Business
Solutions to Today’s Puzzle Including the Tricky Purple Category
Saturday’s New York Times Connections puzzle delivered something of a surprise for players expecting a patriotic Fourth of July theme: no fireworks, no flags, no founding fathers and no stars and stripes anywhere on the board. Instead, puzzle editor Wyna Liu served up a grid organized around words meaning to persist, poetic forms, tropical cocktails, and a fill-in-the-blank category built around the word “sweet,” the last of which proved to be the session’s most effective streak-breaker heading into the holiday weekend.
Here is a complete breakdown of every category and every answer for Connections puzzle number 1,119, published July 4, 2026.
Yellow: Persist
The yellow category, as always the most accessible of the four, grouped together four verbs all meaning to continue or endure: Continue, Last, Linger and Stay. Each word describes the act of remaining in place or carrying on despite an implied pressure to stop or leave. The category offered a straightforward entry point for most experienced solvers, with the shared meaning immediately apparent once the theme of persistence clicked. The one mild trap in this group was that words like Last and Stay can carry multiple meanings, but in this context the puzzle was clearly organizing them around their intransitive verb sense of enduring through time rather than any alternative usage.
Green: Kinds of Poems
Wednesday’s geography-themed puzzle asked players to find countries hidden inside other words. Saturday’s green category asked for something entirely different: recognizing four types of poems. The green group gathered Ballad, Epic, Ode and Villanelle, each of which names a distinct poetic form with specific structural or thematic characteristics. A ballad is a narrative poem or song, typically with repeated refrains and a storytelling structure. An epic is a long narrative poem traditionally concerned with heroic figures, usually drawn from mythology or national history, with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid as the most frequently cited examples. An ode is a formal lyric poem addressed to a particular subject, typically composed in praise or celebration of a person, place, event or abstract quality. The villanelle is perhaps the most structurally rigid of the four, a nineteen-line poem divided into five tercets and a closing quatrain with a strict pattern of alternating rhymes and two refrains, best known to contemporary readers through Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night.” Recognizing villanelle as a poetic form rather than as a character from the spy thriller television series Killing Eve was reportedly the gateway moment for a number of solvers who found this category first after the word stood out prominently on the board.
Blue: Tropical Drinks
The blue category grouped four cocktail names that share a tropical or island identity: Hurricane, Painkiller, Scorpion and Zombie. The Hurricane is a sweet, rum-based cocktail associated most closely with New Orleans and the Pat O’Brien’s bar where it was reportedly invented in the 1940s, served in a distinctive curved glass that mimics the shape of a hurricane lamp. The Painkiller is a rum-and-coconut drink that originated in the British Virgin Islands. The Scorpion is a Polynesian-style tiki cocktail typically made with rum, brandy and citrus, associated with the tiki bar culture that spread across the United States in the mid-twentieth century. The Zombie is perhaps the most legendary of the four, a potent rum-based cocktail created by Donn Beach in the 1930s and traditionally limited to two per customer at many bars due to its extremely high alcohol content. The shared tropical cocktail identity of all four words is clear in retrospect, but the category offered multiple misleading possibilities since Hurricane, Zombie, Scorpion and Painkiller all carry strong associations with other categories that could plausibly have appeared in a Connections puzzle on any given day.
Purple: Sweet ___
The purple category, which Connections traditionally reserves for the most challenging or wordplay-intensive grouping, asked players to identify four words that can each follow the word “sweet” to form a recognized compound word or common phrase. The purple answers were Spot, Dreams, Pea and Nothings. Sweet Spot refers to an optimal point or position, used across contexts from baseball hitting to product pricing. Sweet Dreams is a widely recognized expression and phrase associated with saying goodnight, wishing someone restful sleep. Sweet Pea is a climbing garden flower with fragrant blossoms and a term of endearment. Sweet Nothings refers to affectionate, inconsequential words whispered intimately between partners, as in the phrase “whispering sweet nothings.” The challenge in the purple category was separating these four words from other candidates on the board that could plausibly follow “sweet” in some context, and from the multiple alternative connections those same words suggested within the broader grid.
The puzzle was edited by Wyna Liu, who developed Connections for the New York Times in 2023 and whose editorial style emphasizes category overlap designed to mislead players who commit too early to groups that seem obvious. The game refreshes daily at midnight in each player’s local time zone, remains free to play on the Times’ website and app, and allows up to four incorrect guesses before ending the puzzle, giving players a modest safety margin while still preserving the meaningful sense of failure that makes a completed streak feel like an achievement worth protecting.
Global stocks rose and the dollar weakened as a risk-on turn prompted by Thursday’s cool jobs data continued to ripple through markets.
The U.S. economy added fewer jobs than investors had anticipated in June, prompting a strengthening in Treasurys and a weaker greenback as markets scaled back expectations for Federal Reserve rate hikes this year.
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Business
Neil Seal smashes cars, blocks roads in Tasmania and has 1.4 million fans. Now Australia is asking people to respect his privacy
Neil returns to Tasmania’s southern coastline twice a year, just like generations of elephant seals before him, after months spent hunting at sea. But this homecoming has turned him into something no other seal has been: a genuine celebrity with a following bigger than the population of the state he calls home.
The Damage Neil Leaves Behind
Since coming ashore in June for its 12th recorded visit, Neil has left a trail of broken infrastructure across beachside towns. Bent traffic bollards, a shattered public-safety sign warning people about seals, and a fence that collapsed as Neil tried to climb over it are all part of his growing damage list. When Neil isn’t smashing things, he simply lies down wherever he pleases, sometimes in the middle of a road, bringing entire towns to a standstill.
Why A Seal Is Doing All This
Wildlife experts say there is a simple reason behind the chaos. Neil is a young male still learning how to fight for dominance. Elephant seals compete for mates by rearing up and slamming their chests together, and juveniles need to practice this before they are old enough to compete for real.
Sophia Volzke, an elephant seal scientist at the University of Tasmania, says this rough behaviour is completely normal for a growing seal. With no other juveniles around to spar with, Neil has been using parked cars and roadside barriers as substitutes for a rival.
1.4 Million Fans And Counting
Neil’s online following has climbed to 1.4 million on TikTok alone, more than double Tasmania’s entire human population. But that fame has created a new kind of problem, one that has nothing to do with broken bollards.
Kris Carlyon of Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment raised the alarm at a news conference, describing how far some fans are willing to go for a good photo.
The Ask: Please, Respect His Privacy
The department has now urged the public to give Neil some space, calling his popularity a mixed blessing. “Neil’s fame is a bit of a double-edged sword,” the department officials said.
Officials have also asked people not to reveal which town Neil is currently visiting, fearing that a dangerous encounter could force rangers into a risky operation to relocate him.The worry is not unfounded. In 2023, a walrus named Freya became a viral sensation in Norway before officials made the difficult call to euthanise her, citing the risk she posed to the crowds she attracted.
Australia does not want Neil to meet the same fate. Officials believe there is a risk of loving Neil to death.
For now, Neil remains free to roam Tasmania’s beaches at his own pace, bully the odd bollard, and enjoy his unlikely stardom, as long as his fans know exactly when to keep their distance.
I focus on long-term investments while incorporating short-term shorts to uncover alpha opportunities. My investment approach revolves around bottom-up analysis, delving into the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of individual companies. My investment duration is the medium to long-term. Ultimately, I aim to identify companies with solid fundamentals, sustainable competitive advantages, and growth potential.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Why gold prices corrected so much
The sharp correction in gold prices can largely be attributed to a combination of fundamental pressures and technical factors. A stronger US dollar has reduced the appeal of gold for global investors, while rising US bond yields have increased the opportunity cost of holding a non-yielding asset like gold. At the same time, expectations of further interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve have weighed heavily on sentiment. From a technical perspective, gold had rallied significantly over the past two years, leading to overbought conditions. This triggered profit booking and liquidation of long positions, amplifying the downward move.
Why the US dollar is so strong
The US dollar has remained firm due to relative economic resilience in the United States and expectations of tighter monetary policy. Strong labour market data, stable consumption trends, and persistent inflation have supported the dollar’s strength. Additionally, elevated US bond yields continue to attract global capital flows into dollar-denominated assets. Safe-haven demand has also played a role, as investors have preferred holding dollars amid global uncertainties. A stronger dollar typically moves inversely to gold, as it makes the yellow metal more expensive for holders of other currencies, thereby pressuring prices further.
Expectations of US Fed policy outlook
Markets are currently pricing in the possibility of multiple Fed rate hikes or at least a prolonged period of higher interest rates. Persistent inflation concerns have forced the Fed to maintain a cautious stance, delaying expectations of monetary easing. Higher interest rates support bond yields and strengthen the dollar, both of which are negative for gold. The lack of clarity on the timing of potential rate cuts has further contributed to volatility in bullion prices. Until there is a clear shift in the Fed’s policy stance toward easing, gold may continue to face intermittent pressure in the near term.
Impact of easing geopolitical tensions
The ceasefire developments between the US and Iran have reduced immediate geopolitical risks, leading to a decline in the safe-haven premium embedded in gold prices. Earlier, geopolitical tensions had driven strong inflows into bullion as investors sought protection against uncertainty. However, with oil prices returning to pre-war levels and tensions easing, this premium has largely evaporated. While geopolitical risks have not disappeared entirely, the immediate urgency has diminished, contributing to the recent correction. This highlights gold’s sensitivity to global risk sentiment and shifting macro narratives.
Role of central bank demand
Despite the correction, central bank demand for gold remains a strong supportive factor. Emerging market central banks have been steadily increasing their gold reserves as part of diversification strategies away from the US dollar. This structural demand provides a solid floor for prices during periods of volatility. Even during corrections, central bank buying tends to absorb some of the selling pressure, preventing deeper declines. Over the medium to long term, continued accumulation by central banks is likely to support gold prices and reinforce its role as a strategic reserve asset.
Outlook: Correction or bearish trend?
The current fall in gold appears to be more of a technical correction rather than the beginning of a structural bear market. The rally over the past two years was driven by strong macro fundamentals, and the recent decline is largely a result of profit booking and changing short-term liquidity conditions. While further corrections cannot be ruled out in the near term, the broader outlook remains constructive. Factors such as potential economic slowdown, geopolitical uncertainties, and eventual monetary policy easing are likely to support gold prices over the medium term.
What should investors do at higher levels?
Investors who have entered at higher levels should avoid panic selling and instead adopt a disciplined approach. Given that the correction appears technical, long-term investors can continue to hold their positions. Accumulating gold through a systematic investment approach (SIP) and adding on dips can help average down costs. However, caution is advised in aggressively deploying capital at current levels due to ongoing volatility. A staggered buying strategy remains the most prudent approach in the current environment.
Domestic outlook and role of INR
In the domestic market, gold prices are expected to remain relatively supported despite global weakness, largely due to currency movements. A weaker Indian Rupee against the US dollar tends to cushion declines in international prices, keeping domestic prices elevated. Additionally, demand is likely to pick up during the upcoming festive and wedding seasons in India, providing further support. Seasonal demand, combined with currency depreciation, could help stabilize domestic gold prices even if global markets remain volatile, making India a relatively stronger market for gold.
(Hareesh V is Head of Commodity Research, Geojit Investments Limited)
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Morgan Stanley shifts to defensive European energy stocks, upgrades Galp
Eleven equity mutual funds generated over 25% returns in the past three months, led by small-cap schemes. JM Small Cap Fund topped the list with a 35.02% gain. Experts advise investors to prioritise risk profile and goals over past performance.
The Motilal Oswal Chairman during a 2022 podcast ‘Market Ki Baat’ by Groww, which was later compiled in a book named ‘The αlpha bets’, said that a book becomes a part of him. “I take it to my office, keep it at home, and carry it while travelling until I finish reading it,” he said, adding that if a book is particularly engrossing, he sometimes takes two days off work to finish reading it.
According to Agrawal, investors should focus on only two books but study them in depth. “Absorb their essence. Let them enhance your knowledge base,” he advised, adding that whether you agree with the author or not is irrelevant.
Here is Raamdeo Agrawal’s list of book recommendations for investors.
One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch
Legendary American investor Peter Lynch‘s 1989 classic, One Up on Wall Street, laid out a deceptively simple approach to investing. The book is a classic take on spotting investment opportunities from everyday life. In the book, Lynch explains that investment opportunities are everywhere – from the supermarket to the workplace. By paying attention to the best ones, investors can find companies to invest in before professional analysts discover them. When investors get in early, they can find the “tenbaggers,” the stocks that appreciate tenfold from the initial investment.
Also read: Why Rakesh Jhunjhunwala bought Titan shares when everyone else was selling? Raamdeo Agrawal explains
Warren Buffett’s annual reports
Raamdeo Agrawal also recommends investors to go through all of Warren Buffett’s writings in the annual reports of his company, Berkshire Hathaway. The legendary investor made it a point to communicate his thinking to his shareholders in a letter at the end of every year. These much-awaited letters were not only lessons in investing, but also in history.
The Snowball
For those not keen on reading such voluminous material, The Snowball, Buffett’s biography, is a good alternative, according to Raamdeo Agrawal. The book details Buffett’s life and his investing career, which began to take off in 1956. That’s when he gathered $105,000 from four relatives and three close friends to start the Buffett Partnership. Later, the partnership began buying the stock of Berkshire Hathaway, a New England textile firm, for $7 and $8 a share in 1962. After 1969, Berkshire became Buffett’s investment vehicle.
Also read: AI bubble or boom? Why Warren Buffett called Big Short fame Michael Burry ‘Cassandra’
Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip A. Fisher
The ‘Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits’ by Philip A. Fisher is also on Raamdeo Agrawal’s list of books for investors to read. He in fact called it an essential read for investors keen on the stock market. “It is a very good book — a must-read,” he said, as quoted by the book which added that the market expert read it four or five times, and believes it should be kept as a guide.
Expectations Investing by Michael Mauboussin
‘Expectations Investing’ by Michael Mauboussin and Alfred Rappaport provides a powerful and insightful alternative to identifying gaps between price and value. In this book, the authors advise that investors should start with a known quantity, the stock price, and ask what it implies for future financial results. The book then explains how to assess the likelihood of revisions to these expectations.
The Theory of Investment Value by John Burr Williams
Raamdeo Agrawal also highlights a classic from 1938, The Theory of Investment Value by John Burr Williams. “Everyone talks about how to assess value, but nobody explains how price is determined. This book discusses that. It is truly unique in that way,” Raamdeo Agrawal was quoted as saying in Groww’s podcast.
Mastering the Market Cycle by Howard Marks
The Motilal Oswal Chairman also named Mastering the Market Cycle by Howard Marks as another good read for promising investors. “Every book contains one or two powerful lessons. Internalise them. Apply what you learn. That’s how you elevate yourself beyond a CA into a CA+++,” he suggests.
Also read: Wealth lesson by Charlie Munger | ‘The big money is not in the buying or selling, but in the waiting’ The timeless wealth lesson from Warren Buffett’s legendary partner ‘Oracle of Pasadena’(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Business
Markets may consolidate; micro, small and mid-caps could lead alpha generation, says Quant Mutual Fund
While large-cap oriented indices are expected to participate in the country’s long-term economic expansion, the fund house believes micro-, small- and mid-cap stocks could be better positioned to deliver excess returns during the next phase of the market cycle, the fund house said in its monthly factsheet.
Also Read | Why is Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund still a top recommendation despite underperformance? Expert explains
“The markets are expected to consolidate over a period of time, and the large-cap oriented indices will do well to grow along with the macro-economic expansion of the country. Thus, it will be the micro, small and mid-caps spaces, which will drive alpha generation,” the fund house said.
Sandeep Tandon led Quant Mutual Fund further said that in its portfolio capital remains nearly fully allocated to capitalize on appealing valuations across diverse market sectors. Further its portfolio construction strategy is to focus on under-owned, under-researched, under-valued and neglected territory stocks.
Over the last couple of years, the main concern of the fund house has been over-ownership by foreign institutions. Now, our concern is shifting towards over-ownership by domestic institutions.
As part of its sectoral positioning, Quant Mutual Fund remains underweight on manufacturing companies, citing uncertainty around input costs and supply-chain dynamics. The fund house continues to maintain a positive outlook on sectors such as energy, large-scale infrastructure, select non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), asset management companies (AMCs), select private sector banks, hotels, pharmaceuticals, telecom and data-centre-related businesses.
In its monthly report, the fund house said India will be a big beneficiary of improved trade terms with the US following the trade agreement, which is expected to be finalized soon, because India’s productivity is maximized (Export services) and financial costs are optimized (Forex reserves) better than with any other nation or region in the world.
However, the fund house cautioned that higher crude oil prices, rising input costs and logistics-related challenges could weigh on corporate earnings in the near term.
It further said that we believe that the era of easy money and seemingly perpetual operations of a nebulous ‘Plunge protection team’ is drawing to a close. The new Federal Reserve Chair is setting out to dismantle Wall Street’s expectation of this Fed Put on the markets.
On performance, Quant Mutual Fund said its investment framework has delivered consistent results across market cycles. As of May 31, 2026, the fund house said that nine of 10 equity and hybrid schemes with a 10-year track record outperformed their benchmarks, with all nine ranked in the first quartile.
Around 10 schemes of 12 schemes with a five-year track record outperformed their benchmarks, including eight ranked in first-quartile. Nearly 14 schemes of 16 schemes outperformed their benchmarks over three years, with 13 ranking in Quartile 1 and lastly, 15 schemes of 16 schemes with a one-year track record beat their benchmarks, while 12 ranked in Quartile 1.
It added that instead of relying on traditional buy-and-hold or quasi-passive strategies, investors should focus on adaptive asset allocation and active portfolio management to navigate changing market conditions.
The fund house also highlighted the growth of its proprietary VLRT (Valuation, Liquidity, Risk Appetite and Timing) framework, which recently completed six years. During this period, Quant Mutual Fund’s assets under management have grown from around Rs 135 crore to over Rs 1 lakh crore, while its investor base has crossed one crore folios. It currently offers 34 mutual fund schemes and specialised investment products.
According to the fund house, its investment philosophy centres on generating superior risk-adjusted returns by maintaining a high active share and avoiding benchmark-hugging portfolios. It said the objective is to actively manage risk rather than simply replicate benchmark indices, with returns viewed as an outcome of effective risk management.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
If you have any mutual fund queries, message on ET Mutual Funds on Facebook/Twitter. We will get it answered by our panel of experts. Do share your questions on ETMFqueries@timesinternet.in alongwith your age, risk profile, and twitter handle
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Brookfield Renewable Corporation: The Simplification Catalyst May Favor Brookfield Renewable Partners
Brookfield Renewable Corporation: The Simplification Catalyst May Favor Brookfield Renewable Partners
I have a masters degree in Analytics from Northwestern University and a bachelors degree in Accounting. I have worked in the investment arena for over 10 years starting as an analyst and working my way up to a management role. Dividend investing is a personal hobby and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with the Seeking Alpha community.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of NVO, ADP, ACN, FAST, ZTS, ROL, BMI, TJX, ODFL, INTU, V, MPWR, DRI, MA, LLY, AVGO, MSFT, RELX, WING, MSCI, MCO either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
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