Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. After bad end to last week, stock futures see slight improvement The stock market showed hints of improvement on Monday. Emerging after last week’s freefall, investors questioned if last week’s selloff had gone far enough to price in concerns about rising rates and slowing growth. Gas prices ease a… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Jan. 6 hearing continues to dominate headlines Politico has provided a summary of the second hearing, which took place on Monday. It can be found here. Recession fears loom after Wall Street plunge The S&P 500 sunk more than 20% below its record low on Monday, falling firmly into… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Price of gas rises yet again The national average gas price is now $4.87, with 10 states sitting at over $5 a gallon. Many more states are just pennies away, and costs are expected to rise further over the summer. Elon Musk threatens to walk away from Twitter deal… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Market rally extends gains Coming off promising increases at the end of last week, Dow Jones futures rose recently, snapping a weeks-long losing streak. Biden meets with Powell amid rising inflation rates President Joe Biden met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Oval office on Tuesday to… Read more
US Weekly Digest – May 25, 2022 Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. President’s comments signal change from strategic ambiguity policy with China During a visit to Tokyo, President Biden said that the US would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan. Starbucks follows McDonald’s out of Russia for good The coffee chain announced… Read more
US Weekly Digest – May 18, 2022 Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Gas prices of $5/gallon could become the norm The price of gas hit a new record high on Monday, reaching $4.48/gallon. Prices have increased 40 cents in a month, and are now 27% higher than they were the day before Russia invaded… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Americans rapidly taking on debt Consumer debt levels climbed by $52.4 billion in March, according to Federal Reserve data released Friday. Pent-up spending after lockdown and consumers turning to credit cards to cover rising cost of living are likely factors, says credit analyst. Feds increase interest rates by 0.50%… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. US GDP falls The US GDP fell 1.4% in the first quarter, the first time the economy has shrunk since early in the pandemic. S&P 500 drops more than 13% The S&P 500 had its worst four-month start to a year since 1939, falling more than 13%… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Government Sees Strong GDP Growth in 2022 While the government sees more risks to the economy in the months ahead due to rising prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it still expects healthy GDP growth in 2022. This comes after the International Monetary Fund estimated that the US will… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. CDC Removes All Countries from COVID “Do Not Travel” List The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed all countries from its “Do Not Travel” recommendations. The highest Level 4 designation will now be reserved for “special circumstances” reflecting a dangerous spike in COVID-19 cases, a new… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Consumer Prices Rose 8.5% in March Headline CPI in March rose by 8.5% from a year ago, representing the fastest annual gain since December 1981 and one-tenth of a percentage point above the Dow Jones estimate of 8.4%. The increase in food, energy, and shelter costs contributed to the… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Fourth COVID-19 Booster Shot Experts and health officials are recommending a fourth shot of a COVID-19 vaccine to protect vulnerable groups such as older adults and immunocompromised individuals. This decision comes as BA.2, a highly transmissible version of the coronavirus, accounts for as much as 70% of US infections.… Read more
One of the most puzzling side effects of COVID-19 is a syndrome called “covid brain,” which is characterized by sluggish thinking and memory problems. Neuroscientists have begun identifying commonalities between covid brain, chemo brain, and Alzheimer’s disease. So far, the studies are small and do not indicate avenues for treatment. However, the studies confirm the seriousness of the brain effects of infections and provide hope that treatments may be developed… Read more
While the omicron variant surge is subsiding, researchers are keeping a close eye on a subvariant known as BA.2. This variant is more transmissible, but its rapid spread overseas also coincides with a drop in protection measures in Europe and low rates of effective immunization in Hong Kong. However, in the US, this variant may not result in a new surge because vaccines and boosters plus antibodies from previous infections… Read more
After two years of pandemic disruptions, many of us have developed unhealthy habits and may need a reboot. Data from Nielsen shows that sales of alcohol are higher now than before the pandemic, while fitness trackers show that people are on the average taking fewer steps. In another study, volunteer participants gained about 1.5 pounds per month. Rebooting your habits can begin with something as simple as setting up time… Read more
One of the odd tell-tale symptoms of COVID-19 is the abrupt loss of sense of smell reported by many patients. Researchers have recently uncovered the mechanism behind this loss. While the COVID-19 virus does not infect the nerve cells in the nose that detect and transmit information about odors to the brain, it does infect supporting cells in the nose. The subsequent inflammation wreaks havoc on the smell receptors and… Read more