Nonlinear Thinking: Smartphone Diagnosis

MIT Tech Review reports,

In a small trial in Rwanda, a $34 smartphone attachment rapidly and accurately detected the presence of HIV and syphilis antibodies in drops of blood taken from pregnant women. The work, described in a paper published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, demonstrates that laboratory-quality diagnostics can be run on a pocket-sized device that works well in field conditions.

The plastic attachment, about the size of the phone itself, uses disposable cartridges costing just pennies. A health-care worker loads a blood sample, which mixes with chemicals called reagents in microscale channels within the cartridge.

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US Sector ETF Performance – February 9

ETF_DayETF_YTD(click here if charts are not observable)

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Daily Risk Monitor – February 9

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Greece’s crisis – in five charts – FT

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras says he won’t seek an extension of the bailout plan when it expires at the end of February – putting Athens on a collision course with creditors. FT capital markets editor Ralph Atkins explains Greece’s crisis in five charts.

For more video content from the Financial Times, visit http://www.FT.com/video

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US Sector ETF Performance – February 6

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Daily Risk Monitor – February 6

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Why buy Europe? – FT

The FT’s John Authers quizzes Citi’s Jonathan Stubbs on the reasons to buy European stocks. Europe looks cheap, but arguably the answer boils down to two letters: QE.

Click here for more Authers Note videos
http://video.ft.com/Authers-Note

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U.S. Employment Situation – January 2015

The BLS reported this morning,

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 257,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 5.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in retail trade, construction, health care, financial activities, and manufacturing…

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.6 hours in January. The manufacturing work week edged up by 0.1 hour to 41.0 hours, and factory overtime edged down by 0.1 hour to 3.5 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 hour to 33.8 hours.

In January, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 12 cents to $24.75, following a decrease of 5 cents in December. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.2 percent. In January, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 7 cents to $20.80.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for November was revised from +353,000 to +423,000, and the change for December was revised from +252,000 to +329,000. With these revisions, employment gains in November and December were 147,000 higher than previously reported. Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses since the last published estimates and the monthly recalculation of seasonal factors. The annual benchmark process also contributed to these revisions.

Employment__1Employment__2Employment__3(click here if charts are not observable)

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US Sector ETF Performance – February 5

ETF_DayETF_YTD(click here if charts are not observable)

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Daily Risk Monitor – February 5

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