South Korea’s markets vulnerable after weekend of political stalemate
Cord cutting used to refer to abandoning pay TV and putting up an antenna to watch free over-the-air TV.WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Donovan Newby had 18 points in UNC Wilmington's 78-69 victory over Marshall on Saturday. Newby shot 5 for 10 (0 for 3 from 3-point range) and 8 of 11 from the free-throw line for the Seahawks (7-2). Sean Moore scored 14 points while shooting 6 for 11, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc and added 16 rebounds. Khamari McGriff shot 5 of 6 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line to finish with 13 points, while adding six rebounds. The Thundering Herd (5-4) were led in scoring by Mikal Dawson, who finished with 12 points and two steals. Marshall also got 10 points and nine rebounds from Nate Martin. Dezayne Mingo also had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists. UNC Wilmington took the lead with 12:17 to go in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 44-34 at halftime, with Moore racking up 12 points. UNC Wilmington was outscored by Marshall in the second half by one point, with Newby scoring a team-high 12 points after halftime. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
In the last 10 days, Amir Fattal says he's been glued to the TV at his home in Oakville each night, watching for any updates out of Syria. When news broke that Syrian leader Bashar Assad had fled the country, Fattal said he felt like he was dreaming. "Today I woke up and as a Syrian, I feel like I'm free." Fattal, who came to Canada in 2016 after fleeing his home country four years earlier, is among Syrians across Ontario who are celebrating the end of the Assad family's 50-year iron rule after a rapid offensive by armed factions seized control of the country — a day many say they thought might never come. Amir Fattal came to Canada in 2016 after fleeing Syria four years earlier. Now that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's rule has come to an end, Fattal says he hopes to return to Syria to help with efforts to rebuild the country. (CBC) In Mississauga, a group of people came together overnight Saturday to rejoice. By Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people gathered in the city's Celebration Square to mark the fall of their home country's former president. Among the crowd was Houssam Harwash, who came to Canada from Syria in 2018 after being arrested and thrown in a Syrian jail for 43 days. He said several of his close friends were killed during protests against the Assad regime. "I've been dreaming for this for the last 13, 14 years since the start of the revolution," he said Sunday. After witnessing so much violence, Harwash said he feels hopeful for the future of his country. "Right now, there's a good change and a good opportunity for us and to live free." Houssam Harwash came to Canada from Syria in 2018. He said the end of the Assad regime is a chance for positive change in his home country. (CBC) Marwah Kobieh, executive director of the Syrian Canadian Foundation said many Syrians had lost hope that they would ever see this day come. "We kind of just accepted the fact that we're just going to support Syrian refugees here in Canada or who have been scattered across the countries across the world," she said. Now, Kobieh said she hopes Syrian's new leadership will live up to its promises of a free state. "And we're hoping that all the Syrians who are scattered across the world can come back to Syria and just hold each other's hand and rebuild the country that have been really facing so much for half a century." THE LATEST Assad flees to Moscow after rebels take Syrian capital, Russian state media report World leaders, Trudeau hail 'fall of Assad's dictatorship' after rebels topple Syrian government The leader of Syria's biggest rebel faction, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is poised to chart the country's future. The former al-Qaeda commander cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the UN. Some analysts say what happens next depends largely on al-Golani and what type of leader he turns out to be. "It's a new chapter — that's a fact. What sort of chapter, whether this is a happy ending or a horror story, a new horror story, remains to be seen," said Randall Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto Hansen said the country's new leader now faces the daunting task of uniting a deeply divided country. "Much will depend on him and what they decide and how he behaves," he said. Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, Syria's biggest rebel faction, speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on Sunday. (Omar Albam/The Associated Press) In Oakville, Fattal said he too worries about what will come next, but says for now, he's happy Syria at least has a chance for a new future. "I hope to see a free country with democratic system. I hope to see our country build again," he said. He hopes to return one day to help his home country rebuild — something he said wouldn't be possible without the safety, education and experience he found in Canada.
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To improve your local-language experience, sometimes we employ an auto-translation plugin. Please note auto-translation may not be accurate, so read article for precise information. In Brief Santiment notes that the continued growth in larger wallets—particularly those holding between 10 and 1,000 BTC—indicates a strong likelihood that the bull market will persist into 2025. Market intelligence platform recently released an analysis noting that Bitcoin and altcoins have demonstrated strong recovery leading up to Christmas Day, showcasing the so-called “Santa Rally.” Bitcoin has rebounded, reaching as high as $99,000, with traders optimistic about a potential $100,000 milestone before the end of the year. is currently trading at $98,409, marking a 4.22% increase over the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency reached a high of $99,178, recovering from a low of $94,434 during the same period. Trading volume, however, has decreased by 14.44%, dropping to $46.5 billion from an average of $70 billion the previous day. Additionally, Bitcoin’s market dominance has risen to 56.76%, reflecting a 0.52% increase over the last 24 hours, according to the data from CoinMarketCap. Notably, this surge comes despite the $338.4 million in net outflows from the Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Tuesday, which marked the fourth consecutive day of outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs, contributing to negative market sentiment. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) saw its largest outflow, amounting to $188.7 million, while Fidelity’s FBTC had an outflow of $83.2 million, followed by ARKB with $75 million, according to SoSoValue. 📈 Bitcoin and altcoins have recovered well heading into Christmas Day. BTC has rebounded as high as $99K with traders hoping for a $100K Xmas gift. Here are the number of BTC wallets by size: 🦐 0-0.1 BTC Wallets: 50.17M 🐠 0.1-10 BTC Wallets: 4.31M 🦈 10-1,000 BTC Wallets:... The firm notes that regarding wallet distribution, the number of Bitcoin wallets by size presently is as follows: 50.17 million wallets hold between 0 and 0.1 BTC, representing individual retail investors. 4.31 million wallets contain between 0.1 and 10 BTC, likely belonging to a mix of retail and smaller institutional holders. 150,130 wallets hold between 10 and 1,000 BTC, indicating more serious investors or high-net-worth individuals. Lastly, there are 2,050 wallets with over 1,000 BTC, likely owned by large institutions or Bitcoin whales with considerable holdings. Sentiment notes that the continued growth in the number of larger wallets—especially those holding 10 to 1,000 BTC—suggests a strong likelihood that the bull market will persist, provided these investors maintain their accumulation trends throughout 2024. In line with the , please note that the information provided on this page is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other form of advice. It is important to only invest what you can afford to lose and to seek independent financial advice if you have any doubts. For further information, we suggest referring to the terms and conditions as well as the help and support pages provided by the issuer or advertiser. MetaversePost is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance. Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.I flew business class from Australia with Vietnam Airlines. Here's what you can expect
Suva and Ba Masters set for Taito Bula CupMeta Platforms ( META -0.70% ) is without doubt a leader in the technology and internet industries. It has been a monster success story and a business that has done a great job rewarding its longtime shareholders, something that holds true in more recent times. As of this writing, this social media stock has soared almost 400% in the past two years. This means that a $10,000 investment made 24 months ago would be worth nearly $50,000 today. That gain is hard to beat. But should you buy Meta shares right now? Getting back on solid ground Meta stock took a hit in 2022 as did the rest of the market. That year, the company posted a surprise 1% year-over-year revenue drop, which occurred after years of tremendous double-digit sales gains. As the Federal Reserve started to aggressively hike interest rates to combat soaring inflation, advertisers pulled back their spending, negatively impacting Meta. That same year, the company's operating margin came in at 25%. This was down from 40% in 2021. Meta's costs had soared 23% as it focused on restructuring efforts. Shareholders clearly weren't pleased at the time, as shares fell 64% in 2022. But nowadays, the business is on a much better footing. Revenue jumped 16% before rising 22% through the first nine months of this year. Additionally, profitability has improved, with Meta reporting a stellar 43% operating margin in the third quarter of 2024. The management team feels so optimistic about the position the business is in that they finally authorized dividend payments in May of this year. Meta had its first-ever quarterly payout of $0.50 per share in June. Given that the company generated $15.5 billion in free cash flow in the latest three-month period, there is plenty of capital for dividends as well as sizable share buybacks. Meta's AI push There hasn't been a hotter topic in the corporate and investing worlds than that of artificial intelligence (AI). In the past couple of years, we've seen executives shift their strategies -- sometimes radically -- to focus more on AI initiatives. What's more, investors have gravitated to stocks that have exposure to this technological trend. As a massive company with a $1.4 trillion market cap and nearly 3.3 billion daily active users among its various social media platforms, it makes sense that Meta is already a top player in the AI boom. The business's Meta AI assistant already has 500 million monthly active users. And with AI-powered recommendations, users are spending more time on Facebook and Instagram. This makes things more attractive to advertisers looking to target a captive audience. "More than a million advertisers used our GenAI tools to create more than 15 million ads in the last month," said CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the Q3 2024 earnings call. Meta plans to invest $38 billion to $40 billion on capital expenditures this year to bolster its network infrastructure. And that figure is set to grow meaningfully in 2025. Look at the stock's valuation Exactly two years ago, shares of Meta traded at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.6. With the benefit of hindsight, that valuation made buying the stock look like an absolute no-brainer opportunity. Of course, that happened to be true given just how much the share price has climbed since then. Investors looking to buy this dominant enterprise right now should be comfortable paying a steeper valuation. The stock trades at a P/E multiple of 26.2. The S&P 500 trades for a P/E ratio of 25.7, so Meta is in the same ballpark as the average stock. However, anyone could easily argue that this is a superior business that deserves at least that type of valuation. To be clear, shares aren't as cheap as they were a couple of years ago. But for investors who want to add a dominant internet company to their portfolios, perhaps it's smart to pay up to own Meta.AP Trending SummaryBrief at 6:46 p.m. EST
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