Michael Farr

2 weeks ago | cnbc.com | Michael Farr

It has been 44 days since the S & P 500 Index traded at an all-time high of 6,144. At noon on Friday April 4, the large-cap index stood 1,025 points lower at 5,119. That's a decline of almost 17%. Declines of 10% or more qualify as "corrections," while declines of 20% or more become "bear markets." After two consecutive years of 20%+ returns for the S & P, a correction is hardly unexpected.

Jan 24, 2025 | thespectator.com | Dot Wordsworth |Cressida Bonas |Stuart Jeffries |Michael Farr

My husband said “A.J. Balfour played the concertina,” which is perfectly true, though he did other things, even as prime minister. The concertina was inessential to what I thought was a neat way of sorting out the meanings of naturalism. The word is used quite a bit these days, with four main meanings. My mnemonic for the meanings are Balfour, Bolingbroke, Zola and Caravaggio.

Jan 24, 2025 | thespectator.com | Adrian Brune |Rod Liddle |Peter Hasson |Michael Farr

The issue appeared without fanfare at the 2017 US Open giftshop: a bright-red background offset an Impressionist yet unmistakable painting of Yannick Noah hitting a forehand, dreadlocks flaring. And with that, publisher Caitlin Thompson and editor-in-chief Dave Shaftel — an unlikely journalism pair who had met bonding over the poor state of tennis media — announced the launch of Racquet magazine, a journal that would explore the lifestyle, culture, history and zeitgeist behind modern tennis.

Jan 24, 2025 | thespectator.com | Georgia Heneage |Michael Farr |Damian Reilly |Deborah Ross

In theaters February 5Amy Schumer stars as Lainy, a woman who dons a prosthetic pregnant belly when she grows envious of her best friend’s maternal glow. Once inside the secret world of mommies, Lainy learns how far she will go to stay close to her friends while being pulled toward a new love — Will Forte, who assures Lainy that she’s the least pregnant person he’s ever dated.

Jan 24, 2025 | thespectator.com | A.N. Wilson |Stuart Jeffries |Michael Farr |Kate Weinberg

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe bears one of the most famous names in world literature, though he is largely unread by English-speakers. He is most closely associated with the novel and dramatic form, so many would be surprised to know that he primarily spoke of himself, for much of a long life that spanned from 1749 to 1832, as a scientist.