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Healthwatch
11 m
24
When you live in a coastal area, preparing early for potential hurricanes is a must. Storms can develop quickly, leaving little time to figure out where you'll be safe or which items to pack if you have to evacuate. And health care necessities, such as medications or medical equipment, are often overlooked in the scramble.
"People might bring their diabetes medication but forget their blood sugar monitor, or bring their hearing aids but forget extra batteries for them," says Dr. Scott Goldberg, medical director of emergency preparedness at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a longtime member of a FEMA task force that responds to hurricane-damaged areas.
Here's some insight on what to expect this hurricane season, and how to prioritize health care in your hurricane kit.
What will the 2024 hurricane season look like?
This year's hurricane predictions underscore the urgency to start preparations now.
Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service expect above-normal activity for the 2024 hurricane season (which lasts until November 30).
Meteorologists anticipate 17 to 25 storms with winds of 39 mph or higher, including eight to 13 hurricanes — four to seven of which could be major hurricanes with 111 mph winds or higher.
What kinds of plans should you make?
Preparing for the possibility of big storms is a major undertaking. Long before ferocious winds and torrential rains arrive, you must gather hurricane supplies, figure out how to secure your home, and determine where to go if you need to evacuate (especially if you live in a flood zone). Contact the emergency management department at your city or county for shelter information.
If you'll need help evacuating due to a medical condition, or if you'll need medical assistance at a shelter, find out if your county or city has a special needs registry like this one in Florida. Signing up will enable first responders to notify you about storms and transport you to a special shelter that has medical staff, hospital cots, and possibly oxygen tanks.
What should you pack?
While a shelter provides a safe place to ride out a storm, including bathrooms, water, and basic meals, it's up to you to bring everything else. It's essential to pack medical equipment and sufficient medications and health supplies.
"It's natural to just grab the prescription medications in your medicine cabinet, but what if it's only a two-day supply? It might be a while before you can get a refill. We recommend at least a 14-day or 30-day supply of every prescription," Dr. Goldberg says. "Talk to your doctor about the possibility of getting an extra refill to keep on standby for your go bag."
Other health-related items you'll want to pack include:
Remember the basics
In some ways, you can think of shelter living like camping. You'll need lots of basic supplies to get through it, including:
Bring important paperwork
In addition to supplies, bring important documents such as:
"Store these documents on a flash drive. Also make photocopies of them, which are easiest for doctors to consult in an emergency setting. Place them in a plastic zip-top bag to keep them dry," Dr. Goldberg advises.
Prepare right now
Start today. Gather as many go-bag supplies as you can, including the bags. A small suitcase, backpack, or duffel bag for each person in your family will work well.
And try not to put off these important preparations. "Hurricanes are major stressors. You might be worried, sleep deprived, fatigued, and emotional," Dr. Goldberg says. "All of that will make it hard to think clearly. You'll do yourself and your family a favor by having discussions now and getting started on your hurricane plan."
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Investopedia
26 m
10
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Nvidia (NVDA) shares surged in early trading Monday as chip stocks rebounded, with the artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaker reportedly making a version of its upcoming Blackwell chip for the China market compliant with U.S. export controls.
The move could help ease investors' concerns after worries about tightening trade restrictions and geopolitical tensions fueled a sell-off in chip stocks last week.
Nvidia will work with Inspur, a Chinese tech company that is a major distributor partner of the chipmaker in the region, to produce the new "B20" chip planned to ship in the second quarter of 2025, according to . Nvidia declined to comment on the report.
The B20, a version of Nvidia's Blackwell chip that complies with U.S. export controls, could help soothe investors' worries and help the chipmaker's stock make up for some of its recent losses.
The news comes as Nvidia's Blackwell platform is already in high demand, helping fuel this year's gains in Nvidia's stock price.
Nvidia shares were up more than 4% at $122.76 as of 10:30 a.m. ET Monday, and have more than doubled in value since the start of the year.
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Tesla (TSLA) is set to report second-quarter earnings Tuesday, after a recent rally in its stock price powered by better quarterly delivery numbers than analysts expected.
Analysts forecast Tesla will report revenue near that of last year's second quarter, when it posted sales of $24.93 billion, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Restructuring and research and development costs are projected to be higher than last year, leading analysts to estimate Tesla's net income to be $1.73 billion, down from $2.7 billion a year ago.
Investors will be looking for updates on Tesla's debut event for its autonomous robotaxis. CEO Elon Musk said that the event has been delayed from early August, without providing a new date.
Tesla's better-than-expected Q2 delivery numbers recently helped to spark a substantial rally for the EV maker's stock.
While deliveries were lower than last year's second quarter, the figures underscored a strong quarter for much fo the EV market. Deliveries from EV startup Rivian (RIVN) rose, while some of Tesla's competitors in China have reported positive sales data in recent weeks.
Legacy automakers like General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) also posted positive EV sales figures, with their second-quarter EV sales growing 40% and 61%, respectively.
Last week, Musk said Tesla's robotaxi event had been delayed from Aug. 8 so more prototypes could be produced. Musk said the delay was due to a design change he had requested, and said the extra time could allow Tesla to showcase "a few other things" at the event.
Baird analysts said that new versions of Tesla's self-driving platforms could be one of the "few other things" Musk was referring to, along with a lower-cost model. In the company's latest earnings call in April, Musk said Tesla planned to start production on "more affordable" models late this year or in early 2025.
After a recent rally erased Tesla's losses suffered in the first half of the year, shares slid late last week and were about 4% lower for the year so far at $239.20 as of Friday's close.
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Investopedia
2 hrs
13
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Starbucks (SBUX) shares jumped nearly 7% on Friday to log their highest one-day percentage gain in more than eight months after the reported that activist investor Elliott Investment Management has taken a sizable stake in the global coffee chain and discussed ways to improve its lagging stock price.
Below, we take a closer look at Starbucks' weekly chart and use technical analysis to identify important price levels to monitor amid a potential reversal.
Starbucks shares sold off after the 50-week moving average (MA) crossed below the 200-week MA to generate a death cross signal in late March. However, since bottoming out in early May, the price has carved out two distinct lows on above-average volume, potentially marking a double bottom, a classic chart pattern that forms after a significant decline and indicates an upside trend reversal.
It's also worth pointing out that as the stock’s second trough made a slightly lower low, the relative strength index (RSI) made a comparatively shallower low to create a bullish divergence, a technical signal pointing to easing selling momentum. Moreover, both lows roughly align with a V-shaped trough that formed between May and June 2022, providing additional confirmation of a high probability reversal area.
Looking ahead, investors should monitor four specific levels on the chart where the coffee chain’s shares could face overhead selling pressure if they continue higher.
Firstly, the stock could run into initial resistance around $82, where it may encounter sellers near a horizontal line linking a series of important price points from March 2022 to June this year.
A close above this level could see the price move up to around $91, an area on the chart where sellers may be happy to lock in profits near a multi-month trendline that currently aligns with the downward sloping 50-week MA.
Further upside could fuel a rally to the key $97 region, where a trendline linking the 200-week MA and a series of price action between January 2021 and February this year may provide future resistance.
Finally, a more bullish move could see the shares revisit the $106 level, a location that sits in close proximity to a trendline connecting a range of peaks and troughs dating all the way back to December 2020.
Starbucks shares were down 0.7% at $78.70 in recent premarket trading Monday.
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Instablog9ja
3 hrs
10
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, has called on residents to shun the nationwide protest scheduled for August 1.
Speaking with newsmen on Monday, July 22, he said: “I want to appeal specifically to the residents and indigenes and everybody in the FCT. Please, lions do not d£§troy their dens. You cannot see a lion who d£§troys its den. No, I would not like you to join this protest. I plead with you because we have worked hard to ensure your safety.
We have fought those people outside Abuja. We have been to Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Niger to fight crim+nals so that you can be safe. I have lost men. Last week alone in Gidango, I lost two policemen. The other day, I lost two more. Let our loss pay for the protest. I want to plead with you.
We don’t need you to be in the streets before somebody will say they are trying the police’s might. Or you will say, you will do this, you will do that. Please, please, don’t destroy where you are living.
If you check, the government has provided good roads. Whether it’s from the minister of FCT or the president, check the streets in FCT, from Wuse to anywhere you can check, even in the hinterlands.
They are trying their best. I don’t need to talk to anybody, but I’m saying it because we have been in the FCT. We know when there are changes. There are changes now in the FCT.
And we don’t want miscreants outside the FCT to come and start destroying them. We will go back to square one where we were before. I plead, I beg of you, do not join this protest.
Let us continue collectively to make the FCT safe. Let them go and do what they want to do. But not with us. Act maturely. Act like people who appreciate. Even the losses we have suffered to ensure your safety. Use it to appreciate us. If you do this, we will be happy. We will continue to provide security for you. God bless all of you.”
Investopedia
3 hrs
14
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Investors will focus on earnings from several top firms this week, with Tesla’s (TSLA) report on Tuesday likely to get the most attention.
Alphabet (GOOG), Visa (V), Verizon Communications (VZ), IBM (IBM), and AT&T (T) also are scheduled to provide financial updates this week. Several pharmaceutical firms will report as well, including AbbVie (ABBV), AstraZeneca (AZN), and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY).
The June report on the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index will show whether inflation continues to move lower, providing Federal Reserve officials with their last update on prices before meeting in late July. Investors also will get the first estimate of second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP).
Federal Reserve officials are in a blackout period before their next meeting, so they aren't allowed to make public comments this week. But affairs in Washington will also be front and center, with President Biden on Sunday saying he would not seek reelection and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Corporate earnings are scheduled from major tech, telecom, and pharmaceutical companies, with several highly anticipated second-quarter financial reports due this week.
Investors will be focused on Tuesday’s report from Tesla, which is coming on the heels of a better-than-expected quarterly delivery report that has sent its shares soaring. Tesla is expected to produce second-quarter revenue near what it posted for the same period last year.
Also on Tuesday, Google parent Alphabet looks to better its performance from the previous quarter, when it reported a 15% revenue jump, while also unveiling its first dividend for shareholders. On Wednesday, investors will hear from IBM and ServiceNow.
Top telecom carriers are reporting this week, with Verizon Communications’ financial update on Monday. AT&T’s earnings update on Wednesday comes as the company contends with a data breach. Cable and internet provider Comcast reports on Tuesday.
Earnings from pharmaceutical maker AbbVie come after the company warned that sales of its popular arthritis drug Humira faces increasing competition. Other pharmaceutical makers scheduled to report this week include AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb, and laboratory equipment maker Thermo Fisher Scientific will also deliver its quarterly financial update.
Credit card provider Visa’s report on Tuesday will provide some insight into how consumers are handling current credit conditions.
Investors will also get earnings reports on several popular consumer brands, including the Tuesday earnings from Coca-Cola that could show whether shoppers are still willing to pay higher prices. Other firms with consumer brands reporting this week include Colgate-Palmolive, 3M, and Unilever.
As anticipation for interest-rate reductions mounts, market watchers will get key inflation data on Friday, when the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index will show whether price growth continued to slow in June.
The data comes as Federal Reserve officials have spoken of gaining more confidence that the annual rate of price increases is approaching their target goal of 2%. Having set interest rates at decades-high levels to help combat the spikes in inflation in 2022 and 2023, Fed officials are looking for more good news on price levels before starting to ease those rates.
Friday’s PCE report offers the last major piece of economic data before the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets at the end of July. While most investors and economists believe that the Fed will wait until its September meeting, some are arguing that the central bank should move in July on a rate cut. Friday’s inflation report could strengthen that case for officials. Meanwhile, there won’t be any guidance from Federal Reserve officials this week because they are in a blackout period that prohibits public comment ahead of the following week’s FOMC meeting.
Investors will also get their first look at second-quarter GDP figures on Thursday after a strong June retail sales report has led some economists to think the data could come in stronger than anticipated.
Other economic data on tap this week includes June updates for both new and existing home sales, along with consumer sentiment, retail and wholesale inventories, and an update on the U.S. trade deficit via the June advance international trade report.
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