Page 1,047«..1020..1,0461,0471,0481,049..1,0601,070..»

Clueless, Good Girls, and . . . The Weeknd? Selena Gomez’s Surprising Entertainment Suggestions – Yahoo Lifestyle

Posted: April 26, 2020 at 4:44 am


Like many others right now, Selena Gomez is occupying her time with a little help from friends like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and the complete cast of Saturday Night Live - virtually, that is. The singer recently shared her list of entertainment recommendations in an earnest Instagram post featuring candid photos of herself cooking. "I shared a few lists in my stories of things I'm watching, listening to and reading to keep me positive and help pass the time," Gomez wrote. "Hope it helps you."

"Hope it helps you."

Gomez's extensive list of movie recommendations includes recent releases like Invisible Man and Uncut Gems, in addition to cult classics like Clueless and Election. Gomez also appears to be filling her feed with hilarious content, as her list of Instagram accounts to follow includes a nostalgic basement-based video store and one that is a near-perfect re-creation of Gomez's own account, except starring a doll in her place. Perhaps the most intriguing recommendation, however, is on the music list, which includes "Snowchild" by The Weeknd, whom Gomez dated for nearly a year in 2017. Hey, maybe she's just relieved to not have been the entire subject of his recently released heartbreak album, After Hours. (That's for a different ex to worry about.) Later, she shared a playlist with even more tunes for Spotify's Listening Together collection, including songs by Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, and Dolly Parton. Browse all of Gomez's suggestions ahead.

Related: Selena Gomez's Carefree Music Video For "Dance Again" Makes Me Want to Dance Along With Her

"If the World Was Ending" by JP Saxe feat. Julia Michaels

"You Say" by Lauren Daigle

"Snowchild" by The Weeknd

"The Blessing" by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, and Elevation Worship

"The Box" by Roddy Ricch

Story continues

Invisible Man

Jennifer's Body

American Hustle

Uncut Gems

Clueless

Sugar & Spice

After the Wedding

Zodiac

Election

Flirting With Disaster

Becoming by Michelle Obama

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson

On Purpose With Jay Shetty

Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!

Oprah & Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth

Get Sleepy

See the original post:
Clueless, Good Girls, and . . . The Weeknd? Selena Gomez's Surprising Entertainment Suggestions - Yahoo Lifestyle

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:44 am

Posted in Eckhart Tolle

Surviving COVID-19: What We Learned from Seun O’s Interview with Elizabeth Osho – BellaNaija

Posted: at 4:43 am


In an InstaLive interview, Elizabeth Osho had a chat with a renowned photographer, Seun O, one of the many COVID-19 survivors who got people talking after attending a high profile award event in Lagos.

Seun spoke about his experience, what happened, his time at the isolation centre, and how he overcame the virus.

Heres what we learned:

He left the UK on the 12th of March, and arrived Nigeria on the 13th of March. He was an official photographer for the award event which took place on Saturday, March 14. Carrying out his task during the event, he was all fine, in good spirit and felt no symptom of the virus. The next night after the event (Sunday night), he started to feel ill with symptoms of tiredness and fever.

When he suspected hed contracted the virus, he got in touch with people he was in close contact with, and one of his conversations with a trusted friend got leaked and made the rounds on social media. He was in isolation for five days, and later went to the hospital to get tested.

Upon visiting the hospital and providing the necessary information such as his symptoms and travel history, the hospital then contacted Lagos State and the NCDC about him. Describing how the COVID-19 test procedure went, he said a stick-like instrument goes up the nostrils, a very uncomfortable and painful process.

When the Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi, contacted him about his COVID-19 positive status, he was scared. He said he felt like his world was crashing down because he had the virus that was killing people around the world.

Did anyone he came in contact with test positive for the virus? Seun O said, Not one single person has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The isolation centre: For Seun, it was an experience he will not regret. The people in his ward were exceptional characters, he said, and all 15 to 16 patients in his ward are now COVID-19 survivors.

His treatment: Everyone in his ward had different symptoms. The first time he got to his ward, after dinner, he had his first antiretroviral, antibiotics, calcium and paracetamol.

Stigmatization: It is a very serious issue for Seun. He met people in the isolation centres who didnt want their families, friends or colleagues to know they had coronavirus.

Watch the full interview here!

See the original post here:
Surviving COVID-19: What We Learned from Seun O's Interview with Elizabeth Osho - BellaNaija

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:43 am

Posted in Osho

Financial pros offer smart investment tips during the coronavirus crisis – CNBC

Posted: at 4:41 am


Caroline Purser | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images

The economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented strife.

More than 22 million Americans have lost their jobs, the markets are roiling, and Americans, stressed about all this uncertainty, are left with many unanswered questions.

Two of CNBC's Financial Advisor Council members Lazetta Rainey Braxton, co-CEO of 2050 Wealth Partners, and Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and founder of Life Planning Partners along with Josh Brown,CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, listened to viewers and answered their questions on CNBC's "Markets in Turmoil" Monday night.

Here is how these experts responded to viewers' most pressing concerns.

How do investors determine asset allocation and the level of risk that's for them?

According to McClanahan, there are two factors that should drive portfolio allocation. The first is, how long do you have before you need to use your money? If you need your money in the near term, meaning that you are approaching retirement age or you recently retired, McClanahan says investors should be consecutive and dial back their risk.

Younger investors who can stomach swings in the market should be more aggressive with their allocations.

Braxton says that now is a good time to figure out your risk tolerance. Investors have had a wide range of reactions to this market. Some might be indifferent to the roller coaster right now, while others are fearful they won't be able to get through their retirement years. Braxton said to use your reactions as a way to gauge your tolerance and then couple that with your timeline and goals.

While there is software available to help ease investors' fears, the No. 1 test an investor needs to pass to understand their risk tolerance is the sleep test, according to Braxton. Can you sleep at night? If not, you may need to adjust your investment allocation.

But risk tolerance is not static; it, too, changes with your age and goals. McClanahan suggests that investors always keep track of how much they could lose, especially when markets are rallying. Being conscious of how much you could lose, especially during the rally, will have you prepared for when the market dives.

How should I manage my investments in my 401(k)?

McClanahan's first piece of advice for investors invested in a 401(k) is to make sure the fees are low. If not, talk to your employer about lowering them.

Next, make sure that you are diversified. McClanahan acknowledges that this can be difficult for investors that do not have a lot of money invested in their 401(k)s and are probably on a life-cycle fund. As you invest more money into your 401(k), you will need to determine the asset allocation that is right for you.

More from Invest in You: Here's a tax break you may not get during the coronavirus pandemic If you left or lost your job, here is what you can do with your 401(k) Received your $1,200 stimulus check? How to avoid spending it like a lottery win

How do I determine the amount of allocation I should have in cash?

There are a lot of advantages to being a professional investor, but according to Brown, there are advantages to being an individual investor. Unlike the pros, individuals don't have to answer to quarterly earnings reports. "As an individual investor, I only answer to myself, as that is decades away."

For young investors, volatility is the source of future returns. Cash should be saved in savings accounts where it will be the most liquid. Young investors should take on as much risk as they can tolerate. However, older investors may want to sit on more cash, as they will likely need to start withdrawing soon. "Risk is all about how much you can afford to lose, and young people have a long period of time. They can take more risk, and ideally, in the long run, it is going to make a lot of money for them."

McClanahan reminded investors that when they invest in stocks, they are investing in companies. Every year, some companies fail, she says, but most are successful, and unlike the 2008 crash, this market crash was started by a global pandemic. Just because a company's stock price plummeted doesn't mean the company was in bad shape, she says.

Risk is all about how much you can afford to lose, and young people have a long period of time. They can take more risk, and ideally, in the long run, it is going to make a lot of money for them.

Carolyn McClanhan

founder of Life Planning Partners

What do I do if I need to take a loan or withdraw from my 401(k)?

According to Braxton, the first thing everyone needs to do before taking out a loan is to determine exactly how much money they need to live. You don't want to take out more than you need, because not only are you the borrower in this case but you are also the lender. The next thing you'll have to do is check with your employer to see how much you can take out and what the interest rate on repayments will be.

The recently passed CARES Actnow allows you to borrow up to $100,000(previous loan limit was $50,000) from your 401(k) and delay repayment for up to one year. After you borrow, you'll typically have to repay the loan within five years, depending on the terms of your 401(k) plan. Under the CARES Act, loan payments due in 2020 can be delayed for up to one year from the time you take out the loan.However, if you can't pay back the loan within the time frame designated by your plan, your outstanding balance will be taxed like a withdrawal, and you'll also have pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty.

What are you telling investors in order to reassure them at this time?

A lot of investors are nervous about what the future will hold. Braxton reassures her clients by showing them a slide of market performance over the last century. Over the last century, there have been crashes, but each time, the economy rebounds and the stock market expands. "If you made it through 2008, you can make it through this," she says.

Through all the volatility, though, McClanahan still sees a silver lining: The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a lot of weaknesses in our markets, she says, adding that post coronavirus recovery offers us the opportunity to build stronger and more equitable systems.

SIGN UP: Money 101 is an 8-week learning course to financial freedom, delivered weekly to your inbox.

CHECK OUT:How to use your stimulus check to invest for the future viaGrow with Acorns+CNBC.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns.

Excerpt from:
Financial pros offer smart investment tips during the coronavirus crisis - CNBC

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment

US investment – finally some good news – ING Think

Posted: at 4:41 am


Hope in the details!

US durable goods orders plunged 14.4% in March, but the details are much better. Transportation orders took a huge hit (-41% month on month), which is once again attributable to Boeings woes (civilian aircraft orders fell 295.7% MoM!!!). There were just 13 Boeing aircraft orders in March, but they also experienced 295 order cancellations, which are subtracted in the durable goods report the Census Bureau uses net orders in its calculations.

Excluding this component orders fell only 0.2% a fantastic outcome given what has happened to manufacturing surveys. Electrical equipment was up 1.5% and capital goods rose 1.3%.

The Fed is known to follow the non-defence capital goods order ex aircraft component closely given this is typically a good lead indicator for investment in equipment and capex in general. It actually rose! Only 0.1% admittedly, but this is much, much better than the -6.7% consensus expectations and offers hope that our -6% annualised GDP estimate for next weeks 1Q GDP report may be a touch too pessimistic.

Read more from the original source:
US investment - finally some good news - ING Think

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment

How Investment In Industrial Plots Can Be A Smart Option? – Goodreturns

Posted: at 4:41 am


Investment

oi-Sunil Fernandes

'Savings are the income of future', and there is no better time than our current situations to realize and address the above fact. With businesses being halted, and cash flow slowing down; having a source of income which helps you maintain a significant savings amount for unseen circumstances in future is becoming an essential resource to possess.

People with well-to do regular incomes are constantly in search for promising grounds of investment. There is no better investment opportunity than the one that comes with myriad choices of long term returns. One such option is industrial plots. These are lands spanning across a vast area with some of the distinct characteristics like location, price value and infrastructure that help the businesses and industries achieve a growth in manifolds. Here is a list of five top reasons that make investment in industrial plots a smart choice for a secure future-

Industrial plots come with the added advantage of a resourceful and an organised infrastructure that leads to the development of businesses located on it. An industrial plot will be equipped with ramps, parking lots, elevators and transportation facilities for easy movement of goods and workers around the entire campus.

The developers purchasing these mass pieces of land, specially look into this aspect due to multiple reasons, major one being deciding of the market value for plot allotments. An industrial plot/park is generally located centrally in the city or at a location, with easy and accessible connectivity of public and private transport, which makes it an attractive avenue for investors, end-buyers and incorporations.

Every industry/business depends on its human resource. An industrial plot is worth investing when it holds the capacity to attract all kinds of working force- skilled or unskilled. As requirement of both is crucial for all type of industries to sustain and expand.

Since such a varied range of small, medium big scale industries are located in the vicinity, when you invest in an industrial plot; the exposure to new sources of raw materials and alternative supply chain arrangements are possibilities. You also get a comparing ground when you are near to so many players, and a fair idea about the working of different sectors.

An industrial plot works as an amalgamating ground for different types of industries to come together under one location, utilize the same resources, work under same property guidelines. This is a profitting position to be- as client acquisitions and exploring more business opportunities becomes comparably easier.

With so many characteristic features being taken care of by the developers who are in the business of building industrial plots. A smart working professional will be more than ready to invest there, as it could be rented/leased out to a budding industry/business. This will not only guarantee him an extra source of income in present, but will also act as a fundamental future asset.

Authored by-

Tejpreet Singh Gill, Executive Director, Gillco Group.

For investment related articles, business news and mutual fund advise

Allow Notifications

You have already subscribed

See original here:
How Investment In Industrial Plots Can Be A Smart Option? - Goodreturns

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment

Foreign investment is drying up thanks to COVID-19. But there may be a silver lining – World Economic Forum

Posted: at 4:41 am


The COVID-19 case has created massive uncertainty in global capital flows.

Governments might be wise to introduce short-term protections, but they must not be over-cautious.

The post-crisis winners will open early to foreign investment.

Just over a year ago, InvestChile the South American countrys Foreign Direct Investment Promotion Agency welcomed 300 foreign investors of 21 nationalities in Santiago. In a two-day event, they attended plenaries, workshops and over 200 meetings including with the president, advancing over $7 billion in potential projects.

Fast-forward to today, and the view from Chile could not have changed more radically.

FDI roadshows in Santiago, and every other capital, are a picture of the past. InvestChiles work shifted almost overnight. In confronting the coronavirus emergency, priorities changed: from attracting FDI overseas to deploying a crucial domestic effort to help international companies ensure their business continuity in Chile, thus keeping the economy running.

This is not an isolated case. All over the world, foreign investors are navigating uncharted waters. The COVID-19 pandemic is leaving not only desolation for the lives that are being lost, but also many questions about the post-coronavirus economy, such as how global investment flows will behave as the emergency clears.

Among all the issues that matter right now, FDI should not be forgotten: It has historically been a barometer of health of international companies, and their ability to bring about global growth. With the current freezing over of foreign investments, a spectre looms on the horizon once the health emergency subsides: a deeper economic recession to confront.

There is a possible silver lining: Investors attracted by good value may kickstart a "virtuous cycle", fresh capital in one sector benefiting the next, as soon as economies open again. After all, one should never let a good crisis go to waste.

But the immediate news are bad. The UNs trade and development arm (UNCTAD) recently revised its forecasts about the effects of COVID-19 on global FDI flows from a conservative -5 to -15% drop, to a decisive -30 to -40% contraction. Even without further downward revisions, those losses are potentially more dramatic than at any time in modern history.

The reference point, of course, is the financial crisis of 2007-08. In its immediate aftermath, FDI flows fell by 37% in 2009, down to $1.1 trillion, and the Great Recession took hold. Today, at the onset of the pandemic, the virus has already wiped off some $500bn in foreign investment, and worse is very likely to come. That doesnt bode well for whats next.

Consider also a second indicator: protectionism. Already, the COVID-19 crisis is hitting at the high point of one of the fiercest trade wars on record, arguably since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 introduced after the Great Depression which led to a 61% dip in US exports by 1933. If a study by the University of St. Gallen about massive new export curbs on medical supplies which today are costing lives directly is any indicator, the crisis will lead to even more restrictions.

The state of global FDI from 1998 to 2018

Image: UNCTAD

In one way, safeguarding makes perfect sense: The COVID-19 crisis has already wiped off trillions of dollars off companies valuations. It may well be in a countrys best interest to put up temporary barriers on investment as a protective measure. With companies losing so much value, foreign acquisition bids may be possible at bargain-basement price in key industries that need to remain in domestic hands.

A first sign of this came from Australia, as the country announced the temporary tightening of conditions for entry of foreign investment, with a strengthened review process lasting between 30 days and six months. The goal was clear: We do not want predatory behavior, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg stated.

While such measures make short-term sense, the tricky part is not to make them stick once the health emergency subsides. If the global economy was in a Prisoners Dilemma, the clear optimal outcome would be to be collaborative and open borders as quickly as possible. But its also clear the first mover to lift restrictions may get the short end of the stick, if its initial openness isnt reciprocated.

In the coming months, we will find out how much these measures and the prospect of deglobalization is further impacting free flows of FDI, and if what we are seeing today in terms of restrictions is only the tip of the iceberg. For now, and until we figure out the long-term impact of the pandemic on foreign investment, the only option for host countries and investors alike is to keep on navigating the storm.

It aims to help governments in developing and least developed countries implement the World Trade Organizations Trade Facilitation Agreement by bringing together governments and businesses to identify opportunities to address delays and unnecessary red-tape at borders.

For example, in Colombia, the Alliance worked with the National Food and Drug Surveillance Institute and business to introduce a risk management system that can facilitate trade while protecting public health, cutting the average rate of physical inspections of food and beverages by 30% and delivering $8.8 million in savings for importers in the first 18 months of operation.

As for InvestChile, their next investor conference will happen virtually, which is likely to become the new normal. Although governments today need to first and foremost work with established investors in keeping their projects afloat, the silver lining for Chile, and emerging markets alike, may reside in being moving early to attract foreign investment with opportunities, incentives and promotion agencies ready to go as the emergency eases.

In this new normal, the winners will be those governments that pioneer novel ways to help investors, in a world where prosperity remains depending on open economic borders.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Go here to read the rest:
Foreign investment is drying up thanks to COVID-19. But there may be a silver lining - World Economic Forum

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment

Is now the right time to buy an investment property? – NJ.com

Posted: at 4:41 am


Q. I'm in my mid-30s and it has always been my dream to invest in an investment property I can rent out on Airbnb or a similar service. Im hoping to find something affordable that I can fix up, but I dont know where to start. I think I can cover a 20% down payment. What else can I consider? Are there loans for people who want to include renovations in the cost?

Hopeful

A. Rental properties, especially short-term rentals, can potentially be a lucrative investment opportunity.

As with all real estate investments, the primary consideration is location, location, location.

Short-term rentals are in highest demand around tourist attractions and transportation hubs, said Jake Clemens, a certified financial planner with with Beacon Trust in Morristown.

He said Airbnb and other rental companies provide useful tools that can help you determine the demand and potential revenue for locations included in your search.

If youre not going to be living near the property, you may have to hire a management company to maintain it, he said. Before you buy, you should spend sufficient time calculating your operating costs and when you could expect to break even.

As the environment we are currently experiencing as a result of Covid-19 and the efforts to contain it shows, it is also important to ensure that you are able to cover the costs associated with the property for a prolonged period of time without a renter, he said.

Clemens said its also important to consider what level of your overall investable assets you are committing to the rental and what proportion of your investable assets will be invested in real estate versus liquid stock, bond and alternative investments.

You want to avoid being over-concentrated in any particular asset class, he said.

When it comes to financing, its important to note that mortgages for investment properties differ from traditional, primary residence mortgages.

Banks view investment properties as riskier assets, so if you dont plan to live in the property yourself, you will likely face a higher interest rate, closing costs and down payment requirements, Clemens said.

If you are looking at rolling up renovation costs into the cost of the mortgage, consider a Fannie Mae HomeStyle Loan, he said.

This would allow you to take out one loan to cover both the purchase of the property and the fix-up costs, but there are some requirements specific to this type of loan, he said. It would be beneficial to work closely with a mortgage lending professional as part of your search for the right property.

Lastly, before you pull the trigger, make sure you are well-educated on the laws and regulations regarding short-term rentals in the municipalities you are considering. Some communities are less welcoming than others, Clemens said.

Good luck!

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.

More:
Is now the right time to buy an investment property? - NJ.com

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment

Is This Pot Stock a Good Buy as an Investment Right Now? – Stocks Newswire

Posted: at 4:41 am


HomeCannabisIs This Pot Stock a Good Buy as an Investment Right Now?

The cannabis industry had been in the middle of turmoil even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, and many of the biggest stocks in the industry had experienced considerable declines in the period. While Cronos Group (TSX:CRON) (NASDAQ:CRON) was not an exception in this regard, the companys status as one of the biggest players in the industry makes it an interesting proposition.

Whats Next?

The cannabis company is backed by the tobacco behemoth Altria, and that places it in a good position to tide over the present crisis. Hence, it might be worthwhile to figure out if the Cronos stock is worth investing in or not.

The company announced its Q4 2019 and full-year financial results last month. Year on year, sales rose by as much as 71%, and the major reason behind the growth was due to sales generated in the United States. Last year, Cronos did not have a presence in the United States market. The acquisition of Redwood Holding Group gave the company a foothold on the hemp market in the United States and also gave it a legal way of entering the market. If the company can continue to expand its operations in the United States, then it can hope to grow its revenues steadily.

That being said, it should be noted that Cronos still failed to meet analysts expectations of $11.6 million in revenues. However, at the same time, investors might draw comfort from the fact as on December 31, 2019, Cronos had cash and cash equivalents to the tune of $1.2 billion. Last month, it had also emerged that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission had asked the company with regards to its revenues recognition.

That forced the company to restate its financials, and that must have come as a bit of a jolt for investors. While it is true that the company is expected to survive the coronavirus crisis, that alone does not make it a stock worth buying. The SEC issue has put a bit of dampener on proceedings as well. While Cronos may have the cash pile to generate growth, it might not yet be the best time to invest in the company.

Been writing about and trading stocks since 2013. Manage a group of micro-cap investors on Facebook with over 15,000 members. Turned $8,500 into 185k the first year I started trading stocks and haven't looked back.

Is Beyond Meat Inc (NASDAQ:BYND) Stock a Buy After The Recent Correction?

Is Aurora Cannabis (TSX:ACB) (NYSE:ACB) Stock a Good Buy Ahead of Reverse Split?

Read more:
Is This Pot Stock a Good Buy as an Investment Right Now? - Stocks Newswire

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment

Why Facebook Is Investing $5.7 Billion in India’s Reliance Jioand Why It Matters – Foreign Policy

Posted: at 4:41 am


A man waters a tree outside the Jio World center in Navi Mumbai, India, on April 22. INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images

Welcome to Foreign Policys weekly South Asia Brief. Were leading with a story that isnt about the pandemic this week: Facebooks $5.7 billion investment in India and why it matters. Also, deadly clashes in Afghanistan threaten the peace process, Sri Lanka marks a year since its deadly Easter Sunday bombings, and garment industry layoffs disrupt Bangladesh.

If you would like to receive South Asia Brief in your inbox every Thursday, please sign up here.

Facebook Adds Asias Richest Man as a Friend

Amid a global economic recession, Facebook made a surprising announcement on Tuesday. It is spending $5.7 billion for a 9.99 percent stake in Jio Platforms, the tech subsidiary of Indias Reliance Industries. The investmentthe single largest in Facebooks historyis a giant bet on Indias online growth.

The deal could also speed up Jios evolution from a cellular internet service to a broader one-stop digital universeperhaps something like Chinas WeChat. News of the deal sent Reliance Industries share price soaring on Wednesday, enabling the chairman, Mukesh Ambani, to once again surpass Alibabas Jack Ma as Asias richest man.

Whats in it for Facebook? In the announcement on Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that he wanted to thank Mukesh Ambani and the entire Jio team for their partnershipa rare sentiment from the side investing big money. India has long been a major growth market for Facebook, but one that it has yet to successfully monetize. There are more than 400 million WhatsApp users in IndiaFacebook owns the messaging appand its core platform has more users in India than in any other country.

And there is still room for Facebook to grow: At least half a billion Indians remain offline. Partnering with Jio and its influential owner Ambani may help the company navigate an increasingly protectionist Indian market. Ambani himself has long advocated that New Delhi should take steps against data colonization by global tech giants. The new partnership may soften his stance, as well as Indias trend toward protectionism. As Ive described in my 2018 book India Connected, Facebook has previously been rebuffed by Indian regulatorssuch as when it tried to launch a free, gated version of the internet in 2016. Jio, now the biggest cellular internet provider in India, is a valuable friend for Facebook to have in its corner.

Whats in it for Reliance Jio? This is a bit more complicated. Reliance has been described as Indias Exxon, AT&T, and Amazon rolled into one. While it has fulfilled its goals of becoming an energy giant and the biggest telecommunications player, it has yet to seriously challenge Amazon or Flipkart as an e-commerce platform. This is where Facebook can help.

Since 400 million Indians already use WhatsApp, a tie-in with JioMartReliances online retail servicewould connect tens of millions of small-business owners with a larger base of potential consumers. The partnership could upend Indias e-commerce market. While Jio has its own apps for messaging, movies, and health care, it has not been able to monetize those subsidiary businesses. Joining the countrys most-used mode of communication could boost its hopes of becoming a retail giant and speed up Indias transition to digital commerce.

Why it matters. Beyond the economic implications, there is the larger question of what kind of internet India will have in the future. Will it be free and fair, as it is in much of Western Europe? Or will it be gated and controlled, as it is in China? If approved by regulators, the Facebook-Jio deal suggests that Indias data localization plans may not be absolute. It also suggests that Western tech behemoths will continue to have an important stake in Indias future.

The timing of Facebooks investment, while likely long in the works, may also be telling. The coronavirus pandemic has led companies around the world to seek more local and more secure supply chains. In Facebooks case, befriending a powerful Indian partner could help it gain greater local influence in a market that remains the digital worlds biggest hope for growth.

Coronavirus still rising as Ramadan begins. South Asia has now recorded more than 38,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. As we have reported for several weeks, nationwide lockdowns have helped slow the spread of the pandemic, but they havent been able to stop it entirely. Now, some countries are allowing certain sectors to get back to work. In India, for example, farm and industrial activity may begin in rural areas.

One concern for South Asia, which is home to more than 500 million Muslims, is the start of the holy month of Ramadan on Friday. In Pakistan, the government has caved in to demands from religious clerics to open mosques for prayers as long as they follow a list of rules, including maintaining a six-foot distance between worshippers. Given the countrys high population density, enforcing those rules may be easier said than done.

Trumps immigration plans. With a single tweet on Monday night, U.S. President Donald Trump sent South Asian workers and many others in the United States into a panic. In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, he wrote, referring to the coronavirus, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration. For now, Trump has not ordered a halt to specialty visas such as the H-1B program, through which tens of thousands of Indians work at U.S. tech companies and banksbut he has banned the issuance of new green cards. Most of the 800,000 immigrants in the United States currently waiting for a green card are Indian citizens.

Sri Lanka attack anniversary. Tuesday marked one year since the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings across Sri Lanka that killed 269 people. The country marked the anniversary with two minutes of silence, but there were no large-scale events because of the nationwide coronavirus curfew. Colombo says the local militant group National Thowheed Jamath was responsible for the coordinated bombings, though the Islamic State has also claimed involvement.

Deadly clashes in Afghanistan. Taliban forces killed dozens of Afghan security force members in separate clashes in the countrys east and north this week, threatening an already fragile peace process. The clashes come despite recent high-level meetings in Doha, Qatar, between the commander of U.S. forces in the region and the Talibans top leadership. The militant group has so far held off on targeting foreign troops.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a steep drop in global demand for all kinds of commodities, including retail clothing. In Bangladesh, factories have now furloughed or laid off more than half of the countrys 4.1 million garment workers, according to CNN. What percentage of Bangladeshs total exports do garments account for?

A) 10 percent B) 30 percent C) 50 percent D) 80 percent

Scroll down for the answer.

Clear blue skies. Theres an unexpected silver lining to the coronavirus-related shutdowns across South Asia: cleaner air. One week after Indias lockdown was announced on March 24, average concentrations of PM 2.5the most harmful level of particle pollutionfell by 71 percent in New Delhi. Once-smoggy surroundings have given way to clear blue skies. Residents report that the air has for once lost its smoky, metallic taste. People living hundreds of miles from the Himalayas can now see its snow-capped peaks. The drop in pollution will hopefully provide respite to the regions growing number of asthmatic patientsand perhaps set an example for industrial changes that could be put in place once the pandemic subsides.

D) 80 percent.

Not only do garments account for four-fifths of Bangladeshs total exports, but they are also responsible for 16 percent of the countrys total economic activity. After companies such as Zara and Unimark cancelled bulk orders, more than 2 million garment workers have now lost their jobs. Several million more workers in transportation and other parts of the garment supply chain could also find their livelihoods endangered.

Thats it for this week.

We welcome your feedback at newsletters@foreignpolicy.com. You can find older editions of South Asia Brief here. For more from FP, subscribe here or sign up for our other newsletters.

Read the original:
Why Facebook Is Investing $5.7 Billion in India's Reliance Jioand Why It Matters - Foreign Policy

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment

A conflict over the No. 1 rule of investing among wealthy Americans during this crisis – CNBC

Posted: at 4:41 am


Traders, some in medical masks, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 20, 2020. Trading on the floor temporarily became fully electronic March 23 to protect employees from spreading the coronavirus.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

The ability to have a more opportunistic view is what separates wealthy investors from much of the investing public, but right now, it is separating them just a little less.

Mike Loewengart, chief investment officer at E-Trade Financial's capital management unit, said its quarterly survey of investors shows the millionaire set and broader investor population converging in the view that the big market rebound off the March lows is not a sure thing to last.

Fifty-seven percent of investors with at least $1 million in a brokerage account expect the market to end this quarter lower, according to a quarterly E-Trade survey which was conducted April 1 to April 8 and included a sample of over 900 self-directed active investors the millionaire data subset provided exclusively to CNBC includes 200 investors with $1 million or more of investable assets. Nineteen percent of these affluent investors expect the market to fall by 20%.

"A technical bull market had occurred during this period of the survey, but they recognize we are not out of the woods yet," said Loewengart. "There could be significant drops, a slow grind of economic data in the coming months and we'll see how it shakes out."

Any investor that looks back at market history will not only see the longer-term rebounds that have occurred, but the magnitude of some notable drops being much larger from peak to trough than the drop that occurred in the first quarter 2020.

Loewengart noted the 84% drop, from peak to trough, after 1929, and then 57% pullback during the global financial crisis, and said these historical market data points are a reason why many investors are not jumping back in with both feet.

The stimulus already announced, and announced quickly, caused investors to come back from the brink, but there are many unknowns that remain. "We are still trying to figure out a new normal, what's going to become a new normal, even after the economy is fully reopened," he said.

"The narrative for the last few years has always been buy the dip, and that had been rewarded," Loewengart said, and 31% of millionaires expect a rise this quarter, one-third of these bulls expecting a stock market gain of 20%. But he said the data shows the extent to which "that's still coming into question," even a survey that was out in the field during a big rebound for stocks. "Many of these investors are still assessing the volatility, but they know it's part of the game and part of the risk."

Data compiled by investorHowardMarksshows that, during the two previous bear markets, the first big comeback rallies have been followed by sharp declines until a bottom was ultimately reached. "The first and second declines were followed by substantial rallies . . . which then gave way to even bigger declines,"Marks,co-founder of Oaktree Capital, wrote in a memo to clients in early April amid the rebound. The market followed a similar pattern between late 2007 and early 2009 amid the financial crisis.

On Monday,Marks told CNBC,"It took seven years to get back to the 2000 highs in 2007. It took 5 years to get back to the 2007 highs in late 2012. So is it really appropriate that, given all the bad news in the world today, we should get back to the highs in only three months? That seems inappropriately positive."

Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger told the Wall Street Journallast Friday, a day on which the market rallied with headlines citing some limited evidence of a coronavirus treatment showing promise, that it was not time to pounce.

"I would say basically we're like the captain of a ship when the worst typhoon that's ever happened comes. We just want to get through the typhoon, and we'd rather come out of it with a whole lot of liquidity. We're not playing 'oh goody, goody, everything's going to hell, let's plunge 100% of the reserves [into buying businesses]."

The CEOs of the market's biggest companies are not sounding immediately confident. Delta Air Lines CEO said on Wednesday, "The second quarter will be worse," in a letter to his employees. CEO Jamie Dimon said on the recent J.P. Morgan earnings call about the economic reopening that investor confidence hinges on, and which has become a source of tension between the federal, state and local governments, "A rational plan to get back is a good thing to do, and hopefully it will be tuned around later, but it won't be May. You're talking about June, July, August, something like that. "

A few simple rules have long worked out over the long-term for the affluent. It's OK to have some money in cash as part of a defensive allocation, but it is often a bad decision to rush into cash after the market has already fallen. Above all, when the market does tank, decades of equities history show it has been the wise idea for long-term investors to buy into stocks at a discount. That has been been happening as the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded off its late-March lows, but not with widespread conviction.

"The ability to always have a long-term view, when we think of these wealthy investors, we saw it in 9/11 and the financial crisis. They have a bigger foundation to tolerate these downturns," said George Walper, president of Spectrem Group, which has studied the financial advice and affluent investor markets for a long time.

Walper said his firm's survey work didn't show wealthier investors selling all of their equities in 2008-2009, and that's the case again now. A survey it conducted earlier this month shows opportunistic buying among the affluent, but only with a slight edge over more selling.

Fifteen percent of investors have sold equities in recent weeks, while a greater percentage (21%) have purchased equities to try to take advantage of lower stock prices. But the Spectrem Group survey also showed that wealthier investors are more likely to have taken both of those approaches in April, and there has been a spike among wealthy investors who have thought of firing their advisors which eclipsed the financial crisis sentiment.

Even wealthy millennials, that group has to hopefully realize you can't panic, but it all depends on how long you might be out of work or underemployed or taking a pay cut. That's when long-term investing is nice to talk about, but in next six months hard.

George Walper

president of Spectrem Group

The Spectrem Group survey also found that 20% of investors with $10 million or more indicated that they were thinking another financial advisor would be better fit. "Even during the financial crisis people were not saying that," Walper said, though he added that in the one to two years that followed the crisis, 12% to 15% of investors did make advisor changes.

"Over 10 years this will be smoothed out, but it is hard to be comfortable with emotionally even if it is consistent in investing," Walper said."For younger investors it is really tough to grapple with taking a long-term view."

That is especially the case for people worried about making mortgage and rent payments. It is a great long-term opportunity for them, he said, but panic buying can be as big a mistake as panic selling. "Even wealthy millennials, that group has to hopefully realize you can't panic, but it all depends on how long you might be out of work or underemployed or taking a pay cut. That's when long-term investing is nice to talk about, but in next six months hard," Walper said.

Some data points in the E-Trade survey are to be expected given the economic standstill: 59% of millionaires grade the U.S. economy at a D or F right now, and 53% think we are already in a recession. The more important E-Trade survey data finds wealthier investor bearishness increasing even more quarter over quarter than bearishness among the broader investing population, and the biggest block within the wealthy investor segment are saying it will take one to two years to recover from this bear market: 46%.Twenty-two percent said three years or longer; 31% less than a year.

Loewengart said he zeroed in on the investors believing it will be one to two years for a recovery. "That is not that long, considering the 10-year economic expansion we came off off. That can be painful, but in the context of most investors' time horizons, not that long. If you have 30 years ahead of you, then one to two years is short lived," he said. "When you look back at the global financial crisis, it fully recovered in about 18 months for a diversified portfolio."

Loewengart said it is encouraging that wealthy investors in the firm's are not indicating greater interest in going to cash or changing allocations. Those who said they would be moving out of current positions and into cash declined from Q1 to Q2, from 25% to 19%, while those who said they would move out of cash and into new positions more than doubled, from 10% in Q1 to 24% in the current quarter. Those who said they would be making overall portfolio changes declined from 29% to 20%, while the largest group of wealthy investors indicated they would be making no changes to their portfolios this quarter (42%).

But quarter over quarter, less millionaire investors said they were looking to buy undervalued names (down from 46% to 38%) and dividend stocks (down from 41% to 24%). Positive sentiment by S&P 500 sector for the second quarter is concentrated in health care (64% of millionaires) and consumer staples (51%).

"Everyone is bearish in a way, and that's why consumer staples jumped up so much in popularity, same as health care," the E-Trade official said.

Daniel Kimeldorf, associate managing advisor at New York City-based Altfest Personal Wealth Management, said there was "nothing like the middle weeks of March" for the volume of calls he had with clients which were a mix between those wanted to get out of market and those who wanted to put everything in, he said, and "everything in between."

Now the majority of clients are skewed towards being opportunistic but also are still wondering whether they are "crazy to think that," Kimeldorf said.

His firm's advice hasn't changed: 100% focus on the long-term and with stocks down over 30% by late March, a risky time to invest was also a time to have some confidence that three months, or three quarters later, investors would benefit from having bought. "Three years later they will be saying what a great buying opportunity it was," Kimeldorf said.

Ben Carlson of Ritholtz Wealth Management wrote last Saturday that the recent action in stocks has shown that during the worst periods the market takes an elevator both up and down.

"The bounce we saw over the past couple of weeks resembles similar activity to the ups and downs of markets in the 1930s. I don't know how any investor could be certain about anything at the moment. Maybe instead of trying to figure out how bad losses will get investors should resign themselves to the idea that market volatility will remain elevated for some time as we try to work out how bad things will get during this crisis."

Unless something has drastically changed in an individual's life, sticking with a target asset allocations could mean buying more stocks to get back to the percentage weight stocks had before the downturn, Kimeldorf said. That is rebalancing, not changing a long-term asset allocation, or in other words, buying stocks to make up for organic losses. Altfest had many clients more defensively positioned coming into this year so in some cases cash that had already been on sidelines has been put back into the market. But these moves do not mean the market bounce since late March is an all-clear signal, though Kimeldorf said the rebound is a big reason why some investors are not as scared as they were two weeks ago, or 11 years ago.

For investors who have the ability to manage their finances right now for goals rather than short-term needs who have not lost a job or income source which requires them to dip into investments to finance their cash flow, or already have an emergency fund with 6 to 12 months of expenses Kimeldorf said this experience will ultimately not be sodissimilar to 2008-2009, when there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Consumers will return. Earnings will return. Stock values will be back to the levels that increased portfolio values over the last ten years, maybe not this quarter or this year. ... In the short term, there will be volatility. We don't want to predict week to week what the market will do. Day-to-day fluctuations in the market are not a winning recipe for long-term wealth management," he said.

Spectrem's Walper said no one expects the ride back to be swift or sudden: "People are not expecting the market [the Dow] back to 29,000 on July 4."

Read the original here:
A conflict over the No. 1 rule of investing among wealthy Americans during this crisis - CNBC

Written by admin |

April 26th, 2020 at 4:41 am

Posted in Investment


Page 1,047«..1020..1,0461,0471,0481,049..1,0601,070..»



matomo tracker