How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Robert Lewandowski converted a first-half penalty kick to become the third player to score 100 goals or more in the Champions League, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Lewandowski calmly sent a low shot into the net from the spot in the 10th minute to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead against Brest. He scored his 101st goal from inside the area in second-half stoppage time to seal the Catalan's club 3-0 victory. Lewandowski trails the 129 goals of Messi and the 140 of Ronaldo, according to UEFA. Lewandowski needed 125 games to reach his milestone — two more games than Messi and 12 fewer than Ronaldo, who also scored once in the qualifying round. “I'm delighted, it's a nice number,” Lewandowski said. “In the past I didn’t think I could score more than 100 goals in the Champions League." It was Lewandowski's sixth and seventh Champions League goals this season. It's the ninth season in which the Poland striker has scored six or more goals. The 36-year-old Lewandowski is having a standout campaign, having scored 22 goals for Barcelona in 19 appearances. He is the Spanish league’s scoring leader with 15 goals from 14 matches. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
India’s former PM Manmohan Singh dies aged 92GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — After losing to San Francisco in the playoffs three of the last five seasons, the Green Bay Packers wouldn’t mind seeing the 49ers get left out of the postseason entirely. The Packers (7-3) could damage San Francisco’s playoff hopes Sunday by beating the 49ers at Lambeau Field. San Francisco (5-5) dropped to .500 after losing at home to the Seattle Seahawks, though the 49ers remain just a game behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. “I think we’re motivated to keep winning more than anything,” Packers center Josh Myers said. “Obviously, they have knocked us out quite a bit. There’s that extra motivation behind it, but at this point, we’re just trying to churn out wins.” The 49ers will be playing this game without starting quarterback Brock Purdy, who injured his right shoulder in the Seahawks game. Although an MRI showed no structural damage, Purdy's shoulder didn't improve as the week wore on. Brandon Allen will start in Purdy's place. Green Bay is third in the NFC North and two games behind the Detroit Lions, but the Packers appear on track to at least earn a wild-card playoff berth. History suggests their path to a potential Super Bowl would get much clearer if the 49ers aren’t standing in their way. The 49ers trailed 21-14 in the fourth quarter before rallying to beat the Packers 24-21 in the divisional playoffs last year on Christian McCaffrey’s 6-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left. Now, it’s the 49ers who are struggling to protect late leads, as they’ve blown fourth-quarter advantages in three games against divisional opponents. “You could look at, ‘Hey, we’re three possessions away from being 8-2,’ but you can’t really live like that,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “Those are the mistakes that we’ve made to be 5-5. It’s not exactly where we want to be. It is frustrating. The nice thing is we have seven games left to go out there and play Niners football and take advantage of those opportunities.” Green Bay’s recent history of playoff frustration against the 49ers also includes a 13-10 loss at Lambeau Field in the 2021 divisional playoffs and a 37-20 road defeat in the 2019 NFC championship game. Even the Packers players who weren’t around for last season’s playoff loss realize what this game means. “I think one of the first meetings that I was in here, we had a conversation about the Niners beating us,” said Green Bay safety Xavier McKinney, who joined the Packers this season. “So I understand how important it is, and we all do.” Both teams must figure out how to convert red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. The 49ers are scoring touchdowns on just 48.8% of their drives inside an opponent’s 20-yard line to rank 27th in the NFL. The Packers are slightly worse in that regard, scoring touchdowns on 48.7% of their red-zone possessions to rank 28th. In their 20-19 victory at Chicago on Sunday, Green Bay drove to the Bears 5 without scoring on two separate series. Purdy isn't the only notable player who won't be participating in Sunday's game. San Francisco won't have four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa available after he hurt his left hip and oblique against the Seahawks. Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) also have been ruled out. Kittle expects to play for the 49ers on Sunday after missing the Seahawks game with a hamstring injury. 49ers left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) is questionable. Green Bay’s defense feasted on turnovers the first part of the season, but hasn’t been as effective in getting those takeaways lately. The Packers have 19 takeaways – already exceeding their 2023 total – but haven’t forced any turnovers in their last two games. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan hasn’t eased McCaffrey back into the lineup in his return after missing the first eight games with Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey has played 91% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps the past two weeks. Jordan Mason, who rushed for 685 yards during McCaffrey’s absence, has just five snaps on offense the last two games. Shanahan said he’d like to get Mason more opportunities, but it’s hard to take McCaffrey off the field. Green Bay nearly lost to the Bears because of its third-down struggles on both sides of the ball. The Packers were 1 of 5 on third-down opportunities, while the Bears went 9 of 16. The Packers’ defense could have a tough time correcting that problem against San Francisco, which has converted 45.4% of its third-down situations to rank fourth in the league. AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Sun Valley With Sand Dunes: Barack Obama, Ryan Reynolds and Ari Emanuel Touch Down in Doha for Inaugural Sportico World SummitAnna University sexual assault case: Accused asked victim to meet him whenever he calledOneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF ( NYSEARCA:IVOO – Free Report ) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000. Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF during the second quarter worth $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF during the second quarter worth about $52,000. Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF Stock Performance Shares of IVOO stock opened at $113.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.55 and a beta of 1.11. Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF has a 52 week low of $85.89 and a 52 week high of $113.29. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.10. About Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF The Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF (IVOO) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P Mid Cap 400 index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index of mid-cap US companies. IVOO was launched on Sep 9, 2010 and is managed by Vanguard. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IVOO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF ( NYSEARCA:IVOO – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing . But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin , gold and other investments also drove higher. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that defined the year. All are as of Dec. 20. Remember when President Bill Clinton got impeached or when baseball’s Mark McGwire hit his 70th home run against the Montreal Expos? That was the last time the U.S. stock market closed out a second straight year with a leap of at least 20%, something the S&P 500 is on track to do again this year. The index has climbed 24.3% so far this year, not including dividends, following last year’s spurt of 24.2%. The number of all-time highs the S&P 500 has set so far this year. The first came early, on Jan. 19, when the index capped a two-year comeback from the swoon caused by high inflation and worries that high interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to combat it would create a recession. But the index was methodical through the rest of the year, setting a record in every month outside of April and August, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. The latest came on Dec. 6. The number of times the Federal Reserve has cut its main interest rate this year from a two-decade high, offering some relief to the economy. Expectations for those cuts, along with hopes for more in 2025, were a big reason the U.S. stock market has been so successful this year. The 1 percentage point of cuts, though, is still short of the 1.5 percentage points that many traders were forecasting for 2024 at the start of the year. The Fed disappointed investors in December when it said it may cut rates just two more times in 2025, fewer than it had earlier expected. That’s how many points the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by the day after Election Day, as investors made bets on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and the world . The more widely followed S&P 500 soared 2.5% for its best day in nearly two years. Aside from bitcoin, stocks of banks and smaller winners were also perceived to be big winners. The bump has since diminished amid worries that Trump’s policies could also send inflation higher. Related Articles Economy | Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices Economy | Federal hostility could delay offshore wind projects, derailing state climate goals Economy | US applications for unemployment benefits hold steady, but continuing claims rise to 3-year high Economy | A million taxpayers will soon receive up to $1,400 from the IRS. Who are they and why now? Economy | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump The level that bitcoin topped to set a record above $108,000 this past month. It’s been climbing as interest rates come down, and it got a particularly big boost following Trump’s election. He’s turned around and become a fan of crypto, and he’s named a former regulator who’s seen as friendly to digital currencies as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing someone who critics said was overly aggressive in his oversight. Bitcoin was below $17,000 just two years ago following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. Gold’s rise for the year, as it also hit records and had as strong a run as U.S. stocks. Wars around the world have helped drive demand for investments seen as safe, such as gold. It’s also benefited from the Fed’s cut to interest rates. When bonds are paying less in interest, they pull away fewer potential buyers from gold, which pays investors nothing. It’s a favorite number of Elon Musk, and it’s also a threshold that Tesla’s stock price passed in December as it set a record. The number has a long history among marijuana devotees, and Musk famously said in 2018 that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share . Tesla soared this year, up from less than $250 at the start, in part because of expectations that Musk’s close relationship with Trump could benefit the company. That’s how much revenue Nvidia made in the nine months through Oct. 27, showing how the artificial-intelligence frenzy is creating mountains of cash. Nvidia’s chips are driving much of the move into AI, and its revenue through the last nine months catapulted from less than $39 billion the year before. Such growth has boosted Nvidia’s worth to more than $3 trillion in total. GameStop’s gain on May 13 after Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” appeared online for the first time in three years to support the video game retailer’s stock, which he helped rocket to unimaginable heights during the “ meme stock craze ” in 2021. Several other meme stocks also jumped following his post in May on the social platform X, including AMC Entertainment. Gill later disclosed a sizeable stake in the online pet products retailer Chewy, but he sold all of his holdings by late October . That’s how much the U.S. economy grew, at annualized seasonally adjusted rates, in each of the three first quarters of this year. Such growth blew past what many pessimists were expecting when inflation was topping 9% in the summer of 2022. The fear was that the medicine prescribed by the Fed to beat high inflation — high interest rates — would create a recession. Households at the lower end of the income spectrum in particular are feeling pain now, as they contend with still-high prices. But the overall economy has remained remarkably resilient. This is the vacancy rate for U.S. office buildings — an all-time high — through the first three quarters of 2024, according to data from Moody’s. The fact the rate held steady for most of the year was something of a win for office building owners, given that it had marched up steadily from 16.8% in the fourth quarter of 2019. Demand for office space weakened as the pandemic led to the popularization of remote work. That’s the total number of previously occupied homes sold nationally through the first 11 months of 2024. Sales would have to surge 20% year-over-year in December for 2024’s home sales to match the 4.09 million existing homes sold in 2023, a nearly 30-year low. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. A shortage of homes for sale and elevated mortgage rates have discouraged many would-be homebuyers.Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street
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The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a dramatic 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers. The reigning Super Bowl champions saw their run of 15 straight wins ended by the Buffalo Bills last week, but got back to winning ways thanks to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After a late Chuba Hubbard touchdown and two-point conversion had made it 27-27, the Chiefs got the ball back with less than two minutes on the clock and a 33-yard run from Mahomes helped set up Spencer Shrader for a game-winning field goal. Mahomes finished the game with 269 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Noah Gray in the first half. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored two touchdowns as the Detroit Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-6 to improve their record to 10-1, matching that of the Chiefs. David Montgomery also ran for a score before having to leave the game with a shoulder injury. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended a four-game losing streak with a 30-7 win over the New York Giants, who “mutually agreed” to terminate the contract of quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this week. Jones’ replacement Tommy DeVito was sacked four times while opposite number Baker Mayfield ran for a touchdown and completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 294 yards. Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker also ran for touchdowns in a one-sided contest. The Dallas Cowboys ended their five-game losing streak with a remarkable 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders, with 30 points scored in the final three minutes. KaVontae Turpin’s 99-yard kick-off return for a touchdown looked to have sealed victory for the Cowboys, only for the Commanders to respond with a field goal before getting the ball back with 33 seconds remaining. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin sprinted 86 yards through the Dallas defence for a touchdown, only for Austin Seibert to miss the extra point. The Commanders tried an onside kick and Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes as the Miami Dolphins cruised to a 34-15 win over the New England Patriots, while the Tennessee Titans pulled off a surprise 32-27 victory at the Houston Texans. The Minnesota Vikings improved to 9-2 thanks to a 30-27 overtime win against the Chicago Bears, Parker Romo kicking the decisive field goal from 29 yards.After his team's 102-89 home win on Wednesday night over Purdue Fort Wayne, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades challenged his team's fan base to show up and make more noise. "Sweat with us," he said at one point. At 5-0, the Nittany Lions haven't had to sweat much to get off to a fast start. They might not have to expend much perspiration to make it 6-0 on Monday when they meet Fordham in a semifinal matchup at the Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. Penn State hasn't played a strong schedule so far, but the team has been impressive. It's averaging 98.2 points per game and 13.8 steals per game, both of which ranked second in Division I through Saturday's play. The Nittany Lions were seventh per kenpom.com in turnover rate, forcing 25.3 per 100 possessions. Point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. is leading the charge, scoring 16.4 points and dishing out 7.8 assists while chipping in 2.6 steals. Zach Hicks has nearly doubled his scoring average from 8.4 last season to 15.8 this season, while Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Konan Niederhauser has beefed up the interior, tallying 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. Meanwhile, Fordham (3-3) is coming off a 73-71 home loss Friday night against Drexel in New York. The Rams blew a seven-point lead early in the second half and missed a chance to force overtime when leading scorer Jackie Johnson III missed a layup as time expired. Johnson, a UNLV transfer, is averaging 19 points per game and is making nearly 48 percent of his shots as one of three Rams with double-figure scoring averages. Jahmere Tripp scores at an 11.0 clip while Japhet Medor is contributed 10.5, but Fordham is struggling to make shots, canning only 41.5 percent from the field. The Rams were picked for a 14th-place finish in the Atlantic 10 despite returning more scoring than any team in the league except for VCU. Third-year coach Keith Urgo thinks his team can defy low external expectations. "We're experienced and I think we're poised to have a tremendous year," he said. --Field Level Media
Islamabad: Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja disclosed on Thursday that Pakistan is in discussions with Starlink to bring its services to the country. The minister's statement came during a Senate Standing Committee meeting on IT and Telecommunication. The statement follows the worst internet disruptions in the country and billions of rupees in losses to the national economy. Chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, the session discussed issues plaguing the nation's internet infrastructure and its impact on the IT sector. "We are in talks with Starlink to bring them to Pakistan," Khawaja told committee members as she also announced plans to auction the 5G spectrum in April 2024, positioning it as a step towards modernising the nation's digital infrastructure. However, she acknowledged significant challenges, including the absence of investment in the IT sector over the past three years, which has strained the country's ability to meet rising internet usage demands.None
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Advertisement OpenAI partnered with Anduril to enhance AI in defense tech. Anduril, known for autonomous military drones, has secured major US government contracts recently. The partnership aims to improve US counter-unmanned aircraft systems, the company said. OpenAI is getting into the world of defense tech through a partnership with Palmer Luckey's Anduril. On Thursday, Anduril said it entered a partnership with OpenAI to "deploy advanced artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for national security missions." Advertisement The partnership will focus on improving the US counter-unmanned aircraft systems' ability to detect and respond to aerial threats, the company said in a statement. The company also said that their partnership is a "pivotal moment" in the accelerating AI race between the US and China . "The decisions made now will determine whether the United States remains a leader in the 21st century or risks being outpaced by adversaries who don't share our commitment to freedom and democracy and would use AI to threaten other countries," Anduril said. Advertisement Anduril, which generally makes autonomous vehicles for military use, has secured several multimillion-dollar contracts from the US government in recent years. Luckey founded Anduril in 2017 after previously founding virtual reality company Oculus, which he sold to Meta for $2 billion. Anduril in October unveiled its new AI-powered Bolt-M drone, which can fit inside a backpack. The company developed the drones as part of $249 million in contracts awarded to Anduril, AeroVironment, and Teledyne FLIR to provide self-destructing drones for the Defense Department. Defense tech leaders, including Luckey, have warned that AI could lead to a future of warfare dominated by cheap autonomous machinery like drones. Scott Sacknoff, president of aerospace and defense investment firm Spade Index, previously told Business Insider that autonomous drones are "definitely a trend." Advertisement Sacknoff said the military defense business is constantly looking for a "counter" to the newest technology and that the growth of autonomous drones would likely bring more innovations to stop them. "The next phase will be someone — and they already are — working on developing the technology to be countering drones," he said. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in the statement that OpenAI supports "US-led efforts" to ensure that artificial intelligence "upholds democratic values." Advertisement "Our partnership with Anduril will help ensure OpenAI technology protects US military personnel, and will help the national security community understand and responsibly use this technology to keep our citizens safe and free," Altman said. OpenAI and Anduril didn't respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Astera Labs CFO sells $36.1 million in stock
Gangs in Haiti attack journalists covering the attempted reopening of the country's main hospitalDaniel "Dan" Rey EricksenOhio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted traveled to Mar-a-Lago Friday to meet with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance , fueling speculation about the upcoming appointment to fill Vance’s soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat. The governor and Husted's team confirmed to News5 Cleveland “that the pair were in Mar-a-Lago recently to meet with Trump and Vance," but would not comment on their conversation. A week before, DeWine said he had spoken with Trump and Vance about the appointment. "This has to be someone who really wants to do the job and do the work and who we think has the ability to do it," DeWine reportedly said. Getting The Nod From Trump The presence of Ohio's Husted at the Mar-a-Lago visit heightened speculation about DeWine's longtime political ally being invited along to ultimately gain Trump's approval. Vance, who will resign his Senate seat to assume the vice presidency, leaves behind a position highly coveted in Ohio's political landscape. DeWine has implied his intention to select a candidate who can not only win the 2026 primary and general election but also secure reelection in 2028 to complete the term. "I continue to interview people regarding their interest in going to the United States Senate," DeWine said. In fact, local news has reported that entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who is from Cincinnati, has shown interest in the Senate post, though he's been appointed by Trump to co-run the new unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Elon Musk . Read Also: Bernie Sanders Blasts ‘President Elon Musk’: Others Join Chorus As Government Shutdown Looms The potential for a fierce battle looms in 2026. On the Democratic side, outgoing three-term Sen. Sherrod Brown has hinted at a political comeback. Brown, who lost his reelection bid last month to Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno , left the door open for future campaigns in his farewell Senate address, in which he said Ohioans "haven't heard the last" from him. Now Read: Trump Fires Back At Critics, Denies Ceding Presidency To Elon Musk: ‘I’m Safe ... He Wasn’t Born In This Country’ Photo courtesy of Ohio Governor’s Office . © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.