JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has $613.24 Million Stock Position in JPMorgan BetaBuilders Emerging Markets Equity ETF (BATS:BBEM)ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen reflected on Buffalo’s many offseason critics and doubters when asked about the Bills achieving their latest milestones while sewing up the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the unraveling and undisciplined New York Jets on Sunday. It was a the Bills quarterback’s “I told you so moment,” even though Allen elected not to use those exact words. “It speaks to the staff that we’ve got here, the guys that we’ve got in this locker room, how this team is put together and the culture that we have,” Allen said. “We didn’t really pay attention to the preseason notions, but we heard them and we saw them and we knew what people were saying. "But it had no effect on us.” Well, that might be a stretch when it comes to motivation. What’s unquestioned is how Allen and the Bills (13-3) overcame a young, patchwork roster following the offseason departure of six of eight team captains — including Stefon Diggs being traded to Houston — to run away with their fifth consecutive AFC East title and win a franchise-best 13 games for the fifth time in team history, and third since 2020. Coach Sean McDermott didn’t leave much doubt as to who deserves the most credit for leading the Bills to their sixth consecutive playoff berth, and helping them set the single-season franchise records for points (509) and touchdowns (63). “I think Josh Allen continues to show why he should be the MVP,” McDermott said. “I’ve been around this league long enough to know to see MVP every year for many years. And what he has done on this team and this organization in this community — and no offense to anybody else — but I’ve got a hard time believing that someone’s done more.” Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to become the NFL’s first player to score 40 touchdowns in five consecutive seasons. He did so in an outing Buffalo blew the game open by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. Nothing went right in what became a comedy of errors for Rodgers and the Jets (4-12). New York will finish with five or fewer wins for the seventh time over a 14-season playoff drought — the NFL’s longest active streak. “It’s kind of like the season, it just got away from us. Too many games got away from us,” said Rodgers, who finished 12 of 18 for 112 yards and two interceptions before being pulled in favor of Tyrod Taylor with Buffalo leading 40-0. “We were moving the ball well and then just hit a wall. And that’s kind of been the season.” Rodgers, who entered the game with 499 career TD passes and looking to become just the fifth player to reach 500, was instead shut out and became the NFL’s most sacked quarterback. The 41-year-old has now been sacked 568 times , moving ahead of Tom Brady (565) and into first place on the career list. Taylor accounted for all of New York’s points, with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson and a 20-yarder to Tyler Conklin. Discipline was an issue for a Jets team that fell to 2-9 since Jeff Ulbrich took over as interim coach. New York finished with 16 accepted penalties for 120 yards. “It’s frustrating, it’s embarrassing, it’s maddening. It’s all of that,” Ulbrich said. Allen had a short and efficient outing, finishing 16 of 27 for 182 yards with a 30-yard TD pass to Amari Cooper and a 14-yarder to Keon Coleman before giving way to backup Mitchell Trubisky with Buffalo leading 33-0 through three quarters. And Trubisky piled on by completing a 69-yard touchdown pass to practice squad call-up Tyrell Shavers 2:23 into the fourth quarter. Shavers became the 13th Bills player to catch a touchdown pass, matching the single-season NFL record, to validate the “everybody eats” mantra Allen and the offense used to approach this season. The Bills defense enjoyed a dominating performance to snap a shaky three-game stretch in which it combined to allow 1,357 yards, 86 first downs and 107 points. “I wouldn’t say need ... and I don’t want to say reassurance, either,” said A.J. Epenesa, who sacked Rodgers for the safety. “But it just shows that this is what we can do and this is the standard that needs to be upheld.” Allen’s 1-yard score was the 65th rushing TD of his career, matching the team record held by Thurman Thomas. ... James Cook scored on a 4-yard run for his 15th TD rushing of the season, one short of the Bills' single-season record set by O.J. Simpson in a 14-game season in 1975. Cook matched Allen, who scored 15 last year. ... Wilson reached 1,000 yards receiving for the third straight year to start his career, the first Jets player to do so and the 10th player in NFL history to accomplish the feat. Jets: Close the season by hosting the Miami Dolphins next Sunday. Bills: Play their regular-season finale at the New England Patriots next Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
2024: The year of AI at UB
I recently made friends with a new colleague who joined the university where I teach. The campus is at the back of beyond, and everything a normal, non-young adult might require is reachable only by car. So, if you're a visiting teacher, you end up being dependent on the kindness of colleagues, friends, and strangers. ET Year-end Special Reads Take That: The gamechanger weapon's India acquired in 2024 10 big-bang policy moves Modi government made in 2024 How governments tried to rein in the social media beast When M and his wife joined as permanent faculty, I was happy to discover we shared some tastes and interests. It was also helpful that my new friends have a car for our local adventures. Rapidly, they became part of the faculty fleet, which ranged out in various vehicles carrying owners and some of us grateful non-owners to different destinations around the area. Now, everybody drives differently. So, we have the Bio guy with the spanking new 4-wheel-drive SUV zipping down the narrow road between the paddy fields as though he's competing in the Paris-Dakar rally. We have the Lit lady who drives fine inside cities, but can't handle the highway too well. We have the Ceramic lady who has no such problems, deftly swatting aside trucks as she gets you to the nearest big metro in record time. And you have the newly married young couple, driving with whom you feel like you're a stowaway on a honeymoon trip. Among these, my new friend M is different. The first time we go out in his pristine-looking 1-year-old sedan, I wonder if there is something wrong with the car. Then I realise he's just driving slowly, much more slowly than normal. There's a group of us in the car, so I don't say anything. The next time his wife makes a good-natured joke about his slow driving . But we all agree that the rural road is inimical to the low suspension of the city car. Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program The third time, M and I are driving around the nearby market town and the highway that connects to it. As a driver myself, if I'm sitting next to a reckless driver, I often find my foot pressing down on a non-existent brake. Here, it's the absent accelerator for which my foot twitches. Even in town and market traffic, M lets the vehicle in front get far away, so far that two cars could get in between us and them-something that indeed happens regularly. Even in a crowded pedestrian-heavy gali, M doesn't honk; he waits for the people to part. When there's a 50-50 on a gap, to use a football term for two players going for the ball, M waits and always lets the other guy take the space. As a normally aggressive desi driver, my whole body starts to twitch after a while. We do our shopping and get back, having taken not too much longer than if somebody 'normal' had been driving. Outside the car, M is not a shy or self-effacing person. In an intellectual or political argument, he gives no undue ground. He is good and firm in his dealings with people, saying no whenever required. And yet, his driving.... After the latest trip, it occurs to me that perhaps it is millions of us 'normal' drivers who are crazy, and M who is sensible. A car is a vehicle for getting from A to B, not an instrument for emotional release. Slow is always safer in a country where most people are on foot, where most of the ones driving have been taught very badly. Over the last half a century, generations of Indian drivers have been conditioned to elbow and brawl for shrinking road space. In a slow-moving country, every pause in speedy road progress feels like you're going backwards, sending tempers soaring. Just as in life, so in traffic, we hate to yield because we are afraid of the damage this will cause us. And yet, if everyone yielded a bit more, perhaps things would move more smoothly. If everyone, especially the men, managed to drain down their aggression, perhaps India would be a happier place. Here's wishing everyone a slow, uneventful, and happy 2025.
The realization came in the form of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from November indicating a reacceleration of inflation, as well as a material reacceleration of “core inflation,” which for some reason excludes the things I spend most of my money on, food and energy. While this reality check was somewhat abated a week later when one of the Fed’s now preferred alternative inflation indicators, Personal Inflation Expenditures (PCE) did not reaffirm the November CPI number, the sting of the higher CPI number still hangs in the air. If one were to muse as to why the Fed has so many divergent flavors of inflation tracking, perhaps the best answer is if inflation was a core metric of your job performance, wouldn’t you? Either way, whether its CPI, Core CPI, PCE or Core PCE, PPI, or the GDP Deflator, those of use who live in the real world know inflation is by no means tamed (I just spent $127 on ribeye steaks for Christmas). Cost inflation is both a simple and extremely complicated topic. The simple part of the equation is when the supply of money in an economy increases, prices denominated in this money also tend to rise as more money circulating means each unit of money is worth a little less in terms of purchasing power. In the United States, the most widely used measure of money supply is a metric called M2, and the Fed of course tracks this as well. A glance at the Fed’s M2 chart shows what we would expect based on our lived experience over the past four years. A historically rapid increase in money supply during COVID years, a gentle reduction through 2022 and 2023 as the Fed shifted its policy approach, but surprisingly a then even more subtle but clear increase in M2 starting again mid-2024. With this chart as our guide, the reacceleration of CPI inflation last month should not catch us off guard. So, what causes money supply to rise? This is where the topic gets considerably more complicated, but one straightforward part of the answer to this question is of course, government deficit spending. Regardless of which end of the political spectrum we draw our bias from, it's impossible to argue the Federal government has been running a tight ship over the past few years. Rampant ineptitude, coupled with zero accountability, tends to bust the budget, and with a $1.8 trillion deficit in 2024, “busting the budget” is a woeful understatement. Rather than festering in blame, I say it’s time to look forward. In my opinion we stand at a unique spot in the history of the economic cycle. I believe it will soon become apparent the Fed has no ability to address rising inflation and this realization will come at a very important moment in time politically in the U.S. While by any measure the rest of us would use in real life, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, aka the Trump tax cuts, have been amazingly productive from a federal revenue perspective. With $4.92 trillion in 2024 federal tax receipts, government funding has never been higher. Tax cuts, however, are not an immediate gratification magic bullet. Smarter tax and regulatory burden tend to work into the economy over time, creating stronger growth and more tax receipts, but present less attractive short-term math when it comes to immediate tax receipts. Based on the rhetoric leaking into the ether, I expect the new Trump administration to cut taxes even more next year. These tax cuts are highly likely to result in lower tax receipts at the front end of the policy period. Maybe the D.O.G.E. will be effective at tightening up federal spending, but it certainly won’t happen quickly. Long story short, federal deficits are highly likely to not go down in the shorter term, and I wouldn’t bet on inflation cooling as well, leaving the Fed in a lurch when it comes to interest rate policy. Welcome to 2025.