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Market report: Friday close
France's EDF could raise its offer for British Energy by £500m, according to sources close to the deal.
Movers: Latest stock market news
The word in the City today is that EDF might go as high as 735p a share in exchange for board support for its offer. This could push the final price beyond £11bn.
Speculation on an improved French offer went some way to softening the sell-off triggered by the withdrawal by Spain's Iberdrola from the auction for the nuclear power firm. British Energy was down 10½p at 726½p.
Fears of further oil-price rises kept the lid on London shares for most of the day, but a strong opening on Wall Street kicked it into positive territory. The FTSE 100 index of leading shares closed up 12.3 points at 5802.8.
Miners, led by Eurasian Natural Resources, off 39p at 1321p, suffered from weaker commodity prices.
The FSA position on short-selling provided a much-needed fillip to financial companies, while housebuilders also showed strong rises. Alliance & Leicester topped the banking sector, rising 33¼p to 338¾p.
Persimmon was 38¾p higher at 411½p, Taylor Wimpey led the FTSE 250 risers with a gain of 9½p to 70½p, while Barratt Developments was 10¼p higher at 86½p. Redrow was up 22¾p at 163¾p, followed by Bellway, 33¾p ahead at 512p.
In the US, the Dow Jones opened 149.4 points up at 12,291 as the latest economic data persuaded some commentators that inflation may have peaked.
AstraZeneca could be about to declare victory in the fight to protects its blockbuster drug Seroquel. With a summary judgment hearing scheduled to go ahead in 10 days' time, there is an outside chance the judge will rule in favour of the drugs company, say analysts at Panmure Gordon.
They reckon the generic drug firms cannot win at this stage, and a possible positive verdict for Astra is reason enough to start buying. However, an 10p drop to 2106p suggests the market is still counting on a full trial to start on 11 August, and Astra was down 9p at 2107p. Panmure's target of 3075p is clearly rooting for victory.
A glimmer of sunshine hit the gloom-laden High Street today, as John Lewis revealed sales in its department stores had risen for the first time in five weeks.
Four consecutive weeks of falls reported by the retailer had led to speculation that the credit crunch had driven shoppers to ground, but a 2.1% rise in sales last week should provide some evidence of their survival.
The impact on the High Street, initially muted, strengthened throughout the day, with department stores chain Debenhams up 2¾p at 54p, Next up 14p at 1069p and Marks & Spencer 4¾p higher at 358¾p.
Moss Bros, ½p lower at 40½p, countered a 1.5% drop in sales over the past five months with news that old stock levels across its 150 stores are down, but what held back sellers was further evidence of stakebuilding by Laura Ashley. It emerged today that the floral furnishings and fashion group has upped its holding to just over 10% of the company, making it the largest single shareholder.
Motoring accessories and bicycles group Halfords was 1½p higher at 270½p, overcoming a downgrade from overweight to neutral by HSBC analysts, who also slashed 95p from their target, suggesting 285p is a more realistic price. They warned that next month's trading update might be disappointing, and the downgrade reflected increased market focus on short-term sector earnings.
Carphone Warehouse, 12¼p better at 214¾p, remained in focus following yesterday's results. Citigroup upgraded the mobiles retailer from sell to hold, but cut its target to 235p from 290p.
City coverage and share tips
This is Money carries breaking City news throughout the day. Bookmark Companies & Markets and try these markets links...
• Despite the misery on the High Street, the British Retail Consortium this week said sales across the country rose 1.9% in May as consumers went on a sunshine-inspired spree. Whether London shoppers were as keen to part with their cash will be revealed on Monday in the BRC's survey of the capital's stores.
• Drinks warehouses chain Majestic Wine publishes full-year results. In its most recent trading update, Majestic warned sales growth had slipped because of the consumer slowdown, and said 2008 could prove challenging. Chief operating officer Steve Lewis will replace Tim How as chief executive when he retires in August after 19 years in charges.
• With inflation soaring and growth grinding to a halt, the Bank of England's quarterly bulletin is expected to add to the economic gloom. It will be closely watched by the City for any hints on future interest rate decisions.
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Large holiday light show starts converting winter festival to LEDs
One of America’s largest holiday light shows, the Winter Festival of Lights at Oglebay in Wheeling, West Virginia, started converting to LEDs this year.
"In 2008, energy-saving LED lights will be used in all new displays including the Mountaineer Christmas Display, added to the show this year," said Caren Knoyer, Marketing Director for the Oglebay Resort. "The conversion of all existing displays to LED lights begins in 2008 and the entire show should be LED by 2012."
LED lights use 85% less energy than traditional bulbs and last five times longer, ensuring that the Festival of Lights will continue to glow for years to come.
In 1985, a holiday tradition began at Oglebay and spread throughout the city of Wheeling. That first year, five light displays and the landscape lighting covered about 125 acres over a three-mile drive throughout the resort. Since then, the show has grown into one of the nation's largest light shows, covering more than 300 acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort. More than 70 larger-than-life light displays are now part of this glowing show and every year something new is added to keep the show fresh.
Returning to the show for a second year is the Gardens of Light. Knoyer said that the best way to enjoy the Gardens of Light is to take a stroll along the brick path that leads from Carriage House Glass to the Mansion Museum.
“The stroll allows visitors to take in the enchanting sights and sounds of the holidays including 150 hanging baskets of light plus thousands of lighted flowers, trees and shrubs, combined with distinctive holiday music,” added Knoyer.
The popular light and music extravaganza returns to the Good Zoo this year. The show takes place nightly on the zoo patio with more than 35,500 LED lights choreographed to exciting holiday music. The zoo at Oglebay will also have their annual holiday model train display at the state’s largest O-Gauge Model Train Exhibit and holiday laser shows at the zoo’s Benedum Planetarium.
The Winter Festival of Lights is viewable Sunday through Thursday until 10 pm and on Friday and Saturday until 11 pm.
[Editor's Note: For more holiday display photos from LEDs Magazine, go to LED Holiday Lights: Send us your photos and see the brightest results]
Caren Knoyer Ph: 800-624-6988

domain: news


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- Legal States
Martina Tsvetkova August 9, 2021 3 min read
Iowa Reports Fourth Consecutive Month of Sports Betting Revenue Decline in July
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission reported a month-over-month decrease in sports betting revenue and handle for the state in July.
Iowa Posts Another Monthly Decrease in Wagers in July
Iowa’s online and retail sportsbooks reported a total of $88.9m in wagers in July, which corresponds to a 20% month-on-month decline from $111.2m. This is the fourth consecutive monthly decrease in terms of wagering in the state, and the lowest handle in the state since November 2020.
On a positive note, Iowa’s handle experienced an annual increase of 288.2%, as the numbers stood at $22.9m in July 2020. However, the daily volume of bets equaled $2.9m over the 31 days of July, significantly below the $3.7m per day in June.
Some 88%, or $77.9m, of the state’s bets came from online channels, while the remaining part ($11m) came from the retail segment. Caesars Sportsbook generated 35% of Iowa’s handle in July, or $31.1m in wagers, while $28.7m of them were made online. For comparison, June’s combined figures stood at $36.65m.
Wild Rose, which includes DraftKings and BetRivers, posted $25.2m in wagers, which came in via both online and retail facilities, a decline from $31.5m in June. Online wagering produced $25m of July’s handle. These figures generated $2.6m in revenue.
Diamond Jo, powered by FanDuel and BetMGM, recorded aggregate wagers of $21.4m. Bally Bet, which started operations in July, collected $1.1m in wagers during the month. Net operator revenue for the month declined by 16%, from $8.4m in June to $7.1m in July. Tax revenue stood at $479,479.
Analysts Expect Change in Trend Due to Upcoming Sporting Events
Analysts explain July’s decline with the summer season and expect betting figures to rise again with the beginning of the football season in September. Iowa’s sportsbooks have generated $1.7bn in wagering, $122.8m in gross gaming revenue, and $8.3m in tax revenue for the two years since the start of their activity in the state.
July’s total market revenue reached $7.1m, up 222.7% in annual terms. However, the figures correspond to a 15.5% monthly decline compared to the $8.4m in June. In July, revenue from online wagering stood at $6.2m, while retail sportsbooks accounted for $936,793 only.
In June, the IRGC posted year-to-date revenue of $1.4b for the 11-month period between June 2020 and May 2021. The figures show a 36% increase over the previous full-year period, excluding July.
Martina is a veteran writer, analyst in researchers with years of hands-on experience in interpreting, statistics, translation, and creative writing. She has done multiple internships in various related fields and currently takes care of all Spanish and LatAm content at GBN. Martina speaks three languages to top off her array of specialist skills.
Industry August 9, 2021


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Celebrates Manx produce
Plans have been unveiled for a regular Douglas 'Foodies Market' to be launched next month.
The newly formed Manx Food Market Traders Association is working with DEFA and Douglas City Centre Management to launch the event on alternative Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, starting the first Saturday after the TT.
The market, to be held on North Quay, will celebrate all types of local food and provide a one-stop shop for those looking to buy more Manx produce.
James Quayle is the Chair:


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TheGunBlog.ca — Glock Inc. cut the prices of its pistols in Canada by about $100, boosting their appeal for buyers and leading to a shakeup in the firearms industry.
A Glock 17, the world’s bestselling handgun, was listed at $780 at Al Flaherty’s Outdoor Store in Toronto this week (and they sold out as this article was being written), compared with $899 previously. That’s the lowest price on GunSale.ca, which compares more than 20 stores.
“As of March 1, we restructured our prices,” James Cassells, who manages Glock’s sales in Canada, said in a telephone interview yesterday. “We were able to bring our prices down.”
Korth Drops Glock
Shooters will love the price cuts by the legendary gun brand. But the drop is also leading to a shift among the handful of Canadian firearms distributors, the largely invisible middlemen who ensure guns and gear get from the manufacturer’s factory to your local store.
Korth Group Ltd., Canada’s biggest Glock distributor, said it will stop carrying the Austrian company’s pistols. AmChar Wholesale Inc. of Rochester, New York, will expand into Canada to replace Alberta-based Korth, Cassells said.
Love, Hate, Economics
Korth made the decision after calculating that the lower prices risked eroding profits beyond what was viable, especially if the Canadian dollar weakens further against the U.S. currency as some forecasters expect.
“Do I love the product? Absolutely. Do I hate to have had to make this decision? Absolutely,” Korth CEO and owner Terry Korth said yesterday in a telephone interview. “It was strictly an economic decision. We want to make sure we part ways on good terms.”
First Gun Purchase
If you bought a Glock from a gunshop in Canada in the past four years (as I did in 2014 for my first firearms purchase), it probably came from Korth’s warehouse. When I visited the company two months ago, I saw the giant shelves of Glocks all neatly stacked and organized by model and ready to ship to stores.
Korth, based south of Calgary, is also the exclusive or largest Canadian distributor of Leupold riflescopes, Hornady ammunition, Kimber firearms and more than a dozen other products.
The company said it will continue to distribute the Glocks it has in inventory. It could take months for stores to sell guns they have in stock before they get new ones at lower prices.
The price drop for the U.S.-made handguns may fuel demand for Glock as new plastic-framed models from Beretta Holding SpA, Ceska Zbrojovka a.s. (CZ) and others arrive in stores. The cost of a Glock 17 in 9 mm is still higher than a Smith & Wesson M&P 9, which sells at Al Flaherty’s for $699.99. The price gap is similar in the U.S.
Glock sells 4,000 to 5,000 pistols a year to private individuals in Canada, Cassells said. The company also equips about 80 percent of Canadian law-enforcement agencies, and a single order to a police department can total 5,000 handguns, he said.
“We left on very amicable terms with Korth,” Cassells said. “They were a very good distributor for us. We’re sorry to see them go.”


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Apple shows Intel-native Logic 7.2 at NAMMAs part of its exhibition at National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show this week in Aniheim, Calif., Apple Computer could be seen demonstrating a new version of its Logic music composition and production software designed to run natively on the first Intel Macs.
The company also said it is ahead of schedule developing the application and plans to release the software as Logic Pro 7.2 next month.
According to a report from Macworld, Logics performance seemed much faster running on the new Intel Macs than with PowerPC-based machines.
\"The performance is stunning and has met my already high expectations,\" Dr. Gerhard Lengeling, Apple senior director and lead architect audio applications said.
The company was performing the Logic demos on a pre-production MacBook Pro laptop. During one demo, Apples Bob Hunt was reportedly running video, with thumbnails, music and a dozen or more high-end effects.
\"None of these sessions would even run on a PowerBook,\" said Hunt, comparing the new Intel-based MacBook Pro to the PowerBook.
Logic\'s evolution to a Intel-native application won\'t be the only change users will notice, according to Macworld. Logic Pro 7.2 will also reportedly feature integrated support for the new Apogee Ensemble interface; Digidesign Pro Tools HD 7 DAE support; Serato Pitch n Time support; Improved Rewire support; Enhanced Control Surfaces support; and 32-channel support for multi-channel Audio Units instruments.
The application also adds compatibility with GarageBand 3 through new support for playback of compressed files; a Ducking plug-in; a speech enhancement plug-in; and the same jingles and sounds effects found in GarageBand.
Owners of Logic 7.1 may upgrade to Logic 7.2 for Intel via a $49 crossgrade upgrade package Apple will begin offering in February.


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Main / Sports Games / Game digital sales
Game digital sales
Name: Game digital sales
File size: 196mb
Game Digital has moved to cut costs by renegotiating leases with landlords as sales suffered from a waning demand for second-hand video. Video game sales are going increasingly digital, but according to financial analysts there's a chance that percent of video game sales.
Confidential data shown to obstochiton.space reveals massive shift in UK game sales. Digital game sales up 17% in December - Superdata. Research firm finds gamers worldwide spent nearly $10 billion on games as Call of Duty. Though the standout figure is that globally just 32 per cent of full game sales on the console platform are digital. When you account for the huge. March spending across video game Hardware, Software, Accessories and Game Cards fell 11 percent when compared to a year ago, to $ billion.
January spending across video game hardware, software and accessories grew 59 percent when compared to a year ago, to $ billion. Spending gains. Sportswear retailer is joining up with Game Digital to create venues for . Game Digital recovers from profit warning but console sales slip. Players spent $ billion on digital games in July, up 3% from the same Overwatch additional content sales across all platforms declined.
How has the evolution of technology influenced the state of digital sales in ? This article takes a closer look at LinkedIn's detailed report.


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New Australian fintech venture capital fund has been forced to cancel its planned IPO after failing to raise the minimum subscription requirement.
H2Ocean was set to become one of Australia’s first publicly-listed VC funds, but founders Ben and Toby Heap have canned the IPO after being unable to raise the $27.5 million required beforehand.
“We actually got pretty close to the number,” Ben Heap tells StartupSmart.
Heap says that hitting this target would have enabled them to establish a diversified global portfolio of early-stage, high-growth fintech companies that would open up the asset class to retail investors on the ASX.
But they were unable to do so with insufficient interest from institutional investors.
“We have very good direct retail demand, the demand was less strong through the brokers,” Heap says.
“I think that’s because it’s something new, it’s something that requires real sort of thought.”
The announcement comes as New Zealand’s Powerhouse Ventures lists on the ASX, making it the second VC firm to trade on the exchange after media and tech fund Bailador, the Financial Review reports.
Powerhouse Ventures, which focuses on commercialising academic research, has a current share price of $0.95.
Just a speed bump for H2Ocean
The Heap brothers, who had been hoping to raise up to $55 million through the IPO, were unwilling to lower the minimum subscription amount because it would compromise the level of diversification of the portfolio.
Because of this, Heap says they have decided to proceed as a private fund.
While the brothers and their team, including former Australian MP Wyatt Roy, a non-executive board director, have dedicated the past few months to the IPO, the disappointing end is not weighing them down.
“The very nature of venture capital and innovation is you try new things,” Heap says.
“The fact that we’ve tried something a bit new and it didn’t work out exactly as we wanted it to is exactly the nature of innovation.”
Heap says that he has come to realise that while there is a real hunger among retail investors for VC and fintech, greater communication and education on this asset class is needed for the wider market.
“We definitely want to trade as a public fund in due course [and] make sure that the asset of venture capital and fintech is open to investors,” he says.
“The big advantage [of going public] is you have the ability to get into a traditionally very closed area of investing.”
But for now, the Heaps are focused on the private route.
“Step one, is to move forward unlisted,” he says.
“It doesn’t hurt us to go down that path. Ultimately, it’s sort of a speed bump rather than a wall.”


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Over the past 24 hours, the bitcoin price has demonstrated extreme volatility, declining to $5,500 at one point. Since hitting a new weekly low, it has recovered to $6,200.
The recent decline in the price of bitcoin can be wholly attributed to the surge in the value of Bitcoin Cash, and the movement of SegWit2x supporting investors, users, and businesses shifting toward Bitcoin Cash with one unified vision.
Consequently, the price of Bitcoin Cash has increased from $600 to $1,500 in the past week, reaching $2,800 earlier today. As the Bitcoin Cash price plunged from $2,800 to $1,500, the price of bitcoin recovered, from $5,700 to $6,200.
Can Bitcoin Initiate a New Rally?
As Xapo President Ted Rogers stated earlier today, on November 12, the surge in the price of Bitcoin Cash was not sustainable, given that there was no infrastructure, community and active user base to back such trend, even if the SegWit2x supporters have migrated to Bitcoin Cash.
While Bitcoin Cash has become too expensive at this point to obtain for investors, Rogers emphasized that bitcoin has become irresistibly cheap, given that the price of bitcoin peaked at $7,900 last week and it remains just below $6,300.
Like Rogers expected, traders have started to buy the dip, as the bitcoin price rebounded in a relatively short period. But, the question remains, can bitcoin initiate a new rally to recover to its all-time high of $7,900?
There exists several major events to acknowledge in evaluating the mid-term performance of bitcoin. Earlier today, Simon Dixon, the co-founder and CEO of BnkToTheFuture, stated that the bitcoin price will likely increase in the upcoming weeks due to the entrance of large-scale institutional and retail investors through strictly regulated bitcoin futures and derivatives exchanges.
CME Group and CBOE, two of the largest options exchange in the world, alongside LedgerX, will launch bitcoin options, futures, and derivatives targeting institutional investors by the end of 2017. CME Chairman Leo Melamed noted earlier this month that a growing number of hedge funds, investors, and investment firms have begun to consider bitcoin as a new asset class, not merely a digital currency.
Impact of Bitcoin Cash and Price Target by the End of 2017
If SegWit2x supporting businesses and miners from the original NYA / SegWit2x agreement continue to support Bitcoin Cash and build infrastructure around it, it is likely that Bitcoin Cash will co-exist with bitcoin as leaders of the cryptocurrency market.
As bitcoin and security expert Andreas Antonopoulos stated, the two cryptocurrencies can co-exist, as bitcoin and Ethereum have done for the past two years, as they operate with contrasting philosophies, visions, and strategies.
Even with Bitcoin Cash, the entrance of retail investors into the bitcoin sector will likely trigger a rapid increase in the demand for bitcoin as a store of value and safe haven asset, allowing it to achieve new highs in the mid-term.


text: There were no surprises for the automobile industry in the Union budget. With the implementation of Goods and Services Tax or GST expected to be implement by July this year, the union finance minister Arun Jaitley has kept the excise duty structure unchanged. This has come as no surprise to the industry and vehicle prices are unlikely to see any price revisions, due to the budget proposals. The push on rural areas and reducing the tax burden of individual with an income of Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh is seen as a big positive for the prospective small car, two wheeler and tractor buyers and a big spike in infrastructure spend is expected to spur the buying in the commercial vehicle space, which has been volatile off late. Much like the previous budgets, the FM continues to tax the rich, which may have an impact on the luxury car market for a short term, say experts.


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Asda offers 5,000 nursery customers priority access to delivery slots
By Rachel Lawler
Asda has announced that is has offered its 5,000 nursery customers priority access to grocery delivery slots until the end of summer 2021.
Providers will be given a “priority pass” which allows them to book delivery slots up to 21 days in advance, with the option to book a recurring, regular slot each week. The supermarket said that this was in recognition of the “vital role that nurseries play in supporting parents” and will continue until the end of August.
The priority passes were already available to care homes and Clinically Extremely Vulnerable customers.
Simon Gregg, vice president of online grocery at Asda, said: “Nurseries provide a vital service to parents across the UK, including many Asda colleagues, who continue to benefit from their support under lockdown. By giving them priority access to slots it will enable them to receive regular grocery deliveries, which makes it possible for them to continue serving communities and carrying out their essential role.”
Asda confirmed to Under 5 that the priority pass offer was available to nursery customers registered with Ofsted with a non-residential address.
The Alliance has written to Simon Gregg, urging him to extend this initiative to all Ofsted-registered early years provider customers, including childminders.


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Student mailbox number 416, you have mail. You sift through the stack of unwanted envelopes because you haven’t checked your overflowing mail in weeks. The typical “junk mail” fills your hands as you look for the nearest trashcan. But wait, you’ve been preapproved for a credit card. All you have to do is tear open the envelope and your spending power is tripled.
So, what will it be, trash or treasure?
In a 2009 study conducted by Sallie Mae, nearly 84 percent of undergraduate students had at least one credit card. The study also concluded that the average college student has 4.6 credit cards. At Castleton however, students seem to be more conservative when it comes to credit card debt.
After surveying 20 random Castleton students, it was discovered that only seven had a credit card, while the remaining 13 did not, making Castleton a minority as far as national statistics are concerned.
Only two students surveyed had more than one credit card.
But what are Castleton credit card users buying?
The most expensive purchase by those interviewed was upwards of a $1,000 for a laptop computer.
The cheapest purchase was 44 cents.
For a stamp.
“I only have one card,” said Elicia Mailhiot, a Castleton sophomore.
Mailhiot admits that she got the card for extra expenses at school, but she sometimes uses it to buy other things.
“I usually only use it for expensive stuff,” she said. “I paid like $600 for snow tires with my card once.”
“My parent’s weren’t too happy about that one.”
Mailhiot tries to keep her balance fairly low so that she never owes too much.
“I usually put off paying for it as long as I can,” Mailhiot said. “My balance is between $100 to $200 on a good month.”
When it comes to buying school supplies, whether a pencil or a $300 book, students go to the school store. Behind the scenes, in an office that is almost directly behind the cash register wall, John Shwaner, manager of the school store, sits in a black rolling chair and gazes at his computer screen.
“Most students use student account vouchers so that they are charged directly to their student bill,” said Shwaner.
“Second would be credit cards.”
Shwaner says its all depends on a particular students buying habits’ as to how they use their credit cards.
“We had a student a couple of days ago who used a credit card for an 80-cent purchase,” he said. “With a credit card it’s convenient, you don’t have to worry about the security of carrying money around.”
With college students being the number one prey of credit card companies, there are many opportunities for them to increase their debt.
According to one Master Card representative, who said she is unauthorized to speak about undergraduate spending habits, most students are offered credit cards in conjunction with their personal bank.
But not all Castleton students are ready to trade in their Benjamin’s for plastic and it might be a little harder for others to get a card these days.
A credit card reform law, which took action last February, enacts strict regulations against credit card companies for advertising on college campuses. The law also makes it more difficult for individuals under age 21 to get one.
“I know it’s a great way to establish credit, but I don’t have a job so there is no point in me getting a credit card right now,” said Tony D’Ottavio, a senior at Castleton.
For D’Ottavio, being practical wasn’t a tough choice.
“Having one right now is just not an option for me,” he said without hesitation. “I don’t buy things I can’t afford and I don’t have a job to pay it back so why use it?”
Although D’Ottavio said he hasn’t considered getting a credit card while in college, he said he might get one after he graduates.
Aaron Hutchins, a Castleton junior, said credit card horror stories are enough to keep him away.
“I’ve heard of people having problems,” he said. “Going over their limit and ending up in debt, it ends up being a huge problem for them.”
For Jennifer Callesis, of student services, getting students to think is half the battle.
“Part of our job is to help students keep their debt low,” Callesis said.
She sits in her cubical. The walls are covered with photos and what little shelving she has is taken up by plants. A blue beta fish sits on her desk in a tiny glass tank. She eagerly awaits the next student with a welcoming smile.
“We keep a tight rein on students,” she said. “We tell them ‘don’t get into more debt than you have too.'”
Callesis is confident in Castleton students.
“When they borrow it’s because they need it,” she said.
She understands that establishing credit is a seemingly impossible task without at least one credit card.
“I wouldn’t recommend it and I don’t want to encourage it, but it’s the only way to establish credit,” Callesis said. “Today you can’t do anything without established credit.”
If they do chose to get a credit card, she says timely payments are the best way to go.
“If you buy something and pay it back that’s the best way,” she said.


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Chinese Web giant Alibaba has bought back half of the stake Yahoo owns in the company for US$7.6 billion, as it moves closer to its initial public offering (IPO).
Reuters reported Tuesday Alibaba paid Yahoo US$6.3 billion in cash and US$800 million in preferred shares of Alibaba Group. It also made a one-time cash payment of US$550 million connected to an amendment regarding the two companies' intellectual property (IP) license agreement.
Thewas announced by the two companies last May.
From the US$4.3 billion after-tax proceeds from the sale, Yahoo will give US$3 billion to its shareholders. This is in addition to the US$646 million downpayment Yahoo already returned to shareholders through buybacks, the report added.
Yahoo still holds 23 percent of Alibaba's common stock, down from its 40 percent stake it acquired in 2005 for US$1 billion and the sale of its China business to Alibaba, the report said.
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma said: "The completion of this transaction begins a new chapter in our relationship with Yahoo."


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The Rhinebeck Farmers Market just opened its new year, marking its 20th year as the Hudson Valley’s largest and most diverse farmers market.
Named Hudson Valley Magazine’s Best of the Hudson Valley for five consecutive years and a “Hudson Valley Essential” by Bon Appetit Magazine this spring, the outdoor market operates in the municipal parking lot of the village every Sunday.
“Many of our vendors, including Lynnhaven goat cheese, Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, Migliorelli, Knoll Krest Farm eggs and Dancing Ewe cured meats, olive oil and cheeses sell directly to New York City restaurants and at the Union Square Market,” Georgia Dent, Rhinebeck Farmers Market board member, said in a news release. “It’s pretty amazing that we have access to these products practically in our backyard!”
There are 42 vendors represented at the Rhinebeck market, with new vendors this year including disabled veteran-owned Continental Organics, which produces micro-greens and fish in a RAS (recirculating aquaponic/agriculture system); Harvest Spirits Farms Distillery, and Raven and Boar pork, lamb, pastured poultry and ready-to-eat sausage on a stick.
The market is open every Sunday from 10am to 2pm at 61 East Market Street in the village of Rhinebeck.


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Globally, Asus ROG 2 was unveiled in July and is already selling in some countries. The price in India is not yet confirmed
Mi Band 4, Mi TV 65-inch model, Mi Water Purifier, and a few other smart living products has been launched at the Smarter Living 2020 event
Launched in partnership with Flipkart, the Motorola Android 9.0 smart TV will be available in seven variants in HD ready, Full HD, and Ultra HD (4K) starting at Rs 13,999 from September 29, the company said.
Realme 3i is the first smartphone in the new Realme “i” series and is available in three colours — Diamond Black, Diamond Blue and Diamond Red.
With the new update, all apps on the Play Store are set to gradually get a dark mode of their own
The company is also introducing new guidelines for its raters, over 10,000 people that review the search engine.
Check out the key highlights of Apple’s updated operating system, iOS 13!
Starting Wednesday, Airtel Xstream Fibre is available for users in in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Pune Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Indore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
Ahead of Harvest Moon 2019, let’s know the significance, timings and everything about it
The phones are equipped with an additional lens and all three camera lenses have been placed close to each other which have triggered trypophobia
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max with triple camera set-up will be available in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB models
Here we bring you a quick recap of all the features announced during WWDC 2019
This is the first time in the history of Apple that the iPhone maker is broadcasting the event live on YouTube.
San Francisco, Sep 10: From personal information to contraception use, period tracking apps such as MIA Fem and Maya have been found sharing sensitive data with Facebook, according to a new research from UK-based advocacy group named Privacy International. The advocacy group reportedly examined apps that were downloaded by over[Read More…]
The researchers spotted the vulnerabilities in the T8 Mini GPS tracker and nearly 30 other models by the same manufacturer, Shenzhen i365 Tech.
On September 8, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it has found its moon lander Vikram on the lunar surface.
Lack of bundled cable TV offering restricts Jio from disrupting the market and might make it longer to achieve the 20 million subscriber target, the Emkay Global Financial Services said.
Search engine giant Google is expected to refresh its Pixel series with the launch of the two smartphones late in October.
“India didn’t fail… We just lost contact with the moon lander #Chandrayaan2,” tweeted one.
The company’s Redmi A and Redmi Note series have been two of the most popular smartphone series in the country.


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The reform process with Microsoft still seems incomplete following the recent announcement where the company disclosed it was in talks with major telecom operators to sell its various applications as well as games and bill it to the buyer’s monthly mobile bill.
As per figures revealed, there are over 4,15,000 applications for sale. Windows Phone is the third most popular operating system. As such, it becomes necessary to have a mechanism in place that could allow Microsoft to draw maximum benefits by partnering with telecom operators.
Microsoft partners with major telecom operators to sell its applications to Indian consumers
“We are in the process of announcing a telecom operator for the above facility within the next few months,” said Microsoft India director for Windows Phone category, Vineet Durani on the sidelines of the launch of its latest smartphone, Windows Phone 8.1.
Currently, such purchases are made through either credit or debit card. Microsoft has a conviction that the system may not work in India as its market is radically different from other countries’ market.
The company argues, online payments constitute only a fraction of the market. The need therefore arises for an alternate mechanism. Collection of payments for apps and games from buyers through their phone bills would be the telecom operator’s responsibility, noted the company.
Windows Phone 8.1 introduced a handful of new features recently. Quick Launcher was one among such. It is a new Windows Phone 8.1 app that allows you to get quick access to cellular settings.
In addition, you can also jump quickly to popular apps like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and others. A new File Manager App is slated to be launched in few days’ time.


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The Ferretti Group and Ekka Yachts opened the Riva Private Deck in the Aegean Sea.
Riva Yacht unveiled the 56’ Rivale on Saturday, further expanding its open yacht fleet.
Riva Yacht unveiled its new 100’ Corsaro flybridge yacht in Monaco.
The yachting world is mourning famed powerboat designer and builder Carlo Riva.
The guiding philosophy of items in the store is “Riva inside, inside Riva,” the company said.
Riva Yacht said it recently launched its first 100-foot Corsaro in La Spezia, Italy.
Riva Yacht introduced the 100-foot Corsaro, a flybridge yacht.


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Along with gaming GPUs, the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 have been in very short supply over the last 18 months. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an explosion in interest in gaming, leading to a devastating shortage. Even now, nearly two years into the problem, it doesn’t look to be abating in any meaningful way.
Scalpers and resellers have taken full advantage, charging as much as 3x MSRP for consoles and PC components. And gamers are tired of waiting. More and more people are just tired of waiting for an Xbox Series X or other consoles. The shortages have been so crushing that low-end GPUs have risen to increasingly absurd prominence as gamers try to squeeze relevance out of the aging technology.
And we’ve gotten more bad news, as the Xbox and PlayStation shortage may not be ending anytime soon.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has said that the shortage of Xbox Series X/S consoles will possibly extend to 2022. In an interview with The Wrap, he said that the Xbox shortage is more complicated than a “chip problem.” There are multiple “pinch points” in the overall production process. It’s these slowdowns working in tandem that have created noticeable consumer shortages.
This doesn’t just apply to game consoles either. Even as GPU shortages continue to cause scalping and inflated wait times, there are plenty of other products affected. Everything from cars and trucks to TVs have been affected in myriad ways.
Around the globe, shortages for many consumer goods are being felt. And a big part of the problem is that logistics chains have been slowed to a crawl due to workloads and a lack of willing workers. The slowdown at American ports is also causing issues for consumers. The Biden administration recently announced a plan to move to 24/7 operation—in a bid to clear the backlog of ships waiting at ports.


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SM Supermalls, in its commitment to creating a safe and greener future for all, deployed the first-ever free in-mall charging stations in the Philippines for e-Vehicles (EV) last April 28, 2022 at SM Aura Premier in Taguig City, SM North EDSA in Quezon City, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, and SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
Today, SM Supermalls has added 11 more in-mall charging stations around NCR, that supports US and EU e-Vehicle brands such as Audi, BMW, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen, among others.
The Podium and SM Southmall will have 2 Wallbox Pulsar Plus 7.4KW AC chargers, while SM City Valenzuela, SM City Grand Central, SM City Fairview, SM City Manila, SM City San Lazaro, SM City Sta. Mesa, SM City Marikina, SM City Bicutan, and SM City BF Parañaque will have one.
“SM Supermalls will remain true to our promise of creating a safe malling experience for our mall-goers, and part of that commitment is building a greener environment for everyone. We will always strive to ramp up our efforts to give back to our communities through our innovative projects in driving sustainability in our 79 malls nationwide. We want to urge everyone to consider more sustainable options in their everyday life, and shifting to e-Vehicles is a giant leap towards a greener future for all of us,” SM Supermalls President Steven T. Tan said.
The launch of the EV charging stations is a product of SM Supermalls’ continuous partnership with the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and Department of Trade and Industry in assisting the government in accelerating its renewable energy and sustainability initiatives.
“SM Supermalls will continue our staunch support of the government’s National Renewable Energy Program to promote a more eco-friendly society for all Filipinos. We remain steadfast in our goal of helping reduce the use of non-renewable energy sources by 50 percent by the end of 2022,” Tan said.
E-vehicles are true zero-emission vehicles that have electric motors instead of internal combustion engines. As of 2020, there are 12,965 registered EVs in the Philippines. SM Supermalls is the first mall chain to establish in-mall e-Vehicle charging sites in the country.
In the coming months, expect that more fast chargers will be installed in other SM malls nearest you.
The EV Charging Stations project supports The SM Green Movement towards a greener planet. #SMGreenMovement. For more information, visit www.smsupermalls.com and follow @smsupermalls on all social media platforms.


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Last week, Nissan officials announced their plan to bring autonomous vehicles to market by 2022.
The Japanese manufacturer plans to take the self-driving car process step by step, releasing vehicles on various levels of the autonomy spectrum before any fully autonomous cars are available. On December 6, Nissan senior vice president Yutaka Sanada revealed the carmaker’s self-driving plans at Bloomberg’s Year Ahead Asia conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Currently, Nissan offers semi-autonomous features for new vehicle models such as the Serena minivan, the X-Trail SUV, and the new Leaf electric car. These models have low-level autonomy attributes such as single-lane driving and automatic parking. By 2020, certain Nissan cars will come with higher-level features like the ability to navigate urban traffic and intersections.
Along with Nissan’s multi-year autonomy plans, the automaker aims to offer a self-driving “robot taxi” service in Yokohama, Japan, where Nissan is based. The Japanese carmaker is teaming up with autonomous driving software developer DeNA Co. in this effort.
“In Japan we are studying the so-called robot taxi type of activity with government support, and this type of approach may lead to some new findings and new issues, and then we will try to improve it,” said Sanada. ”We want to reinforce collaboration with regulators.”


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Microsoft looks like it could be hiding in the bushes with some pricing news, ready to jump out and spoil the launch of the PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii later in the year.
After having strongly denied an Xbox 360 price cut, European marketing head honcho, Richard Teversham, told gaming trade mag MCV that the company had ‘a number of surprises’ and the console would prove ‘good value’ when pitted against the new competitors.
With a price cut already ruled out, the news suggests a plan to change the current 360 bundles with the addition of new games or accessories. Could this be time for Gates and co to roll out the HD-DVD add-on to combat the already Blu-Ray equipped PS3?
Always looking to get one over on its Japanese rivals, Microsoft has also had a dig at the cost of the PS3, suggesting the high price would be enough to turn members of the Sony faithful onto the 360 instead; even without changes, Teversham points out, the fully specced 360 will, at £280, always represent better value than the PS3 at a suggested launch price of £425.
Whatever it’s got planned, Microsoft may well dampen PlayStation party spirits. Keep your mouse pointed at Stuff Online for news as we get it.


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Tigerdirect bitcoin 2017
Also hoping to rake in some virtual currency, Aria PC Technology, another UK component supplier and e-tailer.In the first half of 2017, 1 bitcoin surpassed the spot price of an ounce of gold.As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot.The company started accepting bitcoins last month, so it is perhaps no surprise that it is trying to drum up some trade.Bitcoin Forum: September 08, 2017, 10:13:57 AM: Welcome, Guest.
TigerDirect Accepts Bitcoins While Pitching Hot-Selling
Tigerdirect and Overstock.com accept Bitcoin as well as the Apple.TigerDirect started accepting BitCoin for online purchases. 2017 WiFi HiFi Melsa Media Inc.June 8, 2017. online merchants that accept bitcoin include Tigerdirect,.
US retailer TigerDirect accepts Bitcoin payments - Omaha.com
TigerDirect.ca Now Accepting Bitcoin - Wifi Hifi Magazine
Popular ecommerce website TigerDirect now officially accepts Bitcoins as payment method.On Feb. 11, Future Tense—a partnership of Slate, the New America Foundation, and Arizona State University—will host an event on cryptocurrencies at the.Unlike traditional currencies such as dollars, bitcoins are issued and.I applaud TigerDirect for the bold move on accepting Bitcoins,. 2017. 5 Ways to Prepare.Major electronics e-retailer TigerDirect.com said Thursday that it will accept bitcoin payments, joining Overstock.com and many smaller retailers.
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The payment partnership between Bitpay and electronics retailer TigerDirect has expanded today with the launch of Bitcoin functionality for Canadian customers.Buy Bitcoin Crypto Logo 2017: Shop top fashion brands T-Shirts at Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY and Returns possible on eligible purchases.Additional information is available in this support article.
TigerDirect.com, a significant US retailer of electronics products, announced Thursday it will accept payments made in the Bitcoin currency.
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More then 200.000 products available at TigerDirect can be purchased using.A Giant-Sized History of Bitcoin. In the first half of 2017, 1 Bitcoin surpassed the spot price of an ounce of gold for.Introduction, History,. you can buy computers on Tigerdirect.com,.Calling the Crypto-Wealthy: Celebrity Baroness Unveils Luxury Bitcoin Condos.TigerDirect.com is your one source for the best computer and electronics deals anywhere, anytime.Bitcoin payments will only be accepted online, if you live in an area with a TigerDirect retail store, you will need.
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Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, and Blockchain • ScraawlThe use of bitcoin has become extremely popular in recent times and my people now want to. 2017. The use of bitcoin.Online electronics retailer TigerDirect just may be considering adding bitcoin as a payment option.As of 10 March 2017 the bitcoin ETF was declined by the SEC because of regulatory.When it comes to major retailers accepting payment in Bitcoin, Overstock and TigerDirect are only the beginning.
Ether, Litecoin and More: Overstock Now Accepts Cryptocurrencies as Payment.Nowadays, you can spend your bitcoin on much more than pizza, in a wide variety.Bitcoin Mining is a Trademark by Tigerdirect, Inc., the address on file for this trademark is 7795 West Flagler Street, Suite 35, Miami, FL 33144.On 3 March 2017, the price of a bitcoin surpassed the market value of an ounce of gold for the first time as.As proven with TigerDirect and Overstock, bitcoin is invaluable to.Online retail giant Overstock has partnered with ShapeShift as part of a bid to accept more cryptocurrencies as payment.
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There's a BOGO Sale on These Stockshttp://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/08/20/theres-a-bogo-sale-on-these-stocks.aspx Rich Duprey
August 20, 2012
The world's top value investors love it when their best stock ideas are selling at bargain-basement prices. For those rarified investors, companies offering fire-sale prices become no-brainer buys. So regular investors like you and me would do well to emulate the masters and look at companies offering a "buy one-get one" sale on their stocks.
Less than a year ago these companies were trading for at least twice the value they currently do. While you'll naturally want to do more due diligence before buying, this might be an opportunity to pick up some quality companies at a severe discount. The market is within seven points of hitting a new 52-week high, so make sure there's nothing seriously wrong with these stocks before you plug them into your portfolio.
Hard as nails
While the market so far doesn't agree with me, there are plenty of other gloomy assessments out there from LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK ) , SunPower, and Trina Solar that I have trouble getting excited about any name in the space.
That includes GT Advanced Technologies (Nasdaq: GTAT ) , a maker of polysilicon equipment for solar shops and sapphire equipment for the LED industry. Its shares surged 14% late last week after analysts at Stifel Nicolaus reported it expected its backlog to grow in the coming quarters as the ability of sapphires to expand beyond just LEDs grew.
In a market dominated by Corning (NYSE: GLW ) , GT believes its sapphires could become a more cost-effective alternative to other materials being used, such as scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, for mobile device touchscreens. Corning has been enjoying double-digit growth in the segment, and its latest iteration is said to be comparable to sapphire in strength, but GT says it's working with major handset suppliers and expects the opportunity to really develop next year.
Currently the sapphire business accounts for 22% of revenues, and though it is growing sharply, polysilicon is still the bulwark of its operations and if industry weakness is any indication, it will serve as a drag on performance.
Certainly at just four times earnings estimates it looks cheap, and with it trading at half its expected growth rate there would seem to be significant upside potential. But each of its business segments faces strong headwinds and management says "end-user demand for the output of our equipment has either declined substantially or increased supply has surpassed demand."
As a result I'll be maintaining my underperform rating on Motley Fool CAPS, but let me know in the comments section below if you think GT Advanced Techno


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WASHINGTON, DC -- Calling job creation in America a “shared goal,” the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today joined other trade associations, labor unions, environmental groups and business and community advocates in pushing for new efforts to address climate change, rebuild America’s aging infrastructure and foster innovation.
You are here
SEIA is the solar energy industry’s go-to source for the latest coverage on solar power, including U.S. and international policy, research and polls, business and financing trends, and more. Our staff strives to support the media covering solar energy issues and guide our members on effective media outreach with clear statements, background materials, news and multimedia resources.
SEIA is committed to informing policymakers, the media, and the American public about the benefits of solar energy for today’s communities, our economy, and our country.
Learn more from our statements and industry news below.
Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), released the following statement today after an announcement by Walmart that it is dramatically increasing its use of renewable energy:
Home furniture retailer Ikea has activated what it says is the largest rooftop solar array in Maryland at its distribution center in Perryville.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Calling for “stable, reliable, well-structured tax policy,” the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has weighed into the tax reform debate by offering extensive insight and comments to the House Ways and Means Committee, which is tasked with overhauling the federal tax code.
The Colorado Senate — over the strong objections of rural Republican lawmakers — passed a bill Monday increasing the amount of renewable energy that rural electricity cooperatives must use.
According to recent research by Sunrun and PV Solar Report, the California home solar market has grown by 80 percent this year. The report identifies increased solar adoption in more cities as one of the major reasons for the spike in statewide solar projects.
As summer beckons, it seems Americans are thinking more about the stifling cost of energy than about making tracks to the beach.
As states offer more and more renewable energy tax incentives, small businesses are seeking to take advantage of the situation by getting into the renewable energy business. But, depending on the business' location, the difference between each state's incentives can be dramatic.
Since the 2004 passage of Amendment 37, Colorado has created a vibrant solar energy market spurring nearly $1 billion in clean tech investment, deploying 200 megawatts of solar, and creating thousands of quality jobs at more than 400 Colorado solar companies.
The numbers don't lie - 2011 was a banner year for solar energy in America as consumers saw the cost of installing solar drop by 20 percent in just a single year.


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The programme "Blue Planet" has brought to light the enormous issue of plastic pollution in our oceans, which kills millions of marine wildlife. Single-use plastic is among the worst things for the environment, along with the meat and dairy industries and the transport sector.
Some people are now choosing to reduce or give up single-use plastic, using shampoo bars, wooden toothbrushes, plastic-free toothpaste, plastic-free soap, reusable water bottles and doing plastic-free grocery shopping. However, the latter is not made any easier by the fact that most supermarket fruit and veg is still coated with plastic packaging! In a world whose oceans are choking with plastic so much so that even the UK Government has acted by banning the sale of single-use plastic straws, why are supermarkets still selling most of their packaged fruit and veg in single-use plastic packaging, when more eco-friendly, biodegradable alternatives exist?
We say "We want UK supermarkets to commit to 100% plastic-free, 100% biodegradable materials for the packaging of their fruits and veg, RIGHT NOW!!!! We will be far more likely to shop at supermarkets that do this in the imminent future!!!! We want to see blueberries, broccoli and beetroots, apples and avocados, pears, plums and peppers, carrots and cantaloupes, melons, and mangoes 🥭 , sweet potatoes and swedes, lychees, lemons and limes, and ALL other fruit and veg without plastic packaging and with only 100% plastic-free and 100% biodegradable packaging RIGHT NOW!!!!!"
Sainsbury's, Tesco, ASDA, Morrison's and Co-op would all like to consider themselves ethical and sustainable, but they could be even more eco-friendly if they simply changed the packaging with their fruit and veg to something greener and more eco-friendly than plastic!!!
Thank you 😊 🙏🏾 ☺.
Best Wishes to all,
Have the best day and night ever!


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Latest Shawn Fanning Stories
On Tuesday, Napster cofounders unveiled a new video chat platform to the public for the first time called Airtime -- a one-on-one video service that is purported to be the next big start up from Silicon Valley.
Founding chairman and CEO of the original, most-popular peer-to-peer music file sharing system, Napster, has joined the advisory board of Savtira Corporation, a new B2B cloud commerce solutions
Online music marketplace, Napster announced a price reduction for its online music streaming service on Monday.
Shares of digital music service Napster Inc. surged more than 30 percent in premarket trading on a report that it was in discussions with Google Inc. for an alliance that could include a sale.
Snocap, a U.S. digital media company founded by Napster creator Shawn Fanning, on Sunday said it reached a deal with Warner Music Group Corp.authorizing distribution of Warner's music across Snocap-enabled retail services.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. digital media company, Snocap, run by Napster founder Shawn Fanning, said on Friday it signed deals with various independent labels.
LONDON (Reuters) - Music giant Sony BMG has finalized itsdeal with the legal file-sharing network Mashboxx, two daysafter a U.S. court dealt a blow to Mashboxx's unauthorizedrivals such as Grokster.
Music giant Sony BMG has finalized its deal with the legal file-sharing network Mashboxx, two days after a U.S. court dealt a blow to Mashboxx's unauthorized rivals such as Grokster.
With a Supreme Court ruling in the Grokster case believed to be imminent, proponents of commercial peer-to-peer networks are busily preparing new legitimate services.
The online music service Snocap said on Monday that it would allow independent artists and small record labels to register their songs to receive payment when they are traded over Internet "peer-to-peer" networks.
- Stoppage; cessation (of labor).
- A standing still or idling (of mills, factories, etc.).


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2022 Fast 50 nominees announced has been saved
2022 Fast 50 nominees announced
The fastest growing tech companies in Belgium
About Deloitte's Technology Fast 50
Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 competition is aimed at fast-growing technology companies that have their headquarters in Belgium. Given their significant role as drivers of future growth, these companies deserve special recognition and support – and that is exactly what the competition is designed to provide.
Participating in the Technology Fast 50 competition can help companies to develop their business by increasing their visibility and giving them access to the Fast 50’s unique network of highly successful executives.
The 2022 Belgian Deloitte Technology Fast 50 competition is being organised in partnership with our partners Euronext, Fortino Capital, Salesforce, and Vlerick Business School.
For more information about Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50, send an email to the Fast 50 team at email@example.com.


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Read the Original Article at http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=240002733
But both Microsoft and Google have always had the means to compete in that market--they've built data centers in strategic locations around the world and can use them as a springboard into IaaS. And some customers want Microsoft and Google to become IaaS suppliers, given their existing reliance on those vendors' technologies.
In fact, both have been edging closer to doing so.
Google's primary infrastructure architect Urs Holzle on Thursday at the company's developers conference announced the Google Compute Engine, or infrastructure-as-a-service, a move that brings it into more direct competition with market leader Amazon Web Services.
Holzle said Google's success with App Engine, its platform-as-a-service for building applications, had generated demand among its users for an accompanying infrastructure service to run applications in virtual machines for long periods of time. Google will manage all scalability and performance issues for users of Compute Engine, letting businesses and independent software developers gain the benefit of Google's "decade of experience in building and running Google search engine data centers." It made the announcement during a Thursday morning keynote session of Google I/O in San Francisco.
Google already has one the largest worldwide networks of data centers with strong networking connections between them. That may become a distinguishing point between Google and Amazon, which also has data centers around the world but is just starting to offer connections between them. Based on its approach to platform-as-a-service, Google can be expected emphasize the resiliency and lack of downtime of its approach to infrastructure.
Amazon, however, offers infrastructure for both Windows and Linux workloads. In addition, Google Compute Engine will host virtual machines running only Linux workloads.
Holzle said Compute Engine will deliver "up to 50% more value" than other IaaS providers without specifically naming any competitors. In addition to Amazon, Rackspace, SoftLayer, and Hosting.com offer IaaS, along with more business-oriented suppliers such as Terremark, a unit of Verizon, and Savvis, a unit of CenturyLink.
Compute Engine is available immediately in "limited preview," meaning it doesn't yet qualify as a full-fledged product. Google will limit how many users may sign up for the service. No date for general availability has been named.
One of the strongest steps Microsoft has made toward IaaS came June 6 whenit said it would start offering Linux servers. If it's ever going to offer IaaS, it needed to include Linux or permanently concede a large part of the market to Amazon. It will import the Linux workloads using its VHD virtual machine file format, meaning that its Hyper-V hypervisor will gain a more equal footing with VMware's ESX Server, which from day one dealt with Linux.
Microsoft at the time said that Azure customers may run CentOS, Ubuntu, or Suse Linux servers--in other words nearly anyone except Red Hat. Red Hat is still too formidable a competitor. Despite being a denouncer of Linux for years, Microsoft has reconsidered. It doesn't wish to be left behind because of its militant line. If cloud users want to run Linux, Azure will do so.
Why Open Source?
[ There is a lot of moving around in the cloud. Read NASA Drops OpenStack For Amazon Cloud. ]
If cloud users find in Azure what they need to build their websites, they're more likely to use it for its infrastructure and build more applications using its platform-as-a-service. PaaS is a step above plain vanilla computing because it adds tools, widgets, and frameworks for rapid application building; the resulting apps run conveniently in the PaaS cloud.
Thus, Microsoft has maneuvered itself much closer to becoming an IaaS provider. It has invested heavily in data centers around the world--Azure will become available in 48 additional countries, including Russia, by the end of June, bringing its total to 89. Microsoft is thus in a strong position to make an IaaS offering as a logical extension of its platform. Offering IaaS would also allow Microsoft to more thoroughly utilize its data centers for more profitable operations.
But so far, Microsoft hasn't gone head to head with Amazon, except when offering entry-level small servers. Both Amazon and Microsoft appear to be trying to capture the cloud newcomer and early cloud user with low pricing for small servers. As the size of the server offering increases, Microsoft loses a small pricing edge and Amazon offers the stronger IaaS server resources for the money. In that sense, Microsoft appears to be competing for IaaS customers with the intent of leading them toward a value-added and higher-priced PaaS environment.
Google, on the other hand, keeps expanding how its App Engine works with the outside world. It may not be trying to bring its primary compute workloads into App Engine, an environment that runs Python and Java (or languages, such as JRuby, that run in the Java Virtual machine). Rather, it appears to be matching up App Engine with third-party services that can bring it on-premises workloads. That would allow App Engine to function as an extension of customer's infrastructure without needing to transform into general-purpose infrastructure on its own.
App Engine, like Azure, is also primarily a PaaS platform, with Google enhancing it with Google Gadgets, Google Apps, and other services. Its just-announced partnership with Cliqr Technologies is aimed at customers who are creating on-premises clouds and looking for them to interoperate with a public cloud.
Driving A Hybrid
Interest in hybrid cloud computing, where workloads may run either on premises or in the public cloud, is growing. Cliqr makes it easier for them to move those private cloud workloads somewhere else. In entering a partnership with Cliqr, Google is positioning App Engine as a destination for those seeking operations in the public cloud.
Google has restricted itself to offering a compute platform highly compatible with the way it likes to produce applications. In a sense, it's offered its spare capacity as a compute platform and provided tools it built for its own use to the rest of the world.
Both Microsoft and Google PaaS could migrate into something big, a direct head-to-head competition with Amazon to provide general purpose IaaS. Then again, the principals may be engaging in evolutionary baby steps, afraid to do a self-transformation through a major DNA transfusion.
Google's cloud environment started out able to host applications written in the language its developers most frequently use, Python, a high-speed language in which programs may be quickly modified. It later expanded App Engine to be able to run Java or the other languages geared to run in the Java Virtual Machine, such as JRuby. But Google did not produce a plain vanilla, "send us anything to run and we run it" platform.
In Microsoft's case, it looks like IaaS, with the ultimate goal of moving the customer to PaaS, including some Windows parts and products. The way it implemented Linux support suggests that it wants to keep developers engaged with its platform and is making it easier for them to move a Linux project into the Azure setting.
In Google's case, it looks like hybrid cloud operation--a customer on-premises system that works with Google's public cloud--to bring more business to Google App Engine. Google has not only built out an extensive chain of data centers but has learned to minimize user response times through experience with its search engine.
Rent The Spike
Cliqr is a Google Ventures and Foundation Capital-backed company that can give a hybrid cloud user the means to view workloads running in either setting and project their expense. Cloud users such as online gaming company Zynga are major proponents of the hybrid approach. Companies should only build enough data centers to run their applications in steady state, off-loading heavy traffic demand into the public cloud. Zynga's cloud architect Allan Leinwand sums up the approach as, "Buy the base, rent the spike."
Other companies may wish to offload public-facing functions as website operations and marketing promotions to the cloud because little sensitive corporate data is involved. They would maintain in-house the jobs that require strict data privacy and compliance.
Cliqr is a startup that aims to bring in house the operational smarts now found in outside third parties, such as RightScale, which can move its customers' workloads around from cloud to cloud, handling the compatibility issues within its automated processes. Cliqr would perform a similar function for App Engine, mediating between an on-premises workload and its export to the public cloud, where its console can help manage it.
Expertise, automation, and silo busting are all required, say early adopters of private clouds. Also in the new, all-digital Private Clouds: Vision Vs. Reality issue of InformationWeek: How to choose between OpenStack and CloudStack for your private cloud. (Free with registration.)


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shares were rising Tuesday after the animal health provider posted fourth-quarter revenue that slightly beat expectations and offered upbeat full-year guidance.
(ticker: ZTS) posted fourth-quarter revenue of just more than $2 billion and adjusted earnings of $1.15 a share, slightly beating on revenue and mirroring earnings expectations, according to FactSet. Fourth-quarter revenue within the company’s U.S. segment rose year over year, while the international segment was “essentially flat on a reported basis,” according to the company.
The company also issued a full-year revenue guidance range of $8.575 billion to $8.725 billion, higher than revenue of $8.1 billion recorded for 2022.
“In 2022, Zoetis delivered another strong year of performance thanks to our diverse portfolio, global scale and talented colleagues,” said Kristin Peck, chief executive officer, in the company’s earnings press release. “We grew revenue 8% operationally, driven by our innovative companion animal franchises across parasiticides, dermatology and pain.”
Shares of Zoetis climbed 5.5% to $172.05. It was one of the best performers in the
Tuesday, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Write to Emily Dattilo at email@example.com


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BARCLAYS Wealth has responded to investor demand by reissuing its Emerging Markets Optimiser with the same investment terms.
The structured products provider asserted that ongoing market turbulence was continuing to boost the appeal of investments offering lower-risk exposure to high-growth areas. The Optimiser is based on...
Our weekly heads-up for advisers
Think tank report
Taking the time to look
After 14-month FAS programme
More than half of people over the age of 55 see financial security as a top priority in retirement, yet a third allocate more time to buying a new car, research from Legal & General (L&G) has found.


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Software maker Kaspersky Lab has released its initial anti-virus products that support Microsoft's new Vista operating system. Shipped on Dec. 28, the software is a beta version of a maintenance update for Kaspersky's Anti-Virus 6.0 and Internet Security products that includes the new support for Vista, which was introduced by Microsoft in mid-November 2006.
While the first Vista-oriented products built by Kaspersky, which has its headquarters in Moscow, Russia, cover the company's consumer-oriented technologies, the firm is in the process of creating versions of its enterprise security applications that will be tailored to work with the Microsoft OS. Kaspersky has yet to disclose publicly an official date when those products will arrive.
Built with a number of security tools onboard, including anti-virus capabilities, some industry watchers have predicted that the arrival of Vista will make it harder for mid-tier software makers such as Kaspersky to compete, as Microsoft's entry to the market will also push industry leaders Symantec and McAfee to cut pricing for their own applications.


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As per previous reports Samsung is working on a no of budget handset scheduled to launch this fall. The Samsung Mega On and Grand on is part of the new range of devices from the Korean company. But it wasn't more official than now, as the Samsung Galaxy Mega On passed TENAA certification in China today.
The alleged device carrying a model no of SM-G6000 is reportedly powered by a 1.2GHz quad core SoC which is presumably a Snapdragon 410 chip. On the top is 5.5 inch HD (1280x720) screen along with a 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory.
Talking of optics, the upper mid-range model from Samsung sports a 13MP rear camera rear shooter along with a large 8MP snapper on the front. In terms of dimension the Samsung Galaxy Mega On measures 151.8 x 77.5 x 8.2mm. The weight of the device is however on the heavier side at 172gms.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega On runs on Android Lollipop 5.1.1 with the company's own TouchWiz OS on top. Further the leaked images of alleged device show minimum bezels. Analysts at Gizbot suspect that there's a high probability that those are painted black! It highly unlikely that Samsung would implement a bezel less technology on its mid-range offering.
Just in case you have been following Samsung for quite a while then its likely that you have heard of these alleged devices dubbed Samsung O5 and O7. Recently the Samsung O5 leaked via GeekBench with similar specs of the Galaxy Mega On. Apparently it seems the Galaxy Mega On is actually a renamed edition of the O5!


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On February 18, 2014, CNN Money reported that Americans are borrowing more money and using their plastic at levels not encountered since before the Great Recession in 2008. In the last quarter of 2014, overall household debt rose across the country to a staggering $241 billion dollars. Many consumers are wondering the cause of this jump, and if it shows signs that the economy is on its way to a full recovery. Read on for a look at why many Americans are borrowing more money and what this means for the country’s future.
First Increase in Debt Since 2008
The … Read the rest


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Fashion doesn't exist in a vacuum, and one of our favourite aspects of London Fashion Week is reading between the lines at shows and presentations to discover the cultural references that have inspired designers' collections. Something as small as a song lyric or a chance meeting, or as big as an art movement or female archetype can ignite the first sparks of a designer's creativity, leading to the pieces we see on the catwalk during fashion week.
And The 2018 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists Are...
On Thursday, Vogue and the Council of Fashion Designers of America released the official lineup for its annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition. And


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Conditions of approval for three active neonicotinoids changed
The European Commission has changed the conditions of approval for the active neonicotinoid substances Clothianidin, Thiamethoxam and Imidacloprid, and prohibits the use and sale of seeds treated with plant protection products containing those active substances. The Authority has based its decision on the risk assessments for bees for these three actives. Member States are to amend or withdraw existing authorizations for plant protection products containing these three active substances by 30 September 2013. Periods of grace will be as short as possible and will expire on 30 November 2013 at the latest. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 485/2013 can be read here in its entirety.
Chlorfenapyr (PT8) included in Annex I of BPD
The European Commission has approved the inclusion of Chlorfenapyr in Annex I of Directive 98/8/EC (the BPD) for PT 8 (wood preservatives). The complete decision can be read here.
Non-inclusion of Formaldehyde for PT 20 in Annex I of BPD
The European Commission has voted not to include formaldehyde for PT 20 in Annex I of Directive 98/8/EC (BPD). According to Commission Decision 2013/204/EU, all authorizations will be withdrawn by 1 July 2015.
Provisional authorizations for new plant protection actives extended
The EU Commission has extended the provisional authorizations for several new active substances for plant protection, which are currently under evaluation by the Commission. These are:
|Metaflumizone||Orthosulfamuron||Pseudomonas sp. strain
Commission Implementing Decision 2013/205/EU extends the authorizations to 30 April 2015.
Paecilomyces fumosorseus strain FE 9901 approved by European Commission
The European Commission has approved the inclusion of Paecilomyces fumosorseus strain FE 9901 in the annex of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 540/2011. You can read Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 378/2013 here.
Bixafen added to Anned of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 540/2011
The European Commission has approved the active substance bixafen, amending the Annexc to Regulation (EU) No. 540/2011 accordingly. Commissino Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 350/2013 can be read here.
DDAC fungicide - approval withdrawn
The European Commission has withdrawn the approval for DDAC (Didecyldimethylammonium chloride). Originally approved for indoor uses on ornamental plants as a fungicide, herbicide, bactericide and algaecide, the decision to withdraw was made based on a submission of confirmatory data. The entire Commission Implementing Decision (EU) No. 175/2013 can be read here.


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Electronic payment processor Payment Alliance International and Panoptic Security, a qualified security assessor specializing in PCI DSS compliance programs, have announced a strategic partnership to provide PAI merchants with access to an online PCI compliance portal.
Panoptic's ExpertPCI solution has been integrated into the PAI Secure Program, PAI's PCI compliance and indemnification program. Participating merchants can now go online to complete their PCI industry-mandated self-assessment questionnaires, or SAQs, and Network IP Scans, using a guided step-by-step SAQ wizard.
Through this partnership and enhancements to the PAI Secure program, enrolled PAI merchants can begin validating their PCI compliance in a more secure and efficient manner than the traditional paper-based SAQ and Network IP Scan process.
"We are very excited about our partnership with Panoptic Security to deliver an even more efficient way for our merchants to become PCI compliant," said John J. Leehy III, president and CEO of Payment Alliance International. "By integrating ExpertPCI into our PAI Secure program, we can offer a truly turnkey package for our merchant customers that includes education on the PCI DSS and how to become compliant, online PCI compliance validation, as well as a level of financial protection from losses that may occur in the event of a security breach."
A news release from the companies said that the Panoptic Security ExpertPCI solution delivers higher compliance rates than industry averages by simplifying the process, shortening the time for merchants to complete the SAQ, and guiding them through one step at a time.
"Our solution is second to none in the industry in driving PCI compliance, and we look forward to bringing these benefits to PAI's customers," said Matthew Hoffman, CEO of Panoptic Security.
For more on this topic, visit the transaction processing research center.


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These Beliefs Persist, Despite the Data:
Out-of-Stocks Aren’t a Problem Today
For some reason, brands think that out-of-stocks are a problem of the past. Maybe they trust inventory control tech to make sure it never happens. Whatever the reason, out-of-stocks are even a bigger risk in the omnichannel world. With online purchasing, click-and-collect, and delivery companies like Instacart and Shipt, competing with traditional in-store shoppers, there are so many more ways for products to disappear from the shelves. Technology has helped solve the problem; at the same time it’s making it worse.
In many stores, the traffic from “professional” shoppers working for delivery companies and click-and-collect customers has gotten so crazy other customers may feel they are in a competition with the people wearing colored vests. That can really undermine the whole experience that many experts say shoppers still want: a sensory experience, a feeling of engagement. Yes, shoppers want both: efficiency and engagement.
In fact, some experts suggest stores divide in two: providing a storefront where traditional shoppers can get the sensory experience and customer connection they seek; and a store back that’s a robotic enabled warehouse.
Few stores are prepared to make such a dramatic shift. But neither should they accept shoppers having to elbow their way through the aisles only to arrive at a shelf that’s been picked clean by the professionals. When confronted with an out-of-stock, many customers will turn to online shopping, knowing they won’t be disappointed there. Out of stocks cost retailers almost $145 billion every year.
The high cost of out-of-stocks
The recent FMI/GMA Trading Partner Alliance On-shelf Availability (OSA) Study revealed that product availability is one of the top three reasons shoppers choose a particular store. But every time a shopper comes in the store, the report said, “One out of every 12 items on her shopping list, and one out of every 10 or less for promoted items, is not on the shelf.”
Retailers only get three strikes out: “On the first occurrence of an out-of-stock,” the report said, “the typical shopper will substitute another item 70 percent of the time; on the second occurrence the shopper is equally likely to substitute, make no purchase, or go to another store; and on the third occurrence, 70 percent will go to another store.”
This applies to both in-store and online out-of-stocks. It sends the shopper the message that you’re not that serious about, or up to the challenge, of meeting their needs like the marketplaces like Amazon are. That’s something no brand or retailer can afford to communicate.
My Single Source Stores Have Got This
Some single source stores are probably doing a fantastic job of merchandising. Others, however, may be charging too much, or committing too little effort. Brands have to stay on top of how stores are managing their products in store, including shelf space, promotions, and demos. As some of our clients have experienced, though they pay monthly for the service to new items stocked, those new items have not been placed for more than a year.
Single source has always been controversial. Before Whole Foods was acquired by Amazon, the company was reportedly looking for ways to reduce grocery prices and cut costs. Several stories came out in 2018 alleging that the company’s single source merchandising strategy was edging smaller brands out of Whole Foods. Since many smaller brands depended on Whole Foods support, and many customers liked having local brands, this dramatically changed the retailer’s identity in the minds of customers.
But larger brands weren’t getting any breaks either. Companies reported that—in private negotiations with manufacturers— the store was asking four times what other retailers do for their merchandising services—up to three percent of sales in order to reduce prices.
CPG companies may not have the choice of handling their own merchandising with retailers, but they need to resist the temptation to address lack of control by losing interest. Maybe the system should be “trust but verify.” Collect data on sales across retailers and across stores and verify that merchandising is being done according to the agreements in place. If sales of any product lag, single source merchandising might be among the reasons. With profits being earned on incremental sales, no factor can be ignored. Whoever is handling the merchandising, it will always be the job of the producer to make sure their product is getting the treatment it deserves.
It’s Too Pricey to Invest in POS Data
There was a fad in the 1980s of people buying exercise equipment and never using it. The conclusion was that buying home exercise equipment was a waste of money. That was not an accurate conclusion.
That’s what often happens with POS data. In Askuity’s 2018 POS Data study, only 63 percent of brands said they were actively leveraging their POS data to drive sales and 92 percent said they believed they could do more with it. As an article in TotalRetail put it: “Retailers expect their buyers to be looking at the data and providing value-added recommendations on a regular basis.”
Brands can’t do that if they’re not collecting the data in a visual format that lets them quickly analyze what’s happening in store and why. Investing in that is not a waste of money; it’s the way both retailers and brands make more money.
Used correctly, POS data can fatten your bottom line by directing smart choices that increase revenues and reduce costs. Instead of continuing to invest in products, discounts, promotions, or marketing vehicles that don’t move the needle, POS data gives you insight about what is moving the needle so you can continue to push it upward. Retail profits are incremental today. And the more granular the profits, the more granular the data must be. Bigger brands know this and invest in the data.
In the omnichannel world, the ability to respond to change is crucial. Collecting and using data from every channel is the only way to stay on top of change as it’s happening.
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Published: 17:05, 14 September 2020
| Updated: 11:03, 15 September 2020
A shopper has become the first person in Kent to be charged for refusing to wear a face mask.
Sam Francis, of Slades Drive, Chislehurst , was stopped during a visit to Bluewater shopping centre.
The 30-year-old was arrested by police patrolling the mall in Greenhithe around 1.20pm on Saturday.
He was reported to have refused to wear a face mask when quizzed.
In addition to a breach of the Covid-19 rules he was also charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
Francis was bailed and is due to appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court on November 12.
A spokesman for Bluewater said: “Our security teams are working hard to ensure visitors are safe whilst also reminding guests to follow Government guidance.
"We are very grateful to the overwhelming majority of guests who are wearing masks during their visit to Bluewater.
"We are fully co-operating with police on the incident in question – the safety of our guests is our highest priority.”


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In every retail shopping event, there are winners and there are losers. One research firm thinks that this Black Friday will see winners in the big-box and dollar-store retailers.
As noted by Forbes, though the conventional wisdom may be that online shopping dominates Black Friday, Foursquare’s location Intelligence says that more than 90 percent of commerce still happens in brick-and-mortar locations. The firm has said that its own app tracks and makes determinations about where the foot traffic has been and where it may be headed. Thus, this year’s Black Friday traffic will drop by roughly 3.5 percent from last year. But, Forbes reported, Black Friday is now only the third most popular shopping day of the year.
Among the retail categories that could see rising traffic, the firm stated, big stores are gaining ground and could see traffic boosts of 5 percent this year. Big Lots will see the biggest gain in traffic, Foursquare predicted. Moving toward the Christmas season, Dollar Tree will see gains too. For Black Friday, notable laggards could include department stores, which have been losing some marquee name products and had already seen 7 percent declines in traffic through the months of September and October of this year. But Foursquare said that department stores could see a recovery later in the season, to the benefit of Marshall’s and Dillards, among others.


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A new report has emerged claiming that the chocolate industry has failed to cut child labour from its supply chains around the globe, with authors of the report stating that nearly 50% of children in certain areas are being employed by the chocolate industry.
The news comes from a recent report published by the University of Chicago, who had been studying the supply chains of major chocolate manufacturers to identify evidence of child labour and modern slavery.
According to the report, more than two-fifths of children (43%) aged between 5 and 17-years-old based in cocoa producing areas like the Ivory Coast and Ghana have been employed by the chocolate industry in one form or another, which marks a 13% increase over the past decade.
Authors of the report say that “the increase coincides with a 62% growth in cocoa production across the two countries,” and has led a number of children forced into a “hazardous” child labour scenario. In total, the report notes that 1.56 million children are engaged in the production of chocolate’s raw ingredients.
They say that “for children living in agricultural households, hazardous child labor in cocoa production includes the use of sharp tools, undertaking land clearing activities, working long hours or at night, and exposure to agro-chemical products.”
Kareem Kysia, Director of the Vulnerable Populations Research at the University of Chicago’s NORC division and lead author of the report has said that “as the overall production of cocoa increased dramatically, cocoa farming spread into areas of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana where infrastructure to monitor child labor was weak and awareness of laws regulating it was low.”
“Interventions to stem hazardous child labor in the cocoa sector should target new, emerging areas of production and focus on efforts to reduce exposure to the component parts of hazardous child labor.”
The Guardian’s Oliver Balch notes that the report is particularly significant considering the fact that “back in 2001, big brands such as Nestle, Mars and Hershey signed a cross-sector accord aimed at eliminating egregious child labour. Despite missing deadlines to deliver on their pledge in 2005, 2008 and 2010, they continue to insist that ending the illegal practice remains their top concern.”
Since publishing their findings, U.S. chocolate producer, Mars has said once again that child labour should not exist in its supply chain, and says it has put forward more than a billion dollars of funding to “fix a broken supply chain” that contains any child labour.
The Guardian’s reporting quotes Charity Ryerson, the founder of an advocacy group called Corporate Accountability Lab, and says the chocolate industry has maintained a position of “mind-boggling hypocrisy.”
“In the past 20 years, the cocoa industry has invested enormous skill and resources in public relations around sustainability, but the increase in child labour demonstrates it has utterly failed to bring that same expertise and investment to create real sustainability.”
That same report states that “cocoa buyers flatly deny the charge, arguing that the issue is complex and not easily fixed. The explanations for repeated failure stretch from the legal (they don’t own the cocoa farms where abuses happen) to the practical (auditing is expensive; identifying origin farms is complex) through to the nit-picking.”
The Fairtrade Foundation estimates that just 6% of the chocolate industry’s revenue figures are eventually returned to, and invested in their farmers. Impact Director at the Fairtrade Foundation, Louisa Cox says that helping farmers to diversify their crops as well as additional funding, training and technical assistance is needed to truly end rates of child labour in the supply chains of the chocolate industry.


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The Recession Scare is Over — It’s Time to Buy While Interest Rates Are Low
No one has a crystal ball when it comes to investing.
But today, I wanted to share updates on three predictions I made at the beginning of the year — and why what has happened since is great news for Bold Profits Daily readers.
First, my prediction that interest rates would fall has proven true. While some economists predicted rates were going to rise, the opposite has happened since last year.
For example, if you were planning to buy a house when I made my prediction, you would have paid 5% for a 30-year mortgage. Today, that rate is 4%.
That’s because the rate for the 10-year bond, which sets rates for mortgages, car loans and so many things, has gone down.
This is good news for consumers and for the economy overall. And there’s really no sign a recession is coming.
Check out my video below.
Bold Profits Daily
April 2, 2019
Hi. This is Paul with your Bold Profits Daily.
Today I am going to give you a great update on my three predictions that I had for you at the beginning of this year. If you go back and watch the video you’ll see that I told you that I believed that interest rates were going to go down.
If you think back to what was going on at the time, everyone was thinking that interest rates were going to keep going up and going up. Interest rates have gone down. In fact, they’ve gone down a lot.
For example, if you were planning to buy a house when I first made that video, you would have paid 5% for a 30-year mortgage. Today, that rate is 4%.
That’s because the rate for the bond that really sets interest rates for mortgages, car loans and so many things — the 10-year bond — the interest rate for that has gone down. Because of that, the price of the bond has gone up.
If you remember, I told you to buy the iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (Nasdaq: IEF), and it’s gone up by about 3% or 4%, which for bonds is really good.
I’m doing this update because I want to tell you that I think that with the size of the move …and the speed of the move that we’ve had, I believe that particular prediction has come true and it’s time to close that trade out.
If you were in IEF and expecting interest rates to go down some more, it could go down a little bit more. However, that trade is done because right now we’ve got all these recession fears, which I really consider to be pretty bogus. Just today, for example, when I’m recording this — and I’m recording this about a week early because my team is going to be away — the U.S. reported that its economy grew by 2.2%.
There’s really no sign there is a recession coming, a financial crisis coming or a bear market coming. What we do have is a lot of fear. That’s now been priced in by people buying bonds, it’s now been priced in by people buying defensive stocks.
It’s time to close the bond trade and expect interest rates to stay flat for a little while…which now gets me to the second two parts of my predictions and to give you my updates on those.
The second part of my prediction was I told you that FANG was going to come back. FANG represents Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG).
The reason I told you FANG was going to come back is because there are always a set of stocks that represent the time and that people use as a shortcut to get into the market. FANG is as good a way as any because they represent companies of the new, growth companies, companies of our time, companies with huge growth profiles ahead of them.
Now, FANG hasn’t quite taken off yet. However, I believe with the recession scare mostly now behind us, we are going to see some or many of these stocks move up. So I still believe in FANG.
The last thing I told you in my prediction update was that I believe that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) was a sell. Apple peaked out over $200, then went down quite a bit and has rallied up from here on the basis of the fact that some people really think that Apple is going to magically transform itself into a services company.
I would tell you that is very unlikely to happen. And I still believe that Apple stock should be sold. It’s a company in decline, It’s got enormous competition, it’s behind in technology in virtually everything it does. This so-called pivot to services is ultimately going to fail because it depends on people buying their devices.
If their devices are no good and their devices aren’t selling, so that means it’s a problem for Apple. I’m still a seller of Apple. I’m still negative on Apple.
That’s my Bold Profits Daily for you this week. Please subscribe, share and like this video. I’ll have another one for you next week. Until then, this is Paul saying bye.
Tap Into the Tech Boom
A second prediction I made was that the FANG stocks — Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google — are poised to take off.
That’s because this set of stocks represents new-world companies — those positioned to grow because they’re taking advantage of tech mega trends that have enormous upside ahead.
The FANG stocks haven’t quite taken off yet. But with the recession scare behind us, we’re going to see at least some of these stocks — if not all of them — move up.
On the other hand, my third prediction focused on a formerly new-world company that has peaked: Apple.
Apple is attempting to transform itself into a services company, but I don’t see that happening. It’s a company in decline, falling behind in technology in virtually everything it does.
Check out my video to find out why, as well as how to tap into the new-world tech trends and low interest rates.
That’s all I have for this week. I’ll be back next week with another Bold Profits Daily.
Editor, Profits Unlimited