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S&P 500 Rallies As U.S. Dollar Pulls Back Towards Weekly Lows

Key Insights
The strong pullback in the U.S. dollar provided significant support to stocks.
Treasury yields have pulled back after touching new highs, which served as an additional positive catalyst for S&P 500.
A move above 3730 will push S&P 500 towards the resistance level at 3760.
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Pfizer Rallies After Announcing A Huge Price Hike For Its COVID-19 Vaccines
S&P 500 is currently trying to settle above 3730 as traders’ appetite for risk is growing. The U.S. dollar has recently gained strong downside momentum as the BoJ intervened to stop the rally in USD/JPY. Weaker U.S. dollar is bullish for stocks as it increases profits of multinational companies and makes U.S. equities cheaper for foreign investors.

The leading oil services company Schlumberger is up by 9% after beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Schlumberger’s peers Baker Hughes and Halliburton have also enjoyed strong support today.

Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna gained strong upside momentum after Pfizer announced that it will raise the price of its coronavirus vaccine to $110 – $130 per shot.

Biggest losers today include Verizon and Twitter. Verizon is down by 5% despite beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Subscriber numbers missed estimates, and traders pushed the stock to multi-year lows.

Twitter stock moved towards the $50 level as the U.S. may conduct a security review of Musk’s purchase of the company.

From a big picture point of view, today’s rebound is broad, and most market segments are moving higher. Treasury yields have started to move lower after testing new highs, providing additional support to S&P 500. It looks that some traders are ready to bet that Fed will be less hawkish than previously expected.

S&P 500 Tests Resistance At 3730

S&P 500 has recently managed to get above the 20 EMA and is trying to settle above the resistance at 3730. RSI is in the moderate territory, and there is plenty of room to gain additional upside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge.

If S&P 500 manages to settle above 3730, it will head towards the next resistance level at 3760. A successful test of this level will push S&P 500 towards the next resistance at October highs at 3805. The 50 EMA is located in the nearby, so S&P 500 will likely face strong resistance above the 3800 level.

On the support side, the previous resistance at 3700 will likely serve as the first support level for S&P 500. In case S&P 500 declines below this level, it will move towards the next support level at 3675. A move below 3675 will push S&P 500 towards the support at 3640.

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Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician

When you finish your pharmacy technician course, you would still need to go through one more step before you can work as one. You need to become a certified pharmacy technician, often abbreviated as CPhT. The PTCB exam is given three times every year for those who want to aspire to be full pledged pharmacy techs. Only a few states in America require pharmacy techs to get certified but it pays to undergo the exam in case you get a job elsewhere that will require you to be a certified pharmacy technician. You will realize that many employers prefer certified pharmacy technicians over non certified ones because they possess official recognition that they are qualified to do the job.The purpose of the exam is to make sure that anyone who will be pursuing a career in pharmacy technology will have the basic knowledge required in this field. The exam will also make sure that you have the foundation as well as the proper training in order to meet the daily requirements of the job. The exam tackles the core knowledge and skills that are expected from a good pharmacy technician. The certification exam also is a regulatory procedure by the government to make sure that the health professionals who give health care to the patients all around the country are all qualified to do so. It ensures the safety of the citizens of the country.There are a few requirements before taking the certification exam for pharmacy techs. First, you must possess a high school diploma, GED or its equivalent if you are from another country, and you must be clear of any drug related cases in the FBI, or its foreign equivalent. Furthermore, you must no be under any form of limitation from any State Board of Pharmacy.If you have satisfied the prerequisites above, then you are eligible to take the exam. You need to pass the PTCB exam to be able to be awarded the pharmacy technician certification status. It is best that you review your past courses in your pharmacy technician programs and concentrate on getting the basics and foundation memorized by heart. This is a very important exam that can be the start of your career.Certifications are renewed every two years. For each recertification that a pharmacy technician undergoes, there is a required 20 hours of further education within the two year period prior to the certification exam day. This means that the candidate must be able to take refresher courses from the desired college, organization, associations or pharmacy technician programs, with at least one hour pertaining to pharmacy law. Ten of the 20 hour requirement can also be earned under direct supervision of a pharmacist. The continuing education requirement is a great opportunity for the candidate to refresh his memory about the core knowledge and skills needed by a pharmacy technician and it is also a chance to be updated with the developments in the field.The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam will be taken using a computer and not a paper and pen, as it was previously administered a few decades ago. It has 90 multiple choice questions that cover the basics in pharmacy technology such as assisting pharmacists in providing service to various patients,maintenance of medication and systems that concern inventory control, and role and participation in the administration and management of good pharmacy practice. These are the topics that the Board feels are essential to having a well rounded pharmacy technician who is fit to serve the vast group of patients all over the United States of America.

Finding The Right Home School Program

There’s no turning back now! We joined the ranks of the home school movement! We actually left behind the traditional brick and mortar school system. We did? Yikes! How the heck did I do this alone AND find the right path or “home school program” that was perfect for our family?The biggest question was can I do this? Eek! I realized I was about to embark on a colossal voyage; full-time employment, full-time teacher, full-time mom! I’m so glad I didn’t think how massive this thing was at the time (risking I’d chicken out once I realized the scope of this task all by my lonesome). I just decided to move forward and wing it. I had a “Mom the Builder” attitude. Once I made my mind up, I declared “I CAN do this… yes I CAN!” I was determined to move forward full speed and damn the torpedoes! I was resolved to stick with this as long as we were achieving positive results. We’d give it a year and make an assessment after that as to whether to continue.LOGISTICS AND RESEARCHA big factor we didn’t consider, were the people in our life and whether they would support or interfere with this decision. We had to keep those who were unsupportive at bay. I was wise enough to understand, if we failed, we would have learned a valuable lesson and would be stronger from the experience. If we succeeded… all the better!The next thing I needed to address were the “physical logistics.” Where to set up the “classroom” and a comfortable workspace, while keeping “distractions” to a minimum. We opted to convert the master bedroom into a home office/classroom. It was spacious enough for both our needs. I could set up daily lessons and continue on my own work. Plus, I would be right there to give guidance and aid when it was needed. A perfect fit!With the initial concerns tackled, next was finding the right program. I conducted extensive research to see what was available. Wow! I had no idea there was so much information out there on home schooling and home school programs. So much so, that it was a bit overwhelming. I didn’t know which direction to head! I didn’t know anyone PERSONALLY that home schooled their children. In fact, many of my friends and family thought I was insane! Their valid concerns were about “socializing”. But it didn’t stop us, because it felt right and I was open to implementing extra curricular activities to cover the “social” aspect.I also contacted other families who had home school experience to get the pros and cons from their own journey. My internet research yielded all sorts of home school programs, including free and tuition programs, as well as Christian based curriculum programs. I had no idea there would be so much to choose from. I certainly had my work cut out for me!After I concluded my research, we decided to try out the K12 program to see if it was the right one for us. It is an “accredited” chartered public school that provides all the tools found in a traditional brick and mortar public school arena. Over the years, they provided us (since the first grade) with a computer, printer, textbooks and the tools for each subject (science, math, literature, spelling, history, art and yes even music!) When we received our first shipment, it was like Christmas! The support we continue to receive from the school is commendable AND because we had to relocate from Arizona to Nevada (for employment reasons) we did not have to change curriculum. K12 is available tuition free in both states! Needless to say… this was a great choice for us.. big time! My child excels in school, is a grade ahead of her peers and an honor roll student at the top of her class!

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