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Good day valued readers,

We hope this week's carefully curated selection of news finds you well. In this edition, we cover the latest developments across investing, finance, crypto, AI, and other topics to help you stay informed.

As always, our goal is to provide you with a professional, unbiased roundup of noteworthy news to augment your understanding of what's happening in the world. We take pride in hand-selecting articles from trustworthy sources across a diverse range of industries.

Please enjoy this week's newsletter. We're grateful for the opportunity to share these insights with you and look forward to continuing to be a valuable resource.

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Investing and Finance

Despite economic headwinds, several China-focused ETFs are outperforming the S&P 500 benchmark this year. At Tesla's annual meeting, investors clashed over Elon Musk's $46 billion compensation package, with some questioning if he's truly a full-time CEO. Microsoft's Build developer conference keynote highlighted 4 key takeaways around AI integration, cloud services, open source, and cybersecurity.

Bill Gates named his top summer book recommendations, calling one title exploring the course of life a "must-read." The Biden administration forgave $7.7 billion in student loans for 160,000 borrowers as part of an overhaul of income-driven repayment plans. Ahead of Nvidia's 10-for-1 stock split, key details and implications for investors in the AI chipmaker were outlined.

Recent strong economic data releases are making it harder for markets to predict when the Federal Reserve may pivot to interest rate cuts. Technology stocks led the S&P 500 and Nasdaq higher to end a volatile trading week marked by economic crosscurrents. Dell's stock hit a record high, buoyed by the broader rally in AI-related stocks as companies position for the AI boom.

Boeing set a new June target for its first astronaut flight after reviewing a small leak on its new Starliner capsule. The overview covers outperforming investments, executive compensation debates, tech conference highlights, book recommendations, student debt relief efforts, an upcoming stock split, economic forecast challenges, weekly market movements, the AI stock frenzy, and aerospace milestones.

1. What Slowdown? These China-Focused ETFs Are Outpacing the S&P 500 - Read more

2. Investors clash over Elon Musk’s $46 billion pay package: ‘The board has yet to ensure that Tesla has a full-time CEO’ - Read more

3. 4 Takeaways From Microsoft's Build Developer Conference Keynote - Read more

4. Bill Gates names his top book recommendations of the summer—and the one that’s a ‘must-read’ - Read more

5. Biden Administration Forgives $7.7 Billion Loans For 160,000 Borrowers - Read more

6. Nvidia's 10-for-1 Stock Split Is Coming—What You Need To Know - Read more

7. Strong Economic Data is Making Interest Rate-Cut Timing Harder to Predict - Read more

8. Stock market today: Tech stocks lead S&P 500, Nasdaq higher to end volatile week - Read more

9. Dell hits record high amid rally in AI stocks - Read more

10. Boeing's 1st astronaut flight now set for June after a review of small leak on new capsule - Read more

Crypto News

Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign began accepting cryptocurrency donations, vowing to build a "crypto army" of supporters. The exploiter behind the $200 million Gala Games hack surprisingly returned over $21 million of the stolen funds. Uniswap Labs fired back against the SEC's legal threats, calling the regulator's claims "weak and wrong" in an escalating confrontation.

Hong Kong barred Worldcoin from operating due to privacy concerns over the startup's iris-scanning identity technology. The CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act passed the U.S. House, seeking to ban unhosted wallets and protect privacy for digital cash. In an abrupt reversal, the SEC approved several firms' applications for spot Ethereum ETFs to trade publicly.

Crypto bank Xapo enabled direct bitcoin deposits via the Lightning Network to leverage the layer-2 scaling solution. The Phantom crypto wallet surpassed PayPal to become the #2 most popular app on the Google Play store. As 2023 draws to a close, a yearly summary highlighted the crypto industry's major events, milestones and storylines.

BlackRock's much-anticipated spot Ethereum ETF was officially listed on the DTCC under the $ETHA ticker symbol. The overview covers political crypto fundraising, prolific hacking incidents, regulatory battles over crypto projects, jurisdictional crackdowns, legislation impacting digital assets, paradigm-shifting ETF approvals, adoption of scaling tech, soaring wallet popularity, year-end retrospectives, and the launch of investment products.

1. Trump campaign starts taking cryptocurrency donations, vows to build a ‘crypto army’ - Read more

2. Gala Games exploiter returns $21 million taken from the $200 million exploit - Read more

3. Uniswap Labs Fires Back Against SEC’s 'Weak and Wrong' Legal Threats - Read more

4. Hong Kong Just Kicked Out Worldcoin Over Privacy Concerns - Read more

5. CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act passes US House in partisan vote - Read more

6. Ethereum ETFs Approved in Abrupt SEC Policy About-Face - Read more

7. Xapo Bank enables bitcoin deposits via Lightning Network - Read more

8. Phantom wallet beats PayPal to secure No. 2 app in Google Play store - Read more

9. Yearly Crypto Summary 2023 - Read more

10. BlackRock's Ethereum spot ETF listed on DTCC under ticker $ETHA - Read more

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft announced a new feature that records everything you do on your computer for AI analysis, raising privacy concerns. Meanwhile, some are questioning if AI will take away jobs, as seen in the article "7 Ways AI Took My Job to the Next Level."

Europe is setting a benchmark for AI laws with landmark regulations, while Google is using AI to show how clothes fit different body types. DeepL, a European rival to Google Translate, is riding the AI hype with a $2 billion valuation. And OpenAI announced new language model capabilities.

On the other hand, Microsoft is touting AI's benefits, like helping to create human-like voices for virtual assistants, while IBM is making more AI models open source. However, some express concerns about AI's potential negative impacts on jobs and privacy.

There are also diverging views on AI's role, with Google promising better search experiences using AI, while also suggesting questionable AI use cases like putting glue on pizza. Overall, this week's overview covers the rapidly evolving AI landscape, from new product features and capabilities to debates around ethics, privacy, and responsible development of this transformative technology.

1. Microsoft Announces Feature That Records Everything You Do on Your Computer for AI - Read more

2. 7 Ways AI Took My Job [To The Next Level] - Read more

3. Europe sets benchmark for rest of the world with landmark AI laws - Read more

4. Google Taps AI to Show Shoppers How Clothes Fit Different Bodies - Read more

5. DeepL, a European rival to Google Translate, rides AI hype to a $2 billion valuation - Read more

6. IBM makes more AI models open source and lands Saudi Arabia deal - Read more

7. OpenAI loses its voice - Read more

8. Your iPhone Already Has AI: The Low-Key AI Features Available Right Now - Read more

9. New agent capabilities in Microsoft Copilot unlock business value - Read more

10. OpenAI: A landmark multi-year global partnership with News Corp - Read more

11. What News Corp's Deal With OpenAI Says About Future of Publishing, AI - Read more

12. Elon Musk says AI will take all our jobs - Read more

13. Truecaller and Microsoft will let users make an AI voice to answer calls - Read more

14. Google promised a better search experience — now it’s telling us to put glue on our pizza - Read more

Top Article Picks this week

Therapists share 20 science-backed strategies to boost body confidence and develop a healthier self-image. An in-depth profile on the secrets behind the world's greatest freediver and his ability to push human limits. New research suggests humans may be a "keystone" species whose activities are pivotal for all other life on Earth.

Demographic data raises concerns that Europe has already reached an alarming population tipping point. Blood tests on centenarians offer tantalizing clues about the biological factors contributing to exceptional longevity. A Supreme Court case could threaten American women's constitutional right to access birth control. A harrowing first-person account from a woman whose boyfriend turned out to be a murderer, exploring the psychology of deception.

Communications experts advise changing one's language to have more productive disagreements. A look back at the scathing original 1851 reviews of the now-classic novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. An examination of the rising "psychedelic inequality" as psychedelic therapies become mainstream medicine. A candid personal essay on the harsh realities of donating plasma as a low-income gig worker trying to make ends meet.

Apple is potentially planning to retire the iconic "iPhone" branding in a future rebrand. Horror master Stephen King reflects on his writing career and the profound life lessons he's learned over decades. A profile on John Stuart Mill, one of the 19th century's most influential but underappreciated intellectuals.

1. Therapists on 20 Ways to Boost Your Body Confidence (Reading time: 12 min) - Read here

2. The Secrets of The World’s Greatest Freediver (Reading time: 32 min) - Read here

3. Humans may turn out to be the most crucial ‘keystone’ species of them all (Reading time: 5 min) - Read here

4. Has Europe already reached its demographic tipping point? (Reading time: 5 min) - Read here

5. Centenarian Blood Tests Give Hints of the Secrets to Longevity (Reading time: 4 min) - Read here

6. How American Women Could Lose the Right to Birth Control (Reading time: 16 min) - Read here

7. “I Was in Love With a Monster”: The Day I Found out My Boyfriend Was a Murderer (Reading time: 10 min) - Read here

8. To Have Better Disagreements, Change Your Words (Reading time: 5 min) - Read here

9. Check Out the Original 1851 Reviews of Moby-Dick (Reading time: 7 min) - Read here

10. Welcome to the Age of Psychedelic Inequality (Reading time: 18 min) - Read here

11. Blood Money - My experience as a plasma donor hasn’t been what I expected. (Reading time: 10 min) - Read here

12. The End of ‘iPhone’ (Reading time: 10 min) - Read here

13. What I’ve Learned: Stephen King (Reading time: 4 min) - Read here

14. The Greatest Unknown Intellectual of the 19th Century (Reading time: 10 min) - Read here

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Book of the week

1984 by George Orwell is a haunting, dystopian masterpiece that serves as a chilling warning about totalitarian control and the insidious manipulation of truth. Set in a world divided into three superstates - Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia - the novel follows Winston Smith, a bureaucrat who doubts the Party and dreams of rebellion. Orwell's brilliant creation of Newspeak, the официал language designed to limit free thought, and the pervasive presence of Big Brother underscore the novel's powerful exploration of control through surveillance, censorship, and historical revisionism.

The introduction of concepts such as "Thought Police," "doublethink," and "Room 101" have become cultural shorthands for totalitarian despotism and mind control. Winston's doomed love affair with Julia adds a layer of tragic humanity to the story as their ill-fated rebellion is crushed by the Party's overwhelming power. Haunting and prophetic, 1984 forces readers to confront the nightmarish consequences of relinquishing truth, freedom, and individuality for the false security of authoritarian rule.

Even decades after its publication, Orwell's iconic work remains a timely and terrifying exploration of how language can be distorted and freedom can be eroded by those hungry for absolute power. The 75th anniversary edition is a poignant reminder that we must stay vigilant against forces that seek to control what we see, hear and ultimately think.

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