FINTECH INNOVATORS AS DRIVERS OF INCLUSIVE ECONOMIES

October 16, 2019
    Atrium, World Bank Headquarters, Washington DC

Imran Khan, the Bangladesh-born strategist behind Snapchat’s success

Imran Khan was born in Bangladesh on June 16, 1977.  He passed H.S.C from Dhaka College in 1996. During his college days, he was well known for his debates. One of his iconic debates was during "Bangladesh Television School Debates 1993-1994". 

Some of you might only know him because of this speech. His speech was all about himself, his visions and most importantly he wanted to become famous and millionaire.

After passing HSC, he moved to Colorado as a student, from there he received his Bachelors of Business Administrative degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Denver. Khan began his career at WildBlue, a Denver-based satellite-broadband startup.

In 2004, Khan was hired by JPMorgan as a researcher and eventually became head of global internet and US entertainment equity research. While at JPMorgan, Khan was ranked the second best internet analyst by Institutional Investor’s annual rankings of researchers.

            

In 2011, Khan switched jobs to lead Credit Suisse’s Internet banking franchise. At Credit Suisse, Khan worked on some of the biggest tech IPOs, such as Go Daddy, Box, GroupOn, Weibo, and so on. As the firm’s head internet banker, Khan is known for his leading role in the $25 billion Alibaba IPO, the largest ever share sale.

Khan joined Snapchat in 2015 as Chief Strategy Officer where he directs the company's corporate strategy, including building up operation, expanding the business partnership, running ad sales and taking a leading role in leading the company to IPO. In his first 30 months at Snap Inc., he helped grow revenue from $0 to $728 million.

In 2016, Khan was named the one of the Most Indispensable Executives in Marketing, Media and Tech by advertising trade magazine Adweek in its annual Adweek 50 List.

Khan is being awarded graciously for his work too, raking in $5 million in bonus in 2016, on top of his $241,539 salary.

He left Snap Inc. in 2018 and that became the breaking news all over the country. The sad part is 90%  of people in Bangladesh don’t know about him, but outside Bangladesh, he is a hotshot.

He left Snap Inc. because of Verishop, his own new e-commerce startup, which goes head-to-head with platforms like Amazon.

His wife Cate Khan also partnered with him who was one of the Marketing Principal & Manager at Amazon. At the end, his dream of becoming famous and a millionaire came true. We learned one of the most valuable things from his life, "Dream with goals because a dream without a goal is just a dream".

Nothing new in the new budget

Bangladesh National Budget 2019-20: Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has presented the new budget, but with nothing very new

within it. It seems to be a continuity of the past 10 years, despite changes in the economy.

On one hand, growth is at an all-time high. On the other, there is also unprecedented inequity in income. The reason behind this is growth without employment. The financial sector is chaos and most banks face a liquidity crisis.

Repayment of interest on high-interest loans, taken to meet budget deficits, has spiralled out of control. There is a huge shortfall in revenue collection. The pressure upon the macro-economy is not reflected in the budget. There are no signs of any plans for damage control.

Coming to power for the third consecutive term, the first change that the Awami League government made in its economic planning was the change in finance minister. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith presented the budget for a stretch of 10 years. There was a bit of a difference in the presentation of the 2019-20 budget by the new finance minister on Thursday. AMA Muhith had set a precedence of a lengthy budget speech and the new finance minister followed suit, but this time there was also a documentary that displayed the emergence and achievements of Bangladesh. Also, the finance minister fell ill and so the prime minister Sheikh Hasina had to take over reading the budget, something that has never been done before.

Failure in implementation

Awami League has the experience of presenting 11 consecutive budgets. The present finance minister used to be the planning minister. That means he was not far from the task of budget implementation. However, this time too, the budget wasn’t fully implemented. Every year there has been a repeated performance of presenting a massive budget, making adjustments towards the end, and then finally making further amendments. In other words, there have always been promises over the past decade, of implementing a large budget, but then falling short of the commitment.

Why are changes made in the budget? The finance minister’s speech stated briefly that it seems that revenue collection will fall somewhat short of target. That is why he brought down the revenue target of the current 2018-19 fiscal to Tk 226.68 billion (Tk 22,668 crore). However, given the state of revenue collection, the deficit is likely to be much more. That will entail further amendment at the end of the financial year.

The budget has been adjusted when it comes to expenditure too. Revenue expenditure had been cut down to Tk 220.32 billion (Tk 22,032 crore) and development budget slashed to Tk 60 billion (Tk 6,000 crore).

There has also been failure in utilising the funding sources to meet the budget deficit. For example, the target had been to procure Tk 501.16 billion (Tk 50,116 crore) from foreign aid sources to meet the budget deficit, but only Tk 473.97 billion (Tk 43,397 crore) is being procured. Also, Tk 420.29 billion (Tk 42,029 crore) was to be procured from the banking sector, but only Tk 308.95 billion (Tk 30,895 crore) is being availed. On the other hand, the government will sell Tk 450 billion (Tk 45,000 crore) worth of saving certificates, though the target had been Tk 261.97 billion (Tk 26,197 crore).

The budget for the current fiscal is around Tk 4.43 trillion (Tk 4,42,541 crore). Of this, earnings have been around Tk 3.20 trillion (Tk 3,20,990 crore), meaning an overall deficit of Tk 1.26 trillion (Tk 1,25,929 crore).

The new budget

The finance minister has proposed an expenditure of Tk 5.23 trillion (Tk 5,23,190 crore) for the coming 2019-20 fiscal budget. However, income target is Tk 3.82 billion (Tk 3,81,978 crore). The finance minister hopes to procure foreign grants to the tune of Tk 638.480 billion (Tk 63,848 crore). Another Tk 473.64 billion (Tk 47,364 crore) from domestic sources will be procured from the banks.

As it is, the banks are in a deep financial crisis. They have no hard cash and the private sector is unable to avail loans. Yet the finance minister is planning to reach out in that direction. If he succeeds in doing so, the private sector will be deprived.

The final source to meet the budget deficit is the cost-intensive saving certificates. The public has no confidence in the share market and interest on deposits in low. They thus turn to the safe and profitable alternative of saving certificates, The government targets earnings of Tk 270 billion (Tk 27,000 crore) from this source. This may eventually be increased.

The new finance minister’s new budget is massive. A large chunk of this budget’s expenditure will be in the non-productive sector. This includes 19.3 per cent from the revenue budget for salaries and allowances, and another 8.7 per cent for pension. The most dangerous factor is that 18 per cent of the allocation will go into repaying interest. Every year a massive budget is presented and every year the government is taking costly loans to meet the shortfalls. The new finance minister is going down the same path.

What lies within the budget

The finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has not displayed any extraordinarily high ambitions in the new budget. Income and expenditure targets haven’t been too unrealistic. He has admitted the difficulties in budget implementation, but has also spoke of fulfilling the projected aspirations. How he intends to do so remains unsaid.

He has attempted to reassure the common people in certain sectors. He said the budget contains nothing that will push up prices of essentials. However, it is to be seen how far this will prove true.

The finance minister has promised that employment will be created for 30 million (3 crore) people by 2030, though this too he didn’t elaborate upon.

He has allocated Tk 1 billion (Tk 100 crore) for start-ups for the young entrepreneurs. There is allocation to bring educational institutions under the MPO umbrella. The number of beneficiaries in the social sector is increasing. Crop insurance has been promised and much more.

Those pleased with the new budget are the readymade garment sector entrepreneurs, who will be receiving incentive on exports. The upper class will be gaining in many ways. While he complained that the people did not pay income tax, the minister cut surcharge on assets. Owners of black money are also being facilitated. The finance minister has stood in favour of the wealthy and powerful. Now that the budget has been declared, the challenge of implementation begins.

Dear students: Our Semester is finished. So you don't have to post in this blog anymore. But those who have posted here thanks to them.

Last word of mine:

"TEACHERS OPEN THE DOOR BUT
STUDENTS MUST ENTER THE DOOR BY YOURSELF"

Sharmina Zaman

Amazon Posts Record Profit of $3.6 Billion in 1Q 2019.

Amazon posted a record profit of $3.6 billion for the first quarter of 2019, amid revenue slowdown but booming cloud services growth.

Amazon posted a record profit of $3.6 billion for the first quarter of 2019, powered by the rapid growth of its cloud services unit even as overall revenue slowed.

Amazon Blows Past Estimates to Post Record $3.6 Billion Quarterly Profit

 Amazon blew clear past analysts expectations with the announcement of a $3.6 billion profit for the first quarter of 2019, powered by the rapid growth of its cloud services unit even as overall revenue growth slowed for the company.

Total revenue for the company grew 16.9 percent over the first quarter of 2018, marking its slowest growth quarter in four years. North American revenue grew 17 percent while last year’s first quarter growth came in at 46 percent. International growth fell to 9 percent from last year’s first quarter growth of 34 percent.

The growth of Amazon’s advertising unit slowed to 34 percent after five straight quarters of 60 percent growth or higher. It’s brick and mortar stores, like Whole Foods barely grew at all by comparison, increasing just one percent over last year.

Revenue growth for Amazon’s cloud service unit meanwhile remained relatively steady, growing at 41 percent over last year, though this was a dip from last year’s 49 percent growth in the first quarter.

In all, Amazon had a record net profit of $3.6 billion in the first quarter, while having an operating profit of $4.4 billion, a profit margin of 7.4 percent, nearly double last year’s profit margin of 3.8 percent.

The growth in profits were created from the company’s cloud services, advertising, and third-party seller services, which have lower total sales, but much lower costs, making each sale more profitable than a sale in its other businesses, such as Whole Foods. The steady revenue growth of its popular Amazon Web Services cloud service certainly played a part in producing the company’s record-setting quarterly profit.

Engineering Economics - Last Day - Photos

Engineering Economics, Sec- 3, Spring 19, NSU - Students tried to make the last class memorable.  

EEE452.3 in a frame

Mrs. Sharmina Zaman mam's euphonious song performed in the class party

We all really enjoyed this song very much. Thank you Mam for making our day special. 

How Do Investors Lose Money When the Stock Market Crashes?

Over the last 100 years, there have been several large stock market crashes that have plagued the American financial system. For example, during the great depression, stock prices dropped to 10% of their previous highs and during the crash of 1987, the market fell more than 20% in one day.

Due to the way stocks are traded, investors can lose quite a bit of money if they don't understand how fluctuating share prices affect their wealth. In the simplest sense, investors buy shares at a certain price and can then sell the shares to realize capital gains. However, if the share price drops dramatically, the investor will not realize a gain.For example, suppose an investor buys 1,000 shares in a company for a total of $1,000. Due to a stock market crash, the price of the shares drops 75%. As a result, the investor's position falls from 1,000 shares worth $1,000 to 1,000 shares worth $250. In this case, if the investor sells the position, he or she will incur a net loss of $750. However, if the investor doesn't panic and leaves the money in the investment, there's a good chance he or she will eventually recoup the loss when the market rebounds.

Another way an investor can lose large amounts of money in a stock market crash is by buying on margin. In this investment strategy, investors borrow money to make a profit. More specifically, an investor pools his or her own money along with a very large amount of borrowed money to make a profit on small gains in the stock market. Once the investor sells the position and repays the loan and interest, a small profit will remain.

This strategy certainly works if the market goes up, but if the market crashes, the investor will be in a lot of trouble. For example, if the value of the $1,000 investment drops to $100, the investor will not only lose the dollar he or she contributed personally but will also owe more than $950 to the bank (that's $950 owed on an initial $1.00 investment by the investor).

In the events leading up to the great depression, many investors used very large margin positions to take advantage of this strategy. However, when the depression hit, these investors worsened their overall financial situations because not only did they lose everything they owned, they also owed large amounts of money. Because lending institutions could not get any money back from investors, many banks had to declare bankruptcy. In order to prevent such events from occurring again, the Securities and Exchange Commission created regulations that prevent investors from taking large positions on margin.

By taking the long-term view when the market realizes a loss and thinking long and hard before buying on margin, an investor can minimize the amount of money they lose in a stock market crash.

Why Hong Kongers, Malaysians are Confident Technology will Generate New Jobs

When asked how modern technology will impact the labour market, many say computers and robots will take over their jobs. Not Hong Kongers. They believe the technology will result in new vacancies.

The Hong Kong chapter of the multinational human resource company Randstad’s latest report shows that eight in 10 residents (81 per cent, to be specific) of the city are positive that digital technology presents them with new opportunities. The latest Workmonitor quarterly report was based on the responses of over 400 employees and job seekers in Hong Kong SAR.

Taking ahead 
The report notes that employees and job seekers in the region of Hong Kong SAR are aware that they need to upskill to take advantage of these opportunities that come with technological advancements and new innovations. Eight-three per cent of the respondents said they will need to acquire new skills if they want to work in a digital-led environment. In fact, the same number of respondents want to personally acquire these skills to guarantee their employability.   

More investment

According to the Randstad Workmonitor survey, 48 per cent of the respondents said their employer is investing in new technologies within the field of artificial intelligence (AI) such as machine learning, robotics and automation. 

Three-quarter of the respondents agreed that these emerging technologies will have a positive impact on their job in the next five to 10 years. While 79 per cent believe their employers should provide them with adequate training to acquire new digital skills and increase productivity, only 46 per cent said their employers are doing so.

What’s more, 63 per cent are taking matters into their own hands, and investing in themselves to learn about AI. 

Confidence in the younger generation

In Hong Kong, 84 per cent of survey respondents said that students are being taught and exposed to the right digital skills that will help prepare them for the future workforce.

Overall, the workforce Mobility Index is moderate in Hong Kong in quarter four of 2018, the report notes. “Compared to the previous quarter, job satisfaction had increased one point to 47.2 per cent. The percentage of respondents who are actively looking for a job had increased from 9.9 per cent to 13.4 per cent in quarter four,” it states. 
Over 34 per cent of the respondents said they had changed job in the past six months, an increase from 30 per cent in the previous quarter. 

The Malaysian thinking

Nine in 10 Malaysians also believe that digital technology presents them with new opportunities, says another Randstad report. They are also positive that they will need to acquire new skills if they want to work in a digital-led environment. Ninety-three per cent are willing to personally acquire these skills to guarantee their employability.

The survey shows that 69 per cent of the respondents say their employer is investing in new technologies within the field of AI, and more than eight in 10 respondents (81 per cent) agree that these emerging technologies will have a positive impact on their job in the next five to 10 years. While 82 per cent think their employers should provide them with adequate training to acquire new digital skills and increase productivity, only 63 per cent said that their employers are doing so.

What Business Owners Need to Know About Protecting Their Data

With the recent rush toward enhancing consumer data protection due to GDPR and other privacy regulations that have taken effect, businesses have strengthened their platforms toward better protecting and securing user data. But is this enough? What do you need to know as a business owner, entrepreneur or manager?

Recent vulnerability reports prove that even major ecommerce and social platforms can easily become an attack vector for cross-site-scripting (or XSS) attacks, and these happen even if the platforms themselves are secure. With vulnerabilities in third-party application providers being used by major customer-facing platforms, there is an increased risk that user data will be exposed to malicious players. This is the risk we all face, unfortunately. 

Data privacy regimes

Perhaps the biggest tech news in 2018 was the enforcement of the European General Data Protection Regulation, which sought to protect European Union citizens' personal data from being collected and utilized without consent. With the GDPR, any business that handles data on E.U. citizens, or which counts E.U. citizens as among their clients, will need to explicitly inform said users of data gathering efforts, and seek explicit content for doing so.

GDPR has had its impact even outside of Europe since any business that provides services to E.U. citizens or residents will need to comply. In addition, there have been numerous privacy-focused regulations that are also in effect worldwide, given the recent consumer and business focus on data privacy, which are all good things that are working to protect us.Even with an increased focus toward enhancing privacy, however, there are still a lot of risks involved when it comes to businesses losing user data to malicious hackers. For one, given the collaborative nature of services (e.g., an ecommerce store utilizing a payment processor or a logistics provider), the weakest link here would be the service that can introduce a potential breach. In this regard, the moment a third-party application puts the user at risk, the entire operation could already be compromised.

XSS in a nutshell

In the simplest explanation, XSS attacks are a form of data-injection, wherein malicious client-side code is injected by an attacker into an otherwise legitimate website. This works by injecting code -- usually JavaScript -- into a website or web app’s output, often working through forms such as search fields, feedback forms, forum text entry fields and even cookies stored on a user’s browser.

When an unsuspecting user accesses an affected website, the injected code has the potential to deliver a payload, which can include executing code, stealing data, controlling a user’s session or installing backdoors to a computer system or network.

Such attacks are borne by the need for today’s websites to be interactive. With the numerous interactions between browser and server over a single session, XSS can even be used to pull content from a third-party website, use existing cookie data (which can include usernames and passwords), or interact directly with an app’s client-side processes.

XSS in a nutshell

In the simplest explanation, XSS attacks are a form of data-injection, wherein malicious client-side code is injected by an attacker into an otherwise legitimate website. This works by injecting code -- usually JavaScript -- into a website or web app’s output, often working through forms such as search fields, feedback forms, forum text entry fields and even cookies stored on a user’s browser.

When an unsuspecting user accesses an affected website, the injected code has the potential to deliver a payload, which can include executing code, stealing data, controlling a user’s session or installing backdoors to a computer system or network.

Such attacks are borne by the need for today’s websites to be interactive. With the numerous interactions between browser and server over a single session, XSS can even be used to pull content from a third-party website, use existing cookie data (which can include usernames and passwords), or interact directly with an app’s client-side processes.The weak point is assumed to have originated in a third-party mobile linking platform that unifies user experiences across different devices and channels. The service has an alias subdomain for its partner sites (including the ones listed above), and clicking on links pointing to these subdomains may have rendered users vulnerable to data theft through scripts injected by malicious hackers.

What can businesses and users do?

The company involved has promptly fixed the potential vulnerability after receiving reports of the XSS risk. However, this precludes the possibility that attackers may have discovered the vulnerability and exploited it to steal data. Therefore, this means that users who have recently or regularly used services detailed above like Tinder, need to double check if their accounts are not compromised. Password changes and browser cache/cookie clearing might be a good idea.For businesses, meanwhile -- especially those that run consumer-facing platforms, or even those that utilize websites for employee access -- there are several methods to minimize the risks, as explained by Computer Weekly, associated with XSS. This involves building applications with a tight security development lifecycle. This means constantly building and updating in order to reduce or eliminate security-related errors in design and coding. This also means assuming that all data that is being received by the application can potentially come from an untrusted source, even if it comes from users who are already logged in and authenticated.

As such, some changes that can be adopted for entrepreneurs, business owners and managers can include:

• Not trusting user input blindly. This means constantly validating the input for type, length, format and data range whenever such data goes across trust boundaries;
• Reducing client-side input, to preclude the possibility of unwanted code or character sets being passed through;
• Setting a webpage’s character set to the bare minimum (ISO-8859-1), which is enough for English and most European languages;
• Asking users to re-authenticate before accessing critical services;
• Immediately expiring login sessions if access from multiple IP addresses is detected;
• Utilizing vulnerability scanners to keep track of such risks in real-time;
• And conducting penetration testing before an application or website goes live.

  The takeaway

  As XSS attacks have been all over the headlines, it makes sense to focus on preventing security risk, especially in the light of calls for better data privacy and protection. This is important today, given the fact that most sites will not work without client-side scripting.
  If this has still gone above your head, make sure to contact your webmaster and have him or her walk you through these important points regarding data protection. Knowing that major social networks and services have actually been at open risk to a big XSS attack, both businesses and users need to be proactive about their security.

4 things we’ll learn from the first closeup image of a black hole.

What does a black hole really look like?

Black holes live up to their names: The great gravitational beasts emit no light in any part of the electromagnetic spectrum, so they themselves don’t look like much.

But astronomers know the objects are there because of a black hole’s entourage. As a black hole’s gravity pulls in gas and dust, matter settles into an orbiting disk, with atoms jostling one another at extreme speeds. All that activity heats the matter white-hot, so it emits X-rays and other high-energy radiation. The most voraciously feeding black holes  in the universe have disks that outshine all the stars in their galaxies (SN Online: 3/16/18).

Does general relativity hold up close to a black hole?

The exact shape of the ring may help break one of the most frustrating stalemates in theoretical physics.

The twin pillars of physics are Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which governs massive and gravitationally rich things like black holes, and quantum mechanics, which governs the weird world of subatomic particles. Each works precisely in its own domain. But they can’t work together.

“General relativity as it is and quantum mechanics as it is are incompatible with each other,” says physicist Lia Medeiros of the University of Arizona in Tucson. “Rock, hard place. Something has to give.” If general relativity buckles at a black hole’s boundary, it may point the way forward for theorists.

Since black holes are the most extreme gravitational environments in the universe, they’re the best environment to crash test theories of gravity. It’s like throwing theories at a wall and seeing whether — or how — they break. If general relativity does hold up, scientists expect that the black hole will have a particular shadow and thus ring shape; if Einstein’s theory of gravity breaks down, a different shadow.

Do stellar corpses called pulsars surround the Milky Way’s black hole?

Another way to test general relativity around black holes is to watch how stars careen around them. As light flees the extreme gravity in a black hole’s vicinity, its waves get stretched out, making the light appear redder. This process, called gravitational redshift, is predicted by general relativity and was observed near SgrA* last year (SN: 8/18/18, p. 12). So far, so good for Einstein.

An even better way to do the same test would be with a pulsar, a rapidly spinning stellar corpse that sweeps the sky with a beam of radiation in a regular cadence that makes it appear to pulse (SN: 3/17/18, p. 4). Gravitational redshift would mess up the pulsars’ metronomic pacing, potentially giving a far more precise test of general relativity.

How do some black holes make jets?

Some black holes are ravenous gluttons, pulling in massive amounts of gas and dust, while others are picky eaters. No one knows why. SgrA* seems to be one of the fussy ones, with a surprisingly dim accretion disk despite its 4 million solar mass heft. EHT’s other target, the black hole in galaxy M87, is a voracious eater, weighing in at between about 3.5 billion and 7.22 billion solar masses. And it doesn’t just amass a bright accretion disk. It also launches a bright, fast jet of charged subatomic particles that stretches for about 5,000 light-years.

UBTECH Robotics Gets US$820 Million Funding; Becomes the World’s Most Valuable AI Startup

Chinese AI and humanoid robotic company UBTECH Robotics today announced a staggering US$820 million in Series C funding. With its new estimated value of US$5 billion, Shenzhen City based UBTECH becomes the world’s most valuable AI startup.

Internet giant Tencent led the funding with a US$120 million investment. It is believed UBTECH’s capabilities in robot design and manufacturing will strengthen Tencent’s AI products. Last year, Tencent reportedly pumped US$40 million into UBTECH. Also joining the funding are the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Haier, Minsheng Securities, Telstra, CDHFund, and others.

Zhou Jian

UBTECH Founder and CEO Zhou Jian told Synced that “this round of financing will be mainly used for strengthening R&D capabilities, facilitating marketing and brand development, and attracting top-tier talents.”

Founded in 2012, UBTECH aims to “bring a robot into every home, and truly integrate intelligent robots into the daily lives of everyone creating a more intelligent way of life.” The company’s Alpha 1S robot holds the Guinness World Record for “most robots dancing simultaneously.” A video of UBTECH robodog Jimu dancing and licking paws at the 2018 CCTV Spring Festival Gala went viral. Also in the UBTECH family are Cruzr, an intelligent service robot; the voice-activated, video-enabled companion Lynx; and a Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper robot. The company even produces a BuilderBots Kit for children who want to build robots.

6 STOCK MARKET INVESTING TIPS AND GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

6 STOCK MARKET INVESTING TIPS AND GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

    

1. Set Long-Term Goals

Before investing, you should know your purpose and the likely time in the future you may have need of the funds. If you are likely to need your investment returned within a few months, consider another investment; the stock market with its volatility provides no certainty that all of your capital will be available when you need it.
By knowing how much capital you will need and the future point in time when you will need it, you can calculate how much you should invest and what kind of return on your investment will be needed to produce the desired result. 

Remember that the growth of your portfolio depends upon three interdependent factors:

                     1. The capital you invest

                     2. The amount of net annual earnings on your capital

                     3. The number of years or period of your investment

2. Understand Your Risk Tolerance

By understanding your risk tolerance, you can avoid those investments which are likely to make you anxious. Your risk tolerance is how you feel about risk and the degree of anxiety you feel when risk is present. In psychological terms, risk tolerance is defined as “the extent to which a person chooses to risk experiencing a less favorable outcome in the pursuit of a more favorable outcome.” 

3. Control Your Emotions

Even when the stock price has performed as expected, there are questions: Should I take a profit now before the price falls? Should I keep my position since the price is likely to go higher? Thoughts like these will flood your mind, especially if you constantly watch the price of a security, eventually building to a point that you will take action. Since emotions are the primary driver of your action, it will probably be wrong.

                                  

4. Handle Basics First  

Before making your first investment, take the time to learn the basics about the stock market and the individual securities composing the market. There is an old adage: It is not a stock market, but a market of stocks. Your focus will be upon individual securities, rather than the market as a whole. There are few times when every stock moves in the same direction; even when the averages fall by 100 points or more, the securities of some companies will go higher in price

5. Diversify Your Investments 

Experienced investors such as Buffett eschew stock diversification in the confidence that they have performed all of the necessary research to identify and quantify their risk. They are also comfortable that they can identify any potential perils that will endanger their position, and will be able to liquidate their investments before taking a catastrophic loss.
The popular way to manage risk is to diversify your exposure.

Diversification allows you to recover from the loss of your total investment.

6. Avoid Leverage/Margin Loan 

Leverage/Margin loan simply means the use of borrowed money to execute your stock market strategy. In a margin account, banks and brokerage firms can loan you money to buy stocks, usually 50% of the purchase value.

Margin is a tool that can go extremely bad in a stock market like Bangladesh.    

Meet Katie Bouman, woman behind first black hole photo

“3 years ago Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) grad student Katie Bouman led the creation of a new algorithm to produce the first-ever image of a black hole,” MIT’s Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab tweeted. Now, that image has been released. (New York Post) #WomenInSTEM

This is the MIT computer scientist whose algorithm led to the first real image of a black hole.

Katie Bouman, 29, has devoted years to the galactic quest and on Wednesday — when the first image of a black hole and its fiery halo was released — social media users pushed for her to get her due.

“Congratulations to Katie Bouman to whom we owe the first photograph of a black hole ever. Not seeing her name circulate nearly enough in the press,” wrote Twitter user Tamy Emma Pepin. “Amazing work. And here’s to more women in science (getting their credit and being remembered in history).”

By Wednesday evening, Bouman’s name was trending nationally on Twitter.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that Bouman should take her “rightful seat in history.”

“Congratulations and thank you for your enormous contribution to the advancements of science and mankind,” she tweeted. “Here’s to #WomenInSTEM!,” which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Both MIT and the Smithsonian also tweeted to laud Bouman’s achievements.

“3 years ago MIT grad student Katie Bouman led the creation of a new algorithm to produce the first-ever image of a black hole,” MIT’s Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab tweeted. “Today, that image was released.”

Bouman, who posted a photo on Facebook of her reaction to seeing her work come to fruition, responded modestly.

“No one of us could’ve done it alone,” she told CNN. “It came together because of lots of different people from many different backgrounds.”

While she was a graduate student at MIT, Bouman led the development of the algorithm that helped capture the first-of-a-kind image, working with a team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the MIT Haystack Observatory. She also led testing over the last few years to verify the image.

She’s now an assistant professor of computing and mathematical sciences at the California Institute of Technology.

The Old Farmers Almanac

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is North America's #1 Almanac—the biggest, best-selling periodical, as well as the oldest almanac—published since George Washington's time as president. As other almanacs come and go, The Old Farmer's Almanac remains as the esteemed tome valued by generations.

"A calendar of the heavens," The Old Farmer's Almanac speaks to all walks of life: forecasts for those who don't like the question of weather left up in the air; planting charts for those who garden; recipes for those who live in the kitchen; Moon phases for those who love to watch the sky; folklore, wit, and wisdom.

The words of our founder, Robert B. Thomas, guide us still: "strive always to be useful, but with a pleasant degree of humor." The 2019 Old Farmer's Almanac—our 227th edition—is now available! Order online at https://store.almanac.com/almanacs or pick up a copy at a retailer near you!

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