In the United States it’s easy to take cell reception for granted. With few exceptions, you can use your phone to text, call, and get online from pretty much anywhere in the country. Yet about 2 billion people around the world live in areas that lack mobile coverage, mostly far […]
How UFO Sightings Became an American Obsession
When a big flap pops, in other words, codified programs crop up. You can see this happening today, when in April 2019, the Navy confirmed that, given the number of unauthorized or unidentified craft that military personnel had encountered recently, it was “updating and formalizing the process by which reports […]
Spit Kits, Sperm Donors, and the End of Family Secrets
Alice Collins Plebuch, or Grandma Nerd, as her grandkids call her, is good at solving puzzles. She was among the first wave of computer programmers–when that term meant punching information on cards to be fed into mainframes. She has an analytical mind and is at ease with technology. Years ago, […]
Euro-Area Inflation Hits Three-Month Low on Energy-Price Slump
Economic Indicators9 hours ago (Mar 03, 2020 05:21AM ET) (C) Reuters. Euro-Area Inflation Hits Three-Month Low on Energy-Price Slump (Bloomberg) — Euro-area inflation slowed to a three-month low in February, highlighting how disruption unleashed by the spreading coronavirus is hitting the bloc’s economy. A slump in oil and other commodities […]
UK builders return to growth after election, see HS2 boost: PMI
Economic Indicators10 hours ago (Mar 03, 2020 04:41AM ET) LONDON (Reuters) – A measure of Britain’s building industry turned positive for the first time in nearly a year in February as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s election win boosted economic sentiment for the second month in a row, a survey showed […]
Coronavirus Is Disrupting British Factories’ Supply Chains
Economic Indicators12 hours ago (Mar 03, 2020 02:12AM ET) (C) Reuters. Coronavirus Is Disrupting British Factories’ Supply Chains (Bloomberg) — The coronavirus outbreak is starting to feed through to British factory supply chains, casting doubt on whether an upswing in activity after Boris Johnson’s election will continue. IHS Markit said […]
Commodities Weekly: Oil Rises, First Time In 8 Days
Central banks’ assurances that they stand ready to act to support local economies hit by the CoVid-19 outbreak turned risk appetite around yesterday, lifting equity, oil and industrial metals markets while hurting gold. Agricultural commodities were mixed, with wheat and sugar under pressure but corn and soybeans rose. An emergency […]
RBA Cuts Rates to 0.5% as China Slowdown Continues
Economy15 hours ago (Mar 03, 2020 12:00AM ET) (Bloomberg) — Australia’s central bank validated the money market’s late swing, easing interest rates in an effort to cushion the blow from China’s economic slowdown and associated coronavirus fallout. Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe reduced the cash rate by a quarter percentage […]
1,357 Delegates Up for Grabs–and More Key Super Tuesday Stats
It feels as if the Democratic primary has been going on forever. Ten debates. Twenty-eight campaigns launched, 23 folded. Hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising. And yet, despite all that, only 149 pledged delegates–of an eventual 3,979–have been awarded so far. Nothing has actually been decided. With strong showings […]
Brazil posts $3.1 billion trade surplus in Feb, no coronavirus impact yet
Economic Indicators10 hours ago (Mar 02, 2020 03:31PM ET) By Marcela Ayres BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil posted a trade surplus of $3.1 billion in February, official data showed on Monday, far stronger than forecast and confounding any expectations that the coronavirus outbreak might have dampened exports. February’s figure was double […]