Stock Alert: Albemarle Shares Up 4%

Shares of Albemarle Corp. (ALB) are currently trading at $158.34, up $6.31 or 4.15% with trading volume rising over 214K versus an average volume of 1.70 million shares.

There are no recent company-specific news that could be attributed to today’s stock movement.

The company is set to release its Q1 financial results after the market closes on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of $0.80 per share on revenue of $757.71 million for the quarter. Analysts’ estimate typically exclude certain special items.

CDC says there have been less than 6,000 'breakthrough' Covid cases among 84 million fully vaccinated Americans

U.S. health officials have confirmed less than 6,000 "breakthrough" cases of Covid-19 among fully vaccinated Americans so far, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday.

None of the patients have died or gotten severely ill, indicating the vaccines are working as intended, she said.

"With any vaccine, we expect such rare cases, but so far out of more than 84 million people who were fully vaccinated, we have only received reports of less than 6,000 breakthrough cases," she told reporters at a press briefing. Breakthrough cases occur when someone contracts the virus more than 14 days after their second shot, she said.

The CDC chief acknowledged that the number could be an underestimate.

"Although this number is from 43 states and territories and likely and underestimate, it still makes a really important point, these vaccines are working. Of the nearly 6,000 cases, approximately 30% had no symptoms at all," Walensky said.

Grandview Hires Former APM Music Exec Cecilia Owens As CFO & COO

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. management firm Grandview has hired Cecilia Owens as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to joining Grandview, Owens served as CFO of APM Music, a music licensing company owned by Sony and Universal Music Group. She also held emergent positions at DIRECTV and FOX.

In addition to her work as an executive at APM, Owens developed and led Advocates for Change, a diversity, racial equity, and inclusion group.

Aside from her work in the entertainment industry, Owens serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors at EmpowHer Institute, an organization focused on helping young women in marginalized communities gain career skills. She is also a founding member of Chief Los Angeles, which is designed for senior women leaders to strengthen their and other women’s careers.

Cecilia Owens said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such a highly regarded team and I look forward to being an integral part of the next stage of growth here at Grandview.”

The Grandview partners added: “We are excited to welcome in Cecilia, who, in partnership with our Head of HR Kelly Herting, will continue to foster the evolution and growth of our company and it’s wonderful managers and clients.”

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Sugar demand falters in peak season due to virus curbs

‘Prices fell 0.8% in 2019-20 because of lockdowns’

India’s sugar consumption during the peak demand season is set to fall for a second straight year after various States imposed restrictions, including restaurant and shop closures to halt rising cases of COVID-19, industry officials told Reuters.

Lower demand could increase inventories in India, the world’s biggest consumer of the sweetener, and may put downward pressure on local prices.

Lower domestic sales could force mills to export more sugar in the next marketing year, putting pressure on global prices as well.

“The second wave of coronavirus has been disrupting the market during the peak demand season. Purchases by bulk buyers have been falling,” Praful Vithalani, president of All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA), told Reuters.

Consumption of cold drinks and ice cream, and as a result, demand for sugar, rises in India during the summer months that run roughly from March to June.

Sugar demand, which usually rises by more than 1% each year, fell 0.8% in 2019-20 to 25.3 million tonnes because of one of the world’s strictest lockdowns imposed last year in March.

Demand from bulk consumers had recovered to normal levels by the end of 2020 but started falling again this month due to uncertainty over coronavirus-led lockdowns, said Ashok Jain, president of the Bombay Sugar Merchants Association.

Herald morning quiz: April 20

Test your brains with the Herald’s morning quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz at 3pm for the afternoon quiz.

To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

Former slugger Gary Sheffield rips today’s game: ‘I don’t watch baseball at all’

Count former slugger Gary Sheffield as someone who has no interest in the current state of baseball.

"I don't watch baseball at all," he told CBS Sports Radio's Tiki and Tierney show on Friday.

The nine-time All-Star and 1997 World Series champion served as a TBS studio analyst during the postseason until last season.

"I was kind of forced to watch baseball, because I was working with TBS," he said. "And so I had to remember, really find out who were these players. I'll tell you the secret now: I never watched the games during the season. I would get educated on it when I got there. … It's not something that I could watch, based on what I'm seeing, because I'll be a complainer. … This is the first time I've ever said that out loud, but I'm just truly disappointed with what I watch."