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NASHVILLE, Tenn (AP) — Nico Iamaleava threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns rallying No. 7 Tennessee from a 14-point deficit within the first five minutes to rout in-state rival Vanderbilt 36-23 Saturday. “Man, it couldn't have started any worse,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel told his Vols postgame . “And you know what? Competitive composure ... You just kept coming. That's what elite people, champions do. You just keep coming.” The Volunteers (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference; No. 8 CFP) needed a big victory to impress the College Football Playoff committee enough to earn a home playoff game in December. They beat Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5) for a sixth straight season leaving the Commodores needing to win their bowl game to post their first winning record since 2013. Better yet, the Vols rebounded from a nightmare start giving up the first 14 points by scoring 29 straight points. They led 24-17 at halftime on Iamaleava's first three TD passes. “Once they took the momentum, we kind of allowed them to have it for the rest of the game," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. "And you got to credit Tennessee. I mean, obviously, they were playing for the playoffs and credit coach Heupel and his team for their winning performance.” Junior Sherrill returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown for Vanderbilt to stun a mostly orange crowd. Dylan Sampson fumbled on the Vols’ second play from scrimmage, and Sedrick Alexanader's 4-yard TD run on a 26-yard drive put Vandy up 14-0 quickly. Then Iamaleava got Tennessee going with a 28-yard TD pass to Dont’e Thornton Jr. Tennessee got a break when Max Gilbert's 50-yard field goal bounced off the crossbar and over. Iamaleava found Thornton again on an 86-yard catch-and-run TD, then he tossed an 18-yard TD pass to Miles Kitselman just before halftime. Iamaleava capped the opening drive of the third quarter hitting Mike Matthews with a 14-yard TD pass for a 31-17 lead. The Vols added a safety by Tyre West and another Gilbert field goal. Diego Pavia threw a 31-yard TD pass to Richie Hoskins late with Vandy's 2-point conversion failing for the final margin. Tennessee didn't make a good early impression with yet another slow start. The Vols need to hope for some help to have a chance at moving up a spot or two . The big question is whether the Vols get to host a playoff game in December at Neyland Stadium where they went undefeated this season. Tennessee put together TD drives of 91 and 96 yards in the first half alone. The Vols then beat Vandy at its own game of keepaway after not even managing 10 minutes of possession in the first half. They finished with the edge in that stat outgaining Vandy 538-212. Vanderbilt had some of the best offensive success against Tennessee of any opponent this season. The Commodores had 114 yards rushing and 17 points by halftime against a defense that came in ranked sixth nationally allowing just 98.8 yards a game. The Vols had been fourth in the country giving up just 13.1 points a game having held 10 of 11 opponents under 20 points this season. But Lea said the Commodores ran just 11 plays to Tennessee's 44 after halftime. The Tennessee running back, who set the program record with 22 rushing TDs this season, didn't reach the end zone for the first time this season. Sampson finished with 178 yards rushing to reach 1,485 yards for the season, topping the school mark of 1,464 set by Travis Stephens in 2001. Tennessee waits to hear its spot in the CFP field, while Vanderbilt learns its bowl destination Dec. 8. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football.New Gartner research positioned Simpplr highest in Ability to Execute for a second consecutive year REDWOOD CITY, Calif. , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Simpplr, the leading AI platform for employee experience (EX) and productivity, today announced that Gartner has positioned Simpplr as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Intranet Packaged Solutions (IPS). This marks two years in a row that Simpplr has been named a Leader and positioned highest for Ability to Execute among 15 other intranet packaged solutions providers. Gartner evaluated IPS vendors based on their ability to support six critical intranet Use Cases, including employee communications, knowledge services and frontline worker support. Gartner additionally considered vendor strengths across 15 product and business evaluation criteria such as product strategy and market responsiveness. Vendors were also evaluated against 13 critical capabilities, including AI, analytics, search, personalization and more. Get complimentary access to the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant TM for Intranet Packaged Solutions . "We believe that being recognized as a leader for the second straight year validates our unwavering focus on transforming how people experience work," said Dhiraj Sharma , Simpplr Founder & CEO. "Employees need different things to succeed, which is exactly why we've built an AI-powered platform that brings everything together in one place. At Simpplr, we're creating much more than an intranet — we're creating digital spaces where people can truly thrive." For over a decade, Simpplr has delivered on its vision to provide employees with personalized single-point access to the people, information and resources they need to succeed. With a steady stream of innovations across AI, enterprise search and analytics, Simpplr delivers a powerful yet intuitive experience for intranet admins and end users. This approach helps enterprises like DocuSign, Penske and AAA streamline workflows, improve knowledge sharing, and better engage their teams to meet the demands of today's dynamic business environment. "Simpplr has been instrumental in transforming our intranet at 1st Franklin Financial Corporation into a dynamic cultural connection point for our decentralized network," said Karly Menard , Director of Internal Communications at 1st Franklin Financial Corporation. "Initially, it solved our need for a modern intranet solution. As we grew, it also became a vital resource for sharing tools, resources and daily information with our teams. Our engagement has skyrocketed, and collaboration within our network has never been easier." SIMPPLR 2024 RECOGNITIONS Simpplr being named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Intranet Packaged Solutions is the latest addition to its list of recognitions in 2024, which include: Simpplr launches industry-first integrated Recognition and Rewards product Simpplr named 2024 Top AI Company by the Software Report Simpplr named a Leader in the Summer 2024 G2 employee intranet software category COMPLIMENTARY ACCESS TO THE REPORT Get complimentary access to the 2024 Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Intranet Packaged Solutions . GARTNER DISCLAIMER Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Intranet Packaged Solutions, Mike Gotta , Gavin Tay , Larry Cannel , Priyanka Singh , 16 December 2024 Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. ABOUT SIMPPLR Simpplr is the AI-powered platform that transforms employee experience and productivity. Harnessing AI, Simpplr provides employees with personalized, single-point access to people, information and resources across multiple platforms. This empowers employees to stay more connected, productive and engaged. For over a decade, Simpplr has been a trusted partner to 1,000+ leading brands, including AAA, Eurostar, Penske, Moderna, and Snowflake, creating transformative digital workplaces. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA, with additional offices in the UK, Canada , and India , Simpplr is backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and Tola Capital. Learn more at simpplr.com . SOURCE Simpplr
Stormont minister Maurice Morrow told an official he would not raise the issue with the Northern Ireland Executive, despite similar measures being considered in England and Wales. A file on planning arrangements for the jubilee celebrations reveals a series of civil service correspondences on how Northern Ireland would mark the occasion. It includes a letter sent on January 11 2001 from an official in the Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to the Department of Social Development, advising that a committee had been set up in London to consider a programme of celebrations. The correspondence says: “One of the issues the committee is currently considering is the possibility of deregulating liquor licensing laws during the golden jubilee celebrations on the same lines as the arrangements made for the millennium. “It is felt that the golden jubilee bank holiday on Monday 3 June 2002 is likely to be an occasion on which many public houses and similar licensed premises would wish to stay open beyond normal closing time.” The letter said a paper had been prepared on the issue of extending opening hours. It adds: “You will note that paragraph seven of the paper indicates that the devolved administrations ‘would need to consider deregulation separately within their own jurisdictions’. “I thought that you would wish to be aware that this issue is receiving active consideration for England and Wales and to consider whether anything needs to be done for Northern Ireland.” Some months later a “progress report” was sent between officials in OFMDFM, which again raised the issue of licensing laws. It says: “I spoke to Gordon Gibson, DSD, about Terry Smith’s letter of 12 January 2001 about licensing laws: the matter was put to their minister Maurice Morrow (DUP) who indicated that he would not be asking the NIE (Northern Ireland Executive) to approve any change to current licensing laws in NI to allow for either 24 hour opening (as at the millennium) nor a blanket approval for extended opening hours as is being considered in GB. “In both cases, primary legislation would be required here and would necessitate consultation and the minister has ruled out any consultation process.” The correspondence says individual licensees could still apply for an extension to opening hours on an ad hoc basis, adding “there the matter rests”. It goes on: “DSD await further pronouncements from the Home Office and Gibson and I have agreed to notify each other of any developments we become aware of and he will copy me to any (existing) relevant papers. “Ministers may well come under pressure in due course for a relaxation and/or parity with GB.” The document concludes “That’s it so far...making haste slowly?” Emails sent between officials in the department the same month said that lord lieutenants in Northern Ireland had been approached about local events to mark the jubilee. One message says: “Lord lieutenants have not shown any enthusiasm for encouraging GJ celebrations at a local level. “Lady Carswell in particular believes that it would be difficult for LLs to encourage such activities without appearing political.”Mixing Up The Governance With Politics: A Challenge To The NPP GovernmentJimmy Carter, 39th US president, Nobel winner, dies at 100
U.S. stock indexes edged higher in morning trading Tuesday, as gains for some Big Tech stocks made up for weakness elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 14 points, or 0.1%, as of 9:58 a.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite was up 0.7%. Gains in technology, financial and other sectors tempered a pullback by health care, energy and other stocks. Chip company Broadcom rose 1.3%, while semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 1.2%. American Airlines fell 1.2% after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. U.S. Steel slipped 0.5% a day after an influential government panel failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the nearly $15 billion proposed sale to Nippon Steel of Japan. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62% from 4.59% late Monday. European markets were mostly higher. Markets in Asia mostly gained ground. U.S. markets will close at 1 p.m. Eastern and stay closed Wednesday for Christmas. Wall Street has several economic reports to look forward to this week, including a weekly update on unemployment benefits on Thursday.In keeping with a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition, President Joe Biden recently pardoned a pair of turkeys . During a ceremony at the White House, the birds — named Peach and Blossom — were spared from the dinner table and given a new lease on life. While it was an act of pure political pageantry, it highlights the president’s expansive pardon powers — which could be used liberally during his final two months in office. Historically, presidents have issued numerous pardons during their lame duck periods, including quite a few that have raised eyebrows. Here is what to know about presidential pardons. Presidential pardon power Article II of the Constitution enables the president to grant clemency for any federal crime, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. This authority is rooted in an old English law that permits monarchs to bestow mercy on criminals. “The president’s power to pardon is astronomical,” Taylor Stoermer, a historian at Johns Hopkins University, told McClatchy News. “The Constitution doesn’t even require an explanation. The only real limits are that it doesn’t apply to state crimes or impeachment cases.” “So the president can grant full pardons, commute sentences, or even offer amnesty, on an individual basis or for an entire class of people,” Stoermer said. How often do presidents grant clemency? Most presidents have issued numerous acts of clemency throughout their terms in office, according to historians. For example, Donald Trump, during his first term, granted 143 pardons and 94 commutations, according to the Pew Research Center. During Barack Obama’s eight years in office, he issued 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations. Among the commutations granted by both men were multiple that concerned low-level drug offenses , such as possession of marijuana. However, these acts of clemency have not typically been distributed evenly throughout a president’s tenure. Since 1945, every president — with the exception of Lyndon Johnson — granted clemency at a higher rate during the last four months of their terms, according to CRS. For example, Obama granted an average of 296 acts of clemency per month during his final four months in office, compared with an average of eight per month before that. Similarly, Trump issued an average of 50 per month during the last four months compared with an average of one per month before that. “Trump certainly kept to that pattern, and I would not be surprised if Biden does as well,” Thomas Balcerski, a presidential historian at Eastern Connecticut State University, told McClatchy News. Additionally, these 11th hour acts of mercy tend to be the most controversial ones. “Most save the big, bold pardons for the end of their terms,” Stoermer said. “And because exactly why you’d think: No voters to answer to.” Controversial acts of clemency Throughout history, presidents have issued a fair number of pardons, commutations and acts of amnesty that have received widespread scrutiny. “The most famous, of course, is Gerald Ford’s pardoning of Richard Nixon,” Vernon Burton, an emeritus history professor at Clemson University, told McClatchy News. In September 1974, following the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation, Ford issued a full pardon for any crimes Nixon “committed or may have committed” against the United States. Jimmy Carter also took flak for pardoning “all of the Vietnam War draft dodgers,” Burton said. “That was huge.” This pardon, issued on Carter’s first day in office in 1977, applied to roughly 100,000 military-age men who avoided going to war , according to Politico. “Then there’s George H.W. Bush pardoning key players in Iran-Contra,” Stoermer said. With less than one month until he left office, Bush pardoned six people , including a former secretary of defense, wrapped up in the illegal arms scandal. More recently, Obama reduced the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican activist whose political organization was responsible for dozens of robberies and bombings in the U.S. And Trump preemptively pardoned adviser Steven Bannon, who was charged with bilking donors out of money they gave toward the construction of a border wall. “These kinds of moves show how the pardon power can get tangled up in political strategy or personal connections—and that’s what makes it fascinating (or infuriating) to watch,” Stoermer said. Have presidents pardoned family members? Given that Biden’s son Hunter Biden has been convicted of felony offenses , some have wondered whether he will issue a pardon before he leaves office. “Would he pardon Hunter Biden? That’d be quite something,” Balcerski said. “There is some precedent.” On his last day in office, President Bill Clinton issued a pardon for his half-brother Roger Clinton, who had pleaded guilty to a cocaine distribution charge. “That was slightly less impactful because Roger Clinton had already served the time,” Stoermer said. “So that was mostly about clearing his record than dodging accountability.” Joe Biden, though, has said he has no plans to grant clemency to his son. Could Trump break the mold? Trump could break with long-standing tradition of issuing controversial pardons at the end of his term, historians said. The president-elect has vowed to pardon some of the people convicted of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot on his first day in office. “I am inclined to pardon many of them ,” he wrote on social media in March, according to ABC News. Throughout the country, about 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the riot, including about 547 who were charged with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees.” “It wouldn’t be surprising to see an unprecedented wave of pardons right out of the gate, particularly for January 6 rioters,” Stoermer said. “That would take the use of the pardon power into completely uncharted territory.” “Of course, there is a precedent: Carter’s first-day pardon of draft evaders of the Vietnam era,” Stoermer said. “That applied to hundreds of thousands of people. But that’s not quite the same as a coup.” Do Ukrainians still support the war against Russia? New poll finds ‘decisive shift’ Trump could impose tariffs without Congress, experts say. Here’s how it could work How are vacancies in Congress filled? What to know as Trump picks members for Cabinet
A DUP minister rebuffed a suggestion that there could be an extension of pub opening hours in Northern Ireland to celebrate the golden jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, declassified files show. Stormont minister Maurice Morrow told an official he would not raise the issue with the Northern Ireland Executive, despite similar measures being considered in England and Wales. A file on planning arrangements for the jubilee celebrations reveals a series of civil service correspondences on how Northern Ireland would mark the occasion. It includes a letter sent on January 11 2001 from an official in the Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to the Department of Social Development, advising that a committee had been set up in London to consider a programme of celebrations. The correspondence says: “One of the issues the committee is currently considering is the possibility of deregulating liquor licensing laws during the golden jubilee celebrations on the same lines as the arrangements made for the millennium. “It is felt that the golden jubilee bank holiday on Monday 3 June 2002 is likely to be an occasion on which many public houses and similar licensed premises would wish to stay open beyond normal closing time.” The letter said a paper had been prepared on the issue of extending opening hours. It adds: “You will note that paragraph seven of the paper indicates that the devolved administrations ‘would need to consider deregulation separately within their own jurisdictions’. “I thought that you would wish to be aware that this issue is receiving active consideration for England and Wales and to consider whether anything needs to be done for Northern Ireland.” Some months later a “progress report” was sent between officials in OFMDFM, which again raised the issue of licensing laws. It says: “I spoke to Gordon Gibson, DSD, about Terry Smith’s letter of 12 January 2001 about licensing laws: the matter was put to their minister Maurice Morrow (DUP) who indicated that he would not be asking the NIE (Northern Ireland Executive) to approve any change to current licensing laws in NI to allow for either 24 hour opening (as at the millennium) nor a blanket approval for extended opening hours as is being considered in GB. “In both cases, primary legislation would be required here and would necessitate consultation and the minister has ruled out any consultation process.” The correspondence says individual licensees could still apply for an extension to opening hours on an ad hoc basis, adding “there the matter rests”. It goes on: “DSD await further pronouncements from the Home Office and Gibson and I have agreed to notify each other of any developments we become aware of and he will copy me to any (existing) relevant papers. “Ministers may well come under pressure in due course for a relaxation and/or parity with GB.” The document concludes “That’s it so far...making haste slowly?” Emails sent between officials in the department the same month said that lord lieutenants in Northern Ireland had been approached about local events to mark the jubilee. One message says: “Lord lieutenants have not shown any enthusiasm for encouraging GJ celebrations at a local level. “Lady Carswell in particular believes that it would be difficult for LLs to encourage such activities without appearing political.”
Holy Cross secures 82-46 victory over Regis (MA)The Tampa Bay Rays have had six of their 2025 regular-season games shifted to the early season due to weather issues from playing outside, Major League Baseball announced Monday. The Rays' usual home, domed Tropicana Field, was damaged by Hurricane Milton last month with almost all of its roof shredded and no possibility of playing there next year. As a result, the Rays moved their 2025 home games from St. Petersburg to the New York Yankees training complex at nearby Tampa, which has an 11,000-seat outdoor stadium. An April series scheduled against the Los Angeles Angels that had been set for California will instead be played April 8-10 in Florida. A series between the two which had been set for August in Florida will now be hosted by the Angels on August 4-6. A Rays series against the Minnesota Twins planned in Minneapolis from May 26-28 will instead be played on the same dates in Tampa while a series that had been set for Tampa on July 4-6 will now be played in Minnesota. Florida summers can bring extreme heat and rain. js/bspNew Jersey drone mystery deepens as US pilot fears it's 'distraction for attack'
While giving a call to her party leaders and workers to intensify their struggle for “master key to power”, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Saturday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of pursuing self-serving politics in the guise of religious issues. She said “to free the country and the society from the grip of narrow-minded, casteist and communal elements, Dalits and ‘Bahujan’ must continue their struggle”. Mayawati was addressing a meeting of her senior party office-bearers to strengthen BSP’s frontal organisation All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) here. She alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s anti-poor and pro-capitalist policies had sparked widespread outrage among the people. The BSP chief also alleged that the ruling party employed casteist, communal and narrow-minded tactics to divert people’s attention and reap electoral benefits. The BJP and its allies won seven out of nine assembly seats in the recently held bypolls in Uttar Pradesh while the Samajwadi Party bagged the remaining two. Furthermore, Mayawati claimed that Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were grappling with rampant inflation and that the BJP’s politics of appeasement failed to give people a prosperous life. She also discussed preparations for Dr BR Ambedkar’s Mahaparinirvan Diwas (death anniversary) on December 6. BSP chief annoyed over dip in party’s vote percentage Mayawati expressed her annoyance over party’s decreasing vote percentage. The BSP failed to make its presence felt even in the recently held UP assembly bypolls. After the poll results, she had said her party will never contest by-polls in future. However, the absence of Mayawati and the party’s national coordinator and her nephew Akash Anand during by-polls also surprised the political fraternity. The BSP contested by-polls in Uttar Pradesh for the first time ever since its formation in 1984 with an aim to regain its vote bank. In four decades of its political journey, the BSP has been going through major crisis to regain its credibility after poor performances in the last general as well as assembly elections in the state.
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DUP minister rejected suggestion licensing laws could be relaxed for jubilee
A DUP minister rebuffed a suggestion that there could be an extension of pub opening hours in Northern Ireland to celebrate the golden jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, declassified files show. Stormont minister Maurice Morrow told an official he would not raise the issue with the Northern Ireland Executive, despite similar measures being considered in England and Wales. A file on planning arrangements for the jubilee celebrations reveals a series of civil service correspondences on how Northern Ireland would mark the occasion. It includes a letter sent on January 11 2001 from an official in the Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to the Department of Social Development, advising that a committee had been set up in London to consider a programme of celebrations. The correspondence says: “One of the issues the committee is currently considering is the possibility of deregulating liquor licensing laws during the golden jubilee celebrations on the same lines as the arrangements made for the millennium. “It is felt that the golden jubilee bank holiday on Monday 3 June 2002 is likely to be an occasion on which many public houses and similar licensed premises would wish to stay open beyond normal closing time.” The letter said a paper had been prepared on the issue of extending opening hours. It adds: “You will note that paragraph seven of the paper indicates that the devolved administrations ‘would need to consider deregulation separately within their own jurisdictions’. “I thought that you would wish to be aware that this issue is receiving active consideration for England and Wales and to consider whether anything needs to be done for Northern Ireland.” Some months later a “progress report” was sent between officials in OFMDFM, which again raised the issue of licensing laws. It says: “I spoke to Gordon Gibson, DSD, about Terry Smith’s letter of 12 January 2001 about licensing laws: the matter was put to their minister Maurice Morrow (DUP) who indicated that he would not be asking the NIE (Northern Ireland Executive) to approve any change to current licensing laws in NI to allow for either 24 hour opening (as at the millennium) nor a blanket approval for extended opening hours as is being considered in GB. “In both cases, primary legislation would be required here and would necessitate consultation and the minister has ruled out any consultation process.” The correspondence says individual licensees could still apply for an extension to opening hours on an ad hoc basis, adding “there the matter rests”. It goes on: “DSD await further pronouncements from the Home Office and Gibson and I have agreed to notify each other of any developments we become aware of and he will copy me to any (existing) relevant papers. “Ministers may well come under pressure in due course for a relaxation and/or parity with GB.” The document concludes “That’s it so far...making haste slowly?” Emails sent between officials in the department the same month said that lord lieutenants in Northern Ireland had been approached about local events to mark the jubilee. One message says: “Lord lieutenants have not shown any enthusiasm for encouraging GJ celebrations at a local level. “Lady Carswell in particular believes that it would be difficult for LLs to encourage such activities without appearing political.”
won’t be taking over from Cathie Wood at ARK Invest – you heard it here first. But there are some other things that are unlikely in 2025 that investors should pay attention to. While risk is inevitable, working out how to minimise it is key. And that involves working out where it would take something big for things to go wrong. “Diageo cuts dividend” ( ) is facing a dual threat of US tariffs and anti-obesity drugs. But I don’t see either of these causing the business to lower its dividend in 2025. With the tariff issue, I think it’s worth noting that a decent part of the company’s portfolio – including , , and is produced in the US. These would be unaffected by taxes on imports. On the subject of anti-obesity drugs, the majority of users are people who already tend to consume less alcohol anyway. So I’m sceptical of the idea that this is likely to have a significant impact on demand. The risks can’t be ignored entirely, but the discounted share price means I’m looking to buy the stock in 2025. And I think the chances of the dividend doing any thing but go up in 2025 are extremely remote. “Rightmove accepts takeover bid” Earlier this year, REA group made a bid to acquire ( ). The offer was rejected and I don’t think anyone is going to succeed with a similar proposal in 2025. There are two reasons for this. The first is the company is doing well by itself – it’s growing strongly and it has a strong balance sheet, meaning there’s nearly no pressure to sell. The second is the stock isn’t exactly cheap, at a of 27. I’m not buying it at today’s levels and I can’t see anyone paying significantly over this to acquire the firm outright. The next year will be an interesting one for Rightmove, with the possibility of increased competition from OnTheMarket a potential threat. But as far as the chance of a takeover goes, I don’t think so. “Interest rates return to Covid-19 levels” Interest rates going back to 0.1% would almost certainly cause a huge rally in stock prices. But unless there’s another emergency on the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic, I just don’t see it. Even in that situation, I think the Bank of England might be more cautious than it was last time. The resulting is proving resilient and the last measurement of 2024 revealed CPI rising to 2.6%. Rising costs are unwelcome, but higher interest rates might be no bad thing for investors. These should weigh on share prices, creating opportunities to earn higher returns over the long term. Of course, that depends on which stocks investors choose to buy. But companies that can pass on higher costs to customers could make for very attractive investments. I could be wrong... With investing, uncertainty is inevitable. Dividends are never guaranteed, strange takeovers happen, and exogenous shocks can cause all kinds of macroeconomic instability. I could be wrong, but I don’t see Diageo cutting its dividend, Rightmove being acquired, or interest rates going to zero. I think this is about as likely as Warren Buffett taking over a disruptive innovation fund.
Christmas Eve is a magical time of year, full of tradition and family, as people gather together to celebrate. This is no different across Yorkshire, as people across the county prepare for Christmas Day. For many, it will be a time to perform some of the usual Christmas Eve traditions. Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here. Some of these may not be specific to just Yorkshire, but many of them are intrinsically linked to this country and the people in it. There are lots of traditions as well which originated here before spreading across the country. For example, it is believed that Yorkshireman William Strickland introduced the tradition of eating a turkey on Christmas Day in the 1500s, while the tradition of eating cheese with Christmas cake also originates here. Here are some of the traditions which take place across Yorkshire. In Richmond, every Christmas Eve in the marketplace, a person wearing a horse's head is sung to by a group of huntsmen, who then bring it to life with hunting sticks and a horn. Seeing T'Owd 'Oss, as the animal is known, is supposed to bring good luck and is rooted in pagan tradition. In Dewsbury on Christmas Eve the bells at the Minster Church are rung once for every year since Christ was born, with the last toll at midnight. For many across Yorkshire and the rest of the country, a midnight mass in your local church is likely to be a tradition. During the rest of the day there will likely be the last-minute rush into town to do some Christmas present shopping And later some wrapping In the evening the Christmas pyjamas will make an appearance as you gather around the telly And a classic Christmas film to get you into the spirit A takeaway for dinner is in order to save energy for the big Christmas dinner cook tomorrow Remembering all of the Christmas presents you forgot to buy and realising it's too late now Being told (or telling others) to "get out that cupboard" Planning to a tee the running order of events for Christmas Day Despite knowing you'll fail to stick to it as you'll opt to stay in bed and do as little as possible Putting satsumas inside stockings as well as a lump of coal Going to the pantomime at the city hall A trip to the local pub(s) to get merry with school friends you haven't seen since last Christmas Eve Scoffing the cookies and sherry left for Santa after the kids have gone to bed Having one too many drinks and swearing you'll not go overboard next year Singing Fairytale Of New York at full blast Lots of hugging Getting home and raiding the fridgeEveryone except you and me is getting ready to bring in the New Year with celebration so let me share quietly some ideas for 2025. Having spent the past two weeks meandering around and searching for inspiration, I have decided that the coming year will be a year of “Greater Risk”. Risk is defined as “a situation involving exposure to danger, harm, or loss”. But it also means “the probability of an event occurring” and “the impact that an event may have”. In 2025 we will witness increased risk in the broadest sense of the word; increased danger, increased probability of that danger occurring, and increased opportunities. This is across the spectrum of geo/local politics and governance and geo/local economics and commerce. “The risk of the risk happening will bring a great risk when it happens”. You might think that sentence is silly but here is a “Chinse proverb” from “The Biography of Dongfang Shuo” written in 200 AD. “If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you catch the tiger’s cub?” The risk of entering the tiger’s den is that there is a high risk that you will suffer for the risk of obtaining a tiger’s cub. The Year of Greater Risk will encompass for us all aspects of risk from Risk Avoidance on to Risk Management and through to seeking out Risk Opportunities. I had previously written that I see 2025 as going to be a year of hard choices, that is having to make difficult decisions in choosing one of the presented options. Black and white, shades of grey, and “the lesser of two evils” are all around us. However, the hard choice/s that I am speaking of is different from choosing mango instead of banana for breakfast. In 2025, this is what I see happening. Two paths lie before me: one easier and one requiring more effort. The easy one is smooth and where I usually travel. The other is more outside my comfort zone but with both leading to the same place. I will pick the path that I usually avoided, replacing the potential for “immediate benefit” with long-term gains. That brings me to my personal strategy for 2025. This should be a year of increased self-sufficiency for all of us. That is not about raising your own chickens. It is about making your own milk tea. Ordering a milk tea delivered by motorcycle is one choice. Going to your kitchen and making it yourself is another option, a better choice for 2025. Anticipating and preparing for greater risk also comes back to my basic “survival” strategy: figure out the worst-case scenario and then make plans to survive and thrive in that situation. Even in an urban area, depending on your housing condition, you can have a separate water tank to store a three- or four-day supply. A basic generator is a bargain at less than P5,000 during a prolonged brownout. Seeking out risk with opportunities is also self-sufficiency and “hard choices” outside your comfort zone. My good friend Will Cabangon, President at AAA Southeast Equities, posted on August 1 his second half 2024 stock choices with the following results: PLUS (DigiPlus) up 61 percent, CBC (China Bank) up 60 percent, OGP (OceanaGold) up 7 percent, and APX (Apex Mining) down 20 percent with an equally weighted return of 27 percent. The PSEI during that period was off 2 percent. How much money did you make this year listening to the “experts”? You can make a bucket list of everything that is wrong in the world and the Philippines like one local pundit. Or find opportunities in a risky world and increase your wealth. Your choice. On June 2, 2025, the cycle trend goes into a yearlong uptrend forecasting increased volatility and “risk”. I guarantee that the next 18 months are going to see increased risk. What you do with that risk is your choice. Happy New Year, my friend. E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Visit my website at www.mangunonmarkets.com. Follow me on Twitter at @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis tools provided by the COL Financial Group Inc.Menendez brothers' bid for freedom delayed until JanuaryQuestions to ask your home inspector