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heli0s-writes · 5 years

Text

Problem

Summary: Problem: a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome. Pairings: Bucky x Reader A/N: Someone asked if I would consider doing a part 2 to DEADCRUSH ... so here it is! 1k word count because I can be brief! Also update: Part 3

Bag of Tricks One-Shots Masterlist

There is a routine now that Bucky is with you. There is a routine that introduces order to your life and comfort to his. There is also fun, so much fun—movie nights full of cuddling and inside jokes, lap races in the pool punctuated with wet and sloppy chlorine kisses, missions filled with impatient energy and heated bodies snuck away inside supply closets.

He can’t get enough of how you squeal and whine under his hands. Even though he’s re-discovering how to kiss and touch, you tell him it’s all wonderful, that you love it, that you can’t get enough, either. Then, your smile flashes like headlights and blinds him completely.

So, there is tension. He’s nervous and wound up and even though you are the balm that can soothe him, you are also the flame that ignites him.

And then for once—for the first time in seven months since he’s met you, on a Saturday evening, there is a problem.

Bucky feels like he is being ripped in half. Split open like a paper doll when he sees you leaned up against a table next to a stranger.

The Latin Pop you are such a fan of bumps through the compound speakers, vies for the attention of his ears. People dance in the middle of the floor, drinks in hand. Adults letting go of their inhibitions at a Stark party, all liquored up and loose tongued.

“What’s up, Buck?”

Steve notices Bucky’s rigid shoulders, the downward curve of his mouth and the way his eyes blaze a clear path over to the bar.

“You uh—hey…” Steve’s voice is low and firm when he realizes what has Bucky so mesmerized. “Don’t, pal.”

“Don’t what?” Bucky hisses, eyes fixed ahead. Don’t get upset? Too fucking late, he thinks.

“She’s just talking to someone. People do that.”

Yes, he sees you talking. But he also sees that you have a beer bottle in each hand- one empty, the other you are pouring down your throat like its water and you are lost in the desert, and then he sees you twirl them both around like drumsticks.

He sees the way that guy hovering over you grins and laughs and puts his hand on your bare shoulder.

He sees the outfit you are wearing tonight, something he felt a little stitch about when you first emerged from your room. A top with little frilled ruffles, hem sitting high on your torso, neatly pinched into a triangle point at the middle of your sternum. A strip of your chest shows before the matching skirt with two slit up the sides flows down, down, all the way to your toes. You’re dusted head to toe in pale pink, lips glossed, lashes flared.

And he just can’t fucking help it because you are so pretty. Glowing and smiling-- that wide stretch of your mouth he daydreams about when you’re not around.

And now some fucking guy is completely spellbound and will daydream about those lips too.

At your door, he had said, “Honey—you uh, you wearin’ that tonight?”

“Yeah! You like it?” You chirped, flouncing around him like a woodland nymph, bursting forth with energy, anticipating the moment when he’d compliment you. Of course he liked it. Of course. You could be wearing a damn potato sack and he would like it.

Now Steve is shaking his head at him, pained to see once again how utterly smitten his friend is. He knows Bucky has always had a protective streak, all those years ago, so defensive of any girl on his arm. Its blanket under the ice has been chipped away, waking up the dormant turmoil until it rose up to flare out of Bucky’s eyes.

Steve also knows you are utterly oblivious and entirely unaware of this situation. Not that you should feel one way or the other because he knows Bucky is also being unfair.

“Buck,” Steve warns, “You can’t get mad at some guy for trying.”

Bucky says nothing.

“Bucky,” Steve calls again, more firmly. “The girl you like is beautiful. It happens. Look at her.”

Across the room, you wave, biting your lip with your teeth in a smile and shrugging your shoulders coyly at him. Then your attention is caught by Peter strutting up, engaging you in a conversation and pulling you away to marvel at the fish tank Tony had brought in last week. You snatch the beer from Peter’s hand and scold him for underage drinking.

The fucking guy at the bar stands baffled.

Bucky can’t help but shake his head at the way you lean on Parker, elbow on his shoulder, a whole head taller than him with your heels on, foot tapping to the beat of the music. You tilt your ear onto the top of his combed brown hair and point to a glowing streaked fin on a lustrous rainbow fish.

“Holy shit, look at that shiny boy!” You squeal, turning to gaze at Bucky and give him another grin. His heart flutters as you completely forget Parker and nearly skip over.

“Hey,” Bucky breathes when you nuzzle his neck, getting a lungful of the flowery perfume you sprayed on earlier this evening. He had watched you affectionately as you spritzed it into the air and walked through, eyes shut, muttering something about not using too much but not knowing how else to “do the damn thing”.

Steve plucks the empty bottles from you and sets it on the table with a smirk.

“You havin’ fun?” Steve questions and you nod enthusiastically.

“Yeah. Have you guys seen the fish yet? There’s this awesome one with a silver fin. Oh, Pete!”

Peter is standing with his arms outstretched, brow scrunched, and mouth open peevishly as if to ask what the hell, man? until you careen back next to him at the tank, cackling all the while. “Sorry! I got-”

“Yeah, yeah, saw your boyfriend. I’m nothing to you!”

“You are such a baby, Peter. Oh dude, there’s a little shrimp in there. Look, Double P! It’s you!”

Steve looks pointedly at Bucky, now softened and adoring again. “Didja hear that, Buck? She thinks the one with the silver fin is awesome.”

“Shut up. Jerk.”

He looks at you with a smile, wiggling around on your feet, bouncing to the music cheerfully and teasing Parker. He looks at your shiny hair, your rosy cheeks, your nose scrunched up as you laugh. That mouth he daydreams about.

He looks at you suddenly propping your hands up against the tank, feet stepping apart as the music quiets for a split second before the beat drops. Shocked, Bucky looks at you twerking against an audience of iridescent fish and Parker, who is screeching for you to stop.

And he bursts into laughter.

And then, suddenly, the problem disappears.

Part 3

#marvel #mcu #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #fanfiction #fluff #reader insert #james buchanan barnes #marvel cinematic universe

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goddamnitdazai · 7 years

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{3} Like Smoke

holy shit I finally updated. I’m going to try and be consistent and update this story weekly. Finally found my inspiration for this story again. {Prologue} // {1} // {2} { Mafia!Dazai x F!Reader }{ Mature }{ Canon Divergent }{ canon - typical violence } __________________________ The silence is unexpectedly comfortable. Or maybe the alcohol gliding through your veins was keeping your body relaxed and mind focused on the blurring lights framing the empty road. Dazai had practically force fed you potstickers before scurrying you out of the door with fried dough still partially hanging from your lips. Starless, the night looks like a canvas painted with heavy strokes of flitting navy blue with a half-moon pinned in the corner. He barely gave direction as you drove with nervous fingers drumming on the steering wheel. Dazai whistles with the song on the radio, head leaning against the window.

“This is the only time of night I like,” Dazai muses, “before the next day starts and the night ends. Everything stops.”

“Like limbo.” You say, eyes flickering to the left.

“Limbo it is then.”

The rest of the drive is quiet, which is surprising considering the last encounter you had he’d graced you with a velvet smooth repertoire and a charming smile. Thinking back on that night makes your stomach drop, but maybe it had all been part of the plan. Dazai catches the way your lips turn—agitation, he remembers that look—but he saves the comments for later. The highway eases towards the docks. Water catches the glare of the moonlight in funneling ripples of white gold.

The world, as Dazai said before, has completely stopped. Reticence compresses the two of you in a private universe draped under moonlight and the scent of salt water. Dazai still doesn’t mention where you’re going. Rows of identical warehouses sit on the other side of the road tracing the curve of the water. Instinctively you ease off the gas as the road narrows towards an empty toll booth under a single street lamp.

As barren as the rest of the world the shipyard gives no sign of life, former or current. Two single cargo ships idle one right after the other against the dock. Rows of unmarked orange and white containers big enough to house an elephant cram the deck of the ship completely full. Dazai waves his hand left towards a single unattached warehouse veiled behind the larger ones. His command is wordless but understood. Easing off the gas you pull through the alleyway running along the side of the warehouse just thin enough to fit the car. Metal scrapes on the side mirror causing you to flinch, but Dazai just chuckles under his breath.

“Thought you drove for a living?” He mocks before sliding his arm across your chest and unlatching the door. “I can’t fit between the car door and the wall, and a gentleman always opens the car door for a lady.

Exhaustion keeps your eyes from rolling, but the adrenaline is building up again. Wet grass slips across your ankles and Dazai doesn’t seem entirely too concerned about keeping quiet. A low hum echoes against the heavily leaved trees as he walks, hands shoved in his pockets like he was taking a stroll through the park on a summer day. Dazai pauses and bends forward a little to allow you ahead of him. You catch the slight upturn of his lip as you pass, but there is too much going on to be concerned with another smirk.

Instincts kick in and the area around you is suddenly unrelentingly suspicious. Eerie silence void of city life sets your nerves on fire. The remaining alcohol has been stomped out by adrenaline, but there’s a lingering touch of anxiety gnawing at the back of your mind. Sobriety was complicated, apparently. Every muscle from your head to your toes turns rigid and strains with each movement. The light above the toll booth flickers as you approach with caution. Slender fingers glide down your lower back. Dazai pushes you forward like a mother duck ushering her timid duckling to the water for their first swim.

His hand lingers for a moment, leaving a warm ghost of an imprint when he pulls back. Your eyes waver to the right; Dazai sighs. Both of his hands encircle your ribs to push you forward. Stifling a surprised gasp you wriggle from his touch and send him a glare from behind your shoulder. Irritation is painted over his face despite half of it being covered by bandages.

“The booth is empty. Go”

Dazai’s voice is a knife cutting you down piece by piece; you’d never heard this tone before. It drips Mafioso. Quickly you move past the booth and continue towards the docks, macabre silence following both of you like a shadow. Ebony water ripples between cracks in the dock spraying white foam up at your shoes. Both ships tower over the entire port, cutting through the moonlight and concealing the length of the dock in black. A long plank wavers into view and runs up the side of the second ship. From afar it’s thin, almost like a string tying the ship to the down so it won’t float away. Dazai’s hand tugs a belt loop on the back of your pants. You freeze, awaiting instructions on what the ever loving fuck you’re doing here.

“Think he expects us to come right through the front door?” “Doesn’t the mafia plan more tactical and ruthless infiltration over just busting someone’s door down?” “Look at you, already surpassing my expectations.” There’s no time to feel insulted. Dazai pushes you forward again, forcefully, towards the elongated plank of wood in the distance. Despite his incessant need to shove you rather than let you creep along the side of the ship Dazai’s face reads nothing but excessive boredom. His eyes flit around without taking in a drop of detail. You notice how certain boards creaked beneath the weight of your foot while others splintered depending on the angle.You notice the faded etching on crates slowly rotting in piles in the center of the dock, and the smell of old fishing nets draped haphazardly over the unused rungs--wet and moldy; you noticed everything. Polar opposites working towards an unmarked goal; the Port Mafia operated in the strangest of ways. The makeshift ladder could break at any moment. At least, that’s how weak and feeble it felt beneath your feet as you ascend towards the small opening in side of the ship. A single musty yellow light flickers near the entrance, barely radiating enough glow to highlight the scratched white name wrapped over the entire side of the ship. Dazai follows leisurely behind, moonlight finally breaching the barrier of crates on the deck. He’s still humming low in his throat. As expected, the deck was entirely void of life. Dazai steps beside you wordlessly, eyes blank and face unchanged from his prior look of indifference. At this point you assumed he’d tell you what you were looking for, or who, or anything. “This ship sure is strange,” Dazai says, “no organization at all. How peculiar.” “What are we doing here?” “Looking for someone who has been causing trouble for us.” Dazai says with a shrug, “I haven’t been on a mission so boring in a while though. This is terrible.” “I’ll try and be more entertaining the next time you drag me to a fucking rusty cargo ship at three-thirty in the morning after dunking me in ice water.” “Ah, it’s unhealthy to hold on to grudges for so long ____.” Your jaw locks; Dazai’s lips crack open enough to show his teeth. A growing headache inches up the back of your skull and Dazai’s sarcastic smirk is only making it worse. With a huff you turn your attention to the endless uneven rows of crates before you. There’s only a lean slab of deck untouched by freights that cuts to the other side of the ship; you’re surrounded. There’s no space to move anywhere but the mismatched walkway made by the stacks, and with the way the metal juts out it’s a miracle whomever placed them like this didn’t break their knees walking back out of the maze. Maze. “After you my dear.” Dazai bows again, head tilted towards the mouth of a dangerously constructed alleyway between the crates. The ship becomes an improvised city far too condensed for your liking the further in you wander. Stacks grow higher and higher. Within a few minutes you’re completely shrouded in darkness for a second time. Slivers of moonlight barely funnel through the spaces between the never-ending towers of metal. Recycled air starts to choke you. Heat creeps up the back of your neck. Dazai is inches behind you and barely giving you room to breathe. The smell of salt water undulates ahead; the edge of the ship is drawing closer. Your palms shoot outwards to find where the crates curve as the path gets more narrow, but Dazai grips your wrists before the metal comes in contact with your skin. He locks your wrists behind your back, chest flush against you with his lips at your ear. “Dangerous things hide in the dark.” His chin rests on your shoulder. There’s a twang to the left, soft enough to blend in with the sound of waves lapping against the side of the ship. Three identical objects catch your attention. Barely inches above your head the grenades twist, catching a pinch of moonlight against their rigid outline. Thin wire splits from the top of the swinging bundle down to both sides of the path and disappears to the floor. One finger on that wire and you’d be a pile of burning ashes. A shudder bolts up your spine; Dazai releases your hands. There is only so much deck left of the ship. The further you step the more concave the walkway becomes. One foot in front of the other and hands glued to your side is the only plausible way to keep moving. Although, seeing in the dark is proving to be an easier task over keeping your balance. Thick, musky air scratches your lungs with each inhale. Abruptly the pathway forks and the sound of clicking machines fill the small space. Something feels uneasy in the pit of your stomach; Dazai’s breath is no longer brushing down your neck. Your hand reaches back, fingers dancing in the empty space where he once was. That fucker.

#bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #dazai #mafia!dazai #dazai osamu #like smoke #ls #my writing #my writing dazai #dazai x reader #reader x dazai #bsd fanfc #bungou stray dogs fanfic #bsd reader insert #dazai osamu x reader #bsd #mafia!dazai x reader

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sssssssim · 7 years

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Can you please write a review for Thor : Ragnarok?

oh my god

I CAN SURE TRY!

Spoilers ahead, obviously. Also, a few disclaimers. This are my own personal hella subjective opinions. And I read the last Magnus Chase book right before seeing the movie. Magnus Chase is a Norse demigod and in the last book, he stops Loki from starting Ragnarok, and I really think the series influenced me a little. Still, you asked, I shall deliver.

Let’s split this review into several parts, nine points of interest: general plot, intrigue and shock value, funny vs drama, visuals, character personification and development, character relationships, actors, integration in MCU and miscellaneous.

(This has 2700 words. oops.)

1. General plot

The plot of this movie was a pretty complicated one, I think, in the sense that a lot happened. The action takes place on three different planets, but to be fair, the action is linear, mostly, (except for the two flashbacks). There are just a few scenes that Thor isn’t a part of, a couple from Hela’s POV, from Skurge’s or Heimdall’s.

I found the start a bit… boring. Until Thor ends up on Sakaar, the plot was used to explain things, to update the viewer at where the world is at, in that moment. While this was needed, I found myself yawning, a little, thinking they should hurry things up.

But then, the action did change its pacing, or maybe I just got more interested in the actual plot of the movie.

I can’t really say anything too bad about the general plot. It was okay, it was entertaining, it was simple enough to understand but complicated enough for it to not be boring.

I’ll say two things, though.

It may have been a little obvious. I mean, I kinda figured out the main outcome of the film a little earlier than they expected me too. I knew they weren’t going to stop Ragnarok from happening since Loki made it to the final fight on Asgard.

They never actually said the whole Ragnarok prophecy out loud. Granted, had they done so, the major plot twist at the end wouldn’t have been so shocking. Cause, as far as I know (from Magnus Chase, maybe it’s different in the actual Norse Myth), there are a lot of “steps” that need to happen before Ragnarok, and Loki triggering it (with the helmet and the fire) is one of them.

2. Intrigue and shock value

When it comes to this, Thor: Ragnarok delivered, and it delivered a lot. There were a lot of times I gasped out loud (or acted like a child and hit my friend’s arm in excitement oops), and not just at the big, major plot twists. There were times when I realized a reference, when I made a correlation to mythology or to something else from Marvel, and so on.

In my opinion, the smaller intrigues were a lot better than the big one.

In most stories, there is one main plot twist, the intrigue which leads to the final outcome. In this movie’s case, it’s the fact that Ragnarok is triggered. That Thor makes a choice and doesn’t stop Ragnarok from happening, urging Loki to actually start the apocalypse.

And like I said before, I saw that one coming.

But. A lot of the smaller intrigues, the mini plot twists, those I hadn’t seen coming, the ones that made me gasp in excitement, I enjoyed the heck out of them. Hela being Odin’s daughter, the quinjet showing Nat, Heimdall stealing the sword, Loki actually joining the fight, and so on and so forth.

And the best one, the one shocking scene that pushed all of my buttons, is the one when Thor, one eye down and presumably killed by Hella, lands on the bifrost ready to fight. Ya know the scene I’m talking about. The one where there’s electricity coursing through his veins and lighting up his eye, the scene that made you think more of Zeus (and Jason Grace) before you remembered that Thor is the God of Lighting and that you’re finally seeing it. The scene where Immigrant Song started playing in the background, as Thor was more badass than ever, and you, as a fan, completely lost it in the movie theater. That scene. I loved it.

3. Funny vs drama

Thor: Ragnarok is a funny movie. There’s no doubt about that.

You have various types of humor, be it situational (Thor screaming his lungs out while he’s in the chair on Sakaar, Valkyrie falling off her ship) or intentional (I’ll be Tony Stark).

Some of the humor is cheesy, some of it is cringy, some of it is amazing (Korg was the absolute best).

Bottom line, it is a comedy. It makes you laugh.

When it comes to the drama, though, it’s a bit… weird. Because, for me at least, the moments that were supposed to be dramatic and were supposed to make me Feel Things didn’t do much (Odin’s death, Valkyrie’s last battle). Not immediately, any way.

I feel like when it comes to drama, Thor: Ragnarok is a film that delivers it like a saline drip. Drop by drop, over a long period of time.

For example, Odin’s death scene didn’t affect me as I was watching the movie. But as I started thinking about it afterwards, holy fuck did it hurt. Because Odin wanted both of his sons there, and Loki finally got the recognition he always desired from Odin. But Odin was still Odin, and he left them with the biggest problem they ever faced, a problem they knew nothing about. And the worst thing, the thing that made me cry when I realized it, was the fact that Odin, as opposed to Freya, he chose when to die. Which must have been such a horrible feeling for Thor and Loki, wasn’t it?

And another example I wish to mention is a scene with Thor and Loki on the ship, at the end. Thor saying I’d hug you if you were here, and Loki responding with I’m here. That was brilliant. I’ll get back to that on a later chapter.

4. Visuals

The visuals are 100% the best part of the movie. They were absolutely brilliant.

The CGI was incredible, have you seen Fenrir? The Hulk really got an upgrade, the scene with the Valkyrie’s last battle was breathtaking, the fight between Hulk and Thor was badass (was anyone else having flashbacks of Gorilla City, then? Of Barry vs. Grood?). I mean, hell, scene 1, Thor meets Surtur, the evil dude was beautiful. And don’t get me started on Korg and all the other aliens we catch a glimpse of.

The cinematography was incredible. Well done slo-mo just when you needed it, cohesive framing throughout the movie. There were a couple of scenes that were above the else. Like Hela walking into the Throne Room where Thore is waiting, the camera panning to the ground, we just see her shadow growing horns. The Valkyrie’s last battle was a Renaissance painting come to life.

The sets were incredible, Sakaar especially. A weird combination of steampunk and trash, with a little wannabe class inserted into the higher ups of society. Honestly, I loved the whole 80s vibe it had going on.

The costumes were incredible. Not just Thor’s armour. Not just the Valkyrie’s battle gear, Loki’s fighting suit, Hela’s sinful curves. But also the Grandmaster’s outfits, the people’s outfits when they were celebrating the Hulk, the suit Loki wore on Earth. All the clothes of the hundreds of extra in the background of Sakaar scenes.

The makeup was incredible. While Hela was wearing a full on black smokey eye, it was made special by its shape. The white symbols the bounty hunters wear on Sakaar were different from person to person and from day to day.

Thor: Ragnarok might just be the best good looking Marvel movie. There’s a clear 80s vibe all throughout it (not just in the visuals, but music as well) and I didn’t hate it. I actually kind of freaking loved it.

5. Character personification and development

This wasn’t something I particularly paid a whole lot of attention to as I was watching the movie.

But as I thought about it afterwards, I came to the conclusion that that happened because of all characters acted so well, so organic, nothing bad caught my attention.

In this movie, we see Thor, finally!, as what he’s supposed to be: a king. Everything we see before he takes the throne in the end of the movie, is to make us realize that Thor will be a good kind. He evolves in this, of course he does. From the moment he loses his father and his hammer, he starts to mature, heading towards the responsibility of being kind.

… Not all the way, though. He still bickers with Loki and has no idea how to talk to a woman (poor Valkyrie), so he’s still the Thor we know and love.

But he is something more. He’s a new king, which is a job he took even before he took the throne. There have been discussions about how Thor manipulated Hulk/Banner into doing his bidding. I kinda agree with that statement, and it was a crap thing to do, but it was a necessary crap thing Thor needed to do in order to save his people. Honestly, most kings screw up like this, sooner or later.

Now, let’s talk about Loki. He had the most evident character development, considering he finally redeemed himself.

If you know me or you’ve been around here for a while, you know I usually don’t like redemption arcs. And I still don’t.

But this one, I liked this one. Probably because I liked Loki a whole lot since his very evil begining, but not just because of that. I also enjoyed it because it didn’t happen instantly. After the first Avengers, Loki got two movies to redeem himself.

And he did so by still being an asshole, by still stealing and cheating and being kind of horrible.

He stole the Tesseract, but he did redeem himself in Ragnarok. And I feel like his redemption story isn’t over yet, it’s still at the start.

And, I’ve mentioned the scene before. Thor and Loki on the ship towards the end, I’m here. That was such an emotional scene for me, because for the first time in what felt like forever, Loki actually showed real affection for his brother. And the fact that he was there means so much, in terms of his development. Honestly, I left the movie thinking “I can’t believe Loki’s there”.

Valkyrie needs a mention in terms of character development, it’s pretty evident. I thought it was nicely done, too. I won’t say too much about it, it really is hella obvious, and I enjoyed watching it. Because we got to see a glimpse of how awful her story was, but we also got to see what a Valkyrie is supposed to be, a strong (amazon-like) fighter.

If I start talking about Banner, I’m gonna start crying. I don’t want to do that, so I’ll just say this: you should think about Banner’s state of mind. Waking up after 2 years of Hulk brain, the terrifying thought of never changing back to Banner again, but he still decided to do it. For Asgard and for Thor. The way he play-fighted with Valkyrie in Hulk mode, that was a first, we never saw that side of him before. Bruce’s development is too complicated to explain in words and I just wanna hug Bruce, really.

6. Character relationships

The relationship between Thor and Banner is a tricky one. I’ve mentioned before, the manipulation Thor does with Hulk and Bruce both. But, in the end, they’re still Avengers. They still fight together, side by side to defeat evil. Maybe this relationship wasn’t portrayed in the most healthy manner, but all the Avengers are various levels of fucked up when it comes to mental health. You can’t really accept healthy relationships.

I don’t know if I should be shipping Valkyrie with Thor or with Banner. I don’t wanna ship either, to be honest.

But in terms of relationship development, I feel like it was nicely done, in the sense that it was organic, going with the flow of their own character development.

And I most definitely ain’t shipping her with Loki. I mean, if you do, you do you, boo. But I don’t wike it.

7. Actors

Honestly, I don’t feel like I can say man, this person was absolutely amazing in this scene. I’m not saying the acting was bad, cause it was not. It was good, constantly, everyone did their characters well. But I don’t feel like the scenes gave them an opportunity to showcase their incredible acting scenes. Ya know? I hope that makes sense.

8. Integration in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

First thing first. I think it was the first time a post credits scene was actually included in the next movie. The Doctor Strange post credits scene was a part of Thor: Ragnarok, they just expanded the scene. Which was a very nice touch.

It was also a nice point of start, for introducing Doctor Strange to the Avengers.

The thing is, I was kind of frustrated by my lack of information. If you’ve been here a while, you know I don’t know shit about the comics. All my information comes from the MCU and random wiki pages.

So I just knew enough to know I didn’t know enough. I’m positive I’ve missed so many things. Especially on Sakaar, there were so many aliens and characters I knew nothing about. And it frustrates me, because I know there were probably hella cool references to the extended Marvel universe.

I need to mention the post-credits scene. The first one. The ship one.

I screamed, not gonna lie. Because I was expecting something for the Black Panther, and when I realized what it was, who it was… Yeah, I screamed.

I can’t fucking wait for Infinity War. It’s going so hella epic and I am so not prepared for it, it’s ridiculous. But I loved that we got to see it. How it starts.

9. Miscellaneous

Let me tell you a few other random reasons why I liked Thor: Ragnarok.

The 80s type of music and Immigrant Song.

I recognized Kree writing on the prison on Sakaar.

KORG is the best comic relief in Marvel (and he’s voiced by Taika Waititi, amazing).

We saw Thor on Asgard’s throne (even if it was brief).

The running gag with Thor throwing things at Loki to check if he’s really there.

Loki in chains was a direct reference to the Ragnarok myth.

So was the story Thor told, about Loki and a snake. Kind of.

The fact that Thor said I love women, a little too much sometimes (or smthg like that). Thor confessing he’s a player, bless.

I’ve been waiting to see Thor actually be the God of Thunder since 2011. You don’t understand how much I enjoyed seeing it.

I equally enjoyed seeing Thor in The Helmet. I MEAN.

Thor and Valkyrie destroying those ships, in the sky, while flying was so fucking epic.

Thor and Hulk fighting was even more fucking epic. Great use of slo-mo.

Valkyrie’s flashback was amazing, another great use of slo-mo.

Hela. Everything about her. The costume, the makeup, the hair, the head piece, the transition between the hair and the head piece, her takenobullshit attitude, her badassery.

I laughed a lot when Zachary Levi died, cause they announced he signed a contract with DC just a few days before Thor premiered.

Karl Urban’s ridiculous accent.

Cumberbatch and Hiddleston getting on each other’s nerves.

Thor’s new look.

The whole Valkyrie/Hulk I feel like I know you gag.

Thor. Getting. Powers. Without. The. Hammer.

Let me tell you a few other random reasons why I didn’t like Thor: Ragnarok.

It ended.

I wanted to see more of Bruce, actually talking and dealing with his trauma.

Odin dying a peaceful death. I feel like a god isn’t supposed to die like that.

When they first announced Bruce is gonna be in Ragnarok, I was very excited about seeing him interact with Darcy. … Nope.

I know I missed a lot of things. But… yeah. I loved Thor: Ragnarok. It’s the best of the Thor movies. It might not be the best Marvel movie, but it might have surpassed Guardians when it comes to light and funny Marvel movies.

#thor #thor ragnarok #ragnarok #marvel #sim watches thor

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obsessed-withthe-hales · 8 years

Text

Strike Two (Part 9 of Curve Ball)

Summary: An accidental collision. Lucky shoes. Baseball lessons. As much as they might try to deny it, fate seemed to be working to bring Derek and Y/N together. But being in each other’s lives could prove to be more complicated than either one of them bargained for.

Author’s Note: FINALLY! It is here, y’all!!! I know it has been an eternity since I updated this series, but it is finally written and I couldn’t love this part more. I really hope you guys like it, please let me know! Meanwhile, enjoy ;)

As always, a HUGE thank you to my co-pilot on this series, @snipsnsnailsnwerewolftales!!! She is so amazing to work with and always such great ideas!!! I can’t even say thanks enough <3

Warnings: Language; a lot of feels

Tags: @wheresthekillswitch, @urwarriorangel, @palaiasaurus64, @melanie451, @houseofrahl, @life-what-life-i-dont-have-one, @splashofbi, @livinglife-dsa, @miaforeverblue

*******************************************************************************************

“Y/N? Are you even listening to me?” Stiles’ voice broke me out of my stare and I slowly turned my head to look at him, eyes wide and lips sucked between my teeth as I grunted out a ‘hm?’ He blinked at me several times before averting his gaze to the spot I was so tethered to only moment ago.

“Sorry,” I sighed. “I’ve just been...distracted.”

“I’ll say,” he snorts, earning a glare. “What’s up with you lately?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, that’s bullshit, but nice try. If I had to guess, based off of your intense and somewhat creepy staring, it has something to do with Derek and that girl he’s been hanging around with for a couple weeks.”

“Stiles, can you just drop it?” I hiss, panic starting to set in as I saw Derek walking toward us, the mystery girl’s form retreating down the hall. He puts his hands up in surrender, a quiet sigh of relief leaving my mouth. Derek took his seat and greeted us, Scott rushing in a few moments later and grinning as he slid into his chair right as class started.

“Hey, Y/N,” Derek said, falling into step beside me as we exited the building. “Got a second?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” I asked, trying to push down the nerves twisting in my gut and put on a kind and curious smile.

“I, uh-” he paused, bringing a hand up to rub across the back of his neck. Oh no. That’s not a good sign. “I’m not gonna be able to do baseball lessons this week. I’m really sorry, it’s just-”

“Oh, it’s fine, Derek,” I replied quickly with a dismissive shake of my head. “Seriously. You don’t have to explain. It’ll give me more time to get some stuff together for our project anyway. And I have an exam in another class I should study for this weekend, so. It kinda works out.”

“You’re the best,” he sighed, smiling widely at me. I chuckled at that, glancing down at my shoes in an effort to hide the blush on my cheeks. “I gotta go, but catch you later?”

“Sure. See ya.” With a final wave, Derek turned left and headed down another sidewalk. I watched him go, disappointment settling into my chest. Don’t freak out, it isn’t like he’s your boyfriend cancelling a date or something. There’s always next week.

Except next week didn’t happen.

Neither did the week after that. And by the time that had passed, it was way too cold to be outside throwing a baseball around. Suddenly I was only really seeing Derek in our history class and when our project group met every now and then. Apparently he was keeping his grade up without my help now because the tutoring had come to a halt, too.

To say I was upset didn’t quite convey it...I was just plain sad. Here was this guy, this cute and nice guy that I had a lot of fun with, that made me laugh, that I had actually considered a friend despite our rocky start, and now it was like I just didn’t exist to him anymore. I suppose that’s what happens when he finds a girlfriend.

I just kept telling myself to look on the bright side: I still had Stiles and Scott. And Lydia, of course. So it wasn’t like I was completely alone, far from it actually. Maybe this is what I get for questioning Allison and the damn shoes so much. Way to go.

Time seemed to fly by and before I knew it, finals were just around the corner. Long hours of reading and studying lied ahead, as well as putting the finishing touches on our project for history. Stiles, Scott and I were settling in for another Star Wars marathon weekend as a farewell to relaxation and laziness, the calm before the storm as they say, Lydia even joining us this time. I curled my favorite blanket around my shoulders, finding a comfortable position as Stiles set up the first movie.

“Hey, why don’t you text Derek? I’m sure he’d like to come,” Scott suggested, nudging my arm with his elbow. My heart fell at those words, but I tried not to let it show. That was the last thing I wanted to have to do.

“Uh, can you?” I asked, trying to avoid any extra contact with that kid if at all possible. You’re being childish. But he started it! Oh my gosh, you’re arguing with yourself again, Y/N. “My phone is about to die.” It wasn’t technically a lie.

“Yeah, sure.” I let out a small sigh of relief when he seemed to have bought it, no question in his eyes. As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t even pay attention to the beginning of the movie because I was way too focused on waiting for Scott’s phone to ding with the signal of a new message. What if Derek did want to come and he showed up at my door? What if he sat next to me during the movies? Wouldn’t it be awkward? What if-

I was snapped out of my mental rant by a quiet tweeting noise, my heart rate speeding up as Scott picked up his phone and read the message.

“It’s Derek.” I tried my best look nonchalant, but judging by Scott’s bemused eyebrow raise, he knew better. My intense laser beam stare that had been trained on his phone probably didn’t help my pathetic attempt at a ruse. It felt like an eternity before he finally typed out some reply and then gave me that tiny sympathetic grin before speaking. “Says he’s got plans tonight, but maybe next time.” Of course he does. Wait...shouldn’t I be relieved? Get it together and stop being so confusing, emotions!

“His loss,” Stiles mumbled before shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth and earning a curious look from Lydia.

“Hey kiddo!” The deep voice flowing through the speaker of my phone brought a small smile to my lips.

“Hi, Uncle Chris.”

“How are you? Getting ready for finals yet?” he asked, the grin in his tone evident.

“Yeah, I have a lot of studying to do, but I’m getting a jump on it. I don’t think my exams will be too hard, but I suppose we’ll see. Don’t want to jinx anything.” He chuckled over the line, the sound making my heart ache with a tinge of homesickness.

“You’ll be fine. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. And you’re a good test taker.” I huffed in acknowledgement, but when I didn’t offer anything else, he must have sensed something was off. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I guess. I just-” How do you tell your uncle that you’re heartbroken over a guy that didn’t even have your heart in the first place? “Just a bit overwhelmed. Really stressed.”

“You’ll get through it, Y/N, don’t worry so much. Hey, how about I come down and visit this weekend, huh? We can go out to a nice dinner, maybe catch a movie. You can fill me in on everything.”

“Uncle Chris, I was just home for Thanksgiving a couple weeks ago,” I chuckled. “You’re pretty much up to date.”

“Still. It’ll be good for you to take a study break. Let your brain relax,” he continued. I had to admit, the offer did sound rather nice. Maybe spending some quality time with my uncle would be good for me. And the offer of food was on the table, so really, who was I to say no?

“Alright, yeah. That sounds like fun.”

“Great. I’ll be down Saturday afternoon.”

“Sounds good. See you then.” Ending the call, I let out a sigh as I fell back against my pillows. Staring at my notebooks scattered around me, I knew I should be studying, but the mere thought of it made my head hurt. I think my bed is really calling my name. Just a quick nap and then I’ll get back to it…

With that, I crawled under my covers and curled into a tiny ball, tuning out the world and my problems. At least for now.

“Do you have anymore finals today, Y/N?” Scott asked as I walked out of the classroom, he and Stiles straightening from where they were leaning on the wall waiting. I stuffed the papers that Professor Yukimura had given me into my backpack before offering a small smile.

“Nope. Just one more tomorrow and then I’m done.”

“And of course, since she’s a freakin’ genius, she’ll ace it and finish out the semester with a perfect GPA,” Stiles said, throwing his arm around my shoulders as we walked and making me laugh.

“Whatever, Stilinski. You’re just kissing up to me because I saved your history grade,” I joked. He only shrugged, not denying or confirming anything. We had just turned in our final project, all our hard work and research over the last several weeks coming to a glorious end.

Professor Yukimura had wanted to give me some information on the position I had decided to take with him next semester, so the guys had waited outside while I spoke with him. Derek, on the other hand, had left without so much as a goodbye wave. Probably in a rush to go meet his girlfriend.

“What about you guys? More exams?” Glancing between the two, I saw two very different expressions and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’m done!” Scott answered, a huge grin splitting his crooked face. “Which means that I get to go back to my room and finish packing before driving home tonight for break.”

“Well, you lucky dog! Stiles, judging by your face…”

“I have two more and a paper I still have to write,” he grumbled, earning a sympathetic pout from me. I leaned into his side for a moment, playfully nudging his ribs.

“You’ll be fine, don’t worry. And once it’s over, just think about how much sleep you can catch up on over break!”

“Sleep? What’s that?”

“Is that everything, kiddo?” Uncle Chris asked, scanning the room one more time. Pursing my lips, I did the same, not wanting to forget anything. Mentally going down the list in my head, I sighed and nodded my head.

“I think so.”

“Did you already tell your friends goodbye?”

“Yeah,” I replied, trying my best to ignore the ping in my chest. Lydia had left yesterday, hugging me tightly. Even though we were from the same town, we wouldn’t see each other over break because her family was going on vacation this Christmas. Stiles, Scott and I grabbed dinner together before Scott left the day before last and Stiles had stopped over to avoid studying by talking to me while I packed last night.

But Derek hadn’t said goodbye.

The last time I saw him was when he walked out of the classroom after we turned in our project. The last time we actually really talked, though, was...well, long before then. Pushing down the bitterness, I forced a smile and nodded, signalling that I was ready to go.

“Alright, let’s load up the SUV then!” Uncle Chris announced, turning to head for the door and carrying a couple of my bags. My brows shot up when he kicked something, sticking out from underneath my bed, and almost tripped. Bending down, he picked the offending object up and faced me, a questioning look on his face. “You need this?”

It was the old worn-out glove that Derek had given me for baseball lessons. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I shook my head.

“Nope.”

And I was ready to leave it there, but something courageous and maybe a little rebellious told me to do something else, something I would probably never even think of doing it it weren’t for the little voice in the back of my mind nagging at me.

“Actually...can we make one stop? I forgot I owe someone something.”

I was pretty sure that if I held this glove any tighter, my nails would puncture the leather. Taking a deep breath for what felt like the millionth time, I nodded my head and marched down the hallway toward Derek’s door. My heart was slamming against my ribcage, threatening to break free at any moment. Just get it over with, come on.

Now standing in front of his door, I gnawed on my bottom lip. Was I seriously about to do this? I didn’t even know what I was going to say to him. ‘Hey, I know you’ve been ignoring me and that I haven’t really made any effort to talk to you either, but here’s the glove you gave me. Thought I should return it since you dropped our baseball lessons. Have a great break, Merry Christmas!’ Yeah, like that would go over well.

Looking down at the ground as if it would give me some much-needed courage, I realized that I was tapping the toe of my right shoe against the floor absentmindedly, and sighed. I blame you for whatever...this...turns out as, Allison.

“Alright, you can do this,” I told myself quietly, firmly planting my right foot to stop its incessant nagging, I stepped up and raised my hand to knock on the door. That’s when I heard it. The distinct sound of a girl laughing, Derek’s deep chuckle accompanying it. All my resolve crumbled into the pit of my stomach. Turning to leave in defeat and silently berating myself for thinking this was a good idea, I nearly smacked right into someone.

“Whoa, hey. You alright?” a sweet voice asked. I looked up into the face of the woman I almost plowed over, eyes wide in embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry,” I told her. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“It’s okay,” she chuckled. Her eyes flicked towards Derek’s door then landed back on me, her small smile growing wider. “Are you a friend of Derek’s?”

“Oh, um- I-” Shit.. “No. Well, kind of. I tutored him. That’s, ah...that’s about it, I suppose.” Deep breath, Y/N. As long you remember to breathe, you’ll be fine. Alright, good. No, not that deep. Don’t be weird. Breathe like a normal human. “Are you-”

“I’m Laura, Derek’s older sister. Do you wanna come in? We’re just getting him packed up for break.” This is it, this is your out! Take it, take it now!

“Actually,” I started. “I’m kind of in a hurry. My uncle is waiting outside for me. Could you- could you maybe give this to him for me?” I held out the glove, biting my lip nervously and hoping against hope that she would agree. Thankfully, she did. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.” With that, I started to walk around her, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there, but I stopped short. “Can you tell him...well, actually. Just don’t tell him anything.”

Before she could respond, I spun on my heel and made my way to the nearest exit, choosing to ignore which foot I led with. I couldn’t handle all this fate crap anymore.

Sorry, Alli. Not now. And no, I don’t actually blame you.

What good was knowing what fate wanted when it was the one thing it was keeping you from? Putting one foot in front of the other is the only that could change fate. No matter what foot I was on, carrying on with my own two feet would be enough.

It had to be.

I would make it be.

From here on out, I was the master of my own fate. And as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t include Derek freaking Hale and his perfect freaking smile and that contagious freaking laugh…” I shook my head at myself, exasperated. How in the world did I end up here? More importantly...how am I gonna get myself out? Whoever or whatever made my life cross paths with his is going to get a very strongly worded letter...

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jobsearchtips02 · 4 years

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Coronavirus update: 1.87 million cases worldwide, 116,052 deaths; and Trump attacks Dr. Fauci and the New York Times

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 rose above 22,000 on Monday, as President Donald Trump railed against the country’s leading contagious illness expert for suggesting more lives might have been saved if restrictions on motion had been imposed previously.

In an interview with CNN, Fauci conceded that “realistically” fewer individuals would have been infected if stay-at-home and social-distancing steps had actually been enforced in February, rather of mid-March. Fauci went to excellent lengths to discuss that the choice was based on lots of factors to consider, however Trump still retweeted a message from former Republican congressional prospect, DeAnna Lorraine.

” Fauci was informing individuals on February 29 that there was nothing to fret about and it presented no risk to the U.S. at big,” said the tweet, which had the hashtag: Time to #FireFauci.”

Trump likewise attacked Fox News Anchor Chris Wallace for covering the New york city Times article and for commenting that at his everyday rundowns, he’s been “entering fights with guvs he did not believe were adequately pleased or press reporters.”

It was not the very first time that Trump has bashed Wallace, whom the president stated will never ever measure up to his dad’s tradition and must go work for among the “phony news” networks.

A sailor from the warship Theodore Roosevelt died of problems from COVID-19, according to Navy authorities pointed out by the Times on Monday, the very first death for the crew of the ship, whose commander, Capt. Brett E. Crozier, was fired earlier this month after writing a letter to his superiors requesting assistance for crew members who had contracted the fatal health problem.

In Europe, there was positive news from Spain where the death toll fell to 517 on Monday from 619 on Sunday, the smallest daily boost because the health ministry started tracking it. There are now 169,496 cases in Spain and 17,489 deaths, according to the health ministry. Some non-essential workers were permitted back to deal with Monday.

There are now 1.

The U.S. leads the world in number of cases at 558,526 and 22,146 deaths.

The U.K. went beyond China in case numbers at 89,554 A minimum of 11,346 Britons have passed away of the health problem. China’s main case tally is 83,213 and 3,345 deaths, although some have suggested those numbers are understated. Iran, another hot spot, has 73,303 cases and 4,585 deaths.

New York stays the U.S. center and tape-recorded more than 700 deaths on Sunday for the sixth straight day, as the Associated Press reported. There have actually been 9,385 deaths from the infection in New York.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there are indications the curve of infections is flattening in the Empire State with the pace of hospitalizations and ICU admissions slowing. Cuomo and New York City Mayor Expense de Blasio are at chances over whether to resume schools prior to completion of the existing scholastic year, with Cuomo saying it’s too early to decide.

Don’t miss: America needs to be ready for 18 months of shutdowns in ‘long, tough roadway’ ahead, alerts the Fed’s Neel Kashkari

Viewpoint: Coronavirus, Pandemics and the Issue of Preparedness.

China reported another 108 COVID-19 cases and said 98 of them were cased by Chinese nationals returning house from abroad. Professionals are viewing carefully to see if China suffers a second wave of infections. The World Health Organization said at the weekend that is looking into reports of people checking favorable after recovering from the health problem, after South Korean authorities said 91 clients had tested favorable once again.

In medical news, the U.S. Fda released emergency use authorizations for medical devices, allowing them to decontaminate N95 or N95- comparable respirators so that they can be reused by healthcare workers. The first was granted to Steris Corp. STE,. -2.31%, the 2nd to Advanced Sterilization Products INc., a system of Fortive Corp. FTV,. -3.09%

Separately, the FDA gave an EUA to CytoSorbents Corp. CTSO,. 2170% for its blood filtration system.

Read also: Fed’s Clarida says there is nothing fundamentally incorrect with the economy

An emergency authorization is ruled out an FDA approval however enables health care suppliers to utilize specific innovations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic provided the lack of alternative choices.

Business continued to withdraw guidance, draw down credit lines, furlough employees and cut pay.

Do not miss out on: Company in the Age of COVID-19: A special series by MarketWatch tracking the effect on major business and sectors

Here’s what companies stated about COVID-19 on Monday:

– Amazon.com Inc. AMZN,. 6.35% The company anticipates to invest more than $500 million in payroll increases, up from a previous estimate of $350 million, as per hour workers salaries are increased by $2 an hour, and as per hour base pay for overtime hours worked was doubled.

– Food services business Aramark’s. ARMK,. -4.25% The business handled to convert its facilities in just one week and expects to produce millions of pieces of devices once it is fully operational. The PPE will be shipped from plants in Mexico to clients across the U.S. in the health care, pharmaceutical, biotech, medical gadget and other markets where it’s required

– Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACB,. -1372% ACB,. -1475% is taking actions to improve liquidity and restore compliance with New York Stock Exchange listing requirements, after its stock traded below $1 for more than 30 days. The board has approved a 1-for-12 reverse stock split arranged for on or about May11 The Canadian cannabis business had $205 million in money at the end of March, including all amounts raised in an at-the-market (ATM) providing program initially announced in Might of2019 To boost its balance sheet, the company is preparing a restored ATM program to raise extra equity capital on the top the roughly $350 million that remains offered under its impressive shelf prospectus. Aurora is on track with its previously revealed company improvement strategy, that includes decreasing SG & A costs, cutting capex and simplifying its company structure. It is still anticipating fiscal third-quarter marijuana internet income to reveal “modest growth” compared to the 2nd quarter. The company’s Canadian and worldwide centers are fully operational.

– Baker Hughes Co. BKR,. 2.91% Uncertainty regarding oil demand is having a substantial effect on the investment and operating strategies of the business’s primary consumers. “Based on these occasions, Baker Hughes concluded that an activating event occurred which required the business to perform an interim quantitative impairment test as of March 31, 2020,” the company said in a statement. The business is preparing to decrease 2020 capital expenses by about 20%compared with2019 GE,. -1.82%

– Burlington Stores Inc. BURL,. -6.46% The off-price merchant formerly offered two weeks pay to employees for shuttered shops and circulation. Burlington is planning to offer $300 million of bonds that mature in2025

– Chubb Ltd. CB,. -1.82% The company is offering a 35%superior reduction for April and May and will offer out additional discounts over the subsequent months.

– Danaher Corp. DHR,. -0.02% anticipates revenue growth of about 3%for the quarter ended April 3. The business, that makes items for the healthcare, environmental and applied end-markets, expects positive results in each of its 3 operating segments, with specific strength in its Cepheid, Radiometer, Pall and ChemTreat services. “While we had a good start to the year, we saw a meaningful downturn in demand toward the end of the quarter, especially in our more instrument-oriented companies, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide,” the business said. It is withdrawing guidance used on Jan. 30 due to the fact that of the unpredictability brought on by the pandemic.

– Ford Motors Co. F,. -4.18% alerted of a first-quarter earnings miss out on and stated it’s considering additional financing actions to boost cash as the pandemic has actually stalled international commerce. Ford anticipates to report profits of $34 billion for the quarter, below the FactSet consensus of $372 billion. Only its joint ventures in China are producing wholesale vehicles, and it’s considering a phased reboot of its factory and supply network starting in the 2nd quarter. Ford had $30 billion in money on its balance sheet as of April 9, giving it enough money to make it through “a minimum of the end of the 3rd quarter” without any car production and wholesales or funding actions.

– General Electric Co. GE,. -1.82% revealed refinancing and deleveraging actions in an effort to reinforce its financial position, as the pandemic is having a “material adverse effect” on its company. GE is releasing financial obligation to money a tender offer for GE bonds growing through 2024, in order to extend the financial obligation maturities; it used part of the $20 billion profits from the sale of its BioPharma business to repay $6 billion of its intercompany loan to GE Capital; GE Capital is releasing a tender for up to $9 billion of debt developing in 2020; and GE Capital repaid $4.7 billion of financial obligation that matured in the first quarter.

– Groupon Inc. GRPN,. -3.03% has embraced an investor rights strategy, likewise known as a “poison pill,” that will be exercisable if a financier or investor group ends up being an useful owner of 10%or more of the online-deals company.

– Grubhub Inc.’s. GRUB,. -1075% orders fell in the last weeks of March, especially in its corporate company, and the company now expects first-quarter daily average grubs (DAGs) to be “up flattish” from a year ago. Earnings is expected to be “somewhat above” the midpoint of previous guidance. The FactSet DAG consensus of $5387 indicates 3.4%growth, while the income agreement of $3581 million is a little listed below the $360 million midpoint of its $350 million to $370 million guidance range. Far in April, DAG development has actually been about 10%. The second-quarter FactSet DAG agreement of $5212 million suggests 6.6?velopment.

– Live Nation Home Entertainment Inc. LYV,. 2.37% The business has gotten an additional revolving credit center of $120 million, providing it about $940 million in readily available financial obligation capability. As of March 31, Live Country had offered more than 45 million tickets for programs set up for 2020, down 2%from the very same period a year back.

– Efficiency Food Group Co. PFGC,. -5.56% has furloughed about 3,000 employees across the business, suspended stock repurchases, even more reduced capital investment, delayed 25%of senior management’s base pay and board of directors’ money charges from April 6 through the end of the year and drawn $400 million from a $3.0 billion credit facility. The company is adding agreements with 13 brand-new retail partners, is now distributing groceries to about 1,000 grocery locations and is sharing over 1,100 workers to assist keep grocery shelves equipped.

– Purple Innovations Inc. PRPL,. -0.70% Online sales have grown 35%year-over-year in the first quarter. Still, to protect liquidity, Purple has actually adjusted its production schedule and furloughed 35%of permanent staff.

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/coronavirus-update-1-87-million-cases-worldwide-116052-deaths-and-trump-attacks-dr-fauci-and-the-new-york-times/

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martechadvisor-blog · 6 years

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Content Marketing ROI in an Omni-channel World

How Can technology impact your digital content strategy? What are the trends you need to track to stay ahead of the content marketing curve? Gordy Cascasco, Associate Director of SEO, Huge, tells us more.

Content is central to the marketing strategy of Brands today – whether in the B2B space or the B2C space. Content is the way Brands communicate in the space, time and platform of choice of their customers and prospects. But how do brands leverage content marketing as a strategy to build purposeful brand relationships and meaningful brand experiences for their audiences? What is the line between credible content that is of value to a prospect or customer; and an advertisement dressed up as content? What are the key considerations for building a thoughtful and high-performance content strategy? Gordy Cascasco, Associate Director of SEO, at digital agency Huge, tells us more.

Content strategy is central to marketing today – what are your top 3 thumb rules for developing content that can deliver ROI and sustain in an omnichannel world?

Take a data-driven approach: Using tools such as Google Adwords or SEMRush to assess content opportunity is paramount to a successful, search-focused, content strategy.

Look beyond keywords: Evaluate the SERP to decide if it’s worth trying to compete with top-ranking content; consider social data to evaluate trending content that might not yet have significant search volume.

Consider users first: Don’t just create content for search engines. If you want your content to have staying power, you need to deliver value to the people reading it, first and foremost.

How will AI transform content creation and consumption in the next decade?

Already, AI is shaping content creation in areas like weather, sports box scores, localized results, and simple news stories. The way we can receive near-live updates in Alexa’s “morning briefing” and Siri’s “Ask me anything” shows us the potential this service holds in the future of content creation. However, I think we are years (or even decades) away from true automation in creating long-form content. As well as this, the human voice will remain extremely important in keeping users engaged with content—and AI might have trouble shaking it’s robot-like style.

Social media is crucial to content marketing. How have you seen marketer’s approach to social media marketing evolve over the last few years?

Two of the most prominent trends I’ve seen in social media marketing involve increasing speed and informalizing tone. As it pertains to social, the age of the 24-hour news cycle is past us. Trends and opinions shift even FASTER now, and it is important to dedicate full-time resources to monitoring social opinion if companies want to be truly influential in this space. In the same vein, we have seen a tonal shift for many large brands to becoming more playful or comedic. This started with Wendy’s iconic Twitter account and is now being replicated by countless others.

What technology or user behavior trends; or innovations in content creation or distribution are you tracking into 2020?

The biggest trend I’m tracking as far as users are concerned is the shift of traffic away from the desktop and towards mobile, voice, and other connected devices such as Apple Watches. Nearly every innovative electronics company is moving towards creating smarter connected devices, and this will have the effect of splitting our time away from traditional digital mediums. I believe that by 2020 and beyond, our individual ecosystems of connected devices will have expanded to near-unrecognizable proportions. With this, marketers will have to shift their approach to strategy and reporting in order to continue driving traffic and revenue.

Interested in hearing more from Gordy and other Executives from LinkedIn, TripAdvisor, Google among others? Meet and hear them at the Content Marketing Summit , a part of the DATAx NY Festival.

This article was first appeared on MarTech Advisor

#martech #marketing #technology #business #cmo

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everettwilkinson · 7 years

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Global Stocks Jump, Dow Futs At New All Time Highs As Brexit Talks Begin

S&P futures rose 0.3% in subdued trading with Dow Jones futs once again in record territory as European stocks jump 0.6% following Sunday’s landslide victory for Macron’s party in the French parliamentary elections and as Brexit negotiations are set to officially roll out on Monday.

In the latest terrorist incident in London overnight, a man drove a van into pedestrians as people left their mosque following prayers, with UK PM May stating that UK police have confirmed the incident is being treated as a potential terrorist attack. Later updates stated that the one fatality could have been dead before being run-over while 2 others are considered to be seriously injured.

Asian equities opened on the front foot led by a rebound in tech stocks while benchmark sovereign yields and FX remains little changed; kiwi outperforms following solid domestic data; yen slightly lower. Australian bonds modestly softer, T-note futures unchanged with the AUDUSD sliding, but then recouping all losses after Moody’s cut the long-term ratings of Australia’s four major banks, ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac, to Aa3 from Aa2.

In China, the PBOC kept daily CNY fixing little changed and conducted net 110 billion yuan of open market operations, injecting liquidity for a fifth straight day and boosting cash injections in the past two days to the most since January. 7-day repo rate fell 23 basis points. Boosted by the sudden bout of PBOC liquidity generosity, Chinese 10-year sovereign bond yield declined 8 basis points, the most since Dec. 29, to 3.50%, sending the yield to the lowest since early May, however the 1-year yield dropped just 4 basis points to 3.58%, sending the Chinese 1s10s yield curve even more inverted.

Chinese and Hong Kong stocks jumped 0.7% and 1.2% ahead of a decision by index provider MSCI on Tuesday, expected to see it add mainland-listed Chinese stocks to its top share benchmarks for the first time. Chinese data had also helped, with Reuters noting that liquidity conditions appear to have eased and home prices up 10.4% in May from a year ago, although slowing from April’s 10.7% gain.

“Generally, the environment still remains fairly positive for risk appetite,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group in Singapore.

In Europe, stocks headed for their biggest rise in seven weeks on Monday as investors snapped up slammed retail, tech and automaker stocks and France’s shares and bonds cheered an absolute parliamentary majority for President Emmanuel Macron as the Stoxx Europe 600 gained for a second day. Europe’s retailers also clawed back some ground having been clobbered along with U.S. peers like Wal-Mart and Target on Friday by Amazon’s $ 13.7 billion deal to buy upscale grocer Whole Foods Market. The CAC 40 jumped after President Emmanuel Macron’s government claimed a historic majority in France’s legislature, although marred by a record low turnout, which perhaps is why the German-French spread moved just fractionally on monday.

“We expect the Macron reforms to transform France like the Thatcher reforms had cured the erstwhile sick man of Europe, the United Kingdom, some 35 years ago,” said Berenberg European economist Holger Schmieding. “And like the ‘Agenda 2010’ reforms had turned Germany from one of the weakest into one of the strongest economies in Europe almost 15 years ago.”

As Bloomberg notes, investors are once again in risk-on mode as the week begins, even as a cloud of uncertainty swirls around both U.K. leadership and the outlook for Brexit negotiations.

“Risk assets around the world are rallying again as the ‘carry party’ resumes,” Societe Generale SA strategist Kit Juckes wrote in a client note. Fed Chair Janet Yellen “did nothing to persuade the market” to take its hawkish outlook for the path of interest rates seriously, he said.

Sterling rose with cable just above $ 1.28 ahead of the formal start of negotiations on Britain’s planned exit from the European Union, expected to generate plenty of headlines for the currency in the weeks ahead. Brexit Secretary David Davis starts negotiations in Brussels on Monday, which will be followed by a Brussels summit on Thursday and Friday where Prime Minister Theresa May will meet – but not negotiate with – fellow European Union leaders.

Davis’s agreement to Monday’s agenda led some EU officials to believe that May’s government may at last be coming around to Brussels’ view of how negotiations should be run. May’s own political survival is in doubt after she lost her parliamentary majority in an election this month.

On the topic of Brexit negotiations, which officially kick off today, SocGen’s Juckes said “we expect nothing because the UK position is as clear as mud’ beyond growing signs that the UK wants free trade without being part of the customs union or conceding grounds on borer controls. Sterling’s probably range-bound. Any rally triggered by ‘soft Brexit’ hopes is probably temporary.”

With no macro data on today’s calendar, the market will await comments by New York Fed President William Dudley when he speaks at a business roundtable in New York state.

“In the wake of Friday’s weak U.S. data, Dudley could provide insight into whether the Fed is still poised to continue normalizing monetary policy,” said Masafumi Yamamoto, chief forex strategist at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo.

The euro was steady as talks begin on the U.K.’s split from the European Union, while the British pound strengthened after dropping early in the session.

In commodities, oil futures lingered near six-week lows over concerns about a supply glut amid faltering demand. WTI slipped 0.35% to $ 44.58 a barrel, while Brent dropped 0.3% to $ 47.21. Iron ore rallied 2.8% after snapping a three-week losing streak. Gold touched a 3-1/2-week low earlier in the session and was trading down slightly at $ 1,250 an ounce.

In rates, two-year gilts underperform the rest of the curve after the Sunday Times reported the BOE is considering ending its term funding scheme; euro-area periphery bonds outperform core peers. The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 2.15 percent.

Bulletin headline Summary from RanSquawk

European equities enter the North American open in positive territory, continuing from Asia, buoyed by Macron’s convincing parliamentary election victory.

A quiet morning in FX land, with all focus on GBP, GBP/USD has pivoted around the 1.28 handle, as participants await the Brexit negotiations.

Looking ahead, the highlight will be the fallout of day one of Brexit Negotiations, with Barnier and Davis set to brief the press at 17:00BST

Global Market Snapshot

S&P 500 futures up 0.3% to 2,437.75

STOXX Europe 600 up 0.7% to 391.35

MXAP up 0.6% to 155.18

MXAPJ up 0.7% to 505.44

Nikkei up 0.6% to 20,067.75

Topix up 0.6% to 1,606.07

Hang Seng Index up 1.2% to 25,924.55

Shanghai Composite up 0.7% to 3,144.37

Sensex up 0.8% to 31,303.70

Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.5% to 5,805.17

Kospi up 0.4% to 2,370.90

German 10Y yield rose 0.2 bps to 0.278%

Euro down 0.04% to 1.1193 per US$

Brent Futures down 0.4% to $ 47.17/bbl

Italian 10Y yield rose 1.9 bps to 1.695%

Spanish 10Y yield fell 2.5 bps to 1.431%

Brent Futures down 0.4% to $ 47.17/bbl

Gold spot down 0.2% to $ 1,250.84

U.S. Dollar Index up 0.01% to 97.18

Key Overnight Headlines

London police say one dead, eight injured after van hits pedestrians

BOE said to consider ending the Term Funding Scheme at a meeting this week

Macron’s party secures French parliamentary majority, turnout plummets

Trump isn’t under investigation for obstruction of justice, his lawyer says

RBA’s Lowe repeats growth likely a bit stronger over next couple of years

Japan May trade balance -203.4 billion yen vs +43.3 billion estimate

Oil Declines as U.S. Adds Yet More Rigs in Oversupplied Market

Amazon Said to Plan Cuts to Shed Whole Foods’ Pricey Image

Basic Energy Said to Be in Talks to Merge With Rival Key Energy

Boeing Takes Aim at Airbus Single-Aisle Edge With Stretched 737

GE Won’t Participate on New Boeing If Three Engine Providers

JD Takes $ 17.6b of Orders During ‘618’ Online Shopping Gala

Ocado Jumps as Amazon Deal Seen Positive by Credit Suisse

Clovis to Seek Broader Label as Ovarian Cancer Study Meets Goals

Myriad Genetics, Foundation Medicine May Fall on Clovis Plans

Pentagon Sees Saving $ 2b From 445-Jet Contract for F-35 Fighter

In Asia, equity markets began the week on the front-foot with all major indices in the green, as participants eyed the political landscape in Europe including the start of Brexit negotiations today and after French President Macron’s party and its allies won a clear majority in the 2nd round parliamentary elections. Nikkei 225 (+0.62%) gained as JPY softened across the board, while ASX 200 (+0.54%) was led higher by outperformance in utilities and financials. Elsewhere, Shanghai Comp. (+0.7%) and Hang Seng (+1.1%) are also upbeat following a firm liquidity operation by the PBoC, while the region also awaits MSCI’s verdict tomorrow on whether to add China A-shares to its Emerging Markets Index in the nation’s 4th attempt for inclusion. Finally, 10yr JGBs were subdued alongside gains in riskier assets and after the BoJ’s Rinban announcement, in which it refrained from JGB purchases and instead concentrated on treasury bills.

Top Asian News

Hong Kong Wants to Win the Next Alibaba With Exchange Revamp

China’s Home Prices Increase in Fewer Cities as Curbs Bite

Japan’s Recovery Creates Room for Bolder Reforms, IMF Says

Aussie Extends Drop After Moody’s Cuts Ratings on Nation’s Banks

CRCC May Eye Up to $ 2b From Shanghai, Hong Kong Share Sales: IFR

Why the Qatar Crisis Defies Rapid Resolution: QuickTake Q&A

Taiwan Watchdog Fines SinoPac, Ousts Chairman for Lax Oversight

In Prohibition Pakistan, Brewery Plans Soft Drink Switch

Abe’s Popularity Slides as Mounting Japan Scandals Take Toll

Toshiba Finalizing Chip Sale to Group With Bain: Nikkan Kogyo

In Europe, equities likewise have kicked-off the week on the front foot, with all major European bourses firmly in the green (Eurostoxx 600 +0.6%) in a continuation of the positive sentiment seen during Asia-Pac trade. The CAC 40 (+1 %) is trading broadly in-line with the market as Macron’s victory in the French parliamentary elections was largely priced in given the results seen in the first round. In terms of sector performance, gains have been relatively broad-based with modest underperformance for RWE following a broker downgrade while Ocado (+6.5%) trade higher in the wake of Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods. In fixed income markets, prices have largely been swayed by the upside in equities as paper trades lower this morning (albeit modestly so) in what will be a quieter week with regards to sovereign supply (Belgium comes to market today with 3 OLO offerings). Peripheral yields are marginally lower this morning with Greek paper also taking a bit of a breather after the nation managed to strike a deal with creditors last week.

Top European News

Macron Under Pressure to Deliver as Turnout Plummets in France

Brexit Talks Begin With May Under Pressure to Get Soft Split

London Home Sellers Cut Price for Second Time in Three Months

ECB’s Smets Says Start of Brexit Negotiations a ‘Sad Day’

ECB’s Smets Says Inflation Expectations Must Be Solidly Anchored

Buyers Line Up as Europe’s Biggest Debt Collector Divests Units

Kazakhstan Says Eni-Shell Venture Offers Settlement to End Spat

Astra, Tesaro May Move on Clovis Oncology’s Ovarian Cancer Data

U.K.’s Johnson: ‘Realistic Prospect’ of Brexit Deal With EU

SNCF Mandates Lazard to Sell Ermewa, Les Echos Says

In currencies, GBP will be a focus throughout the session as today sees the beginning of negotiations between EU’s Barnier and Brexit Secretary Davis. That said, GBP remains firmer against the greenback and back above 1.2800 even despite weekend reports of a potential attack on May’s leadership which could further add to the political uncertainty gripping the nation. Elsewhere, the broader risk sentiment has supported the USD with USD/JPY gaining traction in early trade. However, some remain cynical about how much room there is to the upside with hearty offers at 111.50. Finally, AUD saw some selling pressure this morning amid news that Moody’s has downgraded the nation’s big four banks.

In commodities, this morning has been a quieter one for the commodity complex with energy prices stuck in a tight range amid light newsflow, other than reports that oil output has been increasing at Libya’s Sharara oil-field. In metals, copper eked mild gains overnight amid the positive risk sentiment in Asia, although upside was limited alongside subdued trade across the complex, while the risk sentiment has acted as a downward force for gold prices. There were new details released by Jodi about Saudi Arabian oil data as follows:

Crude exports fell by 0.226min BPD M/M to 7.006min BPD in April

Crude Stocks fell 3.927min BBLS TO 263.927min BBLS in April

Domestic refinery crude throughput rose 0.390min BPD to 2.651 min BPD in April

Crude output rose by 0.046min BPD M/M to 9.946min BPD in April

Looking at the day ahead, there are no data releases scheduled in the US, although we have two Fed speakers: at 8am, Fed’s Dudley holds a business rountable in Plattsburgh, NY; while later at 7pm Fed’s Evans speaks in New York.

* * *

DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap

Politics remains a hotbed of activity at the moment. There may only be around 20 miles between France and the UK but the fascinating thing about these two very different countries at the moment is that while the French seem to be rejecting socialism in their droves the momentum in the UK seems to be leading the country in the opposite direction. While Macron talks of sweeping labour market reform, the buoyant UK opposition (ahead in the polls now) talk of renationalisation, higher taxes and higher spending.

As expected Macron’s En Marche party swept the board in the second round of the parliamentary election yesterday winning 350 out of 577 seats – perhaps slightly short of expectations but still a commanding victory. The record low turnout (estimated at 44%) will also be a disappointment and already Melonchon has suggested that this doesn’t give Macron legitimacy to tear up worker’s rights. Indeed Melenchon said that “this bloated majority in the National Assembly does not in our eyes have the legitimacy to perpetrate the anticipated social coup, the destruction of all public social order by the repeal of the labour law”. Elsewhere the ruling Socialist party fell from 280 to an estimated 45 seats though and were firmly defeated. It’s easy to forget that it was only 14 months ago that the En Marche party was formed and how remarkable it is that they’ve come from nowhere to secure such a victory and banish the two main parties. Europe is going through a buoyant patch economically at the moment which is taking the edge off populism but under the surface huge political change is still occurring.

Meanwhile in the UK politics is as decisive as at any point I can remember with Brexit, the recent elections and the tragic fire last week in a tower block in London creating anger, resentment, activism and at times scenes descending into what seems like mob behaviour. The overnight breaking news of another vehicle striking into pedestrians in North London is sadly another talking point. When the opposition party leader Jeremy Corbyn suggests that empty privately owned houses in the region of the Grenfell Tower fire should be subject to requisition orders to house the homeless and that a YouGov poll suggests that 59% of the population agrees with the idea in theory then you can see that a political tide is turning.

Added to this, PM May has had such a difficult 10 days that opinion polls now give the Labour Party (led by a socialist core) a lead in the polls (recent Survation poll being evidence) a couple of months after being 20% behind and written off by many and expected to see one of the worst election results by an opposition party in history. For now PM May stumbles on without an official political understanding with the DUP as yet and only 2 days before the Queen’s Speech where she will lay out the Government’s legislative agenda for the next Parliamentary session (now lasting 2 years). On the same day there seems to be momentum building for a “day of rage” against the Government with marches and protests planned. Those on the left of the political spectrum have really been emboldened over the last few weeks. Wednesday could be an interesting day in the UK. As we’ve been saying a lot over the last year we think the Brexit and Trump vote will be seen in years to come as an inflexion point across the world where Governments had to spend more to appease the bottom half of the population on the income scale or risk getting voted out. The recent political developments in the UK make me more convinced of this. Europe is not immune from this but as discussed above populism is seeing a slight retracement as growth edges towards the upper end of the post financial crisis range. If and when growth fades Europe will again likely face these issues.

Staying with the UK today sees Brexit negotiations officially begin. Chancellor of the Exchequer Phillip Hammond suggested yesterday in a TV interview that a gentle departure from the EU should be targeted. The Chancellor indicated that “transactional structures” would be needed to help smooth the process and that “we need to get there via a slope, not via a cliff edge” – suggesting a softer tone in negotiations. In contrast to the PM, Hammond also rejected the mantra “no deal is better than a bad deal”. Hammond also said that his position was one of a “jobs first” Brexit which is also a slight shift in tone compared to the PM. Separately, Hammond said that the UK government had “heard a message last week in the general election” and that ways to soften austerity were being looked at with voters seemingly growing “weary” of it. Hammond did however also say that he will still look to balance the budget by the middle of the next decade and that the UK had to “live within our means”. It’s worth noting that Hammond is due to deliver his Mansion House speech tomorrow after it was delayed from last week.

Away from politics, the big story in markets on Friday and over the weekend was that of Amazon’s $ 14bn bid for Whole Foods. The headlines sparked ripple effects of selling through the retail sector on Friday with investors quick to dump shares over fears of a potential huge new entrant in the market, potential further disruption and more fears of narrower margins. Bricks and mortar food retailers like Wal-Mart (-4.65%) and Kroger (-9.24%) were hit but it didn’t stop there with other general US bricks and mortar retailers under pressure. Costco (-7.19%), Walgreens Boots (-4.99%), CVS (-3.78%) and Target (-5.14%) all stood out. It was a similar story in CDS with spreads for the likes of Nordstrom (+6bps), Target (+4bps) and Wal-Mart (+3bps) all wider. Europe wasn’t immune with Tesco (-4.92%), Sainsbury (-3.85%) and Carrefour (-3.22%) also seeing big moves lower. Since the bid was made there have been plenty of articles over the weekend questioning whether this is deflationary for food prices and as such overall inflation. So it’s sure to be a talking point for a while.

While the retail sector did its best to drag markets down on Friday the S&P 500 actually managed to eke out a small +0.03% gain by the end of play after steadily rising into the close. A decent day for the energy sector had a lot to do with that after Oil (+0.63%) pared some of last week’s heavy fall. The Nasdaq (-0.22%) did however close in the red for the fifth time in the last six sessions. Prior to this the Stoxx 600 (+0.66%) had actually put up its best day since May 4th supported in part by the positive progress made in Greece to some degree.

This morning in Asia it’s been a fairly positive start to the week for risk. In equity markets the Nikkei (+0.60%), Hang Seng (+0.87%), Shanghai Comp (+0.33%), Kospi (+0.41%) and ASX (+0.20%) appear to all be feeding off the positive momentum into the Wall Street close on Friday. US equity index futures are also up +0.20%. It’s worth adding that there are some eyes already looking ahead to tomorrow’s decision from the MSCI as to whether or not China’s domestic A-shares will be included in its globally tracked EM index. The MSCI has previously delayed the decision over concerns about regulation worries and accessibility. Staying with China, house prices data out this morning revealed that new home prices rose in 56 of the 70 cities tracked by the government, down slightly from 58 in April. Meanwhile in Japan this morning our economists noted that customs trade stats for May confirmed stagnant international trade growth with a seasonally +0.9% mom rise in export volumes, a +0.4% mom rise in import volumes, flat growth in export value and +0.3% mom rise in import value.

Other markets were relatively quiet on Friday. Treasuries were a bit stronger at the margin (10y -1.2bps to 2.152%) and the USD softer (-0.28%) following some soft US data and dovish Fedspeak. In terms of the former both housing starts (-5.5% mom vs. +4.1% expected) and building permits (-4.9% mom vs. +1.7%) declined unexpectedly in May while the labour markets conditions index also rose a little less than expected (+2.3 vs. +3.0 expected). The flash June University of Michigan consumer sentiment reading was also a little disappointing after falling 2.6pts to 94.5 and the lowest since November. Both current conditions and expectations weakened although inflation expectations 1-year ahead did hold steady at 2.6% while 5-10 year expectations actually rose two-tenths to 2.6%. It’s worth noting that the Atlanta Fed’s Q2 GDPNow forecast is down to 2.9% (a 0.3% downward revision versus Wednesday) and at the lowest so far.

Meanwhile the Fedspeak consisted of comments from Kashkari and Kaplan. The former (who dissented last week) reiterated his view that the Fed should not have hiked rates last week given recent inflation data, preferring instead to wait and see if the data is transitory or not. The latter meanwhile told reporters that before he is comfortable taking the next step in tightening, “I’m going to want to see more evidence that we’re making progress in reaching our 2% inflation objective”.

In terms of the data in Europe on Friday, the only release of note was the confirmation of the final inflation readings for the Euro area in May. Headline CPI was unrevised at -0.1% mom which has in turn confirmed an annual reading of +1.4% yoy and down from +1.9% in April. The more significant core reading was confirmed at +0.9% yoy which compares to +1.2% the month prior.

To the week ahead now. It’s a quiet start to the week today with no data of note in either Europe of the US. It’s not looking likely to be much busier on Tuesday with only Germany PPI and the US current account balance in Q1 due. On Wednesday the early focus will be on the UK with May public sector net borrowing data due out. In the US we’ll get existing home sales for May. The calendar finally picks up a bit on Thursday. In France we’ll receive June confidence indicators while in the UK we’ll get CBI total orders data for June. In the US on Thursday the data includes initial jobless claims, Kansas City Fed’s manufacturing index, FHFA house price index and the conference board’s leading index. The busiest day for data looks set to be Friday. In Asia we’ll receive the flash June manufacturing PMI for Japan while in Europe we’ll get the flash PMIs for the Euro area, Germany and France. Also due out is the final revisions to Q1 GDP in France. Over in the US on Friday we’ll also receive the flash PMIs along with May new home sales.

Away from the data there are a bunch of Fedspeakers scheduled over the week including Dudley (Monday), Evans, Fischer, Rosengren and Kaplan (Tuesday), Powell (Thursday) and Mester, Bullard and Powell (Friday). Away from that we’ll receive BoJ minutes from the April meeting on Wednesday while the BoJ’s Kuroda (Wednesday) and Iwata (Thursday) are also due to speak. Also of note is the Queen’s speech scheduled for Wednesday which officially marks the state opening of the new parliamentary session in the UK. EU leaders are also due to gather for a 2-day meeting beginning Thursday to discuss the relocation of European agencies after Brexit.

from CapitalistHQ.com http://capitalisthq.com/global-stocks-jump-dow-futs-at-new-all-time-highs-as-brexit-talks-begin/

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melindarowens · 7 years

Text

Global Stocks Jump, Dow Futs At New All Time Highs As Brexit Talks Begin

“Generally, the environment still remains fairly positive for risk appetite,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group in Singapore.

As Bloomberg notes, investors are once again in risk-on mode as the week begins, even as a cloud of uncertainty swirls around both U.K. leadership and the outlook for Brexit negotiations.

With no macro data on today’s calendar, the market will await comments by New York Fed President William Dudley when he speaks at a business roundtable in New York state.

The euro was steady as talks begin on the U.K.’s split from the European Union, while the British pound strengthened after dropping early in the session.

Bulletin headline Summary from RanSquawk

European equities enter the North American open in positive territory, continuing from Asia, buoyed by Macron’s convincing parliamentary election victory.

A quiet morning in FX land, with all focus on GBP, GBP/USD has pivoted around the 1.28 handle, as participants await the Brexit negotiations.

Looking ahead, the highlight will be the fallout of day one of Brexit Negotiations, with Barnier and Davis set to brief the press at 17:00BST

Global Market Snapshot

S&P 500 futures up 0.3% to 2,437.75

STOXX Europe 600 up 0.7% to 391.35

MXAP up 0.6% to 155.18

MXAPJ up 0.7% to 505.44

Nikkei up 0.6% to 20,067.75

Topix up 0.6% to 1,606.07

Hang Seng Index up 1.2% to 25,924.55

Shanghai Composite up 0.7% to 3,144.37

Sensex up 0.8% to 31,303.70

Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.5% to 5,805.17

Kospi up 0.4% to 2,370.90

German 10Y yield rose 0.2 bps to 0.278%

Euro down 0.04% to 1.1193 per US$

Brent Futures down 0.4% to $ 47.17/bbl

Italian 10Y yield rose 1.9 bps to 1.695%

Spanish 10Y yield fell 2.5 bps to 1.431%

Brent Futures down 0.4% to $ 47.17/bbl

Gold spot down 0.2% to $ 1,250.84

U.S. Dollar Index up 0.01% to 97.18

Key Overnight Headlines

London police say one dead, eight injured after van hits pedestrians

BOE said to consider ending the Term Funding Scheme at a meeting this week

Macron’s party secures French parliamentary majority, turnout plummets

Trump isn’t under investigation for obstruction of justice, his lawyer says

RBA’s Lowe repeats growth likely a bit stronger over next couple of years

Japan May trade balance -203.4 billion yen vs +43.3 billion estimate

Oil Declines as U.S. Adds Yet More Rigs in Oversupplied Market

Amazon Said to Plan Cuts to Shed Whole Foods’ Pricey Image

Basic Energy Said to Be in Talks to Merge With Rival Key Energy

Boeing Takes Aim at Airbus Single-Aisle Edge With Stretched 737

GE Won’t Participate on New Boeing If Three Engine Providers

JD Takes $ 17.6b of Orders During ‘618’ Online Shopping Gala

Ocado Jumps as Amazon Deal Seen Positive by Credit Suisse

Clovis to Seek Broader Label as Ovarian Cancer Study Meets Goals

Myriad Genetics, Foundation Medicine May Fall on Clovis Plans

Pentagon Sees Saving $ 2b From 445-Jet Contract for F-35 Fighter

Top Asian News

Hong Kong Wants to Win the Next Alibaba With Exchange Revamp

China’s Home Prices Increase in Fewer Cities as Curbs Bite

Japan’s Recovery Creates Room for Bolder Reforms, IMF Says

Aussie Extends Drop After Moody’s Cuts Ratings on Nation’s Banks

CRCC May Eye Up to $ 2b From Shanghai, Hong Kong Share Sales: IFR

Why the Qatar Crisis Defies Rapid Resolution: QuickTake Q&A

Taiwan Watchdog Fines SinoPac, Ousts Chairman for Lax Oversight

In Prohibition Pakistan, Brewery Plans Soft Drink Switch

Abe’s Popularity Slides as Mounting Japan Scandals Take Toll

Toshiba Finalizing Chip Sale to Group With Bain: Nikkan Kogyo

Top European News

Macron Under Pressure to Deliver as Turnout Plummets in France

Brexit Talks Begin With May Under Pressure to Get Soft Split

London Home Sellers Cut Price for Second Time in Three Months

ECB’s Smets Says Start of Brexit Negotiations a ‘Sad Day’

ECB’s Smets Says Inflation Expectations Must Be Solidly Anchored

Buyers Line Up as Europe’s Biggest Debt Collector Divests Units

Kazakhstan Says Eni-Shell Venture Offers Settlement to End Spat

Astra, Tesaro May Move on Clovis Oncology’s Ovarian Cancer Data

U.K.’s Johnson: ‘Realistic Prospect’ of Brexit Deal With EU

SNCF Mandates Lazard to Sell Ermewa, Les Echos Says

Crude exports fell by 0.226min BPD M/M to 7.006min BPD in April

Crude Stocks fell 3.927min BBLS TO 263.927min BBLS in April

Domestic refinery crude throughput rose 0.390min BPD to 2.651 min BPD in April

Crude output rose by 0.046min BPD M/M to 9.946min BPD in April

* * *

DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap

source http://capitalisthq.com/global-stocks-jump-dow-futs-at-new-all-time-highs-as-brexit-talks-begin/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/06/global-stocks-jump-dow-futs-at-new-all.html

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technomanish · 7 years

Text

WHAT IS THE LG G6?

LG’s flagship phones have, for the last few years, pinned their success on standout features. The LG G3 introduced quad-HD displays, the G4 shipped with quirky leather backs, and last year’s G5 went with a modular design. For the G6, LG is focusing on cramming a large display in a small body.

And from my first impressions, it appears that the LG G6 is likely to be far more successful than those failed modules.

The first thing you’ll notice about the LG G6 is its peculiar display. Like the Xiaomi Mi Mix – a China-only phone released in late 2016 – the screen is stretched to nearly every corner of the device.

LG G6 – DISPLAY

Rather than the typical 16:9 aspect ratio seen on almost every other smartphone, LG opts for an 18:9 ratio display (basically 2:1) that provides a taller display in a smaller body.

The 5.7-inch display – a sizeable increase from the 5.2-inch panel of the G5 – sits inside a shell that’s barely bigger than its predecessor and noticeably smaller than the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

One side effect of cramming a bigger screen into a shell of this size is that the corners of the panel are now rounded, rather than right angles. While a little odd at first, but I quickly became used to it. It matches the overall curviness of the phone; but it looks best on the black model. On my white review unit, the black border between the panel and bezel is fairly prominent, and the corner curves aren’t perfectly circular. It’s a small issue, but once you’ve noticed it, it’s hard to forget.

To match the stretched display, the resolution here sits at 2,880 x 1,440 – and it’s a lovely panel. Even though it isn’t AMOLED, it delivers vivid colours and deep blacks. It’s the first phone with Dolby Vision support and, like the dearly departed Note 7, it’s HDR10-enabled too.

Blacks aren’t quite as deep as AMOLED panels, though – and with LG’s huge AMOLED business, it seems odd for the company not to utilise its expertise here. Being an IPS LCD also stops it from being compatible with Google’s Daydream VR platform, something that I enjoy immensely on the Pixel.

There were a few demo HDR (high dynamic range) videos on my review sample; content looked noticeably brighter and darker scenes were more detailed too. LG says that HDR content from Amazon and Netflix will work, but it will follow an app update. LG hasn’t said when they’ll be available, but I’ll update this article when I know more.

Remember when Apple switched the iPhone from a 4-inch to a 5-inch screen? It led to months (maybe years) of apps not fitting the display properly; many required thick black bars at the top and bottom to work. Something similar is happening here, but not to quite the same level of annoyance.

For instance, videos from YouTube, which are almost universally 16:9, have black bars on either side. Media from Amazon’s Prime app has one large bar at the bottom. Some software trickery lets you stretch video in certain apps – Netflix, for example – so films take up most of the screen.

Regular apps are fine, thanks to Android’s native rescaling features, but games will either need to be updated or played with black bars at the bottom. It’s annoying, but not too distracting. The software layer used for videos is present here, so you can stretch games out to fill the entire screen. It works well, and in titles such as Alto’s Adventure or Horizon Chase, I didn’t notice the difference.

All of LG’s own apps have been updated; and since the aspect ratio is 2:1, the design theme for the UI is two squares on top of each other. This helps Android 7’s native split-screen multi-tasking, providing more space for each app.

LG’s UI design is far from the best, though. It’s a little like iOS mashed with Huawei’s EMUI, with a dash of TouchWiz thrown in. It does have the Google Assistant, though – the first phone to do so aside from the Pixel.

The software does have some nice little additions that make up for the less than amazing design. A swipe down on the homescreen brings up a search that can look inside apps, and the lack of an app drawer is something I actually really like.

LG G6 – DESIGN

For the first time I can remember, LG has crafted a phone that looks “nice”. The lack of a thick bezel instantly draws the eye, and LG has also ditched that horrid metal-sprayed plastic that caused so much controversy on the G5.

There’s a slab of Gorillas Glass 5 on the rear (interestingly, it’s only Gorilla Glass 3 on the front), and a metal rim running around the sides, which LG claims adds some much-needed rigidity that’s lost with the unorthodox screen.

The standby switch, with a fingerprint pad tucked inside, can still be found on the rear of the handset. However, unlike many phones that use capacitive pads, this switch actually depresses and offers decent feedback. Just below the camera is the perfect place for a fingerprint sensor, simply because it’s where my finger naturally rests when I pick up a phone. A major concern I have with the rumoured Samsung Galaxy S8 is the strange placement of the fingerprint scanner, beneath the glass and thereby eliminating the Home button entirely.

My biggest issue with the fingerprint scanner on the LG G6 is actually its speed and sensitivity. Since it’s basically flush to the rear, accidental touches are an issue. Even when the handset is in my pocket, it seems to randomly think I’m pressing the scanner when it’s brushing against my leg.

So the LG G6 is an attractive phone, once you get over the screen – but once it becomes more common, which I’m sure it will this year, it doesn’t feature much else to help it stand out from the crowd.

The black, white and silvery-blue colours lack imagination, and the glass-backed design with metal sides has become almost cliché. You’ll find it on everything from budget Honor and Alcatel phones to higher-end devices.

Basically, it looks great from the front but a little dull elsewhere.

LG G6 – PERFORMANCE

Considering my review unit is a pre-production unit, I’ll benchmark the G6’s performance in more detail once I’ve had a play with a European retain unit.

This handset hasn’t seen the same level of improvement on the inside as the G5, but it remains a very fast phone indeed; and even on the pre-production software, I haven’t encountered any issues.

As was heavily rumoured, the LG G6 uses last year’s Snapdragon 821 CPU – looks like Samsung did snap up those initial runs of the 835 – with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of basic storage. There’s a microSD slot, but I’d have much preferred to see 64GB as the starting point.

The 821 is a great processor, with plenty of oomph and good efficiency. We don’t really yet know all the benefits of the 835 in day-to-day use, but it’s still a shame not to see the latest silicon here, especially if this phone is going to retail at the same price as the Samsung Galaxy S8.

LG G6 – CAMERA

The cameras haven’t seen a huge improvement either, but there have been a few tweaks to the already impressive setup.

Just like the G5, the G6 has two sensors sitting next to each on the rear of the device. One is your typical camera; 13 megapixels, OIS, f/1.8 aperture; the other has a much wider field of view.

The latter offers that GoPro-like wide-angle shot that looks great. Surprisingly, LG told me that it has found that almost 50% of people tend to use just the wide-angle camera, so it’s bumped that from an 8-megapixel sensor to a 13-megapixel version.

It lacks OIS, though, and has a much narrower f/2.4 aperture, so low-light snaps won’t be quite as good. It doesn’t have auto-focus, either – but since that focal point is so wide, it shouldn’t make a difference.

LG has worked with Qualcomm to pluck some of the dual-camera smarts from the 835 CPU to implement them here in the 821. This results in a much smoother process when switching sensors, giving the feel of a single camera. It works, too, although there remains a noticeable change in colour temperature when you switch. The wider-view camera is also much worse in low light, leaving you with very noisy photos.

I’m quite impressed with the LG G6’s cameras, but there are a couple of issues. While picture detail is decent, on occasion colours can look a bit drab and the dynamic range just isn’t on a par with other high-end Android phones. Pictures often lack depth – but then this can be seen with almost all smartphones when you’re coming from the Pixel.

The Pixel remains ahead of the G6, not only in terms of picture quality, but with regards to ease of use, too. I’ll cut LG some slack since this is early software – but the time it takes to open the app, focus and snap a picture are currently just too long.

Low-light images are free of noise, however, and if the light is bright you can get some really fantastic shots.

There’s a fairly standard 5-megapixel camera for selfies – and, of course, 4K video recording is supported as well.

LG G6 – BATTERY LIFE AND SOUND

If you live in Europe, then prepare to get annoyed. The European and UK version of the LG G6 is missing some handy features from which other folks will benefit.

There’s no wireless charging – that’s exclusive to the US – and nor will Quad Hi-Fi DAC feature for improved sound quality. Sadly, the latter is available only on the Korean model. My review unit is of US origin, so has the wireless charging support and it matches the S7 for recharge speed when docked without wires.

Neither feature is vital, but they’re rare extras that would have been a decent addition. LG couldn’t offer a reason they’re lacking – but, apparently, it doesn’t add any extra weight or thickness to the handset to include either of these features.

Also likely to annoy is the fact that the battery is no longer removable. Instead, it’s a fixed 3,300mAh cell stuck behind the glass. This is hardly a surprise, given that the removable battery had such a negative impact on the overall look of the G5. It also means the G6 is finally water-resistant – in my opinion, a far more useful feature than a swappable battery – and has the same IP68 rating as the Samsung Galaxy S7.

I’ll save my final thoughts on battery life for when I’ve used a retail version, since there are some notable quirks in the stamina department with my unit. Hopefully, these will ironed out, though.

CONCLUSION

Ditching the modular design was the correct move by LG. It was handled poorly, miscommunicated and failed miserably. With the G6, LG has a phone that I can see being much more successful.

It has all the parts from the G5 that I liked – basically, that ace camera setup – but finally it now looks good and the near-bezel-free design is quite eye-catching. Will the 18:9 (2:1) aspect ratio catch on? I really don’t see why not, and if Samsung follows suit then I’m sure it will become the norm come 2018.

There are still a few niggles that stop me from believing the LG G6 is the “Phone of the Year” quite yet. Couldn’t it have waited for the Snapdragon 835? I know a CPU isn’t everything, but it instantly puts the G6 on the back foot. The same goes for those missing features in the European model; surely it wouldn’t have been so hard to add in wireless charging and the Quad DAC?

I believe this to be LG’s best phone in years, but with the competition improving too, it’s a tough call as to whether or not this will stand up against the upcoming iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S8. Price will be a big factor, and if this comes in cheaper than those models then LG could have a winner on its hands.

LG G6 Review: The best phone from LG till date WHAT IS THE LG G6? LG’s flagship phones have, for the last few years, pinned their success on standout features.

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