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Can Jung Hoo Lee Win the 2026 MLB Batting Title? Inside His Hot Stretch With the Giants

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-Hoo

Jung Hoo Lee has emerged as one of the more intriguing names in this year’s National League batting race, with the San Francisco Giants outfielder riding a hot stretch at the plate that has reignited questions about whether the South Korean star can contend for a batting title in just his third MLB season.

A Career Built on Hitting for Average

Lee’s pursuit of a batting crown would not be unprecedented territory for him — it would simply be a continuation of a skill set he displayed at an elite level throughout his career in the KBO League before crossing over to Major League Baseball. Lee is a two-time KBO batting champion, having led the league in average in both 2021 and 2022. In 2021, he batted .360 with a .438 on-base percentage and a .522 slugging percentage, while in 2022 he was named the KBO’s MVP after slashing .349/.421/.575 in 142 games, leading the league in average, hits, RBI, and OPS.

That track record of elite hit tool and contact ability is precisely why Lee’s name continues to surface in discussions about MLB’s batting race, even as his transition to the majors has had its share of ups and downs.

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A Recent Surge at the Plate

After a relatively modest start to the 2026 campaign, Lee’s batting average has shown significant improvement as the season has progressed. Lee is currently hitting .325 with four home runs, 26 RBI, and 36 runs scored this season, a marked improvement from his .266 batting average a year earlier in 2025.

That trajectory has fueled the growing belief that Lee may be rounding into the form that made him such a feared hitter back in South Korea. One outlet noted that superstitious minds might look to Lee’s new on-deck routine as an explanation for the Giants star’s hot streak at the plate.

The Underlying Metrics Supporting His Hot Streak

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Beyond the surface-level batting average, advanced metrics suggest Lee’s recent performance is grounded in genuine quality of contact rather than simply a run of good fortune. Lee’s 2026 advanced metrics include an average exit velocity of 87.7 miles per hour, a hard-hit rate of 30.4%, a weighted on-base average of .352, an expected weighted on-base average of .335, and a barrel rate of 2.6%.

Those figures paint the picture of a hitter who, while not necessarily driving the ball with overwhelming power, continues to make the kind of consistent, well-placed contact that has defined his offensive approach throughout his professional career.

Career Numbers With the Giants

Since arriving in MLB, Lee’s overall body of work has reflected a player still working to fully translate his KBO dominance to a more challenging level of competition. Across three seasons with the Giants, Lee has compiled a .261 career batting average with 191 hits, 10 home runs, 67 RBI, and 91 runs scored.

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Lee made his MLB debut against fellow South Korean star Ha-seong Kim and the San Diego Padres on March 28, 2024, a moment that carried added significance given their relationship dating back to their playing days together for Kiwoom in the KBO. Lee is also friends with Dodgers utility man Hyeseong Kim, with the two having been teammates during Lee’s time in the KBO as well.

The Path to a Batting Title

For Lee to genuinely contend for a 2026 batting crown, he will need to both sustain his recent surge and significantly improve on the underlying metrics that have occasionally lagged behind his raw batting average in seasons past. Lee’s KBO career was defined by remarkable batting line consistency, including a .355/.412/.477 slash line with six home runs and 57 RBI in just his second professional season, when he finished third in the league in batting average despite missing six weeks with a shoulder injury.

Replicating that level of sustained excellence at the major league level represents the central challenge Lee faces if he hopes to seriously compete for a batting title against the National League’s deepest pool of contact hitters.

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An Uncertain Backdrop in San Francisco

Complicating Lee’s individual pursuit of a batting crown is the broader organizational direction the Giants appear to be taking as the season progresses. As the trade deadline draws nearer, teams are going to start shifting into buyer or seller categories, and the Giants are reportedly leaning toward the sell side.

That dynamic raises questions about roster stability and lineup construction around Lee for the remainder of the season, even as his own individual performance has trended upward. A team in selling mode often experiences shifts in everyday playing time distribution and lineup composition that could either help or hinder an individual hitter’s ability to sustain a hot streak through the second half of the schedule.

What Lee Brings Beyond the Batting Average

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Lee’s value to the Giants has never been confined strictly to his bat, with questions about his defensive contributions also factoring into the broader conversation about his overall impact. Some analysts have noted that both the eye test and advanced defensive metrics have at times misjudged Lee’s fielding ability, suggesting his all-around game may be somewhat underrated relative to public perception, even as his offensive production draws the most attention.

A Personal Legacy Tied to His Family Name

Beyond the statistics, Lee’s career carries a layer of personal and cultural significance tied to his family background. In his introductory press conference upon joining the Giants, Lee called himself the “Grandson of the Wind,” honoring his father’s legacy as a way of acknowledging the baseball lineage he carries into his major league career.

With roughly half of the 2026 season still to play, Lee’s path to a genuine batting title contention will depend heavily on whether his recent surge represents a sustainable adjustment at the plate or a temporary hot stretch. Given his proven track record of elite contact hitting throughout his KBO career, along with the underlying Statcast metrics supporting his current production, Lee has positioned himself as a name worth monitoring in the National League batting race as the season moves into its second half — even as broader questions about the Giants’ direction at the trade deadline add an additional layer of uncertainty to how the rest of his season unfolds.

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BSE subsidiary ICCL adopts new brand identity as BSE Clearing

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BSE subsidiary ICCL adopts new brand identity as BSE Clearing
Indian Clearing Corporation Limited (ICCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of BSE Ltd, has unveiled its new brand identity as BSE Clearing Limited (BSECL), according to a company release issued on Thursday.

The company said the transition marks a significant milestone in strengthening alignment with parent entity BSE Ltd and reinforces its role within the broader BSE ecosystem.

BSECL will continue to provide clearing, settlement and risk management services across the equity, equity derivatives, currency derivatives, debt, commodity, mutual fund, electronic gold receipt (EGR) and securities lending and borrowing (SLB) segments, among others.

The company said it remains committed to ensuring financial market stability, efficient collateral management and the highest standards of regulatory compliance as mandated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

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“The transition from ICCL to BSE Clearing Limited reflects our strong alignment with the BSE brand and our role as a trusted pillar of India’s financial market infrastructure. Over the years, we have built robust clearing, settlement, and risk management capabilities that support market integrity and investor confidence,” said Vaisshali Babu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BSE Clearing Limited.


“As we embark on this new chapter, we remain steadfast in our commitment to operational excellence and regulatory compliance while supporting the long-term resilience of India’s capital markets,” she added.
According to the release, the rebranding will have no impact on the corporation’s operations, legal obligations, contracts or service commitments towards members, participants and stakeholders.All existing agreements, memberships and regulatory registrations will continue without interruption, the company said.

BSE, Asia’s oldest stock exchange, is also the world’s largest exchange by number of listed companies. Over the years, it has played a key role in the development of India’s capital markets and serves as a major platform for companies raising capital. Its benchmark index, the Sensex, is widely tracked by domestic and global investors as a gauge of Indian equity market performance.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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MAHA SNAP restrictions on junk food could change spending

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MAHA SNAP restrictions on junk food could change spending
How major food brands are navigating changes to SNAP benefits

The growing push to restrict Americans from using federal food aid to buy certain processed or sugary products is creating a new challenge for some of the biggest U.S. food and beverage companies.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture as of May had approved food restriction waivers for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in 23 states, affecting roughly one-third of all SNAP participants, according to Numerator. The research firm estimates the restrictions could reduce food and beverage sales by as much as $830 million this year as consumers either shift spending to approved products or cut back overall.

Kroger CEO Greg Foran said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call on Thursday that customers remain under pressure in part due to reduced SNAP benefits, as well as higher gas prices, “squeezing budgets.”

“Customers are managing spend carefully and shopping with real intent,” Foran said.

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Most waivers focus on limiting consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and confectionery products, signaling a targeted approach rather than broad food restrictions. As the movement spreads, it’s forcing major packaged food companies to monitor shopper behavior and assess whether they need to remake product lines — though many of them have already been changing what they offer after consumer habits shifted in recent years.

Iowa recently became the first state to codify elements of the “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, movement into law, approving legislation that targets artificial food dyes, ultra-processed foods in school and purchases made through SNAP.

“Altogether, this bill advances the health and wellness for every Iowan today and for generations to come,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds when she signed the measure last month.

She added the law helps “refocus federal food assistance programs on the actual purpose for which they were created: helping low-income families afford nutritious food.”

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Attendees are greeted with”Eat Real Food” placards as they gather for U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce new nutrition policies at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 8, 2026.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

The law bans several synthetic dyes, including Red 40 and Yellow 5, from most K-12 school meals and vending machines, while also restricting SNAP recipients from using benefits to buy products such as soda and candy.

Navigating the MAHA era

Many food companies aren’t waiting to see how policies evolve.

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At a Goldman Sachs conference in May, Hershey said it has researchers in Texas conducting in-store interviews with shoppers who receive SNAP benefits to understand how purchasing behavior is shifting under new restrictions in the state.

“We’ve observed some consumer uncertainty at the register as new restrictions take effect,” a Hershey spokesperson told CNBC. “We anticipate this will improve as store execution improves, rules become clearer, and SNAP users can plan and budget with more certainty.”

The company is studying everything from product substitutions to budget tradeoffs, offering an early glimpse into how major food manufacturers are preparing for a potentially significant shift in consumer demand.

Many of the products most exposed to the changes are produced by some of the largest companies in the industry like Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Nestle and others.

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J.M. Smucker CEO Mark Smucker, however, told CNBC he expects the SNAP policy changes to have a more muted impact.

“I would say the current environment isn’t really that different than what we’ve seen over time, and thus far some of the modifications have really had no meaningful impact to our business,” he said.

Still, the company’s Hostess products like Twinkies and Donettes — the latter of which saw net sales grow 13% in the latest quarter, according to the company — may be impacted under broader state restrictions on “highly processed snacks.”

Current SNAP waivers in states like Texas focus primarily on candy and sugary drinks, not snack cakes. However, some states have proposed broader definitions that could eventually encompass packaged desserts and sweet baked goods.

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At the same time, fewer Americans are even receiving the benefits. One analysis estimates 3.5 million people have lost their SNAP aid since President Donald Trump last year signed a sweeping bill that restricts eligibility for SNAP, among other changes.

Many U.S. households have found it harder to pay for groceries following the changes. The restrictions have also meant fewer dollars flowing to major businesses.

Walmart is particularly exposed to SNAP spending, capturing roughly a quarter of all SNAP grocery dollars nationwide, according to Numerator. Kroger, Costco and Amazon follow at about 8%, 6% and 5%, respectively.

The curbs on what consumers can buy with federal assistance are only one shift food companies are watching.

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At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in April, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went as far as to say he “would support” a ban on junk-food television advertising. The department has not yet taken steps to introduce such a ban.

Responding both to Kennedy’s MAHA initiative and shifting consumer tastes, food manufacturers have also accelerated efforts to reformulate products and reduce synthetic ingredients in products like Kool-Aid, Fanta, Doritos and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, which contain dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5.

General Mills, Kraft Heinz and Target have all pledged to phase out certain artificial colors and additives by 2027 or sooner.

Nestle announced Monday it achieved its commitment on time to fully eliminate Food, Drug & Cosmetic colors from its U.S. food and beverage portfolio.

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Roku: Fox Deal Changes The Narrative (Rating Downgrade)

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XSW And The Crisis Of The Software Sector That You Need To Know (NYSEARCA:XSW)

Roku: Fox Deal Changes The Narrative (Rating Downgrade)

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Joby Aviation: The Race To The Skies Is Narrowing, And Joby Is In Front

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Joby Aviation: The Race To The Skies Is Narrowing, And Joby Is In Front

Joby Aviation: The Race To The Skies Is Narrowing, And Joby Is In Front

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Cushman & Wakefield surges 63% after InvestingPro fair value alert

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Alibaba's 45% Collapse Created A Buying Opportunity

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Abstract AI Symbol Hovering Above Chinese Flag – Representing AI Innovation and Technology in China

Alibaba's 45% Collapse Created A Buying Opportunity

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Stock Market Holiday: BSE, NSE closed on June 26 sets up extended weekend for Dalal Street

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Stock Market Holiday: BSE, NSE closed on June 26 sets up extended weekend for Dalal Street
The Indian stock market will remain closed on June 26 as the NSE and BSE observe a trading holiday on account of Muharram. The last market holiday was on May 28 for Bakri Id, making this the second exchange holiday in less than a month.

A total of 16 stock market holidays have been scheduled for 2026, out of which nine have already passed.

Following next week’s closure, the next market holiday will fall on Monday, September 14, for Ganesh Chaturthi. In the second half of the year, markets will also remain closed on October 2 for Gandhi Jayanti, October 20 for Dussehra, November 10 for Diwali Balipratipada, November 24 for Guru Nanak Jayanti and December 25 for Christmas, which will be the final market holiday of 2026.

Will MCX be closed?

Meanwhile, Multi Commodity Exchange of India will remain closed during the morning session on June 26 but will resume trading in the evening session. According to MCX’s annual trading calendar, the exchange has 16 trading holidays in 2026, with either partial or full-day closures.

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The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited will remain shut for both trading sessions on the same day.

Stock Market Holidays 2026

In 2026, four key holidays fall on weekends and therefore will not lead to additional market closures. These include Mahashivratri on February 15 and Eid-Ul-Fitr on March 21, both of which have already passed, along with Independence Day on August 15 and Diwali Laxmi Pujan on November 8.
Diwali Laxmi Pujan will fall on a Sunday this year, though exchanges will conduct the customary Muhurat Trading session on November 8. The timings for the special one-hour session will be announced closer to the date. Independence Day, meanwhile, falls on a Saturday.


(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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BBC Radio 4 – Money Box, Pension delays and fraud figures

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BBC Radio 4 - Money Box, Pension delays and fraud figures

Capita chiefs promised MPs on the Public Accounts Committee it would fix long-running problems with its administration of one of the biggest pension schemes in the country by the end of this month.
Tens of thousands of retired and serving civil servants have been reporting long delays to payments, leading to serious financial hardship to pensioners and their families. 
But Money Box has learned the deadline isn’t likely to be met. We speak to the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee about what happens next.
And cases of reported are still increasing. We explain how AI has become the latest weapon in the fraudsters’ armoury.
Also, holiday season is upon us. What can we do to minimise the hit from those annoying non-sterling transaction fees levied every time we use our plastic. A consumer expert shares his advice.

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Nancy Guthrie Case Reframed by Crypto Firm’s “Wrench Attack” Label as Police Confirm Motive Pending

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Nancy Guthrie

More than four months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home, a retired FBI agent says a leading cybersecurity company has publicly classified the case as a cryptocurrency-motivated kidnapping — what the industry calls a “wrench attack by proxy.” If the designation holds up, it would reframe the disappearance of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother as part of a documented and growing pattern of violent crimes targeting people connected to digital-currency wealth.

What CertiK Said

Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent and NewsNation contributor, posted on X on Saturday, June 13, sharing a screenshot from cybersecurity firm CertiK. In it, CertiK described Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping as part of a “$6 million bitcoin ransom demand” and tied it to what the company called “the documented trend of proxy target selection already identified in our 2025 report.”

CertiK published a broader report documenting 34 verified wrench attacks between January and April 2026, a 41% increase from the 24 incidents recorded during the same period in 2025. Total losses from these attacks exceeded $101 million in just four months. Among the cases flagged in the report was the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, which CertiK categorized as a potential “wrench attack by proxy.” Ransom notes demanding $6 million in Bitcoin were reportedly sent to multiple media outlets, including KGUN9 and TMZ.

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What a “Wrench Attack” Means

The term “wrench attack” comes from the cryptocurrency world. It refers to a physical assault or threat, sometimes literally with a wrench or other weapon, aimed at forcing someone to hand over digital assets. A “proxy” variation targets not the crypto holder directly but a family member or associate, using the threat against that person as leverage. The term traces back to a satirical XKCD webcomic first published in 2009, built on the joke that it’s easier to beat someone with a wrench until they give up their password than it is to hack a cryptocurrency wallet.

Coffindaffer characterized the development in stark terms in her post. “Nancy Guthrie: It’s the biggest public break in Nancy’s Case as CertiK, arguably the Leading Crypto Security company in the World, has designated Nancy’s abduction as a Wrench attack by Proxy,” she wrote. “Does CertiK have knowledge as to (whether) Savannah has a Bitcoin account? This is a huge breakthrough. Times have changed. And how these networks operate is new to LE. Unless LE knows who took Nancy, then a Wrench by Proxy Is on the Table.”

An Important Caveat

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Despite the attention generated by Coffindaffer’s post, the designation remains, at this stage, an outside assessment rather than a confirmed law enforcement finding. Nothing in the public domain confirms CertiK’s internal knowledge beyond the screenshot Coffindaffer shared, and the assessment remains speculative rather than established fact. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the inquiry, says detectives are still examining DNA and pursuing leads, but no suspect has been identified. The FBI is assisting, yet there has been no confirmation that agents accept the “wrench attack” label or see the case as part of a wider crypto-crime pattern.

Authorities have not officially confirmed any motive in the case, despite the various theories that have circulated publicly in recent weeks.

A Pattern Beyond This Single Case

CertiK’s broader research frames the Guthrie case as one example of an accelerating trend rather than an isolated incident. The blockchain security firm’s data shows wrench attacks are not slowing down. As the report notes, hardware wallets, multisig setups, and time-locked transactions were designed to protect against digital threats, but they do very little when someone threatens a person’s family. The Guthrie case illustrates that wealth proximity, not just wealth ownership, creates risk — meaning a person doesn’t need to hold Bitcoin to become a target, only to be connected to someone who does, or who is perceived to.

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The Broader Investigation

The case has remained under intense investigation since Guthrie’s disappearance from her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson. She was last seen at her home on January 31, according to reports, and was reported missing by family the following day. Since then, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have been processing DNA evidence, following up tips, and reviewing ransom letters connected to the case.

The investigation was formally upgraded from a missing persons case to a homicide investigation earlier this year, even as no official suspect has been named. A masked individual captured on Guthrie’s doorbell camera around the time of her disappearance remains a central, unidentified focus of the inquiry.

Savannah Guthrie’s Continued Absence

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Savannah Guthrie has continued to navigate her role at Today amid the ongoing search for her mother, periodically stepping away from her anchor duties. She returned to the broadcast earlier this year following an extended leave of absence after her mother’s disappearance, though she has continued to take intermittent breaks from the show as the investigation has stretched on.

What Comes Next

With CertiK’s assessment now circulating widely but still unconfirmed by the FBI or Pima County investigators, the central question facing the case remains the same one that has persisted for months: whether law enforcement can convert the various competing theories — cryptocurrency ransom, the unidentified masked suspect, or other leads — into an actual identified perpetrator. Coffindaffer’s post suggests the crypto angle may open investigative doors that traditional law enforcement has been slow to walk through, but until the FBI or Pima County Sheriff’s Department issues an official statement addressing CertiK’s designation directly, the “wrench attack” theory remains one competing explanation among several in a case that has now stretched well past the four-month mark without a confirmed suspect or a resolution for the Guthrie family.

Anyone with information related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. The family’s $1 million reward and the FBI’s $100,000 reward for information remain active.

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Buy The Dip: 8%+ Yields Getting Way Too Cheap

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MDYG: A Solid Mid-Cap ETF To Ride Recovery And Earn Good Return Over Long Term

Buy The Dip: 8%+ Yields Getting Way Too Cheap

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