Latest news with #RickGardner
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Poisonous plant rapidly spreading across Ohio: what to do if you see it
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohioans may spot clusters of white flowers along roadsides or fence lines as a poisonous plant blooms across the state. Poison hemlock is a flowering plant that is part of the carrot family and can be fatal if ingested by humans or animals. The weed prefers sunny and moist environments, often growing in fields, ditches and creek beds. Typically three to eight feet tall, the plant has fern-like leaves and stems with purple or red markings. When the biennial plant is in its second year of life, it boasts white flowers. While the species can be spotted year-round, it is currently extra noticeable in Ohio, as it is peak blooming season, according to Rick Gardner, chief botanist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 'We are now in the thick of flowering, at least for central and southern Ohio, and they're starting to bloom in northern Ohio,' Gardner said. Poison hemlock is native to parts of Europe and Asia. It was originally introduced to North America in the 1800s as an ornamental plant, thanks to its aesthetically pleasing flowers. While the toxic plant has been documented in Ohio for centuries, it has been rapidly spreading in recent years. 'Within the last, I'd say, 15 years or so, it has skyrocketed or spread really fast throughout the state,' Gardner said. 'Hemlock is like other highly invasive plants; it has really high seed production.' In Ohio, the poisonous plant is most abundant in the western part of the state, but it has spread to all 88 counties, according to the ODNR. The invasive species is also present every American state with the exception of Hawaii, per Montana State University. Poison hemlock is known to look like wild carrot or parsley, but ingesting it could be a fatal mistake. Consuming any part of the plant can result in it attacking one's nervous system and heart, possibly resulting in death, Gardner said. 'It's not a plant you want to take lightly,' Gardner said. 'The chemicals, the poisons in the plant that help protect it from herbivores, if you're exposed to a fair amount, it can cause basically damage to your heart.' Generally, the plant is only poisonous if ingested and people will not get a rash from touching it, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Even if someone does not eat the plant, they could have a reaction through breathing in airborne particles while mowing over it or sap flying in their eyes or mouth while cutting it. Symptoms of hemlock poisoning can occur almost immediately after ingesting the plant, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Signs a person may have ingested poison hemlock include sweating, vomiting, dilated pupils, excess salivation, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, restlessness, confusion, muscle weakness, twitches, tremors and seizures. 'If somebody says that they've been out mowing the yard and they're going through some fern-like plants with white flowers and they show signs of coughing or feeling sick, you should take them to the emergency room right away or call paramedics right away,' Gardner said. Symptoms among animals include trembling, salivation and frothing, lack of coordination, dilated pupils, rapid pulse and convulsions. Both humans and animals can die within a few hours of ingesting the plant. While a healthcare provider can treat symptoms, there is no antidote for poison hemlock. Ohio law mandates that property owners cut or destroy prohibited noxious weeds, including poison hemlock. Gardner said the easiest time to remove the plant is during its early stages of life, before it begins displaying flowers. Small infestations of poison hemlock can be removed by hand. Gardner recommends that hands are protected with gloves, arms are protected with long sleeves and eyes are protected with safety goggles. Plants should be dug out, with the entire root removed. They should then be placed in a construction-grade trash bag and disposed of. Once the plant begins displaying flowers, Gardner said hand-pulling the infested area is 'not an option' and herbicides should be used. Crossbow and Remedy Ultra has the best rating for controlling poison hemlock, followed by glyphosate (Roundup), dicamba and Cimarron Max, according to Ohio State University. Gardner said he does not suggest mowing over the plant, since its particles can become airborne and be ingested. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Global equities expert offers blunt message about US-China trade deal
So, at the end of the day, was it all worth it? President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff regime slammed into the economy like a runaway freight train. 💸💰Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter 💰💸 After what he called his April 2 Liberation Day tariff reveal, the stock market sold off, with the S&P 500 marking its worst two-day loss since the Covid-19 pandemic. China supplies 74% of the toys imported into the U.S., 40% of the footwear and headgear, and a quarter of the electronics and clothing, according to a USA Today analysis of U.S. imports in 2024. It was looking pretty rough until the U.S. and China agreed to drastically roll back levies on each other's goods for an initial 90-day U.S. temporarily lowered its overall tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its levies on American imports to 10% from 125%. The remaining tariffs, including a 30% tariff on China, are still in effect. Still, the stock market took off on the news as the S&P 500 clawed back the tariff-driven losses. Rick Gardner, chief investment officer with RGA Investments, says the stock market's rally has legs. He noted that the trade negotiation with China seemed the toughest one on the docket, "and the idea that there has been this much progress on the negotiations over such a short period of time suggests that a resolution may be on the horizon." 'While there are undoubtedly still uncertainties and details to iron out with the trade negotiation with China, the easing of tensions is apparently enough for the markets, which are typically forward-looking and are pricing in an environment where the U.S. and China are able to trade with each other,' Gardner said. 'While there are undoubtedly still uncertainties and details to iron out with the trade negotiation with China, the easing of tensions is apparently enough for the markets, which are typically forward-looking and are pricing in an environment where the U.S. and China are able to trade with each other,' Gardner said. "Trade was not possible with 145% reciprocal tariffs between the two nations," he added. More Economic Analysis: Fed inflation gauge sets up stagflation risks as tariff policies bite U.S. recession risk leaps as GDP shrinks Like it or not, the bond market rules all The tariffs came with a hefty price tag in the form of a steep fall in global manufacturers' purchases. North American factories respond to tariffs by buying fewer inputs and aggressively stockpiling, according to the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index. Purchasing by Asian manufacturers is at its weakest since December 2023 as demand slumps across the region's key exporting hubs. The index tracks demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories and backlogs based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses. 'The pause on tariffs is a major relief for manufacturers in both the U.S. and China,' John Piatek, vice president of consulting for GEP, told CNBC. 'Our Supply Chain Volatility Index shows manufacturing demand in China is dropping steeply, and U.S. manufacturers are aggressively stockpiling key inputs to buffer against tariffs.' He added that the trade deal wouln't quickly quiet U.S. manufacturers' anxiety about how to reduce risks related to China for the long term. 'As they maneuver to derisk and limit exposure to China, the rapidly changing landscape and uncertainty is clouding manufacturers' outlook and dampening their capital investment and supply chain,' he said. Although Trump said his administration achieved a "total reset with China" with the latest agreement, Alex Frew McMillan is not feeling it. McMillan, global equities expert for TheStreet Pro, said that while the White House was announcing a 'trade deal in Geneva,' the Chinese spoke only of a 'consultation mechanism' to continue talks, which Beijing said have been 'candid, in-depth, constructive.' "But this is not a 'trade deal' in the normal sense, one of those free-trade agreements negotiated over months or years that lays out tariff-free or favorable-tariff rates on certain goods in exchange for easier market access in the partner nation," he said in his recent TheStreet Pro column. "It is simply a suspension of the effective ban on trade, which would have proved ruinous," he appear to read this agreement as a full white flag in the trade war, McMillan said, "but we are going to go through this whole rigmarole in another 90 days." "Meantime, the initial suspension of ruinous tariffs on other nations will expire in early July, bar the U.S. negotiating team striking agreements with the 100-odd nations affected," he said. Even for countries with a U.S. trade surplus, such as Britain, McMillan said those tariffs are escalating almost fivefold to 10%. Britain's trade "deal" is a 10% tariff on 100,000 cars, more or less the number of Bentleys and Jaguars shipped stateside last year, and eased access for U.S. and U.K. beef exports, to the tune of £5 billion, or roughly $5.6 billion, for U.S. farm goods, which McMillan described as "small potatoes." "To see U.S. tariffs escalate worldwide is not a good thing," he said. "It is an inflationary higher tax on trade, it introduces inefficiencies into global supply chains, it scuppers the best attempts of multinationals to do any sort of long-term planning, and it will raise prices for U.S. consumers." Now, don't get him wrong: McMillan said it's very positive to see China and the U.S. talking trade. "But this is only a positive for a negative economic world state that did not exist as we entered this year," he said. "The U.S. economy was in good shape before the tariff tantrum, with low unemployment, inflation just above the desired 2% rate, the world's largest and richest economy ticking along nicely."Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Los Angeles Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Stocks end mixed on Wall Street, holding on to most of the gains they made earlier in the week
NEW YORK — A choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended with a mixed finish for stock indexes Wednesday, as gains by several big technology stocks helped temper losses. The Standard and Poo'rs 500 edged up 0.1% after wavering between small gains and losses much of the day. Most of the stocks in the index lost ground, but solid gains for several heavyweight technology companies like Nvidia helped counter a decline in health care and other sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Super Micro Computer surged 15.7% after signing a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabian data center company DataVolt. Advanced Micro Devices gained 4.7% after announcing a $6 billion stock buyback program. Nvidia rose 4.2% and Google parent Alphabet added 3.7%. Other big gainers included eToro Group, a retail trading platform for stocks and cryptocurrency. It rose 28.8% in its first day of trading. The market has been relatively steady since its surge on Monday, which came after the U.S. and China entered a 90-day pause in their trade war. The market gained some more ground on Tuesday after the government reported that inflation unexpectedly cooled across the country in April. Additional updates on inflation and retail sales are expected on Thursday. The benchmark S&P 500 index, which sits at the center many 401(k) accounts, has erased all its losses since President Trump escalated his global trade war in early April. It has now also erased its losses for the year and is back to within 4.1% of its all-time high set in February. 'The stock market's rally has legs, as the trade negotiation with China was seemingly the toughest one on the docket,' said Rick Gardner, chief investment officer at RGA Investments. Trump has delayed a large swath of his most severe tariffs against America's trading partners, but some import taxes remain in place. Uncertainty over the path ahead continues to hang over businesses and consumers. The on-again-off-again nature of Trump's trade policy has left companies reluctant to make plans about investment and hiring and consumers nervous about spending. Businesses continue to trim or withdraw their financial forecasts as they face unpredictable trade policy and cautious consumers. American Eagle fell 6.4% after the retailer withdrew its financial outlook for the year citing 'macro uncertainty.' General Motors, UPS, Kraft Heinz and JetBlue are among the many companies representing a wide range of industries that have warned about the impact of tariffs and a weakening economy. More than 90% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings for their latest quarter. The majority of companies have reported better-than-expected earnings, but forecasts for earnings growth during the current quarter have been broadly cut in half for companies in the index. The economy has already showed signs of slowing. It shrank 0.3% during the first quarter amid a surge of imports as businesses and consumers tried to stock up amid tariffs and policy uncertainty. Inflation remains a big concern. The latest data on consumer prices released Tuesday showed that tariffs haven't had much impact yet. But that could change as the impact of current tariffs make their way through supply chains and delayed tariffs potentially go into effect. Inflation has cooled to just above the Federal Reserve's target of 2%, but the threat of higher prices on goods because of import taxes has heightened worries about inflation heating up. The U.S. on Thursday will release its April report for inflation at the wholesale level, which is what companies are paying for goods. Economists expect an easing of inflation there. The latest update Thursday for retail sales is expected to reflect a sharp drop to 0.2% in April from 1.4% the previous month. Retail giant Walmart will also report its latest financial results on Thursday and its financial forecasts will be closely watched. In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.54% from 4.47% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which moves more closely with expectations for Fed action, rose to 4.06% from 4.00% late Tuesday. All told, the S&P 500 rose 6.03 points to 5,892.58. The Dow fell 89.37 points to 42,051.06, and the Nasdaq gained 136.72 points to 19,146.81. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Asia and were mixed in Europe. Troise and Veiga write for the Associated Press.
Business Recorder
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
S&P flat as investors focus on trade developments
The S&P 500 was flat in choppy trading on Wednesday after the week's strong start on the back of encouraging inflation data and the U.S.-China tariff truce, as investors turned their attention to global trade developments. Eight of the 11 major S&P sectors were trading lower, although a 0.5% advance in information technology helped stave off larger losses. Most megacap and growth stocks ticked up, with Nvidia leading the charge with a 2.1% jump. Advanced Micro Devices gained 5.4% after the chip designer approved a new $6 billion share buy-back program. As President Donald Trump secured $600 billion in commitments from Saudi Arabia during his tour of the Gulf states, a number of U.S. technology firms announced artificial-intelligence-related deals in the Middle East on Tuesday. At 10:00 a.m. the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 29.97 points, or 0.07%, to 42,170.40, the S&P 500 gained 1.61 points, or 0.03%, to 5,888.16, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 50.26 points, or 0.26%, to 19,060.35. U.S. stocks have been buoyed since the weekend, when the United States and China hit pause on their fierce tariff dispute, signaling a joint effort to stave off a global economic downturn. S&P 500, Nasdaq rise on trade optimism after soft inflation data The U.S. will temporarily lower the extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports to 30% from 145% for three months, while Chinese duties on U.S. imports will fall to 10% from 125% in the same period. 'While there are undoubtedly still uncertainties and details to iron out with the trade negotiation with China, the easing of tensions is apparently enough for the markets,' said Rick Gardner, chief investment officer at RGA Investments, in e-mailed comments. '(Markets) are typically forward-looking and are pricing in an environment where the U.S. and China are able to trade with each other,' he said. Including the day's gains so far, the S&P 500 has swung back into positive territory for the year, a milestone not seen since late February. However, the benchmark index is more than 4% off the record peaks it hit earlier this year. A 90-day tariff pause announced on April 9 for countries other than China, along with solid earnings reports and a limited U.S.-UK trade agreement last week, helped the benchmark indexes claw back. Tuesday's data showed U.S. consumer prices rebounded moderately in April, with headline inflation rising 0.2%, compared with economists' estimate of a 0.3% increase and versus a 0.1% drop in March. U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said recent inflation data indicated progress toward the central bank's 2% target, yet the outlook remained uncertain as potential new import taxes could elevate prices. As earnings season draws to a close, results from retail giant Walmart will be on the radar later in the week. American Eagle Outfitters dropped 5.9% after the apparel company withdrew its annual forecasts, citing economic tariff-fueled uncertainty. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.68-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 1.5-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted two new 52-week highs and six new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 40 new highs and 48 new lows.
West Australian
14-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Wall St flat as investors focus on trade developments
The S&P 500 is flat in choppy trading after the week's strong start on the back of encouraging inflation data and the US-China tariff truce, as investors turned their attention to global trade developments. Eight of the 11 major S&P sectors were trading lower, although a 0.5 per cent advance in information technology helped stave off larger losses. Most megacap and growth stocks ticked up, with Nvidia leading the charge with a 2.1 per cent jump. Advanced Micro Devices gained 5.4 per cent after the chip designer approved a new $US6 billion ($A9.3 billion) share buy-back program. As President Donald Trump secured $US600 billion ($A929 billion) in commitments from Saudi Arabia during his tour of the Gulf states, a number of US technology firms announced artificial-intelligence-related deals in the Middle East on Tuesday. In early trading on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 29.97 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 42,170.40, the S&P 500 gained 1.61 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 5,888.16, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 50.26 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 19,060.35. US stocks have been buoyed since the weekend, when the United States and China hit pause on their fierce tariff dispute, signaling a joint effort to stave off a global economic downturn. The US will temporarily lower the extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports to 30 per cent from 145 per cent for three months, while Chinese duties on US imports will fall to 10 per cent from 125 per cent in the same period. "While there are undoubtedly still uncertainties and details to iron out with the trade negotiation with China, the easing of tensions is apparently enough for the markets," said Rick Gardner, chief investment officer at RGA Investments, in emailed comments. "(Markets) are typically forward-looking and are pricing in an environment where the US and China are able to trade with each other," he said. Including the day's gains so far, the S&P 500 has swung back into positive territory for the year, a milestone not seen since late February. However, the benchmark index is more than four per cent off the record peaks it hit earlier this year. A 90-day tariff pause announced on April 9 for countries other than China, along with solid earnings reports and a limited US-UK trade agreement last week, helped the benchmark indexes claw back. Tuesday's data showed US consumer prices rebounded moderately in April, with headline inflation rising 0.2 per cent, compared with economists' estimate of a 0.3 per cent increase and versus a 0.1 per cent drop in March. US Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said recent inflation data indicated progress toward the central bank's two per cent target, yet the outlook remained uncertain as potential new import taxes could elevate prices. As earnings season draws to a close, results from retail giant Walmart will be on the radar later in the week. American Eagle Outfitters dropped 5.9 per cent after the apparel company withdrew its annual forecasts, citing economic tariff-fueled uncertainty. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.68-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 1.5-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted two new 52-week highs and six new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 40 new highs and 48 new lows.
