Chinese Consumers Hoard Cash After Confidence Takes a Hit
MarketsEconomists believe spending will be slow to bounce back after the end of zero-Covid Source link
‘The Last of Us’ in real life? Rising temperatures may spread fungal infections
One of the most suspenseful scenes in the HBO series “The Last of Us” comes in its pilot episode, when a scientist predicts that the end of the world won’t come from a viral pandemic, but rather, a fungal one. Smash cut to several decades later — on the show, that is — and a […]
New rules would limit sugar in U.S. school meals for first time, but plan draws mixed reactions from nutritionists
U.S. Agriculture Department officials on Friday proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries.The plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also seeks to significantly decrease sodium in the meals served to the nation’s […]
Chinese moviegoers — starved for entertainment and craving normalcy — are set to put the country’s film industry back on top
While global and domestic businesses eagerly await the return of Chinese consumer spending, one industry in particular is already doing gangbusters. China’s box-office receipts this year have hit the 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) mark — the earliest in any year that it has ever done so. The explosion of moviegoing comes as authorities in […]
Can virtual reality help older adults battle loneliness?
Carl Hortsmann found a way to take his 87-year-old father scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, go skiing for the first time and bring him on a tour of his old neighborhood in Union, N.J., where he grew up – all with the help of virtual reality. As part of a first phase of […]
Addiction among older people is rising. How to spot the signs and get help.
In the 2021 movie “The Good House,” Sigourney Weaver plays an alcoholic in her early 70s. While there are dozens of movies about young people battling substance abuse, it’s startling to see an older person struggle with addiction.It’s easy to forget that older people can suffer from what doctors call “substance abuse disorder” just like […]
Omicron subvariant that’s dominant in U.S. extends lead over other variants in latest week, CDC data shows
The omicron subvariant that became dominant in the U.S. several weeks ago continued to extend its lead over other variants in the latest week, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data that was updated on Friday. XBB.1.5, the omicron sublineage that first emerged in small numbers in October, accounted for 66.4% of cases […]
China’s Caixin services PMI bounces back in January
A private gauge of China’s service-sector activity bounced back in January to expansionary territory, signaling a quick economic recovery following Beijing’s removal of its stringent COVID-19 containment regime in December. The Caixin China Services purchasing managers index rose to 52.9 in January from 48.0 in December, said Caixin Media Co. and S&P Global on Friday. […]
Pandemic is still a global health emergency but it may be reaching a point where higher immunity levels mean fewer deaths
The coronavirus pandemic is still a global health emergency, according to the World Health Organization, but an advisory panel has determined that it may be nearing an inflection point where higher levels of immunity will lead to fewer deaths. That was the message Monday from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the agency’s annual executive […]
How do credit card companies view the health of the consumer?
Credit card companies have reported earnings in the past 24 hours and they are particularly well-positioned to weigh in on the health of the consumer. Visa is bullish. Here’s CFO Vasant Prabhu who was queried with this on the conference call: Q: Vasant, as we think about your baseline plan forecast, how are you factoring […]