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Movo was at Techfluence yesterday to reveal its latest photography products, the Movo SPL Smartphone Lens Series.
The series comes in the form of three different models: a 280-degree fisheye lens, a 3x zoom lens, and an 18mm wide-angle lens. All three clip onto your phone and cost $40 individually.
The company, which is already well-known for its reasonably-priced photography and videography equipment, is confident that its first move into the world of smartphone lenses is a sensible one. In a press release at the event, company CEO Ben Halberstram said:
Movo’s venture into smartphone lenses was a natural transition as we strive to continue supporting the content creation community with innovation, convenience and performance. Movo’s mission is to make sure that every creator has access to high quality products at accessible prices. The SPL lenses further this goal by helping users get the most out of their new expensive smartphone cameras.
In the company’s presentation, they were keen to stress the ease with which you can connect and disconnect a camera lens from a phone—it just snaps on and off. You do not need any additional hardware to be able to make the most out of the range of visual effects that the Movo lenses can provide.
But it wasn’t just the new smartphone camera lenses that Movo unveiled. Q1 2021 will also see the release of Movo’s new MC2000 Wireless USB Boundary Conferencing Microphone System. It offers a low-profile 2.4GHz wireless desktop microphone and receiver. It can capture 360-degree sound over a 10-meter radius.
The also MC2000 is entirely plug-and-play and does not require any drivers to make it work. Upon release, you will be able to buy the unit for $250.
The final new Movo product is the MV-T5 Full-Size Aluminum Video Tripod. Movo was less forthcoming about the specifics, but it did confirm the retail price would be around $50.
If you’re interested in learning more about the company’s other top products, check out the Movo VXR10-PRO video microphone.
Described by the Movo rep as “tiny but mighty,” it is Movo’s top-selling item. It includes a professional-grade video mic, a highly accurate supercardioid, and a battery-free design. You even get a shock mount, windscreens, and a carrying case. The entire unit is available for just $50.
If you would like to learn more about what’s going on at virtual CES in 2021, click the link at the top of the page.


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WINTER PARK, Fla. - Women using skincare products containing retinol should be cautious when it comes to waxing.
Jennifer Dixon said she just wanted to look good for the holidays, so she decided to get her eyebrows waxed.
She went to a reputable salon that she'd visited previously but while she was getting waxed she immediately knew something wasn't right.
"It was bright red," said Dixon. "It just looked like skin had been ripped off, a whole layer of skin."
When she went to her dermatologist, she found out a topical ointment she had been using that contained retinol was likely the cause for her beauty ritual blunder.
"One of the effects is that it makes the skin cells less likely to stick together," said Dr. Kathleen Judge, who owns Central Florida Dermatology. "Because the skin cells don't stick together as tightly as they normally would when you wax, that force of pulling the wax off the skin, it rips the skin off deeper than it should."
Judge said retinol is a common ingredient in both over the county and prescription anti-aging and acne topical creams.
It is also contained in the oral medication for acne that is commonly known as Accutane.
Judge said people using any topical products that contain retinol should cease use for about five days before waxing.
If taking an oral acne medication that contains it, Judge said to avoid waxing altogether.
Copyright 2013 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Arc raises £7m to accelerate growth
Arc Inspirations is set to accelerate its expansion across the UK.
Arc Inspirations, the operator of bar brands Banyan, BOX and Manahatta, is set to accelerate its expansion across the UK after raising £7m.
The company, led by CEO Martin Wolstencroft, has secured a £4m loan from HSBC UK, alongside £3m of equity from its shareholders, including BGF which has backed the business since 2022.
With ambitions to deliver at least four new openings per year over the next five years, Arc says the capital will support its continued growth plans and also fund a programme of new refurbishments at existing Manahatta sites.
"We’re grateful to the HSBC UK team and to our shareholders, who continue to believe in our business and support us on our ambitious growth journey," says Wolstencroft. "Together we have achieved a number of key milestones, with four successful new site openings in 2023, and our most successful festive period to date. Each success is testament to our team and culture, and I thank each and every member of our team as we continue to build what we believe is the best bar business in the country."
Arc Inspirations’ next opening will be its debut Scottish site, Manahatta Edinburgh, launching later this summer.
The company is also looking at further launches in London, Liverpool and Cardiff in 2024.


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As long as the Nifty stays above 6,030, it may move higher
On Thursday, we had mentioned that the Nifty has to keep itself above 6,000, for the upmove to continue. Today, for the entire session the benchmark kept itself above this level and closed in the green for the third consecutive session on Friday. Today except for a few minutes trading in the red, both the benchmarks managed to stay well above Thursday’s close. The positive momentum existed on the back of fall in the jobless claims in the US.
The BSE 30-share Sensex opened at 20,441 and moved between 20,282 and 20,451 and before closing at 20,377 (up 66 points or 0.32%) while the NSE Nifty opened at 6,078 and traded between 6,031 and 6,080 before closing at 6,063 (up 27 points or 0.45%). The NSE recorded a volume of 54.66 crore shares.
The Indian economy is expected to grow 4.9% in FY14, marginally lower than the Finance Ministry's estimate of a 5% growth, a government statement said on Friday. The GDP grew 4.6% annually in the first half of the current fiscal year, down from 5.3% in the corresponding period a year ago. Growth slowed in almost all sectors, including services such as tourism, transport and telecoms.
Row over Telangana statehood and the harassment of Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy rocked Parliament for the third day today, turning the first week of the extended Winter Session into a complete washout.
US indices closed Thursday in the green. Initial jobless claims dropped for the first time in three weeks, falling 20,000 to 331,000 in the period ended February 1, according to the Labor Department. The monthly US jobs data will be released today.
All the Asian indices closed in the green. Nikkei 225 was the top gainer which rose 2.17%.
China's services sector grew at its slowest pace in almost 2-1/2 years in January. The HSBC/Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) retreated to 50.7 in January, a low last seen in August 2011 though still above the 50-point level that demarcates growth and contraction. December's PMI was 50.9.
European indices were trading in the green while US Futures were trading marginally higher.
In Europe, the European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday. The Bank of England kept its benchmark rate at a record-low 0.5%, while its bond-purchase plan stayed at 375 billion pounds ($611 billion) on Thursday.
UK factories increased production by less than forecast in December, suggesting manufacturing is set for steady rather than runaway growth this year. Output rose 0.3% from November, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. Industrial output rose 0.5% in the final three months of the year. Manufacturing grew 0.7% in the fourth quarter.
According to a survey conducted by Religare, travel, jewellery, luxury good and FMCG spends across urban India are weakening while home and car purchases are being deferred by consumers
Discretionary travel, jewellery, luxury goods and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) spending among urban Indians is weakening. While gold is losing its lustre, home and car purchases are being deferred by urban consumers and this downtrend may continue over the next six to 12 months says a study.
Religare Capital Markets Ltd, in its "The 5th Urban Consumer Survey" found a marked decline in consumer confidence, especially in larger cities. "We expect consumption trends to remain subdued over the next 6-12 months, with H2FY14 growth rates likely to moderate given the high festive demand base of last year and comparatively early festive season in FY14. As such, we maintain our negative stance on the sector in view of the soft demand trends and fairly rich valuations," it said in the study.
The study was conducted across 100 plus towns and cities and over 1,000 people participated in the survey.
Here are the survey results...
Discretionary spend outlook muted:
Only 33% of respondents are more confident about economic and own growth prospects, down from 40%/51% in our November 2012/May 2012 surveys. Moreover, those in higher income households (HH) and metros are less upbeat than persons in lower income HH and tier-3 cities. Food inflation, although moderating now, has been hurting discretionary spends. In FMCG, we are seeing downgrading to cheaper products in select categories such as hair oil, toothpaste and health drinks, albeit not as evident as in our November 2012 survey, Religare said.
FMCG –what’s on the shopping list?
FMCG spends have moderated but key brand preferences stand out. In soaps, Dettol, Lux and Dove continue to dominate the market (16%, 15%, 15% market share, respectively based on respondent preferences), while P&G’s Head & Shoulders (H&S) is the most preferred shampoo brand. Notably, Dove, L’Oreal and H&S are doing well among higher income HH (Dove gaining strongly).
Overall, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) maintains its strong lead in home & personal care (HPC) with a steady 53% market share in soaps (unchanged from our November 2012 survey) and 43% share in shampoo (vs 40% last survey, widening its lead over P&G to 1,000 bps with the latter shedding 200bps to 33%).
In skin cream, HUL has about 50% share (Nivea, the biggest gainer at over 400bps to 17%) and in detergents, 62% (Surf dominates high income HH).
Colgate continues to lead in toothpaste with 47% market share (45% last survey) while HUL has lost 700bps from our last poll to35% now.
Asian Paints remains the most preferred brand in the paints category with a stable 54% share, while Berger has lost 200bps to 10%.
In footwear, BATA has improved its share to 27% (25%).
Homes and Cars –highly aspirational:
About 18% and 22% of consumers polled are looking to buy homes and cars, respectively over the next three to six months, though purchase decisions hinge on the economic outlook. Property and fuel prices are the key variables affecting purchase plans rather than interest rates.
Maruti is the most preferred auto brand with 48% market share (40% previously), followed by Hyundai at 23% (29%) and Tata Motors.
Namo Narain Meena clarified in Lok Sabha that although RBI received a proposal from IBA to limit free transaction on ATMs, no decision has been taken so far
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is yet to take a decision on limiting the number of free transactions at ATMs, as proposed by Indian Banks' Association (IBA), Parliament was informed on Friday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha minister of state for finance Namo Narain Meena said, "The RBI has received a proposal from IBA to limit free transaction on ATMs and also to increase the ATM charges. No decision on the proposal has been taken".
In November 2013, the government advised banks to review the existing security arrangements at their ATMs in terms of instructions issued by RBI on security measures in branches and ATMs, the minister said in a separate reply.
To improve asset quality of banks and reduced non-performing assets (NPAs), Meena said, the government has also advised public sector banks (PSBs) to take a number of new initiatives to increase the pace of recovery.
It includes appointment of nodal officers for recovery, to conduct special drives for recovery of loss assets and to constitute a board level committee for monitoring of recovery.
To ensure effective and expeditious recovery of defaulted loans of banks and financial institutions, the Enforcement of Security interest and Recovery of Debt Laws (Amendment) Act 2012 has been enacted, he said.


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Contrary to the current trend in the storage market, Samsung could soon increase the prices of its Solid State Drives (SSD), at least according to various sources from the industry. The background is allegedly production problems. Like the Taiwanese industry service DigiTimes Citing sources from the local hardware industry reported, Samsung is likely to increase the prices of its SSDs in the coming weeks and months because in-house production of flash memory modules has stalled due to the new lockdown measures imposed in China.
Less flash memory, fewer SSDs, higher prices
Observers assume that Samsung will have to reduce the production of flash memory modules at its plant in the Chinese city of Xi’an by up to 40 percent. This is necessary because the Korean company is affected by the measures taken by the local government to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Due to a sharp increase in the number of infections, the freedom of movement of the people in Xi’an has recently been massively restricted. With a decline in the production of flash modules in China having a direct impact on the production of complete Samsung SSDs, it is now considered likely that Samsung will raise prices.
This could also have an impact on the market as a whole, because Samsung’s actions, as one of the leading providers, often have more consequences than you might think. Recently, some SSD manufacturers reduced their prices compared to wholesalers in order to inquire about the demand, which is stagnating especially in China. However, the observers assume that price increases by Samsung could lead to a kind of wave of price increases by other manufacturers. To what extent the prices will actually rise is still open. The development will probably become clearer in the next few weeks, as PC manufacturers will probably only start buying new components again in mid-January, now that the Christmas business is behind them.
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Digital marketing enthusiast and industry professional in Digital technologies, Technology News, Mobile phones, software, gadgets with vast experience in the tech industry, I have a keen interest in technology, News breaking.


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According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, US GDP, or gross domestic product, shrank by 0.9% in the second quarter. To tackle inflation and decrease the chances of a recession, the Federal Reserve increased its interest rate again by 0.75%. There have been two consecutive quarters with a decrease in GDP, which is the ‘technical’ definition of a recession. In the first quarter, GDP fell 1.6%. However, June saw the addition of 372,000 jobs, a sign of the economy’s resilience.
In a press conference yesterday, President had this to say, “There are going to be a lot of chatter today on Wall Street and among pundits about whether we are in a recession,” Biden said. “But if you look at our job market, consumer spending, business investment, we see signs of economic progress in the second quarter as well.”
GDP is not the only determining factor for a recession. “GDP alone is not how you determine a recession,” Austin Clemens at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth to Marketplace. “We have high inflation, but we have a very strong job market. We have — it looks like — negative GDP growth, but also still pretty robust consumer spending.”
Since there is low unemployment and robust consumer spending, Biden denies that the US economy is in a recession. Instead, he is focusing on bringing down inflation. “Coming off of last year’s historic economic growth – and regaining all the private sector jobs lost during the pandemic crisis – it’s no surprise that the economy is slowing down as the Federal Reserve acts to bring down inflation,” Biden said.
Secretary Janet Yellen agreed in a news conference stating, “When you look at the economy, job creation is continuing, household finances remain strong, consumers are spending and businesses are growing,” she said during a news conference.
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reached a deal with a new bill to fight increasing health care costs, inflation, and climate change.
Manchin will cast his vote for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. He stated, “We must be honest about the economic reality America now faces if we want to avoid fanning the flames of inflation. At its core, the purpose of reconciliation is to get our economic and financial house in order.”
Did you enjoy this article? Read other articles on CBT News here. Please share your thoughts, comments, or questions regarding this topic by submitting a letter to the editor here, or connect with us at email@example.com.


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THE world’s largest spirits maker, Diageo, has switched on one of the largest private solar panel arrays in Scotland to provide renewable energy for the packaging of its iconic global brands.
The solar farm at Diageo Leven in Fife consists of 8,000 panels on an area the size of eight football pitches adjacent to the packaging plant and will generate up to 22% of the site’s annual electrical demand, and up to 60% in the summer months. The farm will produce 4.1MW of electricity – enough to power 2,500 homes for a year – and will reduce CO2emissions by about 830 tonnes a year.
Diageo Leven is the company’s largest global packaging plant, producing more than 40 million cases of premium spirits every year, including leading brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Gordon’s and Captain Morgan.
The investment in the solar panel is part of Diageo’s Society 2030 commitment to decarbonise its direct operations by the end of the decade.
Stuart Galbraith, Operations Director at Diageo Leven, said: “This is a very proud moment for the team at Diageo Leven who have worked to make this project a reality.
“Our people are passionate about protecting the environment and building a sustainable future. It is fantastic to know that as we work to make some of the world’s greatest quality products we are doing it with renewable energy produced by the Scottish daylight.”
Delivery of the solar panel installation project has been supported by Emtec and E-ON. The project is going live alongside a rainwater harvesting development that will deliver up to 7 million litres of water a year that will be reused on the site.
Diageo has already halved its carbon footprint between 2007 and 2020. Building on Diageo’s long-standing commitment to significant science-based action to create a sustainable low-carbon future, Society 2030: Spirit of Progress aims to remove the rest by 2030, harnessing 100% renewable energy everywhere the company operates. It has also committed to partnering with suppliers to reduce indirect carbon emissions by 50%.
To find out more, please visit https://www.diageo.com/en/society-2030/society-2030-spirit-of-progress/


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New Delhi: Leather exports and production are expected to increase by 10 per cent by 2019, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said today.
India's leather exports currently stood at USD 5.66 billion.
"We are expecting that by 2019, leather exports and production would increase by 10 per cent," he told reporters here.
The minister also said that the government is taking steps to improve business environment for the sector as part of the exercise to push growth.
Chaudhary further said that all Footwear Design and Development Institutes (FDDIs) would become institutes of national importance from today.
The FDDI Act, which was approved by Parliament, will be implemented from today, he added.
FDDIs will be able to give degrees, diplomas and certificates and they would also formulate their course and curriculum, he added.
The approval of the FDDI Act by Parliament in July had ended the uncertainty among the students who were not sure whether they would get degree from the institute.
The controversy with regard to the institute dates back to 2015, when the UGC, in September 2014, raised questions against the MoU between FDDI and Mewar University for grant of degree to FDDI students registered for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 in light of the AICTEs non-recognition of these degrees.
In 2016, students of FDDI, Noida went on protest demanding degrees instead of diplomas.
The FDDI has 12 campuses of which eight are functional.
When asked whether ban on cow slaughter and increased cow vigilantism has impacted raw material availability and exports of leather, the minister said it is not so.
The exports of leather goods is linked to demand in developed regions like Europe, he added.


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“People think I was rich, but no. I was living under coconut trees selling sandwiches.” Ricardo D’Souza, co-owner of Tito’s, began by addressing how his mother, a woman with an iron heart, decided to expand the family-run business by buying a place in Calangute back in 1989. Established by Tito Henry De Souza in 1971, Tito’s will celebrate its Golden Jubilee on 19th November 2021.
Tito’s still stands to be the most famous and popular nightlife place in Goa. Located at Tito’s Lane in Baga, North Goa, Tito’s was one of the first discotheques in the state to provide electrifying lights, rhythmic music, and a thundering dance floor for party lovers during tourist season.
Being successfully in business for 50 years, Ricardo D’Souza, along with his brother and co-partner, has decided to expand their homegrown business nationally and internationally. In order to do so, Ricardo D’Souza added experienced and talented Goans in his journey to make Tito’s a global brand. “We are bringing in world class talent.” With finance experts to marketing experts on board, Tito is ready to start a new chapter.
Ricardo D’Souza will be launching ‘Tito’s Eats’ on 19th November 2021 that will deliver food to its customers who want their food to be delivered home. He will also launch ‘Tito’s Fashion’ will also be introduced where they will bring in various kinds of products. He also informed how they have already started with the manufacturing of headphones. He also said that he would be launching ‘Tito’s TV’ on 1st January 2021. The focus would be to provide entertainment to its customers.
They will also launch ‘Tito’s Travels’ on 19th November 2021. The aim is to provide tourists in Goa with tourism packages that will help the tourist with safe accommodation and traveling. He noticed how tourists tend to get harassed. He promised that his packages would make sure that the tourists do not get harassed, and they’ll be kept safe from any kinds of mishappenings.
The D’Souza brothers have also started with a new affiliate called ‘Tito’s Hotels’ which has begun operations in two properties and will be expanding with six more by August 2022. Tito’s is expanding globally and has started its first Club Tito’s franchise in Pune and will see 27 more within the next 18 months across globally.
Till now, Ricardo D’Souza has been donating meals for various feasts. He has donated apartments to those families who needed one. He acknowledged the fact about how the people living in Calangute would rather sleep with an empty stomach than ask for food. With that in mind, Ricardo D’Souza expressed his thoughts on wanting to provide free food to those who need it and are in and around Calangute.
Ricardo D’Souza also said that he has been and will still continue with his charity work. They have already launched ‘Tito’s Foundation’ that will look into the needs of the underprivileged and homeless with immediate effect.
Questions regarding him being active in politics also surfaced. When asked how he will manage his business and politics if he decides to join, he stated that he has full faith in his team members who will be helping him grow the business globally.
TEXT – PRAKRITI BHOWMICK


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Republicans and Democrats introduce ‘end monopolies’ bill that could force Amazon and other tech giants to split into two companies
- A bipartisan group of House members plans to roll out bills aimed at breaking Big Tech monolopes targeting Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google
- The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the proposed legislation could force Amazon to split into two companies or divest its own branded products.
- Another bill would prohibit major tech companies from using their platforms to give their own products an edge
- The bills can already be announced on Friday
- Each of the House bills has Democratic and Republican support, the Journal reported, but no names have been publicly attached to the legislation.
A bipartisan group of House members plans to roll out bills aimed at breaking Big Tech monolopes, targeting Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.
The Wall Street Journal reports that On Friday, the proposed legislation could force Amazon to split into two companies or divest its own branded products.
Another bill would prohibit major tech companies from using their platforms to give their own products an edge.
Amazon.com’s headquarters in Seattle. Amazon is one of the ‘Big Tech’ companies expected to be the target of new antitrust legislation that could be rolled out as early as Friday
Lauren Sanchez (left) and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (right). Legislation could force Amazon to split its platform business from its branded products business
Apple CEO Tim Cook. If the legislation is passed, it could also affect how Apple runs its app store
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be imprisoned in March as a witness before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Facebook is big enough to be the target of the bills too
The bills could be announced as early as Friday.
Congress has spent the past 15 months looking at the scope and power of so-called ‘Big Tech’.
Each of the House bills has Democratic and Republican support, the Journal reported, but no names have been publicly attached to the legislation.
One of the bills, called the Ending Platform Monopolies Act, says: “It is illegal for an operator of a covered platform to own or control an industry other than the covered platform, when it owns or controls the covered platform across that line of business creates an incompatible conflict of interest.”
The Journal compared the bill to the Glass-Steagall Act, which separates commercial and investment banking.
While Amazon sells third-party goods, it also sells its own branded products, and often for much cheaper.
It has also been found to use third-party data to inform what products it makes.
The second bill concerns a company’s self-preference, where a company uses its platform or exclusive access to data to favor other parts of the business — such as how Amazon handles its retail operations or how Apple operates its app store.
The legislation targets Big Tech, requiring the companies to have a market cap of $600 billion or more or more than 500,000 active monthly users, according to the Journal.
Under those parameters, only Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google would currently qualify.
The bills would have to pass through a Democrat-controlled House and then to a Senate, where Democrats’ slim majority means the bills would need 10 Republican votes to nullify a filibuster threat.
While both parties have been critical of “Big Tech” in recent years, Republicans are less likely to support changing the country’s antitrust laws.


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Virgin Media outlines strategy for protection of network, staff and customers during Covid-19 pandemic
UK cable operator Virgin Media has published the steps it is taking to help keep employees and customers safe during the current pandemic, whilst also safeguarding its network.
The company has stated that it is following government and medical advice to put safety first if there is a need to enter a customer’s home to carry out essential work such as fixing or installing broadband and home phone services. For example, engineers will only enter a home if they need to and will adhere to social distancing guidelines when inside. Checks are regularly made with technicians to confirm they don’t have flu-like symptoms, aren’t self-isolating, and haven’t been to high-risk areas, and the operator says that hygiene measures for engineers have been in place since before the coronavirus pandemic. These include anti-bacterial hand wipes and latex gloves as standard kit.
In addition, Virgin Media is taking steps to minimise the amount of in-home work needed, and has closed retail stores until further notice. According to a statement on the company’s website, employees located in these stores will continue to receive full pay and be asked to help out with customer calls.
In terms of demands on the network itself, the statement reassured: ‘We know how important our network is to everybody right now. We want to reassure you that we’re working as hard as we can to keep it in great shape. As usage rises, our existing capacity will be able to take it – but we’ll have a close eye on things and make changes if we need to. We’re set up for our staff (and customers) to work from home. We’ve done a full impact assessment, including continuity planning, so we can keep managing and operating our network.’
To help customers during the crisis, the firm is giving pay-monthly mobile customers unlimited minutes to landlines and other mobile numbers, as well as a free 10G data boost for a month. Visits to any NHS websites will now not use up customers’ mobile data.
The statement concluded: ‘This is a fast-moving and unprecedented situation for all of us. Our promise is to stay transparent, look after the network that helps you connect to the people and things most important to you, and keep you updated as often as we can.’


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Agricultural commodities’ prices rise on logistic and supply disruptions
Retail prices of agricultural commodities have jumped sharply in the past three months because of supply chain disruptions since the lockdown was imposed on March 25 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The data compiled by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution showed retail prices of almost all commodities jumped in the past three months till June-end in both Mumbai and Delhi. Though cereal prices remained a bit resilient — both rice and wheat went up by a mere 3 per cent since March — the cost of pulses and edible oil has skyrocketed because of transport disruptions.
In contrast, prices of all these commodities in wholesale markets have either declined or remained flat since March because of ample availability at stockists’ level. The imposition of nationwide lockdown had disrupted inter- and intra-state movement of vehicles.
“There is ample supply of all these goods at factories of processed value-added products like pulses and edibles oils, and cereals in the government godowns. Hence, the retail price increase of all these commodities can be attributed to logistics issues, which disrupted their supply to stores,” said D K Joshi, chief economist, CRISIL.
According to Joshi, India’s agriculture economy will outperform manufacturing and services this year. While manufacturing and services faced immense problems during the lockdown, the agricultural activities remained relatively uninterrupted. “We estimate India’s agriculture sector to grow by 2.5 per cent, while all other sectors, including manufacturing and services, to contract this financial year,” said Joshi. Besides 83.27 million tonne (mt) of grain like wheat (55.83 mt) and rice (27.44 mt) lying in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) as of June, there are massive stocks of foodgrain available with private stockists. The FCI is also sitting on a stock of 20 mt of unmilled paddy. Meanwhile, the government, since April, has been distributing free 5 kg of rice/wheat and a kg of whole gram per person per month through the public distribution system (PDS) to benefit 800 million people across the country. This relief measure has now been extended until November.
Others may avail foodgrain at subsidised rates. As against the prices of raw items like cereals, the cost of branded and value-added products, such as pulses and edible oil, has gone up significantly. Chana dal, for example, has become costlier in Mumbai by 21.4 per cent and is currently trading at Rs 85 a kg, as against Rs 70 a kg in March. Similarly, toor, masoor and urad dal prices have also risen by 17-34 per cent between March and June. Prices of essential commodities, too, have moved up significantly in Delhi and elsewhere across the country.
“Factories during this lockdown period operated at a significantly lower capacity than installed capacity due to shortage of labourers. Thus, despite having huge stocks on the factory premises, consumers faced a shortage of branded and value-added products of their choice which resulted in a price increase. We believe prices of all these commodities will decline in the weeks to come,” said Siraj Choudhary, managing director and chief executive officer, National Collateral Management Services.
Meanwhile, horticulture farmers could not harvest and supply their produces to mandis during the lockdown because of closure of agricultural produce market committee (APMC) yards.
The government has allowed farmers, aggregator, and farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to sell their produce directly to bulk and retail consumers. This will help eradicate the six-seven layers of middlemen, benefitting farmers and consumers alike.
“Logistics and supply chain hurdles are gradually being addressed now. With enough stock available, commodity prices will cool down,” said Narinder Wadhwa, president, Commodity Participants’ Association of India (CPAI).
Meanwhile, the rainfall this monsoon has been 22 per cent higher than the long-period average (LPA), and thus resulting in a 100 per cent increase in kharif sowing area (as of June 26).
Source: Business Standard


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US-based electric carmaker Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) is setting up an R&D representative office in Israel, sources inform "Globes." The news comes at the same time as Elon Musk's electric car giant is set to begin marketing its cars and solar energy products in Israel.
In the first stage, Israel R&D operations will focus on scouting for local startups and technologies involved in areas of interest for Tesla as well as talks and information exchange with Israeli companies, with some of whom Tesla has already had a business and technological relationship over the past two or three years.
These include at least two to three auto-tech companies as well as artificial intelligence (AI) developers and advanced avionics companies as well as companies in other fields.
Tesla's R&D Division is considered one of the largest and most sophisticated operating in the US today. It is involved in many futuristic and breakthrough engineering fields including electric vehicles, next generation batteries, rocket propulsion, advanced communications, solar energy, AI, laboratory planning, and more. In 2018 alone, Tesla spent $1.5 billion on R&D, double the amount it spent in 2016.


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Nikola Co. (NASDAQ: NKLA – Get a rating) – Wedbush Research analysts released their first-quarter 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Nikola shares in a research note released to investors on Thursday, April 7. Wedbush analyst D. Ives expects the company to post earnings of ($0.33) per share for the quarter. Wedbush has a “Neutral” rating on the title. Wedbush also released estimates for Nikola’s Q2 2023 earnings at ($0.31) EPS, Q3 2023 earnings at ($0.27) EPS and Q4 2023 earnings at ($0.25) EPS. .
Other equity research analysts have also recently released reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Nikola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a price target of $8.75 for the company in a Wednesday, March 2 research note. Royal Bank of Canada reduced its price target on Nikola from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “industry performance” rating for the company in a Friday, February 25 research note. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its price target on Nikola from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a Friday, Feb. 25 research note. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut its price target on Nikola from $19.00 to $11.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a Friday, February 25 research note. Finally, Cowen reduced his price target on Nikola from $25.00 to $15.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a Friday, February 25 research note. Six investment analysts gave the stock a hold rating and two gave the stock a buy rating. According to MarketBeat.com, Nikola currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.72.
Nikola Stock opened at $8.43 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.41 and a two-hundred-day simple moving average of $9.86. The company has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.84 and a beta of 0.84. Nikola has a 52-week low of $6.41 and a 52-week high of $19.52. The company has a quick ratio of 2.84, a current ratio of 2.91 and a leverage ratio of 0.04.
Nicholas (NASDAQ: NKLA – Get a rating) last released its quarterly results on Thursday, February 24. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.23. During the same period of the previous year, the company achieved EPS of ($0.38).
In related news, Insider Pablo M. Koziner sold 50,579 shares of the company in a transaction that took place on Tuesday, January 18. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.89, for a total value of $500,226.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available via this link. 22.80% of the shares are currently held by insiders.
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently changed their holdings in NKLA. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in Nikola shares by 47.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 104,720 shares of the company worth $1,891,000 after acquiring 33,793 additional shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings of Nikola shares by 54.8% during the 2nd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 694,697 shares of the company worth $12,546,000 after acquiring an additional 245,832 shares last quarter. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Nikola stock during Q2 worth approximately $703,000. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stock position in Nikola during Q3, valued at approximately $112,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Nikola shares by 62.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 112,588 shares of the company valued at $1,201,000 after purchasing an additional 43,385 shares in the last quarter. 43.70% of the shares are currently held by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Nicholas (Get a rating)
Nikola Corporation operates as a technology innovator and integrator that works to develop energy and transportation solutions. It operates through two business units, Truck and Energy. The Truck business unit develops and markets hydrogen and battery electric semi-trailers for the trucking sector.
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Posted on November 04 2014 by Nathanial Rumphol-Janc
Tomorrow we’re getting a surprise Nintendo Direct happening world wide that will feature titles for the Wii U and 3DS. For those curious, the above times are for the North American version, while Europe is getting theirs at 11pm (10pm in the UK) and Japan at 7am. I believe if my math is correct that means this direct will be airing at the exact same time world wide… and we only have to look at history to understand that sort of significance. Generally when they do a world wide Nintendo Direct that isn’t game specific it’s something to be excited about – especially today when they have only had one other Nintendo Direct like this in 2014 (where as, they use to have a handful a year).
I can guarantee we are going to get another glimpse at their Holiday lineup, which is small but packed with bigger titles, from Pokemon and Smash Bros. to Captain Toad. They might even mention recently released Bayonetta 2 just to generate some more buzz for the title. However, given their lineup is so small there are other things we could potentially be looking at. Could the Wii U and/or 3DS be getting a price drop this holiday? We are likely going to see some 2015 titles – which ones will be included? Obviously we here at Zelda Informer are really hoping for a true Zelda U trailer versus the combination type ordeal we got at E3.
Occasionally these world wide directs are also used to announce new titles, but at this point I find it hard to imagine that will occur given all the games they already have slated for 2015 they could advertise. I could see them talking about a new console bundle for Smash for the holidays and how with the titles already available and those coming in 2015, now is the time to buy a Wii U. On the 3DS front, don’t expect to hear about the New 3DS – this is a worldwide direct and one of those major regions already has it. It is far more likely we hear about it in a potential spring Direct.
What do you think? I know we’re going to get overly excited just because of how rare these all encompassing Directs are now and because we know there is a chance Zelda U will be there. What do you think we’ll get? Be sure tune in to ZI tomorrow to check if there is any Zelda coverage, or our friends over at Gamnesia for most everything else.


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The European Union highest court, The European Court of Justice, issued an “interim legal opinion” that Google does not infringed on trademark holders rights, by allowing advertisers to buy keywords of registered trademarks.
In this case, Louis Vuitton sued Google saying that Google sold ads under search results for Louis Vuitton, to companies marketing counterfeit or replica goods of Vuitton.
The Advocate General, Poiares Maduro, said “Google has not committed a trademark infringement by allowing advertisers to select, in AdWords, keywords corresponding to trademarks”.
The Advocate General went on to note that the use of the trademarks is limited to the selection of keywords which is internal to AdWords and concerns only Google and the advertisers. When selecting keywords, there is thus no product or service sold to the general public. Such a use cannot therefore be considered as being a use made in relation to goods or services identical or similar to those covered by the trade marks.
The mere display of relevant sites in response to keywords is not enough to establish a risk of confusion on the part of consumers as to the origin of goods or services. Internet users are aware that not only the site of the trade mark owner will appear as a result of a search in Google’s search engine and sometimes they may not even be looking for that site.
Today’s “opinion” will now be taken into account by a full panel of EU judges, whose ruling is expected late this year or early next year.
The full panel of judges follow the Advocate General’s opinion in 80% of the time.
Obviously this would be a huge victory for Google in the EU.
Google still has several cases pending in the US, on this same issue with some lower courts already ruling against Google.
Of course to domainers the question that comes to mind is why can Google sell ads under trademarked terms but if an ad for a trademarked term, shows up on a parking page, we lose the domain?


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Businesswoman and supermodel, Elle Macpherson, says a “healthy chocolate drink” she launched has helped her son avoid sugar hits.
Macpherson’s says her WelleCo protein powder helped her son, Aurelius Cy Busson (Cy), avoid junk food.
“When we moved to America two years ago, Cy, who is now 14, started eating lunch from the school canteen, instead of the home-packed lunch he used to have in the UK,” Macpherson told Victoria Hall from The Telegraph.
“He would choose empty carbs at school and come home starving. To fill the gap between school and dinner, he craved sugary snacks.”
The Australian born model told The Telegraph she was inspired to make something for kids in her supplement product line from concern over her son’s junk food cravings.
Now Cy promotes the “healthy chocolate” product that costs $34 for a 500g.
The website markets the supplement to children “who have a sweet tooth, are fussy eaters or kids with poor concentration or are always sick”.
However, Australian paediatric and maternal dietitian, Kathleen Perrone, says children “don’t need expensive protein supplements”.
“Most children in Australia meet or exceed their protein requirements without any supplements,” she says.


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- Alfa Romeo
- Aston Martin
- Land Rover
Lexus will debut its latest model, the CT200h, in front of a North American audience for the first time at the New York Auto Show at the end of the month. Officially unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show last week, the CT200h is not only a luxury hatchback, but the first hybrid in the compact premium class.
Lexus will unveil the first full-hybrid premium compact car at the Geneva Auto Show in March. Called the CT200h, it is inspired by the LF-Ch concept that the automaker debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year.
Interestingly, the teaser image that Lexus has sent us looks more like a sedan than the LF-Ch hatchback we’ve been seeing, but that’s probably to keep people guessing. Lexus is eager to get into the premium hatchback market in Europe, competing against models like the Audi A3 and Volvo C3, as well as against vehicles like the BMW 1 Series.
Under the hood we’re likely to find either the same hybrid setup as found in the Prius or the Lexus HS250h. We’re certainly hoping it’s the latter, which still only delivers a modest 187-hp. And if the HS250 is any estimate, then it should get close to 35 mpg (combined).
Lexus initially said the CT200h would not be offered in North America, but it has since been showing it at several different venues (including the LA Auto Show) in order to gauge interest on this side of the Atlantic.
We’ll be sure to bring you more on the CT200h, with live coverage of the Geneva Auto Show starting March 1st.
Official release after the jump:
Lexus has announced that along with the world premiere of a new two seater supercar concept, it will show the LF-Ch hybrid hatchback concept for the first time in Japan. Unveiled last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the LF-Ch is expected to lead to a production model, in Europe, by 2011.
Last week Lexus teased us with a back shot of its upcoming hybrid hatchback and now we finally get a glimpse of what this new model will look like from the front. Called the LF-Ch Concept for now it is expected to be called the CT200h when it finally makes its way to production in 2010.
Lexus is set to debut a new hatchback model for the European market at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month and now word comes that the U.S. may also get this luxurious hot-hatch. Initially it was believed that the baby Lexus would not be offered in North America as it would be too close to the HS250h hybrid, which will not offered in Europe.


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First Vice Prime Minister - Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv posted this on Facebook.
"Meeting with the Ambassador of Sri Lanka. Although in 2016 the volume of mutual trade grew by almost four times and amounted to more than $100 million, we have a much greater potential in many sectors," Kubiv wrote.
He has noted that for that purpose the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation is planned to start working soon.
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As the likely MLB The Show 23 release date continues to close in, we're continuing to look at what fans can expect.
Check below for everything you need to know about the arrival of the new MLB The Show 23 Trailer.
MLB The Show 23 Trailer
Our first look at MLB The Show 23 is not far away, with the game once again having a similar release schedule to last year.
As of now, the expected MLB The Show 23 release date is Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
Shop Now: Must-Have Baseball Memorabilia at SportsMemorabilia.com
Last year, the trailer for MLB The Show 22 was released two months before the full launch date, meaning we could once again get our first look at the new game in early February.
With that in mind, we're expecting the first trailer for MLB The Show 23 to be showcased on Friday, February 3.
Alongside that trailer, we're expecting to see new reveals that will include the Cover Athlete reveal, pre-order launch, as well as details on price and platforms.
Game Modes & Cover Athlete Predictions
We've seen a push to improve overall quality in the last few years, and most of that has come with the refinement of existing game modes.
Road to the Show got a major overhaul with MLB The Show 21, and MLB The Show 22 followed up with a big set of new features in March to October.
For many, the hope is that Franchise Mode is next, which has reportedly been working on Legacy Code and may be in the process of being rebuilt from the ground up.
Our top picks right now for the MLB The Show 23 cover star are Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.


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Saks Fifth Avenue has launched a talent acquisition page on Facebook. The new “Careers at Saks” Facebook page will allow prospective job applicants to interact directly with Saks Fifth Avenue’s talent acquisition team, search available positions and keep up with Saks Fifth Avenue. The Facebook news feed will include “Jobs of the Day,” career and interview tips, and other pertinent updates weekly. Saks Fifth Avenue’s internal brand ambassadors will speak on behalf of the retailer as an employer.
Tim Simmons, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Sam's Club | Total Retail Tech 2022
Chandra Holt, CEO and President, Conn's HomePlus | Total Retail Tech 2022
Joel Bines, Managing Director, AlixPartners | Total Retail Tech 2022
JC Curleigh, President and CEO, Gibson Brands | Total Retail Tech 2022
JC Curleigh's Mission for Turning Around Gibson Brands
Competera's CEO Offers Best Practices for AI-Driven Dynamic Pricing


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File this one under odd news judgment: A Greenwich Village restaurant is no longer taking cash. The Wall Street Journal puts it on A6.
This isn’t a trend story, it isn’t a slice of life story. It reads like a straight news story. It’s almost pointless.
There’s no second or third anecdote, no attempt to prove a trend. Why is this story in a national newspaper? Well:
In the latest encroachment of credit and debit cards onto the greenback’s turf, the high-end New York City restaurant said goodbye to dollars and cents this week. The message to diners: Tip in cash if you wish, but otherwise, your money is no good here.
Americans these days are swiping their cards to pay for taxi rides, donate to Salvation Army kettles, even tithe in some churches. And at Commerce, more than 90% of customers had already made the switch to plastic.
In lieu of any other actual anecdotes or on-the-ground reporting, wheel in the expert to hem and haw:
Credit-card industry experts say they expect more establishments like Commerce go cashless. “It’s very plausible that at higher-end restaurants, we’ll start to see more of this,” Mr. Hammer said. But he said the move will be slow, and less-expensive eateries may not go there. “I just don’t see it,” he said. “Cash isn’t a bad thing.”
And it’s not even a scoop. Come on.


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Photographer: Guenter Schiffmann/Bloomberg
A Year of Poor Planning Led to Carmakers’ Massive Chip Shortage
January 19, 2021, 6:45 AM PST
Auto-chip buyers cut orders too deeply last year on virus woes
Car companies pleading for help from Taiwan’s government
Near-sighted planning, supply-chain complexities and a tradition of keeping inventories low caused the semiconductor shortage that is now forcing carmakers to idle production lines and straining their relationship with chip manufacturers.
Seeds of the imbroglio were sown almost a year ago as the virus outbreak led to plunging car demand
, prompting auto-chip companies to slash orders. But when they wanted to increase supply toward the end of 2020, they struggled to secure capacity at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
and other contract chipmakers that were busy servicing a boom in demand for gadgets that help housebound consumers stay connected, according to people familiar with the situation.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Del Monte Foods, the consumer and pet food company, agreed to be bought by an investor group for $4 billion, the company announced Friday.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Vestar Capital Partners and Centerview Partners will pay a premium price of $19 per share for the San Francisco-based company. The deal, which includes $1.3 billion in Del Monte's net debt, is valued at about $5.3 billion.
Del Monte (DLM) shares rose 4% to $18.75 on Friday after closing at $17.99 on Wednesday. U.S. financial markets were closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Under the terms of the deal, Del Monte is allowed to solicit alternative proposals through Jan. 8, 2011. The company said it will "actively" seek other suitors, but if no "superior offer" is found the deal announced Friday is expected to close by the end of March.
"This transaction will enable our Company to continue to successfully grow, building on the foundation our team has put into place," Richard Wolford, chief executive of Del Monte Foods, said in a statement.
Del Monte, which had sales of $3.7 billion in fiscal 2010, produces and distributes food under its own name and others, including S&W, Contadina and College Inn. It also has a large portfolio of pet foods such as Meow Mix, Kibbles 'n Bits and Milk-Bone.
Simon Brown, a member of KKR's consumer group, said in a statement that the firm looks forward to continuing Del Monte's "proven strategy for growth."
More proof America is gaining momentum: GDP beat expectations from July to September. More
San Francisco-based Tumml is an accelerator fostering 'urban impact start-ups' that aim to tackle civic problems -- and turn a profit. More
Amy Kukec thought leaving her abusive husband would be the beginning of a new life, but so far she's hit one debilitating financial roadblock after another. More


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ASEFA expects its new plant to run this February. This plant will raise its capacity by 50%. It plans to open five more after-sales service centers to handle upcoming large orders. (Thun Hoon, 29/01/16)
Comment: Well the question will turn to utilisation rates, its a new ipo, not much of a public market track record and we still have many questions about it.
BCP expects 2015 net profit to be over Bt4.1bn (500% growth) despite net loss of Bt99mn in 4Q15 from stock and impairment loss. (Khao Hoon, 29/01/16)
BIG targets 2016 revenue to grow 10% by offering photography services and solutions. It plans to provide another service, printing photos from mobile phones, targeting the youth. It plans to pay a dividend on its robust 2015 earnings. (Thun Hoon, 29/01/16)
Comment: They say that 1) Margins are stable 2) Growth comes from consumers actually wanting to use cameras and the change in consumer behaviour; I say 1) Ok 2) Don’t see it ccontinuing
BWG targets 2016 revenue growth of 10-15% backed by increasing waste income. It is working with EGAT to invest in a waste power plant. It plans to cooperate with IEAT to invest in IE for alternative energy, with a decision to be made by April. Foreign investors are interested in its shares via PP. (Khao Hoon, 29/01/16)
Comment: It would be interesting to see how this company develops….if everything they say is true then there could be a decent amount of upside available. No idea why they would need a PP give that their capital base seems solid
FSMART targets 90,000 Boon-Term Top-Up machines by the end of this year. It expects these to contribute Bt21bn revenue in 2016. It expects to offers a new platform for its Top-Up machines to make them more user friendly. (Thun Hoon, 29/01/16)
Comment: Just amazeballs
Names today: ACAP, COM7, CPN, IFEC, CPN, CSP, IFEC, JAS, KC, NUSA, ORI, PE, RCI, SAMART, SENA, SMART, TSF
ACAP expects to show net profit next year on the back of loan extensions and cost control although this year may have a net loss. It is working with AJD to invest in an online loan machine valued at Bt400mn. It plans to acquire more debt to increase its debt collection portfolio. (Thun Hoon, 30/10/15)
Comment: We do wonder who the new shareholders are in ACAP and what their plans will be with this entity in the future
COM7 expects to show net profit in 4Q15 backed by 4G auction and iPhone6-plus launch. It expects 2015 revenue to achieve its target. It expects 2016 revenue to grow 5%. It plans to open more branches to expand to the SME market. (Thun Hoon, 30/10/15)
Comment: So, wait for the price to decline and buy again when the iPhone 7 releases?
CPN plans to expand to Myanmar. It targets to open hotel and department stores to cover AEC. It expects 2016 revenue to grow 10-15% backed by tourism. (Thun Hoon, 30/10/15)
Comment: The family already has a foothold there, so this is just a natural extension of the group’s overall business
AUCT revealed that it is studying the business potential abroad. If it is feasible it will begin the business by early 2016 and expects this could contribute 10% to its revenue. Management expects 1Q15 performance TO be strong with revenue growth of 20-40% YoY in 2015. (Thun Hoon, 07/04/15)
Comment: Still my biggest regret of last year with their amazing growth, but I’m now continually shaking my head at its valuation
BANPU targets equity-based electricity generating capacity to reach 4,000MW by 2020, up from 1,800MW. This business will be its key growth driver for revenue and profit. (Thun Hoon, 07/04/15)
CPF concerned about lower purchasing power in Thailand which could be the worst among the 13 countries in which it has invested. The company expects acceleration of government budget disbursement to stimulate domestic demand and on this basis maintains its expectation of 10% revenue growth in 2015. It also targets more revenue from overseas business to reach Bt700bn in the next five years, accounting for 60% of total revenue. More M&A in Russia can be expected with an investment budget of Bt15-20bn per annum. (Krungthep Turakij, 07/04/15)
ANAN expects real estate revenue to reach Bt10.5bn this year backed by large backlog of Bt35bn. It will launch 12 projects worth Bt31.5bn. Its presales were impressive at Bt7.5bn in 1Q15. (Kao Hoon, 27/3/15)
Comment: Again the question for ANAN is how much can operating margins improve. Should they match industry average then the upside is fairly obvious.
BJC targets revenue growth this year at more than 10% with better net margin than last year. It plans to invest Bt4bn to raise production capacity and production lines. It is also looking for a new acquisition. (Kao Hoon, 27/3/15)
Comment: Well it eventually pushed through the Metro acquisition in Vietnam.
EASTW disclosed water sales grew 3-4% in 1Q15 as demand in the eastern region continues growing. It expects total revenue growth of 5-6% plus better margin than last year’s in the light of lower electricity cost. (Than Hoon, 27/03/15)
EMC continues to take over residential property projects, hoping to generate revenue at a faster pace than investing on its own. It recently acquired Imperial Land (IMP) from UWC worth Bt278mn. Its Station One @ China Town project will be launched and recorded as revenue in 2Q15. (Thun Hoon, 27/03/15)
Comment: Another wannabe property company? As if we don’t have enough of these smaller developers that appear to just be one hit wonders.
AAV’s bookings down 15% due to the coup. The CEO says the airline has seen a significant decline in Chinese clients, but domestic traffic continues to support operations. Khon Kaen, Nakorn Panom, and Naratiwat flights have a load factor of 90%. It will control costs and postpone client base expansion to handle the drop in bookings. It is preparing to cut capacity by more than 15% and will definitely survive. (Khao Hoon, 20/06/14)
Comment: If you think about it, a 15% decrease in bookings despite all the negative news about Thailand, and yet domestic flights are still operating at a 90% load factor, thats not too bad at all!
AIS names new chief executive – Mobile leader Advanced Info Service (AIS) finally named chief marketing officer Somchai Lertsutiwong as its new chief executive after a process lasting several months. His appointment had been expected by many in the company. He has worked at Shin Group including AIS for 23 years. (Bangkok Post, 20/06/14)
BAY adds Japanese flavour to services – Now that Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) has finished acquiring 72% of Bank of Ayudhya (BAY), the local bank is moving towards attracting Japanese investors by setting up desks with fluent Japanese speakers at select branches. Moreover, the Thai bank plans to open more branches in industrial estates where Japanese work and add the Japanese language to its 5,000 ATMs nationwide this year. (Bangkok Post, 20/06/14)
Comment: Since the BTMU has become the majority shareholder in BAY, its stock price has re-rated to valuations levels similar to SCB and KBANK, is this warranted? Perhaps.
Ananda scales back condo advertising – The SET-listed Ananda Development Plc (ANAN) has capped spending on marketing and advertising at 2.5% of sales, down from 4% last year, as the political turmoil looks set to dampen condo-buying sentiment throughout 2014. (Bangkok Post, 11/04/14)
Comment: The pullback in advertising has been throughout all of Bangkok, hardly any fairs nor sales points in any of the malls.
Good Songkran travel — AOT expects an 8% rise in passengers and 15% in flights at its six airports during Songkran holiday. It is planning at phase 4 for Don Muang airport at a cost of Bt20bn, a third passenger building connected with the Red and Green lines. (Khao Hoon, 11/4/14)
Comment: Once management improves – there’s no reason why this Airport won’t be number one in the region in terms of volume and quality – same goes for Thai Airways.
SAMART says 1Q14 was good supported by higher sales from SIM. It expects higher growth in 2Q14 and 3Q14 with the TV digital business helping support sales. Its subsidiary, One to One Contracts Plc (OTO) will also IPO with 80mn shares at Bt5.40/share. It will start trading on mai on May 15. (Khao Hoon, 11/04/14)
Comments: Brokers (and we) are loving this at the moment. Continue reading Stocks in the news (anan, aot, samart, gunkul, ivl, ptt, rml, sccc, svi, thai, tsf) 11.04.14
Confident in target — BEAUTY is confident revenues will hit target growth of 30% and said that the economic slowdown will have no impact on its business, with sales in the second half expected to continue to grow, supported by the opening of new branches and launch of new products. The company expects to open new branches in Laos and Vietnam in 4Q13. (Khao Hoon, 03/09/13)
Hopes for Purple line contract ok today — BMCL is ready to sign the Purple line contract, hoping for cabinet approval today after it cut its bid down to Bt82.625bn. (Khao Hoon, 03/09/13)
Comment: If you have to choose a mass transit operator then go for BTS instead of BMCL
Just received this in my mailbox, its a rather nifty little infographic showing which publicly listed companies in Thailand will benefit from the recent issuance of 3G licenses to the telecom operators.
Source: Not sure, if someone knows do inform me so I can credit them properly


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For a fifth consecutive month activity levels across Australia’s manufacturing sector have expanded, marking the longest stretch of gains seen since July 2010.
The latest manufacturing PMI report released by the AiGroup rose 2.3 points to 52.5 in November, leaving the index at the highest level seen since October 2013.
The survey’s three-month rolling average, a better gauge on the overall trend in activity levels, rose to 51.6, the highest level seen since August 2010.
PMI reports are diffusion indices that measure monthly changes in activity levels. A reading above 50 suggests activity levels are expanding with a reading below 50 signalling contraction.
At 51.6, the three-month trend indicates that activity levels are now expanding, a significant improvement in the 46.6 level seen in April this year.
“Improvements in sales, exports, production, new orders and employment underwrote another stronger manufacturing performance in November,” said Innes Willox, chief executive at the Ai Group.
“The more positive conditions are due to the more competitive level of the Australian dollar, the considerable cost savings and other efficiencies that manufacturers have introduced over recent years and continuing strong demand from residential construction businesses.”
Five of the eight specific sub-sectors expanded with wood & paper products, textiles, clothing, footwear, furniture and other, petroleum, coal, chemical & rubber products, nonmetallic mineral products and food and beverages all recording activity levels above the 50 threshold that separates expansion from contraction.
Machinery and equipment, metal products and very small printing & recorded media remained in contractionary territory.
While the performance across the various industry specific sectors was mixed, there was better news on the survey’s individual activity gauges, with only inventories contacting during the month.
New orders rose 3.3 points to 53.2 while sales jumped 4.5 points to 53.6. Production expanded for a fifth month, rising 2.6 points to 53.0, while supplier deliveries increased 3.7 points to 55.0. Reflective of the weaker Australian dollar, the exports subindex rose by a further 1.4 points to 56.4.
The manufacturing employment sub-index also improved, rising 2.4 points to 51.7 after a brief and mild decline in October.
Although Australia’s manufacturing sector is now far less influential that what it once was, it is encouraging to see activity levels continuing to improve given the sector was mired in contractionary territory for much of the past two years.
With the lower Australian dollar now acting as a tailwind for non-mining sectors of the economy, many will be hoping that the resilience seen in the manufacturing PMI survey will be replicated in the larger, and significantly more influential, services PMI report released on Thursday.
A sustained improvement in that gauge will not only bode well for the domestic labour market outlook but also Australia’s economic transition as a whole.
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The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has joined with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to launch a training program for transitioning service members and veterans to help them become entrepreneurs and create jobs. Operation Boots to Business: From Service to Startup is a national initiative that will be […]
Randolph Engineering in Randolph, Massachusetts creates the aviator glasses for our military. Roger that!
Annie Withey created Annie’s in a little kitchen back in 1989 after experimenting with recipes for mac-and-cheese, followed by Cheddar Bunnies and pizzas. The products are all health-conscious and eco-friendly.
As gas prices have increased, and reliance on one’s own personal car has declined slightly in Southern California, Beverly Hills Cab Co. owner Joseph Mehrabi has observed a noticeable increase in taxi service in Los Angeles. This happens to come at a beneficial time for customers, because it turns out that to build a loyal customer […]
Lender Processing Services, Inc. (NYSE: LPS), a leading provider of integrated technology, data and analytics to the mortgage and real estate industries, announced an agreement with RentRange to offer rental property income data to mortgage servicers, investors and others in need of reliable rental market intelligence to make informed decisions related to distressed housing assets. […]
Sikorsky Innovations, the technology development organization of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., has initiated its 2nd Entrepreneurial Challenge, expanding on its inaugural challenge that was completed in the spring. The challenge is open to any small company with revenue under $5 million, including newly formed and pre-revenue entities. Submissions are due no later than 5 p.m. EDT […]
McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant chain, will hire 70,000 people in China this year, almost doubling its workforce there, as it accelerates new store openings in the Asian nation. This past spring all 1,400 McDonald’s stores in China set up recruitment tables and invite people to apply for restaurant positions, Lisa Howard, a company spokeswoman, […]
Morgan Olson LLC, a maker of walk-in van bodies, today announced that it will establish its new plant in Charleston County. The $1 million investment is expected to generate 119 new jobs. “We are excited about locating our new facility in Charleston County. South Carolina offers a business-friendly environment and the skilled workforce we need […]
The New York Business Expo and Conference is set for October 17, 2012 at The Javits Center in New York City. The event will include seminars, a trade show, exhibits, social media tips and trends, a business makeover competition, speakers and more. Contact the NY Business Expo for more info.
Another great product made in the U.S.A. Picnic Plus is a company in Amish country in Ohio and they have been manufacturing this handmade picnic basket for decades. The wooden divider on the basket’s bottom protects items from moving around.
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” MAYA ANGELOU (1928 – ) American Poet, Historian, Activist


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Five local traders will be selected to go `in store’ in Spring 2019
- Credit: Richard Barker
Five local business start-ups will win an opportunity to operate their emerging businesses from the shop floor of the region’s largest department store.
The competition, launched by the Colchester Business Enterprise Agency and Fenwick, will offer winners the opportunity to trade alongside leading brands like Moschino, Paul Smith and Hugo Boss in Fenwick’s 90,000 square ft Colchester High Street store.
Fenwick store director Julie Hayward, said the competition will give “the opportunity to sell their business dream on the prestigious Fenwick shop floor”.
The winners will be selected from successful graduates of In the Market for Success, a NatWest funded programme of start-up support for businesswomen provided by Colbea.
A shortlist of entrants will be interviewed by the competition panel in September, with winners set to be announced at Colbea’s annual general party on October 18.


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Surprise fall in inflation rate
The rate of inflation has fallen for the first time in more than a year, new figures from the ONS have shown.
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate was 2.6% in June, down from 2.9% in May – the first fall in the rate since October 2016.
Economists had been forecasting the rate to stay at 2.9% or drop by one-tenth of a percentage point.
Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician at the ONS, said: “Today’s fall in inflation is mainly due to drops in petrol and diesel prices. Howevever, the rate remains higher than in the recent past.”
This was partially offset by rising prices for furniture and furnishings.
An interest rate rise next month is now much more unlikely according to Ben Brettell, senior economist at Hargreaves Lansdown.
He said: “UK inflation fell unexpectedly in June to 2.6%, easing the pressure on squeezed household budgets and substantially reducing the likelihood of an August interest rate rise.
“The news sent the pound sharply lower as currency traders adjusted their outlook for interest rates. The Bank of England’s rhetoric has taken an increasingly hawkish tone in recent weeks, with Mark Carney himself saying at the end of last month that ‘some removal of monetary stimulus is likely to become necessary’. Chief economist Andy Haldane also indicated he might support a rate rise this year.
“However if today’s pullback in inflation marks the start of a sustained decline, the pressure on the Bank to raise rates will ease.”
Last month the National Statistician changed the pre-release access to information which means this is the first consumer price inflation release where ministers and other officials did not receive the data before publication.


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The Jaguar XF is getting some significant upgrades to help it compete with its German rivals.
After refreshing the F-Type sports car and the XE sedan, it's now time for the Jaguar XF to receive a facelift. We got a look at the upcoming Jaguar XF Sportbrake facelift last year, and now our spies have caught the sedan undergoing cold-weather testing in Sweden.
As you would expect, the updated XF sedan is sporting the same changes as its Sportbrake sibling. The prototype is covered in camouflage preventing us from getting a good look at the design details, but the midsize sedan is expected to feature sharper-looking headlights, a new front bumper, and a reshaped grille. At the back, the bumper and the rear lights will also be tweaked.
We still don't have any photos of the cabin, unfortunately. While the 2021 Jaguar XF's exterior changes will be subtle, the interior is expected to have some significant upgrades with higher quality materials and new tech to help it compete with its German rivals such as the Audi A6, the BMW 5 Series, and the Mercedes E-Class.
Like the XE facelift, the refreshed XF is expected to borrow features from the I-Pace, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a second screen for the climate control, and a new steering wheel.
Technical details for the Jaguar XF are still being kept under wraps, but the current model is powered by a 2.0-liter turbo inline-4 gasoline engine that produces 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The range-topping S version, on the other hand, packs a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 380 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque.
There's a chance that the V6 could be replaced with Jaguar Land Rover's new 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 engine, which is paired with an electric supercharger in other models. Jaguar hasn't confirmed when the XF facelift will break cover, but an official reveal shouldn't be too far away.


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The announcement of the 3DS has had a very positive effect on Nintendo’s stock, with the company’s decision to turn to 3D technology – which is one of hottest sectors in modern consumer electronics – seemingly sparking the interest of investors.
Nintendo’s share price shot up by nine per cent on Japan’s Nikkei Index as a result of the news, helping the country’s shares jump to a two-month high, according to the BBC.
The achievement is a stark reminder of the industry’s reaction to both the DS and Wii. Both were greeted by many onlookers with an air of scepticism – the DS thanks to it’s sub-PSP graphical power and odd screen setup and the Wii for it’s one-handed controller and, let’s be honest, very odd name.
However, the doubters have learned from the tremendous success enjoyed by both machines and most now look to Nintendo for leadership in future console generations.