Latest news with #EasternSeaboard
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
China Shuns Costly LNG Imports Even as Summer Power Demand Rises
Sweltering temperatures are pushing up appetite for electricity in China — just not yet enough to revive the country's spot purchases of costly liquefied natural gas. Traders hoping for a recovery in spot LNG deals had been watching for a surge in summer demand along China's eastern seaboard. Scorching heat has indeed created those spikes, except that cheap coal, higher-than-usual inventories of power-station fuels and a continued increase in renewable capacity have filled the gap and limited the risk of seasonal blackouts.
Travel Weekly
04-07-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Tour operators and destinations begin preparations now for America's 250th birthday
Tour operators and tourism boards are gearing up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's founding in 2026, with trips and events that focus on history and inspiration. While cities and states around the nation are partaking in the party, destinations along the Eastern Seaboard are expecting to draw huge crowds for the semiquincentennial, with storytelling about the nation's founding at the heart of their celebrations. Both tour operators and destination management organizations said they hope the stories of resilience will inspire unity. "There's no greater story than this one about our country ... and there's no bigger time than right now to tell and understand the story and for us all to embrace it," said Steve Born, chief marketing officer for the Globus family of brands. Globus unveiled Celebrating America: 250 Years Strong, a 10-day tour from Boston to Washington that will visit some of the nation's most historic cities while putting history into context, Born said. "This package is all about not just seeing these cities and hearing about the history and hitting all the must-see sites but having a layer in each city of our history, and how that's living history, and the effect that it has on our country, not only then but now," he said. Collette is offering an itinerary to celebrate the semiquincentennial, including a visit to Mount Vernon in Virginia. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Collette Collette will operate a nine-day Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary itinerary, also starting in Boston and ending in Washington. The idea is to start the trip where the American Revolution began and end in the nation's capital, said Diana Ditto, Collette's product marketing and growth strategy vice president. "A psychographic insight we have on our travelers is that they like to be inside the story, inside history," she said. "Our travelers do consider themselves, many of them, history buffs. ... They like to be walking in history." Some departure dates are already sold out, Ditto said, while Born said Globus has seen "good traction ... right away." American Cruise Lines also unveiled an itinerary to ring in America's milestone birthday, a 52-day trip from Oregon to Boston that includes three cruises, ending with a New England sailing and Independence Day in Boston. The river line will also operate a 32-day Revolutionary War trip, combining three sailings starting in Albany, N.Y., and ending in Washington. Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Visit Philadelphia is projecting increased visitor spend for the 250th anniversary of America's founding. Photo Credit: J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia Cities step up Prominently featured on all of these itineraries are the cities where the country's founding history was made: the start of the revolution, the development of America's cultural and financial hubs, the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Tourism boards are not celebrating the semiquincentennial on just one day: They are stretching the festivities across 2026 with sporting events, art shows and festivals. New York will start the party early by celebrating the 400th anniversary of its founding in 2025 as a lead-up to next year. New York City Tourism + Conventions partnered with the city to launch "Founded By NYC," a campaign that focuses not only on the city's history but on its present and future. "It really does give us an opportunity to highlight the achievements in terms of the creativity and the resilience of our city and its people," said Julie Coker, CEO of the DMO. "What we would say is, 'Come see the New York that you may not know': We'll be creating different itineraries for those [stories] to be highlighted." Destination DC expects 2026 to bring record visitors to the nation's capital, said CEO Elliott Ferguson, who added that the organization is promoting its events to international visitors who are coming for the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. The anniversary creates an opportunity to highlight untold stories of the nation's history, he said. For example, a tour hosted by the nonprofit 51 Steps to Freedom features 300 stories from "hidden figures" in D.C. history and features lesser-known burial grounds, enslavement quarters and civil rights sites. Visit Philadelphia also expects its events related to America's 250th to draw major crowds, said CEO Angela Val, as the city was where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed, marking the nation's birth. Visit Philadelphia anticipates additional visitor spend of up to $1.6 billion in 2026, a figure that includes the impact from World Cup matches in the city, including one that will be held on the Fourth of July. The opportunity to use the semiquincentennial as a unifier for Americans and as a draw for international visitors to the city is also on the minds of planners, Val said. "Our core value is brotherly love and making sure that Philadelphia is seen as a welcoming place," she said. "We're America's birthplace. We're the birthplace of modern-day democracy. ... You have an opportunity here to be yourself and have a sense of belonging."
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
A blast of heat and humidity will soon hit the Midwest before reaching East
Patterns of above-average heat and humidity that developed during June are showing no signs of slowing down across the United States. Temperatures will surge well into the 90s across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic early next week as another wave of hot and humid air crosses the country. Before the sultry weather reaches the Eastern Seaboard, high heat and record-warm nights will hit the Plains and Midwest, where Detroit could near triple digits on Sunday.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
British American Tobacco's Unusual Options Activity Sets Up Nicely for This Multi-Leg Strategy
This week was a hot one for most of the eastern seaboard, including up to Nova Scotia, where I live. Let's hope the weather is a little more tolerable a week from now when Americans take part in Fourth of July celebrations from coast to coast. This Options Trade Lets You Buy Palantir Stock Without Worrying About Whiplash Sell Short AMZN Put Options (Out-of-the-Money) to Make a 2.0% Monthly Yield British American Tobacco's Unusual Options Activity Sets Up Nicely for This Multi-Leg Strategy Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market analysis you won't find anywhere else. In the four days of trading so far this week, the S&P 500 is up 2.9%. If it holds through the end of today, the index will be up 27% from its 52-week low in early April. One look at the unusual options activity from Thursday suggests that the markets have become overheated. Stocks that retail investors have no business owning are garnering significant interest. The possibility of a pullback in July is high. One stock that looks attractive for options investors is British American Tobacco (BTI). This UK-based tobacco company offers a range of products, including traditional cigarettes and more innovative smokeless alternatives. In yesterday's options trading, the volume was 10 times its 30-day average. As a result, the tobacco stock had 19 unusually active options. One of them points to a potentially profitable multi-leg strategy. Have an excellent weekend! As I mentioned in the introduction, BTI had 19 unusually active options yesterday. All of them were call options with expirations varying from 22 to 569 days. I'm sure you could come up with countless options strategies on your own. However, in recent weeks, I've been focused on a particular options strategy--the synthetic long accompanied by a long (protective) put--so I'll go with this angle for today's commentary. The synthetic long with a protective put involves buying an ATM (at-the-money) call and selling an ATM put with the same strike price and expiration date, combined with buying a long put with the same expiration date and a slightly lower strike price for downside protection, hence the protective put moniker. So, we're looking at a three-legged trade. To get things started, I'm looking for a call that has a DTE (days to expiration) between 60 and 120 days. Using a longer DTE will cost you more, but the additional time allows for your bet to play out. Yesterday's closing price was $48.09, so I'm after something within a dollar or two of the share price. The Sept. 19 $48 call with a DTE of 85 does the trick. The ask price of $2.30 is a reasonable 4.8% of the strike price. I now need a Sept. 19 $48 put to sell for the premium income, and a put to buy with a slightly lower strike price. The bid price of $2.00 provides an annualized return of 18.0% [$2.00 / $48 * 365 / 85]. Now, ideally, the put you want to buy has a strike price $1 below $48. However, I prefer the $45 put over the $47 put because it has five times the open interest, giving you a better chance of executing the entire strategy. 1) Buying one $48 call costs $2.30. 2) Selling one $48 put generates $2.00 in premium. 3) Buying one $45 put costs $1.00. The net debit for all three trades is $1.30, or 2.7% of the share price. It's a valid question. As I mentioned earlier, buying the $48 call would be just 4.8% of the strike price, $100 more than trying to execute all three trades. That makes it a much simpler bet and proposition. However, you only make money if the share price is ITM (in-the-money). As of yesterday's close, it was--by nine cents. With 85 days to expiration, it's more than possible that the share price will be higher in September. BTI stock is a Strong Buy according to Barchart's Technical Opinion with an 88% chance of maintaining its current direction. Its shares are up over 28% in the past six months, with 3% gains in the past month alone. The profit probability on the call is 36.54% (as shown below), with a breakeven point above $50.30. As I write this early in Friday trading, however, BTI's stock is trading 2.4% lower, below $47, now OTM (out-of-the-money). The synthetic long combined with a long put allows for potential gains whether the share price moves up or down over the next 85 days. Unless you're 100% certain it will move higher, this strategy allows for some flexibility. In May 2022, I recommended British American Tobacco, along with BP (BP), as two potential cash cows to buy from the Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF (GCOW). At the time, it had $9 billion in free cash flow, which translated to a free cash flow margin of 35%, a very healthy percentage. Based on its trailing 12-month figures from Morningstar—free cash flow of $9.52 billion and $25.87 billion—its free cash flow margin is 36.8%, which is even healthier. Yet its share price has only risen 9% over the past three years, due to a significant dip in 2023. Since hitting its five-year low on April 15, 2024, its shares have gained 66%, a slight improvement over the S&P 500. In May, I highlighted BTI's Sept. 19 $55 call, suggesting that you could double your money if its share appreciated by $2.72 in the next 121 days. Looking at today's action, 100 of these call contracts traded hands at $0.25, about 25% higher than in May. While it hasn't quite worked out as I thought, I still think BTI's share price will be higher in 85 days than where it is today. With a 6.3% yield, it's an excellent dividend stock to own for the long haul. But I digress. I like the synthetic long combined with a long put. It lowers the risk while maintaining a reward proposition. For example, should BTI stock fall 20% over the next three months to $38.47 from $48.09, you would lose $4.30. However, if you only did the synthetic long bet, you would be out $9.83, more than double. 1) You would lose $2.30 on the $48 call because it would expire worthless. 2) You would lose $7.53 on the short $48 put [$38.47 share price - $48 strike price + $2.00 premium]. 3) You would make $5.53 on the long $45 put [Strike price $45 - $38.47 share price - $1.00 premium]. In the same scenario, if the price were to increase by 20% to $57.71, you would earn $8.41, representing a return of 17.5% on the initial $48.09 share price, or 75.1% annualized. More importantly, it's $1 more than you would make with the lone call. 1) You would make $7.41 on the $48 call [$57.71 share price - $48 share price - $2.30 premium]. 2) You would make $2.00 on the short $48 put because it would expire worthless. 3) You would lose $1.00 on the long $45 put because it would expire worthless. Is the extra dollar worth it? It is if you're truly bullish about BTI stock. If you are, you might simply buy 100 shares at $48.09 and wait for it to appreciate, forgoing options altogether. However, if it drops 20% come Sept. 19 to $38.47, you've got a paper loss of $9.62, as opposed to $4.30 with the synthetic long and protective put strategy. Ultimately, if your goal is to own quality stocks rather than simulating ownership, this strategy probably isn't for you. On the date of publication, Will Ashworth did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Sign in to access your portfolio
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists issue urgent warning over solar storm poised to cause global blackouts and travel chaos: 'We're not prepared'
Scientists have warned that humanity is not prepared for extreme space weather as a solar storm is predicted to smash into Earth this week. They conducted a 'solar storm emergency drill ', simulating what would happen if a major geomagnetic storm hit Earth. Results showed power grids failed, blackouts were triggered and communication broke down across the US. The exercise ran four simulations of geomagnetic storms of different severities, which is is a temporary disturbance of Earth's magnetic field caused by a massive eruption of charged plasma from the sun's outermost layer. One scenario included a 'solar superstorm', strong enough cause an 'internet apocalypse,' resulting in power grid disruptions across the entire US with the eastern seaboard experiencing blackouts, which lasted for weeks. Not only were power grids impacted, but railways and pipelines were also knocked offline, causing mass disruptions of travel and dramatic price increases of gas. Scientists are now calling for a whole-of-government planning approach, arguing it will be critical for protecting America from cosmic disaster. That would include deploying more satellites to monitor space weather, enhance real-time data collection to improve forecasting models, and provide earlier warnings. The report comes as NASA warns a massive solar storm is heading toward Earth this week, which could turn the simulations into a reality. The imminent solar storm is the result of a powerful X-class flare, which could trigger the event simulated in the exercise. These are the most powerful solar flares, and they often coincide with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are large eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields. The sun has unleashed powerful streams of energized particles several times in the past few days with the most recent on May 19. NASA warned that more is to come, saying the bursts could continue to impact 'radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts '. The latest exercise was conducted in May 2024 by the Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) task force, which includes agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The fictional scenario was set on January 29, 2028, and involved a series of massive solar flares and high-energy radiation from the sun aimed at Earth. Solar flares are intense bursts of radiation that come from sunspots — darker, cooler areas on the sun's surface — and are among the most powerful explosions in the solar system. These flares can last from a few minutes to several hours. The drill tasked scientists with tracking an active solar region rotating toward Earth, testing protocols and response times in the face of a potentially catastrophic solar storm. In the simulation, the solar activity disrupted critical systems such as damaging satellites and knocking out power grids across the US. Scientists observed intense radiation exposure to satellites, astronauts and commercial aviation, and radio communications outages and disruptions. Participants identified the greatest challenge was forecasting impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME)—a massive burst of plasma and magnetic field from the sun. The current technology could only detect a CME about 30 minutes before it reaches Earth, when the magnetic orientation becomes clear, which makes preparation impossible. The report recommends investing in advanced space weather satellites, deploying more sensors to monitor solar activity, and increasing cooperation between US. agencies, international allies, and private industry. 'Ongoing preparedness efforts for a space weather event are crucial because an extreme event has the potential to severely impact our nation's critical infrastructure and threaten our national security,' the report stated. 'Just as we prepare for earthquakes, hurricanes, and cyberattacks, our nation must take action before a major space weather event occurs.' Coincidentally, the exercise was conducted at the same time the Gannon Storm, Earth's most powerful solar storm in two decades, hit on May 10, 2024. That storm triggered a mass satellite migration, temporarily making Earth's orbit unsafe, and caused local power outages as well as widespread radio and satellite communication blackouts. Now, a year later, NASA issued the warning after a powerful burst of energy from the sun on May 14, which measured as an X2.7-class solar flare, the highest category for solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The flare has caused radio blackouts across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, along with some power degradation in the eastern US. But the space agency suggested more are to come. While NASA warned more blackouts and communication interference are expected in a matter of days, the agency also noted that several US states will witness stunning northern lights. Those include Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Maine, as well as parts of nearby states, including New York. Solar flares are grouped into five categories: A, B, C, M, and X, with each level representing a tenfold increase in energy output. A is the weakest, and X is the strongest. The UK's Met Office reported that up to five sunspot regions are currently visible on the side of the sun facing Earth, with a new magnetically active region rotating into view over the southeastern solar horizon. The agency also noted that a region near the sun's northwest limb may have produced a moderate-class flare earlier on May 19. 'Solar activity is expected to remain mostly low, but with an ongoing chance of isolated moderate-class flares,' the Met Office added. This uptick in solar activity highlights the importance of monitoring space weather, especially as our society becomes more reliant on technology. As the sun continues through its active phase, more solar flares and potential geomagnetic storms could occur in the coming days and weeks.
