The stock market crashed on Black Friday in October 1929. All the way through college, instructors repeated this fact. Black Friday evoked the aura of gloom and doom. Then, during the past 40 years, overzealous marketers decided to goose holiday sales by creating a new meaning for Black Friday. This one crashes your credit card while supposedly boosting the stock market. Every year at this time, people inexplicably stand in line at big-box stores waiting to save $20 to $100 on a TV, smartphone, tablet or new pair of snowshoes. It’s almost as if merchants slipped something into the water supply that turns consumers into shopaholics. This column explains technology, so what does that have to do with Black Friday (or more recently, Cyber Monday)? Many of the products offered at discounts on Black Friday are discontinued models that manufacturers and merchants eagerly desire to clear from the stock room to make space for the new models arriving in January. There’s nothing wrong with buying the current product rather than the forthcoming one. New models generally offer nominal improvements over the existing models. Most people won’t notice if the TV screen is 5 percent brighter or the laptop is 5 percent faster. You probably won’t see any improvements in snowshoes or bicycles. Most stores offer a limited number of Black Friday “door busters.” If they only have half a dozen in stock, and you’re the seventh person in line, then you’re out of luck. No snowchecks! Beware of “house brands.” These may be a good bargain all year round depending on what company actually manufactures them. Stores benefit from greater markups on house brands so they can afford to advertise them as teasers for Black Friday. Also be aware of custom models from major brands. When you try to compare the Samsung on sale at the big-box store with what looks like the identical model at a local retailer, you may not notice the model number is a digit or two different. This may mean nothing, or it may mean a lot. You are not privy to what is behind the screen. When a company such as Best Buy orders 50,000 of a certain custom TV, you can bet LG and Samsung will jump to keep the contents and price precisely where the jumbo retailer specifies. Even if you snare a real bargain at the big-box store, the onus is on you to transport it home, set it up and learn how to operate it. Obviously, this is easier with a laptop or food processor than a 65-inch TV. Most local merchants attempt matching the prices of big-box stores on standard model numbers. When you buy from locally owned merchants, they usually go the literal extra mile to deliver. They also often set up the product (and offer to haul the box away) and frequently provide brief tutorials on how to use the product. Should there be a problem with the gear, you won’t have to stand in line at a customer service counter for half an hour to have a rude person tell you it’s your problem. Depending on the equipment, manufacturers insist on directly servicing it, but at least the local shop will provide initial advice and, if necessary, advocacy with the manufacturer. Local Champaign-Urbana electronics retailers include, in alphabetical order: Glenn Poor’s Audio-Video, Good Vibes, Picture Perfect Technologies and Premier Sound & Design. There also are a few independent computer stores such as EP Computer, Illini Tech Center, Micro Systems, Ramjet and Simplified Computers. So, when Black Friday rolls around, relax. Savor your coffee or tea at the usual hour at home rather than shivering in a long line at a faceless national chain. Think about what your time is worth verses what you might save. Your best bargain is time to yourself and/or with your family at home, a true Thanksgiving.AP Business SummaryBrief at 12:45 p.m. EST
None
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 2:39 p.m. ESTIsraeli Citizenship Has Always Been a Tool of Genocide — So I Renounced Mine
Should you buy Telstra and this ASX dividend stock in December?Stocks wavered on Wall Street in afternoon trading Thursday, as gains in tech companies and retailers helped temper losses elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 was down less than 0.1% after drifting between small gains and losses. The benchmark index is coming off a three-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 6 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 1:52 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was down less than 0.1%. Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened after the Christmas holiday. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.9%, Micron Technology was up 1% and Adobe gained 0.8%. While tech stocks overall were in the green, some heavyweights were a drag on the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, slipped 0.1%. Meta Platforms fell 0.7%, Amazon was down 0.6%, and Netflix gave up 1.1%. Tesla was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500, down 1.9%. Health care stocks helped lift the market. CVS Health rose 1.7% and Walgreens Boots Alliance rose 3% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks. Several retailers also gained ground. Target rose 2.8%, Best Buy was up 2.2% and Dollar Tree gained 2.7%. Retailers are hoping for a solid sales this holiday season, and the day after Christmas traditionally ranks among the top 10 biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers go online or rush to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins. U.S.-listed shares in Honda and Nissan rose 4% and 16%, respectively. The Japanese automakers announced earlier this week that the two companies are in talks to combine. Traders got a labor market update. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week , though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years, the Labor Department reported. Treasury yields turned mostly lower in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.57% from 4.59% late Tuesday. Major European markets were closed, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Trading was expected to be subdued this week with a thin slate of economic data on the calendar. Still, U.S. markets have historically gotten a boost at year’s end despite lower trading volumes. The last five trading days of each year, plus the first two in the new year, have brought an average gain of 1.3% since 1950. So far this month, the U.S. stock market has lost some of its gains since President-elect Donald Trump’s win on Election Day, which raised hopes for faster economic growth and more lax regulations that would boost corporate profits. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade. Even so, the U.S. market remains on pace to deliver strong returns for 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 is up roughly 26% so far this year and remains near its most recent all-time high it set earlier this month — its latest of 57 record highs this year. Wall Street has several economic reports to look forward to next week, including updates on pending home sales and home prices, a report on U.S. construction spending and snapshots of manufacturing activity. AP Business Writers Elaine Kurtenbach and Matt Ott contributed.Premier League Boxing Day grades: Manchester United fail again; Chelsea stumble as Liverpool mount comeback
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 13, 2024-- The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) announced today that its Board of Directors approved a new $1 billion authorization for the Company to repurchase its common stock and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.235 per common share. The dividend will be payable December 31, 2024, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 23, 2024. “We remain committed to returning capital to our shareholders with our disciplined approach focused on driving long-term shareholder value through both dividends and stock repurchases and today’s announcements allows us the flexibility to continue to do that,” said Devin McGranahan, President and Chief Executive Officer. Repurchases may be made at management’s discretion through open-market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, Rule 10b5-1 plans, or by other means. The amount and timing of any repurchases made under the share repurchase program will depend on a variety of factors, including market conditions, share price, legal requirements, and other factors. The program does not have a set expiration date and may be suspended, modified, or discontinued at any time without prior notice. Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, our forward-looking statements. Words such as “expects,” “intends,” “targets,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “guides,” “provides guidance,” “provides outlook,” “projects,” “designed to,” and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” and “might” are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers of this press release of The Western Union Company (the “Company,” “Western Union,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) should not rely solely on the forward-looking statements and should consider all uncertainties and risks discussed in the Risk Factors section and throughout the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. The statements are only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Possible events or factors that could cause results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include the following: (i) events related to our business and industry, such as: changes in general economic conditions and economic conditions in the regions and industries in which we operate, including global economic downturns and trade disruptions, or significantly slower growth or declines in the money transfer, payment service, and other markets in which we operate, including downturns or declines related to interruptions in migration patterns or other events, such as public health emergencies, epidemics, or pandemics, civil unrest, war, terrorism, natural disasters, or non-performance by our banks, lenders, insurers, or other financial services providers; failure to compete effectively in the money transfer and payment service industry, including among other things, with respect to price or customer experience, with global and niche or corridor money transfer providers, banks and other money transfer and payment service providers, including digital, mobile and internet-based services, card associations, and card-based payment providers, and with digital currencies and related exchanges and protocols, and other innovations in technology and business models; geopolitical tensions, political conditions and related actions, including trade restrictions and government sanctions, which may adversely affect our business and economic conditions as a whole, including interruptions of United States or other government relations with countries in which we have or are implementing significant business relationships with agents, clients, or other partners; deterioration in customer confidence in our business, or in money transfer and payment service providers generally; failure to maintain our agent network and business relationships under terms consistent with or more advantageous to us than those currently in place; our ability to adopt new technology and develop and gain market acceptance of new and enhanced services in response to changing industry and consumer needs or trends; mergers, acquisitions, and the integration of acquired businesses and technologies into our Company, divestitures, and the failure to realize anticipated financial benefits from these transactions, and events requiring us to write down our goodwill; decisions to change our business mix; changes in, and failure to manage effectively, exposure to foreign exchange rates, including the impact of the regulation of foreign exchange spreads on money transfers; changes in tax laws, or their interpretation, any subsequent regulation, and unfavorable resolution of tax contingencies; any material breach of security, including cybersecurity, or safeguards of or interruptions in any of our systems or those of our vendors or other third parties; cessation of or defects in various services provided to us by third-party vendors; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from restructuring-related initiatives, which may include decisions to downsize or to transition operating activities from one location to another, and to minimize any disruptions in our workforce that may result from those initiatives; our ability to attract and retain qualified key employees and to manage our workforce successfully; failure to manage credit and fraud risks presented by our agents, clients, and consumers; adverse rating actions by credit rating agencies; our ability to protect our trademarks, patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights, and to defend ourselves against potential intellectual property infringement claims; material changes in the market value or liquidity of securities that we hold; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations; (ii) events related to our regulatory and litigation environment, such as: liabilities or loss of business resulting from a failure by us, our agents, or their subagents to comply with laws and regulations and regulatory or judicial interpretations thereof, including laws and regulations designed to protect consumers, or detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, and other illicit activity; increased costs or loss of business due to regulatory initiatives and changes in laws, regulations and industry practices and standards, including changes in interpretations, in the United States and abroad, affecting us, our agents or their subagents, or the banks with which we or our agents maintain bank accounts needed to provide our services, including related to anti-money laundering regulations, anti-fraud measures, our licensing arrangements, customer due diligence, agent and subagent due diligence, registration and monitoring requirements, consumer protection requirements, remittances, immigration, and sustainability reporting including climate-related reporting; liabilities, increased costs or loss of business and unanticipated developments resulting from governmental investigations and consent agreements with, or investigations or enforcement actions by regulators and other government authorities; liabilities resulting from litigation, including class-action lawsuits and similar matters, and regulatory enforcement actions, including costs, expenses, settlements, and judgments; failure to comply with regulations and evolving industry standards regarding consumer privacy, data use, the transfer of personal data between jurisdictions, and information security, failure to comply with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as regulations issued pursuant to it and the actions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and similar legislation and regulations enacted by other governmental authorities in the United States and abroad related to consumer protection; effects of unclaimed property laws or their interpretation or the enforcement thereof; failure to maintain sufficient amounts or types of regulatory capital or other restrictions on the use of our working capital to meet the changing requirements of our regulators worldwide; changes in accounting standards, rules and interpretations, or industry standards affecting our business; and (iii) other events, such as catastrophic events and management’s ability to identify and manage these and other risks. About Western Union The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is committed to helping people around the world who aspire to build financial futures for themselves, their loved ones and their communities. Our leading cross-border, cross-currency money movement, payments and digital financial services empower consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments—across more than 200 countries and territories and nearly 130 currencies—to connect with billions of bank accounts, millions of digital wallets and cards, and a global footprint of hundreds of thousands of retail locations. Our goal is to offer accessible financial services that help people and communities prosper. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com . WU-G View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213394701/en/ CONTACT: Media Relations: Brad Jones media@westernunion.comInvestor Relations: Tom Hadley WesternUnion.IR@westernunion.com KEYWORD: COLORADO UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE PERSONAL FINANCE PAYMENTS FINANCE BANKING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY FINTECH SOURCE: The Western Union Company Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/13/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/13/2024 04:04 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213394701/enQuest Partners LLC lifted its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. ( NYSE:FBRT – Free Report ) by 3,544,900.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,450 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,449 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust were worth $463,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of FBRT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,973,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,886,000 after purchasing an additional 48,171 shares in the last quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services increased its position in shares of Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 28.7% during the third quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 1,055,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,780,000 after acquiring an additional 235,548 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 702,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,848,000 after acquiring an additional 39,000 shares during the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 55.6% in the 2nd quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 700,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,820,000 after acquiring an additional 250,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Franklin BSP Realty Trust by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 659,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,313,000 after purchasing an additional 166,120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.87% of the company’s stock. Franklin BSP Realty Trust Stock Performance Shares of FBRT opened at $13.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67, a current ratio of 90.45 and a quick ratio of 90.45. Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $11.99 and a one year high of $14.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $13.05 and a 200 day moving average of $12.99. Franklin BSP Realty Trust Dividend Announcement Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, Raymond James boosted their price target on Franklin BSP Realty Trust from $15.00 to $15.50 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Read Our Latest Analysis on FBRT Franklin BSP Realty Trust Profile ( Free Report ) Benefit Street Partners operates as a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). BSP earns income from investing in a leveraged portfolio of residential mortgage pass-through securities consisting almost exclusively of adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) securities issued and guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises, either Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (together, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)), or by an agency of the federal government, Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae). Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FBRT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Franklin BSP Realty Trust, Inc. ( NYSE:FBRT – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Franklin BSP Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Franklin BSP Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Akron 97, Alabama St. 78
None
Guwahati: Samagra Shiksha Assam, in partnership with Mission Gyan , introduced “e-Kaksha” on Saturday. A digital educational platform providing comprehensive learning content for students from classes 1 to 10, the initiative aims to improve educational standards throughout the state. The platform addresses the issue of subject-specific teacher shortages, particularly in rural and remote regions, by offering students access to quality video lessons. Students can utilise these resources at their own pace, facilitating a better understanding of essential concepts. To access the lessons, one needs to visit the official YouTube channel, e-Kaksha Assam, which has currently has over 10.7K subscribers and approximately 1,000 uploaded videos. Education minister Dr Ranoj Pegu, who launched the education platform at the state mission office of Samagra Shiksha on Saturday, posted on his ‘X’ handle, “Inaugurated 1,000 video lessons (e-contents) in Assamese language for students from Class I to X. These video lessons named ‘E-Kaksha’ shall be freely available on YouTube and Mission Gyan App.” The event was also attended by Sanjoy Dutta, executive director, Samagra Shiksha, along with other officials.“The initiative offers lessons in a variety of subjects, including English, Assamese, Geography, History and Social Science etc., all available in the Assamese language for students,” read a release. Meanwhile, during the programme 45 teachers received certificates, recognising their contributions to e-Kaksha content development. Pegu commended Samagra Shiksha and Mission Gyan for their collaboration, benefiting the students. He praised the teachers for creating clear, topic-focused videos and requested content development in Bengali and Bodo medium as well. “By leveraging technology and ensuring that the lessons are delivered in Assamese, the programme is tailored to the local needs of the students, making it easier for them to connect with the content and absorb the material more effectively,” the statement further read. We also published the following articles recently Samagra Shiksha Assam launches e-kaksha for digital edu Samagra Shiksha Assam, in collaboration with Mission Gyan, launched e-Kaksha, an educational platform providing video lessons for classes 1 to 10 on YouTube. Aimed at addressing teacher shortages in rural areas, it features 1,000 Assamese language videos covering various subjects. Education minister Dr Ranoj Pegu encourages content development in Bengali and Bodo as well. MP urges Centre to release funds for Tamil Nadu under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan DMK MP P Wilson has urged the Union government to release Tamil Nadu's funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. Union minister Jayant Chaudhary highlighted that Tamil Nadu's modified MoU dropped a key paragraph on NEP 2020 implementation, which led to delays. The state is encouraged to sign the MoU without modifications for fund release. YouTube lessons for govt school students of Assam soon Education minister Ranoj Pegu announced that state government schools will soon have lessons for classes I to XII available on YouTube. All schools will have smart classrooms by next year. Pegu also disbursed Rs 18 crores to support students under the fee waiver scheme and discussed measures to address teacher shortages and future recruitment processes.