more...] about How to tell if an inexperienced job candidate has growth potential

The Hanwha Eagles leave the field after losing to the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on Tuesday. [NEWS1] The Hanwha Eagles' years-long slump passed another grim milestone on Wednesday when the Daejeon club became the first team in KBO history to play three consecutive seasons with a double-digit losing streak. The last-place Eagles on Wednesday lost a tight 6-5 game to the third-place LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul, pushing their current losing streak to 10 games. The Eagles lost 10-4 to the Twins on Tuesday and had dropped their most recent series against the NC Dinos, Lotte Giants and SSG Landers. Mixed into that losing streak was one tie on June 17, but unlike in football, a tie in baseball does not cut a winning or losing streak. The last time the Eagles actually won a game, as of press time Wednesday, was on June 8, when they beat the Doosan Bears 5-1 at Jamsil. That 10-game losing streak matches the Eagles' worst spell of … [Read more...] about Hanwha Eagles’ losing streak enters double digits for third year in a row

Though it’s largely been lost to the fog of history, the inaugural scandal of Barack Obama’s presidency centered not on civilian-drone casualties or the bailout of a slumping economy, but on the incoming commander-in-chief’s Microsoft Zune. advertisement advertisement The transgression came in late 2008, just after his election, while his transition team was busy readying the White House and the nation for the promise of hope, change, and cool. An alt-weekly reporter spotted an athleisured Obama on a treadmill in Philadelphia, the cord of his headphones running down to—of all things—a Zune. “OBAMA ZUNE-ACY,” squawked a New York Post headline . “The president-elect has been spotted listening to the least cool MP3 player on the market,” The Guardian declared. Multiple days of humiliating Zunegate coverage culminated in an advisor’s official ass-covering: An Obama spokesperson claimed that the president-elect typically … [Read more...] about 10 years after its demise, a requiem for the Microsoft Zune, the little gadget that couldn’t

(Reuters) - Pathum Nissanka cracked a brilliant 137 while Kusal Mendis scored a half-century before getting injured as Sri Lanka beat Australia by six wickets in the third one-day international on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Chasing 292 to win, Sri Lanka shook off the early dismissal of Niroshan Dickwella for 25 as Nissanka and Mendis combined for a brilliant 170-run partnership for the second wicket to put their side in complete control. But while Mendis retired hurt with a hamstring injury on 87, Nissanka hung on to take his team close to the finish line which they crossed with nine balls to spare after to a quick-fire 25 by Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka's steady 13. Nissanka's knock came off 147 deliveries and contained 11 fours and two sixes. Australia opted to bat first after winning the toss and an unbeaten 70 from Travis Head and 62 from skipper Aaron Finch helped them to a competitive 291-6 on a tricky Colombo wicket which was slow … [Read more...] about Cricket-Nissanka smashes ton as Sri Lanka beat Australia in third ODI

Netflix, Inc. ( NFLX ) stock has dropped to the most extreme oversold technical reading since 2012 and could bounce strongly, relieving shareholder anxiety while squeezing the large supply of short sellers. However, this is a market timing call and not an all-clear signal because broad price structure predicts that the streaming giant will be range bound into 2020 and beyond, which makes perfect sense given the plethora of competitive services coming online in coming months. Services from Apple Inc. ( AAPL ) and The Walt Disney Company ( DIS ) will present the most difficult challenges at the same time that customers all across the planet realize their monthly subscription bills have reached or are exceeding what they paid to cable and satellite outlets before cutting the cord and moving to the internet. In turn, this could generate greater selectivity, persuading consumers to drop services that don't provide enough bang for the buck. It's no accident that Apple and … [Read more...] about Netflix Stock Set to Bounce Strongly Into Fourth Quarter