Latest news with #Woodford
Newsweek
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees' Jake Woodford Elects to Leave Organization
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Veteran right-handed pitcher Jake Woodford has triggered the opt-out clause in his contract with the New York Yankees and elected free agency, as first reported by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. More news: Yankees Veteran First Baseman/Outfielder Triggers Opt-Out Clause, Heads to Free Agency Source: Right-hander Jake Woodford triggered an out in his deal with #Yankees and is a free agent. — Steve Adams (@Adams_Steve) June 1, 2025 Woodford signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in March. After not being promoted to the major leagues, the 28-year-old has chosen to head back to free agency in search of a new opportunity. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 6: A New York Yankees baseball hat sits on top of a glove in the Yankee dugout against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium on... NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 6: A New York Yankees baseball hat sits on top of a glove in the Yankee dugout against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium on June 6, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. MoreWoodford made 10 appearances and seven starts at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, sporting a 4.54 ERA across 39.2 innings pitched. He had 39 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.56. Woodford was initially selected in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He rose through the minor league ranks before debuting with St. Louis in 2020. He ended up spending four seasons with the Cardinals, making 80 appearances (18 starts) and sporting a 4.29 ERA across 184.2 innings pitched. More news: Will Yankees Be Aggressive at Trade Deadline? MLB Insider Answers After the 2023 season, Woodford was non-tendered by the Cardinals. In January 2024, he signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox. Woodford made two starts for the White Sox, allowing 10 earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched for a 10.80 ERA. He was then designated for assignment, went back to free agency and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates on a minor league deal. More news: Yankees Pitcher Has 3-Word Response to 5th Inning World Series Meltdown vs Dodgers Woodford ended up making seven appearances and five starts with the Pirates in 2024, sporting a 7.09 ERA over 26.2 innings pitched. He then went back to free agency, where he signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies over the offseason. In March, he exercised his opt-out clause with the Rockies and joined the Yankees, also on a minor league pact. Now, he's going back to free agency yet again, this time likely in search of an opportunity that could lead him back to the majors. Across 89 career appearances (25 starts), Woodford has gone 10-13 with a 4.88 ERA over 219.2 innings pitched. He has 145 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.41. More MLB News: All-Star Utility Man Announces Sudden Retirement From MLB Dodgers Pitcher to Undergo Season-Ending Tommy John Surgery Padres Urged to Acquire $49.5 Million Gold Glover to Fill Biggest Hole in Blockbuster Trade Yankees, Mets Tried to Sign All-Star Infielder, Who Spurned Them for MLB's Worst Team For more MLB news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fox Valley proclamation in place to keep boaters safe during Memorial Day weekend
NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – Local leaders gathered in Neenah during National Boater Safety Week ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, as people came out of hibernation and started working on their boats. As boaters start to descend upon the Fox River, boaters are reminded about some of the dangers that can come when heading out onto the water. Dozens of Scouts lay 6,000 flags across graves of United States Veterans in Appleton ahead of Memorial Day 'That's the reason behind it; we would hope that by bringing it up and letting people hear about it, they would think about it,' Past Flotilla Commander Bob Woche said. 'And just think about how I'm gonna have a good time on the water; think of some other things, too.' Personal Flotation Devices, or PFDs, are still strongly encouraged, as well as making sure your watercraft has a battery cover and is well maintained, even having free vessel checks through the Coast Guard Auxiliary. 'Here in the Fox Cities, to have a local Coast Guard Axillary that's willing to give free vessel checks and inspections to give people information,' Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford said, 'To make sure peoples boats are safe to be on the water.' This is the second year of the proclamation made by Mayor Woodford, and as people start to set sail during Memorial Day Weekend, spreading awareness and what actions can be used to prevent catastrophes is vital. 'Safety measures that I talk about in the proclamation and what the Coast Guard Auxiliary emphasizes are all aiming for making it safer and making people prepared if something were to happen on the water,' added Woodford. Ascension St. Elizabeth celebrates as 'Project SEARCH' interns graduate & head into workforce People who might take out their kayaks or paddleboats for the first time need to be cautious when out on the Fox River. 'We've got to get the kayakers and the paddle craft more cognizant around them,' Woche said. 'Because they are so low to the water, a lot of people can't see them.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Once again, the Government is being reckless with people's money
The Government's financial illiteracy is glaring, almost breathtaking in its scope. It is, sadly, the hallmark of socialist administrations – an undisciplined, reflexive habit of spending without any real understanding of where the money will come from. These governments are often blind to the fact that real wealth creation, the kind that drives a flourishing economy, depends on a thriving private sector. Instead, when the economy starts to stutter, they scramble to plug the gaps. What follows is a grotesque mix of ignorance, panic and, eventually, a full-on retreat into the only playbook they know: state-sponsored kleptocracy. The one consolation in the UK is that our kleptocrats are housed in Whitehall, not in the pockets of oligarchs with private armies. This current administration has gleaned a few lessons from the mistakes of its predecessors – chiefly that a strong economy is a non-negotiable necessity. As Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, put it: 'Productivity isn't everything, but in the long run, it is almost everything.' And yet, for all its fine words about a strong economy, the Government seems woefully short on the means to achieve the very productivity gains they know are critical. Then, there are the regulators – an ever-present feature of any socialist government. Armed with the powers bestowed upon them by misguided, over-elaborate, ill thought-out Acts of Parliament, it feels as though they make rules not to solve problems, but simply to appear as if they are doing something. And in their zeal to regulate, they wreak havoc on the private sector, ignoring the real-world consequences of their actions. The saga of the FSA and FCA since the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 is a case in point. When regulators run riot, the results are nothing short of disastrous as they have been for the London Stock Market in terms of shrinking capitalisation since 1997. Consider the downfall of Woodford Investment Management. The FCA, in its infinite wisdom, accused Neil Woodford of failing to manage liquidity in his fund – a claim that ultimately led to the fund's collapse. The story is a classic case of regulatory overreach. Initially, Woodford's fund held around 10 per cent in private long term investments. But as large withdrawals drained the fund, it was forced to sell off its more liquid assets, leaving the illiquid ones behind. This skewed the fund's liquidity balance, but it was the FCA's interpretation of the FSMA 2000 rules hand in glove with the fund's administrator, Link Fund Solutions, that triggered the suspension. Investors saw their losses crystallised and money disappear, and Woodford, furious, described Link Fund Solutions' decision to liquidate as one that 'I cannot accept, nor believe is in the long-term interests of investors.' The real victims here, of course, were the investors, who saw their capital evaporate thanks to the regulatory juggernaut that couldn't see beyond its own rules. Now, in an ironic twist, this Government – so quick to legislate with little thought for the consequences – is pushing through plans that would force pension funds to allocate 10 per cent of their portfolios to private, illiquid investments under the so-called Mansion House reforms. These funds, remember, are not government money – they belong to individual savers. Pension companies are legally obligated to act in the best interests of those savers, not to prop up a failing economy. This is not theft, but investors should certainly be cautious. If pension fund managers are no longer prioritising their clients' interests, that's a red flag. The Government, it seems, is in direct conflict with the principles laid out by previous administrations – principles that were designed to protect investors. FCA Principle 6, for example, states that firms must pay 'due regard to the interests of their customers and treat them fairly.' It's a simple, yet vital rule: businesses must act in the best interests of their clients. The real question is, when will they learn that real prosperity comes not from the state's intervention, but from a flourishing, free market? Communism's failure to deliver through flawed central planning and a disregard for the power of individual entrepreneurs should be a recent example of the failure of statist diktat. History is littered with them. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Irish Times
29-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Neil Woodford: the resurrection no one asked for
Whether former fund manager Neil Woodford deserves forgiveness is a matter for theology. Whether he deserves your money is a more earthly concern. Six years after the collapse of his £10 billion (€11.7 billion) flagship fund, Woodford has launched W4.0, a venture allowing investors follow model portfolios he's designed and implement the trades via their own brokers. It's pitched as a modern alternative to traditional funds, 'not bound by the constraints of fund launches or minimum sizes' – a freedom Woodford once exercised with such flair it helped sink a £10 billion fund. READ MORE It's essentially a form of copy trading. Woodford's selling point is his long-term mindset and contrarian eye. But the pitch, as ever, is personal: follow me. That may tempt those who remember Woodford's early glory years at Invesco, where he prospered as a value investor, more than his disastrous 2019 implosion. Yet his downfall wasn't about poor returns – it was overconfidence, opacity and a disastrous misjudgement of liquidity risk. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) derided Woodford's 'defective understanding' of his responsibilities. W4.0 may well attract a curious crowd, especially at the right price. But the star manager era has moved on. And so, perhaps, should its stars.
Business Mayor
27-04-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
JEFF PRESTRIDGE: Watchdog's shameful silence over Woodford comeback
Disgraced former fund manager Neil Woodford is currently running rings round the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority. More than a year has passed since the FCA issued a warning notice against Woodford for failing to manage effectively the liquidity risks associated with his £3.7billion investment fund Woodford Equity Income (WEI) in the run-up to its suspension in June 2019. The fund's subsequent break-up crystallised losses for tens of thousands of investors. Since then, while the FCA has remained schtum, Woodford has gone on the offensive. He has launched the Woodford Views website, opining on a mix of economics and markets; been interviewed by a couple of investment experts (the latest, conducted by Simon Brewer for The Money Maze Podcast, is actually worth a listen); and announced the launch of a subscription-based service designed to help investors. This investment service, labelled W4.0, has already attracted interest, and three strategies have initially been marketed, which are designed to help subscribers: Generate a mix of dividend income and investment growth – exactly the kind of return that WEI was set up to deliver but failed to do so; Obtain high growth – a la Woodford Patient Capital, an investment trust now run by Schroders and in the process of wind up (with a share price a tenth that of its £1 launch price in April 2015); and Get a juicy income – 7 per cent plus – which normally only scammers promise. Back for good? Disgraced Neil Woodford's fund collapsed in 2019 Am I being too cynical? Maybe (apologies if I offend). What is fact is that 500 enthusiasts have signed up as 'founding partners' – and more are waiting in the wings, keen to benefit from Woodford's investment 'nous'. How this service goes down with the FCA we will probably never know – as far as the regulator is concerned, silence is golden when it comes to Woodford. Indeed, it took until last Thursday for the FCA to even clock its planned enforcement action against Woodford's name on its register which companies and consumers use to check the details of regulated entities. Maybe the FCA will surprise us by finally holding Woodford to account for his disastrous management of WEI. But even accepting the right of Woodford to challenge any action it wants to take against him, we shouldn't be nearly six years down the road with no finishing post on the horizon. To use footballing parlance, Woodford 4, FCA 0. Fund managers Ian Lance and Nick Purves have done a brilliant job resurrecting the fortunes of investment trust Temple Bar. Since being appointed to run the fund from the end of October 2020, they have transformed it from one heading towards oblivion into an £800 million all-conquering UK equity income trust. In terms of performance, not one of its rivals has come anywhere near it, in the process generating returns of about 140 per cent. Whether the pair, who work for investment house Redwheel, can continue generating such stellar returns for shareholders remains to be seen – the stock market, as Scottish Mortgage investors found out during 2022, has a habit of biting back at some stage. Yet their investment approach, built around buying unloved UK companies in the expectation (not guarantee) of a turnaround at some stage, makes great sense. Especially at a time when growth investing – built around the Magnificent Seven 'tech' stocks – is threatened by a mix of tariffs imposed by President Trump, a fragile global economy and the cost of the rush towards the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (an AI version of Jeff Prestridge cannot be ruled out). Read More Sudden Return of the Trump Trade Sends Treasurys Reeling Impressive as Lance and Purves have been at Temple Bar, it's the words that Lance penned for the trust's latest newsletter that I find even more compelling – and which investors should heed. He says that when stock markets are as volatile as they are now, human instinct drives many investors to go into protection mode and 'run for cover' until things calm down. But he says that bailing out of the market usually results in lower returns than if you keep your nerve. He adds: 'Volatility can be unsettling but is part and parcel of investing in equity markets – and it is the reason why we believe the asset class delivers premium returns over time.' As for their particular investment style, investing in sound businesses at a big discount to their economic worth, Lance says it has 'stood the test of time' – including the bursting of the technology stock market bubble in 2000, the 2008 financial crisis and more recently the 2020 pandemic. In a nutshell, dear investing readers, stay the course. And as I always preach, don't put all your equity eggs in one basket – diversify. Although we are promised a bright new dawn for our railways with the launch (at some indeterminate time in the future) of Great British Railways, it doesn't protect passengers from the network's current creaking infrastructure. On Easter Monday I was one of tens of thousands of commuters caught up in the chaos at London's Paddington Station triggered by a points failure just outside Reading. Commuters travelling into the station from the West Country were also badly affected, with services cancelled or terminating at Reading. It took me more than four hours to get home, as opposed to the normal one hour – and I only managed to do so by cycling to Waterloo to catch an alternative service. Even then it took me two attempts to get home, as a trespasser on the line just outside Clapham Junction caused the first train I got on to be taken out of service, forcing me to go back to London and wait until the offending person was dealt with. Nightmare upon nightmare. While Network Rail, whose responsibilities Great British Railways will eventually take over, cannot be blamed for trespassers on the tracks, it has patently failed in ensuring the country's rail network remains fit for purpose. While I accept that Paddington is an extremely busy station, points failures on the tracks that snake out of it are a regular occurrence for commuters. It's an infrastructure Achilles heel which Network Rail should have addressed long, long ago. On Monday I counted myself lucky because I managed to get home – many others travelling further afield were left stranded. I also got a refund of £20.10 from train operator Great Western Railways, although it didn't compensate me for the three hours of my life lost as a result of Rail Network's failure to do its job properly. Maybe Great British Railways will transform our railways when it finally chugs out of the sidings late next year or in 2027, but I wouldn't bank on it. Delays are embedded into our rail network's DNA.
