Author: MNK News
CLNKraneShares Key News Asian equities were mixed, as India outperformed, Mainland China and Hong Kong underperformed, and Japan closed for New Year’s. President Trump’s inauguration is creeping closer, causing weak investor sentiment on tariff concerns. The renminbi was slightly weaker versus the US dollar, while the offshore traded renminbi weakened to 7.33 CNH per USD. The 10-year Chinese government bond yield fell to another 52-week and all-time low of 1.62%. The Caixin Manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI)’s “miss” of 50.5 versus expectations of 51.7 and November’s 51.5 was also cited as a factor in the risk off environment, as the…
The best TV shows of 2024.Credit: Netflix / Apple / Hulu My taste in television is wide and varied, but I hew toward mysteries, character dramas and comedies, fantasy and science-fiction. You’ll see what I mean as you scroll the list below. It’s very difficult to do a Best Of list when it comes to something like TV, because there are so many shows to choose from and so little time in the day. Scrolling through my own list below, it certainly seems as though I watched a lot of TV in 2024, but I missed a lot also. There…
A slowdown in trucking M&A was met by interest rate cuts for the first time in more than four years in 2024. The anticipation of lower lending rates fostered more constructive transaction dialogues during the year, but deal count across the industry was still off 5% from 2023, according to data compiled by the research team at Left Lane Associates.The supply chain M&A advisory firm said there is noise in the number as some deals were paused until after the election, which pushed closings into the first quarter of 2025.“We are seeing a lot of positive M&A momentum leading into…
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s backing is a boost for Ben Wikler, who has yet to reveal his level of support among the Democratic National Committee members who will actually elect the next chair. ALLISON ROBBERT/Getty ImagesSenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) endorsed Ben Wikler’s bid to lead the Democratic National Committee on Thursday morning.In a series of social media posts announcing the endorsement, Schumer cited Wikler’s achievements as chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since 2019.Wikler “possesses all the qualities Democrats across the country are looking for in our next DNC Chair,” Schumer wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s a…
Samsung just announced pending US availability for a new smartphone and fitness tracker. The Galaxy A16 5G and Galaxy Fit3 are both modest devices that are just about perfect for the budget-conscious. These gadgets will be available for purchase in the US on January 9, after becoming available in other parts of the world a couple of months back.The Galaxy A16 5G is a step up from its predecessor in nearly every way. This is a very good thing, as the Galaxy A15 5G easily found a spot in our list of the best budget Android phones. The A16 features…
South Korean game developer Wemade wants to bridge gaming and blockchain by introducing new decentralized communities in 2025. South Korean gaming giant Wemade apparently has big plans for 2025, focusing on new blockchain services and social communities. In an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper, Wemade’s chief executive officer Park Kwan-ho called 2025 a potential “turning point” for the firm, seeking to merge gaming and blockchain in a way that opens “new possibilities” in the global market. Park once again praised blockchain, saying its “transparency and inoperability of data” make the technology perfect for building trust in virtual services. “We will…
A high-level delegation from Syria’s transitional government visited Saudi Arabia on Thursday, marking their first foreign trip and signalling a warming of ties with the oil-rich monarchy.The team, including Syria’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, the defence minister and intelligence chief, landed in Saudi Arabia Wednesday night, according to Saudi Arabia’s official news agency SPA.On Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhat received al-Shibani in Riyadh prior to their talks, the Saudi state news television al-Ekhbariya reported without giving further details.Al-Shibani said on the social media platform X that he hopes the trip would “open a new and bright…
A days-long resurgence of interest in so-called “grooming gangs” — a polite newspeak for racist child rape gangs — in the UK has seen horror and outrage reignited and X-platform owner Elon Musk weigh in, amplifying the already surging discussion. UK social media has been dominated over New Year’s by attention to the decades-long scandal, but really only made public in the past ten years, of gangs of predominantly but not entirely Pakistani men sexually abusing young English children. In the parlance of the UK media, these gangs are called ‘grooming gangs‘ as a polite shorthand, because the girls are…
CLNKraneShares Key News Asian equities were mixed, as India outperformed, Mainland China and Hong Kong underperformed, and Japan closed for New Year’s. President Trump’s inauguration is creeping closer, causing weak investor sentiment on tariff concerns. The renminbi was slightly weaker versus the US dollar, while the offshore traded renminbi weakened to 7.33 CNH per USD. The 10-year Chinese government bond yield fell to another 52-week and all-time low of 1.62%. The Caixin Manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI)’s “miss” of 50.5 versus expectations of 51.7 and November’s 51.5 was also cited as a factor in the risk off environment, as the…
The best TV shows of 2024.Credit: Netflix / Apple / Hulu My taste in television is wide and varied, but I hew toward mysteries, character dramas and comedies, fantasy and science-fiction. You’ll see what I mean as you scroll the list below. It’s very difficult to do a Best Of list when it comes to something like TV, because there are so many shows to choose from and so little time in the day. Scrolling through my own list below, it certainly seems as though I watched a lot of TV in 2024, but I missed a lot also. There…