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Reigning champion Kansas City edged Carolina and Detroit ripped Indianapolis on Sunday to reach an NFL-best 10-1 while Dallas shocked arch-rival Washington to snap a five-game losing streak. Patrick Mahomes threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns and Spencer Shrader kicked a 31-yard field goal on the final play to lift Kansas City over the host Panthers 30-27. Chuba Hubbard's 1-yard touchdown run and a 2-point conversion run had put Carolina level with 1:46 remaining, setting the stage for the Chiefs' seven-play, 57-yard march to set up the winning kick. Joining the Chiefs with a 10th triumph to keep a conference lead was Detroit, with Jahmyr Gibbs rushing for 90 yards and two touchdowns and David Montgomery running for another score in the Lions' 24-6 triumph at Indianapolis. A wild finish with 38 points in the last 5:16 marked the Dallas Cowboys' 34-26 victory at Washington, where the Commanders appeared to have lost, then made an amazing comeback only to fall in the end. Cooper Rush's second touchdown pass, a 22-yarder to Luke Schoonmaker with 5:16 remaining, gave Dallas a 20-9 edge, but Jayden Daniels threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz and ran for a 2-point conversion to pull Washington within 20-17. KaVontae Turpin answered with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown on the ensuing play, but again the Commanders responded as Austin Seibert kicked a 51-yard field goal and Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on an 86-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining. Seibert, however, shockingly missed the conversion kick to keep Dallas ahead 27-26 and the Cowboys added a Juanyeh Thomas 43-yard kickoff return touchdown on the next play to seal victory. At Miami, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns to spark the Miami Dolphins over New England 34-15. At Chicago, Minnesota's John Parker Romo kicked a 29-yard field goal with 2:10 remaining in overtime to lift the Vikings over the host Bears 30-27. Sam Darnold threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings improved to 9-2. At Houston, Chig Okonkwo caught a 70-yard go-ahead touchdown pass from Will Levis in the fourth quarter as Tennessee upset the host Texans 32-27. Levis threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns and Tony Pollard ran for 119 yards and a touchdown as the Titans reached 3-8 and Houston fell to 7-5. Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield threw for 294 yards to spark the Buccaneers over the host New York Giants 30-7. js/sev
What Patrick Mahomes did to earn $15k fine from NFL — what his 'violent gesture' wasI'm reevaluating the devices I use for reading and will write about that soon. Meanwhile, here's my original Amazon Kindle review from 2007. -- I knew Amazon was on to something with its new e-book reader, the Kindle, when my wife was immediately curious about the device. Stephanie is many things, but when it comes to technology, she simply couldn't care less. More important, perhaps, the price of the Kindle--a whopping $400 in its initial incarnation--didn't faze her much at all. And she's notoriously thrifty. She was thumbing around the device within minutes of its arrival and has already begun planning how she would use it while working out and on occasional commutes into Boston. Her first question: "Does it support multiple accounts, so I can have my own content?" (Answer: No, unfortunately. We'll have to share.) My kids, who are largely immune by now to most of the technology that comes into this house, should have been completely ambivalent about the Kindle as well, but weren't. My daughter, who literally just turned 6 and can only read a bit, was instantly interested when she spied the device in my hands, and after discovering what it was--a little computer book, as she described it--her first reaction was an incredibly positive "cool!" This is high praise, indeed, from the kindergarten crowd. My oldest, Mark, was even more impressed. A nine-year-old, he immediately had to play with the device and grokked its admittedly utilitarian user interface almost intuitively. But when he discovered that you could buy books wirelessly and get them almost instantaneously, he just had to try it. And then next thing I know, he was taking the Kindle off with him on a car ride with mom so he could read the one "Encyclopedia Brown" book that's currently available on Amazon's newest online service. As for me, I'm perhaps even more excited about the Kindle than is the rest of my family. A voracious reader since I learned how--as I kid I used to fall back to the sides of cereal boxes when I finished that day's "Boston Globe" over breakfast-- I can't get enough of this thing. I regularly read books of all kinds--fiction, non-fiction, history, travel, whatever--and my wife and I subscribe to an embarrassing number of print magazines. Heck, I still read two newspapers every day--the aforementioned Globe (yes, still) and "The New York Times." And I subscribe to the online version of "The Wall Street Journal" just in case that isn't enough. Add all that onto the audiobooks and podcasts I enjoy regularly and the various websites I peruse daily, and there's a lot of reading occurring here. But I was excited about the Kindle the moment I heard about the first rumors. And when details of the device were revealed just before it went on sale, I knew I had to have one. After coming so close to pulling the trigger on a similar purchase with Sony's e-book reader last year, the Kindle was enough of an improvement that I just had to do it. The questi... With technology shaping our everyday lives, how could we not dig deeper? Thurrott Premium delivers an honest and thorough perspective about the technologies we use and rely on everyday. Discover deeper content as a Premium member. Paul Thurrott is an award-winning technology journalist and blogger with 30 years of industry experience and the author of 30 books. He is the owner of and the host of three tech podcasts: with Leo Laporte and Richard Campbell, , and with Brad Sams. He was formerly the senior technology analyst at Windows IT Pro and the creator of the SuperSite for Windows from 1999 to 2014 and the Major Domo of Thurrott.com while at BWW Media Group from 2015 to 2023. You can reach Paul via , or . Join the crowd where the love of tech is real - become a Thurrott Premium Member today! Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each FridayHere’s the Average TFSA Balance at Age 34 in Canada
This is the busiest time of year for returning holiday gifts. Retailers from Amazon to L.L. Bean have adopted a range of return policies. Most shoppers consider whether they can make free returns when deciding where to shop. That unwanted kitchen gadget or too-big sweater someone gave you over the holidays represents a growing problem for retailers. Advertisement With the holiday shopping season over, retailers now face return requests from customers at the fastest pace of the year. The days between December 26 and 28 are the busiest for returns, with up to three times more than usual, payments platform Lightspeed Commerce found in a review of returns data collected over the last two years. The amount of stuff that gets returned has been growing each year, too. Advertisement Marcus Shen, the CEO of B-Stock, which resells returned items and other excess merchandise, told Business Insider that his company has seen the volume of returns that it processes grow over the last few years. Some of the most-returned items include clothing, electronics, and toys, Shen said. The share of goods returned to retailers is expected to reach almost 17% and be worth $890 billion this year, a report from the National Retail Federation, or NRF, found earlier this month. In 2019, it was about 8%. The growth of e-commerce — and easy return policies at many retailers — has contributed to that explosion of returns, Shen said. Some shoppers even plan on making returns from the start with strategies like bracketing , which is buying multiple sizes or colors of an item with the intent to keep just one and return the others. Advertisement "I think that a lot of these very consumer-friendly policies are really a big driver here," Shen said. Returns represent extra costs for the stores that handle them, whether it's the cost of shipping or marking down the price of the returned item when reselling it. Many companies try to trim the costs of returns by offering customers incentives to use less costly methods. Earlier this year, for example, Amazon offered customers discounts on groceries if they stopped by an Amazon Fresh store to make a return. Advertisement Many retailers offer at least one free way to return a purchase, which often involves customers dropping their return off at a store or other physical location. That usually saves the retailer the cost of shipping the item from a customer's home to a processing center. Many have also added incentives — or penalties — meant to steer customers toward those options. Outdoor retailer REI, for instance, recently banned some customers who made frequent returns from doing so in the future. The action targeted a group of customers that had an average return rate of 79% on purchases, REI told ABC in November. Advertisement Amazon took a different approach with one of its policies, which tries to preempt returns entirely by letting shoppers on its website know when a product is frequently returned . Other companies, such as L.L. Bean and GameStop, assess a fee of less than $10 in order to mail something back to them. "Retailers are responding by investing in a variety of innovative returns options," the NRF said in its report. "But, at the same time, they are facing growing costs for managing and processing returns." Advertisement The NRF's report found that 76% of shoppers decide where to shop based on whether the retailer offers free returns. "Given the priority shoppers place on free returns, retailers have to walk a fine line in implementing these policies," the NRF said in its report. At the same time, retailers are paying more attention to controlling the costs of processing returns, Shen told BI. Advertisement Getting merchandise back to retailers is only part of the challenge: Once a retailer has the item, it has to decide whether to write it off completely or resell it at a discount, either to its own customers or through companies like Shen's. "It's cash that's sitting on the floor of a warehouse," he said.Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ( NYSE:ANF – Free Report ) by 5.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,564 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 80 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch were worth $219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Abercrombie & Fitch by 81.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 274 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Abercrombie & Fitch by 156.0% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 279 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 242.6% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 531 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Abercrombie & Fitch by 39.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 788 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Abercrombie & Fitch Stock Up 7.4 % Abercrombie & Fitch stock opened at $151.99 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.10 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.13. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has a 52-week low of $72.13 and a 52-week high of $196.99. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised Abercrombie & Fitch from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch from $155.00 to $147.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Abercrombie & Fitch from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Abercrombie & Fitch from $194.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Abercrombie & Fitch currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.43. View Our Latest Analysis on ANF Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Samir Desai sold 19,041 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.36, for a total transaction of $2,501,225.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,676,109.60. This represents a 40.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, CFO Scott D. Lipesky sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.80, for a total transaction of $1,321,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 106,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,627,594. This trade represents a 7.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 31,541 shares of company stock worth $4,310,256 in the last three months. 2.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders. About Abercrombie & Fitch ( Free Report ) Abercrombie & Fitch Co, through its subsidiaries, operates as an omnichannel retailer in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and internationally. The company offers an assortment of apparel, personal care products, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks brands. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ANF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ( NYSE:ANF – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Abercrombie & Fitch Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abercrombie & Fitch and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Imran Khan, other PTI leaders face fresh charges after protest fiascoShare Tweet Share Share Email Agriculture is the backbone of many economies worldwide, providing food, raw materials, and livelihoods to millions of people. However, farmers face significant challenges, including unpredictable weather, pests, diseases, and market fluctuations. To mitigate these risks, insurance has long been a critical tool. Yet, traditional insurance systems are often fraught with inefficiencies, delays, and a lack of transparency. Enter blockchain technology—a revolutionary approach that promises to transform livestock and crop insurance , making it more transparent, efficient, and reliable. Understanding Blockchain Technology Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers in a secure, tamper-proof manner. Each block of data is linked to the previous one, creating a chain of information that is transparent and immutable. This technology offers several key benefits that make it ideal for applications in agriculture insurance: Transparency: All transactions are visible to authorized parties, reducing disputes and enhancing trust. Security: Data is encrypted and distributed across a network, making it highly resistant to tampering. Efficiency: Automated processes and smart contracts reduce administrative overhead and delays. These features address many of the pain points in traditional insurance systems, paving the way for more effective coverage for farmers. Challenges in Traditional Livestock and Crop Insurance Before diving into blockchain’s potential, it is crucial to understand the limitations of conventional livestock and crop insurance: Lack of Transparency Farmers often struggle to understand policy terms, claim procedures, and payout calculations. This lack of clarity can lead to mistrust and dissatisfaction. Slow Claim Processing Claims often require extensive documentation and manual verification, causing significant delays in payouts. For farmers facing urgent needs, these delays can be devastating. High Administrative Costs Insurance providers incur substantial expenses in underwriting, claims assessment, and fraud prevention, driving up premiums for farmers. Limited Accessibility Small-scale farmers in remote areas often lack access to affordable insurance products due to logistical and financial constraints. Blockchain technology can address these issues, offering a more farmer-centric approach. How Blockchain Transforms Livestock and Crop Insurance Blockchain technology brings a host of advantages that can revolutionize the agricultural insurance space . Here’s how: Transparent Policy Management With blockchain, insurance policies can be digitized and stored on a shared ledger. Farmers, insurers, and regulators can access the same information, ensuring complete transparency. Smart contracts—self-executing agreements with predefined rules—can automate policy terms and eliminate ambiguities. For example, a smart contract could automatically trigger a payout when certain conditions, such as extreme weather events, are met. Faster Claims Processing Blockchain enables real-time data sharing and verification. Weather data, satellite imagery, and IoT sensors can feed directly into the blockchain, providing accurate and timely information. This automation reduces the need for manual intervention, speeding up claim settlements. Imagine a scenario where a farmer’s crops are damaged by a drought. Sensors in the field detect soil dryness, and weather data confirms prolonged aridity. The blockchain smart contract processes this information and initiates a payout without requiring the farmer to file a claim manually. Reduced Fraud and Errors Fraudulent claims and data manipulation are significant challenges in traditional insurance. Blockchain’s immutable ledger ensures that all transactions are permanently recorded and verifiable. This reduces the likelihood of fraud and errors, protecting both insurers and farmers. Lower Administrative Costs By automating processes and eliminating intermediaries, blockchain significantly reduces administrative expenses. These cost savings can be passed on to farmers in the form of lower premiums. Improved Accessibility Blockchain-based platforms can integrate with mobile applications, making insurance products more accessible to small-scale farmers in remote areas. Payments and claims can be processed digitally, eliminating the need for physical visits to insurance offices. Real-World Applications of Blockchain in Agriculture Insurance Several projects and initiatives are already demonstrating the potential of blockchain in livestock and crop insurance: ACRE Africa ACRE Africa is leveraging blockchain technology to provide weather-based index insurance to smallholder farmers. By using blockchain to automate data collection and claims processing, ACRE Africa ensures timely payouts, enhancing farmers’ resilience. Etherisc Etherisc is a decentralized platform offering blockchain-based insurance solutions, including crop and livestock coverage. Farmers can purchase policies, file claims, and receive payouts directly through the platform, all powered by smart contracts. Pula Pula is another innovative initiative using blockchain to deliver affordable insurance to small-scale farmers. The platform integrates satellite data and blockchain to assess risks and process claims efficiently. Benefits of Blockchain-Based Insurance for Farmers Adopting blockchain technology in livestock and crop insurance offers numerous advantages for farmers: Fair and Transparent Policies: Farmers can clearly understand policy terms and conditions, building trust in the system. Timely Payouts: Automated claims processing ensures farmers receive compensation promptly, minimizing financial stress. Affordability: Reduced administrative costs and streamlined processes make insurance more affordable. Increased Coverage: Accessible platforms enable more farmers to benefit from insurance, enhancing agricultural productivity and resilience. Challenges and Considerations While the potential benefits are immense, implementing blockchain-based insurance systems is not without challenges: Technological Barriers Adopting blockchain requires access to reliable internet and digital devices, which may be limited in rural areas. Initial Costs Developing and deploying blockchain systems involves significant upfront investment. Collaboration between governments, insurers, and tech companies is essential to share these costs. Regulatory Hurdles Regulators need to establish clear guidelines to govern blockchain-based insurance systems, ensuring compliance and protecting stakeholders. Education and Awareness Farmers and insurers need training to understand and adopt blockchain technology effectively. The Future of Livestock and Crop Insurance with Blockchain The integration of blockchain technology in livestock and crop insurance is still in its early stages. However, as more stakeholders recognize its potential, adoption is expected to grow. Here are some trends to watch: Integration with IoT and AI: Combining blockchain with IoT devices and AI algorithms can enhance data accuracy and risk assessment. Government Support: Governments may invest in blockchain-based insurance systems to support farmers and boost agricultural productivity. Global Collaboration: Cross-border partnerships can facilitate the sharing of best practices and resources, accelerating adoption. Conclusion Blockchain technology offers a promising solution to the challenges plaguing traditional livestock and crop insurance systems. By enhancing transparency, efficiency, and accessibility , it empowers farmers with reliable and affordable coverage. While there are hurdles to overcome, the potential benefits for the agricultural sector are too significant to ignore. As stakeholders work together to address these challenges, blockchain could become a cornerstone of a more resilient and sustainable agricultural future. Related Items: Blockchain in Agriculture Insurance , Blockchain Technology , Livestock and Crop Insurance Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you Designing for Trust: Visual Elements That Build Credibility How Blockchain Technology Enhances Business Process Management Software VIRTUALS proved AI Agents Are the Future, can Binance listed UFT be the next? Comments