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This article was written byFollowUttam is a growth-oriented investment analyst whose equity research primarily focuses on the technology sector. Semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud software are some of the key sectors that are regularly researched and published by him. His research also focuses on other areas such as MedTech, Defense Tech, and Renewable Energy. In addition, Uttam also authors The Pragmatic Optimist Newsletter along with his wife, Amrita Roy, who is also an author on the newsletter as well as on this platform. Their newsletter gets regularly cited by leading publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, etc. Prior…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the worldThe Trump administration plans to retain only a few hundred employees from the US Agency for International Development’s staff of thousands, according to four people familiar with the matter.Agency leaders were briefed on the plans on Thursday after notifying staff this week that most of them would be placed on leave and ordered home from overseas postings within 30 days, according to the people. The lay-offs are the latest blow to the agency that has been targeted by President Donald Trump…

Medicare Advantage prior authorizations have few friends. Doctors hate them. Patients hate them. Politicians say they hate them and introduce bills to curb them. But how onerous are they really? Less than many people think. But they still create opportunities for insurance companies to maximize profits at the expense of needed care. And they can be improved. Prior authorizations are the way MA managed care plans pre-approve some procedures before they’ll pay for them. Typically, these are for costly care such as rehab at a skilled nursing facility, inpatient hospital stays, or expensive drugs. Or maybe you have to wait…

Mortgage rates moved slightly lower this week, but long-term rates remain elevated in the upper-6% range. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage edged down to 6.89% from last week’s reading of 6.95%. The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.64% a year ago. “Mortgage rates have been stable over the last month and incoming data suggest the economy remains on firm footing,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Even though rates are higher compared to last year, the last two weeks of purchase applications…

This article was written byFollowSeeking Alpha’s transcripts team is responsible for the development of all of our transcript-related projects. We currently publish thousands of quarterly earnings calls per quarter on our site and are continuing to grow and expand our coverage. The purpose of this profile is to allow us to share with our readers new transcript-related developments. Thanks, SA Transcripts Team Read the full article here

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the worldLast month was the hottest January on record, surprising scientists who expected the cooling La Niña weather cycle in the tropical Pacific to slow almost two years of record-high temperatures.January ranked as the third hottest month globally on record, with a surface air temperature of 13.23C — 1.75C above the pre-industrial average — according to the Copernicus Climate Change service, the EU’s Earth observation agency. The warming, despite the emergence of La Niña in December, is set to fuel concerns that climate…

Combining annuities with IRAs or 401(k)s can be powerful. Annuities offer principal protection and guaranteed lifetime income. But often people don’t even consider the combination because of widespread misinformation and confusion. Some people say that an IRA isn’t allowed to hold an annuity. That’s not true. The tax code allows most types of annuities to be held in both traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. Annuities also can be held in 401(k)s. In the SECURE Act, enacted in 2019, and the SECURE Act 2.0, enacted in 2022, Congress changed the rules to make it easier for employers to offer annuities in…

This article was written byFollowSeeking Alpha’s transcripts team is responsible for the development of all of our transcript-related projects. We currently publish thousands of quarterly earnings calls per quarter on our site and are continuing to grow and expand our coverage. The purpose of this profile is to allow us to share with our readers new transcript-related developments. Thanks, SA Transcripts Team Read the full article here

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.One of the more irritating things about artificial intelligence bots such as ChatGPT is how reluctant they are to say “I don’t know”. A similar inability to speak plainly plagues the wider technology world. Recently, it cost Google parent Alphabet $200bn.That was roughly the sum wiped from the search-engine giant’s market capitalisation on Tuesday after it announced planned capital expenditure of $75bn this year.The amount is 50 per cent more than what the company spent last year, an increase explained by the…

I have been following Sahil Bloom through his bi-weekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle. I consider him to be one of the smartest thought leaders in the field of personal growth and development. He offers action oriented practical wisdom. Bloom’s book, The Five Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life, has just launched and I had the opportunity to interview him on my podcast “Becoming a Sage.” Though his book offers value for people of any age, our discussion for my podcast naturally focused on advice for people approaching retirement or who are retired. Bloom’s book involves…