October 4, 2017 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:

Crying for Power? Your Tears Could Generate Electricity
                   -by Sara G. Miller, Staff Writer | October 4, 2017
What do egg whites and human tears have in common? According to a new study from Ireland, both materials can generate electricity, thanks to an enzyme they contain.
The enzyme, called lysozyme, is also found in saliva and mammalian milk, according to the study, which was published Oct. 2 in the Journal of Applied Physics. The enzyme is anti-bacterial; it attacks the cell walls of bacteria, weakening them.
When lysozyme is in a crystalized form, it also appears to have a property called piezoelectricity, meaning the enzyme can convert mechanical energy (when pressure is applied to it) into electrical energy, the researchers wrote. [7 Biggest Mysteries of the Human Body]
Though the name may sound foreign, “piezoelectricity is used all around us,” lead study author Aimee Stapleton, a postgraduate fellow studying physics at the University of Limerick in Ireland, said in statement. For example, piezoelectric materials such as quartz crystals are used in mobile phones (as the vibrating component) and deep-ocean sonar, according to the statement.
Indeed, materials such as bone, wood, tendons and proteins (including collagen and keratin) have piezoelectric properties, according to the study.
But “the capacity to generate electricity from this particular protein [lysozyme] has not been explored,” Stapleton said.
To study the piezoelectric properties of lysozymes, the scientists applied a crystalized form of the enzyme to films. Researchers then applied mechanical force to these films and recorded the amount of electricity generated.
The scientists found that lysozyme could generate electricity just as well as quartz could. But lysozyme is a biological material, so it could have medical applications. Lysozymes are “nontoxic, so [they] could have many innovative applications, such as electroactive, anti-microbial coatings for medical implants,” Stapleton said.
The researchers think that, in the future, lysozymes could be used to power biomedical devices that are used in people’s bodies, the scientists wrote in the study. The enzymes could also be used to power and control the release of drugs in the body, the study said.
More research is needed, however, before the enzyme can be used for these purposes, the researchers said.
Originally published on Live Science.

On Oct. 4, 1957, the Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, into orbit.
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PHOTOS OF THE DAY

The spectacular biannual sunrise through a natural sea arch off the North East Coast of England. Occurring once in Autumn and again in Spring, the sun is framed perfectly through the magnesium limestone sea arch on the South Tyneside coast-where at low tide people come to observe this twice yearly sunrise through the ‘natural Stonehenge’.
CREDIT: PAUL KINGSTON/NNP

Canadian nurse Mandy Stantic captured this black bear making use of a discarded sofa at his local dumping ground during one of her regular visits. Appearing chilled, the bear, snapped at this garbage dump in Northern Manitoba, seems to be enjoying all the comforts the landfill had to offer. According to Stantic bears commonly hang around the garbage dump, and despite having moved away from the area, she still has fond memories of going to look for bears there. “You don’t see that very often. He’s just posing, just like a person,” Stantic told CBC.
CREDIT: MANDY STANTIC/COVER IMAGES

People enjoy the last day of the 184^th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany.
CREDIT: MATTHIAS BALK/DPA VIA AP
Market Closes for October 4^th, 2017

International Markets

Bonds

Currencies

Commodities

Market Commentary:
Number of the Day
9
The number of consecutive record closes for the Russell 2000. If it closes Wednesday at a record, it will equal the longest streak ever.
Canada
By Kristine Owram
     (Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks fell for the first time in six trading days as a short-seller’s report targeting Shopify Inc. pressured technology shares.
     The S&P/TSX Composite Index lost 8 points or 0.1 percent to 15,721.00. Shopify was the biggest obstacle, losing 12 percent after Citron Research called it a “get-rich-quick scheme.” The technology sector lost 1.3 percent.
     Energy shares also fell, losing 0.6 percent as oil slid below $50 a barrel for the first time in two weeks. U.S. government data showed record U.S. exports. Precision Drilling Corp. fell 3.9 percent and Secure Energy Services Inc. lost 3.8 percent.
     In other moves:

                             Stocks
* Canopy Growth Corp. rose 4 percent. Canada’s proposed C$1 per gram tax on recreational pot is lower than expected, Beacon Securities said
* Brookfield Property Partners LP added 2.5 percent after Reuters reported it’s considering selling a stake in its northeast U.S. office portfolio
* Cameco Corp. gained 3.8 percent, erasing some of Tuesday’s 9.1 percent drop, after Scotiabank downgraded it on a “materially weaker fundamental outlook for uranium”
                          Commodities
* Western Canada Select crude oil traded at an $11.20 discount to WTI, 1.8 percent wider than Tuesday
* Aeco natural gas traded at a $1.94 discount to Henry Hub
* Gold rose 0.2 percent to $1,273.70 an ounce
                           FX/Bonds
* The Canadian dollar strengthened 0.1 percent to C$1.2478 per U.S. dollar
* The Canada 10-year government bond yield rose one basis point to 2.13 percent
US
By Randall Jensen
     (Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks added to records and the dollar declined as developments from Catalonia to Puerto Rico and the Federal Reserve reverberated through financial markets Wednesday.
      The S&P 500 Index edged higher to another all-time high as consumer stocks led the advance. Treasuries erased gains and the dollar pared losses on data showing America’s services industries rose at the fastest clip in 12 years. That offset earlier moves sparked by speculation the Trump administration is close to nominating a new Fed chair.
     The U.S. president rattled the market for Puerto Rico’s debt after saying the obligations may need to be wiped clean, while turmoil in Catalonia sent debt on Europe’s periphery tumbling.
     The dollar and Treasuries appeared to earlier take their cue from reports that Donald Trump is said to be close to picking a successor to Janet Yellen. Investors are assessing the policy implications based on a shortlist of possible candidates that include current Governor Jerome Powell and ex-board member Kevin Warsh.
    “The market generally is expecting higher interest rates, so I don’t think there will be a major shift if Warsh becomes chair,” Ernie Cecilia, the chief investment officer at Bryn Mawr Trust Co. in Pennsylvania, said by phone. “There would be a tilt, it’d be more hawkish, but not so much that it would be a major obstacle for the stock market, but it would be more so within the stock market from a sector basis.”
     Speeches from Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May also vied for investor attention, while the continued political turmoil tied to Catalonia weighed on the region’s assets.    
     Among the key events coming this week:
* Also this week are data on U.S. trade, durable goods and Friday’s September nonfarm payrolls report.
* China is due to report monthly foreign-exchange reserves Thursday.
* Minutes of the last ECB meeting are the European economic highlight this week.

      Here are the main moves in markets:

                                  Stocks
* The S&P 500 Index rose 0.1 percent to 2,537.72 as of 4 p.m. New York time.
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 18 points to 22,660 for a sixth record close in a row.
* The Russell 200 Index dropped 0.3 percent, for the biggest loss in a month.
* The Stoxx Europe 600 Index declined 0.1 percent, ending nine straight days of gains.
* Spain’s IBEX Index fell 2.9 percent, the most in more than a year.
* The MSCI Emerging Market Index rose 0.5 percent, rising for the fourth day in a row.
                             Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.1 percent, the second day of declines.
* The euro climbed 0.2 percent to $1.1762.
* The British pound increased 0.1 percent to $1.3256.
* The Japanese yen gained 0.1 percent to 112.73 per dollar, falling for the first time in four days.
                             Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose less than one basis point to 2.33 percent, trading near the 200-day moving average.
* Germany’s 10-year yield dipped one basis point to 0.45 percent.
* Britain’s 10-year yield rose two basis points to 1.378 percent.
                             Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 1 percent to settle at $49.98 a barrel, falling for a third day.
* Gold increased 0.3 percent to $1,275.18 an ounce.
* Copper fell 0.2 percent to $2.95 a pound.

Have a wonderful evening everyone.

Be magnificent!

For me, nonviolence is not a mere philosophical principle.
It rules my life.  It is the rule and breath of my life.
It is a matter not of the intellect but of the heart.
Mahatma Gandhi

As ever,

Carolann

The opportunity for brotherhood presents itself every time you meet a human being.
                                                                        -Jane Wyman, 1917-2007

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Portfolio Manager &
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