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Avant Brands Inc. ( OTCMKTS:AVTBF – Get Free Report ) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 100 shares, a decline of 98.4% from the November 30th total of 6,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 39,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days. Avant Brands Stock Performance AVTBF stock opened at $0.35 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $0.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $0.88. Avant Brands has a 12-month low of $0.32 and a 12-month high of $3.57. Avant Brands Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Read More Receive News & Ratings for Avant Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Avant Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .SoundHound AI (NASDAQ:SOUN) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?
Market darling LTR Pharma raises new equity; two brokers on ticket
Ian Jackson scores career-high 26, UNC beats Campbell 97-81Shares of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Holding Limited ( NYSE:ZK – Get Free Report ) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $32.25 and last traded at $31.84, with a volume of 480026 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.73. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In ZK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Macquarie began coverage on ZEEKR Intelligent Technology in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 target price on the stock. CICC Research assumed coverage on ZEEKR Intelligent Technology in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $31.74 price objective on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.02. Get Our Latest Research Report on ZEEKR Intelligent Technology ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Trading Down 9.6 % Institutional Trading of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ZK. Sandia Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology during the 2nd quarter valued at about $94,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology by 28.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 2,097 shares during the last quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ZEEKR Intelligent Technology during the third quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in ZEEKR Intelligent Technology during the second quarter valued at approximately $347,000. Finally, WT Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in ZEEKR Intelligent Technology during the third quarter valued at approximately $446,000. ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Holding Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the research and development, production, commercialization, and sale of the electric vehicles and batteries. It offers battery electric passenger vehicles (BEVs) and SUVs. The company also produces and sells electric powertrain and battery packs for electric vehicles, such as motors and electric control systems; and provides automotive related research and development services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ZEEKR Intelligent Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
THE creators of The Apprentice will make a celebrity version of the show next year as it celebrates its 20th birthday. It's the first time the spin off from the BBC one business contest, hosted by Lord Sugar, has been staged in 16 years. Producers will be hoping to sign up from big names who've appeared on the celeb version before including Cheryl Tweedy and Piers Morgan . A TV insider said: "Execs want to get a-list stars involved for this very special version of The Apprentice , and signing up Piers in particular would be TV gold as there's a long-running stand off between him and Lord Sugar. "Few celebrities have been approached yet as the show is still at the early stages and they want to take their time carefully selecting the right mix for the programme." The new version is likely to go out towards the end of 2025, and will air just before the release of the 20th series. The show had to miss a season in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic . READ MORE ON THE APPRENTICE The first episode of the UK's Apprentice, which was hosted by the then Sir Alan Sugar, was on February 15, 2005, and it was almost an instant hit with viewers. Then came the celeb spin offs in 2007, first for Comic Relief , featuring Piers, Cheryl , Maureen Lipman and Karren Brady , who went on to star in the "civilian" version of the show alongside Lord Sugar. The second was in 2008 for Sport Relief with a line up that included Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross , Michelle Mone and Patsy Palmer . In the same year Piers went on to star in the US version of the show when the now President of the United States, Donald Trump, was fronting the contest. It was also the cementing of a personal relationship between the two men. Most read in News TV A spokeswoman for the creators declined to comment.Intercorp Financial Services Inc. ( NYSE:IFS – Get Free Report ) major shareholder Peru Ltd Intercorp acquired 574,071 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $19.79 per share, with a total value of $11,360,865.09. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 2,470,230 shares in the company, valued at $48,885,851.70. The trade was a 30.28 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC. Peru Ltd Intercorp also recently made the following trade(s): Intercorp Financial Services Stock Performance IFS opened at $29.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The business’s 50 day moving average is $28.15 and its 200-day moving average is $25.42. The stock has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.29. Intercorp Financial Services Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.56 and a twelve month high of $30.59. Institutional Trading of Intercorp Financial Services Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Intercorp Financial Services from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on IFS Intercorp Financial Services Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Intercorp Financial Services Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers banking, insurance, wealth management, and payment services for retail and commercial clients in Peru. The company provides loans, credit facilities, deposits, and current accounts; life annuity products with single-premium payment and conventional life insurance products, as well as other retail insurance products; and brokerage and investment management services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Intercorp Financial Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Intercorp Financial Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Listeria outbreak tied to Yu Shang Food leaves California infant dead and 10 people sickCartoon by Drew Sheneman for Dec. 6, 2024.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel gets 5-year contract extensionNone
Not every day, coaches who are days away from a bowl game advise their opposition. Still, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer did precisely that when speaking to local media ahead of the Citrus Bowl against Illinois New Year's Eve. Beamer revealed Mike Shula would oversee play-calling duties in place of Dowell Loggains. It was a rather easy decision based on Beamer's meeting with Loggains, who was hired as the new coach at Appalachian State earlier this month. "Mike [Shula] is the offensive coordinator and will be calling everything in the game," Beamer said, per 247Sports . "I just felt like the longer it went, the more Dowell was away from Columbia, the less beneficial it was for both sides to call (the game)," Beamer said. "Ever since we found out we were playing Illinois, coach Shula and the rest of the offensive staff [have] been putting the game plan together. Dowell hasn't been in Columbia." Beamer added Illinois will have some game-planning to do defensively, which likely means containing quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Sellers has thrown for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns thus far , guiding South Carolina to a 9-3 record and entering the game having won six straight. "Illinois can look at mid-2000s Alabama offense," Beamer said. "Cam Newton [on the] Carolina Panthers' offense – it's about one thing a day where I gotta go to [Shula] and ask him, 'What is this?'" Bielema is no stranger to challenges, much less coaching prominent programs. He was not only a Big Ten alumnus, starring at Iowa, but served as coach at Wisconsin from 2006-2012. In his first season in Madison, Bielema guided the Badgers to a Capital One Bowl victory against Arkansas, 17-14. The Badger defense shut down then-Razorbacks quarterback Casey Dick to under 100 yards, forcing an interception. Capping off the season with 10 wins validates Bielema's ability to win bowl games in Champaign and serves as a reminder that the former SEC coach knows how to turn back the clock. The game marks Illinois' first bowl appearance since the ReliaQuest Bowl , which concluded the 2022-23 season. Meanwhile, South Carolina attempts to win its first postseason game since 2021.
Counting is under way across the country – and each constituency has its own backdrop of political intrigue and turf wars, while playing its role in the national picture. The Irish Times will be monitoring key races – the contests that will tell the story of the count as the 34th Dáil is pulled together. Keep track of the most important moments that matter below. Follow live news updates here . A year ago, it looked like immigration was going to be a defining issue for this election - but it seemed to reach a high water mark just around the local elections and then recede in relevance for voters. Our exit poll found that just six per cent of voters said immigration was most important to them when heading to the polls. A slew of candidates who were running primarily on migration are running - but how are they getting on? Cllr Malachy Steenson in Dublin Central was not looking strong for one of four seats, with 4.9 per cent of the tally. Derek Blighe of Ireland First tallied just four per cent of first preferences and was well adrift of the five seats on offer. Cllr Gavin Pepper looks to be in similar shape in Dublin North West, tallying at about six per cent, and not in the running in the three seater Phil Sutcliffe is on just two per cent in Dublin South Central where Sinn Féin has rallied in a big way. He won’t have been helped by his very visible support for Conor McGregor. Philip Dwyer has bombed in Wicklow, securing less than one per cent of the vote with almost all boxes open. One of the major questions heading into this election was how Fine Gael would defend a whopping 18 seats without the benefit of incumbency. Let’s take a whirl around a few and see how they’re getting on: In Kerry, where Brendan Griffin stood down, there’s a third of the tally in. Fine Gael ran just one candidate – former Kerry footballer Billy O’Shea, and he is duking it out with Fianna Fáil’s second candidate Michael Cahill, on 10.8 per cent and 10.2 per cent. In Donegal, the Fine Gael vote is down, as it seeks to hold on to Joe McHugh’s seat – and both its candidates are some way outside the seats during the tally, with Sinn Féin predictably leading the way and Fianna Fáil in the hunt for two seats. Fine Gael have a lot to do here to come into the reckoning. In Cavan-Monaghan, David Maxwell looks likely to hold on to Heather Humphreys’ seat. Holding two in Dublin-Rathdown is a key target for Fine Gael, where Maeve O’Connell is hoping to hold on to Josepha Madigan’s seat. With all boxes open, she has her nose in front of Fianna Fáil’s Shay Brennan. But with a lot of candidates bunched together on between 6 and 9 per cent, there could be some volatility below her which she will hope to avoid. Emer Currie looks set to hold in Dublin West, Leo Varadkar’s old seat. John McGahon, caught up in campaign trail controversy, is trailing in Louth where Simon Harris effectively removed his endorsement late in the race. But a lot of those boxes are from the Drogheda end of the constituency, not his heartland in Dundalk. Cork East , where Mark Stanton is hoping to defend his father David’s seat, is tightly bunched at the moment with six candidates on between 10 and 12 per cent of first preferences with a little more than half the boxes tallied. Stanton is among them, on 12 per cent, with running mate Noel McCarthy on 11 per cent. We’ll check back in on the other constituencies in a while. The battle for primacy between the Civil War parties is going to be a ground war – the path looks clear for a government based on a coalition between the two, but their candidates are fighting it out between themselves – and against others – in a way that could decide who holds the upper hand. Some races to watch: In Fingal East, Fine Gael’s Alan Farrell was predicted to take a seat comfortably alongside Fianna Fáil’s Darragh O’Brien. While the Minister for Housing is sitting pretty, Farrell (14.4 per cent) is marginally behind Labour’s Duncan Smith (14.5 per cent) and Sinn Féin’s Anne Graves (14.6 per cent). Aontú, Independents4Change, and Green transfers will come into play soon, with Joan Hopkins of the Social Democrats still in touch. Across the border in Fingal West, Fine Gael’s Grace Boland and Fianna Fáil’s Lorraine Clifford Lee are polling close to each other with all boxes open. But they trail Louise O’Reilly of Sinn Féin and Labour’s Robert O’Donoghue, who the party heavily tipped for a seat. If there’s only one government seat here, one of the pair of Boland and Clifford Lee look likely to miss out. Fianna Fáil are looking to add a seat in Clare, where Timmy Dooley is out in front with 21 per cent with more than half the tally in, while Cathal Crowe is on 9 per cent. Fine Gael’s Joe Cooney (14.9 per cent) is ahead of party colleague Leonora Carey (8.4 per cent), with Fianna Fáil comfortably ahead of Fine Gael on first preferences as it stands. In Galway West, Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne (10.6 per cent) is ahead of party colleague, the super junior minister Hildegarde Naughton (8.3 per cent) with a little more than half boxes tallied. John Connolly is comfortably outpolling celebrity candidate Gráinne Seoige who is currently outside the seats. In Louth, with a third of boxes tallied, John McGahon (who was ensnared in a campaign controversy over a fight he was involved in outside a pub several years ago) is trailing both his own party colleague Paula Butterly and both Fianna Fáil candidates Erin McGreehan and Alison Comyn. Early boxes tallied seemed to be from Drogheda though, with McGahon’s base in Dundalk . On the eve of the election, the Greens mood was growing increasingly despondent. There was a glimmer of hope for them in the exit poll on Friday night, having them on 4 per cent nationally. But everywhere you looked on Saturday morning, tallies were not favourable for the party, including in its heartlands. In Dublin West , with almost all boxes open, Roderic O’Gorman (6.5 per cent) had his nose in front of John Walsh of the Labour Party (5.6 per cent). But with Fianna Fáil’s Jack Chambers (20.9 per cent) and Sinn Féin’s Paul Donnelly (17.1 per cent) looking strong, and Fine Gael’s Emer Currie odds on to hold Leo Varadkar’s old seat (15.2 per cent). But Ruth Coppinger was going well on 8.6 per cent, making her early favourite to take the fourth seat, leaving O’Gorman scrapping for the last. In Dún Laoghaire , Ossian Smyth is a bellwether for the entire party’s fortunes – probably even more so than O’Gorman. He will be looking very nervously at the Social Democrats’s Hugo Mills, tallying just 105 votes behind the Green in a strong performance. In Dublin South Central , where the party was hopeful of holding on to Patrick Costello’s seat, he is holding just 6 per cent of the vote in the tally, making it hard to see him coming home. Ditto Neasa Hourigan across the river in Dublin Central. Steven Matthews is struggling in Wicklow, with Marc Ó Cathasaigh on 3 per cent in Waterford. Hazel Chu is also facing a big battle to keep Eamon Ryan’s seat in Dublin Bay South where he topped the poll in 2020. It looks like a dark day for the Greens. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin went down the N11 to Wicklow on the last day of campaigning, in a bid to shore up support for Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly in what was always going to be an absolute bear pit, with five TDs seeking four seats in a shrunken constituency. Donnelly is in one hell of a scrap. With 53 per cent of boxes open, he had 6.4 per cent of the vote. This has him just behind the second Fine Gael candidate, Edward Timmins on 6.6 per cent. The Green Party’s Steven Matthews looked doomed on just under 4 per cent, trailing the Fine Gael gene-pool Independent Shay Cullen (4.8 per cent). If we assume (and on these numbers it looks likely enough) that Taoiseach Simon Harris , Sinn Féin’s John Brady and Social Democrats’s Jennifer Whitmore are heading back to the Dáil (30.1 per cent, 13.8 per cent, 13.7 per cent), then Donnelly will have to get ahead of Timmins and hope for a favour from Harris’s surplus, and that Cullen’s presumed elimination doesn’t favour Timmins too heavily. Independent Joe Behan, a former Fianna Fáil TD, was on 5.6 per cent, so perhaps some Fianna Fáil-leaning votes might come home to Donnelly – but remember, many view him as Fianna Fáil in name only. Gerry Hutch – the gangland figure running as a non-party candidate in Dublin Central – has attracted perhaps more coverage than any other independent across the country. And with 100 per cent of boxes tallied, the man known as “the Monk” was right in the heel of the hunt on Saturday. He has polled way above the expectations privately proffered by his competitors, taking north of 3,000 first preference votes, leaving him in fourth position in the tally. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald will top the poll, followed by Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe . Hutch trailed Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats – who on these numbers, was looking good for the third seat on 13.3 per cent of the poll – but on 9.4 per cent was out in front of Fianna Fáil’s Mary Fitzpatrick (7.1 per cent) and the centre left candidates, Labour’s Marie Sherlock (7.5 per cent) and the Green Party’s Neasa Hourigan (6 per cent). The key question is: where can Hutch get the transfers to stay in the race for a seat. He will likely pull strongly from Independent Malachy Steenson’s 1,588 votes, perhaps extending his lead – but then, it could become a case of the chasing pack reeling him in. If Hourigan goes out, her transfers should break for Labour and Gannon, and if Fitzpatrick follows her out, few if any votes will make their way to Hutch. So, if we had to call it now, he could get squeezed. But he’s doing better than expected – arguably, much better. A nail biter.NCHR takes notice of torture of Hindu businessman Human Rights Commission of Pakistan officials sit during a one-day ‘Round-table meeting on the need for a National Commission for Minorities on January 11, 2024. — Facebook@HumanRightsCommissionofPakistan LAHORE: The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has taken suo motu notice of the alleged torture of a Hindu businessman, Rajesh Kumar, after a video of the incident surfaced on social media on December 28, 2024. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); Terming the incident a grave violation of human rights, the NCHR has intervened to ensure justice. In an official notice addressed to the IGP, Punjab, NCHR Punjab Member/Commissioner Nadeem Ashraf emphasised the commission’s mandate under the National Commission for Human Rights Act, 2012, to address all forms of human rights violations. The NCHR has called for immediate action to secure the swift recovery of the abducted businessman. The commission has directed the Punjab IGP to submit a detailed report within three days, outlining the measures taken to recover Kumar and prosecute those responsible. The letter, issued by Commissioner Nadeem Ashraf, cautioned that failure to act promptly may compel the commission to escalate the matter to higher authorities. Commissioner Nadeem Ashraf reaffirmed the NCHR’s commitment to protecting the rights of all citizens, particularly those from vulnerable communities, and stressed the urgency of addressing such violations to uphold justice.St. Petersburg council rejects immediate repair to Rays' ballpark roof after first giving approval
Sullinger leads Kent State past Div. III-Heidelberg 84-80WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Jalen Rucker's 27 points helped Army defeat UTSA 78-75 on Sunday night. Rucker added six rebounds for the Black Knights (6-6). Ryan Curry scored 15 points while shooting 4 for 9 (3 for 8 from 3-point range) and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line and added five assists. AJ Allenspach shot 4 of 4 from the field and 4 for 5 from the foul line to finish with 12 points, while adding eight rebounds. The Roadrunners (6-6) were led by Amir "Primo" Spears, who recorded 22 points and nine rebounds. Tai'Reon Joseph added 16 points and two steals for UTSA. Raekwon Horton finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Army went into halftime ahead of UTSA 39-35. Rucker scored 11 points in the half. Rucker scored 16 points down the stretch in the second half to help lead Army to a three-point victory. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
The Washington Commanders were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season, finishing 31st overall, which ultimately paid dividends as they were able to land 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and LSU star Jayden Daniels. He’s been nothing short of exceptional in 2024, rejuvenating a city that’s now playing meaningful football deep into December. Daniels seems to be the favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and rightfully so, given what he’s accomplished in just his first season. Not only has he led the Commanders to a 10-5 record entering Sunday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, but he has them on a path to the postseason. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Thanks for the feedback.Nightbitch’s werewolf body-horror comedy needs more of The SubstanceNone
PEMBROKE – Michael Robinson was exposed to the world of entrepreneurship from a young age. Robinson’s parents own a Crown Trophy franchise, and his brother operates a wine and beer lounge in Winston-Salem. He knew he wanted to own his own business. Still, it wasn’t until he became a student at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke that he discovered his self-assurance. “(UNCP) is where my confidence was born as an entrepreneur,” said Robinson ’12, who opened Bingo-Bango Fresh Fruit Soda Company in 2017. “The interactions, the relationships I built––it all began here at UNCP.” Robinson vividly recalls a conversation with his business law professor, Dr. Joseph Lakatos, which awakened his entrepreneurial spirit. “He told me about my potential, my analytical skills and how creative I could be as an entrepreneur. That’s what ignited the spark for me,” he said. Robinson returned to his alma mater to share his inspiring story with future entrepreneurs and business students as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, sponsored by the Thomas College of Business and Economics. Robinson later joined a group of entrepreneurs for a panel discussion. Other featured events included a youth entrepreneurship summit, a women entrepreneurs’ networking session and an induction ceremony for the newly-charter Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society. Dr. Caroline Glackin, the Thomas Family Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, said the weeklong activities provide students with opportunities to engage with successful entrepreneurs through networking and workshops. “Events like the Pop-up Shop and Brave Hawk Pitch Competition give students opportunities to build and grow their student businesses and to receive feedback and advice to move forward,” Glackin said. “The new Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society highlights strong students and helps them to uplift principled entrepreneurship, and the Youth Entrepreneurship Summit brought entrepreneurs to campus to get a taste of the UNCP student experience and to support their growth and development.” Nelysa Rosario, a junior business student and budding entrepreneur, hopes to follow in Robinson’s shoes and achieve the same level of success with her digital platform, Genesis 7. Her seed-stage company connects customers to local lawncare providers. Rosario’s spirited elevator pitch impressed the judges, earning her a $1,500 prize at the annual BraveHawk Pitch Competition. “It feels beyond amazing!” Rosario said. “I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity and to immerse myself around like-minded individuals with great ideas.” Kennedy Hamlin finished second and took home $1,000. Santiago Pimienta placed third, which came with a $500 cash prize. While Hamlin, a former preschool teacher, was competing in her first pitch event, Rosario is a seasoned vet. She competed in a recent event on campus and then placed in the Top 24 at the CEO Global Pitch competition in Tampa, Fla., in October. The experience has boosted her confidence, resulting in powerful deliveries for the Raleigh native. “The most vital business skills are communication skills,” she said. “These competitions not only help my public speaking skills, but they help me communicate my ideas in a way that people understand, allowing them to see the vision.” About UNC Pembroke Established in 1887 as a normal school to train American Indian teachers, UNC Pembroke today has an enrollment of 7,676 in 41 undergraduate and 18 graduate programs. UNCP is a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina System. For more information, contact Mark Locklear, Public Communications Specialist with University Communications and Marketing, via email (mark.locklear@uncp.edu) or by phone (910.521.6351). Connect with UNC Pembroke on social media or online at uncp.edu to learn how the university is changing lives through education. Mark Locklear is a public Communications Specialist with University Communications & Marketing. Reach him by email at mark.locklear@uncp.edu.
Bulls are in complete control today ... the danger of this lopsided positioning ... do you get out of the market? ... Luke Lango’s new short-term trading system According to analysts at Citi, the S&P’s positioning is “completely one-sided” in favor of the bulls. Citi notes that bullish positioning in the S&P has notched new records for four consecutive weeks. Below is a chart from Bloomberg dating to 2007. The red line shows the S&P 500’s price. The black line indicates the net futures positioning of asset managers. Today’s reading marks one of the highest on record. Importantly, except 2012, the other times that net long positioning reached such levels, the S&P suffered a sharp pullback shortly thereafter. As we’ve pointed out in prior Digests , the percentage of U.S. household wealth in stocks relative to other assets is near all-time highs today. To illustrate why this is a problem, we’ve referenced the following quote from Stéphane Renevier from Finimize in past Digests: A lot of things can influence short-term stock returns: interest rates, economic data, geopolitical stuff, investor sentiment – even weather. But for long-term returns, one factor rules them all: the proportion of assets that investors are parking in stocks. This ratio has proven to be the most reliable predictor of stock returns over a ten-year horizon, outshining even heavyweight factors like valuations. It says that when investors go big on stocks, their long-term returns tend to be below average... Investor over-allocation to stocks has been the most precise warning signal of lost decades. A rather concerning omen for 2025... In September, JPMorgan published a report suggesting that forward returns over the next decade could come in at just half their long-term average. Here’s MarketWatch : The basis for their argument was mostly mathematical. Current stock-market valuations are high relative to history, largely due to the performance of a handful of megacap stocks like the members of the Magnificent Seven. Reams of historical data suggest that, over the long term, valuations should return to the mean, which should translate to lower stock-market returns in the years ahead. Meanwhile, earlier this week, the research shop Ned Davis pointed toward 2024’s 54 different all-time highs. While that’s been great news for investors, Ned Davis suggests that, historically, it’s not great for returns the year after such blowout performance. From Business Insider : Since 1928, in years when the S&P 500 has hit more than 35 record highs, the median gain for the benchmark index was just 5.8% the following year, below the long-running average of 8%, the firm said. In years when the S&P 500 hit at least 50 record highs, the median return for the benchmark index was -6% the following year. 1996. In that year, the S&P climbed 20% despite having hit 77 different record highs in 1995. Now, Luke isn’t saying there won’t be a correction eventually, but he challenges the idea that it’s coming next year: After the 1995/96 bull run, we get another three great years in 1997, 1998, and 1999 – but that led to the huge Dot Com Crash wherein stocks fell about 50% from 2000 to 2002. So, what does Luke see coming in 2025 then? It depends on a handful of variables, but here’s his bull case: While we think stocks have good upside prospects over the next 12-24 months, we think spectacular upside potential will depend on the path forward for inflation and interest rates. If inflation stays low and interest rates are able to keep moving lower, then valuation multiples on the S&P 500 will expand and power strong upside in stocks... After walking through the math of projections based on Trump tax cuts, the related earnings boost, and sentiment-related stock multiples, Luke concludes: If inflation stays low and interest rates keep falling, you could see stocks rally more than 30% in the next 2 years. Despite this potential outcome, Luke is no perma-bull. He’s realistic about the headwinds facing stocks in 2025: If inflation moves higher and interest rates stay high, then valuation multiples on the S&P 500 will have to compress and that will limit upside in stocks... You could see stocks push only marginally higher in the next 2 years. Do you stay in the market to benefit from bullish momentum, voting to emphasize “offense” and the possibility of a third consecutive year of blowout performance? If you choose this, you risk a guillotine-chop-style market correction that can derail or delay investment and/or financial goals. On the other hand, do you sell down your big winners, swallow the capital gains tax hit, and rotate into safer investments, voting to emphasize “defense,” protecting the gains you’ve generated? If you’re wrong and the market screams 30% higher over the next two years as Luke believes is possible, the missed gains could materially impact the timing of achieving your retirement timing and/or financial goals. Plus, that FOMO could be brutal. Not an easy choice to make. Given this challenge, I’ve been urging readers to consider adopting a “trading” mindset to today’s market. In other words, rather than adding to your buy-and-hold portfolio with new stocks bought at elevated valuations (or even buying more of your existing blue chips that are trading at lofty valuations), put your money into short-term trades. This way, you ride surging momentum while limiting your time in the market, therein reducing the risk of exposure to a sudden selloff. Now, while this makes sense theoretically, how do you really do it when rubber hits road? Luke has developed a new tool to help answer that question... When it comes to “buying low and selling high,” what really matters? Is it fundamental strength? Think expanding profit margins and strong sales growth. Or maybe technical strength? Perhaps indicators and charts that suggest snowballing bullish momentum? Or is it sentiment? Regular Digest readers have seen me write “price is truth,” meaning that if bullish sentiment results in investors bidding up prices, what else is there, really? Each of these factors is important and plays a key role in a sustained bull run. That’s why Luke has created a comprehensive stock screening system called Auspex that combines all three. Luke’s Auspex system scans more than 10,000 stocks, looking for the select few that meet Luke’s strict standards for fundamental, technical, and sentiment performance. Next Wednesday, at 1 PM ET, Luke is holding a special event to detail exactly how he and his team engineered Auspex... the outperformance it’s been racking up since the summer... and why it could be the perfect answer to our earlier challenge of staying with bullish momentum versus getting out of the market to protect our gains. The rigorous screening process produces only about 5-20 “buy” signals each month. Luke’s strategy has been to buy them all and then forget about them for the ensuing month. This means no trading in and out new stocks each week. No waiting for intra-day buy/sell notifications. Instead, you buy once at the beginning of the month then forget about it until about 30 days later. The following month, Auspex provides a new batch of short-term trade recommendations that have triggered its strict performance criteria. Perhaps one of the same stocks will have triggered a “buy” again. Perhaps the system will suggest you rotate your money into a new, stronger position. Whatever the guidance, the takeaway is the same: You keep your wealth aligned with the “best of the best” of fundamental, technical, and sentimental strength on a month-by-month basis. This increases the odds you’re invested in bullish stocks while reducing the odds that one of the positions rolls over in a significant way. After all, a one-month hold period provides less time for strength to erode. Luke has been using the Auspex system with his Inner Circle readers in real time and it’s beaten the market each month for the last five months. That includes November, when the S&P 500 rose 5.73% and the Dow jumped 7.54%, marking their best monthly performance of 2024. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq climbed 6.21% for its largest gain since May. The Auspex Equal Weight portfolio rose more than 8% over this period. We’ll be bringing you more on this over the coming days, but to sign up right now for next Wednesday’s event at 1 PM ET, click here . We’re anticipating one of the biggest turnouts of the year. Historical data suggests we should expect muted returns. But current momentum points toward a continuation of outsized gains. As we see it, trading the market’s strongest stocks over shorter hold periods is one of our wisest choices for navigating this tension. It’s the old idea of “renting” the market, not “buying” it. Whatever approach is right for you, just be prepared for a 2025 that could be “up 20%” or “down 20%.” Have a good evening, Jeff RemsburgChina Moves Beyond Foam by Phasing Out PFOS in Firefighting