Fireball lights up skies over Ohio, Pennsylvania and Toronto - YouTube - Space.com - planetary science

The American Meteor Society recieved several reports of a fireball in the skies over Ohio,Pennsylvania and Ontario on 21 OCT 2024.Credit:Space.com | footage courtesy Ryan Conner,North Royalton,Ohio;John Oelschager,West Mifflin,Pennsylvania;Walter White,Lancaster Pennsylvania;Brad Hague,Toronto,Ontario*Hopefully fragments of the fireball will be recovered for analysis.*Text by Space.com and edited by Andrew Taylor

Commodity Price Slump;Biogen Idec;RBC Canadian Open

Oil production is running sky high.Chinese growth is less than optimal and the grain growing season has been ideal,pointed out Dennis Gartman,editor of The Gartman Letter.You have the makings of a protracted commodity downturn.The dollar is so strong,it's cast a pall on all commodities.Everything is under pressure because of the strong dollar.*
Michael Yee of RBC Capital Markets likes Biogen Idec stock.We're telling people to buy the dip,he said.The stock will go higher and we continue to be positive here.The data on their candidate Alzheimer's drug will be out two years from now.The drug will hit the market in 2018.It looks like a very good risk-reward to us.The Biogen data looks very positive.*
The RBC Canadian Open was held before large and supportive crowds at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville,Ontario over the weekend.Jason Day of Australia won his fourth PGA title,with American Bubba Watson taking second and Canadian David Hearn coming in third on the leader board.Canada's Graham DeLaet had to withdraw from the tournament because of a thumb injury.*
Biogen Idec (BIIB)

Canadian Banks:Cramer's Top Pick

CNBC's Jim Cramer has announced his favorite Canadian bank.It is Toronto Dominion Bank,the nation's 2nd largest.TD recently raised its dividend and beat its earnings estimate.
TD is a conservative,deposit-rich bank,Cramer pointed out.With most of its exposure in Ontario,it attracts a great deal of natural resource clients.
The bank has 25% of its business in the U.S.,and is buying Chrysler Financial for 3.6 billion dollars.This will improve its loan/deposit ratio.TD has no headline risk,in Cramer's opinion.
Despite Cramer's call,the typical Cramer bounce in a stock he selects didn't seem to materialize when he announced it.This leads to a certain train of thought:Don't they like Canada?Don't they trust Canada?Are they bored by Canada?
Toronto Dominion Bank(TD)

Bristol-Myers/Pfizer Drug Apixiban Superior to Aspirin For AF Patients

A Phase 3 trial of the Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer oral medication apixiban showed that,for atrial fibrillation patients unsuitable for a vitamin K antagonist such as warfarin,apixiban is superior to aspirin at reducing the risk of stroke or systemic embolism without a significant increase in major bleeding(annual event rate of 1.6% for apixiban versus 3.7% for aspirin).
The study also showed that apixiban was superior to aspirin at reducing the composite of stroke,systemic embolism,heart attack or vascular death for AF patients versus aspirin(annual event rate of 4.2% for apixiban versus 6.7% for aspirin).
Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia.It afflicts about 5.1 million Americans and more than 6 million Europeans.About 40-50% of AF patients are considered unsuitable for vitamin K antagonists because of the risk of bleeding and incompatibility with other medications.
Lead investigator Dr.Stuart Conolly,MD,professor of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton,Ontario,said the risk of stroke or systemic embolism is of great concern for patients with atrial fibrillation,especially because AF-related strokes are particularly devastating.Given the significant number of patients who are not eligible for vitamin K antagonists,it is especially important to have potential new treatment options that are both safe and effective.
Pfizer and Bristol-Myers have been in a worldwide collaboration to develop and commercialize apixiban since 2007.
Bristol-Myers Squibb(BMY),Pfizer(PFE)

Polaroid's Retro Product

Polaroid Corporation is reviving its hallmark product,the instant camera,which was withdrawn in 2007 to the disappointment of many.The troubled company had gone into bankruptcy in 2001 and was eventually acquired by private equity firms in Toronto and Boston.The Polaroid 300 Instant Camera will have a strong appeal to Baby Boomers,who grew up with a similar device.It comes in several colors and is a large yet lightweight camera.The camera features an integrated auto flash and four light settings.
The instant camera produces business card-sized prints which pop up from the top of the camera.You then set them on a table for a minute while they self-develop.The image quality is good,but not perfect-just as Boomers remember the instant prints from their childhoods.Polaroid also makes digital cameras.
The Polaroid 300 Instant Camera sells for under 100 dollars U.S.It was featured on the HSN cable channel recently.

Canadian Province Courts Businesses

The Ontario provincial government is courting U.S. businesses through an ad campaign.Ontario indicates that it has a number of strong points for the businesses to consider,such as R&D tax credits;educated workers;and billions in government investment.There is a climate of innovation in the province,creating an ideal environment for green businesses in particular.
Ontario says its R&D tax credits are some of the most generous in the world.And their combined federal/provincial corporate income tax rate is lower than the U.S. federal/state average,the province contends.Ontario is transforming green ideas into green business,which is why over 2500 environmental firms have set up shop there,according to the publicity.
Many U.S. observers have been complaining that high U.S. corporate taxes are making the nation less competitive in the global economy.

Automakers Critical To Canada

The Canadian government,on both the national and provincial level,has been watching the U.S. automakers with great concern.The automotive industry is Canada's largest manufacturing segment,directly employing more than 150,000.The industry contributes more than 14% of Canada's manufacturing output,sustaining 12 Ontario communities.In consequence,the Canadian authorities are providing 3.29 billion dollars U.S. in loans to Canadian subsidiaries of General Motors and Chrysler.The federal government will give 2.09 billion,while Ontario will provide another 1.2 billion,said Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.President Bush is authorizing 17.4 billion in aid to the struggling automakers.Ford Motor Company is not included in the loan packages,as it only needs a back-up line of credit at this time.