Latest news with #Armageddon
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Even nuclear experts are at a loss right now
Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, admittedly struck the wrong note in a melodramatic video she put out after visiting Hiroshima, which was destroyed by an atomic bomb exactly 80 years ago. 'As we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before,' Gabbard said, 'political-elite warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers.' That reference to unspecified warmongers hewed to her unfortunate pattern of spreading conspiracy theories. Her boss, President Donald Trump, wasn't pleased. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Project Management Design Thinking healthcare MBA Leadership Cybersecurity Product Management Operations Management MCA Data Science CXO Management Technology Digital Marketing Degree Data Analytics Others PGDM Public Policy Healthcare Finance Data Science Artificial Intelligence others Skills you'll gain: Portfolio Management Project Planning & Risk Analysis Strategic Project/Portfolio Selection Adaptive & Agile Project Management Duration: 6 Months IIT Delhi Certificate Programme in Project Management Starts on May 30, 2024 Get Details But Gabbard was right about her other point: that we — Homo sapiens — may be closer to the brink than ever before. That's what I keep hearing from experts on nuclear strategy in Washington. The danger today may not be as acute as it was during the Cuban Missile Crisis. But it is much more diffuse, complicated and unpredictable than it has ever been. And while those in the know can summarize how we got to this point, nobody, as far as I know, has any good ideas about where to go from here. The diagnosis is essentially a long list of separate but simultaneous developments that collectively upset the relatively simple balance of terror that stabilized the late Cold War. At that time, two nuclear superpowers held each other in check while a few other nations kept small arsenals for deterrence and almost all other countries abided by the Non-Proliferation Treaty, meant to limit the spread of these diabolical weapons. Entire ecosystems of expertise had blossomed in academia and government to model the scenarios that might lead to Armageddon, and the resulting game theory, though sophisticated, was relatively straightforward. Stipulating that a nuclear war 'cannot be won and must never be fought,' the big two — Washington and Moscow — negotiated arms-control treaties to reduce the number of warheads and weapons. After the Cold War, strategists shifted to studying other threats — terrorism and such — because nuclear annihilation seemed passé. Live Events Instead, it tops the horror rankings again. The last remaining arms-control treaty between Washington and Moscow, called New START, expires in six months, and no efforts are underway to extend or replace it. One of the two parties, Russia, has been acting in bad faith and breaking nuclear taboos by threatening to use lower-yield weapons (sometimes called 'tactical' or 'battlefield' nukes ) in Ukraine and stationing warheads in neighboring Belarus. Worse, a third nuclear superpower, China, is turning the former dyad into a triad. Whereas Beijing long maintained only a minimal deterrent, it has in recent years doubled its arsenal to about 600 warheads and is rapidly adding more, with the apparent goal of having 1,500 or so in a decade — roughly as many as the US and Russia each currently have deployed. This new reality forces strategists in Washington to contemplate what would happen if Russia and China ever coordinated attacks on, say, Eastern Europe and Taiwan. Such a two-front war could start 'conventional' (meaning non-nuclear) but escalate to the use of battlefield nukes, at which point further escalation spirals become incalculable. The US is already modernizing — albeit with huge delays and cost overruns — its missiles, bombers, submarines and warheads. Should it now also add to its arsenal overall, to deter or be able to fight both Russia and China at once? Experts agree that nuclear deterrence is not a pure numbers game (all sides would soon just be irradiating rubble). And game theory is far from clear about what is stabilizing and destabilizing in the real world; the math in such a 'three-body problem' becomes forbidding. Nor does the number three capture the horror of this analytical hairball. In total, nine countries have nukes. And even if the recent American strikes on Iran set back Tehran's program for a while, other countries may build their own. They could include US allies, such as South Korea or Poland, if they lose faith in the US nuclear 'umbrella.' More players mean more scenarios for people to miscalculate. (An especially dangerous period is the phase when countries are making nukes but do not yet have them because adversaries may contemplate preemptive strikes.) North Korea can already hit the US with its weapons; and Washington believes that Pakistan is also building missiles that can reach America. Even that catalog doesn't do justice to the new threat landscape because the types of warheads and delivery vehicles are changing. For example, more countries are investing in those tactical nukes I mentioned, which are 'limited' only in theory but in practice likely to set off uncontrollable escalation to full-scale nuclear war. China is also building hypersonic glide vehicles which, unlike ballistic missiles, can circle the Earth inside the atmosphere and disguise their destinations. Russia is thinking about putting nukes in space. And Trump wants to place a defensive 'Golden Dome' up there, which would pose its own strategic problems. Add to these twists the imponderable of artificial intelligence, which drastically accelerates human decision-making and thus increases the potential for human error, especially under pressure. Those risks become even worse wherever AI meets misinformation. (During the recent clash between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, fake photos of damage went viral in both countries.) Scientists warn about the combination of misinformation 'thickening the fog of war' and 'giving the launch codes to ChatGPT.' Bright minds are studying these developments, including Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi, two nuclear experts who served in the administration of Joe Biden and are now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But diagnosis is one thing, prescription quite another. The US 'will need innovative approaches,' they conclude — without listing any. 'We're approaching a tripolar world, and everything is different in that scenario,' says John Bolton, who was national security advisor in Trump's first term. 'All of our calculations on nuclear weaponry, the nuclear triad, where the stuff is deployed, how you create structures of deterrence,' he told me, 'how you engage in arms-control negotiations, all of it, all of that theorizing … all of that is on a bipolar basis.' Then he added dolefully: 'You make it tripolar and you got to start over again.' Trump seems to have grasped this reality. He has said repeatedly that he wants to restart arms-control negotiations and that he wants them to be at least trilateral, including both Russia and China. Whether his counterparts in Moscow and Beijing will rise to the occasion is unclear. Much divides those three leaders, and indeed humanity. But if we can't agree to sequester our hatreds and vanities to deal with this singular threat, none of those other things will matter.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Even Nuclear Experts Are at a Loss Right Now
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, admittedly struck the wrong note in a melodramatic video she put out after visiting Hiroshima, which was destroyed by an atomic bomb exactly 80 years ago. 'As we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before,' Gabbard said, 'political-elite warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers.' That reference to unspecified warmongers hewed to her unfortunate pattern of spreading conspiracy theories. Her boss, President Donald Trump, wasn't pleased. But Gabbard was right about her other point: that we — Homo sapiens — may be closer to the brink than ever before. That's what I keep hearing from experts on nuclear strategy in Washington. The danger today may not be as acute as it was during the Cuban Missile Crisis. But it is much more diffuse, complicated and unpredictable than it has ever been. And while those in the know can summarize how we got to this point, nobody, as far as I know, has any good ideas about where to go from here. The diagnosis is essentially a long list of separate but simultaneous developments that collectively upset the relatively simple balance of terror that stabilized the late Cold War. At that time, two nuclear superpowers held each other in check while a few other nations kept small arsenals for deterrence and almost all other countries abided by the Non-Proliferation Treaty, meant to limit the spread of these diabolical weapons. Entire ecosystems of expertise had blossomed in academia and government to model the scenarios that might lead to Armageddon, and the resulting game theory, though sophisticated, was relatively straightforward. Stipulating that a nuclear war 'cannot be won and must never be fought,' the big two — Washington and Moscow — negotiated arms-control treaties to reduce the number of warheads and weapons. After the Cold War, strategists shifted to studying other threats — terrorism and such — because nuclear annihilation seemed passé. Instead, it tops the horror rankings again. The last remaining arms-control treaty between Washington and Moscow, called New START, expires in six months, and no efforts are underway to extend or replace it. One of the two parties, Russia, has been acting in bad faith and breaking nuclear taboos by threatening to use lower-yield weapons (sometimes called 'tactical' or 'battlefield' nukes) in Ukraine and stationing warheads in neighboring Belarus. Worse, a third nuclear superpower, China, is turning the former dyad into a triad. Whereas Beijing long maintained only a minimal deterrent, it has in recent years doubled its arsenal to about 600 warheads and is rapidly adding more, with the apparent goal of having 1,500 or so in a decade — roughly as many as the US and Russia each currently have deployed.(1) This new reality forces strategists in Washington to contemplate what would happen if Russia and China ever coordinated attacks on, say, Eastern Europe and Taiwan. Such a two-front war could start 'conventional' (meaning non-nuclear) but escalate to the use of battlefield nukes, at which point further escalation spirals become incalculable. The US is already modernizing — albeit with huge delays and cost overruns — its missiles, bombers, submarines and warheads. Should it now also add to its arsenal overall, to deter or be able to fight both Russia and China at once? Experts agree that nuclear deterrence is not a pure numbers game (all sides would soon just be irradiating rubble). And game theory is far from clear about what is stabilizing and destabilizing in the real world; the math in such a 'three-body problem' becomes forbidding. Nor does the number three capture the horror of this analytical hairball. In total, nine countries have nukes. And even if the recent American strikes on Iran set back Tehran's program for a while, other countries may build their own. They could include US allies, such as South Korea or Poland, if they lose faith in the US nuclear 'umbrella.' More players mean more scenarios for people to miscalculate. (An especially dangerous period is the phase when countries are making nukes but do not yet have them because adversaries may contemplate preemptive strikes.) North Korea can already hit the US with its weapons; and Washington believes that Pakistan is also building missiles that can reach America. Even that catalog doesn't do justice to the new threat landscape because the types of warheads and delivery vehicles are changing. For example, more countries are investing in those tactical nukes I mentioned, which are 'limited' only in theory but in practice likely to set off uncontrollable escalation to full-scale nuclear war. China is also building hypersonic glide vehicles which, unlike ballistic missiles, can circle the Earth inside the atmosphere and disguise their destinations. Russia is thinking about putting nukes in space. And Trump wants to place a defensive 'Golden Dome' up there, which would pose its own strategic problems. Add to these twists the imponderable of artificial intelligence, which drastically accelerates human decision-making and thus increases the potential for human error, especially under pressure. Those risks become even worse wherever AI meets misinformation. (During the recent clash between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, fake photos of damage went viral in both countries.) Scientists warn about the combination of misinformation 'thickening the fog of war' and 'giving the launch codes to ChatGPT.' Bright minds are studying these developments, including Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi, two nuclear experts who served in the administration of Joe Biden and are now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But diagnosis is one thing, prescription quite another. The US 'will need innovative approaches,' they conclude — without listing any. 'We're approaching a tripolar world, and everything is different in that scenario,' says John Bolton, who was national security advisor in Trump's first term. 'All of our calculations on nuclear weaponry, the nuclear triad, where the stuff is deployed, how you create structures of deterrence,' he told me, 'how you engage in arms-control negotiations, all of it, all of that theorizing … all of that is on a bipolar basis.' Then he added dolefully: 'You make it tripolar and you got to start over again.' Trump seems to have grasped this reality. He has said repeatedly that he wants to restart arms-control negotiations and that he wants them to be at least trilateral, including both Russia and China. Whether his counterparts in Moscow and Beijing will rise to the occasion is unclear. Much divides those three leaders, and indeed humanity. But if we can't agree to sequester our hatreds and vanities to deal with this singular threat, none of those other things will matter. More From Bloomberg Opinion: (1) 'Deployed' means ready for use at any time — for instance, on the tip of a missile in a silo. Washington and Moscow also have thousands more in storage each. This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering US diplomacy, national security and geopolitics. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist. More stories like this are available on
Qatar Tribune
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Qatar Tribune
Former Qatar-resident Dr Muqeem Khan bridges design and healing
Former Qatar-resident Dr Muqeem Khan is an internationally acclaimed transdisciplinary designer, educator, and herbal medicine practitioner whose work bridges Hollywood's visual effects, academic innovation, and Unani healing traditions. Dr Khan brings over a decade of academic leadership to Qatar, shaping design education as Associate Professor at Northwestern University (2010–2014) and Assistant Professor at VCU (2005–2010). His global career bridges continents and disciplines—from VFX contributions to George of the Jungle, Flubber, Armageddon, and Final Fantasy at Walt Disney and Square USA, to founding Hakeem Mursaleen Pvt Ltd, which integrates Unani medicine with preventive care. A PhD graduate from Charles Sturt University and recipient of Qatar's $1 million NPRP grant as Lead Principal Investigator, Dr Khan continues to inspire through multimedia design, indigenous knowledge systems, and holistic healthcare. Unani (Greek) medicine is one of the few ancient healing systems still practiced today. Medicine runs in Dr Khan's blood; it's a family tradition passed down from his father. His father, Hakeem Mursaleen, was a respected figure in this field. After a transformative year as a professor at the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, Dr Khan, a design visionary and Unani herbalist, returned to Karachi to uplift communities through his holistic health clinics and dynamic teaching at Aga Khan University. In a recent online interview with the Qatar Tribune, Khan shared insightful reflections on his dual journey as an academic and a practitioner of herbal medicine. Excerpts. You spent nearly a decade in Qatar, how did that experience shape you personally and professionally? My nine years in Qatar were transformative. I arrived with ink-stained fingers from the old fingerprinting process, and watched the country evolve into a tech-driven society. As an academic and designer at VCUarts and Northwestern University in Qatar, I contributed to shaping its creative and knowledge economy. Qatar didn't just offer me a career, it redefined me. As I often say: 'Qatar transformed me from a dreamer with ink-stained fingers to a designer of its knowledge economy.' How did your father's legacy and your early interests shape your path in both herbal medicine and design? My father's mastery of herbal medicine and calligraphy began in Delhi, rooted in a rich family tradition. After partition, he moved to Karachi with support from Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, evolving from pharmacist to practicing Hakeem. Named after the legendary Hakeem Muqeem of Delhi, I was expected to carry on that legacy—while cultivating my own passion for design. In 9th grade, my first computer sparked a love for digital creativity. I designed credits for a Gul Gee documentary, won art awards in Karachi and Geneva, and earned degrees in Interior and Industrial Design from The Ohio State University. Before finishing my master's, I joined Walt Disney as a Special Effects Artist, with my first major project being the digital elephant in George of the Jungle. Can you walk us through your journey from Hollywood to herbal medicine and academia? After years in Hollywood's VFX industry, I returned to family and taught design at the University of Sharjah for five years while studying Unani medicine under my father. I later served as Associate Professor at VCU and Northwestern University in Qatar. During a research residency in Australia, a call from my father reignited my commitment to Unani medicine. With formal education and a government license already secured, I pursued a PhD at Charles Sturt University to integrate traditional healing with design. This shift led to my clinical practice in Unani diagnosis and treatment. I now teach design thinking at Aga Khan University and work as a registered herbalist in FB Area and DHA, Karachi—merging Unani medicine, speculative design, and digital visual culture in a human-centered approach. What was your PhD about, and how does it involve multidisciplinary studies? My doctoral research explored Speculative Design as a tool to engage with intangible cultural heritage, oral traditions, rituals, and tacit knowledge like Unani pulse diagnosis. By bridging design with ancestral epistemologies, I aimed to reframe these practices within modern academic and digital contexts. This included examining how Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms such knowledge into digital intangible heritage, a focus now recognised by UNESCO. How does pulse reading diagnose disease? The pulse reflects both body and emotion. Originating from Hippocrates' four humors and refined by Galen, ancient physicians read its patterns—frog-like, mouse-like—to diagnose. My father compared it to a sitar string: 'Learn to read it, and you'll understand a person completely.' What is the philosophy behind the Unani medicinal system? Unani medicine emphasises restoring the body's natural balance, considering individual temperament—hot, cold, moist, or dry—alongside lifestyle, digestion, and emotional well-being. Based on the four humors (Safra, Balgham, Soda, Khoon), it parallels systems like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, relying on deep observation over lab tests. What's the core difference between Unani and other systems? Unani medicine treats root causes through a holistic mind-body-spirit approach. I think it should not compete with allopathy but complement it, especially where surgery or emergency care is needed. Together, both systems can offer more comprehensive healthcare. What else would you like to achieve in your life, and how does it relate to your work? I aspire to advance Unani medicine through the Hakeem Mursaleen Foundation ( inspired by my father's legacy and my journey in design and healing. The foundation seeks to preserve Unani's holistic principles, offering educational programs, awareness about health and lifestyle diseases, digital archives, and community help in Karachi and beyond. By blending traditional knowledge with design innovation, I aim to create culturally resonant, human-centered healthcare solutions that promote wellness globally.
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First Post
a day ago
- Sport
- First Post
Carlsen admits 'slow' mouse speed, acknowledges Indian GM Sarin's strength ahead of Esports World Cup 2025 chess event
Chess star Magnus Carlsen has admitted he doesn't have the fastest mouse speed among players at the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, and acknowledged Indian GM Nihal Sarin's strength. But the Norwegian is not worried about it. read more Magnus Carlsen is the favourite to win the chess event at Esports World Cup 2025 but he will face tough competition from players like Nihal Sarin. Images: Esports World Cup 2025/Nihal Sarin on X World No.1 Magnus Carlsen is unperturbed about his 'slow' mouse speed as he gets ready for his chess debut at the Esports World Cup 2025 with a unique format. The debut of an ancient sport like chess at the mega event, which has existed for centuries, started with the Last Chance Qualifiers, as 135 players competed for the remaining four slots. The main round of the chess tournament at the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will include a total of 16 players, including Carlsen, world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and India's Arjun Erigaisi, who qualified directly for the tournament through the Champions Chess Tour 2025 standings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The tournament will be played in a 10-minute Rapid format with no time increment. It will begin on 29 July (Tuesday) with four groups of four players. Each group stage match will consist of two games and tiebreakers will be decided by an Armageddon match. Carlsen unperturbed by 'slow' mouse speed at Esports World Cup Will the faster time control of 10 minutes and no time increment be a problem for a 34-year-old veteran Carlsen, as compared to younger players like 21-year-old Nihal Sarin of India or France's Alireza Firouzja (22)? Only time will tell, but the Norwegian Carlsen feels he has done well in faster formats over the years and that will help him do well again. 'I only played two qualifier events to get here with this time control, but for me, it worked out okay. My mouse speed is not the best necessarily, but I play fast and well enough that it usually doesn't bother me,' Carlsen said in an interview with ChessBase India. While teenage sensation R Praggnanandhaa was knocked out in the qualifiers, Sarin from Kerala made it to the main draw through victories in the qualifier playoffs. Carlsen acknowledged that India's Nihal Sarin could prove to be a dangerous prospect, with his ability to play quickly under time pressure and high mouse speed, but Magnus is confident his motor skills will hold him in good stead. 'We will see, however, you could run into really dangerous matchups here. For instance, we saw in the qualifier how incredibly good Nihal is with very little time on the clock. So, there could be certain players like him and Alireza, I think, especially if they have a good event, they can certainly use that mouse speed to their advantage,' Carlsen added. 'But overall, as I said, it's entertainment and it is also esports and therefore motor skills should matter a little bit, be that overboard or both and generally I like that events are unforgiving in terms of time control and that time management actually is an important part of the game. So, overall I think it may make players uncomfortable at times, but that's part of the game and overall I like it.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Young Prodigy delivers!@NihalSarin has officially qualified for the ESPORTS WORLD CUP: Chess Main Event 🏆 The grind begins now — eyes locked on that EWC Trophy! 🚀#Gameshuru #Gameशुरु #EWC2025 #S8ULFTW #iQOOS8UL — S8UL (@S8ulesports) July 26, 2025 Reflecting on who can be the favourites to win the tournament, Carlsen picked his friend Nakamura and Alireza 'I think the Falcons players, Hikaru, Alireza on paper, are the most dangerous. Hikaru is the most consistent among the others. But I think there are many players who could make a dent. I would say practically all the players here have some sort of chance to make a deep run. There isn't really that much in between them. I might have personal preferences of whom I would like to play, but if you talk to one of the other top players, it might be different. So, it's a really stacked field and everybody's very strong.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While the group stage matches will feature two games, it will increase to four games for the quarter-finals and six games in the semi-finals. The final will be played in a best-of-three sets format. The first two sets will include four games, followed by a two-game set played if needed. The chess tournament at Esports World Cup has a total prize pool of $1.5 million prize pool. The winner will take home $250,000.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
S&P, Nasdaq again close at record highs, trade choppy
The S&P 500 edged higher to eke out a record high close for a sixth straight session on Monday, while the Nasdaq also advanced to a closing record in choppy trade as investors gauged the U.S.-EU trade pact and prepared for a week of major market catalysts. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Others Data Science Product Management others CXO Data Science PGDM MBA Technology Leadership Operations Management Management Healthcare Cybersecurity Digital Marketing MCA Public Policy Artificial Intelligence Project Management Finance Degree Data Analytics Design Thinking healthcare Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 months IIM Lucknow SEPO - IIML CHRO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 16 Weeks Indian School of Business CERT-ISB Transforming HR with Analytics & AI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 28 Weeks MICA CERT-MICA SBMPR Async India Starts on undefined Get Details by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 17 Foods That Should Never Be Placed in the Refrigerator Car Novels Undo trade framework on Sunday, slashing EU import tariffs to 15% - half the previously threatened rate that was scheduled to take effect on August 1. Still, France denounced the deal as a "submission." The deal is the latest announcement in recent days on U.S. trade agreements with countries such as Japan and Indonesia. Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials Live Events resumed talks in Stockholm to resolve a trade war between the world's two largest economies. "It's feel-good in the sense that it doesn't represent Armageddon, if the draconian tariffs went into place," said Scott Welch, chief investment officer at Certuity in Potomac, Maryland. "But it's much too soon to pass judgment on the long-term effects on how that will play out. It's better than the alternative for sure, and so I hope they continue." The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 64.36 points, or 0.14%, to 44,837.56, the S&P 500 gained 1.13 points, or 0.02%, to 6,389.77 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 70.27 points, or 0.33%, to 21,178.58. The benchmark S&P 500 index has now notched six straight daily closing records, en route to its 15th closing record of the year. Stocks have rebounded strongly from a selloff that began in early April when Trump announced a slew of tariffs. Mounting enthusiasm over the potential for AI technology has helped lift stocks, along with the realization of some trade pacts and early indications corporate earnings season may be better than anticipated. Investors now await a policy announcement from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. The central bank is widely expected to keep U.S. rates unchanged even as Trump has ramped up pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower borrowing costs. Also on deck this week were a slew of corporate earnings, including results from heavyweights Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple, which could sway broader investor sentiment in either direction. Along with the Fed meeting and earnings, a number of economic indicators are scheduled to be released this week, including the Personal Consumption Expenditure report (PCE) - the Fed's preferred inflation measure - and the government payrolls report to gauge how tariffs may have affected consumer prices and the labor market. Nike climbed 3.89% after J.P. Morgan upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "neutral" and said investors should "just buy it". Energy, up 1.15% was the best performing S&P sector on the session, buoyed by a jump of more than 2% in oil prices while real estate, down 1.75%, and materials , off 1.44%, were the worst performing. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.81-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 1.48-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 26 new 52-week highs and five new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 68 new highs and 54 new lows. Volume on U.S. exchanges was 17.58 billion shares, compared with the 17.84 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.
