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Shock As Ad¥lt Content Reportedly Disrvpts Nigeria’s Domestic Dollar Bond Roadshow Streaming Online

~0.6 mins read

Nigeria’s hybrid roadshow with investors on Thursday, held to discuss its $500 million domestic dollar bond, took an unexpected and shocking turn when the Zoom livestream was briefly interrupted by a man m3st3rbating loudly during the question-and-answer session, Niairametrics is reporting.

The incident caused immediate confusion and embarrassment, especially among online participants, leading to the abrupt termination of the livestream.

The video feed was restored shortly after, as the physical event, which was organised by the Debt Management Office (DMO), in Lagos continued. However, the incident raised serious concerns about the security and management of the virtual event.

Nairametrics was unable to confirm whether the disturbing video was the result of an error by the individual managing the livestream or if it was the work of a hacker.

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Investopedia

Alibaba Stock Mostly Recovers After Earnings Miss

~0.8 mins read

Alibaba Group Holding's (BABA) U.S.-traded shares shook off premarket struggles Thursday following quarterly results that missed expectations.

The Chinese e-commerce giant posted revenue for its June quarter of 243.24 billion yuan ($33.91 billion), up 4% year-over-year, and net income attributable to shareholders of 24.27 billion yuan, a decrease of 29%. Both figures fell short of consensus analysts' expectations compiled by Visible Alpha.

The company's cloud division posted 6% higher revenue at 26.55 billion yuan, and Alibaba said that "AI-related product revenue continued to grow at triple-digits year-over-year," although a figure for that segment wasn't disclosed. Its e-commerce division, which includes the Taobao and Tmall Chinese online shopping platforms, posted a 1% revenue decline to 113.37 billion yuan.

Alibaba American depositary receipts (ADRs) traded down slightly as of 2 p.m. ET Thursday at $79.18 after initially dropping roughly 5% before the opening bell in the U.S.

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How does flooding trigger respiratory health issues?

Flooding may bring water contaminated with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, biotoxins, sewage, and water-borne pathogens into buildings. Afterward, some toxic contaminants remain in dried sediments left behind. When disturbed through everyday actions like walking and cleaning, this turns into microscopic airborne dust. Anything in that dried flood sediment — the toxic chemicals, the metals, the biotoxins — is now in the air you breathe into your lungs, potentially affecting your respiratory health.

Buildings needn't be submerged during flooding to spur respiratory problems. Many homes we studied after Hurricane Ida suffered water intrusion through roofs, windows, and ventilation ducts — and some were more than 100 miles away from coastal regions that bore the brunt of the storm.

The growth of mold can also affect health

Another common hazard is mold, a fungal growth that forms and spreads on damp or decaying organic matter. Indoor mold generally grows due to extensive dampness, and signals a problem with water or moisture. Damp materials inside buildings following a flood create perfect conditions for rapid mold growth.

Mold can be found indoors and outdoors in all climates. It spreads by making tiny spores that float through the air to land in other locations. No indoor space is entirely free from mold spores, but exposure to high concentrations is linked with respiratory complications such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. Thus, flooding affects respiratory health by increasing the risk of exposure to higher concentrations of mold spores outdoors and indoors.

For example, after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, the average outdoor concentration of mold spores in flooded areas was roughly double that of non-flooded areas, and the highest concentrations of mold spores were measured indoors. A study on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding in the UK in 2007 showed that water damage accelerated mold growth and respiratory allergies.

Children are especially vulnerable to health problems triggered by mold. All respiratory symptoms — including asthma, bronchitis, eye irritation, and cough — occurred more often in homes reporting mold or dampness, according to a study on the respiratory health of young children in 30 Canadian communities. Other research demonstrates that mold contributes to development of asthma in children.

What can you do to protect against the health harms of flooding?

Our research in New Orleans, LA after Hurricane Ida in 2021 identified common factors — both in housing and flooding events — with great impact on respiratory health. Preliminary results suggest two deciding factors in whether substantial indoor mold appeared were the age of a building's roof and how many precautionary measures people took after flooding from the hurricane. The impact on respiratory health also varied with flood water height, days per week spent at home, and how many precautionary measures were taken after Ida swept through.

Informed by this and other research, we offer the following tips — some to tackle before flooding or heavy rains, and some to take afterward. While you may not be able to entirely prevent flooding from hurricanes or major storms, taking these and other steps can help.

Before seasonal storms, flooding, or heavy rains start: Protect against water intrusion

Repair the roof, clean gutters, and seal around skylights, vent pipes, and chimneys to prevent leaks. These are some of the most vulnerable components of a building during storms and hurricanes.

Declutter drains and empty septic tanks.

Construct barriers and seal cracks in outer walls and around windows, to prevent heavy rain and floodwater from entering.

Install a sump pump to drain water from the basement, and backflow valves on sewer lines to prevent water from backing up into the home.

After flooding or major rainstorms: Move quickly to reduce dampness and mold growth

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends limiting contact with flood water, which may have electrical hazards and hazardous substances, including raw sewage. Additionally:

Minimize your stay in flooded regions (particularly after hurricanes) or buildings until they are dry and safe.

Check building for traces of water intrusion, dampness, and mold growth immediately after flooding.

Drain floodwater and dispose of remaining sediment.

Remove affected porous materials. If possible, dry them outdoors under sunlight.

Increase the ventilation rate by leaving all windows and doors open, or use a large exhaust fan to dry out the building as fast as possible.

Use dehumidifiers in damp spaces such as basements.

Upgrade the air filters in your HVAC system to at least MERV 13, or use portable air cleaners with HEPA filters to reduce your exposure to airborne mold spores.

What to do if you spot mold growth

Wear a well-fitted N95 face mask, gloves, and rubber boots to clean.

Clean and disinfect anything that has been in contact with water using soap, detergents, and/or antibacterial cleaning products.

Dispose of moldy materials in sealed heavy-duty plastic bags.

Taking steps like these — before and after a major storm — goes a long way toward protecting your respiratory health.

Read Flooding Brings Deep Trouble in Harvard Medicine magazine to learn more about the health hazards related to floods.

Source: Harvard Health Publishing

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Investopedia

Now Might Be The Time To Shine For The 'S&P 493,' BofA Says

~1.6 mins read

After July's stumble by the Magnificent Seven mega-capitalization tech stocks that accounted for most of the market's first-half gains, investors may be itching to branch out from the group. For that, they may want to consider the “S&P 493," according to Bank of America Securities.

That in effect means the equal-weighted S&P 500, in which the Magnificent Seven have much less influence over the index. Measured that way, the index trades near its steepest discount relative to the capitalization-weighted index since the height of the tech bubble in the early 2000s.

The equal-weighted index’s forward price-to-earnings ratio is about 80% that of the cap-weighted standard, according to a Wednesday BofA research note. The discount would be even larger if tech mega-caps hadn’t led the market pullback throughout July and early August.

The gap is in part due to rebounding corporate earnings. Excluding the Mag Seven, the S&P 500 was, as of Wednesday, on track to grow second-quarter earnings by 8%, its first quarter of growth since 2022.

Earnings growth accounted for about 10 percentage points of the S&P 500’s 12% year-to-date return, according to BofA analysts in the Wednesday note. Multiple expansion, by their estimate, has added just 2 percentage points.

Meanwhile, the small-cap S&P 600 hasn’t grown earnings since the end of 2022 and isn’t expected to do so this quarter. Plus, the analysts added, “rising recession concerns hit small-caps harder if history is a guide.”

The Russell 2000 earlier this month surged 10% in a week after a soft inflation report boosted confidence the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates in the fall, sparking a rotation out of mega-cap tech stocks into rate-sensitive small caps. Those gains were erased in early August when soft labor-market data raised concerns about the health of the U.S. economy.