Amedisys Q2 Profit Rises

Amedisys Inc. (AMED) reported that its net income attributable to the company for the second-quarter rose to $34.7 million or $1.04 per share from $33.7 million or $1.02 per share last year.

Adjusted net income per share was $1.34 compared to $1.21 in 2019.

Net service revenue decreased to $485.0 million from $493.0 million in the prior year.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.81 per share and revenues of $469.13 million for the second quarter. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.

Looking ahead for 2020, the company expects adjusted earnings per share to be in the range of $4.84 to $5.06, and net service revenue of $2.040 billion to $2.070 billion. Wall Street currently is looking for fiscal year 2020 earnings of $4.54 per share on annual revenues of $2.04 billion.

Apple To Open Second Store In Thailand

Apple said that it will open its second store on Friday in Bangkok, Thailand. The new store is located next to the CentralWorld shopping mall.

The first store in the country, the IconSiam outlet, was opened in 2018.

Recently, Apple opened its new Sanlitun store in China that replaced the company’s first store in that country.

The new store in Bangkok is a two-floor circular structure, with a central spiral staircase. The store’s design includes many of the company’s latest features, including a Forum, Boardroom, and freestanding displays. Centered around a Video Wall, the Forum will be home to future Today at Apple sessions with some of Bangkok’s greatest artists, musicians, and creatives, Apple said in a statement.

Local businesses and entrepreneurs can get personal advice and guidance from the Apple team in the store’s Boardroom, the company said.

According to the company, the new store will open with thorough health and safety measures seen across all Apple Store locations for both employees and visitors, including a mask requirement, temperature checks, and social distancing. More than 130 new team members speaking 17 languages will welcome customers.

Democrats Score Court Wins to Make Voting by Mail Easier

In this article

Democrats on Tuesday notched two victories in lawsuits aimed at making it easier to vote by mail during the pandemic.

The state of Rhode Island agreed to eliminate witness or notary requirements for people voting by mail throughout the 2020 elections due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A judge signed off on the agreement Tuesday.

The case was brought on behalf of two voting rights advocacy groups — the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island and Common Cause Rhode Island — and Rhode Islanders with significant medical vulnerabilities that place them or members of their household at a heightened risk of severe illness or death if they contract Covid-19.

Also on Tuesday, a judge in Minnesota blocked election officials from enforcing a state law that prohibited voters from helping more than three other people to cast absentee ballots, handing a significant win to two national Democratic organizations that sued to end the provisions.

“To date, there is nothing in the record which demonstrates the precise interest of Minnesota as justification for the burden imposed by the challenged laws,” the judge wrote.

Community Health Systems Turns To Profit In Q2

Community Health Systems Inc. (CYH) reported a second-quarter net income attributable to common stockholders of $70 million or $0.61 per share compared to net loss of $167 million or $1.47 per share last year.

The company noted that payments received by the company through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund had a positive impact on net income attributable to common stockholders of about $333 million or $2.89 per share, for the latest-quarter.

Excluding the adjusting items, net income was $0.85 per share, compared to net loss of $0.47 per share in the previous year. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.62 per share for the quarter. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.

Net operating revenues for the quarter were $2.519 billion, a 23.7 percent decrease, compared with $3.302 billion for the same period in 2019. Analysts expected revenue of $2.64 billion for the quarter.

Thai fin ministry proposes PM's advisor Sethaput as new c.bank chief

BANGKOK, July 29 (Reuters) – Thailand’s finance ministry has proposed to the cabinet Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput, the prime minister’s economic advisor and a former senior World Bank economist, as the next central bank governor, a government source said.

Sethaput sits on the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee and holds a doctorate in economics from Yale University.

The new chief will face the tough task of steering Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy through the coronavirus pandemic, and with near-zero interest rates and high household debt.

BASF says it is still unable to forecast full-year results

FRANKFURT, July 29 (Reuters) – Chemicals giant BASF said on Wednesday it still could not provide guidance for full-year sales and earnings due to uncertainty over the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, The German group only said it does not expect operating profit before special items in the third quarter to improve significantly over the second quarter, citing a typical summer lull in August and seasonally lower demand for agricultural products.

BASF earlier this month reported second-quarter operating profit before one-off items fell 77% to 226 million euros ($265 million).

Trump Moans ‘Nobody Likes Me,’ And Twitter Critics Quickly Remind Him Why

President Donald Trump on Tuesday complained that people like Dr. Anthony Fauci more than him. 

And his critics were quick to point out why. 

“He’s got this high approval rating, so why don’t I have a high approval rating with respect ― and the administration ― with respect to the virus?” Trump said at a news conference. “We should have it very high.”  

Fauci is one of the nation’s leading infectious diseases experts and has been giving people the latest science-based information on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. 

Trump this week shared a video about the virus from a doctor who says she is also “exposing incubus and succubus.” The video was removed from social media for containing false information and supporting unproven treatments for COVID-19. 

But Trump on Tuesday seemed puzzled as to why he’s not as well-regarded as Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, another member of the White House coronavirus task force. 

“They’re highly thought of,” he said. “But nobody likes me. It can only be my personality, that’s all.”

Trump’s complaint caused #NobodyLikesMe to trend on Twitter: