The Nasdaq Composite was an outperformer on Wall Street during Wednesday's trading session as all big-tech, barring Apple, took the index past the 20,000 mark and to a new record high as well. Share Market View All Nifty Gainers View All Company Value Change %Change The tech-heavy index gained 1.8% in mid-week trading, while the S&P 500 added 0.8%. The Dow Jones continued to underperform, ending 100 points lower. Gains in big-tech were led by Google-parent Alphabet, which gained 5.5% for the second day running, along with Tesla, whose 6% surge took Elon Musk's net worth past $400 billion. Apple was the only laggard among big tech, ending 0.5% lower. The consumer price index rose 0.3% in November for the fourth-straight month, while core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose by the same amount, Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showed Wednesday. The core gauge — economists’ preferred number — was up 3.3% from a year before, inline with estimates. Swaps traders are betting on a quarter-point interest rate cut at the Fed’s policy meeting next week. But whether the Fed will execute more than three similarly sized cuts over the next 12 months remains a key question amid concerns that President-elect Donald Trump’s policies could further spark inflation. Treasuries failed to hold an initial gain after the data with the yield on the benchmark 10-year rising to 4.27%. The dollar rallied after a report that Chinese leaders are considering allowing their currency to weaken as they brace for higher tariffs under a second Trump presidency. Wall Street’s fear gauge, the Vix, fell below 14 following the report, an indication the market is expecting calm in the near-term. Stocks and long bonds stand to benefit as fears of a higher inflation print evaporate, according to ClearBridge Investments’ Jeff Schulze. Other central banks are also expected to lower rates, and in some cases cut faster and deeper than the Fed. The European Central Bank and Swiss National Bank are likely to follow suit Thursday. Meanwhile, China’s two-day Central Economic Work Conference is expected to map out policies for next year, following stimulus signals from top leaders. (With Inputs From Agencies.)8k8 vip login 。

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. , Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RxBenefits, Inc., the employee benefits industry's first technology-enabled pharmacy benefits optimizer (PBO), announced today that Robert Gamble has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Gamble succeeds Wendy Barnes , who has decided to pursue another professional opportunity. Gamble has also joined the RxBenefits Board of Directors. Gamble , a seasoned leader with more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare and pharmacy benefits industry, has been an integral part of RxBenefits' executive leadership team for the past nine years. Most recently, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). As COO, Gamble led the strategy, technology, operations, and account management functions during a period of significant expansion and growth for the company, including launching new products and entering new market segments. Gamble previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer. "I am proud to take the helm of a company whose sole mission is to be a trusted partner to our clients and transparently deliver pharmacy benefits aligned to their unique goals," Gamble said. "We have a strong leadership team, and more than 1,200 employees focused on helping our clients achieve sustainable savings while delivering robust pharmacy benefits to their members." "Over nearly a decade, Robert has proven his strong ability to drive growth as he has helped scale RxBenefits into the pre-eminent and first technology-enabled pharmacy benefits optimizer," said Mark Taber , a Managing Director at Great Hill Partners and member of the RxBenefits Board of Directors. "We are confident that he is the right choice to lead RxBenefits forward, leveraging his deep, nuanced understanding of the industry and company to deliver greater value to clients nationwide." "We're appreciative of Wendy's commitment to the company as well as her efforts to maintain RxBenefits' status as a leading provider of cost-effective pharmacy benefits solutions and exceptional service to clients," said John Maldonado , Managing Partner at Advent International and RxBenefits board member. "We're excited for Robert to take on his new role and believe he is well-positioned to lead the RxBenefits team and propel the company to its next phase of growth." "I am grateful for Wendy's leadership over the last two years. She accelerated our momentum and prepared us for our next phase of expansion," Gamble added. "We had a strong earnings year in 2024, continuing our track record of robust financial performance. We also have an ambitious strategic plan for 2025 and beyond. I look forward to what we will achieve and how we will increasingly help our clients contain soaring pharmacy benefits costs while taking great care of their members." RxBenefits continues to grow and innovate to meet its clients' emerging needs for cost-effective pharmacy benefits solutions, adding 500 employees just since 2022 while continuing to deliver industry-leading, award-winning customer and member service. About RxBenefits RxBenefits is the nation's first and leading technology-enabled pharmacy benefits optimizer (PBO) with more than 1,200 pharmacy pricing, data, and clinical experts working together to deliver prescription benefit savings to employee benefits advisors and their self-insured clients. Serving more than 3 million members , RxBenefits brings market-leading purchasing power, independent clinical solutions, and high-touch service to its customers – ensuring that all plan sponsors, regardless of size, can provide an affordable and valuable pharmacy benefits plan to their employees. The company is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rxbenefits-inc-appoints-robert-gamble-chief-executive-officer-302332862.html SOURCE RxBenefits

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is out for Monday's game against the Boston Celtics after appearing to injure his right knee late in a loss at home Sunday vs. the Raptors. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said they are considering Butler as day-to-day. Butler was listed as out with knee soreness. "We'll see what happens when we get back to Miami," said Spoelstra. The Heat next host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Butler missed four games last month due to a right ankle sprain. For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown , who missed Sunday's loss to the Cavaliers, is set to return vs. Miami. Butler, 35, is averaging 18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 53.8% from the field this season.PTA can but won’t block VPNs, says telecom regulator chief PTA chief says VPNs can be blocked but decision in this regard has to be taken by government ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Maj Gen (R) Hafeez-Ur-Rehman said that the VPN could be blocked but the decision to this effect would have to be taken by the government. He said that PTA did neither block VPN nor it would do it. The VPNs can be blocked but the decision in this regard has to be taken by the government, arguing that the authority was only an execution agency. On this occasion, Chairman of Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani called upon the government to work for reducing digital divide between urban and rural areas and work for implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions in all sectors. While addressing the National Broadband Network Forum 2024, organised by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in collaboration with Huawei, the Senate chairman said that the government should provide high quality internet and information technology services to the general public. To achieve this, the government has to remove barriers for internet efficiency, and public–private partnership is needed to forward the digital agenda of the government, he added. Aamir Ibrahim, CEO Jazz said that the mistakes of previous spectrum auction should not be repeated in the upcoming 5G auction scheduled for April 2025. “Why is the government sitting on spare spectrum, currently there was around 15 Mbps spectrum in Pakistan whereas the national demand was around 100 Mbps,” he added. He demanded of the Authorities to devise policies for enhancing ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) from around $1 to the world average of around $2.5. The Minister of State for IT, Shiza Fatima, assured the government’s continued support to the telecom sector in bridging the digital divide. While acknowledging the challenges faced by the IT and telecom sector in the country, she said that the challenges were related to security, cyber security, and the usage of technology by the extremists. The minister said that the government was taking steps to improve internet speed and expressed the confidence that satellite based internet would further help spread of internet across the country. She added that the cyber security challenge was the need of hour and several advanced countries have introduced legislations to curtail internet for children. Secretary MoIT Zarar Khan, announced that sustained efforts were underway towards building a digitally inclusive Pakistan, but added that the demand of the IT industry to reduce taxation can be considered if it was ensured that the tax savings would be invested in IT and telecom infrastructure only.HMEIMIM, Syria (AP) — A lengthy convoy of Russian military vehicles rolled down the highway heading towards the Syrian city of Tartous on Monday as soldiers stood guard. Planes periodically descended and rose from Russia’s Hmeimim air base in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia while smoke rose from inside the base. It was unclear what was burning. In the streets of Hmeimim, a bucolic town dotted with orange groves, many of the shops bear signs in Russian, a nod to the significance of the Russian military presence in the area. But whether and how long that presence will last after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad is now an open question. Russia’s scorched-earth intervention on behalf of its ally, Assad, once turned the tide of the Syrian civil war. In 2017, Assad’s government signed a deal with Russia that offered it a free lease of both Hmeimim air base and the Tartous naval base for 49 years. But opposition forces in the country’s northwest launched a shock offensive last month that once again threatened Assad’s rule. Moscow largely stood aside — although it has granted asylum to the former president and his family. On Monday, in his first public statement since his ouster, Assad said that he had left Damascus to the Hmeimim air base on Dec. 8 after insurgents stormed the capital, but hadn't planned to flee the country. He said that after the base came under attack by drones, the Russians decided to evacuate him to Russia. Since Assad's departure, there have been no clashes between Russian troops and the former insurgents who have suddenly become the de facto security forces for all of Syria. That's despite the fact that many of the fighters are from areas of northern Syria that came under frequent Russian bombardment and have little love for Moscow. A fighter guarding the shuttered civilian airport next to the Hmeimim base said Monday, “The Russians are preparing to withdraw from Syria, God willing.” He gave only his nickname, Abu Saif, because he wasn't authorized to comment publicly. Russian forces have pulled out of some areas of Syria. Russian forces and military vehicles were seen withdrawing from southern Syria on Friday toward their primary base in the city of Latakia. On Thursday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Russian forces were leaving bases in Ain Issa and Tel Al-Samn in the Al-Raqqah countryside. Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies on Friday show what appear to be cargo planes at a Russian military airfield in Syria with their nose cones opened to receive heavy equipment, along with helicopters being dismantled and prepared for transport. But even as Putin granted Assad and his family asylum in Russia, Moscow reached out to the new Syrian authorities to try to ensure the security of its bases and to extend its forces' stay. The three-starred flag of the Syrian revolution was quickly hoisted at the Syrian Embassy in Moscow in place of the old government's two-starred flag. Obeida Arnaout, spokesman for the political department of the new transitional government in an interview on Monday called on Russia to reconsider its presence in Syria, but didn't rule out the possibility that the Russian forces could remain. “I think that Russia should reconsider its presence on Syrian territory as well as its interests,” he said. “Their interests were linked to the criminal Assad regime. They can reconsider and take the initiatives to reach out to the new administration to show that they have no animosity toward the Syrian people, and that the era of Assad regime is finally over.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters Monday that Moscow was discussing the issue with the new authorities. “We are in contact with representatives of the forces that are currently in control of the situation in the country, and all of this will be determined in the course of dialogue,” Peskov said. Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report from Damascus.BLACKFOOT, Idaho — An Idaho teenager has been arrested in connection with the body of an infant found last month at a hospital in a box meant for people to anonymously give up a newborn, police said Friday. The Blackfoot Police Department said in a social media post that an 18-year-old from Twin Falls, about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast of Boise, had been arrested there and booked into the Bingham County Jail. She was arrested on a felony arrest warrant for failing to report a death to law enforcement officials and the coroner, police said. Police in Blackfoot responded to a report Oct. 13 of a deceased baby left at Grove Creek Medical Center. Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey has said hospital staff responded immediately to an alarm indicating a baby was in the box and realized that the infant had died before being placed inside. Idaho law only allows for the surrender of an infant who is unharmed. Get the latest breaking news as it happens. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . “The Safe Haven Baby Box is intended to safely and anonymously allow custodial parents to surrender a newborn under 30 days old without legal repercussions, provided the child is unharmed," police said in the social media post. "Unfortunately, the placement of a harmed or deceased infant is not protected under this system or Idaho law." The baby had been wrapped in a blanket, and the placenta was still attached, Kelsey said previously. Police said they weren't releasing further information in part because more charges could be filed.