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“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.”

–Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Forget what The Rolling Stones said, US workers can get some satisfaction. According to a newly released annual survey from the Conference Board, a business-research group, 62.7% of US workers say they are satisfied with their jobs, a 0.4% increase over the previous year and the highest job-satisfaction rating since the survey began in 1987.

But the data also reveals a never-before-seen paradox, per Allan Schweyer, a principal researcher at the Conference Board.

Despite overall satisfaction increasing, each one of the 26 specific categories that workers were also asked about saw a decrease in satisfaction. The steepest drops were registered for wages, promotions, health plans, and bonuses.

Some other takeaways:

• Covid-era job switchers are far less satisfied. Overall job satisfaction among people who have switched jobs since the pandemic began is down 5.6%, driven by factors like inflation eating into increased earnings, leadership quality, communications, interest in the work, coworkers, and job security.
• Men are happier with their jobs than women. ~65% of men say they are happy with their jobs, compared with ~60% of women. The largest gaps in satisfaction between men and women were related to the financial benefits of work.
• Culture is key. Over three-fourths of all job stayers, defined as those who intended to remain in their jobs, said they were satisfied with the organizational culture of their employer. For job leavers, defined as those who intended to move on, 21.8% were satisfied with culture. This 55+% gap was one of the highest ever reported.
• Job satisfaction is highest among those on a hybrid schedule. In 2023, 65.5% of hybrid workers reported overall job satisfaction, slightly higher than 64.1% of fully remote workers. People who work full time on-site reported the lowest satisfaction, at 60.2%.

The overall economy is also a paradox. While workers have reasons to feel optimistic – unemployment is low, and household wealth has been bolstered by rising stock and home prices – there are also reasons to feel pessimistic. Inflation is down from a year ago but still squeezing households, and mortgage rates and home prices in the stratosphere make it difficult to move or purchase a first home.

👀 Looking ahead… Job satisfaction may be at record levels, but many workers still feel the grass is greener on the other side. 85% of US professionals are considering looking for another job this year, according to a recent LinkedIn poll.

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💥 Israel-Hamas war: Yesterday, Hamas accepted a cease-fire proposal that Israel said fell short of its demands. Hamas’ sudden acceptance of the Egyptian-Qatari brokered deal – which reportedly includes a weeks-long pause in fighting and the release of several dozen hostages – came hours after Israel ordered an evacuation of eastern Rafah, signaling an imminent invasion. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said the proposal was “far from Israel’s essential demands,” but agreed to send negotiators to continue talks. At the same time, Israel’s military said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in eastern Rafah.

🇷🇺 Russia’s military is testing its readiness to use tactical nukes. The Kremlin said this initiative came in response to recent comments by Western officials, who suggested European powers could do more to help Ukraine fight against Moscow. Tactical nuclear weapons refer to short-range nuclear missiles that can’t hit targets further than ~400 miles away. And, unlike strategic nuclear weapons, which carry 20x-1000x more destructive power and can level entire cities, the use of tactical nuclear weapons has never been limited by any formal agreement.

🇹🇩 Chad held its first presidential election since a 2021 coup ushered in military rule. The oil-exporting country of ~18 million people hasn’t had a free-and-fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 following decades of French colonial rule. Analysts say President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who took over three years ago when rebels killed his long-ruling father, likely won yesterday’s election – though his chief opponent has an outside chance.

Move over, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper – a new star(liner) is on the precipice of making its red carpet debut.

Late last night, Boeing was forced to stand down the first piloted launch of its Starliner capsule due to a last-minute issue with an oxygen relief valve, delaying a critical test mission aimed at giving NASA an alternative to SpaceX when ferrying astronauts to and from space.

Background: A decade ago, NASA awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for the two companies to eventually carry the agency’s astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

​​The goal of these contracts was to get at least one US spacecraft up and running ASAP following the Space Shuttle program's 2011 retirement, which left NASA fully dependent on Russia for crewed trips to and from the ISS.

Only one company has come through so far:

• Since May 2020, SpaceX has launched 50 people into orbit across 13 piloted missions.
• Boeing has yet to make a successful crewed trip to the ISS, with its Starliner program plagued by years of delays, technical setbacks, and significant over-budget spending.

But Boeing’s latest mission is working to change the narrative. The now-delayed Starliner launch aims to take two astronauts to the ISS as part of a 10-day test mission. If the test proves successful, Starliner could launch its first contracted, six-month crewed mission to the ISS by early 2025.

👀 Looking ahead… A new launch date has yet to be announced, with backup opportunities available as soon as Friday.

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💬 Quoted: “The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop.”

• College football’s Arizona Bowl is adding a pair of new sponsors – Snoop Dogg himself, and the can-based cocktail line created by the rapper/entertainer and Dr. Dre (called Gin & Juice). The new tongue twister of a name marks the first college bowl game partnership with an alcohol brand in history. The game itself, scheduled for December 28, will match teams from the Mountain West and Mid-American conferences – though no word yet on whether QBs will be required to say “1, 2, 3 and to the 4” before snapping the ball.

🏃 Stat of the Day: High-end fitness chain Equinox is launching one of the most expensive gym memberships in the world – a $40,000/year program aimed at improving overall health and longevity. The program includes a battery of regular health-focused tests, plus 16 hours/week of personal training and coaching from experts in exercise, sleep, and nutrition.

🤔 Did You Know? The largest recorded temperature swing in a 24-hour period is 103°F. It occurred when the temperature in Loma, Montana, rose from -54°F to 49°F over a single day in January 1972.

📰 Worth a Read: ​​From 25 years in prison to just four months: Inside the final verdict on a crypto billionaire CEO archrivalry → (CNBC)

• ☝️ The 2024 Met Gala was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last night, with co-chairs of this year’s event including Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, and Zendaya.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with The Motley Fool

• 💰 US markets closed up across the board (S&P: +1.0%; Dow: +0.5%; Nasdaq: +1.2%).
• 🪙 The SEC is preparing to sue Robinhood’s crypto unit over alleged violations of securities laws, the company disclosed yesterday.
• ✈️ The FAA opened a new investigation into Boeing after the company disclosed that its employees may have skipped some inspections on 787 Dreamliners and falsified records.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏒 NHL Playoffs: The conference semifinals kicked off on Sunday with the Rangers (1-0) v. Hurricanes (0-1); the other series are Bruins (1-0) v. Panthers (0-1), Avalanche v. Stars, and Oilers v. Canucks.
• 📰 ABC News President Kim Godwin is retiring after three years at the network.
• 🏀 Spurs big Victor Wembanyama became the sixth player in NBA history to unanimously win the Rookie of the Year award.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🩸 A 12-year-old boy in Washington, D.C., became the first person with sickle cell disease to begin a commercially approved gene therapy that could cure the condition. | 🧠 People with two copies of a certain gene are virtually guaranteed to develop Alzheimer's and face symptoms at an earlier age, per a new study published in Nature Medicine.
• 🛰️ The US Space Force recently discovered an experimental Air Force satellite that’s been orbiting Earth undetected for the past 25 years.
• 🧬🤖 US biotech firm Profluent has created a “ChatGPT for CRISPR” tool that uses AI to discover previously unknown CRISPR gene-editing proteins.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🚫🗣️ Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony scheduled for next week, as student protests over the war in Gaza continue; the university will still hold smaller, school-based events.
• 💵 Social Security is now expected to run short on funds in 2035, one year later than previously projected, per the US Treasury; on the projected depletion date, 83% of Social Security benefits will be payable if no action is taken.
• ⚖️ The New York judge presiding over former President Trump’s hush-money case ruled that Trump violated his gag order for a 10th time, fining him $1,000 and threatening to throw him in jail. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 🎓 These 10 colleges may be as good as the Ivy League, according to Forbes.

Here are five stats from this past week that made our team go “whoa.” Hopefully you will, too.

• 🍎💰 Apple’s new $110 billion stock buyback – the largest in US history – is worth more than the combined market caps of DoorDash and Spotify ($106 billion). (Read more)
• 🏡 The share of US renters who believe they’ll one day be able to afford a home has fallen to a record low 13.4%, per new New York Fed data. (Read more)
• 🏇 Last weekend’s Kentucky Derby saw its closest three-horse photo finish since at least 1947, with all three horses separated by a single nose (the smallest possible margin). (Read more)
• 📊 President Biden’s job approval rating last quarter (38.7%) was the lowest of any elected president at that point in their tenure since at least 1956. (Read more)
• 🌎 The Earth experienced its hottest April on record this year, extending its record hot streak to 11 straight months. (Read more)

El Rio Grande Supermarket in Dallas, Texas, threw the ultimate Cinco de Mayo celebration this year: displaying 311,000 avocados to claim a Guinness World Record. 

🥑 Guacamole for everyone... Store employees set up the impressive display on Friday and left it up over the weekend, allowing Cinco de Mayo revelers to visit the avocado collection and pose for photos

• The display weighed a whopping 86,764 pounds, claiming the world record for largest fruit display.

❓ Trivia: What's the most used letter in the English language?

🎓 True or False?... A group of squirrels is called a scurry.

🤔 Riddle Me This: I’m fatherless, motherless, and born without sin. Roaring when entering the world, I never speak again. What am I? 

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❓ Trivia: E

🎓 T/F: True

🤔 Riddle: Thunder