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<ul><li>Plague Inc is now unavailable on Steam in China after being removed from the iOS App Store last week. </li><li>It was the most downloaded game in the country in January, when the first instances of the coronavirus were reported. </li><li>China has banned the game for being "illegal". </li></ul>If you ever dreamt of being an evil scientist, bringing about the zombie apocalypse or thought of giving the world a Malthusian ending — Plague Inc is a game that you have probably played at least once. The popular mobile game that lets its players infect the world with a virus, bacteria, fungus or even a parasite. Amid its battle against the coronavirus, China banned the game from the iOS App Store since it "includes content that is illegal" on Friday. Today, the app can no longer be found on the Steam store either. <div type="twitter" handle="ZhugeEX" handlename="Daniel Ahmad" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1059242820245037056/BkqlLCP2_normal.jpg" favoritecount="121" retweetcount="42" status="UPDATE: Plague Inc is now unavailable on Steam for those in Mainland China. The follows the game being removed fr… https://t.co/JsuzmVH4MV" createdat="1583116429000" id="1234305884244914176"></div>

 The game is massively popular with 130 million players. However, the makers of Plague Inc — Ndemic Creations — are uncertain if the ban is a result of the outbreak and working on getting the game back on the market in China. At the same time, they also point out the likelihood of that happening is bleak with the odds stacked against them. 
 "This situation is completely out of our control," said the independent games studio based out of the UK. Plague Inc infects online app stores Plague Inc isn’t some new kid on the block that tried to take advantage of the pandemic to earn a quick buck. The app has been around for eight years and is supposed to provide an informative experience, endorsed by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (<a href="https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2013/04/plague-inc/">CDC</a>), about real-world issues. <div type="image" title="plague2" msid="74440784" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Plague Inc lets players destroy the world by controlling the infectiousness and severity of a pathogen&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>
 Even though Plague Inc is an educational game, one can’t help but be creeped out by the sounds of little girls giggling and singing Ring Around The Roses as through stepping out of Stephen King’s The Shining. It also has audio of a child crying, a bell tolling and mosquitoes buzzing as though passing right past your ear. "Whenever there is an outbreak of disease we see an increase in players, as people seek to find out more about how diseases spread and to understand the complexities of viral outbreaks," said <a href="https://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/news/172-statement-on-the-current-coronavirus-outbreak">Ndemic Creations</a>. <div type="image" title="plague3" msid="74440802" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The game comes with a steady stream of news updates from countries around the world trying to tackle the outbreak&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 There was a surge in players during the <a href="https://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/news/82-help-stop-ebola-now-this-is-not-a-game">2014 Ebola outbreak</a> as well when the game used its platform to help gather funds to find the disease. This time around, the bump was so huge that the Ndemic website had to be taken offline "due to very high player numbers." <div type="twitter" handle="NdemicCreations" handlename="Plague Inc. / Rebel Inc." image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1068164987074605056/C3DrUabd_normal.jpg" favoritecount="137" retweetcount="18" status="Hey - our website and servers for multiplayer and custom scenarios are struggling to cope with very high player num… https://t.co/XdPtUZzIw9" createdat="1579879269000" id="1220728248998469638"></div>

 It was the most downloaded iPhone app in China on January 21 according to <a href="https://www.appannie.com/apps/ios/app/plague-inc/rank-history/?vtype=day&amp;countries=CN,US&amp;device=iphone&amp;view=rank&amp;legends=2222%7C2222&amp;date=2019-10-27~2020-01-27">App Annie</a>. It was also the highest-ranking strategy and simulation game worldwide on the Google Play Store and App Store during that time. After its sudden surge in popularity, developers then had to clarify that while the game is realistic — it’s not a scientific model of how the coronavirus will unfold. "We would always recommend that players get their information directly from local and global health authorities," said Ndemic. <div type="Youtube" id="COD1bPbbPtY" title="Plague Inc: Evolved for Nintendo Switch - Official Launch Trailer" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/COD1bPbbPtY/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

 See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/a-cancelled-conference-and-supply-chain-issues-how-the-coronavirus-outbreak-is-affecting-facebooks-business/articleshow/74153552.cms">A cancelled conference and supply chain issues: How the coronavirus outbreak is affecting Facebook's business</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/the-world-health-organization-joined-tiktok-to-post-reliable-advice-about-the-coronavirus-amid-a-stream-of-memes-and-misinformation/articleshow/74432046.cms">The World Health Organization joined TikTok to post 'reliable' advice about the coronavirus amid a stream of memes and misinformation</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/chinese-researchers-just-confirmed-that-patients-can-transmit-the-coronavirus-without-showing-symptoms-a-woman-passed-it-to-5-relatives-/articleshow/74250780.cms">Chinese researchers just confirmed that patients can transmit the coronavirus without showing symptoms. A woman passed it to 5 relatives.</a>

China bans creepy game called Plague Inc that lets players destroy the world with disease

Happy Friday, team. I'm Phil Rosen. Yes, readers, it is true — after months of trying to get out of the $44 billion deal, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-reach-agreement-to-close-acquisition-deal-2022-10?nr_email_referer=1&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=10_things_tech&amp;utm_campaign=new:%2010%20Things%20in%20Tech%20-%20native%20ad">Elon Musk is officially Twitter's new owner</a>. But more on that later. First, with Halloween around the corner, Big Tech's seeing its own version of spooky season. Its latest batch of corporate earnings were enough to make Freddy Krueger quiver. Still, if anyone should be excited for the weekend, it's Mark Zuckerberg. Since Meta reported earnings on <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-stock-price-2q-earnings-first-revenue-drop-reels-privacy-2022-7?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Wednesday</a>, its stock has <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-facebook-share-price-mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-dream-earnings-2022-10">shed more than 23%</a>. Over the last two days, 38-year-old Zuckerberg has seen his fortune slashed by roughly $11 billion. While most of us all indulge in tricks and treats over the weekend, Zuck can rest easy knowing his net worth will remain stable for a moment — at least until the market opens again on Monday.If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-opening-bell">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a href="https://www.insider.com/app">here.</a><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-facebook-share-price-mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-dream-earnings-2022-10"></a>1. Everyone on Wall Street is mad that Meta keeps spending so much. Investors and analysts took the day yesterday to digest the tech giant's latest earnings, and it's clear patience is wearing thin.While Zuckerburg has <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-facebook-share-price-mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-dream-earnings-2022-10">urged investors to remain patient</a> on his massive metaverse bet, Meta's cratering stock price and a slate of bank analysts sounding off on the earnings miss show that Wall Street is souring on this pivot away from the company's core asset. JPMorgan analysts said Thursday that Zuck's fixation on the metaverse-branch of the company, Reality Labs, isn't enough to offset the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-facebook-share-price-mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-dream-earnings-2022-10">disappointing outlook</a> for next year. Morgan Stanley went even further, slashing the Facebook parent's "buy" rating. The analysts <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-stock-outlook-morgan-stanley-downgrade-facebook-parent-company-zuckerberg-2022-10">cut their price target to $105 from $205</a> and said the company's results were "thesis changing."Here's one tidbit that drew attention this week: Meta spent $45 billion buying its own stock last year, at $330 a share. But this week's earnings have <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-facebook-zuckerberg-stock-buybacks-share-repurchases-social-media-tech-2022-10">sent prices tumbling to about $100 a pop</a>.But it's not just the inner workings of the business that Wall Street's fed up with. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-facebook-share-price-mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-dream-earnings-2022-10">External headwinds</a> will weigh on the company too. As Bank of America put it: "We believe in the near-term, Meta's topline will remain under pressure as higher interest rates <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/meta-facebook-share-price-mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-dream-earnings-2022-10">weigh on economic growth</a> and online advertising demand."Mega-cap tech stocks like Zucks' behemoth are facing a possible crisis, with other giants like Google parent Alphabet reporting slowdowns in digital advertising growth. "It's clear that there are <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/mega-cap-tech-stock-valuations-meta-alphabet-apple-microsoft-earnings-2022-10">headwinds for the industry</a> after a period of unsustainable growth coming out of the pandemic, IOS privacy changes, growing competition and macro headwinds," Michael Reinking, senior strategist for the New York Stock Exchange, told me yesterday. He added that there's likely more pain to come for Big Tech, and those previously high-flying stocks could face a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/mega-cap-tech-stock-valuations-meta-alphabet-apple-microsoft-earnings-2022-10">valuation reset</a>. "This quarter has made it clear that investors are now <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/mega-cap-tech-stock-valuations-meta-alphabet-apple-microsoft-earnings-2022-10">screaming for financial discipline</a> from these companies after a period of aggressive hiring and spending," Reinking said. Is the slowdown in ad revenue facing big tech firms that have reported results so far a sign of:A) Intense competition from the likes of TikTok and other industry headwinds?B) Deeper issues in the economy related to consumer behavior and spending?Let me know on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/philrosenn">@philrosenn</a>) or email me (<a href="mailto:prosen@insider.com">prosen@insider.com</a>).In other news:<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/fossil-fuel-demand-peak-this-decade-russia-ukraine-war-iea-2022-10"></a><div type="image" title="Oil ship tanker" height="1500" width="3000" msid="95144259" hostid="261" sizebytes="475472"></div>2. US stock futures fall early Friday, as <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/amazon-stock-price-market-news-today-sales-targets-slowdown-recession-2022-10">Amazon shares dropped almost 14%</a> in premarket trading after a disappointing earnings report. Meanwhile, Elon Musk <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-fires-4-top-twitter-execs-including-ceo-parag-agrawal-2022-10">completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter</a> and reportedly fired at least four top executives at the company, including CEO Parag Agrawal — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-fires-4-top-twitter-execs-including-ceo-parag-agrawal-2022-10?nr_email_referer=1&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=Opening_bell&amp;utm_campaign=new:%2010%20things%20before%20the%20opening%20bell">here's the latest on the takeover</a>. 3. On the docket:, Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc, Barnes Group Inc, and more, all <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">reporting.</a>4. Buy this batch of high dividend-paying stocks that analysts are overwhelmingly recommending right now. These types of stocks look attractive, according to a company that ranks them, because they can typically outperform during an inflationary environment. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-dividend-paying-stocks-that-have-buy-rating-2022-10">Get the full list here.</a>5. Tankers filled with dirty Russian oil are piling up around Asian ports just weeks away from when new EU sanctions are set to kick in. Near Malaysia and Singapore, there are a fleet of ships with high-sulfur fuel oil from Moscow, according to a Bloomberg report. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russian-oil-market-tankers-asia-singapore-malaysia-kremlin-eu-sanctions-2022-10">Here's what you want to know.</a>6. Wall Street is grappling with the "revenge of the old economy" as tech and growth stocks crash. Goldman Sachs' commodities chief Jeff Currie pointed out that energy and industrial companies have largely reported upbeat earnings even as names like Tesla, Microsoft and Meta do the opposite. He thinks that a new supercycle is underway — <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tech-growth-stock-fall-energy-prices-rise-investment-old-economy-2022-10">and expects it to last beyond 2030.</a>7. The International Energy Agency forecasted that demand for fossil fuels will peak this decade. Russia's war on Ukraine is reshaping the world energy order, the group said. But it added that's also what will <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/fossil-fuel-demand-peak-this-decade-russia-ukraine-war-iea-2022-10">help pave the way for an accelerated shift toward renewables</a>. 8. A 27-year-old real estate investor who owns 11 rental units isn't buying properties right now. Stephen Yin is waiting until either mortgage rates go down again or there's a fire sale before he's reentering the market. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-investor-mortgage-rates-buying-property-investing-homes-birmingham-2022-10">"The rates are way too high. I can't make money in the way I want to make money."</a>9. Home prices in these eight markets are falling the fastest. New Case-Shiller data shows that homes are on a downward trend at a national level, and the US housing market is slowing down at the quickest pace ever. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-home-prices-are-falling-fastest-housing-market-case-schiller-2022-10">See which cities are leading the charge.</a><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/credit-suisse-stock-price-earnings-miss-billions-losses-overhaul-scandals-2022-10"></a><div type="image" title="credit suisse" height="1166" width="1256" msid="95144260" hostid="261" sizebytes="40128"></div>10. Credit Suisse shares have plunged dramatically as it promises to overhaul its business. The scandal-plagued Swiss bank recently posted a huge loss that fell short of analysts' expectations, which its CEO attributed to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/credit-suisse-stock-price-earnings-miss-billions-losses-overhaul-scandals-2022-10">"continued challenging market and macroeconomic conditions."</a>Keep up with the latest markets news throughout your day by checking out <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/therefresh">The Refresh from Insider</a>, a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/therefresh">Listen here.</a>Curated by Phil Rosen in New York. Feedback or tips? Tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/philrosenn">@philrosenn</a> or email <a href="mailto:prosen@insider.com">prosen@insider.com</a>Edited by Max Adams (<a href="https://twitter.com/maxradams">@maxradams</a>) in New York and Hallam Bullock (<a href="https://twitter.com/hallam_bullock">@hallam_bullock</a>) in London.

Wall Street is fed up with Meta - but Zuck’s full steam ahead with his massive metaverse bet.

NEW DELHI: Analysts at Dalal Street see India in a multi-year <keyword id="72589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bull-market">bull market</keyword>, which may push the <keyword id="6484188" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sensex">Sensex</keyword> level to much debated 100000 in the next 10 years, supported by earnings growth, economic revival and reform push by the new government. 
 
The benchmark index Sensex has managed to rally 420 per cent or a little over 21,500 in the last 10 years. But can it triply from here in the next ten years? That remains to be seen. However, analysts are not giving up hopes just yet. 
 
“India has a long way to go. The ingredients for a sustained bull market are very much in place and there is a good amount of visibility that we will at least go back to the long range profit growth of 14-15 per cent,” said Navneet Munot, CIO, SBI Mutual Funds. 
 
“Considering the fact that valuations are reasonable and if India Inc can deliver growth of around 15 per cent per annum, which is not an unreasonable expectation over a long period, the Sensex can hit 1,00,000 in 10 years,” he added. 
 Year 2014 has been eventful for the Indian markets, pushing them up by over 25 per cent, with both the Sensex and the <keyword id="6354813" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="nifty">Nifty</keyword> touching record highs on the back of improving domestic macros, supportive global liquidity and the expected governance improvement in India after the last general elections. 
 
The macro-economic data is looking positive, the economic activity is expected to gather steam by 2015 and GDP growth rate might hit near the 7 per cent mark in the next two years. 
 
However, Munot is not the only one who is optimistic about the Indian markets. Back in the month of June, Varun Goel of Karvy also predicted the level of 100000 for the Sensex in the next six years. 
 
“We see 2014 bringing a new bull cycle into existence. A strong export sector, revival in investment activity, continued recovery in the US &amp; a stable Euro area are significant positives for equity markets. With domestic macro-economic data also on the mend, we are aggressive buyers of the Indian equity,” said Varun Goel, Head PMS, Karvy. 
 From an equity market stand-point, macro-economic revival in India will open opportunities to make strong returns in the next few years. Goel expects a GDP growth of 6 per cent in FY15 and believes that the <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> will see a revival of growth and earnings cycle from there on. 
 
“For FY15, we expect a Sensex EPS growth of around 15 per cent and believe that earnings growth for the new five to six year business cycle should be at least 20%, considering the economy will revive from a very low base,” he added. 
 
Goel is of the view that a multiple rerating is also possible as cost of equity goes down in the next few years with the decrease in risk-free rate. An earnings growth between 20 and 25 per cent and multiple rerating from 15x to 16-17x in the next few years can lead to a 25% compounding of the Sensex returns, which will take it to 100,000 levels by calendar year 2020, he explains. 
 
<div style="page-break-after: always;">
	&#xa0;</div>
Economic revival key for earnings growth: 
 
The Indian markets have got support from strong inflows from foreign institutional investors who have pumped in over $26 billion in the Indian market so far in the year 2014. 
 
FIIs are betting big on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government as they see it initiating reforms to spur economic growth, remove bottlenecks and aid investment activity. 
 <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> is about to finish his first 100 days in office, but India Inc CEOs are convinced an economic revival is around the corner. 
 
A majority of 50 CEOs polled by ET are preparing to make fresh investments and are also stepping up hiring, all in anticipation of a 6-8% GDP growth most feel is possible over the next three years. 
 
The results of the exclusive ET Poll suggest that after years of uncertainty and inaction, India Inc is now preparing to re-ignite its growth engines. The poll shows 74 per cent of CEOs are already seeing demand pick-up, 80 per cent have made new investment decisions or are likely to do so soon and two-thirds are now stepping up hiring. 
 
Earlier this week, global brokerage firm Nomura, which sees nearly 15 per cent upside in the Sensex in the next one year, revised its FY16 real GDP growth forecast to 6.8 per cent YoY vs. 6.5 per cent previously. 
 
Of the many variables that make up the market’s macro ecosystem, growth is unarguably the most important, largely because its relationship with the market is quite unequivocal and straightforward. 
 
“Rising growth is strongly correlated with a re-rating of the market’s earnings multiple, while falling growth is strongly correlated with a de-rating of the market’s earnings multiple,” added the Nomura report, authored by Sonal Varma and Aman Mohunta. 
 
So, is a 15 per cent earnings growth possible if the economy turns around? 
 It is very much possible provided global environment remains stable, the Reserve <keyword id="6355303" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bank-of-India">Bank of India</keyword> eases key policy rates which would help in kick starting investment cycle for India Inc’s control on inflation and policy push. 
 
Despite so many negatives plaguing the economy, corrective measures by the new government can quickly revive growth. The growth rebound to those levels can take place quickly by reviving the investment demand. Once that has been achieved, the more difficult path of reclaiming the 7-8 per cent growth can start. 
 
“While 15 per cent earnings growth rate does not look difficult, the fact is we have not had three years of 15% plus earnings growth rate except in the period of 2003 to 2008,” said Anoop Bhaskar, Head-Equities, UTI AMC. 
 
“We need to get the right kind of macro factors in place for you to deliver that number on a consistent basis. Of course, we can get two years or three years, but to get it for the next six-seven years in a row requires that we have in place macro factors which remain fairly comfortable and positive,” he added.

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China bans creepy game called Plague Inc that lets players destroy the world with disease

Prabhjote Gill

Wall Street is fed up with Meta - but Zuck’s full steam ahead with his massive metaverse bet.

Phil Rosen

India In Multi-Year Bull Market; Sensex Seen At 1,00,000 In 10 Years

Economic Times

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