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Investopedia
5 Things To Know Before The Stock Market Opens
~2.3 mins read

Apple (AAPL) shares are rising in premarket trading ahead of its highly anticipated launch of its latest AI-powered iPhone; Oracle (ORCL) shares are gaining ahead of its first-quarter results after the bell; U.S. stock futures are rebounding after last week's dramatic selloff; Boeing (BA) appears set to avoid a painful strike after reaching a deal with its unions; and discount retailer Big Lots (BIG) files for bankruptcy and agrees to sell itself to a private-equity firm. Here's what investors need to know today.

Apple (AAPL) is expected to unveil its new iPhone with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities as well as next generations of the Apple Watch and AirPods at the "It's Glowtime" event today. The highly anticipated event comes roughly a year after Apple's iPhone 15 launch and three months after it showcased iOS 18 and new AI feature Apple Intelligence. Apple's stock is rising less than 1% in premarket trading, having rallied around 13% since its August correction. 

Oracle (ORCL) shares are rising less than 1% in premarket trading ahead of its fiscal first-quarter results due after the market closes, with investors focused on its cloud infrastructure growth. The software giant is expected to post revenue of $13.23 billion, up more than 6% year-over-year, with earnings per share (EPS) of 91 cents, up from 86 cents, according to Visible Alpha. Oracle shares hit a then-record high in June when the company announced cloud infrastructure deals with Microsoft (MSFT) and others, later reaching $146.59 on July 15, a level it is approaching again.

U.S. stock futures are rebounding, with market darling Nvidia (NVDA) rising in premarket trading, after major indexes slumped last week as weak August jobs data raised concerns that the job market is cooling. Those worries about the health of the U.S. economy prompted investors to price in a higher chance of a half-point cut in the key fed funds rate by the Federal Reserve this month rather than a less-aggressive quarter-point easing. The U.S. economy's addition of 142,000 jobs fell short of forecasts, although it beat July's dismal growth, which caused stocks to tumble.

Boeing (BA) said Sunday that it had reached a tentative deal with a union representing more than 33,000 workers in the Seattle area and Oregon, potentially avoiding a crippling strike at the troubled airline. The plane maker has proposed a four-year contract for staff, including a general wage increase of 25% and a pledge to build the next commercial airplane in the Seattle area. Boeing shares are jumping 6% in premarket trading.

Big Lots (BIG) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections and agreed to sell itself to an affiliate of private-equity firm Nexus Capital Management, following extended decline in sales and several quarters of losses at the discount retailer. The Ohio-based firm said Nexus will serve as the "stalking horse bidder" in a court-supervised auction process, and that the deal will close in the fourth quarter if it doesn't get better offers.

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Investopedia
What You Need To Know Ahead Of Adobe’s Earnings Report
~1.4 mins read

Adobe (ADBE) is scheduled to release its fiscal third-quarter results after the bell Thursday, with investors likely watching to see whether the company can build on its momentum with artificial intelligence (AI). 

Analysts expect the software company to post third-quarter revenue of $5.37 billion, up 10% year-over-year, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Net income is projected to rise 12% to $1.57 billion, or $3.51 per share. 

Adobe’s Digital Media arm, which includes Creative Cloud subscriptions, delivered net-new annualized recurring revenue (ARR) of $487 million in the second quarter, up from $470 million a year earlier. The gains helped Adobe post better-than-expected results, sending shares up over 14% the day after the numbers landed.

Analysts are projecting a slight decline in net new Digital Media ARR in the third quarter, to $462 million, according to Visible Alpha. Oppenheimer analysts suggested investors could still see a “reacceleration” of the measure in the second half of the year.

Investors will also likely watch for updates on the monetization of Adobe’s AI offerings, with the company previously noting that many Creative Cloud subscribers are upgrading their plans to access Firefly, its generative AI model. In addition to Firefly, the company introduced generative AI into Document Cloud as well as Adobe Express for business. 

The company may also unveil new AI services at its Adobe MAX conference in October. Oppenheimer analysts said they expect the possible reveal of “generative video, editing, and audio dubbing solutions approaching beta.”

Shares of Adobe have surged nearly 23% since the company released its stronger-than-expected results for the second quarter, though they've still lost roughly 5% this year so far.

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Instablog9ja
UK-based Nigerian Businessman Creates Awareness About An Alarming Trend Among Immigrants
~0.3 mins read

A UK-based Nigerian Businessman has created awareness about an alarming trend among immigrants.

The greatest sc@m going on immigration right now is “Dependant “Oh he can’t report because what will he say happened” In the past month, around 15 individuals on this X app have been frantically searching for ways to remain in the country because their dependents applied for a new visa without including them or notifying them.

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Investopedia
August Was Volatile—But ETFs Stayed On Track For A Record Year Of Inflows
~2.6 mins read

Investors continued to pour money into U.S. funds last month despite it being the market’s most volatile month in years. 

U.S. exchange-traded funds attracted $70 billion in August, according to Morningstar Direct data. August's haul represented a downshift from July when funds raked in $117 billion, the second-highest monthly total on record. Still, last month’s intake was about five times ETFs’ haul in August 2023, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

Investors’ enthusiasm for ETFs has put this year on track for a year of record inflows.

Inflows held up despite an exceptionally volatile month on Wall Street. The S&P 500 tumbled 6% in the first three sessions of August as markets reacted to unsettling labor market data and a shift in the global interest rate outlook that sunk stocks around the world. Then, as economic fears subsided and Wall Street digested a slew of earnings reports, stocks rebounded to finish the month slightly higher. 

All the turbulence did little to temper investors’ appetite for blended products, which continued to attract the majority of inflows to equity ETFs. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) and iShares Core S&P 500 fund (IVV), with their low fees and ample liquidity, raked in about $8 billion and $6 billion, respectively, last month.

Vanguard’s fund has now attracted more than $61 billion this year, giving it a substantial buffer to exceed the annual inflow record of $51 billion.

The market’s unease did change where investors funneled their money. Value-focused stock funds pulled in more money than growth funds for the first time all year.

Volatility also boosted a relatively obscure corner of the market: buffer ETFs, which use options to limit downside risk (and upside potential). Average weekly net inflows to this category have jumped to $283 million since the start of July from $160 million in the first half of the year. In the week that ended August 2—a week that included a Fed rate decision, a surprise rate hike by the Bank of Japan, and a U.S. jobs report—inflows totaled $360 million. 

With the U.S. presidential election and the Fed’s long-awaited interest rate cuts just around the corner, there’s likely to be more volatility in the coming months, which could drive more money into these cautious bets on equities. 

Fixed-income funds saw relatively larger inflows as investors prepared their portfolios for interest rate cuts. Bonds ETFs attracted $31 billion, about as much as flowed to equity ETFs, even as the size of the equity ETF universe is about three times that of bonds. Seven of the 10 ETFs with the largest monthly inflows were fixed-income funds.

Market participants became increasingly confident throughout August that the Federal Reserve would cut the federal funds rate in September, its first policy rate reduction in more than four years

Subsequently, the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT), a bet on long-term rates that slumped more than 30% in 2022, pulled in nearly $5 billion, twice that of the bond fund with the next-highest inflows.

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Healthwatch
Want To Cool Down? 14 Ideas To Try
~3.6 mins read

photo of a hand holding a metal scoop filled with ice in front of a yellow background

You're huffing and puffing and starting to sweat — and that's just from walking across the parking lot in blistering heat and humidity. This summer has left us all struggling to stay cool.

"The last 13 months have been the hottest on record. We're seeing increased levels of heat-related illness, and it started earlier in the season we're used to," says Dr. Tess Wiskel, a climate change and human health fellow at the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, and an emergency physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Don't wait until you're overheated to figure out how to cool down. Be wary of high temperature risks throughout your day and practice ways to avoid them. Here are 14 ideas to get you started.

Cover the basics

  • Become a weather expert. Use a weather app on your smartphone and pay attention to the hourly temperatures, not just daily highs and lows. Note the hottest points of the day and plan your schedule around them.
  • Stay hydrated. One way the body cools down is by sweating. As moisture on the skin evaporates, it takes heat with it. That's called evaporative heat loss. But you must replace the fluids you lose through a combination of drinks and water-rich foods. Generally, the National Academy of Medicine recommends totals of about 11 cups (88 ounces) per day for women and 15 cups (120 ounces) per day for men. If you spend a lot of time outdoors or are sweating a lot, you'll need even more fluids.
  • Seek air-conditioned environments. As much as possible, hang out in air-conditioned indoor spaces during the hottest points of the day. If you don't have AC, go to a shopping mall, public library, movie theater, or a community cooling center.
  • Use fans correctly. Another way the body cools down is by channeling blood and body heat to vessels near the skin's surface, where heat escapes. A fan can blow that heat away from your body and keep you cool, but not if the surrounding air is hot. "In that case, wet your skin, even with a spray bottle or a wet wipe. The fan will promote evaporative heat loss," Dr. Wiskel says.
  • Take breaks. Pace yourself when doing outdoor activity. "Physical work produces its own heat at the same time you're being heated from outside," Dr. Wiskel says. "Be active for short periods and rest in between."
  • Pack and dress for heat

  • Bring cool-downs with you. Any time you leave your home, bring plenty of water. Even better: bring a handheld fan, wet wipes, and ice packs. That way you're prepared if you get stuck outside.
  • Wear loose clothing. Lightweight, loose-fitting garments allow air to get to your skin, promoting evaporative heat loss to keep you cool when you sweat.
  • Try high-tech clothes. Consider wearing clothes with cooling technology (such as tops, bottoms, hats, or neck gaiters). They work in various ways. For example, a garment might be made of a special fabric that's activated with water and stays damp for a long period, continually pulling heat from your body.
  • Try DIY cool downs

  • Make a DIY cooling garment. Dunk a kitchen towel or cotton T-shirt in cold water, wear it on your head, neck, or torso, and then rewet the fabric as it dries. Or buy higher-tech versions made with fabrics and gels designed to stay cool longer.
  • Eat or drink something cold. A cool glass of water, ice chips, or a popsicle help fight dehydration and might help lower your body's core temperature. Just don't ingest anything too quickly. Dr. Wiskel says it might cause gastrointestinal upset.
  • Cool off with a shower or bath. Experts debate the best temperature for water to cool you down. Some maintain that cool water constricts blood vessels and sends heat back to the core, making you hot again. Others maintain that chilly water cools the blood vessels and sends cooled blood to the core. Dr. Wiskel's take: "Immerse yourself in water that's cooler than your body temperature. The water can be tepid. Once you're out of the water, stand in front of a fan to promote evaporative heat loss."
  • Submerge your forearms. If you can't take a shower or bath, try a trick used by the US Army: submerge your hands, forearms, and elbows in ice water for five minutes. This helps send cooled blood moving through blood vessels back to your core.
  • Apply ice or cold packs. A water-free method to cool blood vessels involves placing ice packs in areas near large blood vessels such as the elbows, underarms, neck, or inside the legs near the groin area.
  • Know when to get help

    If you're not cooling down after trying numerous methods, Dr. Wiskel advises that you seek care. Call your doctor's office or call 911 if you're exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion, such as

  • excessive sweating
  • headache
  • feeling faint or dizzy
  • cold, clammy skin
  • a fast or weak pulse
  • extreme fatigue
  • muscle cramps.
  • Pay extra attention to those symptoms, especially if you're vulnerable to heat and aren't able to regulate your temperature well.

    "People at high risk include older adults, babies and children, those who are pregnant, people who take medications that make them less able to sweat, people who work outdoors, and people with certain health conditions, including cardiovascular disease," Dr. Wiskel says. "And if you're not high risk, check in on people who are."

    Source: Harvard Health Publishing

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    Gistlegit
    Pastor Korede Komaiya’s Powerful Prayer For Students Returning To School
    ~1.3 mins read


    Pastor Korede Komaiya Prays for Divine Protection and Wisdom for Children Returning to School
     
    As the new school session begins, parents, teachers, and students are filled with anticipation and hope for a fruitful academic year. Recognizing the importance of this pivotal moment, Pastor Korede Komaiya, affectionately known as Pastor KK, has taken a spiritual lead in praying for all children, particularly those returning to school.
     
    In his heartfelt prayer, Pastor KK emphasized the need for divine protection and wisdom for every child. He acknowledged the challenges and uncertainties that can accompany a new school session but assured that with God's guidance, this period will be marked by peace and success. His prayer extended beyond the physical safety of the students to include their mental and emotional well-being, asking for God’s grace to enable them to excel in their studies and grow in wisdom.

     
    *Watch Video*

     
     
    Pastor KK also prayed for the parents and guardians, asking for strength and patience as they support their children through this academic journey. He encouraged them to trust in God's plan and to continue fostering an environment of love and faith at home, which he believes is crucial for the overall development of the child.
     
    As the school gates open, Pastor KK’s prayer serves as a reminder of the power of faith in navigating life's transitions. He urged everyone in the community to join in prayer, believing that collective faith and unity will ensure a peaceful and productive school session for all.

     
    The words of Pastor Korede Komaiya resonate with hope and assurance, instilling confidence that this new school year will be filled with God’s protection and wisdom, leading to a season of growth and achievement for every child.
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