Over the past five years there have been 13 declared natural disaster catastrophes . Login or signup to continue reading The devastation caused to our communities by these terrible floods, storms, cyclones and bushfires strikes is just as hard on our small and family businesses. And already, we have seen and marvelled at communities already dealing with nature's fearsomeness so early in the season ... Businesses can be directly damaged or wiped-out, or they become an indirect victim surviving the disaster only to have no customers or no meaningful local economy to service because of the impact on their town or region. It is happening too often for small business to ignore. But only one in four small businesses have a current business continuity plan. It is time for small business to be prepared for natural disasters. Or to make this even more immediate, personal and necessary, another lens might be preparing for an awful event such as a critical health episode that might take the business owner or leader out of the business for a period of time. An inquiry I conducted into the impact of natural disasters on small businesses found that taking simple steps to be better prepared, sensible risk mitigation action and bolstering resilience can help reduce the impact of these extreme weather events (or some other critical event) and support small and family businesses to get back on their feet quicker. Just like the businesses they run, small business owners are the lifeblood of our communities. They are often community leaders too - the first to volunteer to lead and contribute to local emergency response and business support groups, giving generously of themselves to help make preparations for the community such as laying sandbags, fighting fires and moving stock and people to higher and safer ground. But often our business leaders are not as diligent in getting their own business as prepared as possible, so they can be best placed to navigate a critical event, respond and recover. That's where an up-to-date business continuity plan is important so owners can contemplate the things that might knock them off course, whether it is a natural disaster or something that might happen to them personally such as a health episode or accident, and reduce their capacity to contribute to their business and enable the livelihoods that they and their team rely upon. There are easy steps that can make so much difference if disaster strikes and help aid recovery. This can be as simple as ensuring your record keeping is up to date and that critical information is at hand and, where possible, digitised so you can retrieve it if your premises are destroyed. Small business owners can use the following checklist: The Small Business Natural Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Inquiry recommended the creation of an opt-in My Business Record to allow a small business to digitally store all relevant government-held and other vital information it might need after a disaster. It is clear from our work that preparation is key to small and family businesses building resilience and coming through natural disasters in the best possible shape. It is equally clear the small business community cannot do this on their own and when a natural disaster strikes, certainty of response and certainty of support must be provided. By this we mean small business owners should automatically be engaged in local place-based planning and support services and be elevated and front of mind in disaster response, recovery and funding arrangements. This must include indirectly affected businesses. Immediately after a disaster a business support hub should be established to provide a single point from which to seek help from government and non-government agencies. A tell-us-once triage system should be adopted to save small business owners the trauma and time associated with repeating their story. Ongoing support is needed in the aftermath of a disaster. When a small business receives an Australian government grant, an additional amount should be made available six to nine months later for a business health check and longer-term recovery action. Disasters can have long-lasting effects for communities and small businesses. An integrated response is needed to disaster risk management for identified disaster-prone areas that incorporates priority access to mitigation expenditure, co-ordinated planning across levels of government and infrastructure hardening. Critical road upgrades should require that verges are cleared sufficiently to allow access or evacuation. Similarly, where telecommunications infrastructure upgrades include taxpayer support, funding should be conditional on it being durable in the face of a natural disaster. An ongoing problem is that many small businesses in elevated disaster-risk area are often denied accessible and affordable insurance. Our inquiry found many businesses cannot secure appropriate insurance at an affordable price, some are uninsured or underinsured or have eyewatering excesses that would preclude any claim being made. The insurance sector needs to do better. READ MORE: Frustratingly, insurers seem uninterested in the steps individual small and family businesses take to mitigate disaster risk. Individual businesses do everything they can possibly do but it has zero impact on the availability and the pricing of their premiums. We're told this is because the insurance companies look at risk across a broader pool - it is community-wide or industry-wide or neighbourhood-wide analysis. Yet the narrative, amplified through advertising, is often about what individuals might do. Natural disasters can cause lasting harm to the enterprising people who build businesses, employ local community members, and create vitality in our towns and communities. I urge small and family businesses to have a plan and be ready. There are detailed checklists and resources to help small business prepare for a disaster and, if needed, to recover after one, available at www.asbfeo.gov.au/disaster-preparation DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. 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NoneQatar tribune Agencies Investors are expecting more gains for the US stock market in 2025 after two straight standout years, fueled by a solid economy supporting corporate profits, moderating interest rates and pro-growth policies from incoming president Donald Trump. The benchmark S&P 500 up over 23 percent year-to-date, even with a recent speed bump, and is on pace for its second straight year of gains exceeding 20 percent, lifted by megacap tech stocks and excitement over the business potential of artificial intelligence. Investors are more confident about the economy than this time a year ago, with consumers and businesses having absorbed higher interest rates and the Federal Reserve now lowering them - albeit by not as much as hoped. Corporate profits are also expected to be strong, with S&P 500 earnings projected to rise 14 percent in 2025, according to LSEG IBES. On the other side of the ledger, inflation remains stubborn, and Wall Street is wary of a rebound that could lead the Fed to change course on its easing cycle. Indeed, stocks pulled back sharply on Wednesday after the central bank projected fewer rate cuts next year as it braced for firmer inflation. Such prospects could become more likely if Trump implements tariffs on US imports that lead to higher consumer prices. Stock valuations, meanwhile, are around their steepest levels in more than three years, leaving greater potential for turbulence. “We’ve been on quite the tear coming off the lows back at the end of 2022. It’s been pretty eye-watering,” said Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers. “Animal spirits... are certainly running pretty wild right now, but you might need to temper that a little bit as you start to move through the year,” said Melson, who thinks the stock market could still produce solid gains of around 10 percent in 2025 if not the returns of the prior two years. Wall Street firms are mostly projecting gains for the market next year, with S&P 500 year-end targets ranging from 6,000 to 7,000. The index was last hovering around 5,900. Optimistic investors can point to a bull market that is neither old nor over-extended, by historic measures. The current bull market for the S&P 500 that began in October 2022 is less than half as long as the average length of the 10 prior ones, according to Keith Lerner, co-chief investment officer at Truist Advisory Services. The S&P 500’s roughly 64 percent gain during this latest run trails the 108 percent median gain and 184 percent average rise of the prior bull markets, according to Lerner. “If you zoom out a little bit, yes, we have a lot of gains, but if you look at a typical bull market, it suggests that we still have further gains to go,” Lerner said. Other historic signs also bode well. The S&P 500 has gained an average of 12.3 percent following the eight instances of back-to-back 20 percent annual gains since 1950, according to Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, compared to a 9.3 percent overall average increase over that time. The index increased six of the eight times. Bolstering the upbeat sentiment is the prevailing sense on Wall Street that the economy has weathered the rate hikes the Fed implemented starting in 2022 to quell inflation. A Natixis Investment Managers survey conducted in recent weeks found 73 percent of institutional investors said the US will avoid a recession in 2025. That’s a sharp turnaround from a year ago, when 62 percent projected such a downturn in the coming year. Citigroup’s economic surprise index, which measures how economic data performs versus expectations, has been solidly positive for the past two months, another rosy sign for investors. Adding to expectations of a solid economy, Trump is expected to pursue an agenda that includes tax cuts and deregulation that supports growth. “We’re leaving 2024 on pretty good footing, and we think there is some re-acceleration in 2025,” said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. “Markets tend to front-run the economy, so they will position for that economic re-acceleration sooner rather than later.” However, stocks are also leaving 2024 at elevated valuations: The S&P 500 is trading at nearly 22 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, according to LSEG. That is well above its long-term average of 15.8, and not far from the 22.6 level it reached earlier this month, its highest since early 2021. Investors maintain that valuations can stay high for long periods and do not necessarily indicate imminent declines. But future gains may rest more on earnings growth, while higher valuations could make stocks more easily rattled by any disappointments. Risks include policy uncertainty such as Trump’s expected push to raise tariffs on imports from China and other trading partners, which analysts estimate could hurt corporate profits. Higher tariffs could also increase inflation, which is another worry for investors. The pace of inflation has fallen dramatically since hitting 40-year highs in 2022, but remains above the Fed’s 2 percent target. The latest reading of the consumer price index found a 2.7 percent annual inflation rate. “How low we can get rates is really going to be dependent on how low we can get inflation,” said Michael Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at Glenmede. “If we see inflation settling out to the 3-ish percent range, we think the Fed’s not going to be as aggressive next year.” Glenmede is recommending investors take a neutral posture on overall portfolio risk, including for equities. “Investors should be what I would call cautiously optimistic,” Reynolds said. “We ... have an economy that’s showing signs of late-stage expansion alongside valuations that are pretty rich.” Copy 30/12/2024 10

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2024 HAS BEEN a busy year for Joe Schmidt with the Wallabies and it will conclude this Saturday in the familiar surroundings of the Aviva Stadium. Schmidt has had some great days in the Lansdowne Road venue, with his hope being that it can be the scene for a spectacular finale to his first season with the Australians. The Wallabies are 16-point underdogs at the time of writing and though they have shown encouraging signs in their 12 games under Schmidt, let’s not forget that he took over what can only be described as a shitshow. Eddie Jones left the place in turmoil after the disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign, so Schmidt had to start from as close to scratch as you can get in Test rugby. The first aim would have been to make the Wallabies solid again, cutting out some of the many damaging individual errors they had been making, laying a set-piece foundation, nailing details like their ball placement and rucking, focusing on discipline, and getting them to play smarter rugby. Schmidt brought in an experienced coaching ticket to complement his strengths on the attacking side of the game. Laurie Fisher took over the defence, Mike Cron came in to lead the scrum work, Geoff Parling accepted the role of forwards coach, and Eoin Toolan joined as skills coach and head of analysis. Schmidt’s opening three fixtures in charge were ideal as a weak Wales team visited for a two-Test tour before Georgia came to Sydney. Three consecutive wins lifted spirits. There were some seriously tough days in the Rugby Championship as the Wallabies won just once in their six games. A 67-27 hammering at the hands of Argentina in Santa Fe in September was the low point but Schmidt’s men were competitive in most outings, beating the Pumas in La Plata and ending with two encouraging displays against New Zealand. Their current tour of the Northern Hemisphere got off to a flying start as Schmidt’s men grabbed a thrilling last-gasp 42-37 win over England before a 52-20 filleting of Wales. The win in Twickenham looked like a real turning point as they played with verve and resilience. The excited chatter of the Wallabies returning to the top table grew louder but was checked by Sunday’s 27-13 defeat to Scotland. The Scots were impressive in victory, but Schmidt’s men gave up a few poor linebreaks, were profligate with their use of possession, and let their penalty count slip up to 14. The most worrying aspect was the Wallabies’ apparent lack of zip, interpreted in the Australian media as a sign that this taxing season has caught up with some players. Yet there’s no doubt that visiting Dublin should stoke real energy in the squad and in Schmidt, who would surely love to remind any doubters of his coaching genius. Having played a key part in the All Blacks reaching the World Cup final last year and done a fine job with the Wallabies so far, his stock is high. Schmidt’s current contract runs through until after the 2025 Lions tour, which is already just around the corner. While there’s a Six Nations to go between now and then for the Lions nations, Schmidt’s Wallabies don’t have another Test scheduled until they meet Andy Farrell’s tourists in Brisbane on 19 July. So this Saturday is crucial for them. Rugby Australia wants Schmidt to extend his contract to take in their home World Cup in 2027 but he’s not rushing into a decision. The former Ireland boss said he’ll confirm his call on that front next month. Schmidt has had plenty on his plate this year, handing out a whopping 18 first caps in his opening 10 Tests in charge. The most sensational debut was that of rugby league convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii against England, with the 21-year-old’s leaping power, classy touches, and toughness making him an instant first-choice at outside centre. Sadly, Suaalii was forced off with a wrist injury in the first half of last weekend’s defeat to Scotland and is a big doubt for the Ireland clash. It would be a huge shame to miss out on the chance to see him play live in the flesh but he’ll be key against the Lions next year. Among the other fresh faces who have done well are lock Jeremy Williams – also missing last weekend due to illness – battling flanker Carlo Tizzano, 20-year-old flyer Max Jorgensen, and wing Harry Potter, who scored a try on debut last weekend, but the reality is that there weren’t loads of gems in Aussie rugby union waiting to be discovered. Instead, Schmidt has set about polishing what was already there and showing some of the talent more love than had been the case under Jones. Tough love, maybe, but Schmidt has been able to appreciate and harness the existing skills more effectively. Len Ikitau is a good example. The classy centre was left out of the World Cup squad by Jones and though he was returning from an injury, it was still a baffling call. 26-year-old Ikitau has been key to the Wallabies’ recovery this year. Fullback Tom Wright was another player overlooked for the World Cup who has thrived under Schmidt. He’s not a complete number 15 but he is lethal in attack when given even half a chance to step and accelerate. Crucially, Schmidt has got the Wallabies’ big bodies delivering punch on a more consistent basis. Back row Rob Valetini is a key gainline winner for them, while loosehead prop Angus Bell had been in devastating form before a dip over the last two weekends. Bringing La Rochelle giant Will Skelton back into the mix this autumn was a no-brainer. He had some huge moments in contact against Wales and again versus Scotland, without being as accurate as he’d have liked last weekend. The explosive tighthead Taniela Tupou has been absent the past two weekends, while hooker Matt Faessler’s steady handy was also missed against the Scots last time out. Fraser McReight, a key man at openside thanks to his jackaling and carrying, should be fresh for Ireland after sitting last weekend out, while athletic lock Nick Frost will have a big part to play too. 24-year-old Noah Lolesio has been Schmidt’s preferred out-half, with his creative touches out the back of forward shapes giving them a creative edge even if he is understandably still learning how to control games at the top level. Schmidt has generally looked to pair him with the combative, speedy Jake Gordon. Even if the Wallabies have a good day on Saturday, it’s unclear whether they have the quality to win should Ireland also play well. Schmidt’s men had some good performances in defeat in the Rugby Championship but only got one losing bonus point in those five losses. They didn’t grab any try-scoring bonus points. Schmidt will hope the incremental improvements that had been building until last weekend’s setback come together in style this Saturday. Victory over Ireland in Dublin would send the Wallabies into their Lions year purring.What did you Google in 2024? From the elections to Copa América, here's what search trends show

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Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Wednesday had claimed eight points from their last four games in climbing up to ninth in the table, but this was Danny Rohl’s Owls side’s first taste of defeat since their derby-day loss to Sheffield United a month ago. In winning for the fourth game in a row Rovers also kept a clean sheet for the fourth successive match. Advertisement Advertisement Both teams took turns to hit the crossbar in a first half which lacked real quality, firstly the visitors through Lewis Travis before Di’Shon Bernard saw a header rattle the upright at the other end. Blackburn forced the issue in the second half and found their reward through Gueye with his first league goal of the season to push Rovers into fifth. Rovers captain Travis returned to the side following suspension while Joe Rankin-Costello was also named in the XI in place of Lewis Baker and Callum Brittain, who was ruled out through illness. Rohl re-introduced key man Barry Bannan back in the starting fold in one of four changes for his team. Advertisement Advertisement The Owls mustered the first effort on target when Dominic Iorfa jumped highest to Marvin Johnson’s teasing delivery but goalkeeper Aynsley Pears was equal to it. Wednesday started to look the brighter of the two teams and after Dominic Hyam brought down Anthony Musaba just outside the area, Josh Windass’ resulting free-kick needed to be saved by the diving Pears. Bannan was next to have a crack from distance as Wednesday enjoyed their best spell of the match but he saw his effort deflect wide. Blackburn almost took the lead in stunning fashion as the ball fell for Travis outside the area and he rifled the ball off the underside of the bar. Advertisement Advertisement It was the hosts’ turn to be denied by the woodwork a couple of minutes later when Bannan picked out Bernard, who nodded onto the crossbar. Wednesday keeper James Beadle was a bystander for much of the first half but was called into action within the first two minutes of the second period to deny Tyrhys Dolan with Rovers’ first shot on target. Rovers caused more problems in the opening 10 minutes of the second half than they managed in the whole of the first, Todd Cantwell threading through to the onrushing Dolan but Beadle smothered his effort to safety. The visitors broke the deadlock in the 68th minute when Rankin-Costello’s ball picked out substitute Gueye, who headed home from close range. Wednesday went in search of an equaliser and Michael Smith directed a header goalwards at the back post but Pears scrambled to safety as Rovers held on for yet another win.

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Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service Cord cutting used to refer to abandoning pay TV and putting up an antenna to watch free over-the-air TV. Then cord cutting expanded to include streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and individual streaming sources. Related Articles San Jose Sharks debut catchy sequel video to ‘Holiday Sweater’ Gift ideas for people planning their next trip Lights and decor, réveillon meals make Christmastime special in New Orleans Why American travelers are choosing Europe for Christmas Jaw-dropping holiday light displays worth the trip this December Now we also include streaming bundles, like YouTube TV or Hulu Live or DirecTV Stream. These bundled services mimic cable and satellite service, in that they have hundreds of channels. The ease or complexity of the cord cutting experience depends on how you have things set up. Let’s take a look at some gift options for your favorite cord cutter. As far as I know DirecTV is the only streaming bundle service that offers its own hardware. The Gemini Air is a small dongle that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV. It is paired with a remote control to allow for easy navigation. If you were an AT&T U-Verse TV customer, the Gemini Air/DirecTV Stream experience will be very familiar. The Gemini Air is a rarity in that it has number buttons. DirecTV Stream has the option of turning on channel numbers in the guide. I’ve used DirecTV Stream with my Roku TV and with the Gemini Air and the Air makes navigating the huge list of channels much easier. The Gemini Air runs the Google operating system, so you can see and use all your other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Max and more. You can also load apps and games from the Google Play store. The Gemini Air connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, and it can stream 4K content to your TV. The remote control has a microphone so you can use your voice to search or interact with Hey Google’s voice assistant. DirecTV Stream customers can get a free Gemini Air from AT&T with their service. Additional units are available for $120. There are lots of smart TV brands. Some run on the Roku operating system, some run Google TV and some use their own brand of smart TV apps. If you’d like to add Google TV to any set, you can get Google’s new TV Streamer (4K) for just $99 from store.google.com. The small device connects to your TV’s HDMI port. It also can connect to your home’s internet via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet connection. The Google TV interface is not tied to any specific streaming service. You can use any streaming service or app that’s available on the Google Play store. It features a simple remote with voice control and the Google TV Streamer is also a hub and controller for Matter and Thread home devices that work with Google’s home ecosystem. If you use an over-the-air antenna for watching your free local channels, I’m betting you’d like the option to record those channels. TiVo used to be the best/easiest way to record OTA TV, but they’ve discontinued their OTA recorders. A great alternative is from TabloTV, which is a small box that you connect to your TV antenna. The TabloTV does not directly connect to your TV. Instead it connects to your home’s Wi-Fi, and the antenna signal is wirelessly sent to any TV or compatible device in your home. Your TV picks up the signal through a free app, which is compatible with smart TV brands like Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or Android TV. This method is extremely handy if you don’t want to be bothered running an antenna wire from your attic or roof all the way to your TV. It’s also great if you want to use an indoor antenna, but your TV is not situated in a room that faces the broadcast towers. You can place the antenna and TabloTV where you get the best reception. The TabloTV comes in two models – with either two or four tuners. This means you can record or watch two or four shows at a time. TabloTV has onboard storage to record up to 50 hours of shows, but you can plug in any USB hard drive and expand to record thousands of hours of programming. You can also bundle a TabloTV with an OTA antenna if you like, or you can use your own antenna. Two things to know, there are no ongoing subscription costs for guide data, and there is no streaming service integration. You will need another way to add in streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. TabloTV models start at $99.95 for the two tuner model at tablotv.com. The four-tuner model is $139.95, but they may be on sale during the holidays. ©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The Bank of Scotland’s business barometer poll showed 73% of Scottish businesses expect to see turnover increase in 2025, up from 60% polled in 2023. Almost a quarter (23%) of businesses expect to see their revenue rise by between six and 10% over the next 12 months, with just over a fifth (21%) expecting it to grow by even more. The poll found that 70% of businesses were confident they would become more profitable in 2025, a two per cent increase when compared with the previous year. Revenue and profitability growth was firms’ top priority at 52%, though 40% said they will be targeting improved productivity, and the same proportion said they will be aiming to enhance their technology – such as automation or AI – or upskill their staff (both 29%). More than one in five (22%) want to improve their environmental sustainability. Other areas businesses are hoping to build upon AI-assisted technology (19%), and 24% will be investing in expanding into new UK markets and 23% plan to invest in staff training. The business barometer has surveyed 1,200 businesses every month since 2002, providing early signals about UK economic trends. Martyn Kendrick, Scotland director at Bank of Scotland commercial banking, said: “Scottish businesses are looking ahead to 2025 with stronger growth expectations, and setting out clear plans to drive this expansion through investments in new technology, new markets and their own teams. “As we enter the new year, we’ll continue to by their side to help them pursue their ambitions and seize all opportunities that lie ahead.”