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THE Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has assured the public of an adequate supply of grain-processed products during this festive season. It says it has adequate stocks of essential grain-based commodities to meet demand this festive season unlike in the past. In the past, retailers took advantage of shortages of commodities during the festive season to hike prices, thereby dampening the spirit of merry-making. In a statement, GMAZ national chairman, Dr Tafadzwa Musarara, attributed this year’s achievement to strategic planning and unwavering commitment. “We are proud to report that the local market is adequately stocked with maize meal, rice, flour, salt and other essentials. The surplus supply has stabilised prices, making these commodities accessible to all at both formal and informal retail outlets,” he said. The 2024 agricultural season posed significant challenges due to prolonged drought conditions, which forced the industry to rely heavily on imported grain. Despite these hurdles, Dr Musarara said the sector has ensured consistent supply and remains committed to supporting local agriculture through initiatives such as contract farming and exploring additional source markets to maintain affordability. Dr Musarara also expressed gratitude to the Government for its private-led approach to achieving national food security. “The Government’s policies align with international best practices and have enabled us to adapt effectively to these challenges,” he said. —@SikhulekelaniM1 Sikhulekelani Moyo, KIDSMART, a popular retail outlet in Bulawayo, has been closed since Monday afternoon amid allegations of failing to comply with Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) regulations on tax and duty payments for imported goods. Social media reports suggest the store was operating without a Zimra Tax Clearance Certificate, with claims that its goods [...] Nokuthaba Brita Ncube, RETAIL giant, OK Zimbabwe has expressed concerns that the tax proposals outlined in the 2025 National Budget statement may increase costs and reduce profit margins for certain product lines, particularly alcoholic beverages and deli products. In its trading update for the half-year ending September 30, 2024, the company highlighted that the [...] Mukudzei Chingwere, Harare Bureau Khayah Cement Limited has entered corporate rescue proceedings due to the effects of the crippling illegal economic sanctions that have severely impacted its operations. The company adopted a resolution effective from December 20 to initiate a corporate rescue procedure under the Insolvency Act and Mr Bulisa Mbano of Grant Thornton (Zimbabwe) [...]

Global trading powerhouse Jane Street ’s recently made Rs 4.3 crore job offer to an IIT Madras student, reflecting the immense profitability of high-frequency trading firms operating in global financial markets. Meanwhile, this lucrative world contrasts sharply with the reality faced by retail traders , who continue to suffer heavy losses in the cutthroat game of options trading . Often touted as a lucrative opportunity for quick gains, options trading operates as a zero-sum game—profits for some come directly at the expense of others. This dynamic often leaves small retail investors, who are drawn in by the high-risk, high-reward proposition, at a disadvantage. Recent data from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) revealed the dire consequences for retail investors venturing into this arena. Sebi ’s study revealed that 93% of retail traders in options markets incurred losses between FY22 and FY24, amounting to a staggering Rs 1.81 lakh crore in total losses. Individual traders lost an average of Rs 2 lakh. Meanwhile, the dominance of global trading firms in the financial markets is built on their ability to deploy sophisticated algorithms that execute trades in fractions of a second, capturing incremental profits that add up to billions. While algorithmic traders at firms like Jane Street use sophisticated strategies to consistently win, the odds are heavily stacked against individual traders, especially those without access to such advanced tools. The disparity in outcomes is stark. Jane Street recently disclosed in a U.S. court that a proprietary options trading strategy employed in India was among its most profitable, earning over $1 billion last year. However, retail investors—who make up a significant portion of the market—face steep losses. According to the Sebi study, only 7% of individual traders managed to turn a profit over the last three years, highlighting the dominance of institutional players. Stock Trading Technical Trading Made Easy: Online Certification Course By - Souradeep Dey, Equity and Commodity Trader, Trainer View Program Stock Trading Stock Markets Made Easy By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Market 104: Options Trading: Kickstart Your F&O Adventure By - Saketh R, Founder- QuickAlpha, Full Time Options Trader View Program Stock Trading Options Trading Course For Beginners By - Chetan Panchamia, Options Trader View Program Stock Trading Candlesticks Made Easy: Candlestick Pattern Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading RSI Made Easy: RSI Trading Course By - Souradeep Dey, Equity and Commodity Trader, Trainer View Program Stock Trading Complete Guide to Stock Market Trading: From Basics to Advanced By - Harneet Singh Kharbanda, Full Time Trader View Program Stock Trading Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By - Dinesh Nagpal, Full Time Trader, Ichimoku & Trading Psychology Expert View Program Stock Trading Point & Figure Chart Mastery: A Comprehensive Trading Guide By - Mukta Dhamankar, Full Time Trader, 15 Years Experience, Instructor View Program Stock Trading Options Trading Made Easy: Options Trading Course By - Anirudh Saraf, Founder- Saraf A & Associates, Chartered Accountant View Program Stock Trading Stock Valuation Made Easy By - Rounak Gouti, Investment commentary writer, Experience in equity research View Program Stock Trading Markets 102: Mastering Sentiment Indicators for Swing and Positional Trading By - Rohit Srivastava, Founder- Indiacharts.com View Program Stock Trading Mastering Options Selling: Advanced Strategies for Success By - CA Manish Singh, Chartered Accountant, Professional Equity and Derivative Trader View Program Retail participation in derivatives trading has nearly doubled from 51 lakh in FY22 to 96 lakh in FY24, yet over 90% of retail traders continue to incur losses, as younger and low-income participants are hit hardest. Algorithmic firms like Jane Street dominate with high-speed strategies, capturing profits at the expense of smaller players. Also read | ICICI Securities picks 9 counters after DAC clears Rs 21,772-crore acquisition; BEL and HAL key beneficiaries While platforms now offer retail traders access to algorithms, their impact remains limited. The result is a market where institutional players thrive, while success remains elusive for most retail participants, highlighting the persistent inequities in the F&O segment. Sebi has introduced sweeping reforms to address this imbalance, including limiting weekly expiries to one index per exchange and increasing contract sizes for derivatives. These measures aim to curb speculation and volatility but may reduce access for smaller traders, raising the bar for market participation. These developments paint a vivid picture of the inequities within the options trading ecosystem. While institutional firms leverage technology and capital to dominate, retail traders face mounting losses despite regulatory safeguards. SEBI’s interventions may signal a shift toward leveling the playing field, but they also reveal how far the system still has to go to create balance opportunity and risk in the financial markets. Also read | Indraprastha Gas to consider bonus share issuance in December board meeting ( Disclaimer : Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel )Myrna Quiñonez Puts a Surreal Spin on Landscape Tradition at Beers London

The on-field success of both Army and Navy in the 2024 season led to television ratings for their rivalry game not seen in more than three decades. According to Front Office Sports, Navy's 31-13 victory last Saturday at Landover, Md., had a viewership of 9.4 million for CBS, making it the highest ratings for the game since at least 1990. The 1992 Army-Navy game had a viewership of 8.45 million. Army (11-2) and Navy (9-3) are both bowl bound. Army will face Louisiana Tech in the Dec. 28 Independence Bowl, while Navy takes on Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 27. The Army-Navy clash led to a 31 percent jump in viewership from the 2023 contest. Earlier this month, CBS announced a 10-year extension to broadcast the game in a deal that runs through 2038. --Field Level Media

Taipei, Taiwan A Chinese film set during the Covid-19 pandemic won the top prizes in Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Awards, which saw the highest number of entries from China in recent years despite political tensions. Beijing banned its entertainers from joining Golden Horse — dubbed the Chinese-language “Oscars” — in 2019 after a Taiwanese director voiced support for the island’s independence in an acceptance speech in 2018. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, which the Taipei government rejects, and Chinese A-listers and big commercial productions have largely avoided the event ever since. Despite the sensitivity of the awards, more than 200 Chinese films entered this year’s competition, which Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said was the highest number in “recent years”. Acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye was awarded best director late Saturday night for his docu-drama “An Unfinished Film”, which was also named best picture. Lou was absent from the ceremony but his wife Ma Yingli read his acceptance speech, describing the film set during China’s lockdown of Wuhan in the earliest stages of the pandemic as “the most special directing job I have ever done”. Chinese actor Zhang Zhiyong, who also did not attend the awards, won best actor for his performance in Chinese director Geng Jun’s same-sex drama “Bel Ami”. Hong Kong’s Chung Suet-ying was named best actress for her role in “The Way We Talk”, which is about the deaf community. Neither “Bel Ami” nor “An Unfinished Film” has been released in China. Ahead of the awards, MAC spokesman Liang Wen-chieh told reporters that these films “may not be able to be screened in mainland China, but they still hope to have a free platform to participate and express themselves”. “We welcome (them) very much,” he said. READ ALSO: Chinese movies vie for Taiwan’s top awards against tense backdrop – ‘Work of conscience’ – After several years absence, Chinese stars began trickling back to the awards in Taipei last year, with actress Hu Ling the first to grace the red carpet since the ban. On Saturday, Geng Jun and some of his cast were among the few Chinese entertainers to join stars and filmmakers from around the region, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, on the red carpet. While Geng missed out on best director and best picture, his film “Bel Ami” won the awards for best cinematography and best film editing. Despite political tensions, Golden Horse remained a stage for independent Chinese films that have no distribution space on the mainland, Taiwanese film critic Wonder Weng told AFP. “This spirit remains unchanged. I think the Golden Horse Awards have always insisted on being the benchmark” that is open to all subjects, said Weng, who is a board member of Taiwan Film Critics Society. Weng said “An Unfinished Film” by Lou, who has previously taken on forbidden subjects such as gay sex and the 1989 Tiananmen protests, was “a work of conscience”. Lou’s latest offering is about a film crew trying to resume shooting a movie during the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, as the city was placed in an unprecedented lockdown. “Lou put images that are banned or blocked into his work and reminds us that there is a director who is willing to preserve historical images for us to see... and let us know there is a different voice,” Weng said.

No one knows quite what to do with Thanksgiving since most of what we think of as “tradition” is bogus, former Historic Jamestowne interpreter Karla K. Bruno writes in a guest column.LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom - Kylian Mbappe saw a penalty saved as Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 on Nov 27 to inflict a third Champions League defeat in five matches on the holders. Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored the goals in the second half as the Reds maintained their perfect record to return to the top of the table. Mohamed Salah also fired wide from the spot, but it mattered little as Liverpool secured a 17th win in Arne Slot’s first 19 games in charge. Slot has already achieved what Jurgen Klopp could not as Liverpool boss by slaying the Spanish giants. Liverpool had a score to settle with Madrid, who were unbeaten in eight previous meetings between the sides, including Champions League finals against Klopp’s men in 2018 and 2022. Defeat sends Carlo Ancelotti’s side tumbling down to 24th in the table. Only the top 24 progress to the knockout stage with the top eight advancing directly to the last 16. Liverpool are well on course to do just that and the confidence coursing through a side also eight points clear at the top of the Premier League was in evidence throughout in front of a highly-charged Anfield crowd. Madrid were hamstrung by a lengthy injury list and made the trip to England without Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba. Young centre-back Raul Asencio has been pressed into action by those absences and he made a vital goal-line clearance on four minutes. Darwin Nunez was sent in behind the Madrid defence by Salah and after his shot produced a fine save from Thibaut Courtois, Asencio reacted smartly to prevent the rebound bouncing off him and into his own net. Courtois was Liverpool’s scourge with a man-of-the-match performance in the final two years ago as Madrid prevailed 1-0 in Paris. The Belgian was at his best again as he blocked another big Nunez chance from point-blank range as the Liverpool pressure built without reward before the break. Courtois was in sparkling form again at the start of the second period to parry Conor Bradley’s downward header. But Liverpool were not to be denied as Bradley was this time the provider for Mac Allister, who manufactured the space for a shot into the far corner on 52 minutes. The visitors were relying on Mbappe for a moment of magic in the absence of Vinicius, but the Frenchman was well-marshalled by his international team-mate Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. His chance to silence his critics arrived on the hour mark when Andy Robertson was harshly adjudged to have tripped Lucas Vazquez inside the area. Caoimhin Kelleher has excelled in the absence of the injured Alisson Becker and leapt to his left to save Mbappe’s spot-kick. Salah sparked a furore ahead of the game by declaring his disappointment with Liverpool’s failure to offer him a contract renewal. The Egyptian has been in sparkling form this season and his pace and trickery fooled Ferland Mendy into a mistimed challenge. Salah, though, gave Madrid a lifeline by firing his penalty off the outside of the post. Liverpool had to wait just six more minutes for the cushion of a second goal as substitute Gakpo rose highest from a corner to power a header past Courtois. AFP

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Six area teams will compete in the state quarterfinals for high school football on Friday night. LeBlond at Rockport- 8 man Penney at North Platte- Class 1 Platte County at Webb City- Class 5 News-Press Now will bring you half-time and final score updates.