Hello, friends and Fortune readers.
Happy Friday, as always. Another week is almost over. Here is what you need to now before you disappear to the lake house for the weekend:
1. Wells Fargo earnings are in.
The first of the big banks to report earnings, Wells kicked off a subset of earnings season Friday that should be of interest to anyone with a retirement account, or investments. The bank posted earnings of $1.01 per share. That’s a drop-off from $1.05 per share in the first quarter, but a slight gain from $0.98 in the second quarter of 2013. This isn’t expected to be a great quarter for the banks, according to a report in USA Today.
2. Chinese media sees iPhone as a threat.
The state-run media in China has branded Apple iPhones a security threat, reports the New York Times. A researcher on the network said that the frequent locations feature could allow people to be tracked and data stored about them. No word on any implications of playing Angry Birds.
3. Hillary’s book beaten by anti-Hillary book.
Hillary Clinton’s book “Hard Choices” was just knocked off its perch atop the New York Times Bestseller List — by a rabidly anti-Hilary (and anti-Obama) book “Blood Feud,” written by Edward Klein. “Blood Feud” is widely considered to be a hatchet job full of falsities and innuendo, but surely this one still stings.
4. World Cup bets beat expectations.
Despite England’s ignominious early exit (and England fans’ likely massive heartbreak over seeing two of its biggest rivals square off in the final this Sunday), English bookmaker William Hill told the New York Times the company has met its target for betting on the World Cup, despite England’s early exit. Gamblers placed 200 million pounds ($340 million) with William Hill during the tournament. Details on how much profit the company made will be available next month.
5. FREE SLURPEES!
The Slurpee turns 87 today, and 7-11 is, as always, giving out the sugary favorite of Little Leaguers everywhere for free. Have fun, and watch out for brain freeze.
