Welcome to the 51st edition of The Weekly Bull Report.
Here’s a short list of content we found interesting and informative over the past 7 days…
? Interesting Articles & News:
POLITICS
- Japan’s Emperor Akihito abdicates throne as era ends and a nation pays tribute. ?
- How South African politics is going to extremes.
- FBI director Christopher Wray making his mark as a loud and insistent China critic. Joe Biden says nothing to fear. ?
ECONOMICS
- What the world’s richest hedge fund managers made in 2018 — and how they made it. ??
- China’s ‘charming towns’ plan turns into a nightmare for investors, amid legal crackdown.
- Gold worth billions smuggled out of Africa. Read about it here.
- US job growth in April beats expectations with 263,000 added. Read about it here. (The unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent, the lowest rate since December 1969)
SOCIETY
- Welcome to Shanghai, the capital of the future. (good read)
- How the Kleiner Perkins empire fell. Read about it. ?
- From Gentrification to Decline: How neighborhoods really change.
- Bike-sharing startups brought prosperity to Wangqingtuo. Now residents are dealing with the mess they left behind. ?
- What It’s like to grow up with more money than you’ll ever spend. ??
TECHNOLOGY.
- Big tech’s invasion of banking. Read how. ?
- The $70 billion quest for a good night’s sleep. ?
- The productivity pit: how Slack is ruining work. (IPO coming soon)
- A new study casts doubt on the viability of biodegradable plastics as an answer to plastic pollution. ?
MEDICINE & SCIENCE
- Can algorithms diagnose disease better than doctors? Read here.
- Researchers the Stanford University School of Medicine have created a blood test that can flag chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Entrepreneur behind the cancer immunotherapy revolution. Read about it.
- Why do people with depression like listening to sad music? ?
CULTURE
- Why Leonardo da Vinci’s brilliance endures, 500 years after his death. ?
- Death of the calorie. Read why. ⚰
- The Best New Hotels in the World: The Stay List. ?
- What lies beneath: Robert Macfarlane travels ‘Underland’.
- Striking photos of the San Francisco earthquake.
CANNABIS + MAGIC MUSHROOMS
- Pharmacists in Ontario must now pass a cannabis course. (Great initiative)
- How Israel became the global leader in cannabis research. ???
- Charlotte’s Web announces appointment of Deanie Elsner, former Executive Leader at Kellogg and Kraft, as new Chief Executive Officer.
- Sixty-five years after he smoked his first joint, Willie Nelson is America’s most legendary stoner. ?
- Denver might decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms. Read here. ($WUHN positioned early) ?. More here and here.
- Can the weed industry finally free itself from Stoner-Bro Culture?
- Top Swiss health commission call for ‘legalisation’ of cannabis.
SPORTS
- Caster Semenya ruling ‘tramples on dignity’ of athletes. Read how.?
- Brock Lesnar officially retires from MMA.?
- Despite PGA Tour warning, Bubba Watson becomes latest golfer to endorse CBD product. ?️♂️?
- Kentucky Derby: Country House wins after Maximum Security disqualified. ?
? Noteworthy Stocks & Assets:
- Chinese electric car maker BYD reports 632% jump in profits as Tesla ($TSLA) falters. (Buffett owns a big stake in BYD) ?
- Microsoft ($MSFT) joins the $1 Trillion Club. ?
- Could wagering on sports become a viable financial investment? You bet!
- Stocks are at an all-time high. Here’s what stopped the last 12 bull runs. ?
- Curaleaf buys Select brand to create world’s biggest pot company by sales.
- Under Satya Nadella, Microsoft ($MSFT) has more subscribers than Netflix, more cloud computing revenue than Google, and a near-trillion-dollar market cap.
- Beyond Meat ($BYND) surges 163% in the best IPO so far in 2019. (Now that’s how you
manipulateorganize the IPO order book!)
? Stocks on our / the IBR radar
- Therma Bright Inc. (TSXV: THRM) ?
- City View Green Holdings Inc. (CSE: CVGR) ?
- Callitas Therapeutics ($MPHMF) ?
- Wuhan General ($WUHN) ? (Expect a corporate update/PR this week)
- Portage Biotech ($PTGEF) is ready for round two. ? (A $1,000 investment at our initial call of 0.03 is now worth over $90,000 in 4 years)
? Quotes That Inspire Us:
- “The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.” – Tony Robbins
- ”When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” – Honoré de Balzac
? Word Of The Week:
- Diminutive adj. Extremely small in size; tiny. A very small person or thing.
“Although diminutive in stature, they were a formidable opponent.” “A diminutive report.”
❔ Did You Know:
- One person in 20 has an extra rib, and they are most often men.
- On this day in history: While Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over Napoleon’s French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, it’s not the only historic thing to have happened on May 5. In 1494, Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Jamaica and claimed it for Spain. In 1809, Mary Kies became the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread. In 1904, the Boston Americans’ Cy Young threw the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball. In 1818, political philosopher Karl Marx was born in Trier, Germany.
? A Must Watch & Listen:
- Adam Grant – The case for optimism.
Adam is author of books like Give and Take, Option B, Originals, he’s also the host of a chart topping podcast on work culture called Work Life with TED. Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for seven straight years
? Books We Are Reading:
- The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty – Clayton M. Christensen
Global poverty is one of the world’s most vexing problems. For decades, we’ve assumed smart, well-intentioned people will eventually be able to change the economic trajectory of poor countries. Essentially, the plan is often to identify areas that need help, flood them with resources, and hope to see change over time. But hope is not an effective strategy. - Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again – Eric Topol
Innovative, provocative, and hopeful, Deep Medicine shows us how the awesome power of AI can make medicine better, for all the humans involved.
? Feel Good Sunday:
- Maysoon Zayid TED Talk: I got 99 problems… palsy is just one. Watch.
? One Liners:
- Is a vegetarian permitted to eat animal crackers?
- Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains? ?
Our very best wishes for a brilliant upcoming week! ??
Respectfully yours,
The IBR Team
Please send any news, comments or stock ideas to: jeff@internetbullreport.com and follow IBR on Twitter @IBullReport
