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By Alan Wolf, YSN
Whirlpool said a greater mix of higher-margin products, increased cost discipline, and the favorable sale of its Embraco compressor business contributed to a 70 percent boost in net earnings, to $358 million, during its third quarter ended Sept. 30.
The gains were partially offset by product warranty and liability expenses of $119 million, and were achieved despite a 4.4 percent decrease in net sales, to $5.1 billion, the manufacturer said.
“We have sustained momentum towards achieving our long-term financial goals despite global economic volatility and remain committed to our robust strategy for creating shareholder value,” said Marc Bitzer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our fundamentals remain strong, and we made solid progress against our stated priorities with near-break even performance in EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Asia] and strong results in North America.”
Indeed, Whirlpool North America reported third-quarter EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) of $387 million, a nearly 13 percent increase year over year, while net sales edged up 0.5 percent to $3 billion. The company attributed the region’s results to a profitable product price/mix and cost productivity benefits, which were partially offset by lower unit volume and continued cost increases.
YSN is published by BrandSource parent company AVB Inc.


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Xiaomi exceed Samsung to be the leading smartphone brand in Spain. Xiaomi, a china-based totally phone manufacturer, has dethroned south korean giant samsung to take the pole position within the smartphone market of spain for the first actual time in march 2021, famous a brand new file from counterpoint.
As according to the file, xiaomi money owed for 35 percentage of the total smartphone market in spain, followed by samsung with a market share of 34 percentage — simply behind xiaomi. Apple is available in 0.33 by way of shooting 14 percent of the market and the rest of the companies make for the remaining 18 percent.
The market share of Xiaomi in Spain in March 2020 was 24 percent and now it stands at 35 percent in March 2021, registering impressive growth. Even Samsung registered growth from 25 percent in March 2020 to 34 percent in March this year.
Xiaomi exceed Samsung to be the leading brand in Spain
The counterpoint report adds that the income of xiaomi increased 3 percentage month-on-month. It were especially driven by the sturdy performance of its price range-targeted redmi 9a and redmi k40 series smartphones.
Xiaomi, much like other china-primarily based smartphone manufacturers, has been strategically expanding its operations to overseas markets. Companies like xiaomi, vivo, and oppo trying to fill the gap left by means of huawei and honor.
It’s noteworthy that organizations like xiaomi, oppo, vivo didn’t face issues. Because of the lack of chips inside the market in comparison to other smaller producers. This helped them push in advance with new devices in the marketplace.

domain: news


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Holiday shopping better than had been expected
WASHINGTON -- Consumers, defying predictions they would turn into Scrooges, spent on clothes, electronics and home furnishings in December and prevented the sharp drop in retail sales that analysts were forecasting.
The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that sales at retailers dipped by 0.1 percent in December from the previous month, a much better showing than the 1.4 percent decline many economists were predicting. In November, sales fell by a steep 3 percent.
"We went into the holiday season thinking sales could be disastrous. In fact, consumers held up fairly well," said Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist with LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO. "People are feeling more confident in the economy and they are expressing that with their dollars."
Consumer confidence, as measured by the Conference Board, rebounded strongly in December after three months of steep declines.
On Wall Street, stocks moved higher. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 32.73 points at 9,924.15.
Retail sales last month were pulled down by a 4.2 percent drop in sales at gasoline stations, reflecting lower prices at the pump. Sales at sporting goods and building-supply stores also declined.
But sales for many other items -- including clothing, home furnishings, electronics and appliances, and health and beauty products -- posted solid gains in December. So did sales at bars and restaurants.
Sales of cars edged down by 0.1 percent last month as free-financing deals and other incentives waned. But the decline was smaller than many analysts expected and marked an improvement over the 10.3 percent plunge seen in November.
Excluding automobile and gasoline sales, overall retail sales rose a respectable 0.3 percent in December, economists said.
"Consumers aren't buckling," said economist Clifford Waldman of Waldman Associates. "They are spending selectively."
Economists said consumers have shown resilience amid economic gloom and rising unemployment. The country tipped into recession in March and was dealt another blow by the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The nation's unemployment rate hit a six-year high of 5.8 percent in December.
For all of 2001, retail sales rose by 3.4 percent. While that was a big moderation from the 7.6 percent increase in 2000, it showed that consumer spending didn't collapse. Still, the 3.4 percent increase was the weakest showing since the government began tracking retail sales using the current classification system in 1993.
Economists said lower energy prices, heavy discounting by merchants, low interest rates and a refinancing boom -- which has left people with extra cash in their pockets -- are helping support consumer spending.
To revive the ailing economy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates 11 times last year. That pushed the prime rate, a benchmark for many consumer and business loans, to the lowest level since November 1965.
Some analysts are predicting the Fed's action will set the stage for a recovery in the first half of this year.
But whether that timetable is accurate depends in part on whether consumers -- whose spending accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity -- reduce spending in the coming months.
Some economists are concerned that a worsening employment picture could jolt Americans' confidence, causing consumers to sharply pull back spending, which could delay a rebound or make for a weak recovery. But other economists believe consumers will hang tough.
"My view is that the economy is in the process of bottoming out and that consumers will be able to hold their own and help this economy rebound in the first half of the year," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist with Banc of America Capital Management.
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill offered a fairly upbeat assessment Tuesday of where he believes the economy is heading.
"I think the balance is now decidedly on the positive side," O'Neill said on CNBC. "I think it foretells movement back into significant positive growth territory as we go through the year."
In December, sales at clothing stores rose by 2.6 percent, following a 1.2 percent decline.
Sales of electronics and appliances rose by 2 percent, following a 4.1 percent increase. Sales at bars and restaurants increased by 1.8 percent, up from a 1 percent rise in November.
At general merchandise stores, including department stores, sales grew by 0.5 percent, after a slim 0.1 percent rise. Sales at health and beauty stores rose by 0.4 percent, following a 0.5 percent decline.
Sales at sporting goods, hobby and music stores declined by 3.3 percent in December, after a 3.7 percent advance. Sales of building and garden supplies fell by 1.9 percent, after a 0.4 percent decrease.


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Layoff in Pinterest
Photo-sharing social media platform Pinterest is reportedly laying off about 150 employees amid cost-cutting measures. The move affected less than 5 per cent of Pinterest's total workers, reports Bloomberg, citing sources. The photo-sharing social media company had about 4,000 employees as of the end of the third quarter, said the report. Moreover, the report mentioned that the job cuts came from teams across the US-based company, though not all were affected to the same degree. With this, Pinterest joins other tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Google parent Alphabet that have cut thousands of jobs.
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Fannie Mae announced it is increasing its outlook on economic growth for 2018 and 2019 due to stimulative fiscal policy, according to its Economic and Strategic Research Group’s March 2018 Economic and Housing Outlook.
The GSE raised its gross domestic product forecast for 2018 and 2019, despite the predicted slowdown in the first quarter of this year, according to the report.
“We’re nearly a quarter of the way through 2018 and, as anticipated, the interplay between fiscal and monetary policy continues to frame the economic landscape,” Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan said. “While we expect the economy to shift temporarily into a lower gear in the first quarter, the pace of growth should accelerate through the remainder of this year and into the next.”
The ESR Group raised its full-year 2018 forecast of real GDP by 10 basis points to 2.8%, and increased its full-year 2019 forecast 20 basis points to 2.5%.
But the company pointed out downside risks to growth do remain such as the potential for aggressive monetary tightening from the Federal Reserve and a further escalation of trade tensions due to the recent tariffs placed on steel and aluminum imports.
In fact, Fannie Mae even decreased its first quarter forecast from 2.7% annualized growth in real GDP to 2.2%. This was due to weakening momentum in domestic demand, evidenced by the lack in consumer spending, and slowdowns in business investment and housing activity.
“Beyond the obvious downside risks, the economy appears poised to build on a foundation of strong consumer spending and a historically healthy labor market following the recent passage of the discretionary spending bill on top of tax reform,” Duncan said.
Strong fundamentals are expected to pull economic growth up again after the first quarter due to rising household net worth, upbeat consumer confidence and a strong labor market. The most recent jobs report showed gains in payrolls and labor force participation rate even as cooling wage growth calmed inflation fears.
“On housing, home sales got off to a rough start in 2018, bottle-necked by the persistent challenges of the inventory shortage,” Duncan said. “Of course, there’s a flip side to the demand-supply imbalance, and strong home price appreciation continues to come as welcome news to existing homeowners.”
Fannie Mae predicted the Fed will raise the federal funds rate during its March meeting, followed by two more rate hikes later this year.


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When Q39’s owner/executive chef Rob Magee plopped down at our table to discuss his new menu, he confessed he just wolfed down a couple of his brand-spankin’ new recipes—both of which may or may not have been desserts. Clearly, Magee is a fan of his homespun, award-winning barbecue. And if the constant line out the door at Q39 is any indication, so is the rest of KC.
For Magee—who eats lunch or dinner at his restaurant practically every day—this is the third new menu update and first update with this many new additions. “We’ve added over 15 new items,” he says. “I love challenging myself to explore new ways to build our championship barbecue. We have our core signature items, but we are all about keeping it fresh and creating new barbecue and wood-fired dishes with a twist.”
1. Smoked Beef Brisket Poutine
It took a whopping nine months of “taste testing” for Magee and his culinary crew to perfect all the recipes before unveiling them late last month. Even Magee was shocked at how many orders he was selling right off the bat. “The Smoked Beef Brisket Poutine appetizer?! I’m selling double what I thought I would,” he says. One quick glance around the room confirmed the dish’s popularity. Five out of six nearby tables were noshing on the decadent French-fries-on-steroids appetizer.
2. The Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Behold vegetables! Yes, at a barbecue joint. No, that’s not a typo. Magee says he stumbled across a similar dish that caught his eye (and pinged his tastebuds) and he decided to give his own version a spin. “We played around. It turned out really good. Really, really good. I thought let’s put it on the menu,” he says. The cauliflower florets are not for the faint of heart. The buffalo sauce is just spicy enough to clear up your sinuses. Fortunately, their homemade buttermilk dressing helps stifle some of the heat.
3. The Smoked Beef Brisket Dip
Four new specialty sandwiches were unveiled with the new menu rollout. Magee says, “each one of them has its own twist.” The Smoked Beef Brisket Dip, for instance, is laden with provolone and horseradish aioli and served on a hoagie with a side of au jus. “It’s a classic—with a barbecue spin,” he says. Two other sandwiches feature Magee’s to-die-for pork belly, the P.B.L.T. a take on the classic BLT and the new customer favorite, Grilled Pork Belly Sandwich. “In KC, pork belly is becoming more and more popular. It’s fun, exciting option—and one that’s not used around here a lot,” he says. “We came up with a sandwich that’s smoked and grilled. It’s a great combination. Heck, we even use pork-belly bacon on the wedge salad.”
Speaking of, the Q Wedge is probably the most flavorful salad now being served in the metro. From their in-house smoked blue cheese to the spiced onion straws, it’s “layers upon layers of flavor,” Magee says. Oh, and let’s not forget the generous portion of crisp bacon lardons on top. “I’ve never had bacon that thick that tastes that good,” he says. “We put elements in our wedge that most chefs don’t—including roasted, oven-dried cherry tomatoes. That makes them sweeter.”
4. BBQ Smoked Pork Shank
New entrees include among other things, a Smoked Chicken Cassoulet and a BBQ Smoked Pork Shank that is—we kid you not—the size of your head. Unless you’re going in on an empty stomach, we’d suggest pacing yourself. By the time you get to the main dish, you may already be full.
5. Carrot Cake
If you have even the slightest bit of room left, Magee wants you to order the “slab” of homemade carrot cake for the table. Or—at a minimum—get it to go. “Mmmmm—warm carrot cake. We put it in the center of the table and people go at it,” says Magee. “It’s a great shareable dessert. People may not want to have an entire dessert, but, man, they’ll take a fork and stab into it.”
A new menu wouldn’t be complete without new cocktails and a smattering of new desserts. Magee touts his bar menu and raved about the newly revamped sangria. “Our apple sangria? More apples, more strawberries, more fruit. I don’t have martini lunches anymore. I have sangria lunches,” he says with a laugh. “Because who doesn’t like apples?”
One thing is certain, you absolutely, positively will not leave Q39 anything less than satisfactorily stuffed. Magee guarantees it. And he also swears by his new menu. “People like trying new things,” he says. “I’ve created food I know people will like. The fun part? Watching them enjoy it—and then some.”
Q39’s new menu is now available at both locations—Midtown and Overland Park.


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Nigerian transgender model drowns in Lagos
Nigerian transgender model, Fola Francis is dead.
The LGBT activist and fashion designer reportedly drowned at IIashe Beach on the 20th of December 2023.
In 2022, Fola became the first Nigerian trans person to walk the Lagos Fashion Week for Cute-Saint and Fruché.
A freelance journalist, Mr Vincent Desmond confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, December 22.
He said, “Fola Francis was a beacon of hope and a light to us and a lot other people and we are deeply hurt by her passing,” he said.
“There ‘ll be a memorial which will be discussed at a later date, and we her family and friends ask for privacy at this time.”


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A couple of days ago the #DeleteFacebook was trending on Twitter due to Facebook data breach by Cambridge Analytica. What does this mean for most of us in South Africa? Do we need to to delete our Facebook profiles ? Most of the small business heavily depend on Facebook advertising. Below is a timeline of events and solutions from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg’s Timeline of Events
In the statement, he provided an outline of events leading up the recent revelations about Cambridge Analytica’s possession of the user data, which we covered in-depth. Here’s a quick timeline of his account:
2007: The Facebook Platform is launched.
2013: A Cambridge University professor named Aleksandr Kogan develops a personality quiz app that was installed by roughly 300,000 Facebook users, allowing the app developers to access their data and their friends’ data. At the time, Facebook allowed this activity.
According to stats Facebook is one of the most used social media platforms in South Africa. Which means many businesses still advertise on Facebook and rely on Facebook organic traffic to grow their brands.
On January 11th, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be changing its news feed algorithm to prioritize content from friends, family and groups.
As we roll this out, Zuckerberg wrote, Youll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standardit should encourage meaningful interactions between people.
Zuckerberg cites a responsibility to make sure our services arent just fun to use, but also good for peoples well-being as justification for the change, admitting that businesses are going to have to work harder than ever to gain their customers attention on the platform.
Happy New Year to you all, I have come across this detailed article by Social Examiner which i think its very detailed for our clients and social media entrepreneurs. Hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to leave a comment
The social platforms are constantly changing, and that means marketers need to change as well.
To find out how marketing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest will change in the coming year, we reached out to expert social media professionals to get their thoughts.
#1: Pinterest Hones Ad Targeting
I anticipate that Pinterest will get smarter and more efficient at keyword and visual search.
In their continual quest to serve their user base, I believe Pinterest will focus on creating better ad targeting based on those searches and fill the users smart feed with top pins that are relevant to the search term.
Additionally, video will gain broader acceptance on Pinterest. Marketers will have to learn what types of video pins will best engage Pinterest users.
Did you know that social media marketing has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing? Or that 84% of B2B marketers use social media in some form? No matter what you sell and who you sell it to, using social media as a marketing tool can help you grow your brand and pad your wallet.
At this point in the game, not having an active social media presence is kind of like pulling out a flip phone at a business meeting and then not understanding why your boss keeps giving Brad all the new accounts.


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Literal Welfare Queen Elizabeth Should Follow Harry and Meghan’s Exit
Bitcoin correlation may still be legitimizing entire asset class
This Lone Crypto Whale Just Moved $445,000,000 in Bitcoin (BTC) for Only 23 Cents
21 January 2020 - BTC/ USD – Hourly
Tone Vays Says Bitcoin (BTC) Is Already 'Faster and Cheaper' Than Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Here's Why
Bitfinex Launches Sub-Account Feature Amid Growing Institutional Demand in Crypto
Bitcoin [BTC] Price Breaks Support from Bear Pattern, but Holds Bulls above $8500
Binance CEO responds to Chainalysis report; says data should be publicly available
Indian Minister Believes Blockchain Can Transform Government Schools
How to get Free XTZ From the Tezos Foundation Faucet
Bitcoin (BTC) Price Could Tank to $8,000. Can Things Get Worse for Bulls?
Ripple (XRP) Just Reversed and $0.25 Is Imminent, Here’s Why
Bitcoin Price Won’t Go Down Quietly: Risk of Bounce Grows
Another Bitcoin Hashrate All-time High has Been Recorded
New Taxation Proposal can Boost Cryptocurrency Merchant Adoption » The Merkle Hash
Cryptocurrency Needs Fair Taxation: US Lawmakers Introduce Supportive Legislation
Are We At “Peak-Unicorn” Yet?
‘Blockchain, not Crypto’ – Samson Mow explains why Bitcoin Lightning and Liquid are Unique
Is This Why Bitcoin SV Climbed Another 20% In the Last 24 Hours?
UK Contract Seeks Software to Track Cryptocurrency Use
There Are Still Grounds For impeachment Even Without ANY Crime
CME's Futures Options Sprinted Out of the Gate but a Marathon Lies Ahead
Bitcoin Just Closed Beneath This Key Level and It Isn’t Good for...
Britain’s Tax Agency Offering Contract for Tech to Combat Crypto Tax Evasion
Cardano (ADA), Tezos (XTZ), EOS May Pump like Small Cap Altcoins: Analyst
Crypto Payment Gateway Offers Low Withdrawal Feesopen_in_new
A crypto payment gateway is offering an easy way for merchants to integrate digital currencies into their websites.
Coinremitter says its service is so simple that it can be set up by anyone and activated quickly — with powerful security ensuring funds are kept safe.
The company’s payment gateway offers support for major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and Tether, along with more niche alternatives such as Dogecoin and Dash.
According to Coinremitter, no ID or bank account is required to establish a payment gateway that is global, anonymous, free of chargebacks and “zero risk.” Once an account has been created through a registration process that takes just 15 seconds, no Know Your Customer checks or other mobile verification measures are required. This ensures that everyone can access the platform’s features in full.
Executives say that their main goal has been to make integrating crypto payment gateways easy for businesses — and even more straightforward than building a website. As a result, merchants can deliver an innovative retail experience to their customers, giving them the freedom to pay using any asset they wish. The company notes that it can be convenient not only for merchants but that it also can be useful for individuals who want to store currency in-wallet.
The streamlined process is also matched by competitive pricing. Coinremitter says the 0.23% it charges on withdrawals is among the lowest in the industry. Currency can be swapped at any time through the platform, and a cutting-edge digital wallet ensures that transactions are executed safely. An invoicing feature adds a sheen of professionalism by enabling e-commerce sites to send bills to their consumers.
Coinremitter says it has already established a thriving community — with more than 25,000 users relying on its payment gateway on a regular basis. Almost 1.9 million transactions have been processed on their behalf since launch, with an estimated value in excess of 5,000 BTC.
The company has also been aiming to make it easy for startups to list coins and tokens, creating valuable inroads with merchants and vendors.
New Coinremitter users get the option to choose from one of two plans. The first is free — and enables businesses to receive payments in Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold, Dogecoin and Tether. Customer support via email, live chat and telephone are available during limited business hours, and API access is limited to 100 requests a minute.
Those who go for the Premium Plan — which costs $99.99 a month or the equivalent in Bitcoin — delivers access to all of the coins in the free plan, as well as Ripple and Ether. Support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and paid-up members can make 500 requests a minute through the API. Coinremitter says another exciting incentive of its paid-for subscription is the opportunity to gain early access to the latest features.
According to Coinremitter, all users benefit from the low withdrawal free of 0.23% — irrespective of whether they are on a free or premium plan.
Coinremitter says a major source of frustration for many merchants is how existing payment gateways on the market end up diverting customers away from their website. The company says its technology means that crypto transactions can be completed on a single webpage, delivering a slick experience and less hassle for shoppers.
With registered vendors from around the world relying on Coinremitter’s gateway for Bitcoin and altcoins every day, the company is upbeat about the future, and believes more and more businesses will benefit as 2020 gets into full swing.
Disclaimer. Cointelegraph does not endorse any content or product on this page. While we aim at providing you all important information that we could obtain, readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company and carry full responsibility for their decisions, nor this article can be considered as an investment advice.


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LINCOLN RUBY GOES TO GIA
When Indian gem carver and dealer P.C. Lunia found inspiration in the words of Abraham Lincoln, he wanted to honor the former president by carving a ruby in his likeness.
Lunia set to the task three years ago when he acquired a 3,300-ct. ruby. After many months of work, he unveiled the completed piece May 23 and donated it to the Gemological Institute of America.
The finished piece weighs 1,000 carats, says gem dealer Martin Harman, who heads GIA’s Treasured Gifts Council. Lunia worked on the ruby in his studio in Jaipur, India, and brought it to New York in the spring in hopes of selling it, says Harman. “I prevailed upon him to donate this rare jewel to GIA to help set an example to the Indian gem community here that GIA helps educate the world industry.”
The ruby is valued at $250,000 and is on permanent display at GIA headquarters, he says.
IPA AUCTION DRAWS PEARL BUYERS
Some 21 lots of commercial-grade black pearls, South Seas pearls, akoyas and mabes were sold at the International Pearl Association Auction and Expo, held in early June in the Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nev.
Robin Crest, IPA executive secretary, said about 50 people placed bids on lots that ranged from $5,000 to $19,000 each.
The pearls were from all major producing nations, including Japan, Australia, Tahiti, Indonesia, China and the Cook Islands, said Crest. The auction included a last-minute influx of goods from dealers who wanted access to the U.S. market, added Alex Edwards, IPA secretary. “A number of akoyas came in from processors in Kobe, Japan,” he noted.
One negative note: Crest said U.S. Customs Service officials in Los Angeles refused entry to some $500,000 worth of akoyas destined for the auction. She didn’t know the reason.
Several pearl dealers also exhibited at the expo, which attracted pearl buyers from the U.S. and other parts of the world. One exhibitor, Jean Franáois Arnould of Tahitian Midnight Pearls in Tahiti, said several serious buyers made this show more successful than a previous exposition in Hong Kong.
The IPA event was originally scheduled for last May in Hawaii. But when too few exhibitors committed to booth space there, Crest moved the events to Las Vegas to coincide with the JCK International Jewelry Show. Crest said all exhibitors who paid for space in Maui had been reimbursed or would be soon.
The IPA board of directors met during the event with most of its top spots still vacant. New leadership is being sought. “The main goal of the IPA is to promote pearl education,” said Crest, “and that’s what our meeting focused on.”
EGL ISSUES SHOW CERTIFICATES
The European Gemological Laboratory of Los Angeles took in more than 500 diamonds for grading during a special promotion it sponsored during the JCK International Jewelry Show in June in Las Vegas.
EGL offered “mini-grading reports” at a special price at the show. Six graders were on hand to examine diamonds and issue reports a few hours later. EGL president Tom Tashey said demand was so overwhelming that he had to send most of the diamonds back to his staff in Los Angeles to grade.
“We had dealers bring us 30 or 40 stones,” he said. “We could take only 10 or so and sent the remainder back to L.A. for grading.” The diamonds ranged from .29 ct. to 7.13 cts., he said.
RAPNET TUNES INTO THE INTERNET
Rapnet, the diamond information and trading network, soon will join the Internet and expand to include the American Gem Society and the Continental Buying Group, a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., organization that serves as a consultant to 42 retail jewelry companies, with 500 stores in the U.S. and Japan.
Trading and price data eventually could be made available to the general public via Internet. But for now, the new link is strictly for information and feedback. “It will provide an opportunity for the trade to hear what consumers are saying and how they feel about diamonds,” says Martin Rapaport, founder of Rapnet and publisher of the Rapaport Report.
In addition, all AGS members will be hooked into a special conference section accessible only to them. “Other trade organizations – including the Jewelers Vigilance Committee and Jewelers’ Security Alliance – also are putting their bulletins on Rapnet,” he says.
This is all part of a three-stage expansion program:
Stage One will integrate AGS and CBG into Rapnet. Rapnet has four components: conferences, price information, trading and a members’ directory.
Stage Two will integrate the conference portion of Rapnet into the Internet, called the World Wide Web. This will allow members to send messages via computer to any part of the world. The messages and price and trading sections can be accessed on-line, then reviewed off-line, allowing members to save on telephone charges, Rapaport says.
Stage Three, which may be accomplished next year, will integrate all Rapnet services into the Internet. Rapaport admits this link – which would send trading and price information to the public – is controversial. But he says this is the direction of the industry. “Distribution channels have been shortening,” he says. “A lot of dealers are selling direct to retailers and even consumers. There’s only going to be more of that in the future.”
Rapaport envisions full-scale jewelry catalogs on CD-ROM (computer disk with read-only memory) and says some dealers already sell via Internet.


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Buying and topping up go cards is now easier for customers with two new retailers being added to the Gold Coast go card network. Member for Surfers Paradise John-Paul Langbroek and Member for Southport Rob Molhoek welcomed the Gold Coast Tourism Information Centre in the heart of Surfers Paradise and Australia Fair News Southport’s Australia Fair Shopping Centre to the go card network.
“These two new retailers provide convenient locations for Gold Coast customers to get on board with go card, and for existing card holders to access go card services,” Mr Langbroek said.
“Customers can buy, top up, change an expiry date, obtain a refund, register their go card and obtain a copy of their last 10 transactions at both locations.
“go card makes travel across the Gold Coast and South East Queensland easier and cheaper with go card fares being 30 per cent cheaper than paper tickets.
“There are further discounts for off-peak travel and for frequent users, such as nine and free.
“The go card retail network is continuing to expand, with go card facilities now available in more than 580 locations throughout South East Queensland.”
Member for Southport Rob Molhoek said customers can top-up their go cards at various locations.
“As well as selected retailers, Gold Coast customers can access go card services from ticket offices and fare machines at train stations, major bus interchanges and Gold Coast Airport,” Mr Molhoek said.
“With more than three million go cards issued across the TransLink network, go cards are now used for more than 80 per cent of all weekday trips.
“There are also additional features available for customers who registered their go cards online.
“Registered go card users can check their card balances and transaction history, as well as top up their card, online or over the phone.
“Users can also transfer their balance from lost, stolen or faulty cards and register for automatic top-up.”
For more information about go card, or to search for a go card retailer near you, visit the TransLink website at translink.com.au or contact the call centre.


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On July 18, an impressive multi-agency operation named Operation Cece took place in Ealing, led by the council’s trading standards team, to crack down on illegal activities and illicit trade in the area.
The team was accompanied by Councillor Louise Brett, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, sniffer dogs Piper and Wilson, licensing colleagues, and the Metropolitan Police.
There were 13 premises targeted, leading to the seizure of a substantial amount of contraband goods.
The combined forces of the operation led to a remarkable haul of illicit items. The most concerning were the staggering numbers of prescription-only medications discovered. The team seized 2,920 tablets and 37 oral jelly packs, highlighting the alarming presence of unregulated pharmaceuticals.
The team confiscated illicit tobacco products in the form of loose tobacco and cigarettes. A total of 534 pouches and 266 packs of chewing tobacco were seized along with 700 grams (14 packets) of illegal rolling tobacco. A whopping 19,100 illicit cigarettes (equivalent to 955 packets) were confiscated during the raid.
The sale of illicit and unregulated tobacco contributes to lost tax revenue and exposes consumers to potentially hazardous substances, as they may not undergo the necessary safety checks and quality controls.
Counterfeit vapes and packaging were also discovered during the operation. A total of 692 oversized vapes and nine non-compliant packaging units were confiscated. The rise of vaping has raised concerns about the quality and safety of these products, and this operation helps address those concerns.
In addition to the tobacco and vaping-related items, the raid uncovered other illicit goods. Eighteen nitrous oxide canisters were seized, often used recreationally, posing public health and safety risks. Furthermore, 135 packages of poppy seeds were discovered, which may have been intended for illicit uses.
Councillor Brett said: “The success of Operation Cece can be attributed to the collaboration of the Trading Standards team, the Metropolitan Police, sniffer dogs Piper and Wilson, and licensing colleagues. Getting these products off the streets is crucial for residents and consumers and is one of the council’s top priorities. Reporting suspicious or unscrupulous behaviour to the authorities can play a vital role in combating illicit trade and ensuring a safer environment.
The operation serves as a strong deterrent to those involved in the illicit trade of goods, sending a clear message that their actions will not be tolerated. It also highlights the commitment of local authorities to safeguard public health and safety and protect consumers from harmful and unregulated products.”
Beyond the immediate impact of the raid, Operation Cece also reminds residents to remain vigilant against illegal activities in their communities.


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Freight Forwarding News & Insights
We are always on the look out for new and useful (and fun) things to share
Adverse weather in India and USA is affecting freight movements. Mumbai and other cities in the west coast of India have been experiencing heavy rainfall for the last week. Since this morning, rain has intensified and caused flooding in most parts of Mumbai. The regional meteorological department is predicting the heavy rains and flooding to continue to worsen over the next few days.
As of the 11th of September the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has increased the allowable time between treatment and export from 21 days to six calendar months for treated manufactured wooden articles. As a result, DAWR will now require an additional declaration for manufactured wooden articles that have been treated offshore by heat, fumigation or irradiation methods depending upon how they have been stored after their treatment.
Further to our advice in April of DP World’s introduction of a Port Infrastructure Surcharge, we have now received advice from Patrick of their intention to also apply a surcharge. Patrick is the other major container terminal operator in Australia. Whilst the amount is not exactly the same as DP World applied, it is of a similar magnitude and will be applied on all containers (export and import) passing through their terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle.
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has advised that The Biosecurity Act 2015 requires the use of new wording on new packing declarations.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) has announced changes to the treatment requirements for goods considered to be highly manufactured wooden articles as they are deemed to pose a low biosecurity risk and can be released with minimal biosecurity intervention.
Recently the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (incorporating AQIS) announced changes in biosecurity reporting obligations and penalties that may be imposed for failing to correctly report goods subject to a biosecurity control.
After almost 10 years in the MIAC Centre Magellan is delighted to be making the move to brand new premises. And we don’t have to travel far; just across the road (Tullamarine Freeway).
As fashion executives around the world reported in the first BoF- McKinsey Global Fashion Survey, the year 2016 can be summarised in three words: uncertain, changing, and challenging. But in spite of this, fashion remains one of the key value-creating industries for the world economy.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Please note: Implementation of this surcharge has been delayed by 2 weeks until 17 April, 2017. We have received advice from DP World of their intention to apply a Port Infrastructure Surcharge on all conta...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Victorian State Government and Citylink’s owner Transurban have reached an agreement which will see tolls increase for commercial vehicles using Citylink. The increase is being imposed to help pay for the ...
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Thursday, December 24, 2015
By Manoj Kumawat
Honda India to hike car price upto Rs. 16,000 from January, 2016
Honda Car India Limited, the leading manufacturer of premium cars in India has announced to hike the prices of its entire portfolio up-to Rs. 16,000 starting from January 1, 2016. It is also said that the price hike will be ranging from Rs. 10,000 - Rs. 16,000 and will vary according to the models manufactured by Japanese car maker. Right now in India, car maker's portfolio comprises of six cars, namely Brio, Amaze, Jazz, City, Mobilio, and CR-V with Brio being the entry level car.
Mr. Jnaneswar Sen, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales HCIL, stated, "We will hike prices in the range of Rs 10,000-16,000 from January, depending on the model. The price increase has been necessitated on account of increase in input costs."
The price hike announcement from HCIL didn’t come as a surprise as earlier almost all the leading car manufactures have announced the price hike for their entire range including Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Skoda and etc. The reason behind it is same- to offset increasing input costs.


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Global Growth enjoyed a popular April as the third highest selling sector, accounting for 7.6 percent of net sales in the April sales trends from Cofunds, the leading independent platform for financial planning.
Cautious Managed remained the highest selling sector, dropping off slightly from its high in Q1 2010 (32.3 percent) to account for 28 percent of net sales in April. Strategic Bonds came in as the second favourite of advisers, taking 13 percent of net sales, up from the 8.3 percent it achieved in Q1.
Absolute Return also had a successful month as fourth highest selling sector (5.9 percent of net sales) with Standard Life Investments (SLI) Global Absolute Return Strategy dominating as the fifth highest selling fund on the platform.
Michelle Woodburn, Manager, Fund Group Relations at Cofunds said: “With both the Global Growth sector and SLI Global Absolute Return Strategy being such popular choices, there has been a clear move towards funds with global exposure. It appears this shift has come at the expense of the UK All Companies and Europe ex UK sectors, which saw net outflows over the month (0.3 percent and 2.1 percent respectively) as investors became increasingly nervous over the UK election and the ongoing Greek debt crisis.”
|April 2010 Net Sales|
|1||Henderson Multi Manager Income & Growth|
|2||Thames River Distribution|
|3||Invesco Perpetual Monthly Income|
|4||Jupiter Merlin Income Portfolio|
|5||SL Inv Global Absolute Return Strategy|
|6||M&G Optimal Income|
|7||Newton Global Higher Income|
|9||Invesco Perpetual Distribution|
|10||First State Asia Pacific Leaders|
|11||Thames River Cautious Managed|
|12||Aberdeen Multi Manager Cautious Managed|
|13||SWIP Multi Manager Diversity|
|14||Legal & General Dynamic Bond|
|15||CF Cornelian Managed Growth|
|16||M&G Strategic Corporate Bond|
|17||M&G Global Basics|
|18||Aberdeen Emerging Markets|
|20||Henderson Multi Manager Growth|


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Business News›Dilip Asbe
Bankers welcome RBI stance amid Omicron fears, measures on digital payments
Largest lender SBI's chairman Dinesh Khara said the announcement on capital infusion in overseas branches without prior approval of RBI will bring in operational and seamless flexibility, and the decision to review the payment landscape and further fine-tuning UPI transfer for small value transactions could act as an enabler of mass digitisation.
India looking forward to leverage digital payments stack; in talks with regulators globally: NPCI
"We are reaching out to many countries and we have reached out to as many as 50-60 regulators of other countries' governments through the Indian missions. And we really want to leverage the stack which we have built with a lot of effort," Asbe said.
View: The post-Covid phase is seeing the birth of a data democracy
At one level, a generation of new consumers are availing of small-sachet loans and, at the other end of the spectrum, a new generation of suppliers are accessing credit sans collateral. This twin action is resolving the challenge that Nandan Nilekani described so well: Indians are economically poor but data-rich.
NPCI looks at USD 1 trillion worth of transactions through UPI on annual basis
The NPCI chief said there is a large number of merchants who are accepting digital payments, including the smaller merchants, which is well over 50 million. "However, I still believe that 10X growth is possible. The cash in circulation is about Rs 30 lakh crore. While it has been increasing constantly, digital payments are also increasing, even as the cash is still high," he said.
PhonePe mulls own mutual fund business application
CEO Sameer Nigam says the company can do scant little to reduce UPI market share. PhonePe has emerged as the largest UPI app with over 45% monthly market share, beating rivals like Google Pay, Paytm and Amazon Pay.
Google, Apple payment monopolies under threat; Tata postpones 'super app'Many top Indian digital firms are gearing up to petition the government to draw up rules to prevent Google and Apple from insisting on the use of their proprietary payment systems.
ONDC to end e-commerce monopolistic practices, ensure data privacy: Piyush Goyal"Goyal deliberated with the members of the advisory council & experts on how the initiative will democratise digital commerce and move it from platform-centric model to an open-network model," commerce and industry ministry said in a statement after Goyal chaired a meeting of the advisory council.
Can banking be as easy as ordering food online? AI and blockchain may soon make it a realityAdvancements in artificial intelligence and data analytics would make it possible assess a person's creditworthiness without human intervention and the back-end of banks that decide on whom to dish out loans would be done by algorithms rather than human beings..
ET Financial Inclusion Summit: Taking digital banking to rural IndiaThe rising prosperity in villages due to buoyant farm economy, diversified economic activities, rise of services businesses and the explosion of internet and affordability of smartphones have changed the economic equation between those who have the money and those who need it.
Physical bank branches will continue to play key role in rural areas: BankersRural will always remain a little bit physical," IndusInd Bank Managing director and Chief Executive Officer Sumant Kathpalia said during a panel discussion at the Financial Inclusion Summit organised by The Economic Times.
Shaktikanta Das, Hardeep Singh Puri key speakers at ET Financial Inclusion SummitGovernor Das, who pioneered the Financial Inclusion Index for India, will inaugurate the event on July 15 at 3 pm through a virtual address, detailing the RBI’s steps toward pushing the agenda of inclusion — and plans for the future.
Nandan Nilekani, RS Sharma to advise govt on e-comm open network to end digital monopolyThe Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal (DPIIT) said that the network aims at promoting open networks developed on open-sourced methodology is expected to digitize the entire value chain, standardize operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics.
NPCI transfers automatic bill payments business to new subsidiaryAll licensed bill processors – banks and payment aggregators – on the platform received an email from NPCI on March 31, asking them to start accounting their billing transactions under NBBL from April 1.
Payment gateways still charge for UPI, RuPayAccording to banking sources, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has directed query to payment service providers on their position with regard to charges for UPI and RuPay card transactions.
RBI sets Rs 345 crore corpus for developing payment infrastructure in rural IndiaThe fund will be used for adding 30 lakh digital payments touch points which would include 10 lakh physical and 20 lakh digital payment acceptance devices every year with a special focus on tier 3 to tier 6 regions and the north-eastern states.
Central Bank of India launches contactless debit card in association with NPCIUsers of Central Bank RuPay Select Debit Card can avail complementary membership and concessional access to golf courses, gyms, spas and restaurants, the bank said.
ICICI Bank opens up its mobile app for customers of rival lendersThe new app, which ICICI Bank claims is a first in the industry, will allow users to link their bank accounts, generate a UPI ID and avail services such as online transactions, opening savings accounts, making investments, applying for loans and credit cards without being an ICICI Bank account holder.
Hike in contactless transaction limit to further digital drive: Industry"This is a welcome step by the RBI to increase transactions and e-mandate limit. The increased limit will also help to boost the average value of transaction and push the adoption of digital payments. This step re-affirms the commitment of the country to become a less-cash economy," said Dilip Asbe - MD & CEO, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The world watches as India tries a hard 30% cap to avoid tech's anti-trust troublesUnder India's unique rule, no single player can grab more than 30% of total payments transactions. Every company also has to use India’s open payments platform, guaranteeing interoperability so money can be transferred between any of more than 100 traditional banks and digital services like Google Pay — all without fees.
NPCI launches international arm to take UPI, RuPay to other countriesDilip Asbe, MD of NPCI, said in a statement on Wednesday that “several countries” in Asia, Africa and the Middle East have displayed interest towards replicating NPCI’s payment models in their own jurisdictions.
Digital payment system numbers are back closer to Feb levels: NPCI'Ticket sizes of digital payments have gone up 10-20% across categories'
India Post Payment Bank's network helped government transfer financial benefits of $54 million: NITI Aayog CEONITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant was addressing a webinar on financial inclusion jointly hosted by NITI Aayog and MicroSave Consulting.
ET Awards 2018: NPCI is the 'Policy Change Agent' of the yearThe distant competitor to Visa and Mastercard has since emerged the driving force of the country’s digital payments agenda.
BHIM UPI transactions touch Rs 1 trillion in FY18UPI, which allows instant money transfer between bank accounts through mobile phones has witnessed a spike in growth over the last several months.
NPCI appoints Dilip Asbe as its new Chief executive officerAsbe, who has previously worked with Euronet and Prizm Payments had joined NPCI way back in January 2010 as its first employee and as a chief technology officer.
Dilip Asbe is appointed as the acting chief executive of NPCI, after A.P. Hota retiresDilip Asbe, had joined NPCI as its first employee in 2010 as its chief technology officer and was elevated to the position of the chief operating officer in 2013.Load More
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A month without single-use plastic? Why you oughta join Plastic free July
Environmental activists are encouraging people around the world to ditch plastic use for a month.
Plastic free July encourages people to refuse single-use plastic items for the entire month in order to raise awareness about plastic pollution.
The campaign is designed to encourage consumers to refuse single-use plastics such as straws, takeaway coffee cups and 'disposable' shopping bags.
Two environmental advocates explain why the movement is important and describe their own green initiatives.
[Pippa's Planet] @pjchudson was also joined in studio by Hayley McClellan of @2OceansAquarium and Paul Rubin of #nudefoods #plasticfreegrocery for a preview of @PlasticFreeJuly #plasticfreeJuly #whatsyourbagplan #BYOBags @rethinkthebag pic.twitter.com/hi5CR7fdlk— CapeTalk on 567AM (@CapeTalk) June 29, 2018
Environmental campaigner at Two Oceans Aquarium, Hayley McLennan,is champion of their #RethinkTheBag campaign.
Paul Rubin is one of the owners of Cape Town’s first plastic-free grocery store, Nude Foods in Zonnebloem on Constitution Street.
Take a listen to the inspiring discussion:
Environmental consultant Elzanne Singels is worried that do-gooders in the Western Cape could trigger genetic pollution.Read More
John and Kieno go head to head over who got the last packet of chips.Read More
Refilwe Moloto interviews Marisa Jacobs, Director and Head of Immigration and Mobility at Xpatweb.Read More
Dr Sibongile Walaza, an epidemiologist, sheds light on the veracity of a few claims floating around on social media.Read More
W Cape Burden of Disease Reduction report released this week shows province has highest prevalence of mental illness in country.Read More
Cape Town-based attorney Trudie Broekmann will represent dozens of clients who desperately want out of their timeshare contracts.Read More
Elaine Durbach joins Pippa Hudson on The Yellow Couch after her 'Roundabout' book launch, before returning to the US.Read More
Fact-checking organisation Africa Check disputes reports that South Africans work longer hours than any other nation in the world.Read More
Watch the first three quarter-finals and get to Tygervalley on Saturday morning for the last one and the final play-offs.Read More
Gordan’s Bay residents and visitors to the area were recently treated to an unforgettable show.Read More


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‘Staff must have a lot of time on their hands’: Tesco is forced to apologise to a customer after delivering a jar of ‘Jimmy Savile’ marmalade
- Kate Shepherd received the vandalised preserve in her Tesco delivery
- The Seville marmalade had been altered to read ‘Jimmy Saville’
- Tesco have apologised to Kate but she says she took it ‘with a pinch of salt’
A supermarket has been forced to apologise after it delivered a jar of Seville marmalade which had its name altered to read ‘Jimmy Saville’.
Bar owner Kate Shepherd, of County Durham, was left shocked when she noticed the jar had been vandalised.
Before the preserve made its way to Kate it had someone had used black marked to scrawl the name of the notorious paedophile on the label of the jar.

Kate Shepherd was shocked to find that her Mackays Seville marmalade had been defaced to read ‘Jimmy Saville’ marmalade when it was delivered by Tesco
Kate had her shopping delivered from the Tesco Extra store in Durham and spotted the disgraced DJ’s name as she was putting her goods away.
She later tweeted: ‘So I had my @tesco shopping delivered and someone has written on my marmalade… @tesco staff must have a lot of time on their hands.’
A spokesperson for the supermarket giant has apologised to Kate for the unexplained addition to her shopping.

Tesco have issued an apology to Kate and offered her a full refund on her shop and will be investigating the incident further
In a statement she said: ‘This is clearly unacceptable and we are investigating how this could have happened.
‘We have apologised to Ms Shepherd, and offered her a full refund and a voucher off her next shop with Tesco.’
Speaking to ITV news Kate added: ‘I took it with a pinch of salt which is lucky. My concern would be if it landed in someone else’s bag, it could have caused great offence.’
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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Gen Art, the fashion incubator that helped push Zac Posen, Philip Lim, and Vena Cava to the spotlight, announced yesterday that it was folding. We suspected things were rocky over there when they stopped sending out regular newsletter about a year ago, but it sounds like the organization made a valiant effort to fight the recession. "However, when a major, new, corporate partnership unexpectedly collapsed a few weeks ago," they wrote in an email blast, "we found ourselves without sufficient resources or time to overcome this sudden and substantial loss of revenue." Also closing: Fashion entertainment website Fashionair. Started by a Net-a-Porter alum and funded by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment, the video-heavy site is still technically in beta, but Fashionista reports that it will shut down soon. [Racked Inbox; Fashionista]


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Cargo shipments rose at the Port of Long Beach in May as the economic effects of COVID-19 started to subside.
Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 628,205 TEUs of container cargo last month, a 9.5 percent increase from May 2019. Imports grew 7.6 percent to 312,590 TEUs, while exports climbed 11.6 percent to 134,556 TEUs. Empty containers headed back overseas jumped 11.4 percent to 181,060 TEUs.
The Port has moved 2,830,855 TEUs during the first five months of 2020, down 5.9 percent from the same period in 2019.
“Our strong numbers reflect the efforts of our Business Recovery Task Force, which is setting the path for efficient cargo movement and growth,” said Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach. “Our focus on operational excellence and world-class customer service will continue as we prioritize our industry-leading infrastructure development projects.”
“We aren’t out of the woods, but this is the gradual growth we have anticipated as the United States starts to rebound from the devastating economic impacts of COVID-19 and the trade war with China,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal.
As part of its recovery efforts, the Port of Long Beach has activated an internal Business Recovery Task Force that works with customers, industry partners, labor and government agencies to ensure terminal and supply chain operations continue without disruption, along with expediting shipments of crucial personal protective equipment.
May marked the first month in 2020 that cargo shipments rose at the nation’s second-busiest port, and followed seven consecutive months of declines attributed to the U.S.-China trade dispute and the COVID-19 epidemic.


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Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella addresses customers and partners [Updated]
Next up, he’s going to be appearing in a live webcast, addressing Microsoft’s many customers and partners for the first time in his new role.
Announcing the webcast, Microsoft says: "Satya Nadella is strong advocate for customers and partners, and proven leader with strong technical and engineering expertise. At 12 noon PST he will address customers and partners for the first time as CEO during a Customer and Partner Webcast event".
Although he’s unlikely to reveal much, if anything about the company’s future plans, it will be interesting to see what the new CEO has to say, and you can tune into his live address here.
Update: Microsoft has made the webcast available to watch on-demand.


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MCITY AUTONOMOUS CAR TESTING GROUND OPENS IN MICHIGAN
Michigan is now home to the world’s first controlled test area for self-driving cars. This week, the University of Michigan unveiled Mcity, a fake city of sorts specifically designed to test the potential of connected and automated vehicle technologies that will lead the way to mass-market driverless cars.
“We believe that this transformation to connected and automated mobility will be a game changer for safety, for efficiency, for energy, and for accessibility,” said Peter Sweatman, director of the U-M Mobility Transformation Center. “Our cities will be much better to live in, our suburbs will be much better to live in. These technologies truly open the door to 21st century mobility.”
The 32-acre simulated urban and suburban setting will allow researchers to test connected car and autonomous vehicle tech on real roadways, with intersections, traffic signs and signals, streetlights, building facades, sidewalks and construction obstacles. It’s designed to support rigorous, repeatable testing of new technologies before they’re unleashed on public streets and highways.
“There are many challenges ahead as automated vehicles are increasingly deployed on real roadways,” Sweatman said. “Mcity is a safe, controlled, and realistic environment where we are going to figure out how the incredible potential of connected and automated vehicles can be realized quickly, efficiently and safely.”
Mcity was designed and developed by U-M’s interdisciplinary MTC, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation.
FORD INTRODUCES 2016 F-150 LIMITED EDITION
Ford is introducing its new 2016 F-150 Limited Edition. With exclusive goodies inside and out, the automaker says it’s the most luxurious F-150 ever, a truck as at home hauling a load or heading to a star-studded gala.
“The F-150 Limited sets a new bar for what discerning customers should expect in a high-end truck. We’re adding segment-exclusive technology, and features that improve productivity, convenience and capability with distinctive style,” says Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.
Outside, the Limited gets 22-inch aluminum wheels, a unique grill design, and a chrome badge on the tailgate. A chrome front bumper that is tied to the rear body-colored bumper with bright belt moldings. Satin-chrome door handles and a chrome exhaust tip finish things off..
Inside, the luxury continues with contoured Mojave Limited badged leather seats that heat and cool. The center console gets a special VIN plate with the production number and a unique instrument cluster. There are unique floor mats, genuine fiddleback eucalyptus, aluminum accents, and scuff plates with ice blue back lighting as well.
The Limited packs plenty of technology perks for everyday convenience. It comes standard with Blis cross-traffic alert, a moonroof, a Sony 10-speaker audio system, power-deployable running boards, remote start and tailgate release, and an integrated trailer brake control. For drivers who want it all, a technology package also adds on a 360-degree camera and dynamic trailer hitch assist. If that’s not enough for you, Ford’s Trailer Backup Assist is also available.
The new F-150 Limited is expected to cost north of $60,000.
Photo Credit: University of Michigan


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Investing.com - The dollar traded largely higher against most major currencies on Tuesday after investors shrugged off a soft consumer confidence report and took up positions anticipating the Federal Reserve will make further cuts to its stimulus program this week.
In U.S. trading on Tuesday, EUR/USD was down 0.28% at 1.3811.
The Conference Board, a market research group, said its consumer confidence index declined to 82.3 in April from a 83.9 in March, whose figure was revised up from a previously reported 82.3.
Analysts had expected the index to inch down to 83.0 in April.
The Present Situation Index decreased to 78.3 from 82.5, while the Expectations Index was virtually unchanged at 84.9 versus 84.8 in March.
“Consumer confidence declined slightly in April, as consumers assessed current business and labor market conditions less favorably than in March,” Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board, said in a statement.
“However, their expectations regarding the short-term outlook for the economy and labor market held steady. Thus, while sentiment regarding current conditions may have slipped a bit, consumers do not foresee the economy, or the labor market, losing the momentum that has been building up over the past several months.”
The dollar largely ignored the data as the report was not seen as weak enough to indicate the economy was softening to the point that the Federal Reserve will slow up the pace at which it tapers its monthly bond-buying program.
Fed bond purchases, currently set at $55 billion a month, weaken the dollar by suppressing long-term borrowing costs, and expectations for further Fed tapering tends to strengthen the greenback.
Meanwhile in Europe, Germany’s Federal Statistics Bureau reported that the country''s consumer price index fell 0.2% in April from March and rose 1.3% on year.
Markets were calling for a monthly decline of 0.1% and an annual increase of 1.4%, which softened the euro against the dollar.
The data came as investors were looking ahead to preliminary data on euro zone inflation due for release on Wednesday, and Germany''s numbers wiped out previous expectations for an uptick in consumer prices.
Euro zone inflation concerns eclipsed a soft report on consumer confidence out of the U.S., which investors shrugged off as lackluster as opposed to disappointing.
The dollar was up against the yen, with USD/JPY up 0.08% at 102.57 and up against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF up 0.36% at 0.8834.
The greenback was down against the pound, with GBP/USD up 0.14% at 1.6830.
Sterling initially edged lower after the Office of National Statistics reported that the U.K. economy grew 0.8% in the first quarter, bringing the annual rate of growth to 3.1%.
Market expectations had been for quarterly growth of 0.9% and an annual expansion of 3.2%, though the actual figure was still the fastest rate of annual growth since the fourth quarter of 2007, which gave the pound an edge over the dollar.
The dollar was down against its cousins in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with USD/CAD down 0.68% at 1.0955, AUD/USD up 0.18% at 0.9273 and NZD/USD up 0.20% at 0.8555.
The US dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.13% at 79.88.
Aside from the Fed''s announcement on monetary policy, markets on Wednesday will track preliminary data on first quarter GDP, as well as the ADP report on private-sector job creation, which leads the government’s nonfarm payrolls report by two days. The U.S. is also to release data on manufacturing activity in the Chicago region.
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Chemicals manufacturing company Nyanza Light Metals has invested R4.5-billion on the construction of a plant to produce titanium dioxide at the Richard’s Bay Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), in KwaZulu-Natal.
The announcement was made by Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube during a Public Sector Procurement Forum this week.
She said construction of the plant was under way.
Titanium dioxide pigment is widely used in the manufacturing of products such as paint, industrial coatings, plastic, paper, ink, food, medicine and most toothpastes.
“The first phase [will involve] the construction of a technical services centre which will house a semi-production plant with an investment value of R200-million. [This will be followed by] the main production plant.
“At peak production, the main commercial plant will produce over 80 000 t/y of titanium dioxide pigment, as well as other nano-titanium-related products from titaniferous slags," the MEC said.


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#7 Chicken Salad Chick
Like most restaurant executives, Chicken Salad Chick CEO Scott Deviney pondered the worst when COVID-19 shutdowns first hit in March 2020. “We all stared into the abyss a little bit. It was unheard of,” he said. But its 2019 purchase by Brentwood Associates, a private equity firm with many restaurant chains under its umbrella, proved helpful. “We were very lucky when Brentwood Associates purchased us, because they said don’t change what you’re doing. For the most part that worked out. The pandemic hits, it makes everyone change their approach,” Deviney said. “What Brentwood did, they started doing conference calls with all the CEOs, and supported us collectively and individually on the best path to move forward during COVID.” Other companies under the Brentwood tent were in California and the Northeast, where shutdowns were longer and stricter compared to Chicken Salad Chick’s home base. “We were fortunate in the Southeast, things were more open,” and “hearing the voice of optimism from us” in turn gave hope to CEOs in other locales. He also credited franchise owners and company teams who “worked tirelessly to make sure our brand was well-positioned to come out of COVID better than we went into it.” Their ideas included community meal drops, pop-up “drive-thrus” in parking lots, meals for first responders and the like. Chicken Salad Chick finished 2020 with 176 restaurants, opening a total of 37 and closing just a couple. Of those 37, 26 new stores opened after June 1, 2020. “We’ll finish this year opening 35; we thought we’d get 40 open,” but because of supply chain and other issues the rest will spill over into early 2022. Most notable, it will be the highest AUV in the company’s history at the end of 2021, $1.3 million, he said. “Think about that, six days a week, just lunch and dinner.” Average unit volumes were just under $1.1 million in 2020.
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Samsung says it's competing with, not copying AppleIn its latest legal filing, Samsung has told a California court that it is competing with Apple, not copying the company, while Apple is instead looking to "avoid such competition."
The new statements from Samsung's legal team are in response to an amended complaint filed last month by Apple. Apple has accused Samsung of copying the look and feel the iPhone and iPad with devices like the Galaxy S smartphone and Galaxy Tab touchscreen tablet.
"The Samsung Defendants admit they have not ceased competing with Apple notwithstanding Apple's efforts to avoid such competition," the company wrote in its latest filing, as highlighted by Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents.
Apple has gone as far as to refer to Samsung as "the copyist" in its legal filings. But in its latest filing, Samsung suggests to the court that what Apple feels is copying, Samsung believes is competition.
"Intellectual property and competition are two conflicting goals," Mueller offered in his analysis. "The question is how to reconcile them. If all copying is allowed, there's probably a lot of competition, but investment in innovation and the introduction of new products won't be sufficiently incentivized. Innovators need a certain 'breathing space' — but there must also be room for (fair) competition."
The new filing comes only a few days after Samsung asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban the import of Apple products. The courtroom battle between the two tech giants began in April, when Apple first sued Samsung for allegedly copying its mobile devices.
On Topic: General
- Four years after the death of Steve Jobs, Michael Fassbender talks about portraying an icon
- Irish minister says EU probe into Apple tax dodges should reach finding by end of 2015
- Laurene Powell Jobs 'repeatedly' tried to halt Universal's Steve Jobs film, report says
- Tim Cook marks anniversary of Steve Jobs's death, remembers a leader, mentor, and 'dear friend'
- Adobe launches Photoshop Fix, Capture CC, more at MAX conference


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Tracking Ups And Downs Of Global Oil Demand
When demand for oil rises, so does the price — which leads many people to try to go without, bringing the price back down. John Kingston, director of oil at Platts, which publishes Oilgram News, says the decreased demand for oil in the U.S. has helped bring global oil prices down.
Airline Service In Smaller Markets Takes Nosedive
With the price of jet fuel doubling in the past year, airlines are trying to rid themselves of unprofitable routes. Since it's hard to make a profit flying short distances into small and medium-sized airports, some airlines are drastically cutting back service or getting out of those markets altogether.
Rwanda Implicates 33 French Officials In Genocide
The Rwandan government has accused senior French officials of direct involvement in the slaughter of 800,000 people in 1994. A report from a Rwandan commission investigating the genocide alleges that 33 senior French officials were complicit in it. France says its forces in Rwanda at the time were trying to stop the killing.
Farming Is Latest Casualty In Drought-Stricken Iraq
Across Iraq, farmers are struggling with the worst drought the country has faced in years. Some say it's the worst they've seen in their lifetime — and not just because of the lack of rain. Some Iraqi officials blame waste and regional politics, as well as the fighting in Iraqi bread baskets.
After Quake, Entrepreneurs Do Business In Tents
Despite government claims that it will restore the living standards of quake survivors in just three years, many Chinese aren't waiting for a permanent structure to open shop. They're using tents for barber shops, restaurants and stores.
Miss. Senate Race Duked Out At County Fair
Mississippi's senior Senate seat — one held by Trent Lott for almost 19 years — is finally up for grabs. As the campaign season heats up, the candidates address crowds at the Neshoba County Fair, otherwise knows as Mississippi's "Giant House Party."
China's Biggest Lender To Open Branch In N.Y.
The Federal Reserve on Tuesday said it is allowing China's biggest lender to open up shop in the U.S. — yet another sign of the intertwining of the two nation's economies. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, or ICBC, will open its first branch in New York. China's government owns 75 percent of the bank. U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs owns a small stake.
U.S. Stores Hacked; 40 Million Card Numbers Stolen
The Justice Department has filed criminal charges against 11 suspects in what officials are calling the largest hacking and identity theft case the department has ever prosecuted. The government alleges that the ring hacked the computer systems of major retailers and stole credit and debit card numbers.
U.S. Car Dealers Find Overseas Market Online
In New Jersey's high-end used automobile dealerships, showrooms are quiet. But some dealers say business is booming: They're shipping secondhand trophy cars to buyers overseas.
Circuit City Apologizes For Pulling 'Mad' Magazine
Circuit City has issued an apology after company officials pulled a magazine from store shelves. The issue of Mad magazine featured "Sucker City," a parody of the electronics chain. The apology mentions a new task force on "the importance of humor in the corporate workplace" and includes $20 gift cards for the magazine's editors.


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If you liked this video and want to learn more, please reach out to me.We wrote another article that gave more background on the scaling debate,.
The Bitcoin Gold Hard Fork Explained (Coming October 25)
Bitcoin Hard Forks: This is Not the SegWit2x You Are - CCN
Bitcoin hits record high of $7,888 after hard fork update
Bitcoin Segwit2x hard fork suspended. On Wednesday, Bitgo CEO Mike Belshe published an update on the Segwit2x hard fork, which was scheduled for this month.
What the scheduled Bitcoin hard fork means for Blockchain
Bitcoin Goes Full FOMO | Hacked: Hacking FinanceBitcoin Gold released update for its Wallet after the hard fork, market reaction is muted. Bitcoin Gold has announced Wallet update.The Segregated Witness soft-fork. so that additional opcodes that would have required a hard-fork to be used in non-segwit transactions can instead.Hard Fork - A hard fork is a. to upgrade and thus miners will not update or they risk following fork rules that are or.
Trading Update - Preparing for the Hard Fork — What
Bitcoin Gold Team Announces Successful ASIC-Resistant HardBitcoin Bitcoin Goes Full FOMO. Published. 9 months ago. on. The upcoming Segwit2X hard fork.
Bitcoin Cash hard fork - theverge.comWith the hard fork coming and the altcoin market continuing to struggle against the Bitcoin rally, I decided to exit the majority of my altcoins last week. Almost.
Declaring Your Bitcoin Cash: The Tax Implications from
Monero Hard Fork: Don't Panic, Don't Fall for Scams
Bitcoin's Segwit2x hard fork was abandoned, sending the
Investor Essentials for the Coming Bitcoin Hard Fork
Bitcoin - Wikipedia
In a stunning reversal, the SegWit2x hard fork has been revived from the ash heap and is scheduled to activate on Dec. 28 -- or so a group of developers would have us.Bitcoin Cash was a result of a hard fork from Bitcoin core in August 2017, and on 15 May 2018, it will fork again to update the consensus rules.Bitcoin Price Hits New Record After November Fork Is Called Off. as the hard fork was popularly known,.UPDATE (31 July 2017 at 14:30 hrs UTC): The cut-off for BTC withdrawals and deposits has now been extended to 1 August.However, with a soft fork, only one blockchain will remain valid as users adopt the update. A History of Bitcoin Hard Forks.
Your ultimate guide to the upcoming fork that’s splitting
What Is a Hard Fork in the Crypto Economy? | BTCMANAGERA number of cryptocurrency exchanges, including CoinBase and GDAX, have frozen Bitcoin trading until wayward miners go forward with Segwit2X hard fork.The first hard fork splitting bitcoin happened on 1 August 2017,.
Bitcoin Crosses 50% of Overall Market Cap Ahead of Hard Fork.They claim that this is a way for the coin developers to be rewarded for their hard work,.
List of bitcoin forks - Wikipedia
Update: itBit’s protocol for the upcoming Bitcoin Cash
DigiByte (DGB) is Having a New Hard Fork to Maintain GPU
Circle has suggested in an email to users that, in order to avoid the consequences of a potential hard fork, they may want to to sell their bitcoin.
We wanted to give our customers an update on the upcoming Bitcoin SegWit2x hard fork in November 2017.


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Economic confidence continue to improve in July
ANKARA- Anadolu Agency
Confidence in the Turkish economy continued to recover for three consecutive months after falling sharply in April amid coronavirus pandemic, according to official data.
The Economic Confidence Index climbed 11.8% compared to the last month, hitting 82.2 in July, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said in a report.
The figure was 73.5 in June and 84.6 in July 2019.
The rise in the index was driven by improvements in three sub-readings - services, real sector, construction and retail trade confidence indices.


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[YS Exclusive] Bounce acquires Ofo’s India assets, enters dockless bike sharing market
Scooter-sharing platform Bounce takes over assets of Chinese bike sharing unicorn Ofo in India; aims to continue solving commute problems and scale.
Bounce (earlier Metro Bikes) announced it has acquired the India assets of Chinese-bike sharing giant Ofo. Some members of Ofo India's senior management team have also joined Bounce. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.
Earlier this year, Chinese dockless bike sharing unicorn Ofo had entered India with a big bang. It entered into tie-ups with civic bodies in Pune and Coimbatore and started operations in these cities. During the launch, Dai Wei, CEO and Founder of Ofo, had said in a conversation with YourStory: “India is one of the key regional markets for Ofo globally. We are thrilled about starting our services and are committed to expanding our services in the Indian market, [and helping] solve issues related to traffic congestion and air pollution.”
The company claimed it clocked over 1.1 million rides in just 10 weeks of operations in India. Globally, it sees 32 million rides per day, of which 30 million are in China. It has 10 million bikes globally.
A few months down the line, however, Ofo was faced with a cash crunch across geographies and while there was good demand for the service, there were not enough bikes available. Soon enough, Ofo sent out a press note stating it wanted to focus on mature markets. In July, it shut operations in India. Australia, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, and Israel followed.
Acquiring key assets
Ofo had been in talks with scooter sharing platform Bounce to sell its India assets.
While Bounce refused to share details on the acquisition, Vivekananda HR, Co-founder, Bounce, explained why they looked at entering the dockless bike-sharing market.
“We bought bicycles from Ofo and acquired some key employees. We are not married to a form factor. For distances between 1 and 2 km, we feel the right form factor where infrastructure is available would be on a bicycle or electric bikes,” he said.
A former senior employee at Ofo said the platform had not failed in India. “The growth we saw in India was phenomenal. We saw close to double-digit growth. The problem was that we started facing a cash crunch. Also, the founding team was looking for an IPO in the coming year.”
He added, “India was one of Ofo’s good markets compared to Europe and Australia where the abuse was much more.”
Difficult yet lucrative business
Ofo’s competitor Mobike, which was acquired by Meituan, also gave it a tough competition. Mobike, which launched in India at the same time as Ofo, is still operational in Pune’s Magarpatta township.
While the shutdown and acquisition in India might seem like a gloom-and-doom situation, Ofo, which has raised over $2 billion in funding so far, is doing rather well in several other markets. In Paris, Ofo is believed to have close to 10,000 rides each day.
Globally, the number of shared bike users was estimated at 209 million in 2017, and the market was worth 10.28 billion yuan. An iMedia Research report shows this number will touch 298 million users, and be worth 17.82 billion yuan, by the end of this year. By next year, the number of users will be 376 million, with a market size of 23.68 billion yuan.
In India, too, the market has been slowly catching up. Ola launched Ola Pedal while Zoomcar launched Pedl. Amit Gupta, Co-founder of InMobi, launched Yulu, a bike sharing platform, last year. Mobycy, a 2018 Tech30 company started by an ex-Mobikwik executive, is a dockless bike sharing platform and has raised $500,000 seed funding. Wheelstreet has also launched a dockless bike sharing platform.
Easing the commute
Vivekananda believes dockless bike sharing is about execution and that tech is an enabler.
“The commute is broken in India and solving this will have a great impact on the economic growth. The commute is a large opportunity and [there’s] a lot of action in this segment. Scale this solution across India and bring in new form factors based on use case and customer preferences,” he said.
According to media reports, the bicycle market in India is worth $1.2 billion, and production currently stands at 15 million units. To date, bicycles remain the most important mode of transport in rural India.
Bounce had raised $12.2 million Series A funding led by Sequoia India and Accel Partners in August and had rebranded from Metro Bikes to Bounce. In September it also raised $3 million debt funding led by InnoVen Capital.
Speaking of the future, Vivekananda said, “We will keep scaling. Our focus is to offer consumers convenience and we will keep doing things to enable this. We are currently solving commute problems through scooters, and we feel users would use Bounce not for the scooter but for how well we enable them to commute from point A to point B.”


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Playfre, the African music streaming platform founded by Nigerian Chika Nwaogu, has opened up to more countries on the continent. This music streaming platform caters to musicians in Africa and helps them make money off their works.
Right now, Playfre can be accessed in 13 more African countries. Streaming music on the Playfre service was only available in these 5 countries before the expansion: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa. Thus, the expansion has since moved the number of countries in which Playfre is accessible to 18.
The co-founder and CEO of the service, Chika Nwaogu, said the music streamer will gradually open up to regions where the service is demanded. But before it expands to outside of Africa, it would have to be available in all of Africa first.
“We are gradually expanding to countries where there are demands for a service like Playfre. We intend to serve the African continent for now before expanding to include countries outside the continent,” said the CEO.
The 13 added countries include Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Playfre, back in the middle of the year, launched its music distribution arm called SongRoute. It was launched to help the lesser-known and even popular African artists to earn something on their music from popular music sites. These sites include Playfre itself, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Deezer, and iTunes.
Artists selling their works through SongRoute paid nothing to get their music out there. The founder said, “With this [SongRoute], African artists will quickly be able to get their songs on Playfre and over 400 plus more music stores across the globe for free.”
Nwaogu added that “With SongRoute I think this will be possible as we intend not only to get their songs across the globe but to also promote them on our platforms to give them maximum exposure.”
Playfre is looking to be a profitable music streaming service with the revenues from the distribution arm SongRoute. Though the CEO has said it is gradually going to cover the whole African continent, visitors outside of the currently served 18 African countries are taken to a page where they are shown “Playfre is currently not available in your country”.
As it is now accessible from 18 countries in Africa, Playfre seeks to become the biggest African-made music streaming platform. Though Playfre seems to be gathering some momentum, it is not even a year old. It was launched back in May this year. Playfre offers its users access to over 50 million songs for free. Currently, it has over 7,000 registered users and over 1,500,000 streams.


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Apple Shines, Windows Declines
Apple is doing just fine without its fearless leader Steve Jobs (and the way Jobs handled his illness, fearless is an understatement). iPads and iPhones are flying off the shelf. In fact, I can get an iPhone April 16 when the Verizon lease on my Blackberry expires.
Basically from year to the next, Apple doubled most everything. I thought my eyes were buggy when I read that first quarter profit was over $13 billion. Didn't they mean revenue? Nope, that was over $46 billion for the quarter. Year over year iPad and iPhone sales have doubled. In one year Apple sold over 37 million phones. Now iPad has an installed base of 55 million, and there are 65 million users of the fairly new iCloud service.
Apple has more than double Microsoft's quarterly revenue and double the profit. While Microsoft continues to grow quarter over quarter, it is getting smoked by Apple.
The fundamentals for Microsoft are excellent, it is just that growth is no longer explosive -- more like a steadily growing ember fed by scraps.
Some might see bad news in the fact that Windows revenue declined 6 percent. As someone who follows Azure and Office 365, I see this as a great Microsoft opportunity, to move legacy apps and data into a new cloud world.
So guess who had a bum quarter? How about Google. Sure, it grew like they always did, with revenue and profit roughly half of what Microsoft reported. But Wall Street wanted more, and disappointed traders immediately drove Google shares down 9 percent.
What is your best and worst tech investment? Spill the beans at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/27/2012 at 1:19 PM


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TACOMA, Wash. (Oct. 28, 2015) — Coker Tire Co. and Michelin North America Inc. will be the tire sponsors of The Drive Home, a 13-day, 2,400-mile road rally, Dec. 27-Jan. 7, from Tacoma to Detroit to coincide with the opening of the 2016 North American International Auto Show.
The journey, hosted by Seattle-based America's Car Museum, will feature a 1957 Chevy Nomad, 1961 Chrysler 300G and a 1966 Mustang as they make their way back “home” to Detroit.
Michelin will provide winter tires for the vehicles from various lines suited to each of the cars' individual specifications. Coker Tire will provide period-correct BFGoodrich-brand tires and custom wheels for the cars when they are displayed in Detroit.
“When we first learned about this trip we were excited but also a bit anxious, as we wanted to be sure it was done safely,” said Ron Margadonna, Michelin tire expert.
“Traveling from the West Coast to Detroit that time of year will most certainly offer some winter weather challenges along the way. We're excited to help ensure the rally is a safe and comfortable one with proper winter tires for each of these beautiful cars.”
The Drive Home will make stops in Boise, Idaho; Salt Lake City; Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; and Chicago among others.
For more information, visit americascarmuseum.org/TheDriveHome.


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Amazon has released a new commercial, featuring some “Alexa Moments” and promoting the Amazon Echo. One of the spots, 10-second long, shows Buster, a Boston Terrier who eats the snack stadium prepared by his owner for the Big Game night. After finding him...
- NOW That’s What I Call Music! 101 Album Tracklist
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- C&A Christmas Commercial #rockxmas
- DIRECTV College Football Barbershop Commercial Song – Fans Getting Team Logos in Their Hair


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The retail sector’s struggles intensified in the third quarter.
According to Moody’s Analytics REIS, the sector’s vacancy rate increased by 0.2% in the quarter to 10.4%, which was the highest mark since 2013. Average asking rents and average effective rents fell 0.1% and 0.4%, respectively.
Vacancies in malls hit their highest rate in 20 years, after rising 0.3% to 10.1% in Q3. The average mall asking rent declined 0.7% in the quarter and 0.6% over the year.
“These declines seem tepid given the state of the retail market in which retail sales have somewhat recovered from the abyss of March, but many consumers have been hesitant to shop indoors. Restaurants had better business over the summer than in the spring, but some indoor dining restrictions will hurt business as the weather gets colder,” wrote Barbara Denham, senior economist, Research and Economics at Moody’s Analytics REIS.
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For neighborhood and community shopping centers, the quarter’s net absorption was negative 2.63 million square feet following negative absorption of 894,000 square feet in the second quarter. Asking rents and effective rents declined 0.1% and 0.4%, respectively, according to Moody’s Analytics REIS.
Construction was 651,000 square feet in the third quarter, which was just below the previous quarter’s 667,000 square feet. Construction in both quarters fell below the average new supply of 1.7 million square feet per quarter in 2019 and 2.5 million square feet built per quarter in 2018.
While Q3 showed negative trends, retail and restaurant sales did rally over the summer, adding $121.8 billion to the economy through July, according to the Census Monthly Retail and Food Services Sales. In March and April, sales plummeted $114.5 billion or 22% from February. Still, total retail and restaurant sales from January through July were down 0.8% year over year.
Nonetheless, retail landlords have suffered through the pandemic as mass closures across the country pushed major retail tenants into bankruptcy.
Recently REITs CBL & Associates Properties and PREIT, which have exposure to the mall product, filed for voluntary bankruptcy. Both REITs announced plans to recapitalize and restructure debt as part of the bankruptcy process.
In October, Trepp pinpointed about $3.9 billion in almost 100 outstanding CMBS loan balances, where the borrower has indicated a willingness to turn over the asset to the lender. Regional malls represent more than one-quarter (26%) of loans where borrowers could hand the keys back to lenders.


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When NVIDIA announced the GeForce RTX 30 series at the start of the month, one of its cards – the GeForce RTX 3070, specifically – was missing an exact launch date. Well, the company has officially dropped its date of arrival: 15 October.
The card is one of three cards that makes up NVIDIA’s Ampere-powered lineup: the GeForce RTX 3070, RTX 3080, and RTX 3090. Both the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 are already set up for availability on 17 September and 24 September, respectively.
Like its more powerful siblings, not a whole lot specifics is known about the RTX 3070, yet. What we do know, though, is that the card will ship out with 8GB GDDR6 graphics memory, along with 20 Shader-TFLOPS, 40 RT-TFLOPS, 163 Tensor-TFLOPS. Plus, enough horsepower that allegedly makes it faster than NVIDIA’s last-generation top-tier GeForce RTX 20 Series card, the RTX 2080 Ti.
Unlike its Geforce RTX 30 series brethren, the RTX 3070’s cooler shroud doesn’t utilise the same radical push-and-pull fan design and instead employs the traditional dual blower-style design, with both fans at the front. Oh, and the Founders Edition will also feature NVIDIA’s new 12-pin PCIe connector in order to run, to which an adapter will be provided with the card when it ships out.
Again, AiB partner cards won’t ship out with the new 12-pin PCIe port, and will continue to use the current 8-pin PCIe ports in order to deliver power to the card.


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NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With its new spring line, Banana Republic is looking to assert its urban credentials. But don't expect to see Kanye West and Lil Wayne modeling loose-fitting khakis. The Gap Inc. brand is projecting metropolitan diversity with a mix of rock, pop-folk, classical and jazz musicians set against Manhattan and Brooklyn backdrops.
OK Go and eight other musicians will be featured in Banana Republic's 'City Stories' campaign.
"We definitely leveraged our brand filters and thought about them, knowing who our customers are and what they're thinking as men and women across the country and on a global basis," Peter DeLuca, chief marketing officer, said. "What we tried to do is identify artists that appealed to [our customers] and the stories that would emotionally connect the artists back to the city."
For many, the main draw will be two gift-with-purchase compilation albums by the nine artists, set to launch three months apart. Customers who buy something between Feb. 17-26 will receive an iTunes coupon for the first, a nine-song compilation of unreleased tracks and singles. The second, available with purchase May 12-26, will rely heavily on original content with nine more songs, most of which were written specifically for the campaign and curated with city themes in mind. Sara Bareilles and Chris Carraba both contributed urban-themed tracks that were unreleased but not created specifically for the campaign.
It's a big splash for recently low-key Banana Republic, but North American year-over-year sales in January were down 22%, compared to a 5% gain last year, and fourth-quarter 2008 results weren't much better. Like many marketers at the moment, the outfitter seems to be tapping musicians for an emotional uplift.
New York-based Starworks helped pick out the musicians, and music-branding shop Rock River Music in San Francisco has been curating and producing the songs. Rock River President Jeff Daniel, who estimated the total number of tracks in the campaign at around 50, said the artists were given some guidance on the concept for the original tracks, and all of them "got it right away."
"Musicians are very well-suited to speak about this because they're used to touring, and they've experienced more cities than most of us would," Mr. Daniel said. "The fashions, lifestyles and the people of these cities certainly inspire their art and their music."
Mr. Daniel and his company have been working with Gap brands since 1995, but he said he's never worked on a project of this scope with any of them before. "This is the first really integrated campaign for Banana," Mr. Daniel said. "This one is really pushing it even further than Gap has done. It really crosses into a number of different places."
This sort of musical campaign isn't so unusual for Gap, which most recently created a series of star-studded Christmas tunes for a holiday push last November. But Mr. DeLuca says he's not borrowing from his sibling's wardrobe. "We've looked to Gap to understand what they've done, but we've tried to approach from our own filters and what our brand represents," he said.
Beyond music, Banana Republic has never made such an extensive digital effort before. Beginning Friday, its microsite, bananarepublic.com/citystories, will host a swath of multimedia content, most of it designed to be shareable. Users can embed the videos, send them to their friends and post them on their Facebook profiles. There will also be video podcasts on iTunes, and much of the content will also appear on Red, Virgin America's in-flight entertainment system, making Banana Republic the first marketer to tap into the platform with a branded channel.
For more on music-branding, visit Ad Age's blog, Songs for Soap.


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Unfinished news about the iPhone 5S, the latest info is precisely focused on the iPhone 6.
Quoted from BGR, Wednesday (1/5), an analyst mentioned that this smartphone will be released in June 2014.
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And now astronomers are working with NASA’s Kepler space telescope, discovered two Earth-like planets.
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Nikon will launch a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) digital D7100 with a 24.1 megapixel sensor in a number of countries in March 2013.
The camera called Nikon D90 replaces it has a 51-point auto-focus and shutter speed reaches 1/8000 second to 30 seconds.
Among users of Android smartphones again got good news. This time, an application that has been available only on devices with iOS platform, will also be present on the platform bearing the green robot.
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