NCAA Loses Federal Antitrust Case, Can Still Claim Win

The NCAA was able to claim victory Friday night after a judge ruled against the governing body for college sports in a federal antitrust lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, California, said college football and men’s basketball players competing at the NCAA’s highest level should be permitted to receive compensation from schools beyond the current athletic scholarship, but only if the benefits are tied to education.

The NCAA cannot “limit compensation or benefits related to education,” Wilken wrote. That opens the door to athletes receiving more scholarship money to pursue postgraduate degrees, finish undergraduate degrees or study abroad. The NCAA could not, under injunction, limit schools if they choose to provide athletes items that could be considered school supplies such as computers, science equipment or, musical instruments.

“Technically the plaintiffs won the case and the NCAA will not be happy that they were found to be in violation of antitrust law, but ultimately this allows the NCAA to keep the bulk of their amateurism rules in place,” said Gabe Feldman director of the Tulane University sports law program.

Alston cases seeking more

The plaintiffs in the so-called Alston cases were seeking much more.

Plaintiffs had asked the judge to lift all NCAA caps on compensation and strike down all rules prohibiting schools from giving athletes in high-profile, revenue-generating sports more financial incentives for playing sports. The goal was to create a free market, where conferences set rules for compensating athletes, but this ruling still allows the NCAA to prohibit cash compensation untethered to education-related expenses.

The claim against the NCAA and the 11 conferences that have participated in the Football Bowl Subdivision was originally brought by former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston. It was later merged with similar lawsuits, including a notable case brought by former Clemson football player Martin Jenkins.

Plaintiffs argued the NCAA illegally restricts schools from compensating football and men’s and women’s basketball players beyond what is traditionally covered by a scholarship. That includes tuition, room and board and books, plus a cost of attendance stipend to cover incidentals such as travel.

Plaintiffs touted the ruling as “monumental.”

“We have proven to the court that the NCAA’s weak justifications for this unfair system are based on a self-serving mythology that does not match the facts,” said Steve Berman, the Seattle-based lead attorney for the plaintiffs. “Today’s ruling will change college sports as we know it, forever.”

Feldman, though, said: “The remedy is relatively narrow and this is certainly not the sea change that the plaintiffs were looking for in college sports.”

Pay for play

The NCAA argued altering amateurism rules would lead to pay-for-play, fundamentally damaging college sports and harming academic integration of athletes.

“The court’s decision recognizes that college sports should be played by student-athletes, not by paid professionals,” NCAA chief legal counsel Donald Remy said in a statement. “The decision acknowledges that the popularity of college sports stems in part from the fact that these athletes are indeed students, who must not be paid unlimited cash sums unrelated to education. NCAA rules actively provide a pathway for tens of thousands of student-athletes each year to receive a college education debt-free.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has already said it expects to take the case after Wilken’s ruling. It is possible the ruling will be stayed until the 9th Circuit rules. The case might not stop there, and could end up in front of the Supreme Court.

Wilken is the same judge who ruled on the so-called O’Bannon case, which challenged the NCAA’s right to use athletes’ names, images and likenesses without compensation. The case also produced a mixed ruling that eventually went to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Wilken ruled schools should be permitted, but not required, to compensate athletes for use of their name, image and likeness, with payments capped at $5,000 per year. The appeals court overturned that and said payments “untethered” to education were not required by schools.”

Wilken also ruled the NCAA was required to allow schools to factor in their federally determined cost of attendance into the value of an athletic scholarship. That is now common practice in major college sports, though schools were already moving toward NCAA legislation allowing for cost of attendance when Wilken made her ruling.

The plaintiffs argued in the Alston case that implementation of cost-of-attendance stipends prove paying athletes even more would not hurt college sports.

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Powell: Fed Sticks With ‘Wait-and-See’ Approach on Rate Hikes

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday that the healthy U.S. economy and low inflation are allowing the central bank to take a “patient, wait-and-see approach” on interest rates.

Speaking at Stanford University, Powell said the Fed is well along in its effort to normalize Fed operations by scaling back the extraordinary efforts it employed to support the economy’s recovery from the Great Recession.

The Fed is trimming its sizable holdings of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities. Officials are discussing a plan for wrapping up the efforts to reduce the central bank’s balance sheet later this year, Powell said, adding that the plan’s details should be announced soon.

The Fed’s moves to reduce its balance sheet, which hit a peak of $4.5 trillion, are being watched closely by investors.

Slimming its balance sheet

The Fed started in October 2017 reducing the balance sheet by allowing some bonds to run off as they matured. The balance sheet is now around $4 trillion but some investors have worried that the Fed could end up driving long-term interest rates higher and harming the economy by going too far in reducing its holdings.

Some analysts have projected the Fed’s balance sheet will end up being around $3.5 trillion, which would be significantly higher than the less than $1 trillion it held before the financial crisis hit in 2008.

Powell said the size of the holdings will “prove ample” to meet the Fed’s needs of supplying reserves to the banking system and he said “we could be near that level later this year.”

“As we feel our way cautiously to this goal, we will move transparently and predictably in order to minimize needless market disruption,” Powell said.

Updating procedures

The Fed is conducting a yearlong review of its procedures as part of its effort to update its operations in areas such as the way it communicates with the public, Powell said.

One area being examined is whether the Fed should consider altering its inflation target, which is currently a goal of annual price increases of 2 percent, to allow inflation to go above that goal for a time.

Powell did not specifically discuss the course of rate hikes other than to repeat the “patient” pledge the Fed began using in January to signal that it was planning a prolonged pause in hiking rates this year after boosting them four times in 2018.

Some analysts believe the Fed could leave its policy rate unchanged for the entire year and could possibly start cutting rates in 2020 if the economy slows significantly as the effects of the Trump administration tax cuts and a boost in government spending fade.

The rate hikes last year prompted strong criticism from President Donald Trump who charged that the rate increases were driving down the stock market.

In his remarks, Powell said, “We live in a time of intense scrutiny and declining trust in public institutions around the world. At the Fed, we are committed to working hard to build and sustain the public’s trust.”

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Powell: Fed Sticks With ‘Wait-and-See’ Approach on Rate Hikes

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday that the healthy U.S. economy and low inflation are allowing the central bank to take a “patient, wait-and-see approach” on interest rates.

Speaking at Stanford University, Powell said the Fed is well along in its effort to normalize Fed operations by scaling back the extraordinary efforts it employed to support the economy’s recovery from the Great Recession.

The Fed is trimming its sizable holdings of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities. Officials are discussing a plan for wrapping up the efforts to reduce the central bank’s balance sheet later this year, Powell said, adding that the plan’s details should be announced soon.

The Fed’s moves to reduce its balance sheet, which hit a peak of $4.5 trillion, are being watched closely by investors.

Slimming its balance sheet

The Fed started in October 2017 reducing the balance sheet by allowing some bonds to run off as they matured. The balance sheet is now around $4 trillion but some investors have worried that the Fed could end up driving long-term interest rates higher and harming the economy by going too far in reducing its holdings.

Some analysts have projected the Fed’s balance sheet will end up being around $3.5 trillion, which would be significantly higher than the less than $1 trillion it held before the financial crisis hit in 2008.

Powell said the size of the holdings will “prove ample” to meet the Fed’s needs of supplying reserves to the banking system and he said “we could be near that level later this year.”

“As we feel our way cautiously to this goal, we will move transparently and predictably in order to minimize needless market disruption,” Powell said.

Updating procedures

The Fed is conducting a yearlong review of its procedures as part of its effort to update its operations in areas such as the way it communicates with the public, Powell said.

One area being examined is whether the Fed should consider altering its inflation target, which is currently a goal of annual price increases of 2 percent, to allow inflation to go above that goal for a time.

Powell did not specifically discuss the course of rate hikes other than to repeat the “patient” pledge the Fed began using in January to signal that it was planning a prolonged pause in hiking rates this year after boosting them four times in 2018.

Some analysts believe the Fed could leave its policy rate unchanged for the entire year and could possibly start cutting rates in 2020 if the economy slows significantly as the effects of the Trump administration tax cuts and a boost in government spending fade.

The rate hikes last year prompted strong criticism from President Donald Trump who charged that the rate increases were driving down the stock market.

In his remarks, Powell said, “We live in a time of intense scrutiny and declining trust in public institutions around the world. At the Fed, we are committed to working hard to build and sustain the public’s trust.”

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US Adds Just 20K Jobs; Unemployment Dips

Hiring tumbled in February, with U.S. employers adding just 20,000 jobs, the smallest monthly gain in nearly a year and a half. The slowdown in hiring, though, might have been depressed by harsh winter weather and the partial shutdown of the government.

Last month’s weak gain came after employers had added a blockbuster 311,000 jobs in January, the most in nearly a year. Over the past three months, job growth has averaged a solid 186,000, enough to lower the unemployment rate over time.

 

And despite the tepid pace of hiring in February, the government’s monthly jobs report Friday included some positive signs: Average hourly pay last month rose 3.4 percent from a year earlier _ the sharpest year-over-year increase in a decade. The unemployment rate also fell to 3.8 percent, near the lowest level in five decades, from 4 percent in January.

 

Unseasonably cold weather, which affects such industries as construction and restaurants, afflicted some areas of the country in February. And the 35-day government shutdown that ended in late January likely affected the calculation of job growth.

 

Still, the hiring pullback comes amid signs that growth is slowing because of a weaker global economy, a trade war between the United States and China and signs of caution among consumers. Those factors have led many economists to forecast weaker growth in the first three months of this year.

 

Sluggish hiring and job cuts in February were widespread across industries. Construction cut 31,000 jobs, the most in more than five years. Manufacturing added just 4,000 jobs. Retailers cut 6,100. Job growth in a category that includes mostly restaurants and hotels were unchanged last month after adding a huge 89,000 gain in January.

 

Most analysts expect businesses to keep hiring and growth to rebound in the April-June quarter. It will be harder than usual, though, to get a precise read on the economy because many data reports are still delayed by the partial shutdown of the government.

 

In the meantime, there are cautionary signs. Consumer confidence fell sharply in January, held back by the shutdown and by a steep fall in stock prices in December. And Americans spent less over the winter holidays, with consumer spending falling in December by the most in five years.

 

Home sales fell last year and price gains are slowing after the average rate on a 30-year mortgage reached nearly 5 percent last year. Sales of new homes also cratered late last year before picking up in December. And U.S. businesses have cut their orders for equipment and machinery for the past two months, a sign that they are uncertain about their customer demand.

 

The economy is forecast to be slowing to an annual growth rate of just 1 percent in the first three months of this year, down from 2.6 percent in the October-December quarter. Growth reached nearly 3 percent for all of last year, the strongest pace since 2015.

 

Still, economists expect a rebound in the April-June quarter, and there are already signs of one: Consumer confidence rose in February along with the stock market.

 

And more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in January, propelled by lower mortgage rates. Analysts have forecast that annual growth will top 2 percent next quarter.

 

 

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US Adds Just 20K Jobs; Unemployment Dips

Hiring tumbled in February, with U.S. employers adding just 20,000 jobs, the smallest monthly gain in nearly a year and a half. The slowdown in hiring, though, might have been depressed by harsh winter weather and the partial shutdown of the government.

Last month’s weak gain came after employers had added a blockbuster 311,000 jobs in January, the most in nearly a year. Over the past three months, job growth has averaged a solid 186,000, enough to lower the unemployment rate over time.

 

And despite the tepid pace of hiring in February, the government’s monthly jobs report Friday included some positive signs: Average hourly pay last month rose 3.4 percent from a year earlier _ the sharpest year-over-year increase in a decade. The unemployment rate also fell to 3.8 percent, near the lowest level in five decades, from 4 percent in January.

 

Unseasonably cold weather, which affects such industries as construction and restaurants, afflicted some areas of the country in February. And the 35-day government shutdown that ended in late January likely affected the calculation of job growth.

 

Still, the hiring pullback comes amid signs that growth is slowing because of a weaker global economy, a trade war between the United States and China and signs of caution among consumers. Those factors have led many economists to forecast weaker growth in the first three months of this year.

 

Sluggish hiring and job cuts in February were widespread across industries. Construction cut 31,000 jobs, the most in more than five years. Manufacturing added just 4,000 jobs. Retailers cut 6,100. Job growth in a category that includes mostly restaurants and hotels were unchanged last month after adding a huge 89,000 gain in January.

 

Most analysts expect businesses to keep hiring and growth to rebound in the April-June quarter. It will be harder than usual, though, to get a precise read on the economy because many data reports are still delayed by the partial shutdown of the government.

 

In the meantime, there are cautionary signs. Consumer confidence fell sharply in January, held back by the shutdown and by a steep fall in stock prices in December. And Americans spent less over the winter holidays, with consumer spending falling in December by the most in five years.

 

Home sales fell last year and price gains are slowing after the average rate on a 30-year mortgage reached nearly 5 percent last year. Sales of new homes also cratered late last year before picking up in December. And U.S. businesses have cut their orders for equipment and machinery for the past two months, a sign that they are uncertain about their customer demand.

 

The economy is forecast to be slowing to an annual growth rate of just 1 percent in the first three months of this year, down from 2.6 percent in the October-December quarter. Growth reached nearly 3 percent for all of last year, the strongest pace since 2015.

 

Still, economists expect a rebound in the April-June quarter, and there are already signs of one: Consumer confidence rose in February along with the stock market.

 

And more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in January, propelled by lower mortgage rates. Analysts have forecast that annual growth will top 2 percent next quarter.

 

 

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Trump: China Trade Deal Must Be ‘Very Good,’ or No Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will not sign a trade deal with China unless it is a “very good deal.”

Trump made the comments Friday as he left the White House to tour tornado damage in the southern U.S. state of Alabama. The United States and China have been battling over trade tariffs since last year.

The White House is planning a summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Florida later this year.

“If this isn’t a great deal, I won’t make a deal,” Trump said. Then he added: “We will do very well either way, with or without a deal.”

The trade dispute between the United States and China has begun to affect China’s economic growth.

China’s exports and imports fell significantly more than expected in the month of February, data published Friday by the country’s customs administration showed.

China’s trade surplus with the U.S. narrowed to $14.7 billion for the month, from $27.3 billion in January.

China’s February exports plummeted 20.7 percent from the same period a year prior, and imports dropped 5.2 percent from a year earlier, considerably more than expected. According to a Bloomberg News poll, the forecast was 5.0 percent and 0.6 percent respectively.   

China economist Chang Liu of Capital Economics in London told VOA that the drop in Chinese exports is due, at least in part, to the tariffs. Last year, he said, “firms were front-loading their shipments [shipped more goods in the first half of the year] to avoid further threat of further tariffs. So that dropped the exports in the second half of last year. … So, literally, that is a tariff effect.”

Recent economic data reveal the difficulties China faced in the fourth quarter of 2018 as its growth rate slowed to 6.4 percent.

In January, an import barometer of prices in the industrial sector neared contraction, while manufacturing activity in February marked the worst performance in three years.

China’s government announced major tax cuts, fee reductions and a looser monetary policy to combat the economic growth slowdown.

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Trump: China Trade Deal Must Be ‘Very Good,’ or No Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will not sign a trade deal with China unless it is a “very good deal.”

Trump made the comments Friday as he left the White House to tour tornado damage in the southern U.S. state of Alabama. The United States and China have been battling over trade tariffs since last year.

The White House is planning a summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Florida later this year.

“If this isn’t a great deal, I won’t make a deal,” Trump said. Then he added: “We will do very well either way, with or without a deal.”

The trade dispute between the United States and China has begun to affect China’s economic growth.

China’s exports and imports fell significantly more than expected in the month of February, data published Friday by the country’s customs administration showed.

China’s trade surplus with the U.S. narrowed to $14.7 billion for the month, from $27.3 billion in January.

China’s February exports plummeted 20.7 percent from the same period a year prior, and imports dropped 5.2 percent from a year earlier, considerably more than expected. According to a Bloomberg News poll, the forecast was 5.0 percent and 0.6 percent respectively.   

China economist Chang Liu of Capital Economics in London told VOA that the drop in Chinese exports is due, at least in part, to the tariffs. Last year, he said, “firms were front-loading their shipments [shipped more goods in the first half of the year] to avoid further threat of further tariffs. So that dropped the exports in the second half of last year. … So, literally, that is a tariff effect.”

Recent economic data reveal the difficulties China faced in the fourth quarter of 2018 as its growth rate slowed to 6.4 percent.

In January, an import barometer of prices in the industrial sector neared contraction, while manufacturing activity in February marked the worst performance in three years.

China’s government announced major tax cuts, fee reductions and a looser monetary policy to combat the economic growth slowdown.

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Warren: Tech Giants Have `Too Much Power,’ Need Breakup

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren says the technology industry is too heavily concentrated among the biggest companies and she has a plan to address that.

The Massachusetts senator is proposing legislation targeting tech giants with annual revenue of $25 billion or more. It would limit their ability to expand and break up what she calls “anti-competitive mergers” — such as Facebook’s purchase of Instagram and Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods.

Warren says the biggest tech companies have “too much power over our economy, our society, and our democracy.” She says they’ve “bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else.”

She’s releasing the plan before a visit to New York City, where Amazon recently scrapped a plan to open a new headquarters.

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Warren: Tech Giants Have `Too Much Power,’ Need Breakup

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren says the technology industry is too heavily concentrated among the biggest companies and she has a plan to address that.

The Massachusetts senator is proposing legislation targeting tech giants with annual revenue of $25 billion or more. It would limit their ability to expand and break up what she calls “anti-competitive mergers” — such as Facebook’s purchase of Instagram and Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods.

Warren says the biggest tech companies have “too much power over our economy, our society, and our democracy.” She says they’ve “bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else.”

She’s releasing the plan before a visit to New York City, where Amazon recently scrapped a plan to open a new headquarters.

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BMW X7 xDrive40i 2019

Engine LITERS/TYPE
3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder

DISPLACEMENT (cc)
2998

HORSEPOWER (hp @ rpm)
335 @ 5500–6500

TORQUE (lb-ft @ rpm)
330 @ 1500–5200

COMPRESSION RATIO (:1)
11.0

Transmission TYPE
8-speed STEPTRONIC Automatic transmission with Sport and Manual shift modes

AUTOMATIC GEAR RATIOS – I / II / III
5.25 / 3.36 / 2.17

AUTOMATIC GEAR RATIOS – IV / V / VI
1.72 / 1.32 / 1.00

AUTOMATIC GEAR RATIOS – VII / VIII / R
0.82 / 0.64 / 3.71

AUTOMATIC GEAR RATIOS – FINAL DRIVE RATIO
3.64

Performance ACCELERATION 0–60 mph AUTOMATIC (sec)
5.8

TOP SPEED (mph)
130 [152]

TOWING CAPACITY (lbs)
7500

Fuel Consumption 
FUEL TANK CAPACITY (gallons) 21.9

Wheels & Tires TIRE TYPE
Run-flat all-season

WHEEL DIMENSIONS (in)
21 x 9.5 front and rear

TIRE DIMENSIONS (mm)
285/45 front and rear

Exterior Dimensions LENGTH / WIDTH / HEIGHT (in)
203.3 / 78.7 / 71.1

CURB WEIGHT – AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (lbs)
5370

WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION, FRONT/REAR – AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (%)
46.6 / 53.4

PAYLOAD (lbs)
1202

Interior Dimensions HEADROOM (in)
41.9

LEGROOM, FRONT/REAR (in)
39.8 / 37.6

SHOULDER ROOM, FRONT/REAR (in)
60.0 / 58.1

CARGO CAPACITY (cu ft)
48.6 – 90.4
seLLines

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ROLLS-ROYCE CULLINAN 2019

Dimensions
Vehicle length 5341 mm / 210 in
Vehicle width 2000 mm / 79 in
Vehicle height (unladen) 1835 mm / 72 in
Wheelbase 3295 mm / 130 in

Weight
Unladen weight (DIN) 2660 kg / 5864 lb
Curb weight (USA) 2753 kg / 6069 lb

Engine
Engine / cylinders / valves 6.75 / 12 / 48
Fuel management Direct injection
Maximum torque @ engine speed 850 Nm @ 1600 rpm
Power output @ engine speed 563 bhp / 571 PS (DIN) / 420 kW @ 5000 rpm

Performance*
Top speed 155 mph / 250 km/h (governed)
Acceleration 0-60 mph (USA) 5.0 sec (5.0 sec)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (USA) 5.2 sec (5.2 sec)

Fuel Consumption
Urban 22.4-21.9 ltr/100 km / 12.6-12.9 mpg (Imp.)
Extra urban 11.0-10.9 ltr/100 km / 25.7-25.9 mpg (Imp.)
Combined consumption 15.0 ltr/100 km / 18.8 mpg (Imp.)
CO2 emissions (combined) 341 g/km
Fuel Consumption (USA & Canada)‡
City 22.4-21.9 ltr/100 km / 10.5-10.7 mpg
Highway 11.0-10.9 ltr/100 km / 21.4-21.6 mpg
seLLines

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SpaceX Crew Capsule Leaves International Space Station

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has undocked from the International Space Station.

The Dragon pulled away from the station early Friday, and an Atlantic Ocean splashdown is expected Friday morning.

The Dragon brought supplies and equipment to the space station where it stayed five days as astronauts conducted tests and inspected the Dragon’s cabin.

The crew capsule did not have any humans aboard, just a test dummy named Ripley, a reference to the lead character in the “Alien” movies. Ripley was riddled with sensors to monitor how flight in the capsule would feel for humans.

The Dragon is the first American commercially built-and-operated crew spacecraft in eight years, since the end of the space shuttle program.

The U.S. relies on Russia to launch astronauts to the space station, at a cost of about $80 million per ticket.

NASA has awarded millions of dollars to SpaceX and Boeing to design and operate a capsule to launch astronauts into orbit from American soil beginning some time this year.

It is not immediately clear if that goal will be reached.

SpaceX is entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company. Musk is also the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla.

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SpaceX Crew Capsule Leaves International Space Station

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has undocked from the International Space Station.

The Dragon pulled away from the station early Friday, and an Atlantic Ocean splashdown is expected Friday morning.

The Dragon brought supplies and equipment to the space station where it stayed five days as astronauts conducted tests and inspected the Dragon’s cabin.

The crew capsule did not have any humans aboard, just a test dummy named Ripley, a reference to the lead character in the “Alien” movies. Ripley was riddled with sensors to monitor how flight in the capsule would feel for humans.

The Dragon is the first American commercially built-and-operated crew spacecraft in eight years, since the end of the space shuttle program.

The U.S. relies on Russia to launch astronauts to the space station, at a cost of about $80 million per ticket.

NASA has awarded millions of dollars to SpaceX and Boeing to design and operate a capsule to launch astronauts into orbit from American soil beginning some time this year.

It is not immediately clear if that goal will be reached.

SpaceX is entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company. Musk is also the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla.

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Longest Bull Market Looks to Keep Going

Wall Street has rewarded its most patient investors handsomely over the past 10 years. Is there more to come?

The S&P 500, the U.S. market’s benchmark index, has gained about 309 percent since bottoming out at 676.53 points in March 2009 during the Great Recession, according to FactSet. The index is now 5.4 percent below its recent peak of 2,930.75 set on Sept. 20. 

 

This bull market’s lifespan, the longest on record, speaks to financial markets’ resiliency in the face of a variety of shocks, including a brutal fourth quarter of 2018.

Whether the bull keeps running hinges on whether companies can continue raking in profits, a key driver of the stock market, and whether the U.S. economy can avoid sliding into a recession. Bull markets tend to wither when fear of a recession kicks in. 

Profits are ‘oxygen’

 

“As long as corporate profits are growing, that’s usually the oxygen for further gains in the stock market,” said David Lefkowitz, senior Americas equity strategist at UBS Global Wealth Management.

Profit growth for the companies in the S&P 500 averaged 25.6 percent in the first three quarters of last year. That slipped to 13.4 percent in the fourth quarter, but still topped expectations.

But earnings are expected to decline slightly in the first quarter and grow in the mid-single digits for the full year, according to FactSet. And the U.S. economy has been showing signs of slowing and is expected to continue to do so this year. 

 

“The risk of recession grows,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA, noting that the U.S. economy’s current expansion will become the longest in history by the end of July.

“However, we currently see no quarterly GDP declines through the fourth quarter of 2020, let alone back-to-back declines, which have been a rule of thumb for recessions,” he said.  

Meanwhile, the wild card for the market — and the economy — might be the long-running, costly trade conflict between Washington and Beijing. While reportedly on track for a resolution as early as this month, the spat continues to weigh on investors’ nerves and many companies’ plans. 

Concerns in late 2018

 

The bull market has looked very vulnerable at times during its decade-long run, most recently at the end of last year. That’s when a bevy of concerns, including rising interest rates, the trade spat, slowing global economic growth and some tepid profit forecasts, sent the S&P 500 into a skid that resulted in the index’s worst December since the Great Depression.

That slide culminated on Dec. 24, when the S&P 500 closed 19.8 percent below its all-time high. A drop of 20 percent or more would have ushered in a bear market. 

 

What we've seen and continue to see is doubts,'' said Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL.People have doubted it the whole way up.” 

 

And yet, the bull shrugged that off, too, and now the market is off to its best start to a year since 1991. 

 

It was a good-sized correction that freaked everybody out,'' Detrick said.Then the realization comes that the economy is on good footing.” 

 

The Federal Reserve put investors at ease in January when it signaled a prolonged pause in further interest rate hikes. That calmed fears that the central bank would keep raising rates at a pace that could derail the economy. 

 

One of the key questions in gauging the longevity of the bull market is the outlook for inflation and what action the Fed will take to try to manage it. 

For now, inflation remains below the 2 percent target used by the Fed to determine whether annual price increases are growing too rapidly. It was up 1.7 percent in the 12 months ended in December.

As long as inflation remains at that level, the Fed has less incentive to raise rates. 

Slower growth

 

The U.S. economy turned in a solid performance in 2018, boosted in part by tax cuts and higher government spending. But economic growth slowed to 2.6 percent in the last three months of the year from 3.4 percent in the third quarter.

Most economists envision a weaker performance for the coming months and probably years. Some expect gross domestic product to drop to a growth rate of 2 percent or less in the current January-March period. 

 

Investors have grown cautious about business conditions going forward as signs of weakness in the global economy have emerged. Uncertainty over trade has also helped cloud the outlook for company profits this year. 

 

Still, even modest company earnings growth should keep the bull market rolling. 

 

We think the bull market is still intact,'' Lefkowitz said.And at some point, we’re likely to see new all-time highs for the broad market gauges.” 

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Longest Bull Market Looks to Keep Going

Wall Street has rewarded its most patient investors handsomely over the past 10 years. Is there more to come?

The S&P 500, the U.S. market’s benchmark index, has gained about 309 percent since bottoming out at 676.53 points in March 2009 during the Great Recession, according to FactSet. The index is now 5.4 percent below its recent peak of 2,930.75 set on Sept. 20. 

 

This bull market’s lifespan, the longest on record, speaks to financial markets’ resiliency in the face of a variety of shocks, including a brutal fourth quarter of 2018.

Whether the bull keeps running hinges on whether companies can continue raking in profits, a key driver of the stock market, and whether the U.S. economy can avoid sliding into a recession. Bull markets tend to wither when fear of a recession kicks in. 

Profits are ‘oxygen’

 

“As long as corporate profits are growing, that’s usually the oxygen for further gains in the stock market,” said David Lefkowitz, senior Americas equity strategist at UBS Global Wealth Management.

Profit growth for the companies in the S&P 500 averaged 25.6 percent in the first three quarters of last year. That slipped to 13.4 percent in the fourth quarter, but still topped expectations.

But earnings are expected to decline slightly in the first quarter and grow in the mid-single digits for the full year, according to FactSet. And the U.S. economy has been showing signs of slowing and is expected to continue to do so this year. 

 

“The risk of recession grows,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA, noting that the U.S. economy’s current expansion will become the longest in history by the end of July.

“However, we currently see no quarterly GDP declines through the fourth quarter of 2020, let alone back-to-back declines, which have been a rule of thumb for recessions,” he said.  

Meanwhile, the wild card for the market — and the economy — might be the long-running, costly trade conflict between Washington and Beijing. While reportedly on track for a resolution as early as this month, the spat continues to weigh on investors’ nerves and many companies’ plans. 

Concerns in late 2018

 

The bull market has looked very vulnerable at times during its decade-long run, most recently at the end of last year. That’s when a bevy of concerns, including rising interest rates, the trade spat, slowing global economic growth and some tepid profit forecasts, sent the S&P 500 into a skid that resulted in the index’s worst December since the Great Depression.

That slide culminated on Dec. 24, when the S&P 500 closed 19.8 percent below its all-time high. A drop of 20 percent or more would have ushered in a bear market. 

 

What we've seen and continue to see is doubts,'' said Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL.People have doubted it the whole way up.” 

 

And yet, the bull shrugged that off, too, and now the market is off to its best start to a year since 1991. 

 

It was a good-sized correction that freaked everybody out,'' Detrick said.Then the realization comes that the economy is on good footing.” 

 

The Federal Reserve put investors at ease in January when it signaled a prolonged pause in further interest rate hikes. That calmed fears that the central bank would keep raising rates at a pace that could derail the economy. 

 

One of the key questions in gauging the longevity of the bull market is the outlook for inflation and what action the Fed will take to try to manage it. 

For now, inflation remains below the 2 percent target used by the Fed to determine whether annual price increases are growing too rapidly. It was up 1.7 percent in the 12 months ended in December.

As long as inflation remains at that level, the Fed has less incentive to raise rates. 

Slower growth

 

The U.S. economy turned in a solid performance in 2018, boosted in part by tax cuts and higher government spending. But economic growth slowed to 2.6 percent in the last three months of the year from 3.4 percent in the third quarter.

Most economists envision a weaker performance for the coming months and probably years. Some expect gross domestic product to drop to a growth rate of 2 percent or less in the current January-March period. 

 

Investors have grown cautious about business conditions going forward as signs of weakness in the global economy have emerged. Uncertainty over trade has also helped cloud the outlook for company profits this year. 

 

Still, even modest company earnings growth should keep the bull market rolling. 

 

We think the bull market is still intact,'' Lefkowitz said.And at some point, we’re likely to see new all-time highs for the broad market gauges.” 

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IMF Comments on ‘Complex’ Venezuela Situation

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday called Venezuela one of the most “complex situations” it had ever seen. 

 

IMF spokesman Gerry Rice described Venezuela and its economy as a combination of “food and nutrition crises, hyperinflation, a destabilized exchange rate, debilitating human capital and physical productive capacity, and a very complicated debt situation.” 

 

Rice said tackling this challenge would take “strong resolve” and “broad international support” from all 189 IMF members. 

 

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde told The Economist Radio, a podcast, that the fund would help “as soon as we are asked by the legitimate authorities of that country.” 

 

“We will open our wallet, we will put our brain to it, and we will make sure our heart is in the right place to help the poorest and most exposed people,” she added, calling the task it faced in Venezuela  “monumental.” 

 

Rice said Thursday that the IMF had yet to determine whom to recognize as the leader of Venezuela — President Nicolas Maduro or opposition leader Juan Guaido, the self-declared interim president.

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IMF Comments on ‘Complex’ Venezuela Situation

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday called Venezuela one of the most “complex situations” it had ever seen. 

 

IMF spokesman Gerry Rice described Venezuela and its economy as a combination of “food and nutrition crises, hyperinflation, a destabilized exchange rate, debilitating human capital and physical productive capacity, and a very complicated debt situation.” 

 

Rice said tackling this challenge would take “strong resolve” and “broad international support” from all 189 IMF members. 

 

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde told The Economist Radio, a podcast, that the fund would help “as soon as we are asked by the legitimate authorities of that country.” 

 

“We will open our wallet, we will put our brain to it, and we will make sure our heart is in the right place to help the poorest and most exposed people,” she added, calling the task it faced in Venezuela  “monumental.” 

 

Rice said Thursday that the IMF had yet to determine whom to recognize as the leader of Venezuela — President Nicolas Maduro or opposition leader Juan Guaido, the self-declared interim president.

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International Women’s Day Puts Spotlight on Victims, Activists, Heroes

Civic and governmental organizations around the world are preparing to recognize and celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday.

 

International Women’s Day is a more than 100-year-old celebration of women’s social, economic, cultural and political successes worldwide while also calling for gender equality.

 

It falls on the same day every year, March 8, and brings together governments, women’s organizations, businesses and charities. Cities and towns around the world mark the day with rallies, conferences, art and cultural projects, and lectures.

 

It began in 1908 when 15,000 women garment workers went on strike and marched through the streets of New York, demanding shorter work hours, better pay and voting rights. In 1910, a German woman named Clara Zetkin suggested the declaration of a Women’s Day at an international conference attended by 100 women. The idea was accepted unanimously.

 

In 1911, it was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than 1 million women and men attended demonstrations in support of a woman’s right to work, vote, study and hold public office.

The United Nations officially recognized International Women’s Day for the first time in 1975. In 2011, then-U.S. President Barack Obama took Women’s Day a step further, declaring March Women’s History Month.

 

Since the day is not country-, group- or organization-specific, the focus for each year’s celebration varies widely, but all are centered around the myriad issues faced by women around the world.

Violence, other dangers

 

Ahead of the International Women’s Day, the International Rescue Committee has released a report on the five most dangerous places in the world to be an adolescent girl. Taking into consideration data on child marriage, adolescent birth rates, literacy, rates of violence and child labor, the IRC named Niger, Yemen, Bangladesh, South Sudan and the Central African Republic as the most dangerous for young girls.

 

Bangladesh, South Sudan and the Central African Republic led the group in gender-based violence. The IRC noted that 65 percent of women and girls in South Sudan have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, making it one of the highest rates in the world.

In Nigeria, the threat to girls comes in the form of child marriages. The IRC estimates 75 percent of Nigerian girls under the age of 18 are married.

Wars and ethnic conflicts around the world are being recognized this year as the main cause of sexual and gender-based violence. The United Nations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent last month joined forces to end the use of rape as a weapon of war.

 

“Let me be clear. Sexual and gender-based violence in conflict is not only a horrendous and life-changing crime, most often perpetrated against women and girls. It is also used as a tactic of war, to terrorize families, dehumanize communities and destabilize societies, so that they struggle to recover for years or even decades after the guns fall silent,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

 

Other world leaders have also decided to take on gender-based violence.

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio recently declared rape a national emergency and warned that anyone caught having sexual relations with a minor could face up to life in prison.

“Each month, hundreds of cases of rape and sexual assaults are being reported in this country. These despicable crimes of sexual violence are being committed against our women, children and even babies,” he said.

Activism in politics, society

Last year’s midterm elections in the United States saw a record 117 women elected to Congress. Unfortunately, such strides are a lot harder in other countries.

 

In Haiti, where the constitution stipulates that 30 percent of lawmakers be women, that is far from a reality.

“The fight we are waging in the parliament aims to raise the awareness of my fellow colleagues so that they also fight for this equality. We are only four women [lawmakers], but we represent a country full of women,” Haiti’s only woman senator, Dieudonne Luma Etienne, told VOA.

 

In Saudi Arabia, where women only last year won the right to drive, the government has been accused of using its counterterrorism laws to silence activists, including women.

A panel of U.N. rights experts on Monday called on the kingdom to release defenders who they said were unjustly held, including rights lawyer Walid Abu al-Kahir, poet Ashraf Fayadh and women activists Loujain al-Hathloul and Israa al-Ghomgham.

Zaynab al-Khawaja of the Gulf Center for Human Rights told the panel: “We highlight some of the torture methods that are being used in Saudi Arabia — electrocution, flogging, sometimes whipping — on the thighs, for example — sexual assault, where some women human rights defenders have been stripped, have been groped, have been photographed naked, some while handcuffed, and others while blindfolded.”

International recognition

On International Women’s Day in 2007, then-U.S. Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice established the International Women of Courage Award to be presented to women who have shown leadership, courage and resourcefulness. U.S. embassies around the world can recommend a woman as a candidate. 

First lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo honored 10 women Thursday. The honorees were Razia Sultana from Bangladesh; Moumina Houssein Darar of Djibouti; Mama Maggie of Egypt; Sister Orla Treacy of Ireland; Col. Khalida Khalaf Hanna al-Twal of Jordan; Olivera Lakico of  Montenegro; Naw K’nyaw Paw of Myanmar; Flor de Maria Vega Zapata of Peru; Marini de Livera of Sri Lanka; and Anna Aloys Henga of Tanzania. 

The winners included human rights activists, police officers, lawyers, a nun and an investigative journalist. 

The U.S. State Department has so far recognized more than 120 women from more than 65 countries for advocating for human rights, women’s rights, peace and government transparency. 

Women’s rights through arts

 

International Women’s Day celebrations also include a lighter, brighter side of women’s lives. Several international groups have chosen to shine a light on women they consider heroes.

The U.N.’s theme this year is, “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change,” highlighting ways to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.

 

On its website, the U.N. has collected stories of women who have made a difference in their communities. Stories such as that of Nur Nahar, a refugee from Myanmar who has taken it upon herself to mentor other women fleeing to refugee camps in Bangladesh, and Colombian Mila Rodriguez, who founded an all-women group to promote peace and Afro-Colombian music.

The humanitarian nonprofit Care turned to celebrities for a campaign that poses the question, “Who puts the #HerInHERO for you?” Ahead of International Women’s Day, Care released a video with prominent women answering that question with empowering words such as “Strong,” “Bold,” “Passionate” and “Courageous” emblazoned on the screen.

A female hero is also arriving at American theaters on International Women’s Day as Disney subsidiary Marvel Studio releases Captain Marvel, its first female-led superhero film.

 

VOA’s Lisa Schlein, Mariama Diallo and Jacquelin Belizaire contributed to this report.

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International Women’s Day Puts Spotlight on Victims, Activists, Heroes

Civic and governmental organizations around the world are preparing to recognize and celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday.

 

International Women’s Day is a more than 100-year-old celebration of women’s social, economic, cultural and political successes worldwide while also calling for gender equality.

 

It falls on the same day every year, March 8, and brings together governments, women’s organizations, businesses and charities. Cities and towns around the world mark the day with rallies, conferences, art and cultural projects, and lectures.

 

It began in 1908 when 15,000 women garment workers went on strike and marched through the streets of New York, demanding shorter work hours, better pay and voting rights. In 1910, a German woman named Clara Zetkin suggested the declaration of a Women’s Day at an international conference attended by 100 women. The idea was accepted unanimously.

 

In 1911, it was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than 1 million women and men attended demonstrations in support of a woman’s right to work, vote, study and hold public office.

The United Nations officially recognized International Women’s Day for the first time in 1975. In 2011, then-U.S. President Barack Obama took Women’s Day a step further, declaring March Women’s History Month.

 

Since the day is not country-, group- or organization-specific, the focus for each year’s celebration varies widely, but all are centered around the myriad issues faced by women around the world.

Violence, other dangers

 

Ahead of the International Women’s Day, the International Rescue Committee has released a report on the five most dangerous places in the world to be an adolescent girl. Taking into consideration data on child marriage, adolescent birth rates, literacy, rates of violence and child labor, the IRC named Niger, Yemen, Bangladesh, South Sudan and the Central African Republic as the most dangerous for young girls.

 

Bangladesh, South Sudan and the Central African Republic led the group in gender-based violence. The IRC noted that 65 percent of women and girls in South Sudan have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, making it one of the highest rates in the world.

In Nigeria, the threat to girls comes in the form of child marriages. The IRC estimates 75 percent of Nigerian girls under the age of 18 are married.

Wars and ethnic conflicts around the world are being recognized this year as the main cause of sexual and gender-based violence. The United Nations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent last month joined forces to end the use of rape as a weapon of war.

 

“Let me be clear. Sexual and gender-based violence in conflict is not only a horrendous and life-changing crime, most often perpetrated against women and girls. It is also used as a tactic of war, to terrorize families, dehumanize communities and destabilize societies, so that they struggle to recover for years or even decades after the guns fall silent,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

 

Other world leaders have also decided to take on gender-based violence.

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio recently declared rape a national emergency and warned that anyone caught having sexual relations with a minor could face up to life in prison.

“Each month, hundreds of cases of rape and sexual assaults are being reported in this country. These despicable crimes of sexual violence are being committed against our women, children and even babies,” he said.

Activism in politics, society

Last year’s midterm elections in the United States saw a record 117 women elected to Congress. Unfortunately, such strides are a lot harder in other countries.

 

In Haiti, where the constitution stipulates that 30 percent of lawmakers be women, that is far from a reality.

“The fight we are waging in the parliament aims to raise the awareness of my fellow colleagues so that they also fight for this equality. We are only four women [lawmakers], but we represent a country full of women,” Haiti’s only woman senator, Dieudonne Luma Etienne, told VOA.

 

In Saudi Arabia, where women only last year won the right to drive, the government has been accused of using its counterterrorism laws to silence activists, including women.

A panel of U.N. rights experts on Monday called on the kingdom to release defenders who they said were unjustly held, including rights lawyer Walid Abu al-Kahir, poet Ashraf Fayadh and women activists Loujain al-Hathloul and Israa al-Ghomgham.

Zaynab al-Khawaja of the Gulf Center for Human Rights told the panel: “We highlight some of the torture methods that are being used in Saudi Arabia — electrocution, flogging, sometimes whipping — on the thighs, for example — sexual assault, where some women human rights defenders have been stripped, have been groped, have been photographed naked, some while handcuffed, and others while blindfolded.”

International recognition

On International Women’s Day in 2007, then-U.S. Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice established the International Women of Courage Award to be presented to women who have shown leadership, courage and resourcefulness. U.S. embassies around the world can recommend a woman as a candidate. 

First lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo honored 10 women Thursday. The honorees were Razia Sultana from Bangladesh; Moumina Houssein Darar of Djibouti; Mama Maggie of Egypt; Sister Orla Treacy of Ireland; Col. Khalida Khalaf Hanna al-Twal of Jordan; Olivera Lakico of  Montenegro; Naw K’nyaw Paw of Myanmar; Flor de Maria Vega Zapata of Peru; Marini de Livera of Sri Lanka; and Anna Aloys Henga of Tanzania. 

The winners included human rights activists, police officers, lawyers, a nun and an investigative journalist. 

The U.S. State Department has so far recognized more than 120 women from more than 65 countries for advocating for human rights, women’s rights, peace and government transparency. 

Women’s rights through arts

 

International Women’s Day celebrations also include a lighter, brighter side of women’s lives. Several international groups have chosen to shine a light on women they consider heroes.

The U.N.’s theme this year is, “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change,” highlighting ways to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.

 

On its website, the U.N. has collected stories of women who have made a difference in their communities. Stories such as that of Nur Nahar, a refugee from Myanmar who has taken it upon herself to mentor other women fleeing to refugee camps in Bangladesh, and Colombian Mila Rodriguez, who founded an all-women group to promote peace and Afro-Colombian music.

The humanitarian nonprofit Care turned to celebrities for a campaign that poses the question, “Who puts the #HerInHERO for you?” Ahead of International Women’s Day, Care released a video with prominent women answering that question with empowering words such as “Strong,” “Bold,” “Passionate” and “Courageous” emblazoned on the screen.

A female hero is also arriving at American theaters on International Women’s Day as Disney subsidiary Marvel Studio releases Captain Marvel, its first female-led superhero film.

 

VOA’s Lisa Schlein, Mariama Diallo and Jacquelin Belizaire contributed to this report.

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Facebook’s Vision of Future? Looks Like Chinese App WeChat

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking the social media company in a new direction by focusing on messaging. Chinese tech giant Tencent got there years ago with its app WeChat.

Zuckerberg outlined his vision to give people ways to communicate privately, by stitching together Facebook’s various services so users can contact each other across all of the apps.

That sounds strikingly similar to WeChat, which has become essential for daily life in China. WeChat, or Weixin as it’s known in Chinese, combines functions and services that in the West are done by a number of separate companies — think of Facebook and its Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram services combined with PayPal and Uber.

WeChat, launched in 2011, has the usual chat features — instant messaging and voice and video calling, though it doesn’t employ top-notch encryption like Facebook’s Whatsapp. Here’s a look at what else it does.

Mobile money

The WeChat Pay digital wallet is one big reason the app has become an indispensable part of life for people in China. By linking a credit card or bank account, users can pay for almost anything: movie tickets, food delivery orders, and subway and bus tickets.

You can split restaurant bills with your friends, pay your electricity bill, store digital coupons, and donate to charities. There’s a “quick pay” function that lets users scan a matrix barcode to pay instead of pulling out cash or a payment card.

You can also hail a ride from Didi Chuxing, China’s equivalent of Uber.

And in a uniquely Chinese touch, WeChat users can send each other virtual “hong bao” or “red packets,” money that is traditionally gifted in red envelopes during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Social

The app hosts group chats where users can discuss topics like sports, technology, social issues, investment ideas, celebrities, breaking news and beyond. WeChat Moments is a scrolling social media feed where users can write posts and share photos and videos.

The app rolled out a new feature this year, Time Capsule, that removes user videos after 24 hours, in an apparent attempt to mimic Facebook’s Stories feature.

Users can also send friends digital stickers, get access to online games and find out who’s nearby by shaking their phone.

Companies and organizations both inside and outside China can use the app for marketing by setting up an official account. Travel booking platform AirBnb, luxury goods company Chanel and Chinese tech giant Huawei are among brands with a presence on WeChat.

The Chinese model

WeChat and Weixin had nearly 1.1 billion users as of September, up 2.3 percent from the previous quarter and 10 percent from the previous year, according to its most recent quarterly earnings report.

It is wildly popular in mainland China and less so in other countries, which is unsurprising because the communist leaders in Beijing have blocked its citizens from accessing Facebook and other Silicon Valley services for years.

But there’s one thing that WeChat doesn’t let users do: Speak freely. Politically sensitive posts are regularly scrubbed from the service, illustrating how the app has become a key part of China’s censorship regime because of its huge user base and outsize social influence. Hong Kong University researchers found that about 11,000 articles were removed from WeChat last year, a number that doesn’t include posts blocked before publication by automatic keyword filters.

WeChat also lacks so-called end-to-end encryption, considered the gold standard for privacy and used by Facebook and other services like Signal and Apple’s iMessages.

Chinese dissidents and activists have long suspected that authorities are able to monitor what they’ve been saying on the app. The company, however, has denied it keeps a record of user chats.

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