Starlink internet on your phone

Hi everyone! In today’s digest these topics are covered:

👉 US Economy solid growth

👉 Crypto coins/stocks worth buying

👉 Starlink’s satellite internet one step closer to your phone

and many more!

Today’s issue is a 5.1-minute read.

📧 Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free to get more of these everyday!

Quote of the day

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Must Know

FTC investigates Microsoft: Is big tech playing fair?

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Microsoft for possible antitrust violations. This means they are looking into whether Microsoft is using its power in unfair ways, especially with its cloud services and software licensing.

Microsoft is a big player in technology, especially with its recent work in AI and cloud computing. There have been concerns that Microsoft’s practices make it hard for other companies to compete. For example, some rivals say that Microsoft's licensing terms keep customers locked into their services. This investigation comes at a time when the FTC is also looking into other tech giants like Amazon and Google for similar issues.

US economy is going strong

The U.S. economy 📈 grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July to September, driven by strong consumer spending and increased exports. This growth rate is slightly down from the 3% seen in the previous quarter, but it shows that the economy remains strong, with growth above 2% for eight of the last nine quarters.

💳 Consumer spending alone rose by 3.5%, marking its fastest growth since late 2023, while exports increased by 7.5%, the highest in two years.

Despite this positive news, many Americans are still feeling the pinch of high prices. In response, Americans elected Donald Trump as President, hoping he will change economic policies. As he prepares to take office next month, he will face challenges like low business investment in 🏢 housing and commercial buildings but will inherit an economy with low unemployment at 4.1% and inflation that has 📉 decreased significantly from its peak last year.

Coffee prices highest of all-time

☕ Coffee prices have reached their highest levels in nearly 50 years due to bad weather and supply issues, particularly in Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer. A severe drought followed by heavy rains has created uncertainty about future coffee production. As a result, the price of arabica coffee has soared over 70% this year, reaching $3.23 per pound.

The situation may worsen if next administration imposes tariffs on imported goods, including coffee. These tariffs could add about $0.23 to the price of a pound of coffee. As demand for coffee 📈 continues to rise, especially for specialty drinks, farmers in Brazil and Vietnam are holding back on selling their beans, hoping for even higher prices.

⚡Speed-Round: The Most Impactful Stories

🚀 Elon Musk wants to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was created after the 2008 financial crisis to protect consumers from financial abuses. As part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk argues that the CFPB is redundant and inefficient, despite 💰 recovering billions for consumers and enforcing regulations on financial institutions.

Cervical cancer deaths among young women in the U.S. have 📉 dropped by 62% over the past decade, largely attributed to the 💉 Gardasil HPV vaccine. This vaccine, introduced in 2006, prevents strains of HPV responsible for 70% of cervical cancers. While vaccination rates among young girls reached 78.5% in 2021, there is concern over stagnation in coverage. 👏 Studies from other countries show similar declines in cervical cancer rates linked to vaccination, emphasizing the need to improve HPV vaccination efforts.

❄ Heavy snowfall in South Korea has resulted in at least 4 deaths and significant disruptions, particularly in the capital, Seoul, which experienced its third heaviest snowfall on record. Over 40 cm of snow fell, leading to the cancellation of more than ✈ 140 flights and the suspension of ferry services. The severe weather, is attributed to warmer sea temperatures interacting with cold air currents.

Top-levels

Markets & Business

• 📉 NVIDIA stocks experienced a 10% decline following its impressive Q3 earnings report, which showed a 94% year-over-year revenue growth. Concerns over potential tariffs from the incoming administration and reduced orders from key partners like Dell Technologies are the main reasons for this decline. (Read the detailed analysis)

• 💰 In a recent article, Yahoo Finance suggests buying 5 cryptocurrencies for those looking to capitalize on the current crypto market. The 5 are: Bitcoin (dah!), Ethereum, Solana, Aave, and Aerodrome.

• 💸 IBIT (iShares Bitcoin ETF), COIN (Coinbase), MARA (Marathon Digital) are also suggested by Yahoo Finance’s analysts for those who want to invest in crypto stocks.

• 🛰 Starlink’s direct-to-phone satellite service is the first to receive FCC approval to partner with T-Mobile to cover the wireless operator’s dead zones. Starlink is waiting for an approval to increase the radio emission power of its satellites to support capabilities like 📞 real-time voice and 📹 video calls.

Media & Entertainment

• 🎞 “Moana 2” has made a significant impact at the box office, earning $13.8 million in preview screenings, which marks the highest preview revenue ever for a Disney Animation film.

• 🎙 Billboard apologizes for calling Taylor Swift , second greatest pop star of the 21st century. Who will be No. 1?

• 👱‍♀️ Margot Robbie confessed that she is still confused why her movie 🎥 ‘‘Babylon” flopped and still can not figure out why people hated it, claiming in 20 years people will look back in time and wonder why Babylon has been unsuccessful.

Science & Tech News

• 🦋 Bluesky’s open API means anyone can scrape your data for AI training. Recently, a machine learning librarian at AI firm Hugging Face, pulled 1 million public posts from Bluesky via its Firehose API for machine learning research.

• ​👨‍💻 Hackers have used new GodLoader malware exploiting the capabilities of the widely used Godot game engine to infect over 17,000 computers, affecting all platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

• 🚘 Chinese autonomous driving technology company Pony AI hits $5.25B valuation after Nasdaq debut. | 🤖 Alibaba releases an ‘open’ rival to OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model called QwQ-32B-Preview.

Did You Know?

🥇 There’s enough gold inside Earth to coat the planet.

🔫 Armadillo shells are bulletproof!

🍋 Lemons float, but limes sink.

Thank you for staying with us like always! If you are not subscribed, subscribe here for free to get more of these emails in your inbox! Cheers!