The Daily Upside

Healthcare

Merck Takes on Brain Cancer With Acquisition of Yale Spinoff Modifi

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Modifi Biosciences announced that it has been acquired by global pharmaceutical giant Merck, with a $30 million down payment.

1 min read
Big Tech

Meta’s Losing AR Developers to Snap

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Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Meta is bleeding third-party augmented reality developers to its rival, Snap.

1 min read
Industries

Will Frontier and Spirit Airlines Finally Seal the Merger Deal?

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Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines have renewed their yearslong on-again, off-again merger flirtation. Perhaps this time’s the charm.

2 min read
Banking

HSBC Announces Dramatic Makeover That Splits Lender East and West

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HSBC announced a restructuring that will cut costs and, if all goes as planned, ease increasingly tense geopolitical relations.

2 min read
Healthcare

Walmart and Amazon Bet on Medication Delivery

Photo by Mike Mozart via CC BY 2.0

Walmart announced on Tuesday that it’s introducing a new same-day delivery service for prescription medication.

1 min read
Consumer

Target Fires the Latest Shot in the Retail Value Wars

Photo by Mike Mozart via CC BY 2.0

Target announced it will be slashing the prices of some 2,000 products, including food, beverages, gifts, and other home-holiday essentials.

1 min read
Advisor Upside

How Morgan Stanley’s AI Helped Close 100K New Clients This Year

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The investment bank rolled out a suite of AI tools this year and reported almost $64 billion in net new assets in the third quarter alone.

2 min read
Advisor Upside

Can Political ETFs Find Common Ground Ahead of November?

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Several exchange-traded funds that were created to track political themes, are gaining interest ahead of the presidential election.

2 min read
Advisor Upside

CFA Final Exam Success Rate Drops to Below 50%

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The pass rate for the notoriously taxing final level of the chartered financial analyst exam fell further below the decade average of 52%.

2 min read
Markets

Say Goodbye to the Era of Towering S&P 500 Gains, Says Goldman

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Goldman Sachs’ equity strategy team forecasts that America’s blue chip S&P 500 index will bring in infinitesimal returns for the next decade.

2 min read
Artificial Intelligence

Perplexity Wants Its Next Stage of Growth, Legal Troubles Be Damned

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Perplexity is looking for a few hundred million more dollars to scale its burgeoning business — oh, and maybe cover some pesky legal fees.

2 min read
Energy

Hedge Funds are Shorting ESG, With Some Exceptions

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A Bloomberg analysis of roughly 500 hedge funds found that patience for ESG stocks related to the energy transition has run out.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Palantir Patent Highlights Need for Zero-Trust Security in AI

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

A patent from Palantir highlights the importance of data security in AI when used in government and defense contexts.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Adobe Seeks AI Motion Patent As Generative Video Race Heats Up

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Major tech firms seemingly see generative video as the next frontier of AI.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Lyft Patent Puts Self-Driving Cars to the Test

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Despite the steep competition and roadblocks, the company has high hopes for expanding its self-driving services.

2 min read
Media & Entertainment

Netflix Has Won the Streaming Wars. So What Comes Next?

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Netflix reported another stellar earnings result, featuring its biggest quarterly profits in company history.

2 min read
International Economics

IMF Worries State of ‘Not Good Enough’ Will Follow Rate Cuts and a Soft Landing

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Of 12 major developed-market central banks, eight are in rate-cutting mode, with Australia, Norway, Japan, and Taiwan the odd men out.

2 min read
Inflation & Prices

CVS Names New CEO Amid Uncertain Retail Pharmacy Landscape

Image Credit: iStock, BackyardProductions

The leadership change comes as the retail pharmacy industry faces thin profit margins, store closures, and layoffs.

2 min read
Media & Entertainment

Women’s Sports Evolves from Moment to Movement

Photo illustration by Connor Lin / The Daily Upside, Photos by CCS Pictures and John Mac via CC BY-SA 2.0 and Rob Prange via CC BY 2.0

Women’s sports have been seen as secondary to men’s. While there’s still a lot of catching up to do, the gender gap is shrinking.

4 min read
Healthcare

Study Suggests Weight-Loss Drugs Like Ozempic May Help Alcoholism, Opioid Addiction

Photo by Chemist4U via CC BY-SA 2.0

A new study suggests increasingly popular GLP-1 drugs could help cut opioid and alcohol abuse nearly in half.

1 min read

FA Upside

Financial advisor news, market insights, and practice management essentials.

OPEC+ Once Again Moves to Cut Production

Photo by Tony Wu via Pexels

1 min read
Natural Disasters Cost the Insurance Industry $135 billion this year

Photo by Library of Congress via Unsplash

1 min read
Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Capital Takes Big Step Into US Credit Market

Photo by Web Summit via CC BY 2.0

2 min read