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Instablog9ja
Lady Writes About How A 32-year-old Man And Father-of-two (firstborn Of His Family) Is Treating His Parents Who Went Above And Beyond To Send Him To The UK
~0.9 mins read

A lady has written about how a 32-year-old man and father-of-two (firstborn of his family) is treating his parents who went above and beyond to send him to the UK.

She said he was a 32yrs old man with 2 kids, his parents tried all their best to push him to UK after several attempt, he got to UK for almost a year and you still keep calling his parents to send him money and always crying about how tough UK is.

He know the mum is hypersensitive and keep calling to thr£@ten her that he’ll come back home, he rented a big apartment, he said he couldn’t get himself a smaller one, now he called again to request 4million and also lied that your flatmate has been paying house bills on his behalf and now he has to pay her 4million, he didn’t allow nobody speak with her, now his hypertensive mum is running left and right because of him, he was looking for every means possible to strip his family n@ked, he made desperate decisions because of money, but

Please if you don’t need these people as your family, leave them alone and stop adding salt to their wounds.

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Investopedia
Wall Street Used To View Weak Economic Data As Good News—Why That's Changed
~4.7 mins read

Starting in 2022, around the time the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates to combat surging inflation, a new paradigm took hold on Wall Street: “Bad data” was good news. 

The U.S. economy was growing at an annual rate of nearly 7% at the end of 2021, its fastest pace in two decades—excluding the Covid-induced 33% jump in Q3 2020. U.S. consumers, the engine of the U.S. economy, were spending hand over fist as they came out of Covid lockdowns flush with savings. 

But the economic boom was a double-edged sword. From January to December 2021, the annual inflation rate climbed from 1.4% to 7%. It would continue to rise before peaking in June 2022 at 9.1%, its highest since the 1980s.

The Federal Reserve homed in on inflation and, in March 2022, began its most aggressive campaign of interest rate hikes in decades as it sought to keep the U.S. economy from boiling over.

The Fed’s focus could be singular, despite a Congressional mandate to manage both inflation and unemployment, because of a historically tight labor market.

Hiring ground to a halt in March 2020 as Covid-19 shuttered businesses and closed offices across the country. But as the economy recovered and rock bottom interest rates stimulated growth, companies went on a hiring spree. Employers added an average of 603,000 jobs a month in 2021, reducing the unemployment rate from 6.4% in January to 3.9% in December. And yet in March 2022, there were still more than 12 million job openings in the U.S., nearly double the pre-pandemic level.

The labor market remained abnormally tight throughout 2022 and 2023, keeping wage growth well above the pre-pandemic average and subsequently supporting consumer spending and growth.

And so for a while, evidence of a weakening job market and slowing economy was good news for the Fed and markets, because inflation was the Fed's biggest risk.

That has all changed in recent weeks. 

Stocks had their worst day since 2022 in early August after July’s jobs report showed a surprising jump in the unemployment rate, raising fears that the labor market had not just softened but deteriorated and that the economy was on track to slip into recession. Just days later, initial jobless claims came in lower than forecast and stocks had their best day since 2022. 

Inflation has taken a back seat to other economic data points. The S&P 500 earlier this month had its biggest reaction to growth data since 2020, according to a recent report from Bank of America Securities. Meanwhile, the index’s response to inflation data was its most muted since January. 

“Growth,” BofA analysts concluded, “is in the driver’s seat.”

And strong growth has stopped scaring markets, as reflected in the below visualization by LPL Financial strategists Adam Turnquist and George Smith, who charted the correlation between the S&P 500 and the Bloomberg U.S. Economic Surprise Index. A positive correlation, they note, implies that good economic news is good news on Wall Street, while a negative correlation implies the opposite. 

The two have oscillated between negative and positive correlation over the last year, though they have spent more time negatively correlated. The negative correlation at its most severe has also been greater than the positive correlation at its most severe. 

The correlation turned positive in early August in what could be a sign, Turnquist and Smith write, that “investors may no longer be giving the economy the benefit of the doubt.” 

The Fed also has stopped giving the economy the benefit of the doubt. “The economic outlook is uncertain, and the Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks,” the Federal Open Market Committee’s June policy statement read. In July, that sentence became: “The economic outlook is uncertain, and the Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate.” 

The minutes of the Fed’s July meeting, released on Wednesday, indicated officials were increasingly concerned with the state of the labor market. According to those minutes, “Participants saw risks to achieving the inflation and employment objectives as continuing to move into better balance, with a couple noting that they viewed these risks as more or less balanced.” 

On Friday, in an eagerly anticipated speech at the Fed's annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, "The upside risks to inflation have diminished. And the downside risks to employment have increased." As a result, "The time has come for policy to adjust," Powell said, noting that pace of monetary easing would depend on incoming data.

Wall Street has been eagerly awaiting interest rate cuts for most of this year. But now that those cuts finally appear imminent, they may also feel ominous. 

“Does the market really want the Fed to cut interest rates because they’re worried about the labor market?” asked Quincy Krosby, Chief Global Strategist at LPL Financial. To a certain extent, yes, “because what the market doesn't want is the Fed to neglect that—just see deterioration in the labor market and do nothing about it.” 

“But,” she added, “it also then suggests that the economy is slowing at a faster pace” than the market thought. 

What markets really want, BofA analysts argue, is reassurance that the central bank won’t sacrifice economic expansion to tame inflation. “Equities just need a nod that growth is going to be supported by the Fed,” they wrote. 

Whether the Fed accommodates will depend, in Chair Powell’s words, on “the totality of the data.” And there’s a lot of data—two separate inflation reports and the August jobs report—between now and the Fed’s next meeting on September 18.

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Investopedia
What You Need To Know Ahead Of CrowdStrike's Earnings Report
~1.6 mins read

CrowdStrike (CRWD) will release its second-quarter results for fiscal 2025 after the bell on Wednesday, Aug. 28, its first earnings report since a faulty software update it launched caused a global outage, with investors looking to gauge the impact of the incident.

Analysts expect revenue to grow to $957.6 million from $731.63 million a year ago, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Net income is projected to be $49.42 million, or 20 cents per share, a jump from the year-ago period.

CrowdStrike could update its fiscal 2025 revenue guidance, giving investors greater insight into the near-term impact of the July global outage on sales.

Citi analysts said that CrowdStrike won't come out of the incident "unscathed" given higher discounts, lower negotiating leverage, and litigation costs it now faces. However, the analysts did say that they believe the company "can gradually overcome unavoidable headwinds" in the long term.

Analysts expect the full-year fiscal 2025 revenue outlook to be about $3.96 billion, according to consensus estimates compiled by Visible Alpha, which would be slightly below the low end of the company's previously provided guidance of between $3.98 billion and $4.01 billion, issued in early June before the global outage.

CrowdStrike could face legal action from customers affected by the outage, with some estimates indicating it could cost the affected companies several billion dollars in losses.

Delta Air Lines (DAL), which said the incident cost the airline at least $500 million, has threatened legal action against CrowdStrike. However, the cybersecurity company and Microsoft (MSFT) have disputed Delta's claims on how the events unfolded.

CrowdStrike may provide updates about the potential litigation and its expectations for legal costs when it reports earnings Aug. 28.

CrowdStrike shares have gained about 6.4% since the start of the year, at $271.54 as of Friday's close.

Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at [email protected]

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Instablog9ja
22-year-old South African Crossdresser Reportedly M3rdered By Unknown Men
~1.3 mins read

A 22-year-old crossdresser identified as Syabonga Clement Hadebe, has been br¥tally m3rdered by unknown assailants in South Africa.

According to reports, Hadebe was sh+t nine times while walking home in Malvern, Johannesburg.

His lif+less body was found by the police with multiple g¥sh+t wo¥nds on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

Cartridges were found on the scene, and Clement was declared d3ad.

Women For Change advocacy group in a statement on Saturday, August 24, said the deceased identified as a trans woman and had recently started transitioning.

Local media reports indicate Hadebe, who is from KwaZulu-Natal province, was at a popular outing area in Johannesburg on the night of August 9 with a friend when they began to interact with the alleged male sh+oter who was showing interest in them, especially Hadebe.

It was reported that before they decided to leave with the alleged sh+oter, Hadebe’s friend asked him to disclose he was a gay crossdresser but he did not follow his friend’s advice.

They however left with the alleged sh+oter, who didn’t want to go with Hadebe’s friend to the B&B. The friend was later dropped off, and Hadebe and the alleged sh+oter were left alone.

Sibonelo Ncanana, civil society engagement officer for OUT LGBT Well-being, an LGBTQ advocacy group, in a statement, said the organization “is appalled by the m¥rder of Clement as well as the queerphobic victim-blaming sensationalism surrounding his d3ath.

Victim-blaming is never acceptable. The notion that LGBTIQ+ people are hiding who they are when they are simply being themselves is deeply concerning. Our identity is not something that requires disclosure.”

Ncanana said OUT LGBT Well-being will closely follow the investigation into the murder and called upon law enforcement officials to ensure there is justice for Hadebe.

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Instablog9ja
No Candidate Below 18 Years Will Be Permitted To Write JAMB From 2025 – Minister Of Education
~2.4 mins read

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has declared that candidates under 18 will no longer be permitted to take the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination beginning next year, NairaMetrics is reporting.

The Minister announced this during an interview with Channels TV on Sunday in Abuja. Mamman noted that the minimum required for admission is 18 years according to the country’s education policy

However, he stated that the federal government has decided to allow students to take the JAMB examination this year as a form of advance notice to parents for the changes that will take effect next year. “Nothing has changed. It is still 18 years. What we did at the JAMB meeting was to allow this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents that, this year JAMB will admit students below 18 years.  

But from next year, JAMB will insist anybody going to apply to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18.  For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy. This is a policy that has been there for a long time. And basically, if you compute the number of years learners are supposed to be in school, the number you end up with is 17 and a half. From daycare to primary school, then secondary school, you will end up with 17 and half. And by the time, the school Is ready for admission, you have the age,” Mamman said. 

Furthermore, the Minister announced that students who have not completed the required minimum number of years in school will be exempted from participating in both the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams.

According to him, a child has to spend a minimum of 17 and a half years in daycare, and primary and secondary school before being allowed to write these exams for university admission. Mamman also added that this is not about the age of the students, but the number of years spent at each level of education.

“We are not actually coming up with new policies contrary to what some people are saying. We are just reminding people of what is existing. In any case, NECO and WAEC will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the required number of years in that particular level of study, will not be allowed either NECO or WAEC.

“It’s not a matter of age. It’s a matter of the years spent at each level of education,” Mamman added. Responding to a question about exceptionally bright students, the Minister stated that it is possible to create opportunities for such students who demonstrate exceptional intelligence. He noted that similar practices are being observed in other countries around the world.

However, he emphasized that in Nigeria, the challenge lies in the potential for these opportunities to be exploited by the majority of students seeking admission to higher institutions. “At the moment, this is what we have. But it’s very legitimate to appeal and look at that window of how do we care for our smart children. And this is a conversation for another day. Other countries do similar things. They have age specifications for each level of education. But again, they look at the possibilities of smart children. A lot of times in Nigeria, what sometimes is a widow eventually becomes a door,” Mamman noted.

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Instablog9ja
Man Shares His Conversation With A Lady Who Has A Boyfriend And Needed His Financial Assistance In Exchange For ‘at Least 2days Of…’
~0.4 mins read

A man has shared his conversation with a lady who has a boyfriend and needed his financial assistance in exchange for ‘at least 2days of f¥n.

The lady wanted to buy wig and upgrade her phone from iPhone 12 to iPhone 14 Pro Max but her boyfriend can only afford the wig and she needed to do the upgrade because most of her friends has changed their phone and needed hers too that weekend.

So she messaged the guy to help with N80,000 to add to the money she had and in exchange spend today with him.

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