Stifel Bits

Summary

• Dolly Parton recently passed away, and a time capsule containing her secret final song is scheduled to open on January 19, 2046, which would have been her 100th birthday.
• The average ticket price for this year's U.S. Open Tennis Championships is $346, an increase from $196 in 2022.
• Harvard Business School offers a new entrepreneur bootcamp course taught by artificial intelligence avatars for $699.
• The average sea-surface temperature across the world's oceans reached a new daily record of 70°F on August 22.
• The Columbia High School football team in Huntsville, Alabama, ended a 101-game losing streak with a 41-14 victory.
• The estimated number of data centers in the U.S. ranges from 4,000 to 5,000.
• U.S. federal debt has surpassed $40 trillion while deficits widen & long-term borrowing costs rise.
• Some investors are shifting funds toward gold & silver due to concerns over U.S. debt sustainability.
• The U.S. dollar has weakened while gold prices have rallied as investors seek alternatives to traditional stores of value.
• Gold recently experienced a sharp correction before rebounding.
• Puffin cruises departing from Boothbay Harbor, Maine, attract around 10,000 visitors annually at an average cost of $71 per adult.
• Private puffin tours in Maine cost between $275 & $325 per person.
• Dae'Quan Wright returned to LSU after playing in youth leagues, middle school, high school, college, & the NFL.
• Novak Djokovic lost in the opening round of the U.S. Open to Mariano Navone in a five-set match lasting nearly until midnight.
• Dolly Parton has won 11 Grammys & is inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame & the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
• Apple is upgrading the Mac Mini with its new M6 chip.
• Uber launched a feature allowing parents to livestream their teens' rides.
• Oreo released KFC Spicy Chicken-flavored cookies in China.
• Retailers including H&M are scaling back larger sizes due to the impact of GLP-1 medications.
• Starbucks launched its biggest fall menu day on August 25, with the Hedgehog Cake Pop becoming its best-selling fall cake pop in a single day.