Say Amen to Claim It.
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Five Star Music Appoints New Manager
Popular Nigerian musician, Kcee officially unveiled a new manager today. Before now, Kcee was managed by Soso Soberekon, but today he took to Instagram to announce a change in his management. His new manager is Dike Chidozie. It's however not clear why he parted ways with Soso but his carefully worded statement reads;
'To my fans and clients, Five Star Music unveils new expansion and growth plans. As the label continues to grow, it is also important to grow our man power, skills and improve on our strategy and client relations. In view of this, the label has officially appointed a new manager. Henceforth, all bookings and activities relating to Five star music should be directed to Mr Dike Chidozie.
Thank you, Signed, Management.
This Can't Be True, Released CHIBOK Girls Cant Speak English?
UNBELIVEBLE! This is certainly how it would sound to many people. How could it have been true, others may ask.
But whether you are in a state of unbelief or not, this is to reveal that most of the released Chibok school girls can hardly speak English.
Indeed, as you read along, you will ponder and arrive at some conclusions on why students, who were in Senior Secondary School class three as of the time of their abduction by Boko Haram insurgents, could not speak English.
While indications to this effect emerged when the Minster of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Aisha Alhassan received 82 Chibok girls, findings by Saturday Vanguard across the states in the Northeast geopolitical zone produced more shocking revelations.
She had said that her Ministry would ensure the girls learnt how to speak English so they could be able to sit for Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations. To achieve this, it was learnt that the Federal Government has concluded plans to enroll the girls in junior secondary school class three.
It was gathered that the poor standard of education in Northern Nigeria made the inability of the girls to speak English possible. Saturday Vanguard learnt that the girls like many in that part of Nigeria lacked quality education right from primary school. For instance, in Chibok and other communities in Borno, there is no nursery school. Students were often enrolled directly into primary schools, so long as they had attained the age of 10 or 12.
Also, in most cases, the teachers were not adequately remunerated while lessons were done in unconducive environments.
Similarly, most of the public schools lack teaching materials, depriving the teachers and students the opportunity to learn, embark on research and development. Most of the teachers resort to using vernacular especially when teaching subjects like physics and chemistry.
In most cases, vernacular was used as the official communication means while conducting assemblies and town hall meetings. Likewise, the poor financial status of parents and guardians was found to be another factor. For instance, in Chibok community, there is no single private school, students who could even afford to be enrolled into private schools travel to Maiduguri, Adamawa and Gombe for quality education.
Another factor is the method of employing teachers in the Borno State Teaching Service Board, (TSB) which is characterised by favouritism. In one of his interviews, the state governor, Kashim Shettima admitted thus: “In 2011 WAEC examinations, only three students at one of the government secondary schools in Borno North Senatorial District were able to pass five credits.
Unfortunately, those lucky three students were not indigenes of the state, as their fathers were serving soldiers at Monguno Military barracks then”. A teacher in Chibok, who identified himself as Mr. Amos Dawi said, “Apart from the poor quality of teaching materials as well as unqualified teachers, the students themselves are not helping matters, as most of them devote their interest to farming instead of dedicating themselves into learning.
“More so, it will interest you to note that government girls secondary school, Chibok and other schools in the state have no English or Mathematic teachers.” Also, an educationist, Dr. James John attributed the problem to lack of training and retraining of teachers by the Borno State Teaching Service Board.
He said teachers mostly those living in the rural areas attend workshops. An escaped schoolgirl who pleaded anonymous for security reasons told our Correspondent thus:”Another major reason is the current trauma which the girls are undergoing.
Each time we open our mouth to speak English, we believe the Boko Haram terrorists are still watching us, so we quickly switch to our dialect or Hausa language which is our dominant language in the north without realizing it. Boko Haram hates anything Western Education and English language is one of them.”
Tech: Google's Waymo Begins Testing of It's Autonomous Truck
Amid the tussle with Uber on the theft of its self-driving car technology, Google’s Waymo has started testing its own autonomous truck. According to a report in BuzzFeed, Waymo’s self-driving truck was spotted in a photo and the development was later confirmed by the company.
A spokesperson from Waymo — Google’s self-driving car arm — said that it took “eight years of experience in building self-driving hardware and software and conducting a technical exploration into how our technology can integrate into a truck.” Safety was the focus of the expansion into the sector, the spokesperson said, with the aim of reducing “thousands of trucking-related deaths each year”.
Waymo confirmed that it was only testing one vehicle at the moment and it was still manually driving it on a public road in order to collect data. Its rival Uber has already delivered its first shipment in a self-driving freight vehicle last August — a short time after it bought trucking startup Otto for $680 million.
Waymo and Uber became fierce rivals when the former sued and filed a lawsuit against the latter for allegedly stealing trade secrets and self-driving technology from it. The lawsuit argued that former Waymo manager Anthony Levandowski took information when he left the company and later co-founded Otto in January 2016. Earlier this week, Uber fired Levandowski for allegedly stealing some 14,000 documents from Waymo.
Read More »
A spokesperson from Waymo — Google’s self-driving car arm — said that it took “eight years of experience in building self-driving hardware and software and conducting a technical exploration into how our technology can integrate into a truck.” Safety was the focus of the expansion into the sector, the spokesperson said, with the aim of reducing “thousands of trucking-related deaths each year”.
Waymo confirmed that it was only testing one vehicle at the moment and it was still manually driving it on a public road in order to collect data. Its rival Uber has already delivered its first shipment in a self-driving freight vehicle last August — a short time after it bought trucking startup Otto for $680 million.
Waymo and Uber became fierce rivals when the former sued and filed a lawsuit against the latter for allegedly stealing trade secrets and self-driving technology from it. The lawsuit argued that former Waymo manager Anthony Levandowski took information when he left the company and later co-founded Otto in January 2016. Earlier this week, Uber fired Levandowski for allegedly stealing some 14,000 documents from Waymo.
Lady Try To Smuggled Drug as She Put Drugs on Stomach and Pretend To Be Pregnant (See Photos)
A young woman in Brazil probably thought she’d come up with a foolproof way of smuggling drugs when she masqueraded as a pregnant woman.
Police wouldn’t search a pregnant woman, right? Wrong.
The 24-year-old brunette created an elaborate fake bump, which was stuck to her stomach with lengths of tape and then covered with clothes. Inside the “belly” was 3kg of cocaine.
A man travelling with her was reportedly also arrested.
It is not clear what punishment, if any, the pair received.
This is not the first time a woman has tried smuggling drugs by pretending to be pregnant.
Hmmmmm!. End of time pregnancy. Lol.
Sad: Radio Presenter, Funmi Ewebiyi Is Dead (Photo)
Funmi Ewebiyi, one of the popular voices on radio stations in Abeokuta, Ogun State has died.
She died last week after a long battle with breast cancer and details of her burial activities have been released. Late Funmi will be buried on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 in Abeokuta.
Until her death, she worked at different times as a freelance broadcaster, presenter, newscaster with OGTV, OGBC, Paramount FM and Rockcity FM, all in Abeokuta, Ogun State. She is survived by an only son.
May her soul rest in peace, amen.
Tech: Microsoft Mistakenly Releases Internal Windows 10 Builds
Microsoft has apologised for accidentally releasing builds from some of its internal branches for PC and mobile that were rolled out due to the “inadvertent deployment” to the engineering system that controls the release of builds to the Windows Insiders. Microsoft was forced to apologise late on Friday night after some confidential and internal Windows 10 builds were leaked and it has now reverted the issue to ensure these development builds do not reach more people, Dona Sarkar, Microsoft’s head of its Windows Insiders programme, wrote in a blog post.
“We apologise for this inconvenience and thank you for being a Windows Insider,” Sarkar added, saying Microsoft will not release any new builds this week. The Windows Insider by Microsoft is a programme that allows users who own a valid Windows 10 license to sign up for early builds of the operating system previously only accessible to developers. The term build refers to the process by which source code is converted into a stand-alone form that can be run on a computer.
Microsoft said although it has put blocks in place to check the dissemination of the build, a “small portion” of Windows 10 users still received them. What is worrisome is that Windows 10 testers who installed the mobile build, had their phones into a reboot loop which led the devices to crash. To come out of this problem, testers will have to recover and wipe the device using the Windows Device Recovery Tool.
Meanwhile, Windows 10 testers who installed the PC build will have to wait for Microsoft to publish a newer build or roll back using the recovery option in Windows 10 settings.
Read More »
“We apologise for this inconvenience and thank you for being a Windows Insider,” Sarkar added, saying Microsoft will not release any new builds this week. The Windows Insider by Microsoft is a programme that allows users who own a valid Windows 10 license to sign up for early builds of the operating system previously only accessible to developers. The term build refers to the process by which source code is converted into a stand-alone form that can be run on a computer.
Microsoft said although it has put blocks in place to check the dissemination of the build, a “small portion” of Windows 10 users still received them. What is worrisome is that Windows 10 testers who installed the mobile build, had their phones into a reboot loop which led the devices to crash. To come out of this problem, testers will have to recover and wipe the device using the Windows Device Recovery Tool.
Meanwhile, Windows 10 testers who installed the PC build will have to wait for Microsoft to publish a newer build or roll back using the recovery option in Windows 10 settings.
Police Commences On Investigate of The Death Of Ex-Texas Beauty Queen (Photo)
A former Texas beauty queen was found not breathing in her home on May 30.
Police were called to the 1800 block of Mathers Mill Trail at 6:31 a.m. and discovered 31-year-old Margaret Ann Garza.
Round Rock police say her death is under investigation.
Garza took on many roles in pageantry and acting, including being crowned Ms. Texas Belleza Latina in 2007 and Ms. Belleza Latina International in 2008, according to her obituary from Joe Jackson Funeral chapel.
She attended Alexander High School in Laredo and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from TAMIU.
“She gained her love of nature, riding horses, shooting guns, and all things cowboy from her #1 Cowboy, her Daddy. And from her mama, it was having pride in a nice clean home, her love of cooking, and her respect for others,” her obituary read.
No information is currently available as to the nature of her death.
Tech: Toyota's Flying Car to Light The Olympic Flame at Tokyo 2020 Summer Games
Engineers, supported by Toyota Motor Corp, demonstrated their flying car on Saturday, which they hope will be able to light up the Olympic flame for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.
“Cartivator”, a start-up group of about 30 engineers including some young Toyota employees, started to develop a flying car “SkyDrive” in 2014 with the help of crowdfunding. Head of Cartivator, Tsubasa Nakamura, said that while the car was still at an early stage of development, the group expects to conduct the first manned-flight by the end of 2018.
During their demonstration, the current test model was able to get off and float on the ground for a few seconds. Nakamura said the design needed more stability so the prototype would be able to fly long and high enough to reach the Olympic flame.
Engineers of Cartivator are aiming to make their flying car the world’s smallest electric vehicle, which can be used in small urban areas, and hopes to commercialize the car in 2025.
Last month, Toyota Motor and its group of companies agreed to invest 42.5 million yen ($385,000) in the project for the next three years. Nakamura said the group is working hard to improve the design, hoping to receive further investment from the company.
Companies in the world have been competing to develop the first flying car or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles. Uber Technologies Inc announced its plan to deploy its flying taxi service by 2020 in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Dubai. Airbus Group is also working on developing its flying car under its division called Urban Air Mobility.
But makers of “flying cars” still face hurdles, including convincing regulators and the public that their products can be used safely. Governments are still grappling with regulations for drones and driverless cars.
Read More »
“Cartivator”, a start-up group of about 30 engineers including some young Toyota employees, started to develop a flying car “SkyDrive” in 2014 with the help of crowdfunding. Head of Cartivator, Tsubasa Nakamura, said that while the car was still at an early stage of development, the group expects to conduct the first manned-flight by the end of 2018.
During their demonstration, the current test model was able to get off and float on the ground for a few seconds. Nakamura said the design needed more stability so the prototype would be able to fly long and high enough to reach the Olympic flame.
Engineers of Cartivator are aiming to make their flying car the world’s smallest electric vehicle, which can be used in small urban areas, and hopes to commercialize the car in 2025.
Last month, Toyota Motor and its group of companies agreed to invest 42.5 million yen ($385,000) in the project for the next three years. Nakamura said the group is working hard to improve the design, hoping to receive further investment from the company.
Companies in the world have been competing to develop the first flying car or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles. Uber Technologies Inc announced its plan to deploy its flying taxi service by 2020 in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Dubai. Airbus Group is also working on developing its flying car under its division called Urban Air Mobility.
But makers of “flying cars” still face hurdles, including convincing regulators and the public that their products can be used safely. Governments are still grappling with regulations for drones and driverless cars.
Court Sentenced Young Boy To Life Imprisonment For killing His Friend Because He Likes a Facebook Photo of Girlfriend
15-year-old Alex Pititto is facing life in jail for shooting to death his best friend in Italy. Alex (pictured left ) fatally shot 19-year-old Francesco Prestia (pictured right) because he liked a photo of his girlfriend on Facebook, this, he interpreted as a sign of disrespect.
Alex is the son of 'Ndrangheta mafia boss Salvatore Pititto, known as 'El Tio', or the Uncle. He had long suspected his friend of having feelings for his girlfriend so when he saw the Facebook like, he called his friend to a meeting in a remote field and gunned him down. Francesco was left dead in an olive field in Mileto, Italy, with three bullets in his chest.
Alex later turned himself in to police and led them to the olive grove where he had left his friend's body.
Before the fallout which led to him killing his friend, Alex had been so close to Francesco and recently shared a photo of them with another friend on Facebook, with the caption:
“Friendship is something in the mouth of everybody, but in the heart of not too many people."
The deceased's family have gone on Facebook to pay tribute to their son. One message on Facebook from his family read:
"You were so perfect that angels wanted you with them. We miss you a lot. Travel well, prince."
Pititto's family is one of the lynchpins of Italian organised crime. His father, Salvatore, 49, his mother, Maria Antonia Messiano, his brother and his cousin were arrested in January in a police anti mafia operation called Stammer.
Read More »
Alex is the son of 'Ndrangheta mafia boss Salvatore Pititto, known as 'El Tio', or the Uncle. He had long suspected his friend of having feelings for his girlfriend so when he saw the Facebook like, he called his friend to a meeting in a remote field and gunned him down. Francesco was left dead in an olive field in Mileto, Italy, with three bullets in his chest.
Alex later turned himself in to police and led them to the olive grove where he had left his friend's body.
Before the fallout which led to him killing his friend, Alex had been so close to Francesco and recently shared a photo of them with another friend on Facebook, with the caption:
“Friendship is something in the mouth of everybody, but in the heart of not too many people."
The deceased's family have gone on Facebook to pay tribute to their son. One message on Facebook from his family read:
"You were so perfect that angels wanted you with them. We miss you a lot. Travel well, prince."
Pititto's family is one of the lynchpins of Italian organised crime. His father, Salvatore, 49, his mother, Maria Antonia Messiano, his brother and his cousin were arrested in January in a police anti mafia operation called Stammer.
Bryan Robson Tipped Paul Pogba as Manchester United Future Captain
Manchester United's longest-serving captain Bryan Robson has tipped Paul Pogba as a future leader at Old Trafford.
Pogba, 24, rejoined United last summer for a world-record transfer fee of £89.3 million, having left for Juventus in 2012.
Nobody played more games for United than the France international this season, and he scored nine goals for the club, including the opener in the 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League final.
But the expectations raised by his transfer fee and strong performances for Juve and France in last summer's Euro 2016 have led some pundits to criticise his first season back in England.
Former United midfielder Robson, however, says Pogba will eventually take over as captain at Old Trafford.
"I think he's improved us. When he's been missing we've missed something," the ex-England captain told Press Association Sport.
"He maybe dwells on [the ball] a bit too long for a central midfielder sometimes -- you want to move it quicker -- but Paul has got real ability and he can see a pass that splits defences. When he's not in the team, we don't have that.
"I think if Paul starts improving his performances, he could be a captain for United who leads by example."
Robson's former teammate Gary Pallister agrees and believes Pogba also brings a physical presence to the team that has been lacking in recent seasons.
Both Robson and Pallister were record signings when they joined United in 1981 and 1989 respectively so can understand the pressure that a big fee can bring.
"I think he'll be better for a bit of a rest and the hype of the transfer fee has played its part in that," Pallister said. "And he's just lost his father, which is tough. I think with a full preseason behind him, you'll see the best of Paul Pogba.
"He's got that infectious way about him, he loves life and he seems to really enjoy playing football, so I think he'd be the type of player to follow. If Pogba starts playing the way we know he's capable of, he ticks all the boxes for [the captaincy]."
Robson, who was club captain at Old Trafford between 1982 and 1994 and also led England 65 times, added Ander Herrera is another player with leadership qualities, while he praised Antonio Valencia's "determination" -- a trait he wants to see players such as Phil Jones and Chris Smalling add to their games.
United finished the Premier League season in sixth place, 24 points behind champions Chelsea, but Robson is adamant the campaign was a success as the club won three trophies and qualified for next season's Champions League, something they failed to achieve the year before.
That failure sealed Louis van Gaal's fate as manager and he was replaced by Jose Mourinho last summer.
"People dismiss the Community Shield but as a player you always wanted to win it because it gives you confidence going into the season," Robson said. "And the EFL Cup was a good win -- Southampton gave us a really good game in the final.
"Now, if that had been it, you'd say it's been an OK season. But to go and win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League, you've got to say it's a very good season, especially when you consider the way the team were going.
"OK, we won the FA Cup [under Van Gaal] but we weren't playing the football the fans wanted to see and the squad was a little bit weak. [Mourinho's] four signings improved the squad [last summer], so you've got to say it's a very good season."
Read More »
Pogba, 24, rejoined United last summer for a world-record transfer fee of £89.3 million, having left for Juventus in 2012.
Nobody played more games for United than the France international this season, and he scored nine goals for the club, including the opener in the 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League final.
But the expectations raised by his transfer fee and strong performances for Juve and France in last summer's Euro 2016 have led some pundits to criticise his first season back in England.
Former United midfielder Robson, however, says Pogba will eventually take over as captain at Old Trafford.
"I think he's improved us. When he's been missing we've missed something," the ex-England captain told Press Association Sport.
"He maybe dwells on [the ball] a bit too long for a central midfielder sometimes -- you want to move it quicker -- but Paul has got real ability and he can see a pass that splits defences. When he's not in the team, we don't have that.
"I think if Paul starts improving his performances, he could be a captain for United who leads by example."
Robson's former teammate Gary Pallister agrees and believes Pogba also brings a physical presence to the team that has been lacking in recent seasons.
Both Robson and Pallister were record signings when they joined United in 1981 and 1989 respectively so can understand the pressure that a big fee can bring.
"I think he'll be better for a bit of a rest and the hype of the transfer fee has played its part in that," Pallister said. "And he's just lost his father, which is tough. I think with a full preseason behind him, you'll see the best of Paul Pogba.
"He's got that infectious way about him, he loves life and he seems to really enjoy playing football, so I think he'd be the type of player to follow. If Pogba starts playing the way we know he's capable of, he ticks all the boxes for [the captaincy]."
Robson, who was club captain at Old Trafford between 1982 and 1994 and also led England 65 times, added Ander Herrera is another player with leadership qualities, while he praised Antonio Valencia's "determination" -- a trait he wants to see players such as Phil Jones and Chris Smalling add to their games.
United finished the Premier League season in sixth place, 24 points behind champions Chelsea, but Robson is adamant the campaign was a success as the club won three trophies and qualified for next season's Champions League, something they failed to achieve the year before.
That failure sealed Louis van Gaal's fate as manager and he was replaced by Jose Mourinho last summer.
"People dismiss the Community Shield but as a player you always wanted to win it because it gives you confidence going into the season," Robson said. "And the EFL Cup was a good win -- Southampton gave us a really good game in the final.
"Now, if that had been it, you'd say it's been an OK season. But to go and win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League, you've got to say it's a very good season, especially when you consider the way the team were going.
"OK, we won the FA Cup [under Van Gaal] but we weren't playing the football the fans wanted to see and the squad was a little bit weak. [Mourinho's] four signings improved the squad [last summer], so you've got to say it's a very good season."
15 Children Were Killed Through Botched Vaccination
At least 15 children have died from a botched attempt to immunise them against measles in rural South Sudan.
32 other children suffered symptoms of fever, vomiting and diarrhoea but eventually recovered.
South Sudan's health ministry on Friday blamed the deaths on human error.
It was discovered that unqualified and untrained health workers used same syringe without sterilising it for the campaign and they failed to store the vaccine properly.
It was also discovered that the botched campaign used people as young as 12-years-old to administer the vaccine.
Riek Gai Kok, South Sudan's health minister, said the deaths occurred in Nacholdokopele village in Eastern Equatoria state, where about 300 children aged up to five years old were vaccinated from May 2 to May 5.
“The team that vaccinated the children in this tragic event were neither qualified nor trained for the immunisation campaign," said Kok.
An investigation supported by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF found that the deaths were caused by severe toxicity resulting from the administration of a contaminated vaccine, All Jazeera reports.
The untrained vaccination team used a single reconstitution syringe for multiple vaccine phials throughout the entire four-day campaign, and kept vaccines in a building without adequate cold storage facilities.
Read More »
32 other children suffered symptoms of fever, vomiting and diarrhoea but eventually recovered.
South Sudan's health ministry on Friday blamed the deaths on human error.
It was discovered that unqualified and untrained health workers used same syringe without sterilising it for the campaign and they failed to store the vaccine properly.
It was also discovered that the botched campaign used people as young as 12-years-old to administer the vaccine.
Riek Gai Kok, South Sudan's health minister, said the deaths occurred in Nacholdokopele village in Eastern Equatoria state, where about 300 children aged up to five years old were vaccinated from May 2 to May 5.
“The team that vaccinated the children in this tragic event were neither qualified nor trained for the immunisation campaign," said Kok.
An investigation supported by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF found that the deaths were caused by severe toxicity resulting from the administration of a contaminated vaccine, All Jazeera reports.
The untrained vaccination team used a single reconstitution syringe for multiple vaccine phials throughout the entire four-day campaign, and kept vaccines in a building without adequate cold storage facilities.
Tech: Is Technology Portfolios Still Going To Top The Stocks In US?
Technology shares have led US stocks to record highs and are expected to continue to rise, but as market value becomes concentrated in the largest companies, some are beginning to look for the next rally leader.
The technology sector of the S&P 500 has risen roughly 20 percent so far in 2017, led by Apple,
Alphabet, Facebook and Microsoft. The only other company with comparable gains in market value this year is Amazon, a market darling not in the tech sector despite being a big player in cloud services and data storage. “These are the dominant players in their specific spaces and the hottest areas in tech,” said Daniel Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust Company in Atlanta, highlighting their exposure to the cloud and artificial intelligence.
“You will continue to see money flowing into those names. People want to be exposed to the hottest areas,” he said. Active funds have continued to throw their money behind the leaders with a record overweight on the technology sector, according to BofA/Merrill Lynch data going back to 2008.
But more than a third of the 2017 gains in the S&P 500 have come from these five companies, and the concentration of the advance has some investors jittery. “Given how significant the (large cap) leadership has been year to date, I kind of think you need to find another group to produce that leadership,” said Jim Tierney, chief investment officer of concentrated U.S. growth at AllianceBernstein in New York.
Echoing Dell, Cisco, Intel and yes, Microsoft itself, the leaders of the Y2K tech boom, these new “five horsemen” have added more than $612 billion in value to the stock market this year. Their 2017 gains alone could buy the 85 smallest companies of the S&P 500. Their combined value, near $3 trillion, is not far from the market value of all the other components of the Nasdaq 100.
NOT THAT EXPENSIVE, BUT…
This tech rally has come hand in hand with heightened expectations for profits. Investors are currently paying $18.50 for every $1 in earnings expected over the next 12 months in the sector, compared to the more than $40 they paid during the dot-com bubble and even the $20-plus seen during the most recent market peak in 2007.
Tech sector earnings are expected to grow 11 percent in the second quarter after rising near 21 percent in the first, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S data. However, with gains of more than 33 percent for Apple, Facebook and Amazon, near 25 percent for Alphabet and 15 percent in Microsoft, compared to a gain of 8.5 percent for the S&P 500, the room for more upside is declining.
Despite expecting gains upward of 20 percent for the rest of the year on the so-called FANG stocks – Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet – and their ilk, analysts at Fundstrat recommended in a Friday note balancing portfolios by scooping up the year’s underperformers: banks, energy and telecoms.
They are not alone in searching for exposure outside technology. “We’re most overweight in technology but I don’t want to stay too long at the party,” said Alan Gayle, director of asset allocation at RidgeWorth Investments in Atlanta. “What I’m watching for is an opportunity to lighten up on tech exposure and put it into some of the more cyclical areas,” he said. “Financials are going to be catching a tailwind.” AllianceBernstein’s Tierney bets beyond tech on healthcare, the second-largest sector weight on the S&P 500.
“Healthcare has really lagged the last 18 months or so. They could certainly pick up the mantle.”
Read More »
The technology sector of the S&P 500 has risen roughly 20 percent so far in 2017, led by Apple,
Alphabet, Facebook and Microsoft. The only other company with comparable gains in market value this year is Amazon, a market darling not in the tech sector despite being a big player in cloud services and data storage. “These are the dominant players in their specific spaces and the hottest areas in tech,” said Daniel Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust Company in Atlanta, highlighting their exposure to the cloud and artificial intelligence.
“You will continue to see money flowing into those names. People want to be exposed to the hottest areas,” he said. Active funds have continued to throw their money behind the leaders with a record overweight on the technology sector, according to BofA/Merrill Lynch data going back to 2008.
But more than a third of the 2017 gains in the S&P 500 have come from these five companies, and the concentration of the advance has some investors jittery. “Given how significant the (large cap) leadership has been year to date, I kind of think you need to find another group to produce that leadership,” said Jim Tierney, chief investment officer of concentrated U.S. growth at AllianceBernstein in New York.
Echoing Dell, Cisco, Intel and yes, Microsoft itself, the leaders of the Y2K tech boom, these new “five horsemen” have added more than $612 billion in value to the stock market this year. Their 2017 gains alone could buy the 85 smallest companies of the S&P 500. Their combined value, near $3 trillion, is not far from the market value of all the other components of the Nasdaq 100.
NOT THAT EXPENSIVE, BUT…
This tech rally has come hand in hand with heightened expectations for profits. Investors are currently paying $18.50 for every $1 in earnings expected over the next 12 months in the sector, compared to the more than $40 they paid during the dot-com bubble and even the $20-plus seen during the most recent market peak in 2007.
Tech sector earnings are expected to grow 11 percent in the second quarter after rising near 21 percent in the first, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S data. However, with gains of more than 33 percent for Apple, Facebook and Amazon, near 25 percent for Alphabet and 15 percent in Microsoft, compared to a gain of 8.5 percent for the S&P 500, the room for more upside is declining.
Despite expecting gains upward of 20 percent for the rest of the year on the so-called FANG stocks – Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet – and their ilk, analysts at Fundstrat recommended in a Friday note balancing portfolios by scooping up the year’s underperformers: banks, energy and telecoms.
They are not alone in searching for exposure outside technology. “We’re most overweight in technology but I don’t want to stay too long at the party,” said Alan Gayle, director of asset allocation at RidgeWorth Investments in Atlanta. “What I’m watching for is an opportunity to lighten up on tech exposure and put it into some of the more cyclical areas,” he said. “Financials are going to be catching a tailwind.” AllianceBernstein’s Tierney bets beyond tech on healthcare, the second-largest sector weight on the S&P 500.
“Healthcare has really lagged the last 18 months or so. They could certainly pick up the mantle.”
Do Keep Calm! There Is Always A Reason For Your Pains
There is a strong believe that a side to suffering we miss when we focus solely on our pain rather than on God’s greater purpose. If you can see the purpose behind the pain, you can find the way out of this lie.
If you can see the purpose beyond the pain, you will understand God’s ability to leverage the suffering in your life for greater things.
If your suffering won’t go away, it might as well go to work.
Hard times have the capacity to deepen your faith and the faith of those around you. And when you submit your situation to God, he can purify your motives and teach you wonderful things that you can only learn when suffering humbles you and forces you to pay attention to the deep work the Holy Spirit is doing inside of you.
I’m not suggesting God hurts us on purpose just to watch us squirm in agony. On the contrary; God doesn’t hurt us. The world we live in does. Things are breaking down here on earth. People hurt each other. Greed and violence and war and deception are everywhere, and you can’t get away from the constant cycle of sickness, poverty, and death. God doesn’t create these things to hurt you. He is the very One who wants to rescue broken people from these evil forces. And how does God do that? What is his plan to redeem humanity from the curse?
It begins with Jesus. God sent his own Son to this earth to live a sinless life and die a horrible death in our place, so that we would not have to be punished for our sin and rebellion.
It continues, however, with us. The plan God began with Jesus was handed off to God’s people, Christians, to carry on. Jesus himself promised that we would do even greater works than he did, simply meaning that billions of Christians can accomplish unimaginable good in this world for the glory of God when we understand that God wants to use us in his plan. “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
And how does he use us, exactly? One way is through our suffering. Consider these words written by Peter, the disciple who spent years with Jesus only to deny him at his crucifixion, and then was restored to lead the New Testament church:
But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Pet. 2:20–21)
Does this mean it is God’s will for me as a Christian to suffer? At first glance, the answer seems simply... yes. But let’s consider a more nuanced reading of these verses.
This Scripture states that it is God’s will not that you simply suffer aimlessly, randomly, or mindlessly but that you suffer for the purpose of doing good and, more importantly, that you endure that suffering.
Therefore, God does not orchestrate purposeless suffering in your life but rather, on the contrary, redeems your suffering, giving you the grace to endure it for the purpose of serving as a witness to the power of the gospel. People — our children, our spouse, our friends, our boss, our extended family, even skeptical nonbelievers — will observe the way we handle suffering, and they’ll learn from us.
When they see us endure the same kind of hurts and hardships they experience while remaining humble, faithful, and prayerful before God, they’ll pay close attention, curious about the source of our strength.
To put it another way: there is always a bigger story encompassing the painful place in which we find ourselves. God is always up to something much bigger. And while we may not focus on or even be aware of the bigger God-story in the midst of our suffering, the God-story is still there.
When it comes to suffering, sometimes the way we overcome is to simply, humbly, and faithfully endure.
Nothing testifies to the deep, authentic reality of God’s presence in the life of a believer like watching that believer keep their eyes on Jesus while enduring hell on earth. Observing a Christian cry out to God in confusion, pain, and anger, while maintaining the faith to keep calling, to keep weeping, to keep reaching out in hope and trust, is perhaps the greatest apologetic for the Christian faith the world will ever see. Our suffering has the power to change those who are watching us suffer.
Read More »
If you can see the purpose beyond the pain, you will understand God’s ability to leverage the suffering in your life for greater things.
If your suffering won’t go away, it might as well go to work.
Hard times have the capacity to deepen your faith and the faith of those around you. And when you submit your situation to God, he can purify your motives and teach you wonderful things that you can only learn when suffering humbles you and forces you to pay attention to the deep work the Holy Spirit is doing inside of you.
I’m not suggesting God hurts us on purpose just to watch us squirm in agony. On the contrary; God doesn’t hurt us. The world we live in does. Things are breaking down here on earth. People hurt each other. Greed and violence and war and deception are everywhere, and you can’t get away from the constant cycle of sickness, poverty, and death. God doesn’t create these things to hurt you. He is the very One who wants to rescue broken people from these evil forces. And how does God do that? What is his plan to redeem humanity from the curse?
It begins with Jesus. God sent his own Son to this earth to live a sinless life and die a horrible death in our place, so that we would not have to be punished for our sin and rebellion.
It continues, however, with us. The plan God began with Jesus was handed off to God’s people, Christians, to carry on. Jesus himself promised that we would do even greater works than he did, simply meaning that billions of Christians can accomplish unimaginable good in this world for the glory of God when we understand that God wants to use us in his plan. “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
And how does he use us, exactly? One way is through our suffering. Consider these words written by Peter, the disciple who spent years with Jesus only to deny him at his crucifixion, and then was restored to lead the New Testament church:
But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Pet. 2:20–21)
Does this mean it is God’s will for me as a Christian to suffer? At first glance, the answer seems simply... yes. But let’s consider a more nuanced reading of these verses.
This Scripture states that it is God’s will not that you simply suffer aimlessly, randomly, or mindlessly but that you suffer for the purpose of doing good and, more importantly, that you endure that suffering.
Therefore, God does not orchestrate purposeless suffering in your life but rather, on the contrary, redeems your suffering, giving you the grace to endure it for the purpose of serving as a witness to the power of the gospel. People — our children, our spouse, our friends, our boss, our extended family, even skeptical nonbelievers — will observe the way we handle suffering, and they’ll learn from us.
When they see us endure the same kind of hurts and hardships they experience while remaining humble, faithful, and prayerful before God, they’ll pay close attention, curious about the source of our strength.
To put it another way: there is always a bigger story encompassing the painful place in which we find ourselves. God is always up to something much bigger. And while we may not focus on or even be aware of the bigger God-story in the midst of our suffering, the God-story is still there.
When it comes to suffering, sometimes the way we overcome is to simply, humbly, and faithfully endure.
Nothing testifies to the deep, authentic reality of God’s presence in the life of a believer like watching that believer keep their eyes on Jesus while enduring hell on earth. Observing a Christian cry out to God in confusion, pain, and anger, while maintaining the faith to keep calling, to keep weeping, to keep reaching out in hope and trust, is perhaps the greatest apologetic for the Christian faith the world will ever see. Our suffering has the power to change those who are watching us suffer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)