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Now that the jobs report has come and gone, market participants are awaiting two extremely important events that will take place today and Thursday. Today at 9:00 a.m. EST, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell addressed a central bank conference in Riksbank, Sweden. On Thursday, the BLS (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) will then publish the CPI report for December. Together these two events will shape the forward direction of financial markets including precious metals.

The chairman said today that the Federal Reserve may have to make unpopular decisions to stabilize prices. Speaking at the central bank conference, he underscored that it was politically unpopular to take the tough decisions needed to stabilize prices and inflation.

He addressed the need for the Federal Reserve not to be pressured by political influence while addressing and solving the persistently high inflation that currently exists.

“Price stability is the bedrock of a healthy economy and offers immeasurable benefits to the public over time. But restoring price stability when inflation is high may require measures that are not popular in the short term as we raise interest rates to slow the economy.” He added: “The lack of direct political control over our decisions allows us to to take necessary measures without considering short-term political factors.”

He purposely omitted any mention that would provide direct clues as to where Federal Reserve monetary policy is headed. He also failed to mention the rationale for last year’s actions, which included raising interest rates during seven FOMC meetings, bringing the Fed’s benchmark interest rate to 4.25%. A full transcript of today’s speech can be found at the link below.

On Thursday, the BLS will release its latest inflation data versus CPI for December. December inflation is expected to ease to 6.5% from a peak of 9.1% in June, according to the Federal Reserve of New York.

According to PYMNTS.com, “The Center for Microeconomic Data of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in a press release: “One-year forward average inflation expectations declined further in December, falling 0.2 percentage point to 5.0% at its lowest since July 2021. In contrast, three-year inflation expectations remained unchanged at 3.0% in December.”

Chairman Powell’s speech today in conjunction with Wednesday’s CPI report will represent important fundamental events and could have profound implications for gold and silver prices.

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I wish you good business as always,

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of the author Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is for informational purposes only. It is not an invitation to exchange goods, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article assume no responsibility for any loss and/or damage resulting from the use of this publication.

The Ebola epidemic in Uganda is over, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Uganda’s health minister announced on Wednesday, less than four months after the outbreak was announced, which has claimed 55 lives.

• Also read: Ebola kills 29 in Uganda, WHO concerned

• Also read: Death toll from Ebola outbreak in Uganda rises to four

“We have successfully brought the Ebola outbreak under control in Uganda,” Health Secretary Jane Ruth Aceng said at a ceremony in Mubende, the epicenter of the outbreak.

According to the WHO, an epidemic is over when there are no new cases for 42 consecutive days, i.e. twice the incubation period of Ebola.

The last confirmed patient with the virus was discharged from hospital on November 30, health officials said.

“Uganda ended the Ebola outbreak early by stepping up key control measures such as surveillance, contact tracing and infection, prevention and control,” said Jane Ruth Aceng, adding that the country has had 142 confirmed cases and 55 people have died.

This disease reemerged on September 20, 2022 in central Uganda, with a first case from a so-called “Sudanese” strain for which there is currently no vaccine.

But three experimental vaccines – one from the University of Oxford and the Jenner Institute in the UK, another from the Sabin Vaccine Institute in the United States and a third from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) – are currently being tested in Uganda, with first shipments in December .

According to the WHO, the country has received 5,000 doses of vaccine.

Uganda, an East African country, has experienced seven Ebola epidemics, five of them with the so-called “Sudanese” strain, recalled the Health Minister, who specified that the origin of the epidemic was “not yet known” last September.

“I commend Uganda for its robust and comprehensive response, culminating in today’s victory against Ebola,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “Uganda has shown that Ebola can be defeated if the whole system works together,” he continued.

“Without vaccines and treatments, this was one of the most challenging Ebola outbreaks in the last five years, but Uganda stayed on course and continually refined its response,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“Two months ago there were fears that Ebola would cast a dark shadow over the country by 2023 if the epidemic spreads to major cities like Kampala and Jinja, but this victory begins the year with a pinnacle of great hope for Africa,” she continued .

“Although the epidemic has been declared over in Uganda, the health authorities are maintaining surveillance and stand ready to respond quickly to any resumption,” WHO said, reiterating that “neighboring countries remain on alert.”

Ebola is an often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever. The disease owes its name to a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where it was discovered in 1976.

Uganda, an East African country, has had six Ebola episodes, the most recent of which was in 2019. Four of these were caused by what is known as the Sudanese strain.

Transmission to humans is through bodily fluids, with the main symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhea. Infected people only become contagious after the symptoms appear, after an incubation period of 2 to 21 days.

The disease has six distinct strains, three of which (Bundibugyo, Sudan, Zaire) have already caused major epidemics.

Epidemics are particularly difficult to contain in urban areas.

European countries have been scrambling to find alternative sources of oil and gas following Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2021.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Russia’s fossil fuel export revenues plummeted in December, significantly hampering President Vladimir Putin’s ability to fund the war in Ukraine, a new report said in December.

The findings, Ukrainian officials and activists say, illustrate the effectiveness of targeting Russia’s oil revenues and underscore the urgent need for Western politicians to step up financial pressure on Moscow to help Kyiv prevail.

The report, released Wednesday by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, an independent Finnish think tank, found that the first month of the European Union’s ban on sea imports of Russian crude and the G-7 price cap cost Moscow an estimated $160 million had euros ($171.8 million) per day.

The CREA report states that Western measures were largely responsible for a 17% drop in Russian fossil fuel export revenues in the final month of 2022. That means Russia — one of the world’s top oil producers and exporters — saw fossil fuel export revenues plummet to the lowest level since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February.

“The EU oil ban and oil price cap have finally come into effect and the impact is as significant as expected,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, senior analyst at CREA, in a statement.

“This shows that we have the tools to help Ukraine prevail against Russian aggression. It is important to lower the price cap to a level that denies the Kremlin taxable oil profits and limit remaining oil and gas imports from Russia,” Myllyvirta said.

The G-7, Australia and the EU introduced a $60 per barrel price cap for Russian oil on December 5. This came with a move by the EU and the UK to impose a ban on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil.

Taken together, the measures reflect by far the most important step in curbing the fossil fuel export earnings that are funding the Kremlin’s attack in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow January 6, 2022.

Mikhail Klimentyev | AFP | Getty Images

Energy analysts were skeptical about the impact of a price cap on Russian oil given Moscow’s ability to divert much of its European sea shipments to countries including China, India and Turkey.

Russia retaliated against Western measures late last month by banning the sale of oil to countries that adhere to the price cap.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said a Western price cap on Russian oil would not affect its ability to sustain its “special military operation” in Ukraine. Peskov also warned that the measure would destabilize global energy markets, Portal reported.

“Financial Bloodline for Putin’s War”

Oleg Ustenko, economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Wednesday that while it is “very good news” that Russia is losing fossil fuel export revenues as a result of Western measures, it is “definitely not enough”.

Ustenko reiterated Zelenskyy’s calls for a price cap to be set at a much lower level, telling a briefing that any escalation of economic sanctions against the Kremlin should result in the oil price cap being lowered to a target range of $20-$30 a barrel .

There is “no reason to wait,” said Ustenko. “It’s already clear.”

“The EU and the G7 have the power and all the means to sever this bloodline. Only force and money speak to the Kremlin.”

Svitlana Romanko

Founder and Director of Razom We Stand

CREA’s report found that the measures have resulted in a drop in Russian oil supply volumes and prices, which has cut the country’s export earnings by €180 million a day.

By boosting exports of refined oil products to the EU and the rest of the world, the report said, Moscow has been able to reclaim €20 million a day, resulting in a net daily loss of €160 million since Western measures came into effect have .

Russia still earns an estimated 640 million euros a day from fossil fuel exports, the report says.

“The first month of the embargo proves what we’ve been saying since the invasion began: fossil fuel export revenues are the financial bloodline for Putin’s war,” said Svitlana Romanko, founder and director of the Ukrainian human rights group Razom We Stand (Together We Stand). .

“The EU and the G7 have the power and all the means to sever this bloodline,” she added. “Only violence and money speak to the Kremlin.”

Romanko called on the price cap coalition to lower the price cap, step up enforcement of the embargo and introduce additional sanctions to close loopholes.

The CREA report states that lowering the oil price cap with Russia to $25-$30 a barrel, a range still “well above” production and transportation costs, would cut Russia’s oil export earnings by at least €100 million a day .

It said that the Western price cap coalition had “strong leverage” to lower price caps, adding that “Russia has not found a viable alternative to ships owned and/or insured in the G7 to… to transport Russian crude oil and oil products to Baltic and Black Sea ports.”

Gene Goldman, CIO and Research Director of Cetera Investment Management, on his outlook for the tech industry next year and discussing the Fed’s “wrong” behavior in fighting inflation.

Gainsight, a venture-backed technology company that helps companies drive lasting growth, has earned the #1 spot on Glassdoor’s list of Best Places to Work for 2023.

Employees praised the company for its values ​​and “putting people first” even amid economic uncertainty.

“This is the most supportive, understanding, and family-friendly company I’ve ever worked for,” said a Gainsight educator from St. Louis, Missouri.

THE DEBATE IN HUMAN RESOURCES: HOW TO RELEASE WORKERS

Tech companies have historically been among the top employers on Glassdoor’s annual list, but this is the first time Gainsight has made the list.

Gainsight had a rating of 4.7 out of 5 according to over 2 million reviews on Glassdoor, well above the company’s average rating of 3.7.

A man who works at home in the evenings. (iStock / iStock)

This year’s list of winners includes employers from a variety of industries, including technology, finance, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, real estate and retail. The four most prominent sectors are technology, finance, consulting and real estate.

In fact, 41 companies that made this year’s list are in the technology sector. This comes as the industry has faced a spate of layoffs and hiring freezes in recent months as companies try to weather the uncertain economy.

Tech companies like Meta, Zillow, Zoom, and Apple fell off Glassdoor’s annual list this year.

LAYOFFS ARE TO BE BUT ALMOST 50% OF WORKERS STILL WANT TO GET UP IN 2023

“The past year has seen extreme ups and downs for job seekers and employees, but despite an increasingly uncertain job market, Glassdoor’s data shows there are still companies focused on creating great employee experiences,” said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor CEO, in a statement.

Sutherland-Wong added that it is even “encouraging to see companies duplicating employee mental health and well-being, diversity and inclusion, competitive advantage and flexible work environments.”

Evercore ISI Senior Managing Director Mark Mahaney reveals which stocks could outperform if a recession hits the US economy on Varney & Co.

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According to Glassdoor, here are the 10 best places to work in 2023:

1. Profit View – 4.7 points out of 5

2nd box – 4.6

3. Bain & Company – 4.6

4. McKinsey & Company – 4.6

5. Nvidia – 4.6

6. Mathematics – 4.6

7. Boston Consulting Group – 4.6

8. Google – 4.6

9. ServiceNow – 4.6

10. In-N-Out Burger – 4.6

Russia will send a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station on February 20 to bring back two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut after the device that was supposed to transport them was damaged.

The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, currently docked with the ISS, suffered a spectacular coolant leak in mid-December, images show a jet of particles exiting the rear of the vehicle.

Deeming the condition of the device too uncertain to bring back two Russian cosmonauts, Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitri Peteline, and American astronaut Frank Rubio, the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced that it would send another spacecraft, the Soyuz MS – 23

“It was decided to send the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft on February 20, 2023 without passengers but with equipment,” Roscosmos said in a statement. The launch of this device was originally scheduled for March 16 and was supposed to carry three more passengers to the ISS.

The date for the return of the two Russians and the American to the ISS, originally planned for March 28, has not been announced. However, their mission has been “extended,” Roscosmos has hinted.

In addition, according to Roscomos, the damaged ship will return to Earth without a passenger.

However, the Russian agency does not rule out using this ship to transport passengers “if a particularly critical situation arises on board the ISS.”

There are currently seven people on board the ISS. Aside from the damaged MS-22, there is only one rescue vehicle left, which can only carry four people in case it needs to be evacuated.

An initial assessment of the causes of the coolant leak that occurred in mid-December mentioned the possibility of ruptures caused by small naturally occurring meteorites, artificial debris in orbit, or hardware failure.

On Wednesday, Roscomos ruled out a mechanical failure and said the version of a “(micrometeorite) impact has been experimentally proven.” According to the Russian agency, this impact opened a hole less than a millimeter in diameter in a cooling tube.

The ISS is one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Washington that is still ongoing since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24 and the subsequent Western sanctions.

The International Space Station was launched in 1998 at a time of US-Russia cooperation following the space race in which the two countries participated during the Cold War.

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Gina Narcisi Jan 10, 2023 11:59pm EST

Glassdoor says 41 technology companies made the 100 Best Places to Work for 2023 for multiple reasons, including a focus on better pay and benefits, diversity, equity and inclusion, and flexible working hours/work-life balance.

Who made the cut

Glassdoor this week released its annual list of the 100 Best Places to Work for large US-based companies. Several big tech giants made it, including a brand new addition to the list that took the top spot.

Glassdoor, a website that allows current and former employees to review companies anonymously, uses at least 75 ratings on nine workplace attributes from US-based employees at companies with at least 1,000 employees as requirements for its annual list. The nine workplace attributes that are weighted are Career Opportunities, Compensation and Benefits, Culture and Values, Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership, Work-Life Balance, Referral to a Friend, Six-Month Business Outlook, and Overall Company Rating.

[RELATED STORY:
Glassdoor: The Top 10 Tech Companies To Work For In 2022
]

This year’s top 10 tech players included a few mainstays like Nvidia and LinkedIn. But there were also a few newcomers among them. Software company Gainsight and security provider CrowdStrike joined the fray. And in the 15 years that Glassdoor has published its list, only one tech company has made it each year: Google.

Here are Glassdoor’s 10 best tech companies to work for in 2023, along with their rankings and snippets of employee reviews.

Gina Narcisi

Gina Narcisi is Senior Editor for the Network and Telecom Markets at CRN.com. Before joining CRN, she worked for TechTarget in the areas of networking, unified communications and cloud space. She can be reached at [email protected].

Wednesday will be tentatively sunny in Quebec, while clouds and a few snow showers could cloud the day.

This will be the case for most of the province, but the center could dodge the clouds. However, the sun’s rays are likely to be rare in the far north.
Temperatures in the western part of the province will average around -8 degrees Celsius and Abitibi-Témiscamingue should expect a snow accumulation of 5 cm starting at the end of the evening and lasting overnight.
In eastern Quebec, temperatures vary between -8 and -15 degrees depending on the region, while Minganie and Natashquan can expect temperatures of -21 degrees.
The center will be less uniform as mercury drops to -7 degrees in Estrie, -10 in Beauce, -9 in Mauricie, -11 in Quebec and Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean averaging -16 degrees.
The Îles-de-la-Madeleine will not be able to see any rays of the sun, while snowfall is likely and the mercury remains stable at -5 degrees.
Temperatures for the north and far north generally hover around -20 degrees, but some areas could reach -27 on the hottest of the day.

Believe it or not, this website is probably not entirely legit. Screenshot: Gizmodo

The hottest new thing on the internet is ChatGPT. The AI ​​tool has been attracting the attention of the online world for weeks. Media outlets and tech analysts have predicted that the platform or similar platforms will eventually supplant Google and completely change the way we navigate the internet. Public schools in New York have banned it. Microsoft is reportedly considering a $10 billion investment in the startup behind the chatbot.

And whether you think all the hype is justified or not, at least there’s no fee to check it out. You may have to wait in a virtual line to access the machine-learning chatbot, but OpenAI’s text generator is free to use for anyone on the web. Unless, of course, you opt for a $7.99/week subscription from a non-affiliated app.

In the cloud of excitement surrounding ChatGPT, some shady actors have been trying to make money. An avalanche of unverified mobile apps have surfaced on both the App Store and Play Store claiming to be ChatGPT, but none are actually associated with OpenAI.

One app in particular has managed to catapult itself into the top “free” apps in the “Productivity” category in the App Store. As of this writing, “ChatGPT Chat GPT AI With GPT-3” was the 5th most popular download, beating Google Docs. The app uses the OpenAI logo along with a name that clearly aims to maximize search hits.

And although it’s free to download, after three days the fake ChatGPT app starts with a ridiculously high $7.99 weekly subscription fee. Or you can opt for a monthly fee of $49.99, which is higher than a four-week subscription. Again, everything to theoretically access a tool that is 100% free on the web. The app appears to be an interface that allows users to send prompts to a bot and receive generated text back. However, as mentioned in a MacRumors report, the app’s results vary widely. Sometimes the app responds well to the prompt, and other times what it spits out is completely irrelevant, unlike the actual ChatGPT.

According to a LinkedIn post by venture capitalist and podcaster Jason Calacanis, who claims to have been given access to the beta, OpenAI appears to be working on a ChatGPT-based iOS app. But there is no publicly available official mobile version of ChatGPT yet. For now, if you want to get AI-generated, human-like answers to your questions without excessive fees, all you have to do is stick to a web browser, which is obviously available on smartphones.

Free to download, not so free to subscribe and use. Screenshot: Gizmodo / Apple

But back to the scammer app: a website that links to the App Store urges visitors to “experience the power of AI from your phone!” and offers the opportunity to “try our ChatBot GPT now!”. However, when I once tried to enter a prompt in the associated field, a pop-up window informed me that I had reached the “limit” and needed to download the app.

The ChatGPT Chat GPT AI With GPT-3 app currently has a rating of 4.6 out of 5, with more than 13,000 reviews – which is probably partly responsible for its continued popularity. However, many of the written reviews cite the app’s unreliability, cost, and total lack of a support team. Other criticisms include that the OpenAI mimic provides incorrect answers to basic questions (which, in fairness, is also a problem with the real ChatGPT), provides too short answers, simply doesn’t work, and sends out a high number of notifications.

Despite the apparent sketchiness, “ChatGPT Chat GPT AI With GPT-3” has successfully passed the Apple App Store review process many times since its launch three weeks ago, according to MacRumors. A similar app by the same developer on the Google Play Store, however, has been removed, as first reported by TechCrunch. Before the Play Store version was removed, it surpassed 100,000 downloads.

Gizmodo reached out to Apple and Google for more information on how the companies manage these bogus ChatGPT apps, but didn’t get an immediate response.