DAILY UPDATE: GDP Worries as Markets Stumble with Meta but other Technology Stocks are Good

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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New GDP numbers out yesterday show a worrying combo of stubborn inflation + waning growth that dampens hopes for a potential interest rate cut. Per the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the first quarter of 2024 was a confounding one:

GDP increased at a 1.6% annualized rate, far below projections of 2.4% and notably down from 3.4% at the end of 2023.
While slow growth would typically signal that the Fed could cut rates, another metric complicates matters: Consumer prices (excluding volatile categories), a solid indicator of inflation, shot up to a much higher than anticipated 3.7%.

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Meta reported record Q1 revenue yesterday, but it was overshadowed by the billions of dollars the company is spending in its efforts to win the Artificial Intelligence race and make the Metaverse happen. Investors were unhappy with the company’s forecast that its spending will rise by $10 billion dollars to support Artificial Intelligence development, sending Meta’s stock price down 15% after hours.

Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

The S&P 500 index fell 23.21 points (0.5%) to 5,048.42; the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 375.12 points (1.0%) to 38,085.80; the NASDAQ Composite^® ($COMP) shed 100.99 points (0.6%) to 15,611.76.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) rose about 5 basis points to 4.704%.
The CBOE Volatility Index^® (VIX) fell 0.64 to 15.33.

Communication services shares were the weakest S&P 500 sector Thursday behind the plunge in Meta Platforms. Late Wednesday, the Facebook parent provided lighter-than-expected second-quarter revenue guidance, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussed spending in currently unprofitable pursuits such as artificial intelligence (AI) and mixed reality. Meta’s first-quarter earnings and revenue both came above analysts ‘ estimates, however.

Meta’s slump helped send the S&P 500 Communication Services index ($SP500#50) down 4%. Banks were also particularly soft amid concern that persistently high interest rates may compress lender margins. Semiconductor and transportation shares were among the few pockets of strength.

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But, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Snap reported Q1 earnings yesterday, and were generally good. Alphabet issued its first-ever dividend and authorized $70 billion in stock buybacks, after it beat Wall Street’s revenue expectations. Microsoft also beat revenue forecasts on the strength of its cloud services. And Snap shares soared after it topped estimates and impressed investors with its 422 million global daily active users. It was a much-needed boost for the sector after Meta spooked the market with how much it’s spending on AI.

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META [Facebook] Spends Very Big Money on Artificial Intelligence [A.I.]

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Big Artificial Intelligence Spending Boosts Meta’s Cost Structure!

Meta [Facebook, FB] reported record Q1 revenue yesterday, but it was overshadowed by the billions the company is spending in its efforts to win the AI race and to try to make the metaverse happen. Investors were displeased with the company’s forecast that its spending will rise by $10 billion to support AI development, sending Meta’s stock price down 15% after hours.

Now, the metaverse is a vision of a virtual reality where people can socialize, work, play, and explore in immersive digital spaces.

But CEO Mark Zuckerberg urged them to keep the faith, saying, “We’ve historically seen a lot of volatility in our stock during this phase of our product playbook.”

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EARNINGS WEEK: Four Magnificent Seven Stocks Plus 4 More “Blue Chips” Reporting

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Busy earnings week will focus on the Magnificent Seven

Big Tech is leading the stock-market rout, but in the coming days, it has the opportunity to turn things around. Magnificent Seven members Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, and Tesla are among the 178 S&P 500 companies scheduled to report their earnings this jam-packed week.

Other blue-chip stocks reporting include GM, Boeing, IBM, and PepsiCo.

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DAILY UPDATE: Medicaid and Government Employee Health Insurance Changes as Stocks Tank

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a sharp warning about proposed changes to Medicaid, claiming they could “strip millions of Americans” from access to healthcare. In February 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new proposed rule that would change long-standing practices for how states fund the non-federal share of Medicaid payments. In particular, the CMS is pushing for greater oversight of how states use of healthcare provider taxes to help fund their programs.

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Democratic lawmakers Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Andy Kim have partnered up with Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans to introduce legislation aiming to give army reservists and members of the National Guard that also work for the federal government options on the type of health care plans they can receive. The bill, which could impact thousands of federal employees that are also in the U.S. Army, plans to give this group of Americans the ability to decide whether they want military or civilian health care. The lawmakers said in a shared statement that their proposal will fix current regulations that limit service members who also work for the government to enroll in the cheaper Tricare Reserve Select (TRS) health plan when they also qualify for federal health plans.

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Stocks tanked last Friday after the big banks reported underwhelming earnings and the sheen from the Magnificent Seven’s AI-driven surge earlier this week wore off. Meanwhile, oil prices continue to rise near six-month highs as concern grows over geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The tech sector was highlighted in this market, particularly due to the exceptional performance of a group of mega-cap tech giants last year nicknamed the “Magnificent Seven.” This elite group includes Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA).

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DAILY UPDATE: Stock Markets Surge

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

Markets: Stocks pulled it out for a Friday win after the government dropped encouraging economic data. But all three major indexes were still down for the week, with the Dow enduring its worst of 2024.
Stock spotlight: Tesla took a wild ride, plunging after Reuters reported it had scrapped plans to produce its long-awaited Model 2 affordable EV only to regain some ground after Elon Musk denied it. The company then jumped after hours because Musk said it’ll debut a robotaxi on August 8.

The S&P 500 index gained 57.13 points (1.1%) to 5,204.34, down 1.0% for the week; the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 307.06 points (0.8%) to 38,904.04, down 2.3% for the week; the NASDAQ Composite^® ($COMP) rose 199.44 points (1.2%) to 16,248.52, down 0.8% for the week.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) rose more than 8 basis points to 4.392%.
The CBOE Volatility Index^® (VIX) fell 0.32 to 16.03.

Meta Platforms (META) and Netflix (NFLX), two members of the “Magnificent Seven” mega-cap group, both jumped around 3% Friday, helping lift the S&P 500 Communication Services Index ($SP500#50) 1.6% to lead top-performing sectors. Meta shares closed at a record above $527, up 49% for the year.

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DOWN: Facebook, Threads, Instagram and Messenger

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

PARENT META OUTAGE

By Staff Reporters

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Facebook, Instagram and Messenger have gone down in what appears to be a huge outage at parent company Meta.

Users found themselves unable to load the apps or websites as normal. On Facebook, affected users found they had been logged out and were unable to get on, while Instagram refused to work at all.

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META: Stock Up!

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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2022 was a rough year for Meta. Inflation and high interest rates dinged the company, and Apple made changes to its operating system that made it harder for brands to target customers, and rival TikTok kept on growing. Meta’s stock price fell more than 60%.

But the company saw a dramatic turnaround of its fortunes in 2023. Its full-year net income rose 69% over 2022 to $39.1 billion. Its diluted earnings per share went from $8.59 to $14.87, a 73% YoY jump. Q4 2023 was especially good for Meta: Its net income more than tripled and its revenue rose 25%.

And for the first time, the company gave out cash dividends to investors. Technology analyst Ben Barringer described the move to CNBC as a “symbolic moment” that showed Meta viewed itself as a “mature, grown-up business.”

Meta’s success, though, required paring down. It reduced operating expenses in 2023 by laying off some 20,000 people, slashing its headcount by 22%. It spent $2.5 billion on “facilities consolidation,” or reducing its office footprint. The changes were part of a plan to make the company “leaner” so it would be better able to weather volatility over the next five to 10 years, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

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SNAP: Employee Staff Layoffs

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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According to Wikipedia, Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their recipients. The app has evolved from originally focusing on person-to-person photo sharing to presently featuring users’ “Stories” of 24 hours of chronological content, along with “Discover”, letting brands show ad-supported short-form content. It also allows users to store photos in a password-protected area called “my eyes only”. It has also reportedly incorporated limited use of end-to-end encryption, with plans to broaden its use in the future.

Snapchat was created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, former students at Stanford University. It is known for representing a mobile-first direction for social media, and places significant emphasis on users interacting with virtual stickers and augmented reality objects. In July 2021, Snapchat had 293 million daily active users, a 23% growth over a year. On average more than four billion Snaps are sent each day. Snapchat is popular among the younger generations, particularly those below the age of 16, leading to many privacy concerns for parents.

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So yesterday, Snap laid off 10% of its staff. The job cuts, which amount to roughly 540 people, are Snap’s largest since 2022. Ad revenue at the social media giant has slowed since Apple changed its privacy policy, making it harder for advertisers to access user data.

Meta also suffered from the changes but has rebounded after the company laid off thousands of workers as part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “year of efficiency.” Snap’s layoffs prolong a ghastly start to 2024 for the tech industry, which has endured 32-K job cuts already this year, as per the Layoffs.

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DAILY UPDATE: The “Magnificent Seven” Technology Stocks PLUS Uber

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Markets: The Magnificent Seven technology mega-cap stocks—Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Nvidia, Tesla, Meta, and Amazon—have surged 75% this year, while the other 493 companies in the S&P 500 have gained 12%. The Magnificent Seven now account for nearly 30% of the entire index’s value, per the WSJ.

Stock spotlight: Speaking of the S&P 500, it’s getting a prominent new member—Uber will join the index today. With a market cap of $127 billion, Uber is the most valuable company that hadn’t yet been included in the S&P 500, and it celebrated by notching a 52-week high last week.
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DAILY UPDATE: Meta Sued as Markets Rise!

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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A bipartisan group of 33 attorneys general is suing Meta over addictive features aimed at kids and teens, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in a federal court in California. The support from so many state AGs of different political backgrounds indicates a significant legal challenge to Meta’s business.

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Here is where the major benchmarks ended today:

The S&P 500 Index was up 30.64 points (0.7%) at 4,247.68; the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was up 204.97 points (0.6%) at 33,141.38; the NASDAQ Composite (COMP) was up 121.55 points (0.9%) at 13,139.87.
The 10-year Treasury note yield was down about 2 basis points at 4.815%.
CBOE’s Volatility Index (VIX) was down 1.51 at 18.89.

Utilities were among the strongest performers Tuesday, with the Philadelphia Utility Index (UTY) rising nearly 3%. Semiconductors and communications services shares were also higher.

Energy stocks were pressured by a more than 2% drop in WTI crude oil futures, which briefly fell under $83 a barrel.

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DAILY UPDATE: Inflation CPI, Rain, the Shutdown and Torn “Threads”

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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CPI: Here’s a breakdown of how different aisles and departments rose over the past 12 months:

Cereals and bakery: increase 6%
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs: unchanged
Remaining products (ranging from dairy to beverages): increase 0.3% to 4.8%
Food in general is up 4.3%
Food away from home: increase 6.8%
Used cars and trucks fell 1.2% year-over-year, but new cars and trucks rose 0.3%. Those may not seem like much, but a new car still costs an average of more than $48,000 — as of May 2023 only three models were available in the U.S. market for $20,000 or less.
Transportation similarly rose 10.3% over the same period but shelter, which rose 7.3%, “was the largest factor in the monthly increase in the index for all items less food and energy,” according to the August CPI.

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Not to put a damper on your Sunday morning (the relentless rain is already doing that to the North East USA), but the government still appears headed for a shutdown. Among the immediate impacts: Many federal employees will be furloughed, the IRS will stop picking up your calls, you won’t be able to get married in DC courts, and most national parks—and their social media handles—will go dark.

And even more rain as New York City was hit with its heaviest rain in decades, which flooded roads and subway stations and delayed air travel. Both the mayor and New York’s governor declared states of emergency as images of the waterlogged city filled social media.

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It appears that Mark Zuckerberg’s new “Threads” social media platform is struggling with a massive decline. The social media platform called “Threads” was launched by Facebook (now called Meta). The platform is essentially a clone of Elon Musk’s Twitter, which is now called X. Threads struggling to maintain momentum and gain new users.

Among major social platforms, Threads is reportedly only ahead of Tumblr in the race for user acquisition. Forecasts by Insider Intelligence predict a U.S. user base of 23.7 million for Threads in 2023. The company reportedly anticipated 56.1 million U.S. users. In comparison, X has roughly 528.3 million monthly users.

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LAWSUITS: Amazon, Facebook and Google

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Stocks are diving recently, giving the Dow its worst day since March as new data on declining home sales and consumer confidence gave investors the recession-could-be-coming jitters again.

And, Amazon dipped after the FTC filed its long-awaited anti-monopoly suit against the company. The FTC and 17 states delivered a sweeping lawsuit accusing the trillion-dollar e-commerce company of being an illegal monopoly. It’s the fourth lawsuit levied by the FTC against Amazon this year and easily the one with the most profound consequences for US antitrust legislation. The FTC and state attorneys general allege that Amazon abused its power by punishing sellers if they offered lower prices on other platforms, a practice that led to higher prices for consumers. Sellers on the marketplace were also allegedly coerced to use Amazon’s logistics and advertising services or face penalties like reduced visibility.

Meanwhile the FTC is also looking to break up both Google and Facebook but it is unclear if that’s the real goal here. The FTC asked for a permanent injunction to stop alleged misconduct. Bad news for Google which celebrates its’ 25th birthday today.

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META: Sells Giphy for Peanuts

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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

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SOCIAL MEDIA: Dr. Vivek Murthy Warns on Children’s Mental Health

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

U.S. SURGEON GENERAL ADVISORY REPORT

By Staff Reporters

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May is mental health month in the USA. US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued a powerful public advisory yesterday warning of the considerable risks that social media poses to young people’s mental health. “Nearly every teenager in America uses social media, and yet we do not have enough evidence to conclude that it is sufficiently safe for them,” Murthy wrote. He argued that kids have “become unknowing participants in a decades-long experiment.”

The surgeon general’s report focuses on the impacts of social media on teens and kids—both positive and negative—and the attendant health risks. The report outlines two types of dangers associated with social networks: content-related problems, such as negative self-image or bullying, and use-related problems, such as poor sleep and addiction.

What we know about social media and kids’ mental health

By all accounts, America’s youth are currently experiencing a mental health crisis.

The number of teens and young adults with clinical depression doubled between 2011 and 2021, according to San Diego State University psychology professor Dr. Jean Twenge.
In 2021, the CDC found that nearly 25% of teenage girls had made a suicide plan.

Many experts have pointed to social media as a potential cause since the deterioration of kids’ mental health has coincided with the rise of social media platforms over the last decade.

Still, the effect of likes, retweets, and TikTok comments on kids’ brains remains more or less a mystery. We know that social media use affects adolescents and that teens show alarming rates of anxiety and depression. But studies that have attempted to determine whether social media is a direct cause of worsening mental health have been inconclusive. Plus, not all kids are impacted by social media similarly: Some—adolescent girls, for instance—appear to be more at risk than others.

Finally, and according to Morning Brew, while researchers search for answers, some lawmakers are pushing ahead with restrictions on teens’ use of social media. In March, for example, Utah became the first state to establish a curfew for teens on social media apps and mandate that parents have access to their children’s accounts.

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META: Busted and Fined!

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

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.

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DAILY UPDATE: Facebook Not Trusted while Markets Go Down

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Happy Cinco de Mayo. The holiday commemorates the defeat of French forces by the Mexican army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, but its popularity jumped in the 1980s when beer companies began to leverage Cinco de Mayo in marketing campaigns.

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The antitrust watchdogs at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just tore into Facebook saying the agency has caught the social media giant violating kids’ data privacy for profit — for the third time. Now the FTC has had enough. In a new proposal to protect kids, the agency wants to ban the platform from ever monetizing youth data again. In a ferocious rebuke, the FTC said Facebook defied its direct order to protect kids’ online privacy and broke the promise the company made in a 2019 consent order when it was forced to pay a $5 billion penalty for violating a 2012 order.

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Here’s where the major indexes ended:

The S&P 500 Index was down 29.53 points (0.7%) at 4061.22; the Dow Jones industrial average was down 286.50 (0.9%) at 33,127.74; the NASDAQ Composite was down 58.93 (0.5%) at 11,966.40.
The 10-year Treasury yield was down about 4 basis points at 3.364%.
CBOE’s Volatility Index was up 1.74 at 20.08.

Financial stocks led the market’s declines, with the KBW Regional Banking index sinking nearly 3% to its lowest level since November 2020. Transportation stocks were also under pressure as banking sector troubles exacerbated recession concerns. Crude oil futures initially extended this week’s slump, dropping under $64 a barrel to a 17-month low before rebounding.

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Meta, Chipotle, Microsoft, Eggs and Rent

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

ECONOMIC OUTPUT

By Staff Reporters

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A government report on U.S. economic output in the first quarter will shed light on how consumers and businesses are faring under high inflation, rising interest rates and the onset of banking problems. Consumer spending, the primary driver of growth, and hiring were surprisingly strong at the start of the year, but more recently slowed as the Federal Reserve continued raising interest rates to cool the economy and curb rapid price increases. TO WIT:

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Meta’s “Year of Efficiency” is off to a strong start: After three straight quarters of falling revenue last year, the company saw an uptick in ad sales for a 3% revenue jump from Q1 2022. Profits were down, but the company still beat expectations, and Facebook gained users again after losses last year. But not all of Mark Zuckerberg’s dreams are coming true—the company’s Metaverse unit lost almost $4 billion last quarter.

Chipotle—which hit near all-time highs after saying customers kept coming back for burrito bowls despite price increases.

The UK’s competition regulator blocked Microsoft’s bid to acquire the Call of Duty-maker saying it would hurt competition in the cloud gaming sector. The move came as a shock because the regulator had previously said Microsoft had assuaged its concerns about the console gaming market. The decision, which Microsoft plans to appeal, puts a strain on the deal while the companies wait for competition decisions from the EU and the US, where the FTC has already sued to scuttle it.

Finally, while egg prices have fallen dramatically, one sector of the economy remains stubbornly expensive: rents.

In the latest consumer price index report, the shelter category (aka rents) was the largest contributor by far to overall inflation. And despite moderating in recent months, rent growth remains 17% higher than 2021 levels.

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DAILY UPDATE: Meta & Disney Cut More Jobs While the Stock Markets Bobble

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Meta Platforms, the billionaire’s social media empire, will reportedly cut thousands more jobs. And the bloodbath is not over, according to the latest reports. Meta plans to eliminate thousands more jobs. According to Bloomberg News, an internal memo has been sent to managers, asking them to prepare for tough new announcements. The job cuts, which total 4,000, are expected to affect Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. They would also affect Reality Labs, the division that houses the group’s Metaverse projects — Quest virtual-reality headsets. In 2021 and 2022, Reality Labs, which is supposed to build the company’s next big thing, recorded a cumulative loss of nearly $24 billion, including $13.7 billion just last year.

And, Walt Disney Company plans to cut thousands of jobs next week, in another lay-off round that includes about 15% of the staff in its entertainment division, according to people familiar with the plans. Disney Entertainment will bear a significant chunk of the job cuts – with approximately 15% of the division’s staffers set to exit next week, according to a report. Disney has more than 200,000 employees across its various businesses.

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And now, the Markets:

The S&P 500 Index fell 0.35 point to 4154.52; the Dow Jones industrial average was down 79.62 (0.2%) at 33,897.01; the NASDAQ Composite was up 3.81 at 12,157.23.
The 10-year Treasury yield was up about 2 basis points at 3.60%.
CBOE’s Volatility Index was down 0.37 at 16.46.

Transportation was one of the top gainers among S&P 500 sectors yesterday, thanks in part to strength in United Airlines (UAL) and other top carriers. Real estate and financials were also higher, while oilfield services stocks were among the weakest performers due to a sharp drop in crude oil prices. WTI futures fell below $80, their lowest level in nearly three weeks.

Oil prices rallied at the start of this month after members of OPEC+ announced a production cut.

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DAILY UPDATE: The Domestic Markets Blast-Off as Blackstone Defaults

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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U.S. equities finished higher, with all the major indexes posting solid gains for the week. Q4 earnings season approached the end of the final chapter, as Broadcom topped forecasts and issued upbeat guidance, though Zscaler’s billings outlook appeared to overshadow a stronger-than-expected quarterly report, and Costco Wholesale posted mixed results. The market broke a four-week losing streak as Meta was one of the stocks that climbed after the Facebook parent announced big price cuts for its VR headsets, including the high-end Meta Quest Pro.

The economic front offered services sector reports that showed growth was stronger than expected.

Treasury yields came under pressure, along with the U.S. dollar, while crude oil prices were higher, and gold rallied.

Asia finished out the week in positive fashion, and Europe was mostly higher following some economic data.

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Backstone (NYSE:BX) has reportedly defaulted on a €531M bond backed by a portfolio of offices and stores owned by Finnish property investment firm Sponda, which it acquired in 2017. The private equity firm earlier sought an extension from holders of the securitized notes so that it could sell the assets and repay the debt, Bloomberg reported citing people aware of the matter. And, Seeking Alpha learned that the asset sale process was impacted by COVID-related disruptions, the Ukraine war (the assets are located in Finland, which shares its border with Russia) and wider market volatility.

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DAILY UPDATE: Meta C-Suite Executives Exit & ARK Reduces Nvidia Holdings as Markets Collapse

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Meta confirmed chief business officer Marne Levine is stepping down after 13 years with the company in order to “recharge and prioritize some quality time with family” before beginning her “next professional chapter.” She’s the third female C-suite leader to leave Meta in recent years, following chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg’s exit in 2022 and global ad chief Carolyn Everson’s in 2021.

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Cathie Wood has steadily reduced ARK Invest’s position in Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) over the last four months. Between November 2022 and January 2023, her flagship ARK Innovation ETF (NYSEMKT: ARKK) completely exited its stake in the microchip stock. So far in February, Wood has also significantly trimmed the positions of Nvidia held by two other ARK Invest ETFs. ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (NYSEMKT: ARKF) still owns 48,272 shares of the stock. ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (NYSEMKT: ARKW) still owns 81,054 shares. After the sales, Nvidia ranks as the 22nd- or 23rd-largest holding in both of these ETFs. Wood’s activity isn’t because Nvidia isn’t performing well. Actually, the stock has soared close to 50% so far in 2023. Several stocks that she has bought this year haven’t delivered comparably impressive gains. So, she is likely just taking gains.

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U.S. equities kicked off the holiday-shortened week by posting sharp losses. Uncertainty regarding the Fed’s future rate hike decisions appeared to pressure market sentiment, as investors grapple with recent hot inflation data and Fedspeak. Retail companies headlined the earnings calendar, as Dow member Walmart bested profit projections and raised its annual dividend, while Dow component Home Depot beat estimates and increased its quarterly dividend, but issued some disappointing guidance. And, Amazon corporate employees will be paid up to 50% less in 2023 due to its falling share price, the WSJ reported. Amazon’s pay packets rely heavily on stock awards, making them vulnerable to price fluctuations. The tech giant is laying off 18,000 employees, its largest ever job cuts, amid weakening economic conditions.

The economic calendar showed manufacturing activity increased but continued to contract, while services activity rose more than expected into expansion territory. Additionally, existing home sales declined in January as the median existing home price continued to rise.

Treasury yields were noticeably higher, and the U.S. dollar gained ground, while crude oil prices were slightly lower, and gold fell. Asia finished mixed, and Europe was mostly lower, as international investors digested some mixed global manufacturing and services sector reports.

Finally, SoftBank Group Corp. founder Masayoshi Son increased the amount of stock pledged as collateral to financial institutions to 175.25 million shares, or about 35% of his total stake in the Japanese conglomerate.

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SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE “Meta Verified”

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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According to Alexandra Bruell at alexandra.bruell@wsj.com the aim of Meta Verified is to increase security and authenticity across the company’s services, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said Sunday in social-media posts. It is also meant to “help up-and-coming creators grow their presence and build community faster,” according to a Meta spokesperson.

The service will cost $11.99 a month for Facebook and Instagram accounts that sign up from a web browser, or $14.99 a month for subscriptions through devices running Android and Apple Inc.’s iOS system, according to Meta. Tests of the service will begin in Australia and New Zealand this week.

In the coming months, the company expects it to roll out in the U.S. and eventually other markets, according to the spokesperson.

***

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DAILY UPDATE: Meta Down, Bing Inundated and a Market Wrap-Up

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Meta gave about 10% of its staff performance reviews indicating they were under performing, WSJ reported.The performance reviews signal that Meta could be gearing up for another round of layoffs.Meta let go of about 11,000 workers late last year and dubbed 2023 the “Year of Efficiency.”

MSFT BING: The software giant now limits the number of queries per day a user can make on its artificial-intelligence-powered Bing search engine – Get Free Report. The company has been inundated with requests from users who want to test the Bing Chabot. You have to register in a wait-list to have access to the new Bing. The influx of users has been a very encouraging sign from Microsoft, whose CEO Satya Nadella sees Bing Chatbot as the start of a “paradigm shift,” and a huge growth opportunity.

“These paradigm shifts or platform shifts are a great opportunity for us to innovate,” Nadella said on Feb. 7. “It’s more a priority for us to say what, how can we rethink what search was meant to be in the first place. In fact, Google success in the initial base was by reimagining what can be done in search.”

Wrap-Up on Markets: Stocks offered up a mixed bag last week, as investors continued to fret that the FOMCs rate hike path will just keep on raging. However, John Deere stock had its best day in two years after the tractor company raised its profit forecast for 2023.

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DAILY UPDATE: Cathie Wood, META and Index Futures

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Cathie Wood and Ark’s flagship exchange-traded fund Ark Innovation ETF (NYSE: ARKK) bought 168,989 shares of Tesla on Friday, valued at $20.68 million at the session’s closing price. The stock ended Friday’s session down 0.94% at $122.40, according to Benzinga Pro data. At one point in the session, the loss was as much as 6.4%. For the week, the stock gained 8.26%.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

Investing $1,000 in META Stock: Shares of Meta Platforms traded at $332.46 on June 4, 2021. A $1,000 investment could have purchased 3 shares of META stock. The $1,000 investment would be worth $410.94 today, based on a current price of $136.98 for Meta Platforms. This represents a loss of 58.9% in 19 months.

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European equities and US stock-index futures fell amid signs central banks will turn more hawkish and as investors focused on earnings reports from Wall Street banks.

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FACEBOOK & GOOGLE: A “Duopoly” in Decline?

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Facebook and Google appear to be an empire in decline.

Considered for years to be a “duopoly” over the advertising industry, they are on track to account for only 48.4% of US ad revenues this year. It’s the first time their market share has fallen below 50% since 2014, per Insider Intelligence.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

And, some suggest TikTok, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft are slowly and successfully clawing away business from the duopoly.

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The MARKETS and Meta

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Markets: Strong earnings reports for the stock market’s tortured participants. Stocks climbed for the second straight day after companies including Goldman Sachs, Netflix, and Lockheed Martin topped Q3 estimates. Tesla’s up later today.
Meta will sell Giphy after UK regulators blocked its $400 million acquisition from going through.

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UPDATE: Stock Markets UP but META Down!

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Markets: Stocks came out of the Q4 gate with the S&P and NASDAQ posting their best first day of a quarter since 2009. Is it just a temporary “relief rally” from the Fed-induced gloom of September? We’ll find out soon. One of the few party downers was Tesla, which got hammered after it revealed it shipped fewer cars than expected last quarter.

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Meta meanwhile will reduce budgets across most teams, even those that are growing, and that individual teams will sort out how to handle headcount changes. That could mean not filling roles that employees depart, shifting people to other teams, or working to “manage out people who aren’t succeeding,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. The cost cuts and hiring freeze are Meta’s starkest admission that advertising revenue growth is slowing amid mounting competition for users’ attention. Besides economic pressures, the company’s advertising business, built on precise consumer targeting, has lost some of its edge due to new privacy restrictions from Apple Inc. on tracking iPhone users. Also, rival TikTok is attracting younger users away from Meta’s Instagram platform. Zuckerberg is also making an expensive bet on the metaverse, an immersive virtual reality future where he imagines people will eventually communicate, an effort he has said will lose money for many years.

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UPDATE: The Markets, Inflation and Meta

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Markets: Stocks soared yesterday after the Fed said it was hiking interest rates by 75 basis points (its fourth rate hike this year) in order to stamp out inflation. Another rate increase could be on its way this fall, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, depending on the economic data. Powell also rejected claims that the US was currently in a recession.

The DJIA rallied 400 points as Powell hinted the Fed could slow the pace of rate hikes, and the NASDAQ jumped 4%.

Prices for goods in the U.S. are expected to continue rising through 2023. The Federal Reserve [FOMC] waited too long to respond to early signals of inflation. The central bank is correcting the course by raising its interest rate targets at the fastest pace in more than two decades.

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, reported a 1 percent decline in quarterly revenue from the previous year. It was the first time the social media giant’s revenue had fallen since it went public a decade ago, as it confronts increased regulatory scrutiny and a turbulent economy while trying to build a new frontier of digital communication.

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UPDATE: Novi is Out BUT the Higgs Boson “God” Particle is In

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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As reported by CoinDesk, Meta [Facebook] is ending its three-year experiment with crypto this month. The company will shut down its crypto wallet, Novi, in September, but will prevent customers from adding any more funds to it later in July.

July 4th is the 10th anniversary of the discovery of the Higgs boson, also known as God’s particle. After a search of more than 40 years, the particle was discovered in experiments on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, Switzerland on July 4, 2012. Considered one of the most important scientific discoveries of the modern era, the Higgs boson provides evidence for the Standard Model of Physics, which describes how various particles make the universe.

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UPDATE: Gas Prices, Meta Platforms, CPI the SEC and Luxury Home Sales

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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The price of gas rose to $5.01, according to AAA. Gas hit the $5 mark for the first time ever as part of a record setting run. The average price jumped 18 cents in the previous week, and was $1.92 higher than this time last year.

Development of a smartwatch that was going to feature dual cameras was stopped by Meta Platforms (META) – Get Meta Platforms Inc. Report, the parent company of Facebook, a source told Bloomberg. But, the social media company is working on the development of other devices that will be worn on the wrist.

In May, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 1.0 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 8.6 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.6 percent in May (SA); up 6.0 percent over the year (NSA).

The Securities and Exchange Commission is aiming to shake up the mechanics of US stock trading in the wake of last year’s meme-stock frenzy, and some experts in the markets say changes could lead to a shift back to retail investors paying commissions to make trades. Proposed changes to market-structure rules could lead to retail investors paying commissions on trades again. SEC Chairman Gensler is proposing the agency consider sending retail stock orders to auctions.

Finally, sales of luxury homes in the U.S. fell by 17.8% as compared to the year before, according to Redfin, for the three months ending April 30th. In contrast, non-luxury homes fell by 5.4% over the same period.

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UPDATE: Oracle, Gas Prices, META & Monkeypox

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Oracle Corp. said it has received all regulatory clearances needed to complete its $28.3 billion purchase of digital medical-records provider Cerner Corp., paving a further expansion into health care for the software giant.

Seven states are now at an average of $5 or higher per gallon, according to AAA data, with Illinois becoming the latest to join California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, and Alaska. The national average for a gallon of gas sits at $4.671 for regular unleaded gas as of June 1st while diesel gas prices are at $5.54 per gallon on average nationally, down from the record high of $5.58 per gallon set on on May 18th.

As part of Facebook’s rebranding to Meta Platforms, the company’s stock ticker will officially change from “FB” to “META” effective before the market opens on June 9th. The social media giant has utilized the “FB” ticker since its initial public offering in 2012. And, Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Meta just announced that she is stepping down from her position with the company. She held the role since 2008. She’ll be replaced by chief growth officer Javier Olivan who’s been with Meta for 15 years. Olivan said he won’t be as “public-facing” as Sandberg and will focus more on working with multiple teams.

Finally, Georgia Department of Public Health officials have confirmed the first potential case of monkeypox in the state. It comes less than a month after the first confirmed U.S. case of monkeypox in 2022 was reported out of Massachusetts. The Georgia patient is a male resident from Metro Atlanta and has a history of international travel. Monkeypox, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, typically begins with a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face and body.

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UPDATE: The Markets and Energy

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Markets: The NASDAQ stayed flat at its lowest level this year. Spotify shares sank to a record low. Facebook is having a rough go, but it’s not the only one. Netflix stock plunged nearly 70% this year after hitting a ceiling on subscriber growth. At one point, it was worth more than Disney; now, it’s not even half as valuable. Even Google is googling “ways to make more money.” Its parent company, Alphabet, reported a slowdown in growth last quarter because, like Facebook, YouTube’s also being been dinged by TikTok and Apple’s privacy changes: The video platform’s revenue came in more than $500 million below expectations.

Energy: Russia’s halted oil shipments to Poland and Bulgaria yesterday.

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The ME-P is Seeking Healthcare “Metaverse” Input

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Ann Miller RN MHA

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Facebook’s latest release, Meta, is said to be the next evolution of social connection. A virtual, 3D network that allows connection and collaboration in ways many of us have never even considered! And while many are buzzing over how Meta will shape everything from education to healthcare – we are eager to get your opinion on our own ME-P ecosystem.

Can patients trust Facebook and others again?

Are you interested in exploring a new platform for connection?

Have you subscribed to the ME-P?

We want to hear all about it! We’re actively collaborating to bring your perspectives to the discussion around the Metaverse and the patient, economics, finance and healthcare community.

If you have insights or experiences to share – just comment and/or let us know.

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UPDATE: Okta, Snowflake, Intel, Stocks Indexes, Buy-Backs and Bonds

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Stocks fell and oil prices eased back after another bumpy day of trading on Wall Street as markets remained anxious about the broader impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Okta shares were down 8.06% while Snowflake plummeted 15.37%.

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INTEL: Intel stock (NASDAQ: INTC) fell 2.5% after Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Securities cut their targets to $47, according to StreetInsider. The stock fell to a low of $47.62, not far from its 52-week low of $43.63. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) analyst Joseph Moore also downgraded the stock to underweight from equal weight while BofA’s Vivek Arya maintained his under perform rating.

INDEXES: Major indexes veered up and down for much of the day before a late-day slide pushed them into the red. The S&P 500 shed a 0.7% gain to close 0.5% lower, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%. The NASDAQ composite fell 1.6%, weighed down by technology stocks, which accounted for a big share of the market’s decline.

The Dow is down 0.9% for the week, on track for its fourth negative week in a row. The S&P 500 is down about 0.5% for the week, while the NASDAQ Composite is down more than 1%.

BUYBACKS: In the third quarter of 2021, Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) led all S&P 500 companies with $20.4 billion in buybacks. Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) was a distant second with $15 billion in buybacks, followed by Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: FB) with $12.6 billion.

Over the last decade, no company has come close to Apple in the buyback department. Apple has bought back $487.6 billion in stock since 2012. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is a very distant second with $147.1 billion in buybacks, followed by JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) with $146.2 billion.

Why Buybacks Matter: It should come as no surprise to investors that all three of the stocks that have been most aggressive in buying back shares over the last 10 years have outperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: SPY) total return by a wide margin in that period.

BONDS: Bond yields were mostly steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 1.85% from 1.86% late Wednesday.

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UPDATE: The Markets, Oil, CPI, Meta and Moderna Stock

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Bull Market - Meaning, Indicators, Examples of Stocks/Crypto, How it Works?

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MARKETS: The Dow jumped 422 points, or 1.2%. The S&P 500 surged 1.5% and the NASDAQ was 2.5% higher.

OIL: US oil futures tumbled 3.7% to just under $92 a barrel. That’s despite the fact that Russia stressed that major military exercises would continue.

CPI: The Producer Price Index rose 1% last month, marking a significant acceleration from December’s 0.2% jump.

Meta: As Varietyreports, the company has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a 2012 class action lawsuit accusing it of violating users’ privacy. Facebook allegedly overstepped its bounds in 2010 and 2011 by using tracking cookies that monitored browsing after users signed out despite promises to the contrary.

MODERNA: Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA) shares were down more than 40% since the start of the year and continues to trend lower. Vaccine stocks are facing selling pressure as the COVID-19 omicron variant fades, but Moderna investors have been expressing concerns about recent stock sales from CEO Stéphane Bancel, as well as the presumed deletion of his Twitter account.

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UPDATE: Inflation, Bonds and the Stock Markets

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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As talk of a recession gets louder globally, Bond yields curve have featured in news reports both globally and within India in recent months as it most accurately reflects what investors think

***

Inflation: 7.2 %: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/hot-inflation-data-risk-pushing-fed-closer-to-a-super-sized-hike/ar-AATEhLH?li=BBnbfcL
Bonds: A bond selloff eased up a day ahead of an eagerly anticipated inflation report as investors absorbed another batch of earnings reports. The DJIA rose 300 points higher, but tech-related stocks lead the rally on Wall Street as bond yields stabilized and treasury yields paused their run higher ahead of the red-hot inflation report estimates.
Markets: The S&P 500 closed as a rally in Facebook-parent Meta helped the broader tech sector build on recent gains just as the S&P 500 rose 1.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.8%, or 306 points, the NASDAQ jumped 2.1%. And, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: FB) jumped more than 5% as investors appeared to the buy the dip in the social media company, which hit fresh 52-week lows a day earlier. For the second-straight day, a rally in semiconductor stocks also pushed tech higher, with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) racking up a 5% gain as analysts downplayed the $1.25 billion hit to the company after its deal to acquire UK chip-maker ARM fell through.
CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254
MORE: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2021/07/20/on-purchasing-individual-bonds/

***

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Filed under: Alerts Sign-Up, Investing | Tagged: bonds, DJIA, Facebook, Investing, Meta, NASDAQ, Nvidia, S&P, stock markets, treasury bonds, yield curves | Leave a comment »

UPDATE: The Markets, Housing, IRS and Gasoline Prices

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

***

By Staff Reporters

***

Markets: Stocks were mixed but Bitcoin rallied for the fifth-straight day as investors may be warming up to riskier assets again. And, Nvidia overtook Meta to become the seventh-largest US company by market cap (it’s reportedly abandoning its $40 billion megadeal to acquire the chip designer Arm).
Housing: The median home-sale price reached a record high of $365,000 in January, according to Redfin. That’s a 16% jump from the previous January and a 28% increase from January 2019.
IRS: After receiving backlash from privacy advocates and bipartisan lawmakers, the IRS is abandoning its use of third-party facial recognition software ID.me.
GAS: Prices up 8% since last week and 12% more than a month ago.
CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

***

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Filed under: Alerts Sign-Up, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Investing | Tagged: DJIA, Facebook, gas prices, Housing prices, ID.me, IRS, Meta, NASDAQ, Nvidia, Redfin | Leave a comment »

UPDATE: The Markets and Economy

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

Markets: The stock market was downright crazy last week. A day after Meta [Facebook] suffered the worst one-day drop in value in US stock market history (losing more than $230 billion), Amazon set the record for the biggest one-day gain on Wall Street (adding $191 billion). As for the major indexes, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ posted their best week so far this year.
Economy: The jobs report stunned experts by adding 467,000 jobs last month, far more than expected and a sign of an extraordinarily strong labor market. In even better news, the government said it had under-counted the number of jobs added in November and December by more than 700,000.
CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

***

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Filed under: Alerts Sign-Up, Investing | Tagged: Amazon, DJIA, economy, Facebook, Investing, jobs, Meta, NASDAQ, S&P, Wall Street | Leave a comment »

UPDATE: Stock Markets, the IRS, Covid-19 and Jobs

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

Stock Markets: The NASDAQ dropped 3.7% as the Metaverse [Facebook] earnings disaster sent investors fleeing technology shares:

S&P 500: 4,477.41, down 2.44%
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 35,111.16, down 1.45% (518.17 points)
Nasdaq Composite: 13,878.82, down 3.74%

But, Snap Inc. and Pinterest Inc. came roaring back after upbeat results eased fears that a slowdown at rival Facebook reflected an industry-wide social media slump.

***

Activision: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/technology/activision-blizzard-earnings-miss-estimates-after-microsoft-deal/ar-AATrEEG?li=BBnb7Kz

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

IRS: Regardless of the stock markets, the IRS just assembled a ‘surge team’ of 1,200 staffers to tackle filing backlogs and the busy tax season this year.

COVID-19: Medicare to start paying for at-home tests.

JOBS: The January jobs report due this morning will have several Covid issues that will make the numbers extremely confusing to interpret (folks out sick with Omicron, for example).

***

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Filed under: Alerts Sign-Up, Investing | Tagged: DJIA, Facebook, Investing, metaverse, NASDAQ, S&P | Leave a comment »

UPDATE: The Markets, IRS and Hedge Fund Billionaires

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

Stock Markets: S&P 500, DJIA and NASDAQ booked their 4th straight day of gains with technology shares in focus.

And, Facebook rattled investors by posting a rare profit decline, driven by the company’s heavy spending on its vision for a so-called Metaverse while simultaneously confronting advertising challenges on its existing services. The company, formerly known as Facebook, posted net income of nearly $10.3 billion in the final three months of last year, a decline 8% from the same period in the prior year and below Wall Street analysts’ projections. For Meta, the disappointing earnings add to its challenges. It’s in the middle of a number of regulatory fights and also looking to justify its strategic shift to bet on an immersive internet known as the metaverse. Meanwhile, other platforms like TikTok and YouTube are gaining ground with younger users.

Several other social media companies also fell hard after the bell, including Twitter, Pinterest and Spotify, which also released disappointing results. And PayPal fell hard, too!

IRS: The Internal Revenue Service is adding about 1,200 employees to its rolls to help the agency navigate what will likely be one of the most challenging tax filing seasons in years.

Mike Milken: Is headed to the latest power base for U.S. financiers and politicians: South Florida. The income tax-free, palm tree-lined oasis is where New York’s ultra-wealthy have long decamped for the winter, but are increasingly making their permanent home. The 75-year-old billionaire kicks off the first Milken Institute South Florida Dialogues on Friday. The six-day preliminary agenda of island and mansion hopping has Ken Griffin talking national security in South Beach, and Sonia and Paul Tudor Jones hosting tennis matches at their oceanfront Palm Beach estate Casa Apava. The format is similar to the dialogues he’s presented in the Hamptons for years.

***

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Filed under: Accounting, Alerts Sign-Up, Investing, Taxation | Tagged: billionaiires, DJIA, Facebook, Hamptons, Investing, IRS, metaverse, Mike Mlken, NASDAQ, Paukl Tudor Jones, PAYPAL, Pinterest, S&P, Spotify, tax, twitter | Leave a comment »

Recent Weekend Stock Market Volatility

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

WHAT A WEEK!

Markets: Stocks ended a topsy-turvy week with another stinker yesterday, dragged netherward (big word alert) by the tech sector. Meta shares nearly entered a bear market, falling almost 20% from a closing record in September. Still, the S&P was down less than 1% for the week.
CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549
Covid: The first bits of solid Omicron data are starting to trickle out. One study from South Africa showed that the new variant may cause a higher rate of reinfection in people who already got Covid. Critical information on the effectiveness of current vaccines against Omicron could come in a few days, a WHO scientist said.

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Filed under: Breaking News, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Investing, LifeStyle, Quality Initiatives | Tagged: bear, bear market, bull, bull market, covid, Facebook, Meta, omicron, VIX, Volatility Index, WHO | Leave a comment »

Why I Won’t Leave Facebook – NO MATTER WHAT!

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

BEWARE “CLICK-BAIT” SCHEMES [just like this one]

I never joined up! So, I don’t have to leave.

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

#DeleteFacebook is trending

What-Up with your Facebook account?

The hashtag #DeleteFacebook is trending on Twitter.

People are furious, and they have good reason to be. Data from over 50 million Facebook users was used to target voters and influence the 2016 US presidential election, as well as the 2016 “Brexit” referendum.

So – How do you permanently delete your Facebook account?

To permanently delete your account, read the Facebbok FAQ topic on How do I permanently delete my account?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/video/how-to-delete-your-facebook-account-or-take-less-drastic-measures/vi-BBKBUPI

Assessment

Please keep in mind that you won’t be able to reactivate your account or retrieve anything you’ve added. Before you do this, you may want to download a copy of your info from Facebook.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. https://medicalexecutivepost.com/dr-david-marcinkos-bookings/

Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

***

Filed under: Information Technology | Tagged: #DeleteFacebook, Facebook | 9 Comments »

Are the ME-P and Ashley Madison Related?

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

On Ransom-Ware, Black-Hat Hackers, the Gullible, Guilty … and Personal Cyber Security

A-Special ME-P Report

***

By Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA MBBS [Hon]

[Publisher-in-Chief]

Your Ashley Madison Account
[Paul recommends to read this email]‏
But … don’t fall for it!

I just received this email message from sharingservices@aol.com: In this time of medical information and financial advisory data cyber security breaches, here is a warning about personal security, too!

If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone!

*********************************************************************************************************

Unfortunately your data was leaked in the recent hacking of Ashley Madison and I know have your information. I have also used your user profile to find your Facebook page, using this I can now message all of your friends and family members.

If you would like to prevent me from sharing this dirt info with all of your friends and family members (and perhaps even your employers too?) then you need to send 1 bitcoin to the following BTC address.

Bitcoin Address:
1AEJiZFnELwRZVjmVSvDSwUaXNZy4X9bQN

You may be wondering why should you and what will prevent other people from doing the same, in short you now know to change your privacy settings in Facebook so no one can view your friends/family list. So go ahead and update that now (I have a copy if you don’t pay) to stop any future emails like this.

You can buy bitcoin using online exchanges easily. If the bitcoin is not paid within 3 days of 23 Sep 2015 then my system will automatically message all of your friends and family members. The bitcoin address is unique to you.

Consider how expensive a divorce lawyer is. If you are no longer in a committed relationship then think about how this will affect your social standing amongst family and friends. What will your friends and family think about you?

Sincerely,
Paul

***

*******************************************************************************************************************

An Object lesson to all ME-P readers and subscribers

After review, I noted the following faults with this blast message:

* No sender last name.
* Sender blast email service
* Multiple email addresses
* Poor grammar
* I do not have – or ever had – a Facebook account
* I do not have – or ever had – an AM account

Assessment

Note any other “give-aways“? Don’t fall for this ploy. And, don’t be Gullible or Guilty. Forewarned is forearmed.

More:

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Risk Management | Tagged: Ashley Madison, Black Hat Hackers, Cyber Security, Data breaches, Facebook, RansomWare | 4 Comments »

Did You Survive the [Fleeting-Tweeting] “Flash-Crash” of 2013?

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

The Day the Dow Jones Industrial Average Lost 150 Points

By Lon Jefferies, MBA CFP™ http://www.NetWorthAdvice.com

The stock market just reached an all time high, crossing 15,000 for the first time.

But, within three minutes during last April 23, 2013, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost nearly 150 points, and approximately $136 billion of market value was wiped out. The recovery was just as fast, and markets returned to having a profitable session (both the Dow and the S&P 500 were up over 1% for the day). The crash and recovery both happened so fast that many Americans, and physician-investors, weren’t even aware of the events.

So what happened?

On Tweeting

Believe it or not, the crash was caused by a tweet – a 140 character message posted on Twitter. The Associated Press Twitter account — which has nearly 2 million followers — was hacked and a false tweet of “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is Injured” was posted. The message was quickly debunked by the President’s staff and markets corrected themselves. Both the crash and recovery took place in less than five minutes.

Lessons Learned

Several lessons were learned that day.

First, the power of social media is now undeniable. This was caused by a simple twelve-word lie on the internet. Further, information about the market collapse and recovery were widespread via Twitter and Facebook instantaneously, while the whole episode was over before television networks had a chance to report the events.

Second, it’s amazing how fragile our world is these days. News regarding terrorism has the potential to dramatically affect the market as well as other important aspects of our lives. It’s concerning how the world might respond if the President really was injured. (Interestingly, however, the market didn’t suffer after the Boston Marathon tragedy.)

Third, it is fascinating to examine how different asset categories responded in a time of perceived crisis. Investors build diversified portfolios hoping that when one asset category collapses, another asset class will rally. Some investors swear that gold will be the asset to own when the world struggles. Yet, when the market experienced a flash crash, gold did not rally but treasury bonds and the Japanese Yen did. Gold investors shouldn’t be as confident in their investment after this experience.

Finally, automated trading platforms have become more prevalent in the stock market. These tools execute mandatory, instant sell orders in defined market environments. When the crash occurred, algorithms read headlines and saw the initial market reaction and computers created automatic sell orders at what turned out to be the worst possible time. Traders utilizing automatic trading mechanisms with stop-loss orders suffered exaggerated losses, as they sold right after the market dip and didn’t participate in the recovery. This is a potential weakness of automatic trading that many didn’t recognize.

Assessment

Why are many physician-investors unaware of this unusual market event? In reality, this drastic swing didn’t affect most investors hoping to improve their retirement. Individuals with a long-term investment strategy built around their risk tolerance don’t need to worry about these types of short-term market errors. At the end of the day, “buy-and-hold” investors had nothing to worry about and came out ahead. Perhaps we should be bragging via Twitter…

More:

Conclusion

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

Health Dictionary Series: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko

Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/product/9780826105752

Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790

Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421

Hospitals: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900

Physician Advisors: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org

Filed under: Investing | Tagged: Boston Marathon tragedy, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Facebook, Flash Crash, Gold investors, http://www.NetWorthAdvice.com, Lon Jefferies, S&P, twitter | 1 Comment »

Facebook and Google Start Foundation to Reward Health Research

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

BREAKING NEWS

New Award Doubles Nobel Prize Money

Launching one of the world’s richest science prizes, a foundation created by Silicon Valley tech luminaries last week, awarded $3 million each to 11 health researchers studying stem cells, genetics, cancer and other diseases.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22632095/zuckerberg-brin-and-other-valley-notables-create-foundation

Assessment

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

DICTIONARIES: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko
PHYSICIANS: www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com
PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
BLOG: www.MedicalExecutivePost.com
FINANCE:Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE:Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors

Filed under: Alerts Sign-Up, Breaking News | Tagged: Brin, Facebook, google, Health Research, Nobel prize, Zuckerberg | 4 Comments »

A Look at Some Famous IPOs [Including WebMD]

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

Where Are They Now?

Assessment

With all the FB hoopla recently, we thought it would be fun to look at some other famous IPOs.

Link: http://marketday.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/23/11830823-facebooks-dream-ipo-is-starting-to-look-like-a-nightmare?lite

Channel Surfing the ME-P

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Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

Filed under: Breaking News, Investing, Portfolio Management | Tagged: Facebook, Famous IPOs [Including WebMD], FB, initial public offerings, IPOs, WebMD | 1 Comment »

The 20 Largest Private Companies in the US

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

A look at the 20 largest private companies in the US

Interesting how many of them (8 of the 20) are in some way highly involved in food — Cargill, MARS, Publix, C&S Wholesale Grocers, US Foods, H-E-B, Meijer and Reyes Holdings.

And, although not grouped as such below, you could arguably add Love’s Travel Stops, Pilot Travel Centers and Aramark to that group – bringing it to 11 of the 20.

Assessment

Think any of these will go pubic; besides Facebook?

Conclusion

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

Our Other Print Books and Related Information Sources:

Health Dictionary Series: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko

Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/product/9780826105752

Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790

Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421

Hospitals: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900

Physician Advisors: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org

Filed under: Investing | Tagged: Aramark, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Cargill, Facebook, H-E-B, hedge funds, Love's Travel Stops, MARS, Meijer, Pilot Travel Centers, Private Companies, Publix, Reyes Holdings, The 20 Largest Private Companies in the US, US Foods | Leave a comment »

Challenging the NPI Requirement of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Again

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

How Far Can They be Pushed?

By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

Command-and-control organizations like BCBSTX find Facebook difficult to control. Even a small nidus of a complaint posted by a client named Mark about poor service can attract a huge bolus of payback by a dentist, and nobody respects anonymous gatekeepers for huge, unresponsive companies like BCBSTX anyway:

https://www.facebook.com/bluecrossblueshieldoftexas

Mark, as a dentist, I’m very familiar with BCBSTX’s inconsiderate behavior in our communities. At least the anonymous moderator invited your feedback. When I sincerely asked her on Wednesday what federal employees are told about BCBSTX’s NPI requirement, she acted as if the absurd policy hadn’t already wasted enough of my time that day when she provided me an irrelevant link to nowhere – just to get rid of me.

Secret Requirement?

I would actually love to treat federal employees who have BCBSTX insurance because they are some of the nicest people I’ve met. But, BCBSTX’s secret requirement that their clients see only dentists with arbitrary NPI identification numbers (not required by law) makes their employment benefit purchased with taxpayer money worthless if they receive treatment in my office. My office has been told that it has become impossible for paper claims to enter BCBSTX’s modern, computerized system without NPI numbers, and nothing humanly possible can be done to correct the unfortunate problem for dentists who choose not to be HIPAA covered entities.

Evasion?

The moderator’s evasion confirms that even though BCBSTX’s federal customers are led to believe that they can use their dental benefits to help pay for treatment at any licensed dentist’s office, they are not being informed of the NPI requirement, and if they pay the dental bill in full for work done by a dentist without an NPI number, BCBXTX pockets the reimbursement. It just cannot be helped. That’s technology. Tough-luck!

BCBSTX executives naturally prefer that my office manager tell their clients about the obscure restrictions of the dental plans they sell. She catches most federal employees before blocking out time in our schedule to treat them, but nevertheless, one got through on Wednesday morning. It wasted my time as well as the federal employee’s.

Congressional Action?

It’s troublesome to know that the government callously encourages such waste of small business owner’s time and money, not to mention the inconvenience to patients. I’m simply fed up with open appointments for uninformed BCBSTX clients. What’s it take to force BCBSTX to take some responsibility in the community and warn their customers about the limitations of their dental policy before they call my office? Congressional action?

Assessment

I do hope the anonymous BCBSTX employee doesn’t choose to delete this post. Since it seems obvious that their windfall profit is a powerful disincentive for BCBSTX to warn their clients about the NPI restriction any time soon, the more federal employees I can ethically warn through BCBSTX Facebook, the fewer open appointments I’ll have, and less taxpayer money will be wasted on silliness.

cc: Senator John Cornyn

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

DICTIONARIES: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko
PHYSICIANS: www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com
PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
BLOG: www.MedicalExecutivePost.com
FINANCE:Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE:Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors

Filed under: Ethics, Health Insurance, Information Technology, Practice Management, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Challenging Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Again, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, Facebook, HIPAA, NPI Number, NPI requirement, Senator John Cornyn | 8 Comments »

Why Your Medical Office or Financial Advisory Practice Must “Go-Social”

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

Go Social -OR- Go Home?

By Staff Reporters

Likes, followers, circles, networks and shares are all jargon used around the internet. Social media is the new language and being fluent is very necessary in business today. In fact, we have written about it before on this ME-P. Why?

Social media allows you to connect with your patients, clients, customers and viewers on a level that becomes personalized and more intimate. This in turn brings loyal patients and clients who become a part of your business model; both professionally and socially.

However, social media integration is a gradual process with huge long term rewards, potential benefits and pitfalls. And, the jury is still out on its’ relevance to medical practices, financial advisors and medical management consultants? Or, is it?

Assessment

So, here is an infographic breaking down the important facts and tips of social media.

Source: wix.com

Conclusion

And so, your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Please review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

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Our Other Print Books and Related Information Sources:

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Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/product/9780826105752

Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790

Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421

Healthcare Organizations: www.HealthcareFinancials.com

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Filed under: "Advisors Only", "Doctors Only", Marketing & Advertising, Practice Management | Tagged: Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA, Dr. James Winston Phillips, Facebook, Hospitals & Healthcare Organizations, More On Social Media in Healthcare, Prof. Hope R. Hetico, social media, Social Media in Healthcare, Y UR Medical / Advisory Practice Must “Go-Social” | 8 Comments »

More On Social Media in Healthcare

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

Blurring Personal and Professional Lives

Social media is becoming increasingly more prevalent within the healthcare industry.

But, with more hospitals and doctors joining social-media platforms on a consistent basis, it begs the question of “helpful or harmful”?

Assessment

One thing is certain: clear parameters must be established, so professional and personal lines don’t become blurred.

Source: powerdms.com

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

DICTIONARIES: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko
PHYSICIANS: www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com
PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
BLOG: www.MedicalExecutivePost.com
FINANCE:Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE:Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors

Filed under: Ethics, Practice Management | Tagged: blogs, Cost of Social Media, Facebook, google, linkedin, More On Social Media in Healthcare, sermo, social media, Social Media in Healthcare, twitter, you tube | 8 Comments »

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On Ransom-Ware, Black-Hat Hackers, the Gullible, Guilty … and Personal Cyber Security

A-Special ME-P Report

If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone!

An Object lesson to all ME-P readers and subscribers

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