County Berkeley Financial News

When California’s minimum wage increase went into effect in April, fast food workers across the state went from making $16 to $20 overnight

Tampons sold under various popular brands may contain toxic metals such as arsenic and lead, according to a recent study out of the University of Berkeley in California.

Boesky, involved in one of the biggest insider trading scandals, dies at 87.

The California Assembly has approved legislation that would require new gas stoves to carry a label warning users about pollutants that have been linked to respiratory illnesses

James Harris Simons, founder of Renaissance Technologies, was a pioneer of quantitative investing (QI) across asset classes. While he was less famous than some of his peers like Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett, he was equally, if not more, successful in investing, outperforming markets with an amazing level of consistency. The popular statistic floating around is that $1,000 in his signature Medallion Fund — known for its consistent gains and only accessible to Renaissance's owners and employees — in 1988 would be worth $42 mn today, compared to $40,000 if invested in S&P 500 and $1,52,000 in Berkshire Hathaway shares over the same period. Today, Renaissance manages $106 bn in assets. As estimated by Forbes, Simons' net worth equates to $31 bn. Simons was a leading philanthropist who gave away billions during his lifetime to support medical and science research and teaching. His journey had been exciting and intriguing. A maths genius, he was only 23 when he received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Subsequently, aside from teaching at prestigious universities, he worked as a breaker of Soviet codes at the Institute for Defense Analyses, a position he held until he had divergent views on the Vietnam War.

James “Jim” Simons, a renowned mathematician and pioneering investor who built a fortune on Wall Street and then became one of the nation’s biggest philanthropists, has died at age 86

Jim Simons, a mathematician who founded the most successful quantitative hedge fund of all time, passed away on Friday in New York City, his foundation announced on its website.

Omar Wasow teaches political science at the University of California, Berkeley. Speaking to Srijana Mitra Das, he discusses the past — and future — of movements encompassing America’s current protests: Q. What is the core of your research? A. I’ve studied American protests of the 1960s, particularly civil rights protests which used some of the techniques of noncooperation that were central to the Indian independence movement. I’ve found non-violent protests were effective in increasing support to civil rights for African-Americans — this was particularly so when non-violent protests were met with state violence. That tended to generate sympathetic media attention. When protesters used violent tactics, that generated negative media, growing the coalition of voters opposed to civil rights. Q. We are in an era of polycrises now — what are the most important political movements you’re observing? A. Right now, in the US, we’re seeing protests in opposition to the Israel-Hamas war, also described as pro-Palestinian movements. Alongside, we’ve had globally sustained waves against climate change and pro-democracy movements.

The city of Berkeley, California, has agreed to halt enforcement of a ban on natural gas piping in new homes and buildings that was successfully opposed in court by the California Restaurant Association

Vampire Weekend. The loved indie rock band is back with the latest music, a new album "Only God Was Above Us", a North American tour with 39 dates, which is about to be released on April 5 after nearly a decade as per a report by USA Today. The latest album was announced in the past week, following up on the 2019 album «Father of the Bride», of the band. Their last album has been at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 amassing Grammy nominations in 2020 for the Album of the Year category, as well as winning for the category of best alternative rock album, with the lead single "Harmony Hall" scoring the best rock song's nod.

OLeary Ventures chairman Kevin OLeary joins ‘The Big Money Show’ to discuss the ongoing push for electric vehicles and California’s decision to raise the minimum wage.

Rensi sounds off on soda tax

Who's Harry Potter?," explores a groundbreaking technique that allows large language models to selectively forget information. Microsoft researchers Mark Russinovich and Ronen Eldan demonstrated that AI models can be modified to erase knowledge of the Harry Potter books—characters, plots, and all—while maintaining their overall decision-making and analytical abilities. The choice of Harry Potter was deliberate, as the series is universally familiar, making it easy for researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of the technique.

grown by an above-trend 3%—about the same as in boomy 2005. Adding to the impression of befuddlement, most analysts were caught out on December 13th by a doveish turn by the Federal Reserve, which sent them scrambling to rewrite their outlooks for the new year. It is not just forecasters who have had a bad year.

University of Toronto has topped the QS World University Rankings for sustainability in 2024. The second edition of the rankings encompass three distinct categories: Environmental Impact, Social Impact, and Governance. Each category was scrutinized through a set of performance lenses, which, in turn, consist of a combined array of individual metrics, QS said. Think you check all the immigration boxes? Find out The ranking evaluates the social and environmental impact of universities as a center's of education and research, as well as a major employers with the operational sustainability challenges of any large and complex organization. «Sustainability provides students with a unique lens on which institutions are demonstrating a commitment to a more sustainable existence. More than just the commitment, it looks for outwards evidence of this — from the impact that alumni are making in science and technology to solve climate issues, to the impact of research being done across the UN's 17 sustainable development goals,» QS added.

Democratic dreams of imposing a wealth tax on the richest Americans risk being snuffed out by the Supreme Court in a dispute over a $14,729 bill.

Ronald D. Lee is Director of the Center on Economics and Demography of Aging at the University of California, Berkeley. Speaking to Srijana Mitra Das, he outlines work, health and wealth in a world that is maturing: Q. What is the core of your research? I am interested in the web of connections among people of different ages — these include economic connections which are mostly outside the market, such as in the family or public sector, and how those get affected by changes in population age.

Ahead of a summit between China's Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, there had been suggestions that the two men would agree to ban lethal autonomous weapons.

There is hope for those of us who live (and sleep) in the real world: Getting less than 8 hours of shut-eye a night doesn’t mean you’re doomed to an early grave. A recent study looking at sleep and longevity found that sleep “regularity"—going to bed and waking up at consistent times with few mid-slumber interruptions—matters more than how long you sleep. Sleeping six hours every night on a consistent schedule was associated with a lower risk of early death than sleeping eight hours with very irregular habits.

By Yatharth Gulati

Richard Moll, known for his deep voice and towering 6-foot-8 stature, graced the world of entertainment with memorable performances. He was best known for his roles as Bull Shannon on the hit TV show 'Night Court' from 1984 to 1992, and as Two-Face in 'Batman: The Animated Series' and 'The New Batman Adventures' from 1992 to 1998. Charles Richard Moll was born on January 13, 1943 in Pasadena, California.