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This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 – also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19. isolated from a patient in the US oozing from the surface of cells cultured in the laboratory.

Source: NIAID-RML

Even if the number of global Covid-19 infections declines worldwide, leading US health officials are warning of an impending wave of infections as new, more contagious, and potentially deadly variants of the virus emerge in the US

Scientists are not surprised by the emergence of the new variants and have repeated that the vaccines currently available should continue to work against them – albeit slightly less effective than against the original “wild” strain. However, US health officials and infectious disease experts fear that these highly contagious variants, particularly strain B.1.1.7 found in the UK, could reverse the current downward trend in infections in the US and delay the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

“I think we should assume that the next wave of case growth, as far as we have it, will happen with B.1.1.7 and I think everyone needs to be even more careful.” Andy Slavitt, Senior Advisor to the White House Covid-19, told MSNBC last week. “It’s nice to see the number of cases go down, but it could be misleading.”

Why viruses mutate

As the coronavirus spreads, it makes large numbers of copies of itself, and each version is a little different from the previous one, experts say. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, has had many ways to spread and replicate. The more people become infected, the more likely it is that problematic mutations will occur.

The three main “worrying variants” that US officials are on the verge of were first identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. The B.1.1.7 variant, first found in the UK, is rapidly reproducing in the US and is expected to become the dominant strain in the country by March, according to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January.

By mutating, the virus is simply trying to “get to the next host and get more out of itself,” said Dr. Adam Lauring, an infectious disease expert at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, in an interview with the JAMA network on Feb.4. Like other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 tends to mutate more slowly than other viruses like the flu because it contains a “proofreading” enzyme that will fix some of the changes when it replicates.

In other cases, “escape mutations” allow the virus to adapt to “selective pressures”. This is the case when the virus encounters a population that already has some level of immunity to the virus – whether through prior infection, vaccination, or antibody treatment – which limits its viruses’ ability to spread, but does not to stop.

“You can imagine trying new solutions,” said Lauring. “Either that mutation will make you a better virus or a worse one, and then you have choice. Survival of the fittest because there is no better term.”

Research shows that more worrisome virus mutations could come from people with compromised immune systems as it takes their bodies longer to respond to and clear the virus, giving it more time to figure us out and mutate, said Dr. Dennis Burton, the Scripps Research Institute Chair of Immunology and Microbiology.

“If someone has the virus and clears it up in a couple of days, you have little chance of mutating,” Burton told CNBC in a phone interview. “But if someone has the virus, like an immunocompromised person, and they harbor the virus for weeks, then it will have a lot more chance of mutating.”

Why some are worse than others

Few variants become a public health problem, according to infectious disease experts. These variants are usually easier to spread, cause more serious illnesses in infected people, or elude some protection against vaccines and antibodies.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told JAMA on Wednesday that variant B.1.1.7 is considered to be about 50% more transmissible and early data suggests it could be up to 50% more virulent or deadly.

There is also evidence that people infected with previous strains of the virus could be re-infected with variant B.1.351 found in South Africa, Walensky wrote in a JAMA position with White House Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s Covid Incident Manager.

SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus, a large family of viruses called “because of the crown-like tips on their surfaces”, according to the CDC. Researchers monitor these spikes, or the S protein, for mutations as they can allow the virus to attach to cells more easily or increase the amount of virus a person gives off.

The S protein has what is known as a “receptor binding domain” that acts like “the hand of the tip” and captures what is known as the ACE2 receptor on human cells, said Dr. Daniel Griffin, Head of Infectious Diseases at ProHEALTH CNBC.

Changes to the S protein could be an issue as these spikes were aimed at neutralizing antibodies that fight Covid-19 and are generated through natural infection or vaccination, Griffin said. They could also affect the performance of monoclonal antibody therapies, which prevent people from developing serious diseases.

For example, variant B.1.1.7, identified for the first time in Great Britain, has several different mutations according to the CDC. One of the key mutations, N501Y, is an alteration in the spike protein that scientists believe helps the virus attach to cells more easily.

The same key N501Y mutation evolved separately in the B.1.351 variant identified in South Africa and the P.1 variant found in Brazil. Both strains have also developed another mutation in their spike proteins known as E484K.

The CDC warns that this mutation, now identified in some B.1.1.7 cases, may be resistant to antibody drug therapies, and early studies show that it may reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines.

“This is the one that really worries me,” Griffin told CNBC, referring to the E484K mutation.

What this means for vaccines

Although the vaccines against the variants have still been shown to be effective, there is concern that the B.1.351 strain may present some challenges.

Large clinical trials by Johnson & Johnson and Novavax reported that their vaccines had penetrated in late January Effectiveness in tests in South Africa. Novavax said its vaccine was only 49% effective among 49 Covid-19 cases in South Africa, and J&J said its vaccine was 57% effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19.

World Health Organization vaccination director Kate O’Brien said Thursday that these results don’t offer much certainty as the number of cases in the South African studies has been small.

“We are still in the early stages of interpreting the evidence and again the most important thing is to get more information about what is actually happening in relation to diseases,” O’Brien said at a news conference. “In general, we see that the vaccines retain their effectiveness against disease, albeit at a lower level in environments without the prevalent variants.”

Pfizer and Moderna

Clinical studies from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were conducted before the variants emerged. Scientists have therefore carried out laboratory tests to determine how well blood samples from people who have already been vaccinated react to virus variants with the key mutations constructed in the laboratory.

These studies, in which it was examined whether the sera in the blood neutralize the virus and prevent its replication, showed a reduction in performance when tested against variant B.1.351. This “indicates that currently used vaccines could be less effective in preventing infections because of this variant,” wrote Walensky, Fauci and Walke from their point of view.

However, your body’s ability to fight off the virus may depend on more than just neutralizing antibodies, including T and B cells, which can help fight the virus but are not measured in the early laboratory tests, Lauring told JAMA.

The good news is that Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines had a high rate of effectiveness even in previous studies – around 95%. So there’s a pillow out there that allows for a drop in performance while being considered effective by doctors, experts say. The gunshots were also shown to provide protection from people suffering from severe forms of illness that would result in hospitalization or death.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have already announced that they are working on a booster shot for their vaccines that will better withstand strain B.1.351.

Find the mutations

The B.1.1.7 variant was first identified in the United Kingdom in December, but is believed to have surfaced sometime in September. Many experts have recognized the UK’s ability to carry out large-scale genome sequencing to discover the variant.

Genome sequencing is a laboratory technique that breaks down the virus’ genetic code and allows researchers to monitor how it changes over time and understand how those changes could affect it, according to the CDC.

According to the latest data from the CDC, there are now 1,661 documented Covid-19 cases in the USA with variant B.1.1.7, 22 cases with variant B.1.351 and five cases with variant P.1. Officials acknowledge that the US is sequencing a small fraction of the cases and the spread of the variants is likely to be far wider. However, the federal government has recently attempted to increase the number of samples sequenced per week to identify these variants and other mutations that may develop domestically.

The CDC has partnered with public health and trade laboratories to rapidly improve genome sequencing in the country. Walensky told JAMA on Wednesday that the US was sequencing only 250 samples a week in January, which has since grown “by the thousands”. She added, “We’re not where we need to be.”

Dr. Ilhem Messaoudi, director of the University of California at the Irvine Center for Virus Research, said the process could be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but emerging strains would be overlooked if laboratories didn’t sequence a certain percentage of all positive Covid-19 test results in order to to find the new mutations.

“Now we’re trying to catch up,” she said in a phone interview with CNBC. “We say, ‘Let’s go back and see if we have that.'”

Masks and social distancing

The fast-spreading variants renew the importance of suppressing the spread of the coronavirus through public health measures such as wearing masks, social distancing and practicing hand hygiene to prevent further mutations and giving countries time to deploy life-saving vaccines To provide.

Coronavirus variants aren’t just a problem for the United States, however. If the virus is spread in other parts of the world that are not vaccinated, it could lead to mutations that could threaten the widely used vaccines in other countries, the CDC chief warned on Wednesday.

After all, the whole world needs to build immunity to the virus or the variants will continue to be a problem, Burton told CNBC.

“Sooner or later, variants will be everywhere if they have a big advantage,” said Burton. “It’s a global problem; it’s not just a problem for one country.”

It is time to hug the singular “you”.

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Illustration for article titled It's time to be the singular Photo: Josie Elias (Shutterstock)

Grammar snobs may shudder in disgust at this idea, but it’s time to normalize the use of them / them as singular pronouns. It’s 2021; no more of that “he or she, his or her” stuff.

It’s perfectly reasonable to use gender-neutral pronouns in casual conversation – both written and oral – and it turns out it even makes perfect grammatical sense. While using these words as plural pronouns is a hard-wired trait, if you decide to change the rule, you won’t be defying traditional grammar convention.

However, you may have to endure the fair handshakes of certain grammar purists who insist you commit a terrible faux pas. The only thing is, they are the ones who are wrong.

Illustration for article titled It's time to be the singular

‘Sie’ has been a singular pronoun for 600 years

From the moment we start speaking English we are taught that the word they use is meant to describe only a plural distinction. Nonsense. The oldest written example of the singular originated in the 14th century when it was used in the medieval romance Wilhelm and the Werewolf.

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But after that Oxford English Dictionary, their singular roots may go back even further.

Since forms can exist in language long before they are written down, it is likely that they were common as singular as early as the late 14th century. That makes an old shape even older.

The implication – that they have existed as singular pronouns for about 600 years to identify someone across the gender spectrum – should be evidence enough that this is not an attempt to force a rule change. In fact, there are numerous examples of the singular throughout literary history.

As the BBC listed in 2019::

Examples of the singular “you” used as early as 1386 in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and in 1599 in famous literary works such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

“Sie” and “Sie” were still used by literary writers in the 17th century to describe people – including Jane Austin in her 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice.

There are more examples than Purdue University explainsfrom Wycliffe’s 1382 translation of the Bible to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in which the Bard writes:

“Strangely enough, they burden healing with strange wounds”

Illustration for article titled It's time to be the singular

The grammar is constantly evolving

You might gasp for breath, but it remains true that the only constant in grammar and language is change. For example, the word that you have almost universally considered the singular these days evolved from a much more fluid stature where it could easily be used as the plural for years.

As Oxford explains:

They acted as the polite singular for centuries, but in the 17th century singular, they replaced you, you, and yours, except for one dialect. This change met with resistance. In 1660, George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, wrote an entire book labeling everyone who used you as idiots or fools. And eighteenth-century grammarians like Robert Lowth and Lindley Murray regularly tested students on you as singular, you as plural, although students used singular you when their teachers were not looking and teachers used singular you when their students were not looking.

The use of you has evolved, that is, the current reorientation of the pronouns in 2021 is normal. You may find yourself defying certain style guides and grammar books, but it’s good to keep in mind that for the most part, lexicons never stop changing.

Purdue University explains the following:

The grammar changes and changes over time. For example, the chunky he or she replacing a singular is a relatively new introduction to the language. Singular they have been used for a long time and are used in most occasional situations; You’re probably doing it yourself without realizing it. We are just seeing a reorientation of the rule, mainly with the intention of involving more people in the language.

It’s also more inclusive

All of this means that using non-gender pronouns is more inclusive and it really doesn’t have to be that big of a deal. More formal announcements to groups can really benefit from such things. For example, if you make an announcement like “Employees should keep personal items in their locker,” just say, “Their locker.” Or when you say, “The owner of the Blue Honda Civic needs to move their car,” you are simply saying “their car”.

In addition to taking into account the growing cohort of people who don’t identify by the traditional gender paradigm, it just sounds a lot better. And oh yes, it’s grammatically correct too.

Tiger Woods hospitalized after automobile accident, faraway from “Jaws of Life”

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Hold fans Tiger Woods in her mind.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the 45-year-old golfer suffered injuries after being involved in a car accident on Tuesday, February 23.

The department found that LASD Lomita Station responded to a collision with a single vehicle rollover at around 7:12 a.m. on the border between Rolling Hills Estate and Rancho Palos Verdes, California

“The vehicle was headed north on Hawthorne Boulevard on Blackhorse Road when it crashed,” said a tweet from the department. “The vehicle was badly damaged.”

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was later identified as Woods. “Mr. Woods was rescued from the wreck with the ‘Jaws of Life’ by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics and then taken by ambulance to a local hospital for his injuries.”

LASD Lomita Station is investigating the incident. No further details were released at this point.

Don’t ask pregnant girls if they’re excited.

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Illustration for article titled Don't Ask Pregnant Women If You Can Photo: pixelheadphoto digitalskillet (Shutterstock)

When my partner and I announced to our close family and friends that we were expecting this, we were soon bombarded with a certain question: “Are you excited?” (Or my personal favorite, “Is Maliq excited?”) Maliq and I had Strategically planned in the past two years to have a family. Of course we were excited. And yet, I realized pretty quickly that for some, my excitement wasn’t good enough or believable. I asked myself, how could I “properly” convey my excitement without saying that I was excited, and besides, why should I feel that I have to be up to a certain level of excitement in order to appease others?

To be honest, not only was I shocked and grateful that we got pregnant immediately after my IUD was removed, and while I was healthy, I was scared of the thought of possibly having a miscarriage. When I was 32, I knew at least seven other 30-year-olds who had miscarried – and two of the seven had stillborn babies. And they are not alone; About a third of all confirmed pregnancies end loudly Very good family. Of course I was excited, but as an empath and a practical thinker, I had to accept that I could be part of that 31 percent.

As a humanities scholar, I began to unpack the intentions behind the “Are you excited?” Question. And more importantly, I was keen to consider the implications of the question for an expectant parent who, for whatever reason, might not be excited. I knew some of these mothers personally, and the thought that their truth would be denied because such a question is “normal” or “innocent” didn’t go well with me.

Illustration for article titled Don't Ask Pregnant Women If You Can

Here are three reasons why you should stop asking mothers-to-be (and their partners) if they’re excited – and what to say instead.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds +Consider the impact of the question on an expectant parent who, for some reason, may not be excited.

It leaves little room for honesty and vulnerability

First of all, the question is general. It can be felt to be carefree, the pregnancy equivalent of “How’s your day going?” But it rarely happens that the person who asks how your day is going really wants to know all the details – good or bad – about your day. The expectation is that you will respond with an answer that is somewhere between “Fairly good” or “Great, thank you”.

While I believe that many people who ask pregnant women if they are excited do so with good intentions, it is one of those questions that leaves little room for an honest or vulnerable answer. The answer could actually be “no”. In all fairness, many of us are unwilling to deal with other people’s truths, especially if they don’t meet society’s expectations or our personal view of things.

Pregnancy creates a number of feelings

Excitement is relative to our individual personality and our living conditions. More importantly, people express their arousal in different ways. Some feel more comfortable expressing their arousal visibly for everyone they interact with, while others, just as excited, feel more comfortable enjoying their arousal in private. One person’s excitement looks like exultation while another looks more like contentment. both are fine and neither should need defending.

It’s also important to remember that there are a variety of emotions that women experience when they’re pregnant, from nervous, anxious, or anxious to angry, or even frustrated. It is unfair to limit an expectant mother to just feelings of excitement, and it is unfair to project our personal expectations about what we think excitement should look like.

It’s invasive

Whether we want to admit it or not, asking someone if they’re excited that they’re pregnant is invasive. We may not be aware of how long it took for the expectant mother to actually get pregnant. Instead of being excited, she is far more nervous. We also may not know how many miscarriages an expectant mother has experienced. Instead of being excited, she may be scared of being excited and struggling with fear.

It should also go without saying that not every pregnancy is a planned pregnancy – and whether someone has planned their pregnancy or not is none of our business. An expectant mother who had no intention of becoming pregnant may experience feelings of resentment, anger, or shame. An expectant mother with multiple children, whether as a partner or single, may be trying to figure out how to balance everything emotionally, financially, and physically.

It’s also important not to ignore the experiences of single mothers. For a single mother who is getting little support from the father of her unborn child, excitement can be one of the last emotions she feels. Ultimately, we should respect the invisible boundaries and unknown triggers of pregnant women.

Illustration for article titled Don't Ask Pregnant Women If You Can

What should I say instead?

Instead of asking parents-to-be if they’re excited, consider the following options:

“How are you feeling? / How are you?”

This open-ended question leaves room for an expectant parent to share as much information with you as possible and doesn’t project any particular emotion onto them.

“How exciting!”

This answer gives you space to express how excited you are for the parent-to-be. It also doesn’t require a formulaic answer from them.

“Is there anything I can do? Do you need to prepare for the baby? “

This answer shows that you care and are ready to be part of the parents-to-be village. Expectant mothers in particular can use all of the support and love they can get from their family and friends during pregnancy.

“You will be a great parent!”

A little reassurance can’t hurt, especially when you’re embarking on a new journey like parenting. It also secretly tells the parents-to-be that if they are concerned, everything will be fine.

“Congratulations!”

A simple congratulation goes a long way. It’s a time-honored, classic answer, and most importantly – it’s non-invasive!

Excessive-profile SPAC craters following the announcement of the plan to merge with the electrical automobile firm Lucid

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The Lucid Air sedan, which is slated to go into production at a facility in Arizona next year.

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A record reverse merger deal between Lucid Motors and Churchill Capital Corp IV dropped shares in the SPAC owned by well-known investor Michael Klein Midday trading Tuesday.

The shares of the Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) were nearly halved in intraday trading and reduced to $ 30 per share. The stock was trading at approximately $ 39.40 per share early Tuesday afternoon.

The decline is due to Churchill’s shares rising more than 470% after it was first reported that the companies were in talks about a merger last month. With the official announcement of the contract on Monday evening, the companies confirmed a delay in the delivery of their first car – a luxury sedan named Air – from this spring to the second half of this year.

Peter Rawlinson, CEO of Lucid, attributed the share price decline to media reports that the expected valuation of the company was between $ 12 billion and $ 15 billion, leading to an initial misunderstanding among investors about the announced deal.

“I think the market has not yet fully understood what is going on,” he told CNBC during a Zoom interview on Tuesday afternoon. “For me, what was announced overnight was fantastically positive compared to anything previously reported.”

The equity value of the deal was higher than that range at $ 16.3 billion but would pay existing Lucid shareholders $ 11.75 billion. The deal values ​​Lucid at an initial pro forma valuation of $ 24 billion.

Rawlinson said the rise in valuation was due to an “overwhelming” reaction from investors that resulted in an oversubscription of the private investment in public equity (PIPE) that is part of the deal. He said demand caused the PIPE to increase from $ 1 billion to $ 2.5 billion and the price per share of the PIPE to rise 50% to $ 15 per share, leading to a higher valuation have.

“I think investors looked at the $ 24 (billion) and said, ‘Oh my god,’ we thought it was between $ 12 (billion) and $ 15 (billion) … this is a disaster,” said Rawlinson. “Actually, it’s a bargain at $ 11.5 billion.”

Lucid also expects negative free cash flow through 2024 and will require $ 600 million in bridge funding by the time the deal is expected to close in the second quarter, according to a company investor presentation. Rawlinson said the delay in his first vehicle was largely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The deal between Lucid and Churchill of Newark, California is the largest in a series of such collaborations between EV companies and so-called blank check companies. Previous SPAC deals with EV startups like Nikola, Fisker and Lordstown Motors achieved pro forma valuations of less than $ 4 billion.

The deal, announced on Monday evening, will generate approximately $ 4.4 billion in cash for expansion plans for Lucid, including the current facility in Arizona.

“I think this has enabled us to secure our future,” Rawlinson said Tuesday morning on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street”. “This means we can safely accelerate our business model.”

Rawlinson, a former Tesla technical director and veteran of the automotive industry, joined the company as Chief Technology Officer in 2013 before taking up his duties as CEO in April 2019. According to the companies, he is expected to continue to serve in these roles.

The combined company is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “LCID” upon closing.

Lucid was founded in 2007 as Atieva, a name it now uses for its technical and engineering division that supplies batteries for the Formula E electric circuit. The company initially focused on electric battery technology before changing its name to an electric vehicle manufacturer in 2016, three years after Rawlinson joined the company to lead technology development.

Lucid struggled with some difficulty raising capital to fund his plans until he received $ 1 billion from the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund in September 2018.

The new funding is intended to support Lucid in its expansion plans. Rawlinson expects the Air to be the catalyst for a number of future all-electric vehicles, including an SUV starting production in early 2023, and cheaper vehicles across the board.

Lucid currently employs almost 2,000 people. The US is expected to employ 3,000 people domestically by the end of 2022.

The deal includes a total investment of around $ 4.6 billion. It is funded with $ 2.1 billion in cash from CCIV and a fully committed PIPE of $ 2.5 billion at $ 15 per share from the Saudi Arabian state fund, as well as funds and accounts held by BlackRock, Fidelity and managed by others.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the store’s equity value. It’s $ 16.3 billion.

In case you had invested USD 10,000 in Bitcoin, Tesla or the “greatest” Singapore REIT 2 years in the past, what wouldn’t it be at this time ?, Cash Information

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“Passive Income”

In other words, invest in assets and make money for free while you sleep.

To the new investor, the idea itself may seem ridiculous. But for weathered tycoons, this feeling is the driving force behind massive oceans of wealth.

Of course, there are so many investment opportunities to choose from today – from more traditional routes like real estate REITs and stock market indices to newer head-turners like Bitcoin and Tesla.

But the question remains.

Which one has had the best returns so far?

In today’s article, we’re going to look at how much you would have made if you had invested $ 10,000 in one of these asset classes two years ago.

Singapore REITs

As we all know, $ 10,000 is not enough to get you a toilet in Singapore Real Estate (let alone a whole unit).

Fortunately, for those of us with smaller capitals, REITs (or Real Estate Investment Trusts) exist.

They are essentially a portfolio of properties that large companies (think capital and) buy, operate and manage – all with their investors’ money.

These REITs typically generate solid dividends of between 3 and 8 percent per year (paid quarterly / semi-annually).

Of course, just like individual stocks, these REIT valuations have been subject to decline and increase over the years – with the recent decline in the Covid-19 market (and the rebound that followed) being no exception.

There are also different REITS in different sectors (retail, trade, industrial, logistics, hospitality) – but for today’s article we are only looking at this one REIT with the highest returns made in the last 2 years.

Keppel DC REIT

Since REITs are so dependent on dividend yields, it would be fatal to ignore the total dividend yields over this 2 year period.

So, I took into account both capital gains and dividends paid during that period to determine the REIT with the highest payout.

However, it appears that the total capital gains for our REIT of the day far outweigh the total dividend yields.

Here are the calculations in brief (don’t hesitate to jump to the end).

Assuming I had invested $ 10,000 in the Keppel DC REIT when the market opened on February 15, 2019, I would hypothetically have bought 7,022 shares at ~ $ 1.42 each.

That would be up to $ 9998.63.

Over the next 2 years, we would be making 5 dividend payouts of $ 1,171.11 ($ 265.47 + $ 124.80 + $ 136.93 + $ 307.21 + $ 336.70).

In terms of actual capital gains, I would hypothetically have made a whopping $ 20,574.46 if I had sold my 7,022 shares on February 15, 2021 at a market price of ~ $ 2.93 each.

Total = $ 21,745.57 (up 117.49 percent)

(Note: in most cases, stock valuations go down after the dividend payout to reflect the payouts well. Unlike dividend stocks in the US, Singaporeans also don’t have to worry about paying dividend or capital gains tax on their REIT investments – yet. However, depending on the broker used, additional broker / withdrawal fees may apply.)

US Stock Exchange (NYSE / NASDAQ)

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To make things easier for our newer investors, there are essentially two markets here (so 3 if you include the crypto market).

With Keppel DC REIT it was listed on the SGX (Singapore Exchange). Our upcoming Tesla stock can be found on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange).

In essence, the US markets are notorious for their incredible volatility, which makes them an incredibly attractive prospect for day and swing traders alike.

Tesla

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It gets a lot easier here.

Though I would have to add currency conversions briefly (excuse the OCD).

Assuming you converted USD 10,000 to USD on February 15, 2019 at the market opening rate of ~ 0.7364, you would have USD 7,364 (S $ 9,723) to play with.

Assuming that you had invested that $ 7,364 in Tesla shares at launch on February 15, 2019, you would have bought a maximum of 120 shares at $ 60.90 each (after the stock split).

This would total ~ $ 7.308USD.

Fast forward 2 years later, and again assuming you sold at the ~ $ 818 market opening price (Feb 16, 2021), you would have amassed a staggering $ 98,160.

Now all you have to do is convert that number back to SGD at the next day’s market opening rate of ~ 1.327 and you have a ridiculous one:

Total = $ 130,258 (1,212.56 percent profit)

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin, bitcoin, bitcoin.

“This is nonsense.”

“It’s a fraud.”

“Eh … this guy bought bitcoin for $ 3,000. If only I had bought back then ”.

Essentially, think of cryptocurrency as a decentralized, block-chain, virtual currency that is nearly impossible to forge, that cannot (in theory) be tampered with (i.e. printed / changed) by governments – and that is easy to track.

In a way, Bitcoin is similar to gold in the sense that there will ultimately be a limited number of Bitcoins in the world – and thus hedge against inflation.

Of course, this has only been around for a decade, and because of its virtual nature, it has often been touted by many as a speculative good.

Bitcoin

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Although it is possible to invest in Bitcoin with SGD, note that only a few “local” brokers (e.g. Coinhako / Binance SG) allow this.

Alternatively, you would have to convert your SGD to USD – which is another hassle.

Assuming that on February 15, 2019, you invested $ 10,000 in Bitcoin at the market price of $ 4,874.22, you could have bought 2 Bitcoins at a price of $ 9,748.44.

Two years fast forward, and assuming you had sold at market price of $ 64,409 on February 15, 2021, you would have amassed:

Total = $ 128,818 (1,221.42 percent profit)

Here is an illustration of what the portfolio would look like in 2 years.

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So who is the real winner?

While the Tesla investment ended up having the highest total number (due to the total inventory purchased based on $ 10,000 in capital), Bitcoin generated the largest total profit at an astonishing 1,221.42 percent.

(Again, note that these calculations exclude both brokerage and withdrawal fees, and are actually just a ballpark to show the incredible gains made by these two asset classes.)

The ultimate cherry tree? Indeed.

If you were to look at the returns on the SNP500 and iEdge Reit over the past two years, they would have pales in comparison to the individual asset gains we calculated today.

Note that this does not even reflect the broader market average, but that these are indices that contain a basket of “similar” companies / trusts.

Essentially, this shows that both Tesla and Keppel DC Reit were outliers of their classes during those 2 years.

I’m not going to go into average market profits as this is a whole new ball game – but it’s important to note that not all stocks / speculative assets will produce such returns.

Conclusion (investment tips)

Ultimately, there are tons of investment methods and assets to choose from. Growth, value, dividends, speculative assets – this really is just the tip of the iceberg.

Delving into the pros and cons of each asset now would be a giant wormhole jump. Instead, I’ll close with some investment tips based on the current investment climate:

  1. “The most dangerous investors are those who have only seen a bull market”.

This age-old adage couldn’t be more fitting for the market exurophy we see today.

Over the past month I’ve heard the same sentence countless times: “Reuben, I’ve earned two years’ salary in less than a year … without doing anything!”

Congratulations!

But the opposite also applies to newcomers – especially those who have invested in speculative assets that have seen massive growth since then.

The solution to all of that?

Invest wisely.

For now, use only 5 to 10 percent of your equity (note: not all of your net worth) on speculative assets – no matter how lucrative they may seem … and be prepared to lose it all.

Remember, it’s always speculation until it’s no more – and for anyone who successfully speculated, 10 others crashed and burned.

TLDR: Review is for those who play it safe. But it is the ones who play it safe who are guaranteed a semblance of stability.

Next, make sure you have long term investments (you never know when the ‘big green days’ will come, and you want to be in the market when it does. Plus, you’ll save a ton of time and headache your ending ).

Third, invest a large part of your portfolio in solid companies with good fundamentals / leadership / prospects. Of course, the current climate has seen the valuation of many such companies soar to ridiculous heights. Therefore it is more important than ever to find the “right entry-level prices” (easier said than done, as I know).

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Fourth, you have reserves outside of your stock portfolio for up to 6 months of daily spending (personally, I think this rule applies more to singles … which then leads me to my last point).

Assess your position in life – and invest accordingly.

Obviously, assuming you’re just starting out, you’d have the option to play riskier games unlike a family man in his late 40s or even a retiree in his mid-60s who wants stability more than anything.

By riskier games, I mean allocating more capital to individual stocks / ETS than illiquid asset classes (i.e. real estate), taking out larger loans, allocating more wealth to speculative assets, etc.

You always want to have a clear idea of ​​the fixed percentages of your assets that you want to invest – and in which assets.

By following these best practices, if your stocks make a leap into the future, don’t panic and instead increase the Dollar Cost Average (i.e., keep buying lower every two months) for more returns in a few years.

If you’re a new investor just starting out, you should be disciplined adding portions of your salary to your portfolio every month – think of that as a kind of savings plan.

Ultimately, a young investor’s greatest ally is the benefit of time and the incredible effects of compounding.

This article was first published in Stackedhomes.

11 otherworldly science fiction and fantasy books by black authors

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From Namina Forna

Illustration for article titled 11 otherworldly science fiction and fantasy books written by black authorsScreenshot: Amazon Books

The Gilded Ones lives in West Africa and follows Deka, a young girl who is more than she seems. After an adult blood ceremony, the blood in Deka’s veins was found to be gold instead of red, indicating that she does not belong to the villagers. Deka’s existence is threatened, but shortly before she receives a punishment worse than death, a mysterious woman invites her to join the “Alaki”, a group of warriors like her with special skills. She now has to train to defend her life in an epic battle set to take place in the capital. Deka and the Alaki are reminiscent of Hunger Games and Black Panthers and fight for the right to exist as they are. The author Namina Forna is a young black woman from Sierra Leone whose life is a great inspiration for this debut novel.

Meet Christina Milian & Ne-Yo’s co-stars for Starz ‘Step Up

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As for your new regulars? Keiynan LonsdaleSimon, best known for his work on The Flash and Love, will replace Step Up Petrice Jones as valley.

As Starz described Tal on the revamped show: “Once an outcast from Ohio who was taken from his mother and landed on the tough streets of Atlanta. Tal was persecuted for his eccentricity, sexuality and refusal to submit to the expectations of others Tal danced his way into the flood, literally beaten and bloody, and became the pride of Sage Odom’s elite dance crew. Now, as the lead dancer for Sage’s massive tour, Tal must continue to be the most important piece in a support system that carries his friends, his family and a billion dollar tour. He’s slim, graceful, and brave, just like his nickname: the greyhound. “

5 issues it’s best to know earlier than the inventory market opens on February 23, 2021

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Here are the top news, trends, and analysis investors need to get their trading day started:

1. Nasdaq will fall again while Big Tech will slide again

Traders work on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

NYSE

US stock futures were mostly lower on Tuesday, pointing to a 1.8% decline in the Nasdaq, a day after the index fell nearly 2.5% in its worst one-day decline in nearly a month . Tech stocks continued to decline in the premarket on Tuesday, with Apple falling 2% after falling nearly 3% on Monday.

Dow’s Home Depot share fell 2% in premarket trading amid fears that sales growth in the Covid pandemic will not last. A share decline of this magnitude would severely detract from modest year-to-date earnings.

The S&P 500 fell nearly 0.8% on Monday, a fifth straight decline, its worst in nearly a year. The Dow Jones Industrial Averaged bucked the downtrend on Monday and closed a little higher. It’s that time again on Tuesday morning. All three equity benchmarks remained stronger over the month.

2. Bond yields rose this week ahead of Powell’s statement

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a virtual press conference in Tiskilwa, Illinois, United States on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.

Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell travels to Capitol Hill twice this week to appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday and the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday. Rising bond yields and accompanying inflation fears are adding to the growing concern about Powell’s remarks. The yield on 10-year government bonds, which is reversing the price, was a little lower on Tuesday morning. But it’s been up lately, trading around 1.36%. On Monday it was 1.39%, the highest level in about a year.

3. Bitcoin drops below $ 50,000; Tesla stocks are falling again

Costfoto | Barcroft Media | Getty Images

Bitcoin fell 9% on Tuesday morning and fell below $ 50,000. The world’s largest digital currency, which is still up 60% this year, hit an all-time high of over $ 58,000 on Sunday. Price fluctuations of more than 10% are not uncommon in crypto markets. Bitcoin soared to nearly $ 20,000 once in 2017 before losing 80% the following year. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of these wild swings on Monday.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, speaks at a delivery ceremony for the Tesla China-made Model 3 in Shanghai, east China, on Jan. 7, 2020.

Ding Ting | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

Tesla shares, which revealed an investment in Bitcoin earlier this month, fell another 4.5% on the Tuesday ahead of the IPO. The stock fell more than 8.5% on Monday, the biggest drop since late September. Of course, other tech stocks also suffered heavy losses on Monday. Elon Musk’s electric car maker shares rose just 1.25% this year ahead of Tuesday’s trading. However, in the past 12 months, Tesla rose nearly 300%.

4. Home Depot, Macy’s Report Better Than Expected Quarterly Results

A Home Depot store can be seen in Washington, DC on August 18, 2020.

NICHOLAS COMB | AFP | Getty Images

Home Depot’s profits and sales rose above expectations in the fourth quarter as consumers poured more money into home improvement due to the pandemic and strength of the real estate market. However, shares fell on comments from Home Depot’s CFO asking how long the pandemic would last and how that could affect consumer spending.

People wear face masks as they walk through Herald Square in New York City on January 8, 2021.

Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images

Macy’s shares rose more than 1% in the pre-market after the retailer reported its first quarterly profit in a year. Fourth quarter sales also beat estimates as the company’s efforts to reduce inventory levels during the holiday quarter and rely less on deep discounting pay off. Ahead of Tuesday’s trading, Macy’s shares rose 35% this year despite struggling for the past 12 months.

5. Electric car manufacturer led by a former Tesla engineer to go public

The Lucid Air sedan, which is slated to go into production at a facility in Arizona next year.

Clear

Electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors plans to bring a combined equity valuation of $ 11.75 billion to the stock market through a reverse merger with a blank check company. The deal between Lucid of California and Churchill Capital Corp IV is the largest in a series of such collaborations involving EV companies and special-purpose acquisition companies. CCIV’s shares fell more than 30% in the pre-market. Speculation about the deal drove SPAC shares up 470% this year alone. Lucid is run by ex-Tesla engineer and automotive veteran Peter Rawlinson.

– Follow all developments on Wall Street in real time with CNBC Pro’s live market blog. Find out about the latest pandemics on our coronavirus blog.

Boxed Wine is the perfect cooking wine

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Illustration for article titled Boxed Wine Is the Best Cooking WinePhoto: GO DESIGN (Shutterstock)

Cooking wine should be good enough to drink, but not so good that you feel bad about adding it to a sauce or stew. (It shouldn’t come in a bottle labeled “Make Wine” under any circumstances.) It’s easy to find a $ 10 bottle that tastes good when cooked with tomatoes, garlic, and onions, but it does is harder to find one to eat after I’ve poured the aliquot I need for my dish. This can lead to oxidized wine that while still usableis something I like to avoid.

Illustration for article titled Boxed Wine Is the Best Cooking Wine

Enter wine in boxes, the wine that remains drinkable for a few weeks or (depending on which wine expert you ask) up to a month and a half after opening, much longer than the 3-5 day usage window of a bottle. This is thanks to the little plastic tap attached to the bag in the box, which is much better at keeping oxygen out of your wine than a cork or even a screw cap. (However, glass is still a better choice for long-term storage as semi-permeable bags can only hold off oxidation for a few months.)

The longer service life relieves the burden. The slight guilt and fear that can go hand in hand with opening a medium-sized bottle of wine for half a cup that I need to cook are a thing of the past – suddenly no amount of wine is too trivial anymore. And even if you don’t consume all of your wine in a box before it starts spinning, the low price of wine in boxes is there to mitigate that blow. A three-liter carton usually costs around $ 20, which is about five dollars for a standard 750-milliliter bottle. (Canned wine seems to offer similar benefits, but cans usually hold half a bottle and are not intended for storage once opened.)

All of these make great wine to cook with, but great wine to cook with wine too. Boxed Wine is casual and liberating, devoid of the ritual normally associated with drinking wine – there is no cork – for Wednesdays who don’t need all that pomp.

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My friend doesn’t drink and there is no one around which means that after opening a bottle, it will be my responsibility to use it all up before it spins. And although I can certainly drink 750 milliliters of wine in a few days, I don’t always want to. (I’ve drank a lot less and often get headaches after having more than two drinks in one evening. Aging is fun!) Sometimes I just want a small glass with my small dinner, or a few ounces for one Sunday afternoon Kalimotxoand box wine is there for me. (Conversely, if you have many insatiable wine drinkers in your household, box wine is a very economical choice.)

In terms of quality, box wine is better than the image suggests. Although Franzia is still very popularIt’s nowhere near the only box offering, and some of the boxes available are downright bougie. I’m a black box fan, but a good strategy for finding good boxing is to type “Best Boxed Wine” into a search engine and read the records of the most snobbish website you can find. The fanciest boxes cost around $ 30, which is still pretty darn cheap.

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