By:
On:
In: Business Insider

  • Farmers in Thailand use armies of 10,000 “field chasing ducks” to eat their way through rice paddies after a harvest.
  • The tradition has long been practiced in Thailand and surrounding countries to rid rice paddies of pests and rice husks and reduce the cost of feeding the ducks.
  • Studies have shown this method of farming is not only beneficial to the environment, but can also increase crop yield.
  • View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook.

At a farm in central Thailand, an army of 10,000 ducks isn’t just out for a stroll — it’s on the hunt.

Rice farmers in Thailand are enlisting these birds, called “field chasing ducks” to eat their way through rice paddies after a harvest. 

“They help eat golden apple snails and the remains of unwanted rice husks that remain in the field from the last harvest,” farmer Prang Sipipat told Reuters. “The ducks

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Income

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 12: Cars line up at a COVID19 test site at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Cars at the drive-through coronavirus testing site at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 12. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

In Monterey County, 26% of the county’s COVID-19 cases are in East Salinas, a largely Latino community of farmworkers, service employees and others living in crowded conditions as they work on the pandemic front lines.

It’s a very different story in the county’s wealthy seaside communities, including Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Grove. Combined, these locales have a population that slightly exceeds that of East Salinas — but they have only about 2% of the county’s coronavirus cases.

In Los Angeles County, Bell, a city that is 93% Latino, has had more than 4 times the number of cases as Manhattan Beach, which has about the same number of residents but is 81% white.

Until last week, these sorts of stark differences would not have stood in the way of a county’s

… Read More
/quality/85/?url=http://media.beam.usnews.com/3c/802000280aa0cef40e7935498fc35d/tag:reuters.com,2020:newsml_LYNXMPEG9D14N:22020-10-14T133159Z_2_LYNXMPEG9D14N_RTROPTP_3_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-AIRLINES-AIRPORTS.JPG">

By:
On:
In: Financial News

SYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) – Only 28% of participants in the air cargo industry feel they are well prepared to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine once available, according to a survey released on Wednesday, as the industry begins to gear up for a major logistical challenge.

Ground handlers and airports feel less prepared than freight forwarders and airlines, according to the survey conducted by The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Pharma.Aero which found 36% of participants planned to invest in additional physical or digital infrastructure.

TIACA Vice Chairman Sanjeev Gadhia, who heads Nairobi-based air cargo operator Astral Aviation, said the global distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine would be the toughest logistical challenge ever faced, with an estimated 10 billion doses requiring distribution in 2021 and 2022.

More than 40 vaccine candidates are already undergoing clinical trials, according to the World Health Organization.

“We know that as from November the first

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Economic News

Germany’s leading economic institutes on Wednesday published their autumn report, which paints a more pessimistic forecast for the recovery of Europe’s largest economy than experts had predicted in their previous spring report.



a group of people sitting at a picnic table: 13 October 2020, Berlin: Unoccupied chairs of various open-air cafes and restaurants in Tauentzienstraße. Missing guests due to corona-related restrictions are causing the restaurateurs some trouble. Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images)

13 October 2020, Berlin: Unoccupied chairs of various open-air cafes and restaurants in Tauentzienstraße. Missing guests due to corona-related restrictions are causing the restaurateurs some trouble. Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The research institutes have revised their GDP forecasts downwards by a percentage point for both 2020 and 2021.

They now expect gross domestic product (GDP) to decline by 5.4% this year from the -4.2% they had forecast in Spring. For 2021, they expect growth of 4.7%, revised down from 5.8%. In 2022, economic output should increase by 2.7 %, they said.

“A good part of the slump from the spring has already been made up, but the remaining catching-up process represents

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Business News

More than 300 employees at three Dave & Buster’s sports bar and restaurants in Michigan will see temporary furloughs turn into layoffs next month. 



an orange ball in front of a building: Dave & Busters in Livonia on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020.

© Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Dave & Busters in Livonia on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020.

Dave & Buster’s plans to lay off 119 employees at its Utica location, 111 employees at its Livonia location and 81 employees at its Kentwood location, according to paperwork submitted to the state of Michigan. 

Loading...

Load Error

The permanent layoffs are scheduled for Nov. 8.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

The food-and-games chain plans to lay off more than 1,300 workers in seven states, according to Restaurant Business. The largest number of layoffs are set to take place at the three Michigan locations, three Massachusetts stores and two Denver locations.

Dave & Buster’s had built up a celebrity buzz

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Business Insider

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

  • With polls increasingly signaling a victory for Joe Biden in the presidential race, investors should shift their focus to Senate races, Morgan Stanley said Wednesday.
  • Senate election outcomes “will mean the difference between substantial fiscal expansion and fiscal gridlock,” strategists led by Michael Zezas wrote in a note to clients.
  • Treasuries and West Texas Intermediate crude oil are least priced for a so-called blue wave, the bank said.
  • A Democratic sweep could temporarily drag stocks lower and create a “potential dip-buying opportunity,” the team added.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

November’s Senate elections will determine whether investors can look forward to a wave of new fiscal relief or face a prolonged legislative stalemate, Morgan Stanley strategists said Wednesday.

Polls and prediction markets have increasingly pointed to a victory for Joe Biden in the presidential race. Republicans would need a “game-changing event” to keep

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Income

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) today reported:

For the quarter

In millions, except per share data

3Q20

2Q20



3Q19

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

$1,532

($744)

$1,181



Net income from discontinued operations

—

$4,399

$211

Net income



$1,532

$3,655

$1,392

Diluted earnings (loss) per common share from continuing operations

$3.39



($1.90)

$2.47

Diluted earnings per common share from discontinued operations

—

$10.28



$.47

Diluted earnings per common share

$3.39

$8.40

$2.94



 

     “PNC delivered solid third quarter results against the backdrop of a continuing uncertain economy. Noninterest income increased, expenses were well managed and we continued to generate positive operating leverage. Deposits grew while loans declined as a result of lower commercial loan utilization rates, despite

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Financial News

Driven by revenue strength, Goldman Sachs GS reported third-quarter 2020 earnings per share of $9.68, significantly surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.58. Also, the bottom-line figure compares favorably with the earnings of $4.79 per share recorded in the year-earlier quarter.

The stock rallied more than 2% in pre-market trading, reflecting investors’ optimism with the results. Notably, the full-day trading session will display a clearer picture.

With an increase in global equity prices and tightening of credit spreads, the bank’s results were aided by higher Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities Client Execution (FICC) revenues during the reported quarter. Also, the underwriting business displayed strength. In addition, wealth management and consumer banking business witnessed an upswing, reflecting rise in credit card loans. Moreover, fall in provisions was a tailwind.

The investment bank, nevertheless, disappointed with the rise in operating expenses. Additionally, lower financial advisory revenues, due to the decline in industry-wide

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Economic News

Britain’s economy faces a double risk to recovery from a disorderly Brexit as the coronavirus pandemic drags down growth, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned.



a car parked on a sidewalk: The UK car industry and food and textiles producers could be hit hardest by a disorderly Brexit, suffering a fall in exports of more than 30%.

© The Guardian
The UK car industry and food and textiles producers could be hit hardest by a disorderly Brexit, suffering a fall in exports of more than 30%.

On the eve of a critical EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, the influential Paris-based thinktank said the Covid crisis would further complicate a disorderly Brexit as companies were less prepared for the end of the transition period, having diverted attention away from leaving the EU.

It warned that failure to secure a free trade agreement before the UK leaves the Brexit transition period at the end of December would leave the economy 6.5% lower in the next few years than would have been the case if existing arrangements with the EU had been

… Read More

By:
On:
In: Business News Articles

The wholesale disruption of COVID-19 is taking a toll on the real estate market. A new survey suggests that offices will remain under capacity for months, retail and hospitality will continue to struggle, and, despite some increases in single-family home values, real estate across the board will see its value fall around 10% next year.

These are some of the main findings of “Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2021,” a new report from the Urban Land Institute and PwC. Based on a survey of more than 1,600 leading real estate industry experts and interviews with more than 1,300, this 42nd annual edition of the report finds that the pandemic is going to continue to drive major changes in the way property is bought, sold, and used. Overall, the impact of the pandemic is broadly, but not universally, negative, the report notes.

“The real problems are isolated at this point to

… Read More