Baby Boomers: Get Tested for Hep C

Posted on May 21, 2012 by novahockey

So says the CDC.

Apparently 75% of all hepatitis C cases are baby boomers.

More than 2 million U.S. baby boomers are infected with hepatitis C, accounting for more than 75 percent of all American adults living with the virus. Baby boomers are five times more likely to be infected than other adults. Yet most infected baby boomers do not know they have the virus because hepatitis C can damage the liver for many years with few noticeable symptoms. More than 15,000 Americans, most of them baby boomers, die each year from hepatitis C-related illness, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, and deaths have been increasing steadily for over a decade and are projected to grow significantly in coming years.

This just hit my inbox and figured I’d pass it along. Hep C is passed primarily by blood-to-blood contact associated with intravenous drug use, poorly sterilized medical equipment and transfusions.   So use clean needles people.   Or not at all.

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Morning Report 5/21/12

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Brent Nyitray

Vital Statistics:

 

Last

Change

Percent

S&P Futures 

1296.5

5.7

0.44%

Eurostoxx Index

2146.8

2.1

0.10%

Oil (WTI)

91.62

0.1

0.15%

LIBOR

0.467

0.000

0.00%

US Dollar Index (DXY)

81.26

-0.036

-0.04%

10 Year Govt Bond Yield

1.73%

0.01%

 

RPX Composite Real Estate Index

175.6

0.0

 

 

Markets are generally firmer this morning on comments from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao supporting further measures to boost the economy. Euro sovereign sovereign spreads are a touch wider. Bonds and MBS are down.

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index rose .11 in April after falling .44 in March. This basically means that the economy is growing at its historical trend. Anything between -.7 and +.7 is considered on trend. Production was a positive factor, while consumption was negative. Employment was neutral.

Is the Fed more optimistic about future growth than Wall Street?  It appears to be the case. The average Wall Street growth forecast for 2012 is 2.3%, while the Fed is forecasting 2.4% – 2.9% growth. One explanation is that the Fed underestimates how much the credit-multiplier breaks down in the aftermath of asset bubbles. Meanwhile, the TIPS market is trimming its inflation forecast and giving Ben Bernake the room to maneuver.

Facebook has broken the IPO price in the pre-open and is trading at 36.51.  5.6 million shares have traded. Bob Griefeld, CEO of NASDAQ, blamed software glitches for the problems with trading FB on Friday where customer sell orders were delayed on the open.

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