Ranking the Top 100 Websites in the World

by visualcapitalist iew the full-resolution version of this visualization As a greater portion of the world begins to live more of their life online, the world’s top 100 websites continue to see explosive growth in their traffic numbers. To claim even the 100th spot in this ranking, your website would need around 350 million visits in a single … Read more

Visualizing How Much Money Americans Spend on Commutes

by howmuch We know commuting is costly, but just how much are Americans spending on their commutes? Depending on the state, Americans spend as much as $5,000 per year on their daily commutes – including gas, maintenance costs, public transportation, and other expenses. Let’s take a look at how much the average American spends on transportation in … Read more

Global macro trader who nailed the 2008 crisis says next 3 months mark ‘edge of the cliff’ for markets—and ‘we’re there right now’

via MarketWatch: Financial markets are at a crucial inflection point and Wall Street investors should look no further than the U.S. dollar for the clearest sign of the increasing stress on the system that could ignite a financial crisis a la 2008, says Raoul Pal. The former GLG global macro hedge-fund co-manager, who was among … Read more

TROUBLES: NYTIMES STOCK TUMBLES AS MUCH AS 20%… Ad Revenue Scare

Shares of The New York Times Company plunged as much as 20% on Wednesday after the publisher said it expects total advertising revenue to fall next quarter.  The newspaper publisher reported second quarter results on Wednesday that beat expectations for earnings per share but fell short of revenue estimates.  The New York Times also said it added … Read more

WALGREENS closing 200 stores…

Walgreens will close 200 stores in the U.S. Walgreens said the closures will affect about 3% of its U.S. footprint. Parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance earlier this year announced it would close 200 stores in the U.K. Walgreens plans to shutter 200 stores in the U.S. as the company pares back its locations in the … Read more

Humans At MICROSOFT Hearing Your Skype Calls?

You know those old THX ads that would end their dramatic crescendo with the line “The audience is listening”? (It’s on YouTube, young’uns.) Well, when you have what you think is a private conversation with Alexa, or the Google Assistant, or Siri, numerous reports have emerged in recent weeks revealing that other humans might be listening too (although Apple … Read more

MAG: The crisis of American loneliness

“You maniacs. You blew it up.” How else should we respond to a storyabout how the most relentlessly communicative generation in the history of the world feels all alone? According to a recent YouGov survey, some 30 percent of American millennials say that they are “lonely.” More than 20 percent report that they have no friends; … Read more

ABOUT TIME: White House Drafting Executive Order On Tech Industry Censorship

The White House is circulating drafts of a proposed executive order that would address allegations of anti-conservative bias by social media companies, according to a White House official and two other people familiar with the matter — a month after President Donald Trump pledged to explore “all regulatory and legislative solutions” on the issue. None … Read more

New IRS withholding calculator

by havetobethatguy   article about it https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2019/08/06/irs-introduces-new-tax-withholding-estimator-to-help-taxpayers-avoid-surprises-in-2020/#3c4f72272862 link to the estimator https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

Disney announces Disney+, Hulu and espn bundle for $12.99 per month. Bye bye Netflix

Disney will offer a bundle package of its three streaming services — Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — for $12.99 a month starting on November 12th, the company announced today. The company previously hinted at a bundle for all three services, but CEO Bob Iger made it official during the company’s investors call today. At $12.99, the … Read more

4 Ways to Eliminate Business Debt for Good

For many, debt is the four-letter word they find the most unsettling. Indeed, millions of Americans are in debt for one reason or another (though, it’s most often related to either healthcare or education costs), and debt has been known to cause a significant amount of stress and worry. What’s more, not all debt is … Read more

Yes, We are Pricing an Emergency Cut

via mondaymorningmacro: At its most extreme this morning, I’d estimate the mkt was pricing in almost 10% probability of a 25bp cut by the Fed tomorrow. How do I figure? It’s based on FFQ9 (August Fed Funds futures). WARNING: This will involve some basic math. FFQ9 is the 30-day August Federal Funds futures contract. It’s priced as … Read more

Apple (AAPL) is said to be planning to restrict Facebook’s (FB) Messenger and WhatsApp from making voice calls over the internet in upcoming iOS update.

ound when it’s not in use. At the moment, apps like Messenger and WhatsApp run VOIP continuously in order to connect calls faster, but doing so could also allow them to do other things, like collect user data. According to The Information, Facebook may have to redesign its messaging apps in order to comply. The change … Read more

Unemployment is at a record low — yet bankruptcy-related job losses are rising at a rate not seen since the Great Recession

via MarketWatch: The recent spate of bankruptcies in corporate America is taking its toll. In the first seven months of the year, U.S.-based companies announced 42,937 job cuts due to bankruptcy, up 40% on the same period last year and nearly 20% higher than all bankruptcy-related job losses last year, a report released Tuesday concluded. Despite … Read more

Global economic data’s been missing expectations for longest duration in history

via Liz Ann Sonders: Global economic data’s been missing expectations for longest duration in history of @Citi global economic surprise index w/ 75% of global economies having PMI < 50 @csm_research ‘Scary’ German Output Figures Propel Recession Fears “The continued plunge in production is scary,” Bankhaus Lampe economist Alexander Krueger said   Global Bond Market … Read more