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What Should Investors In Conservation Syndications Do When DOJ Seeks Injunction? | Last month, I wrote about the Department of Justice beginning to crack down on abusive conservation easement syndications. DOJ is seeking an injunction against people associated with EcoVest Capital, which according to Peter Elkind of Fortune is the most prolific syndicator of conservation easements. I explained the concept behind conservation easement deductions in that piece last month (and other coverage over the last several years). Here we are going to discuss them from the point of view of investors, which greatly simplifies things. To an investor, the program is something of a black box. The Black Box An investor (Let's go with Terry for a name) in an EcoVest deal pays them some money. Before Form 1040 for that year is due, Terry will get a K-1 showing a charitable contribution that is a multiple of the amount invested (probably between four or five times). So Terry will get back more than the investment in tax savings. That, of course, is the essence of the deal as far as Terry is concerned. In a few years, the property as encumbered by the easement is sold by the partnership. Terry will then get some of the original investment back. Terry needs to make sure the return preparer includes all required disclosures. But now Terry has heard that DOJ is calling the deals all sorts of nasty names. They literally refer to the persons named having "ill-gotten gains". Terry put $20,000 into a 2017 deal and $20,000 into a 2018 deal. Tax savings federal and state were $30,000 in 2017 and are projected about the same for 2018. I was actually asked that question. Not by anybody who has ever been my client, just to be clear. Worst case, as far as I can figure, Terry might have to give back the $30,000 in savings from 2017 along with a 40% penalty. In principle, Terry might avoid the penalty by filing an amended return (or returns if there were state savings) which leaves the question of what to do about 2018. What To Do About Return Not Yet Filed The 2018 question is a lot easier to answer. Terry should ask for the $20,000 back from EcoVest and consider supplementing the fourth quarter estimate, although that probably won't make much difference. I spoke with EcoVest investor relations and they made it clear that they won't just cut a check. Their point of view is that DOJ has arbitrarily struck demanding that five hard-working people, who are connected to EcoVest one way or another, are being asked to take up different work. Due to the government shutdown, they have not been able to respond. The EcoVest representative who only gave me his first name indicated that a statement has been sent out to the twenty or so broker-dealers that they use. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of that yet. If Terry has the stomach for this sort of thing there could be complaints to various regulatory bodies which might encourage EcoVest to reconsider. I think the stakes are too low to engage a lawyer. Assuming the refund exercise is fruitless, Terry should plan on going on extension. EcoVest has indicated that the K-1s will be issued. But even if they are issued, my inclination would be to extend based on the assumption that the tax savings will not be available and see what develops. My partner often chides me about procrastinating. She is usually right. I've yet to see the dirty dishes spontaneously clean themselves, but I can keep hoping. Here, though, procrastination is the right answer. I don't give audit lottery advice, but this circumstance is different. I really don't think that Terry should amend the 2017 return and give back the tax savings. When you get a K-1, you are supposed to put on your return what the K-1 shows. What Terry should do is verify that the correct disclosures were included with the 2017 return and, if not, possibly amend for that. I really think that engaging a tax attorney is premature. You don't know for sure that your deal is going to be attacked and what the actual outcome will be. If you have the means (and you should if you were a qualified investor), plan to have your tax saving plus 40% or so liquid in a couple of years. Kiss it goodbye mentally now, which will cut your stress a lot. If it develops, as is not that unlikely, that you get to keep it, I think you should donate it to a legitimate conservation organization as a kind of penance for having profited from these shenanigans, but that is just me moralizing. My Sympathies In EcoVest vs DOJ, I am rooting for DOJ. Syndication of conservations easement charitable deductions is a travesty. It doesn't even make good nonsense. The investors are a different story. From what I can gather, somebody told them that these deals are legitimate and there is a sense in which that is true. So they have some sympathy from me. As Learned Hand wrote: Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one's affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everybody does so, rich or poor; and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands: taxes are enforced exactions, not voluntary contributions. To demand more in the name of morals is mere cant. Future investors get less sympathy. IRS Notice 2017-10 indicates the syndicated conservation easements are listed transactions. Reilly's Fourteenth Law of Tax Planning - If something is a listed transaction, just don't do it. | DOJ is seeking an injunction against people associated with EcoVest Capital. EcoVest is the most prolific syndicator of conservation easement syndications. To an investor, the program is something of a black box. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2019/01/21/what-should-investors-in-conservation-syndications-do-when-doj-seeks-injunction/ | 0.107286 |
What Should Investors In Conservation Syndications Do When DOJ Seeks Injunction? | Last month, I wrote about the Department of Justice beginning to crack down on abusive conservation easement syndications. DOJ is seeking an injunction against people associated with EcoVest Capital, which according to Peter Elkind of Fortune is the most prolific syndicator of conservation easements. I explained the concept behind conservation easement deductions in that piece last month (and other coverage over the last several years). Here we are going to discuss them from the point of view of investors, which greatly simplifies things. To an investor, the program is something of a black box. The Black Box An investor (Let's go with Terry for a name) in an EcoVest deal pays them some money. Before Form 1040 for that year is due, Terry will get a K-1 showing a charitable contribution that is a multiple of the amount invested (probably between four or five times). So Terry will get back more than the investment in tax savings. That, of course, is the essence of the deal as far as Terry is concerned. In a few years, the property as encumbered by the easement is sold by the partnership. Terry will then get some of the original investment back. Terry needs to make sure the return preparer includes all required disclosures. But now Terry has heard that DOJ is calling the deals all sorts of nasty names. They literally refer to the persons named having "ill-gotten gains". Terry put $20,000 into a 2017 deal and $20,000 into a 2018 deal. Tax savings federal and state were $30,000 in 2017 and are projected about the same for 2018. I was actually asked that question. Not by anybody who has ever been my client, just to be clear. Worst case, as far as I can figure, Terry might have to give back the $30,000 in savings from 2017 along with a 40% penalty. In principle, Terry might avoid the penalty by filing an amended return (or returns if there were state savings) which leaves the question of what to do about 2018. What To Do About Return Not Yet Filed The 2018 question is a lot easier to answer. Terry should ask for the $20,000 back from EcoVest and consider supplementing the fourth quarter estimate, although that probably won't make much difference. I spoke with EcoVest investor relations and they made it clear that they won't just cut a check. Their point of view is that DOJ has arbitrarily struck demanding that five hard-working people, who are connected to EcoVest one way or another, are being asked to take up different work. Due to the government shutdown, they have not been able to respond. The EcoVest representative who only gave me his first name indicated that a statement has been sent out to the twenty or so broker-dealers that they use. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of that yet. If Terry has the stomach for this sort of thing there could be complaints to various regulatory bodies which might encourage EcoVest to reconsider. I think the stakes are too low to engage a lawyer. Assuming the refund exercise is fruitless, Terry should plan on going on extension. EcoVest has indicated that the K-1s will be issued. But even if they are issued, my inclination would be to extend based on the assumption that the tax savings will not be available and see what develops. My partner often chides me about procrastinating. She is usually right. I've yet to see the dirty dishes spontaneously clean themselves, but I can keep hoping. Here, though, procrastination is the right answer. I don't give audit lottery advice, but this circumstance is different. I really don't think that Terry should amend the 2017 return and give back the tax savings. When you get a K-1, you are supposed to put on your return what the K-1 shows. What Terry should do is verify that the correct disclosures were included with the 2017 return and, if not, possibly amend for that. I really think that engaging a tax attorney is premature. You don't know for sure that your deal is going to be attacked and what the actual outcome will be. If you have the means (and you should if you were a qualified investor), plan to have your tax saving plus 40% or so liquid in a couple of years. Kiss it goodbye mentally now, which will cut your stress a lot. If it develops, as is not that unlikely, that you get to keep it, I think you should donate it to a legitimate conservation organization as a kind of penance for having profited from these shenanigans, but that is just me moralizing. My Sympathies In EcoVest vs DOJ, I am rooting for DOJ. Syndication of conservations easement charitable deductions is a travesty. It doesn't even make good nonsense. The investors are a different story. From what I can gather, somebody told them that these deals are legitimate and there is a sense in which that is true. So they have some sympathy from me. As Learned Hand wrote: Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one's affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everybody does so, rich or poor; and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands: taxes are enforced exactions, not voluntary contributions. To demand more in the name of morals is mere cant. Future investors get less sympathy. IRS Notice 2017-10 indicates the syndicated conservation easements are listed transactions. Reilly's Fourteenth Law of Tax Planning - If something is a listed transaction, just don't do it. | Department of Justice is seeking an injunction against people associated with EcoVest Capital. The company is the most prolific syndicator of conservation easements. To an investor, the program is something of a black box. The investor (Let's go with Terry for a name) may have to give back $30,000 in savings from 2017. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2019/01/21/what-should-investors-in-conservation-syndications-do-when-doj-seeks-injunction/ | 0.339572 |
Why Didn't Apple Use Qualcomm's Modems In 2018 iPhones? | Like I said last week in my article entitled If The FTC Case Against Qualcomm Seems Like a Clown Show Right Now, It's Because It Started That Way, if you havent been following the FTC versus Qualcomm case and are in the tech industry, you probably should. Whats likely at stake are future inventors rights to monetize their inventions, the U.S. government becoming an IP price fixer, U.S. 5G competitiveness, and competitiveness in related industries like self-driving cars and smart cities and potentially even national security. One of the things that caught my eye last week was Apple COO Jeff Williams FTC testimony that Qualcomm wouldnt sell it chips for its 2018 iPhones. This could be viewed as support for the FTCs no license-no chips accusation against Qualcomm and be damaging to Qualcomms defense. Williams testified that But in the end, they (Qualcomm) would not support us and sell us chips- I contacted Steve (Mollenkopf), I sent him emails, I called. We tried to get them to sell us chips and they would not. Three days ago, Bloombergs Ian King and Mark Gurman ran a piece from leaked emails in September 2017 between Apple and Qualcomm suggesting Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf did offer to sell Apple its wireless chips for use in 2018 iPhones. The article said that Apple wanted source code for the modems and Qualcomm wanted a commitment to 50% of the supply over two years. If accurate, this article would support what Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf testified to when asked, was there ever a time when Qualcomm withdrew from competing for business at Apple? and Mollenkopf answered, no. While I would have preferred to see the Qualcomm-Apple emails in testimony versus leaked emails, no one so far is questioning the email authenticity with me. Ill assume this wasnt part of FTC evidence because the FTC limited its investigation through 2016. I want to peel back the onion a bit and dig in on a few things. First off, this exchange seems like good, old fashioned negotiating. I spent over 20 years at hardware OEMs and chip companies, did a lot of negotiating from both sides, and this is what negotiation looks like. It appears Qualcomm wanted a volume commitment and Apple, based on Williams testimony, seemed prepared to offer it, given Williams earlier testimony on a desire to dual-source. Apple also appears to want the source code for the thin modem. I will assume that Apple wanted Qualcomms latest X20 LTE modem at the time and the X20 source code. What I dont understand is why Apple wouldnt just keep using the X16 modem, which lined up well right next to Intels XMM 7560 gigabit class modem from a feature and speed standpoint. Apple already had the source code for the X16 modem and continues to ship the X16 in older iPhone models today. In November 2017, Qualcomm asked a San Diego court to force Apple to provide a software audit on how Apple was using its source code. In September 2018, Qualcomm filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Apple for trade secret misappropriation. What is evident from this chain of events from September 2017 to September 2018 is that Qualcomm was worried Apple was going to misappropriate its X20 source code as Qualcomm believed it did with the X16. Apples stock response to these trade secret theft accusations was, "Qualcomm's illegal business practices are harming Apple and the entire industry. They supply us with a single connectivity component, but for years have been demanding a percentage of the total cost of our products - effectively taxing Apple's innovation." Even though Qualcomm had its fears over trade secret theft, according to the Bloomberg emails, the company was still prepared to sell it modems with a volume commitment. To the core of the FTCs suit against Qualcomm is that it wouldnt sell chips unless customers paid for licensing fees. If the emails referenced to in the Bloomberg article are accurate, then it looks like Qualcomm's Mollenkopf was prepared to sell its chips to Apple but Apple didnt like the terms. This all strikes me as negotiation, not anti-trust harm, particularly when Apple could have used the X16 modem with which it already had the source code and is still buying. This he said-she said are what courts are for, to piece through these things and as I have said, Im no lawyer and dont play one on TV. I hope to see a day that Apple and Qualcomm can resolve its differences and focus all on what consumers want- innovative products and great experiences, because Im getting sick of all this. Disclosure: Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided paid research, analysis, advising, or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including Advanced Micro Devices, Apstra, ARM Holdings, Bitfusion, Cisco Systems, Dell EMC, Diablo Technologies, Echelon, Ericcson, Frame, Gen Z Consortium, Glue Networks, GlobalFoundries, Google (Nest), HP Inc. HewlettPackard Enterprise, Huawei Technologies, IBM, Jabil Circuit, Intel, Interdigital, Konica Minolta, Lenovo, Linux Foundation, MACOM (Applied Micro), MapBox, Mavenir, Mesosphere, Microsoft, National Instruments, NOKIA (Alcatel Lucent), Nortek, NVIDIA, ONUG, OpenStack Foundation, Peraso, Portworx, Protequus, Pure Storage, Qualcomm, Rackspace, Rambus, Red Hat, Samsung Technologies, Silver Peak, SONY, Springpath, Sprint, Stratus Technologies, TensTorrent, Tobii Technology, Synaptics, Verizon Communications, Vidyo, Wellsmith, Xilinx, Zebra, which may be cited in this article. | Apple COO Jeff Williams testified last week that Qualcomm wouldnt sell it chips for its 2018 iPhones. This could be viewed as support for the FTCs no license-no chips accusation against Qualcomm and be damaging to Qualcomm's defense. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2019/01/21/why-didnt-apple-use-qualcomms-modems-in-2018-iphones/ | 0.102884 |
Will NFL adopt CFL policy for pass interference review after officiating error? | Toronto Argonauts defensive back Matt Black can see the winds of change blowing through the NFL after Sundays controversial finish to the NFC title game just like in the CFL in 2014. The Los Angeles Rams advanced to the Super Bowl with a 26-23 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints the first game of a wild semifinal Sunday that started a debate about rules that happen to be different in the CFL. Greg Zuerlein kicked the game-winning 57-yard field goal after forcing overtime with a 48-yard boot late in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to a blown call in the quarter. On third-and-10 inside the Rams 15-yard line, Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw a pass toward receiver Tommylee Lewis. But Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman not only didnt turn his head to see the ball, but delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on Lewis at about the five-yard line before it arrived. Amazingly, no flag was thrown. Had a penalty been called, New Orleans wouldve received a fresh set of downs and the chance to run the clock down and kick a short game-winning field goal. Wil Lutzs 31-yard field goal put the Saints ahead 23-20 but St. Louis got the ball at its 25-yard line with 1:41 remaining and drove for a tying field goal. Saints head coach Sean Payton was incensed with the non-call, but could do nothing about it. Had this happened in a CFL game, Payton wouldve had an opportunity to challenge the play. CFL teams can make one challenge per game so long as they have at least one timeout. If the challenge is unsuccessful, a timeout is charged. But a team keeps the timeout if the challenge is successful. Regardless of the outcome, no other challenges can be made. So under CFL rules, Payton wouldve still had to have his challenge and at least one timeout to have the play reviewed. On Sunday, the CFL drew praise from ESPN, which also suggested it was time for the NFL to expand its replay rules. And the Edmonton Eskimos tweeted: If anything has been learned today, it is that the @CFL rules are @NFL rules and that theres less of a chance of seeing the same teams in the championship. Black, entering his 11th CFL season with the Argos, expects the NFL to look hard at making pass interference a reviewable offence. I think this will spur change in the NFL, said Black, a two-time Grey Cup champion. I think youll see the review of this because of that play. But Id want it to go both ways. If theres offensive pass interference then you can challenge it and if theres defensive pass interference then you could do that too. In 2014, the CFL became the first football league to make pass interference reviewable. That came after Hamilton defensive back Evan McCollough wasnt called for contacting Montreal receiver Duron Carter in the end zone late in the Tiger-Cats 19-16 overtime win in the 13 East Division semifinal. Instead of getting the ball at the Hamilton one-yard line, Montreal had to settle for a game-tying field goal. Coaches initially had two challenges but that number was reduced to one in 2017. In the 2015 Grey Cup, a successful challenge by head coach Chris Jones helped Edmonton beat Ottawa 26-20 in Winnipeg. Jones challenged an incompletion that was changed to pass interference and put the Esks on the Redblacks 10-yard line. That set up Jordan Lynchs one-yard TD run with 3:22 remaining and Mike Reillys completion to Akeem Shavers for the two-point convert to erase a 20-18 deficit. Glen Johnson, the former CFL official who later served as the leagues director of officiating, said there was no doubt Robey-Coleman interfered with Lewis. I did (expect a flag to be thrown). Johnson said. Absolutely (it was pass interference) and I say that with all empathy for the official because people just dont know until theyre out there just how hard it is. As an official, way back I went from not liking (replay) to feeling it was a really good tool to help us. And when I went into management I went, This is absolutely mandatory to protect the integrity of the game. The AFC championship game wasnt immune from criticism, either, and it too revolved around a rule unique to the NFL. The New England Patriots, after winning the coin toss for overtime, marched 80 yards on 15 plays capped by Rex Burkheads two-yard TD run to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 295 yards and three TDs in regulation, never touched the field in the extra session. In the CFL, both teams get the ball in overtime. In the NFL, a touchdown ends the game. That prompted Calgary Stampeders punter Rob Maver to tweet: I say this as an objective viewer: the NFLs overtime rules are complete and utter garbage. But Nik Lewis, the CFLs all-time receptions leader (1,051) now in his first season as the B.C. Lions running backs coach, likes the NFLs overtime policy during the regular season, But he thinks both teams should get the ball in the playoffs. Its a battle to earn the right to go to the next stage, he said. Really, the coin toss decides the game. Black supports the NFLs OT format. If you drive 80 yards and score a touchdown, tell me why the New England Patriots dont deserve to go to the Super Bowl, he said. If New England had to kick a field goal, Mahomes gets the ball back and the Chiefs get an opportunity to march down the field. If they score a TD, were sitting here talking about how amazing a 23-year-old kid is whos taking his team to the Super Bowl. I dont think there has ever been or will ever be another combination like Tom Brady and (Pats coach) Bill Belichick. However, it was the non-call in the NFC contest that drew the most attention. Like Black, Johnson believes the incident will move the NFL closer to allowing coaches to challenge pass interference. I hope it does, he said. I hope it serves as good dialogue for the rules committee. But Johnson believes the CFLs challenge system could be tweaked. The hardest part in figuring all of this out is you want a system, method or approach you can get to that leaves you that challenge for that moment, Johnson said. Had we not had two (challenges) in the 15 Grey Cup, they might not have had that other challenge to use late in the game to fix that PI. I think fundamentally there has to be a system to use replay to get egregious calls fixed. The officials want it, the fans want it, the coaches want it. Everybody wants it. Lewis, though, doesnt see it that way. The reason is its never consistent, theyre judgment calls, said Lewis. Theres not a consistent rule on pass interference so I think its very hard to decide which is interference and which isnt. But theres no doubt that play was pass interference. Still, Lewis said the Saints couldve made the play moot by scoring TDs in a dominant first half rather than settling for field goals. As a player or coach, you know theres going to be calls for and against you that are borderline, he said. So you dont want to put yourself in that situation (where game is decided by officials call). Jim Daley, a former head coach with Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, said with CFL coaches having just one challenge, a viable option could be having the replay official buzzing the game official when theres an obvious miss. It was a huge mistake, an obvious mistake and (NFL) has already admitted that, he said. In the CFL if youve already used your challenge, youre not challenging that play anyway. I just think there might be a process where a review official whos away from the heat of the game but sees the whole picture can somehow reach the game official and review it. | Under CFL rules, Saints head coach Sean Payton would've had opportunity to challenge the play. The CFL made pass interference reviewable in 2014 after a controversial play in the East Division semifinal against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Black expects the NFL to look hard at making pass interference a reviewable offence. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/football-sports-pmn/will-nfl-adopt-cfl-policy-for-pass-interference-review-after-officiating-error | 0.129103 |
Can Corning Sustain Its Momentum in the Fourth Quarter? | Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) is slated to announce fourth-quarter 2018 results on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. Shares of the glass technologist are down modestly from its exceptional third-quarter report in October as of this writing -- albeit primarily driven by the broader market's decline since then. To be clear, last quarter Corning demonstrated accelerating growth and expanding margins as its investments in innovation and manufacturing capacity began to yield fruit. And if management's commentary is any indication, shareholders should expect to see more of the same next week. Before Corning's Q4 results hit the wires, then, let's have a look at what investors should be watching. Multiple panes of Corning glass. More IMAGE SOURCE: CORNING. A "step change" in profitability Three months ago, Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks boasted that Q3 marked a "step change in our earnings power," particularly as Corning leveraged its "recent phase of intense operating and capital investments to capture substantial benefits." Remember, Corning is in the home stretch of its four-year Strategic and Capital Allocation Framework announced in late 2015. Under that framework as of the end of last quarter, the company had already returned $11.4 billion (of a $12.5 billion goal) to shareholders through dividends and repurchases, and remained on track to invest $10 billion back into the business to solidify its industry leadership and capture future growth. Next week, the market will expect the company to confirm it has continued to make notable progress toward those goals, as per usual. But shareholders should also listen closely for any updates regarding Corning's targets for the duration of this year, as well as potential plans to extend its framework at the end of 2019. As for this quarter's headline numbers, Corning's latest guidance calls for full-year 2018 sales to "exceed $11.3 billion." Based on its sales of $8.255 billion through the first nine months of the year, that means the fourth quarter should arrive (conservatively) at around $3.05 billion. Meanwhile, Corning does not provide specific consolidated bottom-line guidance. So for perspective, and though we usually don't lend much credence to Wall Street's expectations, most analysts will be looking for Corning's core earnings to increase roughly 14% to $0.57 per share. Breaking it down Corning did offer some broad expectations in October for each of its five primary segments to end the year. At optical communications, its single largest business, fourth-quarter sales should climb in the low-single-digit percent range sequentially, from $1.117 billion last quarter, helped by large ongoing projects from multiple carrier and data center customers. All told, that should mean optical achieves slightly higher year-over-year growth than the 9% increase we saw in Q3. Next, Corning's display technologies segment should benefit from ever-larger television screen sizes. Coupled with the recent ramp of Corning's Gen 10.5 LCD glass substrate facility in China, display technologies should see volume growth slightly above the low-single-digit sequential increase expected from the broader display glass market. At the same time, its revenue and earnings benefit for this segment will be held back by continued annual display glass price declines -- though it's worth noting Corning has done an admirable job moderating those declines in recent years. | Corning Incorporated is slated to announce fourth-quarter 2018 results on Tuesday. Analysts are looking for core earnings to increase roughly 14% to $0.57 per share. | pegasus | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/corning-sustain-momentum-fourth-quarter-004000592.html | 0.109348 |
Can Corning Sustain Its Momentum in the Fourth Quarter? | Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) is slated to announce fourth-quarter 2018 results on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. Shares of the glass technologist are down modestly from its exceptional third-quarter report in October as of this writing -- albeit primarily driven by the broader market's decline since then. To be clear, last quarter Corning demonstrated accelerating growth and expanding margins as its investments in innovation and manufacturing capacity began to yield fruit. And if management's commentary is any indication, shareholders should expect to see more of the same next week. Before Corning's Q4 results hit the wires, then, let's have a look at what investors should be watching. Multiple panes of Corning glass. More IMAGE SOURCE: CORNING. A "step change" in profitability Three months ago, Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks boasted that Q3 marked a "step change in our earnings power," particularly as Corning leveraged its "recent phase of intense operating and capital investments to capture substantial benefits." Remember, Corning is in the home stretch of its four-year Strategic and Capital Allocation Framework announced in late 2015. Under that framework as of the end of last quarter, the company had already returned $11.4 billion (of a $12.5 billion goal) to shareholders through dividends and repurchases, and remained on track to invest $10 billion back into the business to solidify its industry leadership and capture future growth. Next week, the market will expect the company to confirm it has continued to make notable progress toward those goals, as per usual. But shareholders should also listen closely for any updates regarding Corning's targets for the duration of this year, as well as potential plans to extend its framework at the end of 2019. As for this quarter's headline numbers, Corning's latest guidance calls for full-year 2018 sales to "exceed $11.3 billion." Based on its sales of $8.255 billion through the first nine months of the year, that means the fourth quarter should arrive (conservatively) at around $3.05 billion. Meanwhile, Corning does not provide specific consolidated bottom-line guidance. So for perspective, and though we usually don't lend much credence to Wall Street's expectations, most analysts will be looking for Corning's core earnings to increase roughly 14% to $0.57 per share. Breaking it down Corning did offer some broad expectations in October for each of its five primary segments to end the year. At optical communications, its single largest business, fourth-quarter sales should climb in the low-single-digit percent range sequentially, from $1.117 billion last quarter, helped by large ongoing projects from multiple carrier and data center customers. All told, that should mean optical achieves slightly higher year-over-year growth than the 9% increase we saw in Q3. Next, Corning's display technologies segment should benefit from ever-larger television screen sizes. Coupled with the recent ramp of Corning's Gen 10.5 LCD glass substrate facility in China, display technologies should see volume growth slightly above the low-single-digit sequential increase expected from the broader display glass market. At the same time, its revenue and earnings benefit for this segment will be held back by continued annual display glass price declines -- though it's worth noting Corning has done an admirable job moderating those declines in recent years. | Corning Incorporated is slated to announce fourth-quarter 2018 results on Tuesday. Analysts are looking for core earnings to increase roughly 14% to $0.57 per share. At optical communications, fourth-quarter sales should climb in the low-single-digit percent range. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/corning-sustain-momentum-fourth-quarter-004000592.html | 0.146998 |
Did J.R. Smith call Marcus Smart a "bum" for DeAndre' Bembry incident? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com J.R. Smith appeared to call out one of two players Saturday night on Instagram. Scroll to continue with content Ad We think we have a pretty good guess. After ESPN's "SportsCenter" Instagram account posted a video of Marcus Smart charging at DeAndre' Bembry during Saturday night's Boston Celtics-Atlanta Hawks game, the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard chimed in by writing "such a bum" in the comment section. JR Smith's not a fan of Marcus Smart. pic.twitter.com/SNTxMLeCgv Josh Poloha (@JorshP) January 20, 2019 Technically, Smith's "bum" jab could be directed at Smart or Bembry. But Smith and Smart have serious history. A quick recap: During the 2018 NBA playoffs, Smart confronted Smith after the Cavs guard pushed Al Horford while he was in the air attempting to catch an alley-oop. When Boston and Cleveland met this preseason, Smart and Smith scuffled again, and their beef continued off the court with some nasty postgame remarks and tweets. So, it's safe to say Smith's comments aren't directed at Bembry. Smart has bigger problems to worry about, though: His Celtics will aim for their fourth consecutive win Monday, while Smith has stepped away from the Cavs while seeking a trade. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | ESPN's "SportsCenter" Instagram account posted a video of Marcus Smart charging at DeAndre' Bembry. Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard JR Smith chimed in by writing "such a bum" in the comment section. | pegasus | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-j-r-smith-call-045817780.html?src=rss | 0.284103 |
Did J.R. Smith call Marcus Smart a "bum" for DeAndre' Bembry incident? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com J.R. Smith appeared to call out one of two players Saturday night on Instagram. Scroll to continue with content Ad We think we have a pretty good guess. After ESPN's "SportsCenter" Instagram account posted a video of Marcus Smart charging at DeAndre' Bembry during Saturday night's Boston Celtics-Atlanta Hawks game, the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard chimed in by writing "such a bum" in the comment section. JR Smith's not a fan of Marcus Smart. pic.twitter.com/SNTxMLeCgv Josh Poloha (@JorshP) January 20, 2019 Technically, Smith's "bum" jab could be directed at Smart or Bembry. But Smith and Smart have serious history. A quick recap: During the 2018 NBA playoffs, Smart confronted Smith after the Cavs guard pushed Al Horford while he was in the air attempting to catch an alley-oop. When Boston and Cleveland met this preseason, Smart and Smith scuffled again, and their beef continued off the court with some nasty postgame remarks and tweets. So, it's safe to say Smith's comments aren't directed at Bembry. Smart has bigger problems to worry about, though: His Celtics will aim for their fourth consecutive win Monday, while Smith has stepped away from the Cavs while seeking a trade. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | ESPN's "SportsCenter" Instagram account posted a video of Marcus Smart charging at DeAndre' Bembry. Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard JR Smith chimed in by writing "such a bum" in the comment section. Technically, Smith's "bum" jab could be directed at Smart or Bembry. | pegasus | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-j-r-smith-call-045817780.html?src=rss | 0.2753 |
Did Ciara, Russell Wilson respond to Future saying the NFL pro is 'not being a man'? | CLOSE Ciara shared a photoshoot she recently did for Harper's Bazaar that has people wondering what Russell Wilson is doing. Keri Lumm (@thekerilumm) reports. Buzz60 Ciara and husband Russell Wilson seem to be taking the high road. The couple posted Instagram messages that seem directed at her ex, Future, who dissed their relationship Thursday, slamming Wilson for "not being a man" in his marriage to the "Level Up" singer. "Rise Above," Ciara said alongside a photo of herself in a pink and black plaid shirt and sky-high black boots. NFL star Wilson stuck with family, posting, "All that matters. #Love" along with a super-sweet photo of Ciara and Future's 4-year-old son, Future Zahir, kissing his little sister, 1-year-old Sienna, Ciara's daughter with Wilson. Celebrity power couple: Ciara and Russell Wilson's love story The couple haven't publicly discussed Future's appearance on Apple Musics Beats 1 Radio on Thursday. He do exactly what she tell him to do. He not being a man in that position, the rapper, 35, said. You not tellin her, Bro, chill out with that on the internet. Dont even talk to him. Im your husband! You better not even bring Futures name up! He continued, "If that was me, she couldn't even bring his name up. She know that. She couldn't even bring her exes' names up." Ciara and Future were engaged in 2013, but broke off their relationship three months after Future Zahir was born. The singer and Wilson married in 2016. USA TODAY has reached out to Ciara's and Wilson's representatives for comment. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/01/22/ciara-russell-wilson-future/2641749002/ | Ciara and Russell Wilson posted Instagram messages that seem directed at her ex, Future. Future said Wilson is "not being a man" in his marriage to Ciara. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/01/22/ciara-russell-wilson-future/2641749002/ | 0.171551 |
Did Ciara, Russell Wilson respond to Future saying the NFL pro is 'not being a man'? | CLOSE Ciara shared a photoshoot she recently did for Harper's Bazaar that has people wondering what Russell Wilson is doing. Keri Lumm (@thekerilumm) reports. Buzz60 Ciara and husband Russell Wilson seem to be taking the high road. The couple posted Instagram messages that seem directed at her ex, Future, who dissed their relationship Thursday, slamming Wilson for "not being a man" in his marriage to the "Level Up" singer. "Rise Above," Ciara said alongside a photo of herself in a pink and black plaid shirt and sky-high black boots. NFL star Wilson stuck with family, posting, "All that matters. #Love" along with a super-sweet photo of Ciara and Future's 4-year-old son, Future Zahir, kissing his little sister, 1-year-old Sienna, Ciara's daughter with Wilson. Celebrity power couple: Ciara and Russell Wilson's love story The couple haven't publicly discussed Future's appearance on Apple Musics Beats 1 Radio on Thursday. He do exactly what she tell him to do. He not being a man in that position, the rapper, 35, said. You not tellin her, Bro, chill out with that on the internet. Dont even talk to him. Im your husband! You better not even bring Futures name up! He continued, "If that was me, she couldn't even bring his name up. She know that. She couldn't even bring her exes' names up." Ciara and Future were engaged in 2013, but broke off their relationship three months after Future Zahir was born. The singer and Wilson married in 2016. USA TODAY has reached out to Ciara's and Wilson's representatives for comment. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/01/22/ciara-russell-wilson-future/2641749002/ | Ciara and Russell Wilson seem to be taking the high road. The couple posted Instagram messages that seem directed at her ex, Future. Future slammed Wilson for "not being a man" in his marriage to the singer. Wilson stuck with family, posting, "All that matters. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/01/22/ciara-russell-wilson-future/2641749002/ | 0.303757 |
Why Is Uranus The Only Planet Without Interesting Features On It? | The eight major planets of the Solar System all possess their own unique features. The rocky planets have craters, ridges, mountains and more: evidence of a violent past and interior activity. All the planets except Mercury have atmospheres, where volatile materials form clouds and hazes. On the gas giant worlds, banded structures, storms, and turbulent streams are commonly seen. Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune all display spectacular changes over time whenever we've examined their atmospheres in detail. But not Uranus. Alone among all the planets in the Solar System, Uranus is a light, blue-colored, otherwise featureless world. Even when it was visited up close by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, the most remarkable part of the story was how unremarkable Uranus appeared. To the human eye, Uranus is the only planet without interesting features on it. Here's the scientific story of why. Uranus, as seen from Earth, is just a tiny turquoise disc. Voyager 2, which had previously revealed unprecedented details of storms and bands on Jupiter and Saturn, saw a large, featureless, turquoise globe when it came to Uranus. Even by turning up the image contrast as high as possible, there was practically nothing to see. Uranus appeared to be, quite disappointingly, the most boring planet we could have imagined. Initially, we thought we understood why it was such a featureless world. With such a small size relative to Saturn or Jupiter, it was conjectured that Uranus wasn't able to generate any of its own internal heat, and was therefore only at the temperature you'd expect if it were heated by the Sun. It was blue and featureless because it was cold, distant, and didn't produce its own heat. Its upper atmosphere was a constant 58 K. And that seemed to be the entire story. Of course, that isn't the case at all! Sure, it is cold and distant, and doesn't generate very much internal heat; that part is true. But Uranus is unique among all the worlds in the Solar System for a special property it possesses: its rotation. Unlike all the other worlds, which rotate at some tilt relative to the plane of the Sun's rotation, Uranus is practically on its side, rolling like a barrel instead of spinning like a top. When the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Uranus in 1986, it was solstice: the side illuminated by the Sun was one of Uranus' polar regions. But as the years and decades ticked by, Uranus moved from solstice towards equinox, when its equatorial region would be illuminated by the Sun instead. Instead of a constant influx of sunlight on one hemisphere, lasting years, there was a rapid day/night shift, coincident with Uranus' rotational period of about 17 hours. Since Uranus takes 84 Earth-years to complete a revolution around the Sun, that means it takes 21 Earth-years to go from solstice to equinox. With Voyager 2 flying by it at solstice in 1986, that implied the best time to view it next would be in 2007, when it was at equinox. We didn't have another mission ready to go at that time, but we did have the Hubble Space Telescope. As you can see, above, there are all the features you would have hoped for the first time. There are swirling clouds, storms, and even characteristic atmospheric bands. There are dark spots and light spots, hazes and clear regions, with differential colors at different Uranian latitudes. Instead of a monochrome, featureless world, we at last found the active atmosphere we had expected all along. The reason for Uranus' uniform color during the solstice is because of its temperatures when it's in continuous day, which produces a haze of methane. Methane, in this state of matter, absorbs red light, which is why the reflected sunlight takes on that turquoise hue. Simultaneously, the methane haze masks the clouds below it, which is what causes Uranus to have the featureless appearance we came to know ubiquitously after the Voyager 2 visit. With its 97.7 degree axial tilt, a solstice Uranus will appear to be a boring Uranus. But that methane haze, so prevalent in the upper atmosphere of Uranus, only represents the top 1% of the atmosphere. Observing in bands other than visible light will reveal even more of its non-uniform properties. Because an equinox-like Uranus will cool off during the night, the methane haze goes from being a top-layer aerosol which is a solid or liquid particle suspended in a gas to particles that mix with the lower atmospheric layers. Thus, when day emerges again, the uppermost layer is partially transparent. And what we've found, when that occurs, is that there are observable changes in the upper atmosphere, which holds clues to the 99% of the unseen atmosphere beneath it. There are storms that are present even in the old Voyager 2 information, visible only by stacking over 1,000 images together and looking for variations between frames. According to astronomer Erich Karkoschka, who did this work back in 2014: Some of these features probably are convective clouds caused by updraft and condensation. Some of the brighter features look like clouds that extend over hundreds of kilometers. [...] The unusual rotation of high southern latitudes of Uranus is probably due to an unusual feature in the interior of Uranus. While the nature of the feature and its interaction with the atmosphere are not yet known, the fact that I found this unusual rotation offers new possibilities to learn about the interior of a giant planet. By looking in wavelengths of light beyond what the human eye can see, such as the infrared, we can construct enhanced-color images. As you'd expect, when Uranus is near equinox, these reveal a slew of features that are invisible to the human eye, including: bands of atmospheric structure, hemispheric differences between the sun-facing and space-facing poles, storms and clouds present in the upper atmosphere, and even a faint ring system that likely results from shattered or tidally-disrupted moons. There are also storms that are visible only in the infrared that intensify and subside. Contrary to our initial observations, Uranus is a feature-rich world, but only if you look at it in the right ways. There are still plenty of mysteries to solve about the second-most-distant planet in the Solar System. Uranus has an oddly tilted but strong magnetic field, about 50 times the strength of Earth's, which rotates like a corkscrew around the planet. The dual presence of carbon and hydrogen suggests that, in the lower layers of the atmosphere, the pressure causes a rain of diamonds to fall. Uranus displays a uniform temperature during solstice, but severe temperature differences across its surface during equinoxes, suggesting that something inherent to it is causing a lag between temperatures and the seasons. And the storms we see, also driven by the seasons, are suggestive of a vortex deeper down in the atmosphere, farther past what we can see. Uranus, to many, is still the most boring planet, and I suppose that's true if you're willing to add a caveat: sometimes. When Uranus is at solstice, it truly is the most boring, featureless world you can find among our eight planets. But the lack of an internal heat source and the fact that it rotates on a tipped-over axis also gives us a unique opportunity to learn how a gas giant planet behaves when its energy balance is driven by the Sun. Uranus, once thought to be a featureless world, turns out to be incredibly rich and diverse. This turquoise world holds a number of mysteries that are suggestive of a complex, internal structure beneath the easily-observable upper atmosphere. So long as there's an energy difference, either between the polar hemispheres or between the day-and-night sides, there will surely be interesting phenomena to investigate. The case for a dedicated mission to Uranus has never been stronger. | Alone among all the planets in the Solar System, Uranus is a light, blue-colored, otherwise featureless world. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/01/22/why-is-uranus-the-only-planet-without-interesting-features-on-it/ | 0.106353 |
Why Is Uranus The Only Planet Without Interesting Features On It? | The eight major planets of the Solar System all possess their own unique features. The rocky planets have craters, ridges, mountains and more: evidence of a violent past and interior activity. All the planets except Mercury have atmospheres, where volatile materials form clouds and hazes. On the gas giant worlds, banded structures, storms, and turbulent streams are commonly seen. Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune all display spectacular changes over time whenever we've examined their atmospheres in detail. But not Uranus. Alone among all the planets in the Solar System, Uranus is a light, blue-colored, otherwise featureless world. Even when it was visited up close by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, the most remarkable part of the story was how unremarkable Uranus appeared. To the human eye, Uranus is the only planet without interesting features on it. Here's the scientific story of why. Uranus, as seen from Earth, is just a tiny turquoise disc. Voyager 2, which had previously revealed unprecedented details of storms and bands on Jupiter and Saturn, saw a large, featureless, turquoise globe when it came to Uranus. Even by turning up the image contrast as high as possible, there was practically nothing to see. Uranus appeared to be, quite disappointingly, the most boring planet we could have imagined. Initially, we thought we understood why it was such a featureless world. With such a small size relative to Saturn or Jupiter, it was conjectured that Uranus wasn't able to generate any of its own internal heat, and was therefore only at the temperature you'd expect if it were heated by the Sun. It was blue and featureless because it was cold, distant, and didn't produce its own heat. Its upper atmosphere was a constant 58 K. And that seemed to be the entire story. Of course, that isn't the case at all! Sure, it is cold and distant, and doesn't generate very much internal heat; that part is true. But Uranus is unique among all the worlds in the Solar System for a special property it possesses: its rotation. Unlike all the other worlds, which rotate at some tilt relative to the plane of the Sun's rotation, Uranus is practically on its side, rolling like a barrel instead of spinning like a top. When the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Uranus in 1986, it was solstice: the side illuminated by the Sun was one of Uranus' polar regions. But as the years and decades ticked by, Uranus moved from solstice towards equinox, when its equatorial region would be illuminated by the Sun instead. Instead of a constant influx of sunlight on one hemisphere, lasting years, there was a rapid day/night shift, coincident with Uranus' rotational period of about 17 hours. Since Uranus takes 84 Earth-years to complete a revolution around the Sun, that means it takes 21 Earth-years to go from solstice to equinox. With Voyager 2 flying by it at solstice in 1986, that implied the best time to view it next would be in 2007, when it was at equinox. We didn't have another mission ready to go at that time, but we did have the Hubble Space Telescope. As you can see, above, there are all the features you would have hoped for the first time. There are swirling clouds, storms, and even characteristic atmospheric bands. There are dark spots and light spots, hazes and clear regions, with differential colors at different Uranian latitudes. Instead of a monochrome, featureless world, we at last found the active atmosphere we had expected all along. The reason for Uranus' uniform color during the solstice is because of its temperatures when it's in continuous day, which produces a haze of methane. Methane, in this state of matter, absorbs red light, which is why the reflected sunlight takes on that turquoise hue. Simultaneously, the methane haze masks the clouds below it, which is what causes Uranus to have the featureless appearance we came to know ubiquitously after the Voyager 2 visit. With its 97.7 degree axial tilt, a solstice Uranus will appear to be a boring Uranus. But that methane haze, so prevalent in the upper atmosphere of Uranus, only represents the top 1% of the atmosphere. Observing in bands other than visible light will reveal even more of its non-uniform properties. Because an equinox-like Uranus will cool off during the night, the methane haze goes from being a top-layer aerosol which is a solid or liquid particle suspended in a gas to particles that mix with the lower atmospheric layers. Thus, when day emerges again, the uppermost layer is partially transparent. And what we've found, when that occurs, is that there are observable changes in the upper atmosphere, which holds clues to the 99% of the unseen atmosphere beneath it. There are storms that are present even in the old Voyager 2 information, visible only by stacking over 1,000 images together and looking for variations between frames. According to astronomer Erich Karkoschka, who did this work back in 2014: Some of these features probably are convective clouds caused by updraft and condensation. Some of the brighter features look like clouds that extend over hundreds of kilometers. [...] The unusual rotation of high southern latitudes of Uranus is probably due to an unusual feature in the interior of Uranus. While the nature of the feature and its interaction with the atmosphere are not yet known, the fact that I found this unusual rotation offers new possibilities to learn about the interior of a giant planet. By looking in wavelengths of light beyond what the human eye can see, such as the infrared, we can construct enhanced-color images. As you'd expect, when Uranus is near equinox, these reveal a slew of features that are invisible to the human eye, including: bands of atmospheric structure, hemispheric differences between the sun-facing and space-facing poles, storms and clouds present in the upper atmosphere, and even a faint ring system that likely results from shattered or tidally-disrupted moons. There are also storms that are visible only in the infrared that intensify and subside. Contrary to our initial observations, Uranus is a feature-rich world, but only if you look at it in the right ways. There are still plenty of mysteries to solve about the second-most-distant planet in the Solar System. Uranus has an oddly tilted but strong magnetic field, about 50 times the strength of Earth's, which rotates like a corkscrew around the planet. The dual presence of carbon and hydrogen suggests that, in the lower layers of the atmosphere, the pressure causes a rain of diamonds to fall. Uranus displays a uniform temperature during solstice, but severe temperature differences across its surface during equinoxes, suggesting that something inherent to it is causing a lag between temperatures and the seasons. And the storms we see, also driven by the seasons, are suggestive of a vortex deeper down in the atmosphere, farther past what we can see. Uranus, to many, is still the most boring planet, and I suppose that's true if you're willing to add a caveat: sometimes. When Uranus is at solstice, it truly is the most boring, featureless world you can find among our eight planets. But the lack of an internal heat source and the fact that it rotates on a tipped-over axis also gives us a unique opportunity to learn how a gas giant planet behaves when its energy balance is driven by the Sun. Uranus, once thought to be a featureless world, turns out to be incredibly rich and diverse. This turquoise world holds a number of mysteries that are suggestive of a complex, internal structure beneath the easily-observable upper atmosphere. So long as there's an energy difference, either between the polar hemispheres or between the day-and-night sides, there will surely be interesting phenomena to investigate. The case for a dedicated mission to Uranus has never been stronger. | Alone among all the planets in the Solar System, Uranus is a light, blue-colored, otherwise featureless world. The reason for Uranus' uniform color during the solstice is because of its temperatures when it's in continuous day. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/01/22/why-is-uranus-the-only-planet-without-interesting-features-on-it/ | 0.252999 |
Why Is Uranus The Only Planet Without Interesting Features On It? | The eight major planets of the Solar System all possess their own unique features. The rocky planets have craters, ridges, mountains and more: evidence of a violent past and interior activity. All the planets except Mercury have atmospheres, where volatile materials form clouds and hazes. On the gas giant worlds, banded structures, storms, and turbulent streams are commonly seen. Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune all display spectacular changes over time whenever we've examined their atmospheres in detail. But not Uranus. Alone among all the planets in the Solar System, Uranus is a light, blue-colored, otherwise featureless world. Even when it was visited up close by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, the most remarkable part of the story was how unremarkable Uranus appeared. To the human eye, Uranus is the only planet without interesting features on it. Here's the scientific story of why. Uranus, as seen from Earth, is just a tiny turquoise disc. Voyager 2, which had previously revealed unprecedented details of storms and bands on Jupiter and Saturn, saw a large, featureless, turquoise globe when it came to Uranus. Even by turning up the image contrast as high as possible, there was practically nothing to see. Uranus appeared to be, quite disappointingly, the most boring planet we could have imagined. Initially, we thought we understood why it was such a featureless world. With such a small size relative to Saturn or Jupiter, it was conjectured that Uranus wasn't able to generate any of its own internal heat, and was therefore only at the temperature you'd expect if it were heated by the Sun. It was blue and featureless because it was cold, distant, and didn't produce its own heat. Its upper atmosphere was a constant 58 K. And that seemed to be the entire story. Of course, that isn't the case at all! Sure, it is cold and distant, and doesn't generate very much internal heat; that part is true. But Uranus is unique among all the worlds in the Solar System for a special property it possesses: its rotation. Unlike all the other worlds, which rotate at some tilt relative to the plane of the Sun's rotation, Uranus is practically on its side, rolling like a barrel instead of spinning like a top. When the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Uranus in 1986, it was solstice: the side illuminated by the Sun was one of Uranus' polar regions. But as the years and decades ticked by, Uranus moved from solstice towards equinox, when its equatorial region would be illuminated by the Sun instead. Instead of a constant influx of sunlight on one hemisphere, lasting years, there was a rapid day/night shift, coincident with Uranus' rotational period of about 17 hours. Since Uranus takes 84 Earth-years to complete a revolution around the Sun, that means it takes 21 Earth-years to go from solstice to equinox. With Voyager 2 flying by it at solstice in 1986, that implied the best time to view it next would be in 2007, when it was at equinox. We didn't have another mission ready to go at that time, but we did have the Hubble Space Telescope. As you can see, above, there are all the features you would have hoped for the first time. There are swirling clouds, storms, and even characteristic atmospheric bands. There are dark spots and light spots, hazes and clear regions, with differential colors at different Uranian latitudes. Instead of a monochrome, featureless world, we at last found the active atmosphere we had expected all along. The reason for Uranus' uniform color during the solstice is because of its temperatures when it's in continuous day, which produces a haze of methane. Methane, in this state of matter, absorbs red light, which is why the reflected sunlight takes on that turquoise hue. Simultaneously, the methane haze masks the clouds below it, which is what causes Uranus to have the featureless appearance we came to know ubiquitously after the Voyager 2 visit. With its 97.7 degree axial tilt, a solstice Uranus will appear to be a boring Uranus. But that methane haze, so prevalent in the upper atmosphere of Uranus, only represents the top 1% of the atmosphere. Observing in bands other than visible light will reveal even more of its non-uniform properties. Because an equinox-like Uranus will cool off during the night, the methane haze goes from being a top-layer aerosol which is a solid or liquid particle suspended in a gas to particles that mix with the lower atmospheric layers. Thus, when day emerges again, the uppermost layer is partially transparent. And what we've found, when that occurs, is that there are observable changes in the upper atmosphere, which holds clues to the 99% of the unseen atmosphere beneath it. There are storms that are present even in the old Voyager 2 information, visible only by stacking over 1,000 images together and looking for variations between frames. According to astronomer Erich Karkoschka, who did this work back in 2014: Some of these features probably are convective clouds caused by updraft and condensation. Some of the brighter features look like clouds that extend over hundreds of kilometers. [...] The unusual rotation of high southern latitudes of Uranus is probably due to an unusual feature in the interior of Uranus. While the nature of the feature and its interaction with the atmosphere are not yet known, the fact that I found this unusual rotation offers new possibilities to learn about the interior of a giant planet. By looking in wavelengths of light beyond what the human eye can see, such as the infrared, we can construct enhanced-color images. As you'd expect, when Uranus is near equinox, these reveal a slew of features that are invisible to the human eye, including: bands of atmospheric structure, hemispheric differences between the sun-facing and space-facing poles, storms and clouds present in the upper atmosphere, and even a faint ring system that likely results from shattered or tidally-disrupted moons. There are also storms that are visible only in the infrared that intensify and subside. Contrary to our initial observations, Uranus is a feature-rich world, but only if you look at it in the right ways. There are still plenty of mysteries to solve about the second-most-distant planet in the Solar System. Uranus has an oddly tilted but strong magnetic field, about 50 times the strength of Earth's, which rotates like a corkscrew around the planet. The dual presence of carbon and hydrogen suggests that, in the lower layers of the atmosphere, the pressure causes a rain of diamonds to fall. Uranus displays a uniform temperature during solstice, but severe temperature differences across its surface during equinoxes, suggesting that something inherent to it is causing a lag between temperatures and the seasons. And the storms we see, also driven by the seasons, are suggestive of a vortex deeper down in the atmosphere, farther past what we can see. Uranus, to many, is still the most boring planet, and I suppose that's true if you're willing to add a caveat: sometimes. When Uranus is at solstice, it truly is the most boring, featureless world you can find among our eight planets. But the lack of an internal heat source and the fact that it rotates on a tipped-over axis also gives us a unique opportunity to learn how a gas giant planet behaves when its energy balance is driven by the Sun. Uranus, once thought to be a featureless world, turns out to be incredibly rich and diverse. This turquoise world holds a number of mysteries that are suggestive of a complex, internal structure beneath the easily-observable upper atmosphere. So long as there's an energy difference, either between the polar hemispheres or between the day-and-night sides, there will surely be interesting phenomena to investigate. The case for a dedicated mission to Uranus has never been stronger. | Uranus, as seen from Earth, is just a tiny turquoise disc. To the human eye, Uranus is the only planet without interesting features on it. The reason for Uranus' unique rotation is because it is practically on its side, rolling like a barrel. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/01/22/why-is-uranus-the-only-planet-without-interesting-features-on-it/ | 0.371787 |
Why no love for romcoms? | Serenity, opening Friday, finds Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway on a tropical isle where life drifts along in a hazy breeze of booze and sex. Yet this quirky thriller hardly pairs the Interstellar co-stars romantically. She hopes he will murder her sadistic billionaire husband. Its a far cry and years away from when McConaugheys island adventures were such romantic comedies as Fools Gold or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, both with Kate Hudson. Once romcoms were a Hollywood staple, with Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers writing and directing Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson or Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Theyve gone the way of the dodo. Instead, its bromances that are flourishing, perhaps because theyre absent the complications of sex. Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Kevin Hart are now Hollywoods hottest team after Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. They had previously struck box-office gold with 2016s Central Intelligence (A little Hart and a big Johnson teased the ad). Their Jumanji sequel opens in December. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are three movies into their partnership. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in 2006 launched an inspired teaming, followed by Step Brothers (2008) and the Christmas misfire Holmes and Watson. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn began with Starsky and Hutch in 2004, sparked in 2005s smash Wedding Crashers and wrapped it with The Internship (2013). Easily the reigning bromance kings are James Franco and Seth Rogen. Theyve never stopped collaborating since Freaks and Geeks in 1999. Consider: Knocked Up (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), This is the End (2013), The Interview (2014), Sausage Party (2016), The Disaster Artist (2017). Still to come: Zeroville, with Franco director and co-star. As to why were in the midst of a bromantic moment, There always seems to be a genre that is hot at the moment. When you look at the last five years, its been Will Ferrell, Dwayne Johnson or Kevin Hart. Jumanji surprised everyone by grossing over $700 million worldwide, said Wilson Morales of BlackFilm.com. Romantic comedies just arent clicking at the box-office. Crazy Rich Asians was more about the culture than the couple. The last successful pairing weve seen is a dramatic story, A Star Is Born, which is an example of star power. | Once romcoms were a Hollywood staple, theyve gone the way of the dodo. Its bromances that are flourishing, perhaps because theyre absent the complications of sex. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/01/22/romcom/ | 0.153379 |
Why no love for romcoms? | Serenity, opening Friday, finds Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway on a tropical isle where life drifts along in a hazy breeze of booze and sex. Yet this quirky thriller hardly pairs the Interstellar co-stars romantically. She hopes he will murder her sadistic billionaire husband. Its a far cry and years away from when McConaugheys island adventures were such romantic comedies as Fools Gold or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, both with Kate Hudson. Once romcoms were a Hollywood staple, with Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers writing and directing Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson or Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Theyve gone the way of the dodo. Instead, its bromances that are flourishing, perhaps because theyre absent the complications of sex. Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Kevin Hart are now Hollywoods hottest team after Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. They had previously struck box-office gold with 2016s Central Intelligence (A little Hart and a big Johnson teased the ad). Their Jumanji sequel opens in December. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are three movies into their partnership. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in 2006 launched an inspired teaming, followed by Step Brothers (2008) and the Christmas misfire Holmes and Watson. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn began with Starsky and Hutch in 2004, sparked in 2005s smash Wedding Crashers and wrapped it with The Internship (2013). Easily the reigning bromance kings are James Franco and Seth Rogen. Theyve never stopped collaborating since Freaks and Geeks in 1999. Consider: Knocked Up (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), This is the End (2013), The Interview (2014), Sausage Party (2016), The Disaster Artist (2017). Still to come: Zeroville, with Franco director and co-star. As to why were in the midst of a bromantic moment, There always seems to be a genre that is hot at the moment. When you look at the last five years, its been Will Ferrell, Dwayne Johnson or Kevin Hart. Jumanji surprised everyone by grossing over $700 million worldwide, said Wilson Morales of BlackFilm.com. Romantic comedies just arent clicking at the box-office. Crazy Rich Asians was more about the culture than the couple. The last successful pairing weve seen is a dramatic story, A Star Is Born, which is an example of star power. | Once romcoms were a Hollywood staple, theyve gone the way of the dodo. Its bromances that are flourishing, perhaps because theyre absent the complications of sex. James Franco and Seth Rogen are the reigning bromance kings. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/01/22/romcom/ | 0.169484 |
How can I use two-step verification in a mobile blackspot? | I cant access calls or texts and want to start protecting my email account from hackers You have frequently advised readers to set up two-step verification to protect the security of their email system. Wed like to do this, but we live in a mobile blackspot, and cant access calls or texts at home. SD, Maidenhead, Berks You are absolutely right to set this up, and we would strongly urge other readers to follow your lead. Two-step verification protects against hacking as it requires the user to input a code every time they log into their email on a computer they havent used previously. Most email systems use the mobile phone networks to send the verification code by text. Only once you have entered it can you access your emails. It will halt most scammers from taking over your account. You only have to do this once on that computer but it may have to be updated every 30 days, if at all. For people like you who dont get a decent mobile service at home (or dont own a mobile), you can ask Google or the email provider to call your landline instead. You can typically add two mobile and landline numbers to the two-step process. A landline is arguably more secure. Alternatively, use a smartphone-based app which automatically generates a one-time passcode using an algorithm. The code changes every 30 seconds. Crucially, you dont need a mobile phone signal or to be online to receive the code. The Guardians tech gurus recommend using Google Authenticator, or Authy. One last thing to consider is upgrading your mobile to 4G. Living where you do, you should be able to get a mobile service. Buying a 4G phone could improve your service and mean you can make and receive calls at home. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions | Two-step verification protects against hacking as it requires the user to input a code every time they log into their email on a computer they havent used previously. Most email systems use the mobile phone networks to send the verification code by text. | bart | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/jan/22/two-step-verification-email-security-mobile | 0.11091 |
How can I use two-step verification in a mobile blackspot? | I cant access calls or texts and want to start protecting my email account from hackers You have frequently advised readers to set up two-step verification to protect the security of their email system. Wed like to do this, but we live in a mobile blackspot, and cant access calls or texts at home. SD, Maidenhead, Berks You are absolutely right to set this up, and we would strongly urge other readers to follow your lead. Two-step verification protects against hacking as it requires the user to input a code every time they log into their email on a computer they havent used previously. Most email systems use the mobile phone networks to send the verification code by text. Only once you have entered it can you access your emails. It will halt most scammers from taking over your account. You only have to do this once on that computer but it may have to be updated every 30 days, if at all. For people like you who dont get a decent mobile service at home (or dont own a mobile), you can ask Google or the email provider to call your landline instead. You can typically add two mobile and landline numbers to the two-step process. A landline is arguably more secure. Alternatively, use a smartphone-based app which automatically generates a one-time passcode using an algorithm. The code changes every 30 seconds. Crucially, you dont need a mobile phone signal or to be online to receive the code. The Guardians tech gurus recommend using Google Authenticator, or Authy. One last thing to consider is upgrading your mobile to 4G. Living where you do, you should be able to get a mobile service. Buying a 4G phone could improve your service and mean you can make and receive calls at home. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions | Two-step verification protects against hacking as it requires the user to input a code every time they log into their email on a computer they havent used previously. Most email systems use the mobile phone networks to send the verification code by text. Buying a 4G phone could improve your service and mean you can make and receive calls at home. | bart | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/jan/22/two-step-verification-email-security-mobile | 0.143876 |
What are May's options for a plan B that could win over the Commons? | Theresa Mays plan B is to try to get her plan A through the Commons with some tweaks on the Irish backstop. Heres a quick guide to what MPs could vote for, based on dividing the Commons into various groupings, explained below. The numbers of those groups are roughly estimated using public records and voting histories, although these factions could easily splinter further in any of these scenarios. The groupings explained Tories for a second referendum 9 These are the Conservative MPs like Dominic Grieve, Sarah Wollaston, Anna Soubry, Phillip Lee, Sam Gyimah, Guto Bebb, Justine Greening and Jo Johnson who will back any moves for a second referendum and stopping no deal. Conservatives who will block no deal 12 These MPs are not in favour of a second referendum and mostly voted for Mays deal, but will put as many roadblocks as they can in the way of a no-deal Brexit. They include former minister Nick Boles, Nicky Morgan and Sir Oliver Letwin. Brexiters who oppose Mays deal 109 These are the Tory MPs who have voted against the prime ministers Brexit deal. Many are hard Brexiters who would be comfortable with no deal, but others are ex-remainers uncomfortable with the backstop. Should May manage to deliver a firm end date to the backstop, she could win back most of their votes. A minority would also like to see the backstop removed entirely and a reduction of the 39bn payment to the EU. Conservative loyalists and payroll 186 This group include ministers, whips and other frontbenchers, as well as Tory loyalists who are happy to vote for Theresa Mays Brexit deal as it currently stands. Democratic Unionist party MPs 10 The Northern Irish party voted against the governments Brexit deal because of the backstop arrangement, and could be won over if there are some changes to it. Labour for a second referendum 71 Support for a second referendum is likely to be more widespread than this but not all Labour MPs who hold frontbench position have publicly declared support. These 71 MPs are those who have publicly declared their support and would vote for a referendum even if they were whipped to oppose. Labour MPs opposed to a second referendum 30 Labour MPs who do not want the party to back a second vote have been privately keeping track of the number who would actively oppose it, even if it was whipped by the Labour frontbench. Sources claim about 30 would be actively prepared to rebel. Labour loyalists and independents 150 These include Jeremy Corbyns frontbench and the majority of Labour MPs who are likely to follow the Labour whip. Labour Brexiters and MPs who back Mays deal 3 Only three Labour MPs have backed Mays deal as it currently stands though this number would be likely to grow if it became a softer Brexit or if no deal became a more likely possibility. Others could merge into this group depending on the question, including Labour hard Brexiter Kate Hoey. How admirable that MPs want to amend Brexit. It wont work | Matthew dAncona Read more The SNP, Lib Dems and other parties 51 These MPs, who also include Plaid Cymru and the Greens Caroline Lucas, are all supporters of a second referendum. Independents 8 These MPs are not easy to place. Ex-Labour MPs Ivan Lewis and Jared OMara have tended to vote with their former party. Independent MP Sylvia Hermon, former Labour MP Frank Field and the former Lib Dem MP Stephen Lloyd have tended to vote with the government on Brexit issues. Another ex-Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins is a Brexiter, but also a Corbyn loyalist. Dont vote 11 The Speaker, his three deputies and seven Sinn Fein MPs do not vote. | Theresa May's plan B is to try to get her plan A through the Commons with some tweaks on the Irish backstop. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/22/what-are-mays-options-for-a-plan-b-that-could-win-over-the-commons | 0.140748 |
What are May's options for a plan B that could win over the Commons? | Theresa Mays plan B is to try to get her plan A through the Commons with some tweaks on the Irish backstop. Heres a quick guide to what MPs could vote for, based on dividing the Commons into various groupings, explained below. The numbers of those groups are roughly estimated using public records and voting histories, although these factions could easily splinter further in any of these scenarios. The groupings explained Tories for a second referendum 9 These are the Conservative MPs like Dominic Grieve, Sarah Wollaston, Anna Soubry, Phillip Lee, Sam Gyimah, Guto Bebb, Justine Greening and Jo Johnson who will back any moves for a second referendum and stopping no deal. Conservatives who will block no deal 12 These MPs are not in favour of a second referendum and mostly voted for Mays deal, but will put as many roadblocks as they can in the way of a no-deal Brexit. They include former minister Nick Boles, Nicky Morgan and Sir Oliver Letwin. Brexiters who oppose Mays deal 109 These are the Tory MPs who have voted against the prime ministers Brexit deal. Many are hard Brexiters who would be comfortable with no deal, but others are ex-remainers uncomfortable with the backstop. Should May manage to deliver a firm end date to the backstop, she could win back most of their votes. A minority would also like to see the backstop removed entirely and a reduction of the 39bn payment to the EU. Conservative loyalists and payroll 186 This group include ministers, whips and other frontbenchers, as well as Tory loyalists who are happy to vote for Theresa Mays Brexit deal as it currently stands. Democratic Unionist party MPs 10 The Northern Irish party voted against the governments Brexit deal because of the backstop arrangement, and could be won over if there are some changes to it. Labour for a second referendum 71 Support for a second referendum is likely to be more widespread than this but not all Labour MPs who hold frontbench position have publicly declared support. These 71 MPs are those who have publicly declared their support and would vote for a referendum even if they were whipped to oppose. Labour MPs opposed to a second referendum 30 Labour MPs who do not want the party to back a second vote have been privately keeping track of the number who would actively oppose it, even if it was whipped by the Labour frontbench. Sources claim about 30 would be actively prepared to rebel. Labour loyalists and independents 150 These include Jeremy Corbyns frontbench and the majority of Labour MPs who are likely to follow the Labour whip. Labour Brexiters and MPs who back Mays deal 3 Only three Labour MPs have backed Mays deal as it currently stands though this number would be likely to grow if it became a softer Brexit or if no deal became a more likely possibility. Others could merge into this group depending on the question, including Labour hard Brexiter Kate Hoey. How admirable that MPs want to amend Brexit. It wont work | Matthew dAncona Read more The SNP, Lib Dems and other parties 51 These MPs, who also include Plaid Cymru and the Greens Caroline Lucas, are all supporters of a second referendum. Independents 8 These MPs are not easy to place. Ex-Labour MPs Ivan Lewis and Jared OMara have tended to vote with their former party. Independent MP Sylvia Hermon, former Labour MP Frank Field and the former Lib Dem MP Stephen Lloyd have tended to vote with the government on Brexit issues. Another ex-Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins is a Brexiter, but also a Corbyn loyalist. Dont vote 11 The Speaker, his three deputies and seven Sinn Fein MPs do not vote. | Theresa May's plan B is to try to get her plan A through the Commons with some tweaks on the Irish backstop. Here's a quick guide to what MPs could vote for, based on dividing the Commons into various groupings, explained below. The numbers of those groups are roughly estimated using public records and voting histories. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/22/what-are-mays-options-for-a-plan-b-that-could-win-over-the-commons | 0.151911 |
Should schools fill key roles with volunteers? | It used to be help on the cake stall. Now an academy chain is seeking an unpaid accounts assistant and a free PA News that an academy trust founded by the Conservative peer Lord James OShaughnessy is advertising for unpaid volunteers to fill key roles in its two primary schools was met with disbelief and dismay by teachers earlier this month. The Floreat Education Academies Trust is looking for full-time and part-time volunteers to fill the jobs of finance assistant, office administrator and personal assistant to the chief executive, Janet Hilary, who was paid 128,768 in 2018. Andrew Morrish chief executive, Victoria Academies Trust, West Midlands No, schools shouldnt rely on volunteers although with funding levels at an all-time low, I can understand why school leaders are having to make such difficult decisions. We are at a cliff edge. There are more than 300,000 additional pupils in the system since 2015, the education services grant for academies has been scrapped to the tune of 600m, and almost a third of local authority secondary schools are in deficit. Not to mention the increase in pensions and national insurance contributions. That said, the solution to the problem seems obvious fairer funding for schools so that heads wont be forced to make such decisions. If my dentist wasnt being paid, Id go elsewhere Andrew Morrish Ironically, of course, the role of the volunteer has been the bedrock of the school system for generations, whether its going on school trips, listening to children read, fundraising, or sitting on a governing body. You want your parents to volunteer because its also a way for you to engage with them and demonstrate that you value them. The issue here is that for the first time we are seeing this creeping into key strategic posts. This is a worrying trend that needs to stop as it undermines the work of those highly skilled and trained professionals that have been doing the job for years. There are issues then around confidentiality and safeguarding. Its about public confidence as well I could probably live with going to my dental surgery knowing some of the backroom posts are being covered by volunteers, but if my dentist or assistant was not being paid, Id probably go elsewhere. Running schools is no different. Chris Jagger parent volunteer at a state primary school in Cambridge Yes, I think schools absolutely need to rely on volunteers to do certain kinds of work. If the teacher spent her time listening to children reading, it would take her an entire day to hear each child read for just 10 minutes a week. Yet thats nowhere near enough to improve childrens reading. So I think its good for parents to be involved. I have found it very rewarding, helping children who were struggling and seeing them improve. It wouldnt bother me if my school advertised for a full-time volunteer to fill a key role. But at the same time, its not ideal. Volunteers can usually only commit to a small numbers of hours a week and Id be concerned an unpaid worker wouldnt be able to spend as much time doing the role as is needed. Raj Unsworth chair of trustees, Pride Multiple Academy Trust, Barnsley The simple answer is no. We are all aware funding is an issue, especially in small schools. But there are other options. Top of my list would be to look at staffing structure and collaboration with other schools. The board should ensure money is not wasted on top-heavy leadership. As for collaboration, this could mean sharing a business manager or even a headteacher. The pool of people you are going to attract to volunteer will be limited. These people will still need to be managed and trained in statutory responsibilities, such as safeguarding and confidentiality. Are you going to accept a lower level of performance from an administrator who is not paid compared to another in the school who is? Lorna Jackson headteacher, Maryland primary school, east London No. At Maryland, we use volunteers parents and other family members to enhance the experiences of our children, but not as free labour. To put volunteers in places to fill employment gaps, especially where there is a high level of skill needed, is misguided. Our volunteers are trained, supervised and treated as part of the schools welfare team. We carefully select the activities we need them to support us with. For example, not just listening to children read but also reading to children, as this is very important for children whose first language is not English. The elephant in the room is that funding for schools is diabolical and has been cut year on year. Clearly, anyone turning to unpaid volunteers to fill jobs that qualified people should be doing is desperate. We need to address the funding, not fill the gaps. That is the direction this country is going in. | No, schools shouldnt rely on volunteers - although with funding levels at an all-time low, we are at a cliff edge. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/22/should-schools-fill-key-roles-with-volunteers | 0.461318 |
Should schools fill key roles with volunteers? | It used to be help on the cake stall. Now an academy chain is seeking an unpaid accounts assistant and a free PA News that an academy trust founded by the Conservative peer Lord James OShaughnessy is advertising for unpaid volunteers to fill key roles in its two primary schools was met with disbelief and dismay by teachers earlier this month. The Floreat Education Academies Trust is looking for full-time and part-time volunteers to fill the jobs of finance assistant, office administrator and personal assistant to the chief executive, Janet Hilary, who was paid 128,768 in 2018. Andrew Morrish chief executive, Victoria Academies Trust, West Midlands No, schools shouldnt rely on volunteers although with funding levels at an all-time low, I can understand why school leaders are having to make such difficult decisions. We are at a cliff edge. There are more than 300,000 additional pupils in the system since 2015, the education services grant for academies has been scrapped to the tune of 600m, and almost a third of local authority secondary schools are in deficit. Not to mention the increase in pensions and national insurance contributions. That said, the solution to the problem seems obvious fairer funding for schools so that heads wont be forced to make such decisions. If my dentist wasnt being paid, Id go elsewhere Andrew Morrish Ironically, of course, the role of the volunteer has been the bedrock of the school system for generations, whether its going on school trips, listening to children read, fundraising, or sitting on a governing body. You want your parents to volunteer because its also a way for you to engage with them and demonstrate that you value them. The issue here is that for the first time we are seeing this creeping into key strategic posts. This is a worrying trend that needs to stop as it undermines the work of those highly skilled and trained professionals that have been doing the job for years. There are issues then around confidentiality and safeguarding. Its about public confidence as well I could probably live with going to my dental surgery knowing some of the backroom posts are being covered by volunteers, but if my dentist or assistant was not being paid, Id probably go elsewhere. Running schools is no different. Chris Jagger parent volunteer at a state primary school in Cambridge Yes, I think schools absolutely need to rely on volunteers to do certain kinds of work. If the teacher spent her time listening to children reading, it would take her an entire day to hear each child read for just 10 minutes a week. Yet thats nowhere near enough to improve childrens reading. So I think its good for parents to be involved. I have found it very rewarding, helping children who were struggling and seeing them improve. It wouldnt bother me if my school advertised for a full-time volunteer to fill a key role. But at the same time, its not ideal. Volunteers can usually only commit to a small numbers of hours a week and Id be concerned an unpaid worker wouldnt be able to spend as much time doing the role as is needed. Raj Unsworth chair of trustees, Pride Multiple Academy Trust, Barnsley The simple answer is no. We are all aware funding is an issue, especially in small schools. But there are other options. Top of my list would be to look at staffing structure and collaboration with other schools. The board should ensure money is not wasted on top-heavy leadership. As for collaboration, this could mean sharing a business manager or even a headteacher. The pool of people you are going to attract to volunteer will be limited. These people will still need to be managed and trained in statutory responsibilities, such as safeguarding and confidentiality. Are you going to accept a lower level of performance from an administrator who is not paid compared to another in the school who is? Lorna Jackson headteacher, Maryland primary school, east London No. At Maryland, we use volunteers parents and other family members to enhance the experiences of our children, but not as free labour. To put volunteers in places to fill employment gaps, especially where there is a high level of skill needed, is misguided. Our volunteers are trained, supervised and treated as part of the schools welfare team. We carefully select the activities we need them to support us with. For example, not just listening to children read but also reading to children, as this is very important for children whose first language is not English. The elephant in the room is that funding for schools is diabolical and has been cut year on year. Clearly, anyone turning to unpaid volunteers to fill jobs that qualified people should be doing is desperate. We need to address the funding, not fill the gaps. That is the direction this country is going in. | No, schools shouldnt rely on volunteers - although with funding levels at an all-time low, I can understand why school leaders are having to make such difficult decisions. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/22/should-schools-fill-key-roles-with-volunteers | 0.454661 |
Where does Andy Reid rank among coaches who never won a Super Bowl? | Andy Reid had a good chance to finally get a ring, but his 20th season as a NFL head coach ended the same as the previous 19. Without a Super Bowl title. His quest to raise the Lombardi will continue. Theres no denying that Reid otherwise has one of the best resumes in league history. Reids 195 regular season wins are the eighth-most in league history and he has both Marty Schottenheimer (200) and Paul Brown (213) in his sights. To put it in further perspective, Reid has more regular season wins in similar timeframes than both Chuck Noll (193 wins over 23 season) and Bill Parcells (172 wins over 19 seasons). He took the Eagles to four straight NFC title games in the early 2000s, winning one before falling to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. Scroll to continue with content Ad Andy Reid is among the best coaches to never win a Super Bowl. (AP) Whats more, Reids coaching tree is full of thick and sturdy branches and its hard to find anyone in the league who will say a bad word about him, which is rare. There were a lot of people left disappointed on Sunday that Reid couldnt get by Bill Belichick again. The presence of Patrick Mahomes and the trust of the Hunt family should guarantee that Reid gets a few more good shots at winning a Super Bowl. But even if he doesnt, he wont be the first great coach to never win a title. Heres how he currently ranks among the best coaches to never finish a season atop the league: Story continues 10. This isnt a listicle of best coaches to never win a playoff game? Eh, thats still OK. Getting the Bengals into the playoffs seven different times was a great feat for Lewis, who was finally fired after this season. He may not be the peers of the men at the top of this list, but leading one of the greatest defenses of all time (the 2000 Ravens) plus winning in Cincinnati is enough to land him on it. 9. John Fox, Panthers/Broncos/Bears Regular season: 133-123 (.520) over 16 seasons Playoff record: 8-7, two Super Bowl appearances Fox is a tricky one. Take away three dismal seasons with the Bears and his career winning percentage is .569. But take away three seasons of Peyton Manning and it plunges to .456. (Its not lost on anyone that taking Fox away from Manning in Denver resulted in Mannings second Super Bowl ring.) Still, Fox is just one of six coaches to take two different teams to the Super Bowl. 8. Chuck Knox, Rams/Bills/Seahawks Regular season: 186-147 (.558) over 22 seasons Playoff record: 7-11, four NFC title game appearances Fox, then Knox, then box in socks. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss stanza. Knox never made a Super Bowl, but the tough-nosed coach had a knack for turning teams around. He made four conference title games (including three in the mid-70s with the Rams) but could never quite reach the biggest stage. An unsuccessful second tour of duty with the Rams in the 90s marred his overall record a bit, but its hard to argue with 186 wins. 7. Dan Reeves, Broncos/Giants/Falcons Regular season: 190-165 (.535) over 23 seasons Playoff record: 11-9, four Super Bowl appearances Another non-winning member of the two-team Super Bowl club, its also hard to judge Reeves career. Coaching an AFC team in the NFCs era of dominance didnt do him any favors. Don Coryell was an offensive genius with the Chargers. (Getty Images) 6. Don Coryell, Cardinals/Chargers Regular season: 111-83 (.572) over 14 seasons Playoff record: 3-6, two AFC title game appearances Coryells innovations in the passing game earn him a revered spot amongst the coaching fraternity as does the success of his coaching tree (John Madden, Joe Gibbs among others). Unfortunately, Coryells Chargers teams, which made two AFC title games, were the equivalent of the Steve Nash-era Suns. A great show that ultimately wasnt built for postseason success. 5. Andy Reid, Eagles/Chiefs Regular season: 195-124 (.611) over 20 seasons Playoff record: 12-14 over 14 appearances, one Super Bowl appearance Hes the only man on this list who has a job and thus a chance of removing himself from it. Only reaching the Super Bowl once keeps him from being ranked ahead of the coaches below. 4. Marv Levy, Chiefs/Bills Regular season: 143-112 (.561) over 17 seasons Playoff record:11-8, four Super Bowl appearances Levy doesnt have as many wins as other coaches on this list, but think about what he accomplished with those teams. A lot of coaches have won a Super Bowl, but only one has played in four straight Levy. Considering those Bills teams could have easily been torn apart by a mixture of ego, success and disappointment, Levys coaching acumen is unquestionable. 3. Marty Schottenheimer, Browns/Chiefs/Chargers/Redskins Regular season: 200-126 (.613) over 21 seasons Playoff record: 5-13, three AFC title game appearances Schottenheimer is seventh on the NFLs all-time coaching wins list; the six men ahead of him are all in the Hall of Fame and have at least one Super Bowl or NFL title to their names. Schotty was a great regular-season coach, but he suffered from some of the most horrendous luck in the playoffs. Were it not for The Drive, The Fumble, Lin Elliott or Marlon McCree, Schottenheimer might already be occupying a deserved spot in Canton. 2. George Allen, Rams/Redskins Regular season: 116-47-5 over 12 seasons Playoff record: 2-7, one Super Bowl appearance The father of the nickel defense, Allen was known as a football coachs football coach. He never posted a losing season and helped turn around both the Rams and Redskins upon taking over. Allen could never win the playoffs, though, and his one Super Bowl appearance unfortunately came against the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. Bud Grant reached four Super Bowls, but went 0-4. (Getty Images) 1. Bud Grant, Vikings Regular season: 158-96-5 (.621) over 18 seasons Playoff record: 10-12, four Super Bowl appearances The Vikings are one of the most underrated tortured fanbases and not enough people talk about Grant as the guy who never got the big one. After winning the Grey Cup four times in the CFL, Grant came to Minnesota and dominated the 70s. The Vikings won 11 of 13 NFC Central titles behind the Purple People Eaters and made the Super Bowl four times. Grant won a 290 games between the NFL and CFL, a combined total that puts him just behind George Halas and Don Shula for career coaching wins. Grant and Levy are the only Super Bowl-era coaches in the Hall of Fame who never won a Super Bowl. More from Yahoo Sports: Wetzel: TomBradys message to PatrickMahomes Report: Pacquiao may have suffered serious injury Controversial OT rule costs Chiefs chance vs. Patriots The Rams know it was a bad call. And no, they dont care. | Andy Reid is among the best coaches to never win a Super Bowl. Reid's 195 regular season wins are the eighth-most in league history. John Fox, Chuck Knox and Dan Reeves round out the top 10. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/andy-reid-rank-among-coaches-never-won-super-bowl-170329165.html?src=rss | 0.540017 |
Where does Andy Reid rank among coaches who never won a Super Bowl? | Andy Reid had a good chance to finally get a ring, but his 20th season as a NFL head coach ended the same as the previous 19. Without a Super Bowl title. His quest to raise the Lombardi will continue. Theres no denying that Reid otherwise has one of the best resumes in league history. Reids 195 regular season wins are the eighth-most in league history and he has both Marty Schottenheimer (200) and Paul Brown (213) in his sights. To put it in further perspective, Reid has more regular season wins in similar timeframes than both Chuck Noll (193 wins over 23 season) and Bill Parcells (172 wins over 19 seasons). He took the Eagles to four straight NFC title games in the early 2000s, winning one before falling to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. Scroll to continue with content Ad Andy Reid is among the best coaches to never win a Super Bowl. (AP) Whats more, Reids coaching tree is full of thick and sturdy branches and its hard to find anyone in the league who will say a bad word about him, which is rare. There were a lot of people left disappointed on Sunday that Reid couldnt get by Bill Belichick again. The presence of Patrick Mahomes and the trust of the Hunt family should guarantee that Reid gets a few more good shots at winning a Super Bowl. But even if he doesnt, he wont be the first great coach to never win a title. Heres how he currently ranks among the best coaches to never finish a season atop the league: Story continues 10. This isnt a listicle of best coaches to never win a playoff game? Eh, thats still OK. Getting the Bengals into the playoffs seven different times was a great feat for Lewis, who was finally fired after this season. He may not be the peers of the men at the top of this list, but leading one of the greatest defenses of all time (the 2000 Ravens) plus winning in Cincinnati is enough to land him on it. 9. John Fox, Panthers/Broncos/Bears Regular season: 133-123 (.520) over 16 seasons Playoff record: 8-7, two Super Bowl appearances Fox is a tricky one. Take away three dismal seasons with the Bears and his career winning percentage is .569. But take away three seasons of Peyton Manning and it plunges to .456. (Its not lost on anyone that taking Fox away from Manning in Denver resulted in Mannings second Super Bowl ring.) Still, Fox is just one of six coaches to take two different teams to the Super Bowl. 8. Chuck Knox, Rams/Bills/Seahawks Regular season: 186-147 (.558) over 22 seasons Playoff record: 7-11, four NFC title game appearances Fox, then Knox, then box in socks. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss stanza. Knox never made a Super Bowl, but the tough-nosed coach had a knack for turning teams around. He made four conference title games (including three in the mid-70s with the Rams) but could never quite reach the biggest stage. An unsuccessful second tour of duty with the Rams in the 90s marred his overall record a bit, but its hard to argue with 186 wins. 7. Dan Reeves, Broncos/Giants/Falcons Regular season: 190-165 (.535) over 23 seasons Playoff record: 11-9, four Super Bowl appearances Another non-winning member of the two-team Super Bowl club, its also hard to judge Reeves career. Coaching an AFC team in the NFCs era of dominance didnt do him any favors. Don Coryell was an offensive genius with the Chargers. (Getty Images) 6. Don Coryell, Cardinals/Chargers Regular season: 111-83 (.572) over 14 seasons Playoff record: 3-6, two AFC title game appearances Coryells innovations in the passing game earn him a revered spot amongst the coaching fraternity as does the success of his coaching tree (John Madden, Joe Gibbs among others). Unfortunately, Coryells Chargers teams, which made two AFC title games, were the equivalent of the Steve Nash-era Suns. A great show that ultimately wasnt built for postseason success. 5. Andy Reid, Eagles/Chiefs Regular season: 195-124 (.611) over 20 seasons Playoff record: 12-14 over 14 appearances, one Super Bowl appearance Hes the only man on this list who has a job and thus a chance of removing himself from it. Only reaching the Super Bowl once keeps him from being ranked ahead of the coaches below. 4. Marv Levy, Chiefs/Bills Regular season: 143-112 (.561) over 17 seasons Playoff record:11-8, four Super Bowl appearances Levy doesnt have as many wins as other coaches on this list, but think about what he accomplished with those teams. A lot of coaches have won a Super Bowl, but only one has played in four straight Levy. Considering those Bills teams could have easily been torn apart by a mixture of ego, success and disappointment, Levys coaching acumen is unquestionable. 3. Marty Schottenheimer, Browns/Chiefs/Chargers/Redskins Regular season: 200-126 (.613) over 21 seasons Playoff record: 5-13, three AFC title game appearances Schottenheimer is seventh on the NFLs all-time coaching wins list; the six men ahead of him are all in the Hall of Fame and have at least one Super Bowl or NFL title to their names. Schotty was a great regular-season coach, but he suffered from some of the most horrendous luck in the playoffs. Were it not for The Drive, The Fumble, Lin Elliott or Marlon McCree, Schottenheimer might already be occupying a deserved spot in Canton. 2. George Allen, Rams/Redskins Regular season: 116-47-5 over 12 seasons Playoff record: 2-7, one Super Bowl appearance The father of the nickel defense, Allen was known as a football coachs football coach. He never posted a losing season and helped turn around both the Rams and Redskins upon taking over. Allen could never win the playoffs, though, and his one Super Bowl appearance unfortunately came against the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. Bud Grant reached four Super Bowls, but went 0-4. (Getty Images) 1. Bud Grant, Vikings Regular season: 158-96-5 (.621) over 18 seasons Playoff record: 10-12, four Super Bowl appearances The Vikings are one of the most underrated tortured fanbases and not enough people talk about Grant as the guy who never got the big one. After winning the Grey Cup four times in the CFL, Grant came to Minnesota and dominated the 70s. The Vikings won 11 of 13 NFC Central titles behind the Purple People Eaters and made the Super Bowl four times. Grant won a 290 games between the NFL and CFL, a combined total that puts him just behind George Halas and Don Shula for career coaching wins. Grant and Levy are the only Super Bowl-era coaches in the Hall of Fame who never won a Super Bowl. More from Yahoo Sports: Wetzel: TomBradys message to PatrickMahomes Report: Pacquiao may have suffered serious injury Controversial OT rule costs Chiefs chance vs. Patriots The Rams know it was a bad call. And no, they dont care. | Andy Reid is among the best coaches to never win a Super Bowl title. Reid's 195 regular season wins are the eighth-most in league history. John Fox is one of six coaches to take two different teams to the Super Bowl. Dan Reeves and Chuck Knox are the other two non-winning coaches. | bart | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/andy-reid-rank-among-coaches-never-won-super-bowl-170329165.html?src=rss | 0.261557 |
Will MGIC Investment Corporation Continue to Surge Higher? | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in MGIC Investment Corporation. As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in MGIC Investment Corporation MTG. The stock has moved higher by 2.6% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. This combination of strong price performance and favorable technical, could suggest that the stock may be on the right path. We certainly think that this might be the case, particularly if you consider MTGs recent earnings estimate revision activity. From this look, the companys future is quite favorable; as MTG has earned itself a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer, and that this isnt the top for the in-focus company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MGIC Investment Corporation (MTG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in MGIC Investment Corporation MTG. The stock has moved higher by 2.6% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/mgic-investment-corporation-continue-surge-095109888.html | 0.206783 |
Will MGIC Investment Corporation Continue to Surge Higher? | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in MGIC Investment Corporation. As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in MGIC Investment Corporation MTG. The stock has moved higher by 2.6% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. This combination of strong price performance and favorable technical, could suggest that the stock may be on the right path. We certainly think that this might be the case, particularly if you consider MTGs recent earnings estimate revision activity. From this look, the companys future is quite favorable; as MTG has earned itself a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer, and that this isnt the top for the in-focus company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MGIC Investment Corporation (MTG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in MGIC Investment Corporation MTG. The stock has moved higher by 2.6% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. This combination of strong price performance and favorable technical, could suggest that the stock may be on the right path. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/mgic-investment-corporation-continue-surge-095109888.html | 0.241654 |
Will Twin Disc Continue to Surge Higher? | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Twin Disc. As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Twin Disc, Incorporated TWIN. The stock has moved higher by 1.8% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. This combination of strong price performance and favorable technical, could suggest that the stock may be on the right path. We certainly think that this might be the case, particularly if you consider TWINs recent earnings estimate revision activity. From this look, the companys future is quite favorable; as TWIN has earned itself a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer, and that this isnt the top for the in-focus company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Twin Disc, Incorporated (TWIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Twin Disc, Incorporated TWIN has moved higher by 1.8% in the past month. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/twin-disc-continue-surge-higher-095809695.html | 0.169443 |
Will Twin Disc Continue to Surge Higher? | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Twin Disc. As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Twin Disc, Incorporated TWIN. The stock has moved higher by 1.8% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. This combination of strong price performance and favorable technical, could suggest that the stock may be on the right path. We certainly think that this might be the case, particularly if you consider TWINs recent earnings estimate revision activity. From this look, the companys future is quite favorable; as TWIN has earned itself a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer, and that this isnt the top for the in-focus company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Twin Disc, Incorporated (TWIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Twin Disc, Incorporated TWIN has moved higher by 1.8% in the past month. The company has earned a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/twin-disc-continue-surge-higher-095809695.html | 0.177277 |
Will Twin Disc Continue to Surge Higher? | As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Twin Disc. As of late, it has definitely been a great time to be an investor in Twin Disc, Incorporated TWIN. The stock has moved higher by 1.8% in the past month, while it is also above its 20 Day SMA too. This combination of strong price performance and favorable technical, could suggest that the stock may be on the right path. We certainly think that this might be the case, particularly if you consider TWINs recent earnings estimate revision activity. From this look, the companys future is quite favorable; as TWIN has earned itself a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer, and that this isnt the top for the in-focus company. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Twin Disc, Incorporated (TWIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Twin Disc, Incorporated TWIN has moved higher by 1.8% in the past month. The company has earned itself a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), meaning that its recent run may continue for a bit longer, and that this isn't the top for the in-focus company. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/twin-disc-continue-surge-higher-095809695.html | 0.192026 |
Where does LSU baseball stand in the preseason rankings? | LSU baseball has no shortage of expectations in 2019. Coming off one of the more difficult seasons in the Paul Mainieri era, LSU brings back most of its core talent and arguably the No. 1 signing class in the country. Mainieri sees the projections calling LSU one of the two or three best teams in the country, and he said he welcomes them. He told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune two weeks ago he uses it as reinforcement to his team that its not just he who thinks LSU is one of the best teams in the country. He hopes it gives them confidence. Now, most the main preseason college baseball rankings have been published, confirming LSU is right at the top. Heres where the main outlets have the Tigers. Baseball America: No. 2 Baseball America has the Tigers just behind fellow SEC power Vanderbilt. Eight SEC teams are in BAs Top 25, and Florida is just behind LSU at No. 2. Baseball America wrote: The Tigers got a huge boost following the draft when the draft-eligible trio of right-hander Zack Hess and outfielders Antoine Duplantis and Zach Watson opted to return to Baton Rouge and the top-ranked recruiting class in the country landed on campus. LSU this year will have an experienced pitching staff to go with a potent lineup. D1Baseball.com: No. 2 Just like Baseball America, D1Baseball has the Tigers just behind Vanderbilt. Florida is No. 6, and Georgia and Ole Miss are No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. Perfect Game: No. 1 Perfect Game is the highest-profile site to have LSU at No. 1, followed by Oregon State and Vanderbilt. The site wrote: LSU is guided by Paul Mainieri, whose Tigers finished as the runner-up just two years ago with several familiar faces. Outfielders Antoine Duplantis and Zach Watson and staff ace Zack Hess were all drafted yet returned for another season. Shortstop Josh Smith and another starting pitcher, Eric Walker, missed most or all of the 2018 season due to injuries and appear to be ready to return healthy and strong. "Add in still-developing young talent and another strong wave of incoming freshmen and you have one of the deepest rosters in college baseball. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper: No. 1 This was the first of the outlets to rank the Tigers up top, with Vanderbilt just barely behind LSU. "The Tigers, winners of six national titles, will field its best ball club since 2017 when LSU finished second at the College World Series. LSUs last title came 10 seasons ago in 2009. Entering that spring, LSU was also ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball. Five returning position player starters are back and six superb pitchers. Plus, key players return after sitting out virtually all last season because of injuries. | Most of the main preseason college baseball rankings have LSU at No. 1. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.nola.com/lsu/2019/01/where-does-lsu-baseball-stand-in-the-preseason-rankings.html | 0.571071 |
Where does LSU baseball stand in the preseason rankings? | LSU baseball has no shortage of expectations in 2019. Coming off one of the more difficult seasons in the Paul Mainieri era, LSU brings back most of its core talent and arguably the No. 1 signing class in the country. Mainieri sees the projections calling LSU one of the two or three best teams in the country, and he said he welcomes them. He told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune two weeks ago he uses it as reinforcement to his team that its not just he who thinks LSU is one of the best teams in the country. He hopes it gives them confidence. Now, most the main preseason college baseball rankings have been published, confirming LSU is right at the top. Heres where the main outlets have the Tigers. Baseball America: No. 2 Baseball America has the Tigers just behind fellow SEC power Vanderbilt. Eight SEC teams are in BAs Top 25, and Florida is just behind LSU at No. 2. Baseball America wrote: The Tigers got a huge boost following the draft when the draft-eligible trio of right-hander Zack Hess and outfielders Antoine Duplantis and Zach Watson opted to return to Baton Rouge and the top-ranked recruiting class in the country landed on campus. LSU this year will have an experienced pitching staff to go with a potent lineup. D1Baseball.com: No. 2 Just like Baseball America, D1Baseball has the Tigers just behind Vanderbilt. Florida is No. 6, and Georgia and Ole Miss are No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. Perfect Game: No. 1 Perfect Game is the highest-profile site to have LSU at No. 1, followed by Oregon State and Vanderbilt. The site wrote: LSU is guided by Paul Mainieri, whose Tigers finished as the runner-up just two years ago with several familiar faces. Outfielders Antoine Duplantis and Zach Watson and staff ace Zack Hess were all drafted yet returned for another season. Shortstop Josh Smith and another starting pitcher, Eric Walker, missed most or all of the 2018 season due to injuries and appear to be ready to return healthy and strong. "Add in still-developing young talent and another strong wave of incoming freshmen and you have one of the deepest rosters in college baseball. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper: No. 1 This was the first of the outlets to rank the Tigers up top, with Vanderbilt just barely behind LSU. "The Tigers, winners of six national titles, will field its best ball club since 2017 when LSU finished second at the College World Series. LSUs last title came 10 seasons ago in 2009. Entering that spring, LSU was also ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball. Five returning position player starters are back and six superb pitchers. Plus, key players return after sitting out virtually all last season because of injuries. | Most of the main preseason college baseball rankings have LSU at No. 1. Baseball America and D1Baseball have the Tigers just behind Vanderbilt. The Tigers are expected to be one of the best teams in the country in 2019. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.nola.com/lsu/2019/01/where-does-lsu-baseball-stand-in-the-preseason-rankings.html | 0.619166 |
Where does LSU baseball stand in the preseason rankings? | LSU baseball has no shortage of expectations in 2019. Coming off one of the more difficult seasons in the Paul Mainieri era, LSU brings back most of its core talent and arguably the No. 1 signing class in the country. Mainieri sees the projections calling LSU one of the two or three best teams in the country, and he said he welcomes them. He told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune two weeks ago he uses it as reinforcement to his team that its not just he who thinks LSU is one of the best teams in the country. He hopes it gives them confidence. Now, most the main preseason college baseball rankings have been published, confirming LSU is right at the top. Heres where the main outlets have the Tigers. Baseball America: No. 2 Baseball America has the Tigers just behind fellow SEC power Vanderbilt. Eight SEC teams are in BAs Top 25, and Florida is just behind LSU at No. 2. Baseball America wrote: The Tigers got a huge boost following the draft when the draft-eligible trio of right-hander Zack Hess and outfielders Antoine Duplantis and Zach Watson opted to return to Baton Rouge and the top-ranked recruiting class in the country landed on campus. LSU this year will have an experienced pitching staff to go with a potent lineup. D1Baseball.com: No. 2 Just like Baseball America, D1Baseball has the Tigers just behind Vanderbilt. Florida is No. 6, and Georgia and Ole Miss are No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. Perfect Game: No. 1 Perfect Game is the highest-profile site to have LSU at No. 1, followed by Oregon State and Vanderbilt. The site wrote: LSU is guided by Paul Mainieri, whose Tigers finished as the runner-up just two years ago with several familiar faces. Outfielders Antoine Duplantis and Zach Watson and staff ace Zack Hess were all drafted yet returned for another season. Shortstop Josh Smith and another starting pitcher, Eric Walker, missed most or all of the 2018 season due to injuries and appear to be ready to return healthy and strong. "Add in still-developing young talent and another strong wave of incoming freshmen and you have one of the deepest rosters in college baseball. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper: No. 1 This was the first of the outlets to rank the Tigers up top, with Vanderbilt just barely behind LSU. "The Tigers, winners of six national titles, will field its best ball club since 2017 when LSU finished second at the College World Series. LSUs last title came 10 seasons ago in 2009. Entering that spring, LSU was also ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball. Five returning position player starters are back and six superb pitchers. Plus, key players return after sitting out virtually all last season because of injuries. | Most of the main preseason college baseball rankings have LSU at No. 1. Baseball America and D1Baseball have the Tigers just behind Vanderbilt. The Tigers are expected to be one of the best teams in the country in 2019. The team returns most of its core players from last year's team. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nola.com/lsu/2019/01/where-does-lsu-baseball-stand-in-the-preseason-rankings.html | 0.639602 |
Is Marsico 21ST Century Fund (MXXIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Starting with Marsico 21ST Century Fund (MXXIX) should not be a possibility at this time. MXXIX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We classify MXXIX in the Large Cap Growth category, an area rife with potential choices. Large Cap Growth funds invest in many large U.S. companies that are expected to grow much faster compared to other large-cap stocks. To be considered large-cap, companies must have a market cap over $10 billion. History of Fund/Manager Marsico is responsible for MXXIX, and the company is based out of Denver, CO. The Marsico 21ST Century Fund made its debut in February of 2000 and MXXIX has managed to accumulate roughly $225.99 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Brandon Geisler, has been in charge of the fund since October of 2011. Performance Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.17%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 9.14%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of MXXIX over the past three years is 13.36% compared to the category average of 13.01%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 12.86% compared to the category average of 12.62%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment. MXXIX lost 58.48% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 9.64%. This could mean that the fund is a worse choice than comparable funds during a bear market. Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. MXXIX has a 5-year beta of 1.01, which means it is likely to be as volatile as the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -1.07. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. Currently, this mutual fund is holding 95.37% stock in stocks, and these companies have an average market capitalization of $23.71 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Other Services Retail Trade With turnover at about 90%, this fund makes more trades per year than the comparable average. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, MXXIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.21% compared to the category average of 1.05%. MXXIX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100. Bottom Line Overall, Marsico 21ST Century Fund ( MXXIX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Marsico 21ST Century Fund ( MXXIX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. | Marsico 21ST Century Fund (MXXIX) has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) MXXIX has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.17%. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/marsico-21st-century-fund-mxxix-120012336.html | 0.158385 |
Is Marsico 21ST Century Fund (MXXIX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Starting with Marsico 21ST Century Fund (MXXIX) should not be a possibility at this time. MXXIX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We classify MXXIX in the Large Cap Growth category, an area rife with potential choices. Large Cap Growth funds invest in many large U.S. companies that are expected to grow much faster compared to other large-cap stocks. To be considered large-cap, companies must have a market cap over $10 billion. History of Fund/Manager Marsico is responsible for MXXIX, and the company is based out of Denver, CO. The Marsico 21ST Century Fund made its debut in February of 2000 and MXXIX has managed to accumulate roughly $225.99 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Brandon Geisler, has been in charge of the fund since October of 2011. Performance Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.17%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 9.14%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of MXXIX over the past three years is 13.36% compared to the category average of 13.01%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 12.86% compared to the category average of 12.62%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment. MXXIX lost 58.48% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 9.64%. This could mean that the fund is a worse choice than comparable funds during a bear market. Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. MXXIX has a 5-year beta of 1.01, which means it is likely to be as volatile as the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -1.07. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. Currently, this mutual fund is holding 95.37% stock in stocks, and these companies have an average market capitalization of $23.71 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Other Services Retail Trade With turnover at about 90%, this fund makes more trades per year than the comparable average. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, MXXIX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.21% compared to the category average of 1.05%. MXXIX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100. Bottom Line Overall, Marsico 21ST Century Fund ( MXXIX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Marsico 21ST Century Fund ( MXXIX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. | Marsico 21ST Century Fund (MXXIX) has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) MXXIX has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.17%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/marsico-21st-century-fund-mxxix-120012336.html | 0.219859 |
Is USAA World Growth Fund (USAWX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | USAA World Growth Fund (USAWX) is a potential starting point. USAWX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective USAWX is classified in the Global - Equity segment by Zacks, an area full of possibilities. Even though Global - Equity mutual funds invest in bigger markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, these kinds of funds aren't limited by geography. Rather, they offer an investment strategy that utilizes the global economy to provide stable returns. History of Fund/Manager USAA Group is based in San Antonio, TX, and is the manager of USAWX. Since USAA World Growth Fund made its debut in October of 1992, USAWX has garnered more than $1.35 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 4.09%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.2%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of USAWX over the past three years is 10.66% compared to the category average of 10.33%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 11.12% compared to the category average of 10.27%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In the most recent bear market, USAWX lost 47.96% and outperformed its peer group by 4.61%. This could mean that the fund is a better choice than comparable funds during a bear market. Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.94, so it is likely going to be less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -3.58. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, USAWX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.10% compared to the category average of 1.16%. So, USAWX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $3,000, and each subsequent investment should be at least $50. Bottom Line Overall, USAA World Growth Fund ( USAWX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. This could just be the start of your research on USAWXin the Global - Equity category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well for additional information. We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | USAA World Growth Fund (USAWX) is a potential starting point. USAWX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/usaa-world-growth-fund-usawx-120012738.html | 0.159598 |
Is American Century Allocation Cap Growth Investor (TWGTX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Large Cap Growth fund seekers should not consider taking a look at American Century Allocation Cap Growth Investor (TWGTX) at this time. TWGTX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We classify TWGTX in the Large Cap Growth category, an area rife with potential choices. Large Cap Growth funds invest in many large U.S. companies that are expected to grow much faster compared to other large-cap stocks. To be considered large-cap, companies must have a market cap over $10 billion. History of Fund/Manager TWGTX is a part of the American Century family of funds, a company based out of Kansas City, MO. Since American Century Allocation Cap Growth Investor made its debut in November of 1983, TWGTX has garnered more than $981.22 million in assets. Joseph Reiland is the fund's current manager and has held that role since February of 2018. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.5%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 7.14%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 9.89%, the standard deviation of TWGTX over the past three years is 13.08%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 12.6% compared to the category average of 9.76%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In TWGTX's case, the fund lost 51.97% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 3.13%. This could mean that the fund is a worse choice than comparable funds during a bear market. Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.07, so it is likely going to be more volatile than the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. TWGTX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -1.29, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Examining the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is largely on equities that are traded in the United States. As of the last filing date, the mutual fund has 98.27% of its assets in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $308.36 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Retail Trade Non-Durable This fund's turnover is about 44%, so the fund managers are making fewer trades than comparable funds. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, TWGTX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1% compared to the category average of 1.05%. From a cost perspective, TWGTX is actually cheaper than its peers. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $50. Bottom Line Overall, American Century Allocation Cap Growth Investor ( TWGTX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Century Allocation Cap Growth Investor ( TWGTX ) looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | American Century Allocation Cap Growth Investor (TWGTX) has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell) The fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.5%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. TWGTX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -1.29. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/american-century-allocation-cap-growth-120012853.html | 0.191444 |
Is T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced (TRPBX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced (TRPBX) is a possible starting point. TRPBX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective TRPBX is classified in the Allocation Balanced segment by Zacks, which is an area full of possibilities. Here, investors are able to get a good head start with diversified mutual funds, and play around with core holding options for a portfolio of funds. Allocation Balanced funds look to invest across a balance of asset types, like stocks, bonds, and cash, though including precious metals or commodities is not unusual; these funds are mostly categorized by their respective asset allocation. History of Fund/Manager T. Rowe Price is based in Baltimore, MD, and is the manager of TRPBX. T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced made its debut in June of 1994, and since then, TRPBX has accumulated about $2.20 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Charles M. Shriver who has been in charge of the fund since May of 2011. Performance Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 4.82%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 6.19%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of TRPBX over the past three years is 6.89% compared to the category average of 8.13%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 7.01% compared to the category average of 8.16%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In the most recent bear market, TRPBX lost 38.38% and underperformed its peer group by 1.98%. This could mean that the fund is a worse choice than comparable funds during a bear market. Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. TRPBX has a 5-year beta of 0.59, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -0.49. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, TRPBX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.55% compared to the category average of 0.88%. From a cost perspective, TRPBX is actually cheaper than its peers. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced ( TRPBX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced ( TRPBX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now. Don't stop here for your research on Allocation Balanced funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare TRPBX to its peers as well for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced (TRPBX) is a possible starting point. TRPBX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold) The fund is currently managed by Charles M. Shriver. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/t-rowe-price-personal-strategy-120012488.html | 0.1686 |
Is T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced (TRPBX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced (TRPBX) is a possible starting point. TRPBX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective TRPBX is classified in the Allocation Balanced segment by Zacks, which is an area full of possibilities. Here, investors are able to get a good head start with diversified mutual funds, and play around with core holding options for a portfolio of funds. Allocation Balanced funds look to invest across a balance of asset types, like stocks, bonds, and cash, though including precious metals or commodities is not unusual; these funds are mostly categorized by their respective asset allocation. History of Fund/Manager T. Rowe Price is based in Baltimore, MD, and is the manager of TRPBX. T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced made its debut in June of 1994, and since then, TRPBX has accumulated about $2.20 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Charles M. Shriver who has been in charge of the fund since May of 2011. Performance Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 4.82%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 6.19%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of TRPBX over the past three years is 6.89% compared to the category average of 8.13%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 7.01% compared to the category average of 8.16%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In the most recent bear market, TRPBX lost 38.38% and underperformed its peer group by 1.98%. This could mean that the fund is a worse choice than comparable funds during a bear market. Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. TRPBX has a 5-year beta of 0.59, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -0.49. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, TRPBX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.55% compared to the category average of 0.88%. From a cost perspective, TRPBX is actually cheaper than its peers. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced ( TRPBX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced ( TRPBX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now. Don't stop here for your research on Allocation Balanced funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare TRPBX to its peers as well for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | T. Rowe Price Personal Strategy Balanced (TRPBX) is a possible starting point. TRPBX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors. The fund is currently managed by Charles M. Shriver who has been in charge of the fund since May of 2011. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/t-rowe-price-personal-strategy-120012488.html | 0.190961 |
Did a fan shine a laser pointer in Tom Brady's face during the AFC Championship Game? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com The crowd at Arrowhead Stadium is known to get rowdy, but one fan may have crossed the line during Sunday night's AFC Championship Game. Scroll to continue with content Ad KMBC reporter William Joy shared videos of what appears to be a laser being shined in Tom Brady's face during multiple plays. Watch below. . . Our photographer, Turner Twyman, caught someone pointing what appears to be a laser pointer in Tom Brady's face last night. Play between the "muff" that wasn't and Sorensen int. @NFL, @Patriots and @Chiefs all told me they weren't aware of the incident. pic.twitter.com/ejWBQ6i64C William Joy (@WilliamKMBC) January 21, 2019 It happened one other time that we've seen on a pass to Hogan. You be the judge. If so, they failed. Story continues In vintage Brady fashion, the Patriots quarterback led New England late in the fourth quarter and then in overtime with a 75-yard touchdown drive to advance to his ninth Super Bowl. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | A fan may have crossed the line during Sunday night's AFC Championship Game. KMBC reporter William Joy shared videos of what appears to be a laser being shined in Tom Brady's face during multiple plays. | bart | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-fan-shine-laser-pointer-232154926.html?src=rss | 0.195491 |
Did a fan shine a laser pointer in Tom Brady's face during the AFC Championship Game? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com The crowd at Arrowhead Stadium is known to get rowdy, but one fan may have crossed the line during Sunday night's AFC Championship Game. Scroll to continue with content Ad KMBC reporter William Joy shared videos of what appears to be a laser being shined in Tom Brady's face during multiple plays. Watch below. . . Our photographer, Turner Twyman, caught someone pointing what appears to be a laser pointer in Tom Brady's face last night. Play between the "muff" that wasn't and Sorensen int. @NFL, @Patriots and @Chiefs all told me they weren't aware of the incident. pic.twitter.com/ejWBQ6i64C William Joy (@WilliamKMBC) January 21, 2019 It happened one other time that we've seen on a pass to Hogan. You be the judge. If so, they failed. Story continues In vintage Brady fashion, the Patriots quarterback led New England late in the fourth quarter and then in overtime with a 75-yard touchdown drive to advance to his ninth Super Bowl. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | A fan may have crossed the line during Sunday night's AFC Championship Game. KMBC reporter William Joy shared videos of what appears to be a laser being shined in Tom Brady's face. The Patriots quarterback led New England late in the fourth quarter and then in overtime with a 75-yard touchdown drive. | bart | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-fan-shine-laser-pointer-232154926.html?src=rss | 0.226559 |
Can Tencent Music Stock Bounce Back in 2019? | One of last year's more disappointing IPOs was Tencent Music Entertainment (NYSE: TME), but China's leading streaming music service is starting to make waves. The stock that has been a broken IPO since its third day of trading -- falling below last month's initial $13 price tag -- roared back with its biggest daily gain on Friday. A few analysts initiating bullish calls on the stock last week may be helping, but Chinese growth stocks bouncing back into fancy is the real driver. Investors are starting to get into a good groove with the streaming giant that controls roughly 75% of China's music streaming consumption. The key now is building on Friday's hearty 11% gain. A young woman listening to music on white-and-pink headphones. More Image source: Getty Images. Pumping up the volume A number of major Wall Street pros kicked off their coverage of Tencent Music Entertainment last week. HSBC initiated coverage with a buy rating and a $16 price target. Alex Yao at JPMorgan is also going with a $16 price goal. He is tagging the shares with an overweight call. He sees Tencent Music Entertainment as one of his coverage universe's most sustainable growth names. KeyBanc analyst Hans Chung has a more ambitious $19 price target, and naturally an overweight rating. Piyush Mubayi at Goldman Sachs initiated with a buy call and a target price of $18.20. Not all of the new calls were bullish, however. Hanjoon Kim at Deutsche Bank and John Egbert at Stifel are initiating neutral hold ratings on the stock with price targets of $14.50 and $14, respectively. It's important not to read too much into last week's six initiations. All of the analysts served as underwriters for last month's IPO. The shares spent most of last week hovering near its IPO price, so it would be a shock if they weren't all bullish or at least neutral. They just convinced some of their best clients to load up on the stock at $13 in last month's IPO, and they're not going to turn on the stock as long as the fundamentals remain intact. Tencent Music Entertainment is in a good place. The timing of its IPO certainly could've been better, but the fundamentals have all the traits of a market darling. The company operates all four of China's most popular streaming music apps. It draws an audience of more than 800 million unique monthly active users across all of its platforms, and listeners are pretty loyal. The average daily active user spends 70 minutes streaming. Music streaming isn't as compelling to investors as video. It's harder to stand out with differentiated content, the one thing that tends to set the video platforms apart. However, Tencent Music Entertainment isn't a slow grower despite dominating its niche. Revenue soared nearly 84% through the first nine months of last year with profitability more than tripling in that time. Chung at KeyBanc feels that it's still early in Tencent Music Entertainment's growth story. He sees revenue potentially soaring sixfold a decade from now and margins expanding as it's able to use its market leadership to negotiate more lucrative label deals and improve the monetization of its industry-leading usage. Tencent Music Entertainment deserves better than last month's chilly market reception, especially since it's generating less than a third of its revenue directly from its music services. The lion's share of the high-margin revenue is coming from social entertainment services, led primarily by the virtual gifts that users can bestow musical acts and other active users. Wall Street and Tencent Music Entertainment got off on the wrong foot last month, but now it seems as if the two are finally playing in the same key. More From The Motley Fool Rick Munarriz owns shares of Tencent Music Entertainment Group. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | China's leading streaming music service Tencent Music Entertainment is starting to make waves. The stock roared back with its biggest daily gain on Friday. A few analysts initiating bullish calls on the stock last week may be helping, but Chinese growth stocks bouncing back into fancy is the real driver. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/tencent-music-stock-bounce-back-140500878.html | 0.102243 |
Could Russell Wilson and the Seahawks consider the uncommon contract path of Tom Brady? | Maybe, but it's hard to think they'd be this consistently excellent. Ive heard it talked about some. And Im sure its been thought about often. By fans. By the Seahawks. By the quarterback himself. Serious question. But complicated, too. If you havent noticed, a QBs paycheck can barely fit in the bank these days. Aaron Rodgers averages $33.5 million annually, Matt Ryan makes $30 million and Kirk Cousins $28 million. Given that Wilson, 30, just had another great season and owns the second-best passer rating ever (behind Rodgers), he might end up receiving a $35 million-a-year extension offer before the season begins. Seeing that its nearly impossible to compete for a championship without an elite quarterback, yeah, it is probably. Business Insider recently estimated that Tom Brady has given up about $60 million over his career so that the Patriots can fill their needs in other areas on the roster. Now, hes about to play in his ninth Super Bowl after his 16th 10-win season. Maybe, but its hard to think theyd be this consistently excellent. And seeing how Brady still has earned more than $200 million over his career, its hard to think hes missing the money when hes considered the best to ever play. (That and the fact that his wife is the breadwinner.) But just because Brady made a decision doesnt mean Wilson or any other player should follow suit. Football is the most violent team sport in the world, and can snatch up a career with one big hit. This is why Earl Thomas sat out of training camp and complained about not getting an extension offer before breaking his leg in Week 4. This is why Kam Chancellor, however irrationally, sat out the first two games of the 2015 season. Regardless of profession, regardless of pay scale, you cant begrudge someone for getting every penny of what theyre worth. Even if its a ridiculous figure like $35 million, its still $35 million that they earned. Still, its worth pointing out a recent Washington Post article, which showed that the six highest paid quarterbacks in the league all missed the playoffs this year. Theres nuance to this, as one of those QBs was the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, and the seventh-highest paid was Drew Brees, whose Saints had the best regular season in the NFL. But the data cant be dismissed outright. The dream scenario for most GMs is a stud quarterback on a rookie contract. You can build around those guys with particularly shiny objects. The Eagles won a Super Bowl last year with second-year QB Carson Wentz behind center most the season, and the Rams and Chiefs are set up nicely with Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes. Of course, that doesnt mean you cant win big games after shelling out big bucks for a quarterback. The Broncos were one of the best teams in football after signing Peyton Manning, and won a Super Bowl against the Panthers after Cam Newton was extended. You need a top-tier QB in this league to win, and the Seahawks need to keep Wilson. No one is questioning that. And if Wilson does sign a $35 million deal, he shouldnt hear a cry of criticism even if hes in the midst of an $87 million contract right now. Just know that, from Frank Clark to Bobby Wagner, there are some expensive pieces the Seahawks need to hold on to in order to stay competitive. If they cant pay the guys they want to, Pete Carroll and John Schneider basically have to nail the draft. Sure. Definitely. I dont think its ones place to say how another man should handle money. Whether its Wilson or any other athlete, entertainer or entrepreneur its that persons life and that persons family. Plus, you dont want to create a scenario where future quarterbacks feel pressure to take less for fear of looking selfish. Its interesting to think about, though. Brady is a couple weeks away from trying to win his sixth Super Bowl for a team that made 13 AFC championship games in 18 years. Ridiculous. But while some would argue that Bradys right arm has been the Patriots most valuable asset, it might actually be his right hand. You know, the one that signs the contracts. | Russell Wilson might get a $35 million-a-year extension offer before the season begins. Brady has given up about $60 million over his career so that the Patriots can fill their needs. But just because Brady made a decision doesn't mean Wilson or any other player should follow suit. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/calkins-column-on-wilson-contract/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 0.104539 |
How Is Blockchain And Artificial Intelligence Changing The Face Of Asset Management? | Asset management has a rich and traditional past that has helped build many people's fortunes over the years; many of the worlds uber-rich have their backgrounds in hedge funds and other forms of smart asset management. However, like everything at this juncture in time, there is a change in the wind and asset management is not immune. The access to funds, and investing opportunities have been opened up and become more inclusive. But with that, there has been a demand for better performance or lower fees from this new breed of investor. Large mutual funds were used to getting away with charging annual fees of 2-4 percent, despite average or poor performance as they had the backing of an institutionalised elite. Nowadays, those that are looking to participate in the market have moved en masse away from these types of investments and instead focused on very low fee, index-based, managers. The demand increase for these types of funds and management has caused intense competition to develop as there is far more option and ease when it comes shifting money and investments around. For this reason, asset management has had to start looking forward rather than languishing on its stuffy past. Big Data, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence are all tools that are starting to find their feet in the asset management market as different companies and managers look to utilise these different burgeoning technologies to give themselves a competitive edge. Successful asset management services are reliant on vast amounts of data, so it immediately makes sense that the science behind Big Data and the analytical power that comes with it be pointed towards asset management. More so, Big Data is fuel for AI and as such, it can not only provide descriptive market insights but can also recommend prescriptive actions for future to maximise return on investment based on proper data fed to it. Then there is Blockchain which is also starting to show its collaborative powers within data services and its affiliation with these other technologies, such as AI and IoT. Thus, the tokenisation and distributed ledger that blockchain offers makes complete sense in this financial space of asset management. Understanding the need to evolve Asset, or wealth, management is a term that was first seen in 1933, and since then it has been slowly evolving and changing - but always looking to deliver the same outcome for customers. Asset management has also grown in recent times where major banks and financial institutions have come in to offer services while hedge funds are also playing a huge role. But, the capitalist and elite nature of this investing ecosystem has always been quite exclusionary and closed-minded, a standpoint which is no longer so freely accepted. The general global trend has become far more inclusionary regardless of the sector, but especially when it comes to wealth and access to money. Edgar Radjabli, the Managing Partner of Apis Capital Management, an asset management company that is utilising blockchain and AI in their services, explains how things are changing, out of necessity. Traditional asset management is changing because investors are demanding better performance or lower fees, explains Radjabli. In the past, large mutual funds could get away with charging annual fees of 2-4%, yet continued to underperform the market. As a result, for those that are looking to simply participate in the market, they have moved in masses away from these types of investments and focused on very low fee, index-based managers. That being said, higher net worth investors who can invest in hedge funds are looking for funds that significantly and consistently outperform the market. To do so, those asset managers need to develop strategies that are more advanced than ever, and that is where AI comes in. In the past, asset managers would create strategies from backtested data and let them run, hoping that what worked in the past will continue to work. Alternatively, they rely too much on discretionary trading, lacking a clear and consistent direction and making them prone to human mistakes and breakdown in discipline or risk management. The demands of the investor, be they participatory first-timers or even hardened veterans throwing large sums of money around, have certainly gotten higher. The result are sought, and those results are just not coming from traditional methods, but the reliance on new technologies is helping. Radjabli adds how blockchain is also playing its part: Blockchain technology also offers the opportunity for asset managers to implement innovative administrative protocols. Typically, asset managers use a third party administrator to record ownership of shares or LP interests by investors. This can make it difficult to administer huge numbers of shareholders. Blockchain technology allows this because all ownership is registered by an immutable, independent and permanent ledger. Also, blockchain protocols like Stellar allow an investor to hold multiple Asset Tokens in one account. So they could easily be invested in a hedge fund like Apis, a piece of real estate in NYC, a gold mine, and a startup company. Until now, this was not possible because all of those investments would be administered separately. Moving with the times It is not only Radjabli and Apis that are seeing this, but companies on the scale of IBM have also started dipping into new technology to aid in asset management offerings. IBM have recently introduced the Maximo Network on blockchain, a product designed to complement the industry leading asset management capabilities already offered by Maximo (an Enterprise Asset Management tool that lets an individual maintain all asset types, check their health in real time and streamline global operations, from procurement to contract management - this is also done utilising IoT) IBM state their reasons why blockchain specifically can enhance asset management. Firstly, they believe it enables open collaboration, creates asset and transaction transparency and finally, enforces consistency. This is also backed up by Radjabli, who identifies much of blockchains power, regardless of sector, when it comes to simplifying and making operations more efficient. He also touches on the power that AI has in helping with creating investing strategies that are dynamic. Blockchain is perfectly suited for asset management to simplify administration and reduce costs, as well as provide innovative asset structures that maximise investor returns. AI provides the opportunity to build "evolving strategies" which consistently read and digest new market data, Radjabli adds. Still work to be done. Of course, like most other sectors that are looking to utilise and implement new and emerging technologies, there is still a long way to go in making them the industry standard, but it is clear that the likes of AI and blockchain have a place in this industry. There have already been attempts to upgrade and advance the asset management industry, but in comparison to what AI and blockchain can offer, these advancements seem a little superficial and quite specialised. There has been a rise in so-called robo-advisors which are attempting to automate the investing process. These robo-advisors are based on Modern Portfolio Theory and the Efficient Market Hypothesis and use a method to determine exactly how to invest on your behalf. While there are often times when these automated investors are successful, they are not an all-encompassing answer and appear to be more of a stop-gap while right technologies acclimatise to the asset management market. Robo advisors are not really AI or blockchain, says Radjabli. While they have a great place as a cheap automated way to invest in the broad stock market, and certainly are better than mutual funds, they do not provide any long term performance benefits. The more interesting implementation of AI, specifically machine learning, is for innovative asset managers who are building evolving strategies that learn to adapt to the market, and generate better long term returns than "pre-packaged" strategies that are just based on back-tested data or traditional economics. A tokenised future Another benefit of blockchain that perhaps is still also a long way off is the tokenisation of assets. Already we are seeing instances where traditional investment assets are being tokenised on the blockchain to make the management of these assets far more accessible and efficient. There is no doubt that tokenisation will come more and more into play in the financial sector, including investing and asset management, once the regulatory standpoint has been found. Radjabli agrees with the above, adding that those who use the other benefits of emerging technology along with the tokenisation will be able to offer the most attractive options to investors. The future of Asset Management will move towards investments being offered as Asset Tokens, rather than being administered by specialised administrators on their own ledgers (although the administrators will not go away, they will adapt their systems to use blockchain). The future of high performing hedge funds inevitable will favour those that incorporate AI and machine learning to build "evolving strategies' that learn from the present and will outperform traditional buy and hold or passive investing, he concludes. | Big Data and Artificial Intelligence are starting to find their feet in the asset management market as different companies and managers look to utilise these different technologies to give themselves a competitive edge. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrynpollock/2019/01/22/how-is-blockchain-and-artificial-intelligence-changing-the-face-of-asset-management/ | 0.12414 |
How Is Blockchain And Artificial Intelligence Changing The Face Of Asset Management? | Asset management has a rich and traditional past that has helped build many people's fortunes over the years; many of the worlds uber-rich have their backgrounds in hedge funds and other forms of smart asset management. However, like everything at this juncture in time, there is a change in the wind and asset management is not immune. The access to funds, and investing opportunities have been opened up and become more inclusive. But with that, there has been a demand for better performance or lower fees from this new breed of investor. Large mutual funds were used to getting away with charging annual fees of 2-4 percent, despite average or poor performance as they had the backing of an institutionalised elite. Nowadays, those that are looking to participate in the market have moved en masse away from these types of investments and instead focused on very low fee, index-based, managers. The demand increase for these types of funds and management has caused intense competition to develop as there is far more option and ease when it comes shifting money and investments around. For this reason, asset management has had to start looking forward rather than languishing on its stuffy past. Big Data, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence are all tools that are starting to find their feet in the asset management market as different companies and managers look to utilise these different burgeoning technologies to give themselves a competitive edge. Successful asset management services are reliant on vast amounts of data, so it immediately makes sense that the science behind Big Data and the analytical power that comes with it be pointed towards asset management. More so, Big Data is fuel for AI and as such, it can not only provide descriptive market insights but can also recommend prescriptive actions for future to maximise return on investment based on proper data fed to it. Then there is Blockchain which is also starting to show its collaborative powers within data services and its affiliation with these other technologies, such as AI and IoT. Thus, the tokenisation and distributed ledger that blockchain offers makes complete sense in this financial space of asset management. Understanding the need to evolve Asset, or wealth, management is a term that was first seen in 1933, and since then it has been slowly evolving and changing - but always looking to deliver the same outcome for customers. Asset management has also grown in recent times where major banks and financial institutions have come in to offer services while hedge funds are also playing a huge role. But, the capitalist and elite nature of this investing ecosystem has always been quite exclusionary and closed-minded, a standpoint which is no longer so freely accepted. The general global trend has become far more inclusionary regardless of the sector, but especially when it comes to wealth and access to money. Edgar Radjabli, the Managing Partner of Apis Capital Management, an asset management company that is utilising blockchain and AI in their services, explains how things are changing, out of necessity. Traditional asset management is changing because investors are demanding better performance or lower fees, explains Radjabli. In the past, large mutual funds could get away with charging annual fees of 2-4%, yet continued to underperform the market. As a result, for those that are looking to simply participate in the market, they have moved in masses away from these types of investments and focused on very low fee, index-based managers. That being said, higher net worth investors who can invest in hedge funds are looking for funds that significantly and consistently outperform the market. To do so, those asset managers need to develop strategies that are more advanced than ever, and that is where AI comes in. In the past, asset managers would create strategies from backtested data and let them run, hoping that what worked in the past will continue to work. Alternatively, they rely too much on discretionary trading, lacking a clear and consistent direction and making them prone to human mistakes and breakdown in discipline or risk management. The demands of the investor, be they participatory first-timers or even hardened veterans throwing large sums of money around, have certainly gotten higher. The result are sought, and those results are just not coming from traditional methods, but the reliance on new technologies is helping. Radjabli adds how blockchain is also playing its part: Blockchain technology also offers the opportunity for asset managers to implement innovative administrative protocols. Typically, asset managers use a third party administrator to record ownership of shares or LP interests by investors. This can make it difficult to administer huge numbers of shareholders. Blockchain technology allows this because all ownership is registered by an immutable, independent and permanent ledger. Also, blockchain protocols like Stellar allow an investor to hold multiple Asset Tokens in one account. So they could easily be invested in a hedge fund like Apis, a piece of real estate in NYC, a gold mine, and a startup company. Until now, this was not possible because all of those investments would be administered separately. Moving with the times It is not only Radjabli and Apis that are seeing this, but companies on the scale of IBM have also started dipping into new technology to aid in asset management offerings. IBM have recently introduced the Maximo Network on blockchain, a product designed to complement the industry leading asset management capabilities already offered by Maximo (an Enterprise Asset Management tool that lets an individual maintain all asset types, check their health in real time and streamline global operations, from procurement to contract management - this is also done utilising IoT) IBM state their reasons why blockchain specifically can enhance asset management. Firstly, they believe it enables open collaboration, creates asset and transaction transparency and finally, enforces consistency. This is also backed up by Radjabli, who identifies much of blockchains power, regardless of sector, when it comes to simplifying and making operations more efficient. He also touches on the power that AI has in helping with creating investing strategies that are dynamic. Blockchain is perfectly suited for asset management to simplify administration and reduce costs, as well as provide innovative asset structures that maximise investor returns. AI provides the opportunity to build "evolving strategies" which consistently read and digest new market data, Radjabli adds. Still work to be done. Of course, like most other sectors that are looking to utilise and implement new and emerging technologies, there is still a long way to go in making them the industry standard, but it is clear that the likes of AI and blockchain have a place in this industry. There have already been attempts to upgrade and advance the asset management industry, but in comparison to what AI and blockchain can offer, these advancements seem a little superficial and quite specialised. There has been a rise in so-called robo-advisors which are attempting to automate the investing process. These robo-advisors are based on Modern Portfolio Theory and the Efficient Market Hypothesis and use a method to determine exactly how to invest on your behalf. While there are often times when these automated investors are successful, they are not an all-encompassing answer and appear to be more of a stop-gap while right technologies acclimatise to the asset management market. Robo advisors are not really AI or blockchain, says Radjabli. While they have a great place as a cheap automated way to invest in the broad stock market, and certainly are better than mutual funds, they do not provide any long term performance benefits. The more interesting implementation of AI, specifically machine learning, is for innovative asset managers who are building evolving strategies that learn to adapt to the market, and generate better long term returns than "pre-packaged" strategies that are just based on back-tested data or traditional economics. A tokenised future Another benefit of blockchain that perhaps is still also a long way off is the tokenisation of assets. Already we are seeing instances where traditional investment assets are being tokenised on the blockchain to make the management of these assets far more accessible and efficient. There is no doubt that tokenisation will come more and more into play in the financial sector, including investing and asset management, once the regulatory standpoint has been found. Radjabli agrees with the above, adding that those who use the other benefits of emerging technology along with the tokenisation will be able to offer the most attractive options to investors. The future of Asset Management will move towards investments being offered as Asset Tokens, rather than being administered by specialised administrators on their own ledgers (although the administrators will not go away, they will adapt their systems to use blockchain). The future of high performing hedge funds inevitable will favour those that incorporate AI and machine learning to build "evolving strategies' that learn from the present and will outperform traditional buy and hold or passive investing, he concludes. | Big Data, AI and blockchain are starting to find their feet in the asset management market. Investors are demanding better performance or lower fees from this new breed of investor. Asset management has had to start looking forward rather than languishing on its stuffy past. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrynpollock/2019/01/22/how-is-blockchain-and-artificial-intelligence-changing-the-face-of-asset-management/ | 0.174999 |
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