BOARD CERTIFICATION EXAM STUDY GUIDES Lower Extremity Trauma
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Posted on July 27, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Whether we’ll see another interest rate increase soon depends on what happens between now and the Fed’s next meeting in September. Jerome Powell will be watching to see if consumer prices come down more than they already have, thanks to previous rate hikes.
There are some promising signs that the worst is behind us:
Tomorrow, when the government releases the latest personal consumption expenditures price index—the Fed’s preferred measure for tracking inflation—it’s expected to show the lowest inflation increase since the end of 2021. And last month, the consumer price index showed inflation fell to 3%, which is above the Fed’s 2% target but an improvement from last June’s 9.1%.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola—whose prices were 10% higher last quarter compared to Q2 2022—said it’s done marking up drinks for the year, and the CFO of Unilever said the packaged goods giant’s price inflation has peaked (though prices may still get higher).
But the FOMC wants more: Chairman Powell said that for inflation to be truly conquered, the job market, which currently boasts a low unemployment rate of 3.6%, will need to slow.
Posted on July 27, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate another 0.25% on Wednesday, reviving its inflation fight despite a significant cooldown of price increases in recent months. The rate hike brought the Fed’s benchmark interest rate to a 22-year high of between 5.25% and 5.5%. Inflation has fallen significantly from a peak last summer, but remains at a level one percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
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The Dow on Wednesday rose for a 13th straight day, matching its longest winning streak since 1987. If it closes higher today, it would be a streak not seen since 1897 — about a year after the benchmark was created — when the Dow advanced for 14 sessions in a row. During this latest run, the Dow has outperformed, gaining 5%. That momentum hasn’t been seen in the broader S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite indexes, however. Both are up just 3% since the Dow’s streak began. The S&P 500 has fallen twice in that time, while the NASDAQ has posted three losing sessions
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Here is where the major benchmarks ended for the day:
The S&P 500 Index was down 0.02% at 4,566.75; the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was up about 82 points (0.23%) at 35,520.12; the NASDAQ Composite was down 17 points (0.12%) at 14,127.28.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) edged down to 3.867%.
CBOE’s Volatility Index (VIX) dropped 5 points to at 13.32.
Posted on July 27, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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President Joe Biden’s administration just announced new rules meant to push insurance companies to increase their coverage of mental health treatments.
The new regulations, which still need to go through a public comment period, would require insurers to study whether their customers have equal access to medical and mental health benefits and to take remedial action, if necessary.
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires that insurers provide the same level of coverage for both mental and physical health care — though the administration and advocates argue insurers’ policies restrict patient access.
Markets: The Dow is on a run for the ages, extending its winning streak to 12 days. But, Spotify revealing widening losses due to its failed podcasting investments and projected lower revenues. And its stock plunge came despite adding a record number of new subscribers.
Economy: All eyes are on the FOMC today: With another rate hike pretty much a lock, investors will seek Jerome Powell’s comments to see whether the Fed is considering any more increases.
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Alphabet, which declared a “code red” for Google Search late last year as rivals like ChatGPT and Microsoft’s AI-equipped Bing came on the scene, is chugging right along. Google’s search advertising sales grew to a better-than-expected $42.6 billion. And, most people haven’t made ChatGPT their default search engine.
Microsoft beat expectations on its top- and bottom lines and told investors that it had spent, and would continue spending, gobs of money to build out AI infrastructure.
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Snap. The social media platform just rolled out an AI chatbot, My AI, and boasted that 150+ million users have sent over 10 billion messages to it. But, still fighting against the likes of TikTok for ad spending in a sluggish market, Snap’s sales dropped for the second straight quarter, causing shares to plummet 19% after-hours.
Conference calls: Meta reports earnings today, and Amazon and Apple report next week.
Posted on July 25, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By StaffReporters
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Recession: Last October, economists surveyed by Bloomberg were predicting a 100% chance of a Recession. But currently, the Dow is riding a 10-day winning streak, and the S&P 500 is just over 5% away from its all-time high. This week, Wall Street will be glued to the Fed’s interest rate announcement and a heavy slate of earnings.
Final Fed rate hike? The Federal Reserve will likely announce another interest rate increase this week, but this could be the final hike in its 16-month quest to bring down inflation. If the Fed hikes 25 basis points as expected, interest rates would be at their highest level since 2001.
Earnings galore: Corporate America’s A-list will report Q2 earnings this week, including Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Exxon Mobil. In all, about one-third of companies in the S&P 500 will give financial updates over the next five days, so we should get a good look into the health of a bunch of different industries.
Posted on July 24, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
Philip Morris International Inc. abandoned a goal to get at least $1 billion of revenue from healthcare and wellness products next year following setbacks at companies it has acquired in the sector.
The tobacco company has built a health and wellness unit around the purchases of UK inhaler maker Vectura Group Plc and Fertin Pharma, the producer of a smoking-cessation aid. PMI just took a $680 million impairment charge after unsuccessful clinical trials for an inhalable aspirin product as well as slower-than-expected development of other products.
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PMI paid more than $1 billion for Vectura and about $820 million for Fertin in 2021. Vectura scientists faced a backlash after the acquisition, with the company getting kicked out of a medical conference due to its link to the tobacco industry.
Posted on July 22, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Regulators fined Deutsche Bank $186 million for not fixing anti-money laundering, due diligence, and sanctions controls. This is the third time since 2015 that the Federal Reserve has fined the troubled bank for internal control failures. (CNN Business)
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Under the YouTube Health Initiative, the company partnered with several healthcare organizations, including traditional health systems like Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and Mass General Brigham in Boston, as well as online health education platforms like Osmosis and Psych Hub. Other partners include the medical journal the New England Journal of Medicine, the World Health Organization, and the American Public Health Association.
These health organizations created videos on a range of health topics, which YouTube curates in what it calls “carousels” and labels to indicate that the information comes from reputable sources. If someone searches for information on diabetes, for example, they’ll get a carousel of videos from the health partners on diabetes.
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Here is where the major benchmarks ended yesterday and for the week:
The S&P 500 Index was up 1.47 points at 4,536.34, up 0.7% for the week and the benchmark’s eighth weekly gain in the past 10; the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.51 points at 35,227.69, up 2.1% for the week; the NASDAQ Composite was down 30.50 points (0.2%) at 14,032.81, down 0.6% for the week.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was down about 2 basis points at 3.837%.
CBOE’s Volatility Index (VIX) was down 0.39 at 13.60.
Utility and health care shares were among the strongest performers Friday, which may reflect investors rotating into more “defensive” sectors, which haven’t participated as much in this year’s rally and may be seen as a “relative value” or “catch-up” play.
Energy stocks were also strong as crude oil futures jumped over 2% and posted a fourth straight weekly gain. Regional banks and communication services were among the weakest sectors, while the small-cap-focused Russell 2000 (RUT) fell slightly.
Posted on July 21, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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According to Morning Brew, the US banking system is about to speed up, potentially eliminating those frustrating waiting days it can take for money to hit your account. The Fed is launching its FedNow instant payment service later this month. The new system will enable banks to send each other cash instantly, 24/7, as an alternative to the existing system that runs only during regular business hours and often takes days to move money.
FedNow could put America’s banking system on track to catch up to countries like India and Nigeria, where high-speed payments are as common. The US does already have an instant payments system, but it’s private rather than government-backed, and it hasn’t been widely adopted. It’s mostly only used by big banks, and only 1.4% of US transactions happen in real time, according to payment systems company ACI Worldwide.
FedNow enabled services will soon likely appear at the 41 banks that have been certified to participate so far.
People moving money between banks or paying bills could complete their transactions in seconds without the need to plan payments days in advance.
Businesses will be able to access customer payments immediately and to send workers payments more frequently with instant direct deposit rather than the usual payroll cycle.
BUT … Faster payments could mean faster bank runs, too!
Some experts worry that allowing people to drain their bank accounts instantaneously could make SVB-style bank runs more likely. Smaller banks struggling with liquidity would have even less time to react to customer panic and get collateral for emergency government loans to cover fleeing cash.
But there are safeguards built in. FedNow has a transaction limit of $500,000, and banks can set their own ceilings to ensure that customers don’t pull their deposits.
Posted on July 20, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The healthcare industry cut 97% more jobs in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, according to a July 6 report from executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas.
The report mentioned an unnamed hospital that closed last month due to a cyberattack, which likely contributed to the healthcare job cuts. In June, St. Margaret’s Health in Spring Valley, Illinois, closed, and was the first hospital to publicly attribute a cyberattack to its closure, NBC News reported.
Market and economic conditions were cited as the reasons for the majority of job cuts across all US industries; the report didn’t detail the reasons for healthcare job cuts specifically, except for the NBC News Report.
Posted on July 19, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
FINALLY?
By Staff Reporters
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Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard cleared for landing
A federal judge rejected the FTC’s attempt to stop Microsoft from buying the video game publisher Activision Blizzard, paving the way for the $69 billion deal to close as soon as this month.
The FTC argued that the takeover would result in less competition in the video game industry and limit access to Activision’s blockbuster games, but the judge disagreed, saying, “To the contrary, the record evidence points to more consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content.”
While the deal still needs UK regulators’ approval, they also signaled yesterday they would let it proceed.
Posted on July 17, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Markets: Stocks are rolling following a week that showed our inflation emergency seems to be ending, and big banks are still raking in big profits. The Fed’s so-called “soft landing” scenario—getting inflation down without tipping the economy into a recession—is a distinct possibility, as long as corporate finances don’t end up being shockingly bad this earnings season.
Global economy: While the US economy is chugging along, the same can’t be said for China. Growth in the world’s No. 2 economy hardly budged between the first and second quarters, while youth unemployment hit a record last month. Expect President Xi Jinping to make moves to juice China’s stagnating GDP.
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Curiously, Cathie Wood’s flagship exchange-traded fund has rallied more than 50% this year. Investors are using that as an opportunity to get out.
They have pulled a net $717 million from the ARK Innovation ETF over the past 12 months, according to FactSet. That exodus marks a notable shift for a fund that had consistently drawn investor cash since its 2014 inception. Once the largest actively managed ETF with nearly $30 billion in assets under management, the fund has shrunk to roughly $9 billion, mostly due to investment losses.
Known by its ticker symbol ARKK, Wood’s fund became an investor darling shortly after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic with hugely successful bets on unprofitable and “disruptive” technology companies. It took in huge amounts of investor money, culminating with a $6.5 billion inflow in the first quarter of 2021, when its share price peaked.
Then, the Federal Reserve’s fastest interest-rate hiking campaign in decades crushed the valuations of unprofitable growth companies, which often attract investors when interest rates are low and returns on safer investments such as CDs are minimal. Shares of ARKK plunged 67% in 2022, but its investors largely held on or bought the dip.
Now, analysts say they expect some of those investors are getting out for good?
Posted on July 13, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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We hope everyone is staying safe out there, especially because in healthcare, summertime is known as “trauma season.” Accidents nearly double for children, and adult injuries increase by almost 25%, with the main culprits being sports and recreational activities. So remember to put on a helmet, knee and elbow pads; etc.
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Stocks surged on Wednesday after a cooler-than-expected June consumer price index report eased some worries that the Federal Reserve may tip the economy into a recession as it fights to bring down sticky inflation.
Fundstrat’s Tom Lee told CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” on Wednesday that today’s CPI print, future expectations for easing and recent stock activity paint a market that is “behaving more like a soft landing” scenario that many deemed unreachable at the start of 2023.
Posted on July 12, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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BofA must refund $100 million to customers, pay $90 million in penalties to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and $60 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. “Bank of America wrongfully withheld credit card rewards, double-dipped on fees, and opened accounts without consent,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, in a statement.
“These practices are illegal and undermine customer trust.”
Combined, it is one of the highest financial penalties in years against Bank of America, which has largely spent the last 15 years trying to clean up its reputation and market itself to the public as a bank focused on financial health and not on overdraft fee income and financial trickery.
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The latest reading ion core inflation indicates a notable cool-down in June but still exceeds the Federal Reserve’s inflation target of 2%.
Data just released exceeded the expectations of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, who expected inflation to have fallen to 3.1% in June. Inflation rose a modest 0.2% on a monthly basis, accelerating from a 0.1% increase in May. Despite the encouraging report, core inflation — which strips out volatile food and energy prices — rose 4.8%.
Food prices, meanwhile, continued to accelerate faster than overall inflation, rising 5.7% in June compared to a year ago. and, the price of flour rose about 12% in June compared to a year ago, roughly quadruple of the overall inflation rate; while the price of bakery products rose 9.5% over that period and the price of cookies rose nearly 9%.
Posted on July 11, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Markets: Investors shook off last week’s post-holiday blues with all three major indexes snapping three-day losing streaks yesterday, embracing a new outlook as they wait for more economic data and a new earnings season to start this week.
CAVA rose as analysts got their first chance to comment on the lunch spot since its IPO and were largely bullish on the bowl-maker—it’s already nearly doubled since its market debut last month.
Posted on July 10, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Miss seeing terms like “adjusted profits” and “forward guidance” in the ME-P?
They’re coming back as earnings season got underway on Friday with big banks reporting. Tech companies, in particular, will have to impress to justify their expensive share prices.
Posted on July 7, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The U.S. is expected to have added tens of thousands of jobs in June, continuing to defy high interest rates and stubborn inflation, But any signs of slower job and wage growth last month could signal the labor market may be cooling down.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg project that 225,000 jobs were added to the economy in June while the unemployment rate is expected to have slipped to 3.6% – down from 3.7% the previous month. And a projected 4.2% average hourly wage bump over the previous June would be the smallest yearly uptick since 2021.
Posted on June 30, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Three charged with insider trading related to Trump’s SPAC deal
The DOJ arrested three Florida investors, alleging they made more than $22 million in illegal profits through trading stock in the SPAC that took former President Trump’s social media company public.
The men are accused of trading shares in Digital World Acquisition Corporation based on nonpublic knowledge and making bank in October 2021 when news it planned to acquire Truth Social made its stock soar. Neither the former president nor his family members are implicated.
Markets: Stocks ended mixed yesterday after Jerome Powell (and other major central bankers around the world) signaled that more interest rate hikes are as inevitable. In fact, Jerome Powell hinted he couldn’t rule out two rate raises in a row.
Stock spotlight: AI-chip hero Nvidia fell on reports that the US is considering even more restrictions on chip exports to China.
Posted on June 28, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
CONGRATULATIONS DR. COHEN
By Staff Reporters
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President Joe Biden on Friday said that he planned to appoint Dr. Mandy Cohen, the former North Carolina health secretary, as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a widely expected move that marks a major transition at the federal agency tasked with overseeing the nation’s public health infrastructure.
Posted on June 27, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The NASDAQ and S&P 500 fell to two-week lows, adding to last week’s declines, as investors continued to digest hawkish Fed comments and recession risks.
Here is where the major benchmarks ended today:
The S&P 500 Index was down 19.51 points (0.5%) at 4,328.82; the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was down 12.72 points at 33, 714.71; the NASDAQ Composite was down 156.74 points (1.2%) at 13,335.78.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was down about 2 basis points at 3.714%.
CBOE’s Volatility Index (VIX) was up 0.77 at 14.21.
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UnitedHealth Group related more people were using the healthcare system (bad news for insurers), and no one exactly knew why. Then yesterday, the sleuths at UBS published a note with a clever hypothesis: Rising healthcare utilization rates could be fueled by…pickleball injuries.
UBS calculated that the game’s surging popularity—among seniors, in particular—will contribute $377 million in medical costs this year for procedures like hip replacements and knee surgeries, Bloomberg reported.
Posted on June 22, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Wall Street’s major averages yesterday, on Wednesday, ended lower for a third straight session, weighed down by losses in growth stocks. And, sentiment was dampened by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s largely hawkish reiteration that more rate hikes were likely.
Powell in his published opening remarks to his two-day testimony to Congress said that nearly all policymakers expect that interest rates would have to be raised further by the end of the year. The Fed chief then, in responses to questions from lawmakers, said that it may “make sense” for the central bank to raise rates at a “more moderate pace” going forward.
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So, here is where the major benchmarks ended:
The S&P 500 Index was down 23.02 points (0.5%) at 4,365.69; the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was down 102.35 (0.3%) at 33,951.52; the NASDAQ Composite was down 165.10 (1.2%) at 13,502.20.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was little changed at 3.727%.
Cboe’s Volatility Index (VIX) was was down 0.68 at 13.19.
Technology shares were among the weakest performers Wednesday, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) dropping nearly 2% to near a two-week low. Regional banks were also lower.
Energy stocks led sector gainers as crude oil futures jumped nearly 2% to a two-week high on hopes for stronger demand from China. Volatility based on the VIX sank to its lowest level since January 2020.
Posted on June 20, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Markets were closed for Juneteenth yesterday, but the NASDAQ is coming into the short trading week hot: The tech-heavy index had its eighth consecutive week of gains last week, the best it’s done since March 2019.
But, Investors are divided over whether the rally driven by mega-stocks like Nvidia, Apple, and Tesla is a bubble poised to pop or the start to an AI revolution that not even Jerome Powell can dissuade.
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Referral Change Was Resolution 504 AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOUSE OF DELEGATES Resolution: 256 (A-23) Introduced by: American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Association of Hand Surgery Subject: Regulating Misleading AI Generated Advice to Patients Referred to: Reference Committee
The American Medical Association (AMA) just voted to adopt a proposal to help protect patients against false or misleading medical information from artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as generative pre-trained transformers (GPT), etc.
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
FREEDOM DAY
By Staff Reporters
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The U.S. bond market, and both the NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) are closed on June 19th in observance of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth became a federal and public U.S. holiday in 2021, when it was officially recognized by President Joe Biden.
Juneteenth is a banking holiday observed by the Federal Reserve. That means most major banks like Bank of America (BAC), Chase and Wells Fargo (CBEAX) will be closed. TD Bank, which remained open last Juneteenth, will also be closed today.
Posted on June 17, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Here is where the major benchmarks ended; yesterday
The S&P 500 Index was down 16.25 points (0.4%) at 4,409.59; the Dow Jones industrial average was down 108.94 (0.3%) at 34,299.12; the NASDAQ Composite was down 93.25 (0.7%) at 13,689.57.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was up about 4 basis points at 3.769%.
CBOE’s Volatility Index (VIX) was down 0.97 at 13.53.
Retailers and regional banks were among the weakest performers Friday, and the Russell 2000 ended with a loss of about 1%.
Energy companies were among the strongest sectors thanks to crude oil futures extending a recent rally above $70 a barrel.
Posted on June 16, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Stocks climbed again yesterday—and it wasn’t just tech companies carrying the team this time. The DJIA was the best-performing major index, showing how the current market rally is spreading beyond the A.I. frenzy. But the Artificial Intelligence frenzy is still frenzied. Microsoft, seen as the de facto AI leader, hit a record high.
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On Wall Street yesterday, CAVAwent public in the sixth-biggest US IPO of the year. Shares of the Mediterranean fast-casual chain popped 99%, giving it a market value of $4.9 billion at market close. Cava’s successful debut could inspire other restaurant brands, such as Panera and Fogo De Chão, to accelerate their plans to go public and wake up a slow IPO market.
Posted on June 14, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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DEFINITION: A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time.
1. Energy is doing a lot of the work. Cheaper energy played a major role in pulling inflation down to 4% last month from 4.9% in April, per Axios. Gas prices plunged almost 20% from last year, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent fuel costs to the moon, while broader energy prices fell nearly 12%.
2. “Revenge spending” is down. Once COVID pandemic lock downs lifted, Americans splurged on vacations, leisure, and recreation (new pickle ball paddles!) in what economists dubbed “revenge spending.” Now that everyone has taken their week long trip to Italy, there are signs that revenge spending is waning: Airfare prices dropped 13% annually in May and, according to the US Travel Association, hotel demand is below 2019 levels. Bad for your Instagram, but good for inflation.
3. Food prices are up. The cost of food ticked up 0.2% in May from April after staying flat in the previous two months, showing how inflation has persisted on grocery store shelves. But not all aisles are created equal—the price of eggs dropped nearly 14% from April (the biggest one-month drop since 1951), while fruit and veggie prices rose 1.3%.
4. More than anything else, rent is propping up inflation. Shelter costs are the largest category in the CPI report, and they’re still on the upward march, climbing 8.7% from a year earlier. The good news: Economists say this government data doesn’t reflect on-the-ground information, such as reports of softening rent by Zillow and Apartment List. Shelter costs in the CPI are expected to decline during the second half of the year.
As a doctor and attorney, it is only logical for me to be the medical guardian for my adult learning and physically challenged cousin. So, I am here in Miami, Floridanearly every month for his physician appointments as well as social service visits. But, we also make sure we attend exciting and fun activities, as well!
In fact, last weekend was no exception as we went to the Sabrina Cohen Foundation for theirAdaptive Beach Daysevent during Brain Awareness Month every June.
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TheCohen Foundationprovides adaptive services for physically impaired people to participate in water activities, particularly in the ocean and beach activities. Miss Cohen was injured 19 years ago in a terrible accident and had a spinal cord injury. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she created a foundation where she helps others enjoy life and activities outdoors. She received a 2 1/2 million dollar grant from the city of Miami and has a permanent site on the Beach in Miami. And, she provides services and activities for many people and is trying to take her foundation nationwide.
ME-P NOTE: The Illinois’s 11th Congressional District is in the state of Illinois. It includes parts of Cook, DuPage, Kendall, Kane and Will counties, as well some suburbs of Chicago and rural areas. So, please drop us a line and consider learning about and supporting Dr. Kent, regardless of your congressional district, affiliation and/or U.S. state.He is a political centrist and surely a rising new national star.
Posted on June 12, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Health Capital Consultants, LLC
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On April 26, 2023, the California-based healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente announced a $5 billion “mega deal” to acquire Pennsylvania health system Geisinger Health. Kaiser also announced the formation of a new nonprofit health system, to be called Risant Health. Geisinger Health will be the first health system under the umbrella of Risant Health, although Kaiser aims to add approximately five more systems to the entity.
This Health Capital Topics article will review this mega deal and discuss what this transaction may mean for hospitals and health systems. (Read more…)
Posted on June 7, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
Meta, the Facebook tech giant sold the GIF platform it had recently bought at a steep loss after the UK’s competition regulator demanded it unwind its acquisition over antitrust concerns.
Meta had acquired Giphy in 2020 for $400 million, and just sold the company to Shutterstock for nearly $350 million less than that—$53 million. This was the first instance of British authorities dismantling a Big Tech deal that had already closed
We knew digital dental records were never safe, even though our trusting patients had no idea. I started warning dentists about sudden public rejection of electronic dental records over a decade ago. In fact, that is why the Texas Dental Association suspended my membership.
It’s the start of the predictable end of digital records in most dental offices. The TDA and the ADA were repeatedly warned, but chose to say nothing about the comparative security of paper to dues-paying members. In fact, the American Dental Association marketed its own digital dental record system until a few years ago when over 500 dental practices using their system were hacked. Then the ADA quietly sold it.
“The records of nearly 9 million people have been published online following a LockBit ransomware attack on Managed Care of North America. The company, also known as MCNA Dental, is a leading provider of dental plans in the U.S., serving private employers, individuals and families through a range of Medicare, long-term and commercial plans. MCNA is also the largest dental insurer for government-sponsored Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, programs.”
The question is, what will this news do to huge, multi-location dental franchises such as Aspen Dental, Monarch, Medicare and other discount dentistry centers. Dentists have proven they can run successful, large practices using pegboards, ledger cards and bulky, loud metal filing cabinets without risking their patients’ privacy.
By the way, my practice is accepting new patients. Oh yea: TDA, you still owe me $200 in prorated dues for the remainder of the year you kicked me out. Idiots!
Posted on June 2, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
NO DEFAULT THIS YEAR
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The Senate just passed legislation to lift the nation’s debt ceiling and stave off what would’ve been an economically disastrous default days before Monday’s deadline. The final vote was 63-36. The bill will now go to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
Posted on June 1, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Student loan payments could restart soon. Tucked into the debt ceiling deal agreed to by President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is a measure that requires student loan borrowers to start paying their monthly bills again 60 days after June 30th.
A freeze on repayments has been in place since March 2020 due to COVID-19, and it’s been extended several times as the pandemic dragged on. This deadline for the resumption of payments is similar to the timeline previously laid out by President Joe Biden, but it prevents him from issuing another pause.
Posted on May 30, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Theranos’ founder, Elizabeth Holmes, is finally set to report to prison today. After several delays, she’s expected to report to a federal prison in Texas by 2 p.m. Once worth $4.5 billion, Holmes can expect a drastic change in lifestyle. The Theranos founder turned convicted fraudster is set to bid adieu to her freedom and her estate home costing $13,000 a month as she commences an 11-year prison sentence.
The AI hype train that left the station last November with ChatGPT’s release made its grand arrival on Wall Street last week. According to Bloomberg, the top seven tech stocks (Microsoft, Alphabet, etc.) gained a combined $454 billion in market cap over five days, fueled by Nvidia’s earnings report that many considered a watershed moment for the technology. AI’s disruptive potential is why the tech-heavy Nasdaq is leaving the other indexes in the dust this year.
Posted on May 24, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
Markets: Stocks sagged as investors wondered whether those “productive” debt-ceiling meetings would actually lead to the production of a deal to raise the borrowing cap. The “X-date” by which the US would default on its debts could arrive in eight days [June 6-8].
Stock spotlight: Yelp shares popped after an activist investment firm called on the review app to explore strategic alternatives, including a sale, the WSJ reported. The activist investor believes that Yelp could fetch a price that’s more than double its current value.
Posted on May 23, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Last week, investors shrugged off debt ceiling worries to send the S&P and the NASDAQ to their best weekly performance since March. Tech stocks have posted impressive gains this year thanks to the hype around artificial intelligence:
Four giants that have made a big deal about investing in AI—Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Nvidia—have surged in 2023 and now account for ~15% of the S&P 500’s market capitalization, according to Barron’s.
Posted on May 22, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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LONDON (AP) — The European Union just slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine today and ordered it to stop transferring user data across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by U.S. cybersnooping fears.
The penalty fine of 1.2 billion euros from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is the biggest since the EU’s strict data privacy regime took effect five years ago, surpassing Amazon’s 746 million euro penalty in 2021 for data protection violations.
Posted on May 22, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Staff-level discussions over the debt ceiling and budget between the White House and congressional Republicans will resume later today evening after President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy spoke by phone Sunday afternoon, according to a White House official.
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Traders who WFH do less crime. Employees of financial institutions who work the trading desk from home are less likely to commit securities fraud than in-person colleagues, according to a forthcoming article in European Financial Management.
One theory is that being out of the office shields do-gooders from their crime-inclined colleagues’ peer pressure, which is likely more potent face-to-face than over Slack. Remote work reduced the likelihood of misconduct reports among traders by nearly 15%, but it’s worth noting that the workers allowed to WFH are the ones who already showed a lower risk of committing securities violations.
Posted on May 20, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Debt Limit: Stocks took a dive yesterday even though Jerome Powell said that interest rates may not have to rise as much as expected to quash inflation. What could loom even larger than Jerome Powell? A hiccup in negotiations over the debt ceiling raised fears about the possibility of the US defaulting. In fact, negotiations aimed at raising the nation’s debt limit resumed briefly last night after being halted for six hours during the day when Republicans broke off talks saying the White House was being unreasonable. A major sticking point was said to be the overall amount of government spending for next year as the deadline to get a deal in place to prevent an economically crippling default on June 1st draws near. Although no breakthrough came from the evening’s talks, further discussions are reportedly scheduled for later today.
Stock spotlight: Investors were about as interested in Foot Locker as an old stinky sneaker after a slowdown in sales prompted the retailer to slash its outlook for the year.
Posted on May 19, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Today is World Family Doctor Day—and the US needs more family doctors. By 2026, 21% of family medicine and other primary care physicians will have reached retirement age, while demand for primary care is expected to grow 4%.
World Family Doctor Day is on May 19th every year. Founded by the World Organization of Family Doctors (W.O.N.C.A.) in 2010, World Family Doctor Day has now grown into a global celebration of the importance of family doctors in health care. Taking part in this event is a great way to show appreciation for the important role family medicine plays in providing patients with individualized, comprehensive, and long-term health care. Family doctors around the world have made significant contributions to medicine — now is the time to recognize that. It’s also a moment to recognize the advancements in family medicine and the unique efforts of primary care teams worldwide.
So we, at the ME-P, hope all the family doctors take time to relax from their busy schedules and enjoy the springtime blooms as we trust those April showers brought lots of May flowers.
Posted on May 17, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
President Joe Biden said Monday he intends to nominate a new director for the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, a surgical oncologist and cancer researcher, was picked by Biden as the successor to Francis Collins.
“Dr. Bertagnolli has spent her career pioneering scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to improve cancer prevention and treatment for patients, and ensuring that patients in every community have access to quality care,” Biden said in a statement. “As Director of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Bertagnolli has advanced my Cancer Moonshot to end cancer as we know it.”
Posted on May 16, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Vice Media filed for bankruptcy
The company, which was valued at $5.7 billion in 2017, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday and plans to sell itself to a group of creditors for $225 million. It’s the latest in a string of digital media companies to stumble recently after advertising revenue became harder to come by.
Vice’s filing also made it one of seven large companies to head to bankruptcy court in a 48-hour period—the largest number of filings during a two-day period since 2008, according to Bloomberg.
Posted on May 16, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Earnings roundup
The following companies are in the earnings pipeline this week:
Home Depot is due to release its results for its last fiscal quarter before the market opens Tuesday. Analysts expect the home-improvement chain to report earnings of $3.81 per share, down from $4.09 during the same quarter a year earlier, according to Zacks Investment Research. Home improvement businesses benefited from increased spending on renovations during the pandemic but have struggled as inflation picked up. Home Depot’s shares were down about 0.9% Monday.
Target will follow Wednesday, with analysts predicting the big box retailer will report earnings of $1.75 per share, down from $2.19 the year before. Again, investors will be looking to see how Target has dealt with inflation and recession-wary shoppers. Its shares were up more than 1.3%.
Walmart wraps up big-retailer week Thursday. Analysts expect the retailer to report earnings of $1.31 per share, a slight improvement from $1.3 a year earlier. Its shares were down about 0.8%.
Cisco Systems (CSCO) will report results for the fiscal quarter ended in April on Wednesday. Analysts expect the software company to report earnings of $0.87 per share, up from $0.78 a year before.
Two major Chinese tech companies will also report results this week, with Baidu (BIDU) going first before market open Tuesday and Alibaba (BABA) following Thursday.
Posted on May 15, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Markets: Despite the risk of the US defaulting on its debts next month, equity traders have kept calm and carried on, sending the NASDAQ to a weekly gain last week. But over in the bond market, investors are sweating. The cost of credit-default swaps, which act as insurance against a default, is higher in the US than in emerging markets like Mexico and Brazil.
Stock spotlight: This stat about the stock market’s concentration is wild…Apple’s market cap is now greater than the value of every company in the Russell 2000 small-cap index combined.
Posted on May 12, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Happy 203rd birthday to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. She rose to fame during the Crimean War, when her hygiene standards substantially reduced the mortality rate at army hospitals. The healthcare industry still relies on some of her ideas, such as using data as a tool to improve hospital care. The “lady with the lamp” is still lighting the path forward.
Posted on May 11, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Stocks were a mixed bag yesterday after the consumer price index showed prices rose 4.9% last month, marking the 10th month in a row of cooling inflation and the first time inflation has dipped below 5% in two years. That’s still higher than the Fed’s 2% target, but it leaves space for Jerome Powell to chill out a bit. Tech stocks got a boost from that news, especially Google’s parent, Alphabet, which also benefited from rolling out its new AI.
Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast the CPI increasing 0.4% and advancing 5.0% over the past year. The core inflation rate rose 0.4% in April for the second straight month, in line with economists forecasts. For the year, the core inflation rate, excluding food and energy prices, increased 5.5% down from a 5.6% rise in March.
“The below 5% headline CPI number is a sigh of relief to a market on edge,” said Alexandra Wilson-Elizondo, co-head of portfolio management for multi asset solutions at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Traders hoped that the lower-than-expected inflation data may leave room for the U.S. central bank to refrain from raising interest rates further at its June meeting.
“The data today will be interpreted as not hot enough to force the Fed’s hand in June … We do not think this one data point will determine the outcome of the June FOMC meeting because we still have a string of economic data to process between now and then,” wrote Wilson-Elizondo.
“The details of the print suggest that we are still a meaningful distance from the Fed’s 2% target, giving little reason for the Fed to cut this year.”
Investors priced in the Federal Reserve beginning to trim borrowing costs in coming months, a hope that is seen underpinning stocks of late and helping the S&P 500 index move towards the top of the 3,800 to 4,200 range its has held all year.
Posted on May 9, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Stocks mostly held steadyyesterday as everyone waits for April’s inflation data to drop tomorrow. Regional banks saw some movement as PacWest cut its dividend, then teetered up and down throughout the day. But Six Flags theme park operator shot straight up after reporting record revenue for the last quarter thanks to higher ticket prices.
Elon Musk warned that Twitter follower counts may drop as the platform removes inactive accounts.
Goldman Sachshas agreed to pay $215 million to settle a long-running class-action lawsuit accusing the investment bank of underpaying women. Elon Musk warned that Twitter follower counts may drop as the platform removes inactive accounts.
Intel continues to rattle the tech industry by confirming that it plans to cut its workforce to reduce costs. The companydeclined to share how many workers would be affected but said the layoffs would take place across the company.
Posted on May 6, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
ANNUAL MEETING TODAY
By Staff Reporters
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“Woodstock for Capitalists” is happening today
Warren Buffett will preside over Berkshire Hathaway’s 59th annual shareholders meeting today—an event expected to draw a large crowd to Omaha, Nebraska. Everyone will be watching to see what Buffett has to say about the economy, the state of the banking sector, his big bet on Apple, and his struggling “favorite child,”
Geico. Shareholders will also vote on six proposals on climate change, political advocacy, and the firm’s leadership, all of which Buffett opposes.
Posted on May 2, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned yesterday that the US could run out of money to pay all its bills as early as June 1st if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt limit before then. The US’ first-ever default would be disastrous for financial markets, economists say.
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Meanwhile, Europe’s painful inflation has inched higher, extending the squeeze on households and keeping pressure on the European Central Bank to unleash what could be another large interest rate increase. Consumer prices in the 20 countries using the euro currency jumped 7% in April from a year earlier, just up from the annual rate of 6.9% in March, the European Union statistics agency Eurostat said today. Food price inflation eased a little, falling to an annual rate of 13.6% from March’s 15.5%, while energy prices rose a more modest 2.5%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel, slowed slightly but was still high at 5.6%, underlining the expectation that the ECB will press ahead with its campaign to beat inflation into submission with rate hikes.
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