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Think back to a year ago. Everybody was ready for a booming economic recovery and a summer of love in 2021, all made possible by Covid-19 vaccines. Some were even saying the end of the pandemic was in sight.
Then the Delta and Omicron variants arrived. As 2021 draws to a close, the pandemic continues unabated, generating one mixed signal after another and greatly complicating the global economic recovery.
In the stock market, however, the party lasted all year long. The total return on the S&P 500 in 2021 was more than 27%—not even dramatic inflation data was able to dampen the animal spirits. Not yet, anyway.
But observers are wondering how much longer the bull market can last—barely interrupted as it was by the shortest bear market ever in early 2020. There are signs that last call could be around the corner—tempered by other indications that investors still have money to make in 2022.
Here are the top nine investing trends to watch out for in the new year.
1. Markets Are Still Being Driven by the Covid-19 Pandemic
Which way will the pandemic winds blow? There’s hope that 2022 is the year when normalcy returns, sending travel, commercial real estate and traditional retail stocks even higher—but then again, we’ve heard that story before.
Delta dashed the dream in 2021. And as the calendar turns, Omicron’s emergence offers both short-term and long-term worries. Even if this variant doesn’t produce another surge of deadly infections, what about the next variant? Mother Nature, not humans, gets to write the end of this story.
Principally, investors should realize that the post-Covid market rally is already here, even if the pandemic isn’t over yet. That’s because stock markets have likely already priced in most or all of the gains that can be expected from a fully reopened economy.
While there are still mask mandates and airline travel remains below pre-pandemic levels, many Americans have already returned to a relatively normal life, so even if luck turns and the pandemic finally peters out sometime in 2022, there might not be much more room for the economy—or the stock market—to run.
2. Federal Reserve Rate Hikes Are Likely in 2022
Stocks do well when the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates low, but the days of the Fed’s zero interest rate policy (ZIPR) are numbered. The only question investors should be asking themselves is how many Fed interest rate hikes will happen in 2022.
The CME’s FedWatch Tool predicts at least two rate increases, based on how traders are speculating in the futures market. Meanwhile, the already planned reductions in the Fed’s monthly bond purchases—the so-called taper—means that quantitative easing (QE) will be over by spring.
QE and rock-bottom rate have helped to prop up stocks since early 2020. But more bad news, like even hotter inflation reports, might force the Fed to tighten monetary policy even faster, and that’ll probably end badly for stocks.
3. Tired of Hearing about Inflation? It’ll Get Worse Before It Gets Better
It’s undeniable: U.S. consumers (and financial media) are fixated on inflation. Casual dismissals of high gas prices and supply-chain-related shortages as “transitory” won’t work in 2022. The course of inflation is going to be an even bigger story in 2022, and if the current trends aren’t reversed soon, there’s going to be market turmoil.
Higher interest rates and higher inflation are a recipe for a Wall Street retreat. It might, however, signal opportunities in the bond market or even provide some good news for savers in the form of higher APYs.
4. Supply Chain Solutions
Check out any U.S. port today and you’ll see piles and piles of shipping containers waiting to be unloaded or to be refilled with goods. This is just one tipoff that the supply chain challenge no longer looks like a short-term issue.
There might be some good to come from supply chain issues over the long term. Americans are for the first time in a long time questioning the wisdom and national security implications of buying and making nearly all our products overseas. That’s good.
But in the short-term, it’s probably bad for markets. Even if the pandemic mercifully ends, there will be no full-term recovery until supply chains smooth out and keep store shelves full. And the Omicron variant isn’t making resolution of this issue any easier, guaranteeing that it will stick around in 2022.
5. Recovery, I Hardly Knew Ye
The raging gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 2021 has been frequently underplayed in the media. In the first half of 2021, the U.S. economy was cooking along with 6% quarter-over-quarter GDP increases. That’s unsustainable—and we found that out in the third quarter, when growth fell to 2%.
That was an early indication that the re-opening dividend might have come and gone. A fourth-quarter recovery is expected, but imagine if 2022 settles in with low levels of GDP growth right as the Fed gets really scared about inflation. This could be a perilous combination for stockholders.
6. The Job Market Is Still Unsettled
The marked improvement in the job market was a major story in 2021. By November, U.S. unemployment had fallen to 4.2%, and—as you’d expect—the tight market has helped push wages higher.
The numbers present an incomplete picture of the real labor market, however. The U.S. still hasn’t regained the 22 million jobs it lost during the pandemic recession, and it’s millions of jobs short of where its pre-pandemic trajectory should have taken the job market.
So why is unemployment so low? Much of the gap can be chalked up to women forced out of the labor market while trying to navigate child care, plus their overrepresentation in industries hit hardest during the pandemic.
The ferocious competition for workers has hurt companies with higher labor costs and staffing challenges. These issues need to be worked out before the labor market can return to normal—and until then, it will remain another drag on many public companies.
7. Have the FANNG Stocks Lost their Bite?
If you want a real sign that the stock market could be in for a slowdown in 2022, look to the FAANG stocks.
This is a Wall Street nickname for the five tech giants that have been a driving force behind the bull market for years now, including Meta—formerly Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX) and Alphabet—parent of Google (GOOGL). Microsoft (MSFT) is sometimes substituted for Netflix, making the acronym FAAMG.
Last year, we predicted a rotation out of FAANG, because the tech giants had run so far so fast during 2020. We turned out to be only partially correct. Microsoft and Google gained even more in 2021 (our bad), while more modest 2021 gains at Facebook and Amazon actually underperformed the wider market.
In fact, according to Morningstar’s U.S. Large-Mid Index, in 2020 the FAANG stocks contributed approximately 25% of the total market’s returns. This year through late November, the FAANG stocks contributed barely 3% of the market’s returns.
So the FAANG stocks were not a bad bet in 2021, but they came real close. Some analysts say it’s inevitable that investors will go looking elsewhere for returns in 2022, further benefiting names like Tesla (TSLA). Could we suggest boring consumer staples with dividend-enhanced returns as a place to find comfort while inflation creates uncertainty?
8. Where Are the Chips?
The ongoing computer chip shortage will continue to impact stocks—and not just tech stocks. Practically all consumer durable goods have a computer chip in them now, so the shortage is a bigger problem than laptops. Detroit parking lots are overflowing with almost-completed cars right now, just waiting for scarce computer chips that still need to be installed.
Even an early end to the pandemic wouldn’t necessarily end this dimension of the supply chain crack-up. Here’s just one example: So-called DSP chips, which convert analog to digital signals, necessary for audio equipment ranging from podcast mixers to TVs to cell phones, are in short supply. Blame a terrible fire at a Chinese plant in late 2020 that complicated pandemic problems.
Intel says the chip shortage will last into 2023. That might be a good reason to consider buying chipmaking stocks—but it also might be a better reason to fret over the stability of most other consumer discretionary names.
9. Midterm Elections
Perhaps the biggest uncertainty of 2022 are the midterm Congressional elections. Republicans are likely to do well, as the sitting president’s party usually loses seats in the midterms. Still, the fight seems poised to be hyperpartisan, which might lead to unpredictable news, instability or even violence. That’s the kind of surprise that can spook investors.
It’s also not new. The run-up to midterms often roil stocks, particularly when a power shift in Washington is anticipated. An analysis by Green Bush Financial of stock returns in 1994, 2006, and 2010—the last three times Congressional bodies switched parties—provides a clear warning.
“In all three of those years where a shift in power was in the cards, the stock market was either down or flat leading up the midterm elections in November,” the analysis found. All is not lost, however. All three years, the market churned higher after the election.
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Arm Debuts Project Trillium with Machine Learning and Object Recognition
Arm today announced Project Trillium, a suite of products meant to bring machine learning to mobile devices. While Project Trillium will first target smartphones, Arm says it will eventually scale to both less and more powerful devices as needed. The two central pieces of Project Trillium are the Arm Machine Learning core and the Arm Object Detection core. Arm says the ML core can push 4.6 trillion operations per second while keeping thermals and power consumption in check. The Arm OD processor was built specifically to help computers recognize people, pets, and other objects visible in the frame. It can handle real-time recognition while recording full HD video at 60 frames per second. Together, the Arm ML and Arm OD provide massive efficiency boosts to accompanying CPUs, GPUs, and accelerators, and can outperform traditional programable logic on today's DSPs. The Arm ML and Arm OD are currently sampling and Arm expects to ship them in bulk by the middle of the year. The components will help companies put together their own mobile processor modules that can perform calculations similar to those being made by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and Huawei Kirin 970.
ARM Reveals DynamIQ Processor Design with AI In Mind
ARM today announced DynamIQ, a new way to manage multi-core systems that gives them the ability to scale exactly to the tasks or needs at hand. DynamIQ expands on ARM's big.LITTLE technology, which allows for paired sets of high-power and low-power processor cores to tackle specific tasks based on the computing requirements.
MediaTek Brings the Smarts with Helio P60 SoC
MediaTek announced the Helio P60 system-on-a-chip, a processor that adopts artificial intelligence and other advanced features for mid-range devices. The P60 relies on a big.LITTLE architecture with four ARM A73 processors at 2 GH and four ARM A53 processors at 2 GHz.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 Relies On Semi-Custom Cores
Qualcomm today revealed that the Kryo 385 CPU in the Snapdragon 845 mobile platform does not use off-the-shelf cores and instead relies on semi-custom cores. Processor designers often use cores such as those created by ARM.
ARM's Cortex A35 Chip Promises Efficiency Gains
ARM today announced the Cortex A35 CPU, a new processor for high-volume smartphones and embedded devices. The Cortex A35 is a 64-bit application processor that uses ARM's v8-A architecture in a big.LITTLE configuration.

domain: news


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The Hut Group continued to outperform in the fourth quarter with the company saying on Tuesday that it saw revenue growth of 51% year-on-year, much better than the range of 40% to 45% that it had predicted earlier.
It’s been a long time coming since the announcement last year, but Harrods has finally opened its first standalone beauty store, H Beauty, at Lakeside in Essex. A second store will open in Milton Keynes in 2021.
BlackRock’s Long Term Private Capital fund, alongside Spanish businessman Javier Ferrán, has become the main shareholder of Creed, one of the world’s most ancient independent perfume labels, founded in the UK in 1760.
Located at 225 West 57th Street at the base of Central Park Tower, the mega 320,000 square-foot store offers seven levels of retail space and will play host to a series of exclusive releases and collaborations.


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The mall is now a warehouse, and Blackstone Group LP is betting $18.7 billion on the shift.
That’s how much the alternative investment manager is paying for 179 million square feet of urban logistics properties—the warehouses used by Amazon.com Inc. and other retailers to fulfill orders from online shoppers. The deal with Singapore’s GLP Pte, the second-largest owner of U.S. logistics real estate, will almost double Blackstone’s U.S. industrial footprint.
The rise of Amazon and other e-commerce companies has increased the need for warehouse space by retailers seeking to expand their digital operations and cut delivery times. The shift toward online shopping is reconfiguring supply chains and shaping the fortunes of industrial landlords, with demand especially high in and around large cities, where e-commerce has taken off fastest.
“This type of transaction may further validate what the public markets seem to have been saying for quite sometime: Well-placed industrial real estate assets continue to be sought after by institutional capital,” said J.T. Deignan, head of real estate equity capital markets at Mizuho Securities USA LLC.
The sale comes amid a flurry of warehouse deals. Blackstone, the world’s biggest alternative asset manager, has made both purchases and sales in the sector, including the $7.6 billion takeover of Gramercy Property Trust in October. Also last year, Blackstone acquired Canyon Industrial Portfolio’s last-mile properties for $1.8 billion, Canada’s Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust for about C$3.6 billion ($2.6 billion) and more than 100 warehouse assets from Harvard University’s endowment for $950 million.


text: iPhactory has released iPhorest, a new application for iPhone and iPod touch. iPhorest allows users to plant and grow virtual trees, and view a world map of all iPhorest users worldwide. For each virtual tree planted in the app, the company, in conjunction with The Conservation Fund, says that it will plant a native tree in real life, beginning with the restoration of the vulnerable wildlife habitat along the Gulf Coast. As the virtual iPhorest grows, the Fund will work with public natural resource agencies to ensure the real trees are protected. iPhorest is available now from the App Store and sells for $5.


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European stock markets slumped Tuesday and the dollar faltered, dragged down by nervousness surrounding China-US trade talks with less than one week until Washington was due to impose fresh tariffs on Chinese goods.
London was hit additionally by official data showing the UK economy flattened in October after contracting the previous two months.
But sterling hit an eight-month high at $1.3190, one day after reaching a 2.5-year peak versus the euro.
The British currency remains well supported going into the final straight of the UK general election Thursday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives tipped to win a majority that will help him drive through his Brexit deal.
Regarding European equities, "the Sunday deadline for further US tariffs on Chinese goods has dragged stock markets lower, with an underwhelming set of UK data... further hindering sentiment", said Joshua Mahony, senior market analyst at IG trading group.
Major Asian indices closed little changed on Tuesday.
The general consensus is that China and the US will eventually hammer out a partial pact as part of a wider trade agreement, which has fuelled a global equity rally for weeks.
However comments from both sides -- optimistic and downbeat -- are keeping dealers on their toes.
While the week is chock-full of key events including also central bank decisions in the US and Europe, market observers say the trade negotiations are key.
The main concern for now is that with the December 15 deadline approaching, US President Donald Trump still has not scrapped planned levies on $160 billion of Chinese goods, which many fear could derail the long-running talks.
"Given the market has bought into the December tariff delay in a big way, all hell could break loose if the tariffs don't get postponed," said Stephen Innes at AxiTrader.
"Indeed, that would be a bitter pill for investors to swallow as the reality.. sets in that they have yet again been taken down the trade talk garden path only to end up at the cliff edge."
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.1 percent at 7,153.22 points Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 1.3 percent at 12,936.51 Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 5,795.23 EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.0 percent at 3,637.03 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 23,410.19 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 0.2 percent at 26,436.62 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 2,917.32 (close) New York - Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 27,909.60 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1081 from $1.1064 at 2200 GMT Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3185 from $1.3147
Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.04 pence from 84.15 pence Dollar/yen: UP at 108.57 yen from 108.56 yen Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $64.18 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $59.
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LOS ANGELES: The relatively new phenomena of Internet music downloads and online auctions has forced a shift in how music labels promote artists and new releases.
LOS ANGELES: The relatively new phenomena of Internet music
downloads and online auctions has forced a shift in how music labels
promote artists and new releases.
Smarting from a series of incidents that have undercut promotional
efforts (such as the pre-release sale of Jordan Knight CDs on eBay for
as much as dollars 430), record companies are fighting back by putting
the clamps on journalists and radio stations used to receiving new CDs
weeks before their release to the general public.
The Knight incident is a prime illustration of why companies have been
forced to change their traditional way of promoting new releases.
Knight’s label Interscope Records not only lost the revenue from the
auctioned-off CDs, but the black-market availability of the music also
undercut a megabucks promotional campaign. Similarly, rapper Nas was
forced to add new tracks to his recent CD due to a pirated copy being
posted on the Internet in MP3 form before the release date.
As a result, reporters are rapidly losing their once unfettered access
to advanced copies of new CDs. Music writers and critics are being asked
to make written requests for PR materials, with some companies insisting
that writers sign a pledge not to let anyone borrow their advance
’There are certain artists we won’t get releases for, because the chance
of bootleg would kill its value,’ said Ned Hammad, managing editor of
PULSE! Added Roni Sarig, music editor for Creative Loafing of Atlanta,
’The main problem I have with it is not just the inconvenience, but the
presumption of guilt.’
Several observers said the change is primarily being felt in the hip-hop
genre, among the most hotly anticipated categories of new music. Labels
like LaFace Records, the Atlanta-based Arista subsidiary that launched
R&B talent like Toni Braxton, TLC and Usher, now limit music writers to
in-studio listening sessions.


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A&L warns of flat revenues
UK BANK Alliance & Leicester has warned revenues will remain flat during the first-half of the year, blaming a slowdown in mortgage lending.
In a pre-close statement, the company said net lending on mortgages was £350m during the first quarter, with the market continuing to be dominated by remortgaging.
Britain's eighth largest bank said: 'The UK mortgage lending market in 2005 has, as expected, seen reductions in both gross and net lending.'
UK banks' performance was buoyed last year by house-price and consumer booms that are now fading, and investors are concerned about rising bad debts and reduced revenue growth.
However, A&L hasn't suffered the increase in bad consumer debts that many of its competitors have experienced. It said impairment losses are expected to be around £30m, in line with expectations, with just 0.68% of mortgage accounts in arrears and 4.2% of personal loan balances.
That still didn't impress broker WestLB which reiterated its 'sell' recommendation, claiming that flat revenue growth meant there was little reason to hold the shares.
WestLB said the group continues to cede market share in the mortgage market and margins continue to fall despite the rebalancing of the portfolio towards higher margin unsecured loans.
It added the group is delivering no top line growth but cost control is compensating to some extent for this, while credit quality remains relatively good but is deteriorating.
Insurance sales fell in the first quarter of this year because many mortgages were sold to people switching their loan provider who already had insurance, A&L said.
The net interest margin, which measures profitability of loans and deposits, fell in the first quarter as unsecured loan and mortgage margins were squeezed.
Britain's biggest unsecured lender Lloyds TSB said on Monday that retail bad debts were rising, echoing statements from rivals such as Barclays.
The company will report its half-year results on 2 August. Shares opened 12½p down to 852½p in morning trading.
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Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed the next operating system for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad today in Cupertino, CA.
The announcement will intensify competition between Apple and Google in the mobile arena. The search giant bought the mobile advertising company, AdMob, from under Apple’s nose last November. Shortly after, Apple acquired another mobile advertising firm Quattro Wireless.
The new OS also includes a feature that users have been clamoring after for a while: the ability to perform more than one application task at once.
This will make Apple’s devices a lot more capable. For example, an iPhone user will be able to dash out an email while listening to music with the Pandora app, or make a phone call while location-based software continues to collect and send data.
Multitasking has been a major selling point for Google’s competing Android platform. But Apple’s new operating system won’t be as fully functional as Android. Instead, Apple is exposing multitasking capabilities through several specific application programming interfaces, which means they must be used in specific ways.
Jobs explained the long delay in bringing multitasking to Apple devices by saying that, if not engineered well, these capabilities can drain battery life and introduce performance issues.
The new operating system is expected to come to newer models of the iPhone and iPod Touch this summer, and to the iPad later this fall. Earlier models (including the 2008 iPhone 3G) will not get all the update’s new features.


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New auto show shoulders into Detroit show’s January time slot
Will metro Detroit have dueling auto shows next year? Do the Tigers compete with the Lansing Lugnuts?
That’s the bottom line as the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi prepares to host a three-day auto show — the self-anointed “The Southeast Michigan Auto Show” — in January, six months before the North American International Auto Show’s ballyhooed switch to become a summer extravaganza covering acres of Detroit riverfront and filling Cobo Center next June.
Miguel Cabrera is about as likely to trash-talk a minor league pitcher as the organizers of NAIAS’s organizers are to complain about the upstart show, but they’re unlikely to welcome anything that confuses people about what, where and when the next Detroit auto show, as NAIAS is generally called, will be.
Add the fact that the Suburban showplace conference center located alongside I-96 in Novi has occasionally served as a foil when groups negotiated terms with bigger and more central Cobo, and you can expect some sharp elbows to be thrown, but everybody is officially playing nice.
“The Detroit Auto Dealers Association remains focused on the 2020 NAIAS,” DADA executive director Rod Alberts said. “We’re independent” from the new show."
The January show in Novi “will be a completely differentiated event compared to the re-imagined North American International Auto Show event in June, an effort that Southeast Michigan Auto Show management fully supports,” says a statement from Suburban Showplace.
All clear? Nothing to see here. Keep moving.
Except that an auto show at roughly the time NAIAS occupied for 30 years is bound to cause some confusion. Neither will say so, but Suburban Showplace hopes to benefit from that while NAIAS wants to minimize it.
June show expands to outdoor spaces
NAIAS — put on by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, 200-plus dealers from throughout metro Detroit — remains focused on adding attractions to put an international spotlight on how much downtown Detroit and the riverfront offer in the summer. In addition to all of Cobo Center, the City of Detroit has devoted 14 acres of riverfront to NAIAS for everything from food trucks to an off-road course.
NAIAS 2020 is likely to stretch from Cobo Center up Jefferson to Hart Plaza and Woodward Avenue, with events and “technology-focused programs” at downtown parks including Campus Martius, Cadillac Square, Grand Circus, Capitol Park and Beacon Park.
Suburban Showplace officials say they expect a variety of brands on a 220,000-square-foot display floor. Crain’s Detroit Business reports the weekend will include a VIP cocktail reception, $5 and $10 tickets, ride and drives and kid-friendly activities. The show is expected to draw cars from dealerships in nearby towns, like Farmington, Milford and Wixom.
Auto companies cutting back on shows
Automakers have been cutting back on financial support for even the oldest and most established auto shows, so don’t expect the elaborate displays and fancy demos like the virtual reality driving simulators automakers bring to top-tier shows with official international status, like NAIAS.
“The last thing automakers need is another auto show coming to them asking for marketing money,” an industry source said.
NAIAS left its traditional January dates to take advantage of good weather and Detroit’s riverfront in June. It will be open to the public June 13-20, about six months after the winter schedule car fans had grown accustomed to. The Charity Preview, industry days, news conferences and an invitation-only showcase for luxury and exotic cars will precede the public days.
All told, NAIAS expects to fill Cobo and the riverfront with events June 6-20.
NAIAS trying to get the glitter back
NAIAS is working hard to reestablish itself as a top global show in its new summer time frame. Success will be defined by how many automakers introduce new vehicles at the show, the number of journalists attending and amount of coverage they generate around the world and public attendance.
“Automakers and industry organizations will reveal the newest products to-date, experiential ride-and-drives will be both indoors and outdoors and we’ll host guests from across the globe all in the beautiful downtown Detroit,” show chairman Doug North said.
The move to June is meant to allow automakers to provide test drives and demonstrations of technologies ranging from off-road SUVs to self-driving cars, advanced safety systems and electric vehicles.


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Wolfram Alpha is a smart, computational take on the search engine, but its new partnership with Microsoft and its Bing search engine is even smarter.
Microsoft is rolling out some enhancements to its Bing search engine, including some that rely on computational information delivered by Wolfram Alpha.
The release of Wolfram Alpha Inc.'s WolframAlpha fact engine last week and the expected unveiling of Microsoft Corp.'s new search engine tomorrow are creating some unease for longtime search champ Google Inc.
After much online chatter and media buildup, WolframAlpha is up and running, promising to take online search in a whole new direction.
A web tool that answers questions directly rather than offering a list of search results could become as popular as Google, according to its inventor.
Wolfram Alpha, the online computational engine, is now available as an iPhone application that serves as a graphing calculator, calorie counter, international economic index, astronomy guide, currency converter, stock information tool, and more -- bu...
Wolfram Alpha is online for testing throughout the weekend, in anticipation of the online knowledge base officially going live on Monday.
The natural-language search engine Wolfram Alpha is expected to launch May 18 and more details about the site are emerging. Most notably, Stephen Wolfram, Wolfram Alpha's creator and the brain behind the computational software Mathematica, says his s...
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Earlier today (10 June), brand valuation consultancy Intangible Business released the results of its latest survey of the world's wine and s...
Starting this month, Tom Vierhile from Datamonitor takes a look at the world of new product development. First up, Tom casts an eye at the m...
Earlier today (2 June), brand valuation consultancy Intangible Business released the results of its latest survey of the world's wine and spirits brands. Here's a look at 'The Power 100', along with the methodology used to draw up the list.
Earlier this week, brand valuation consultancy Intangible Business released the results of its latest survey of the world's spirits brands. Here's a look at the top ten, along with the methodology used to draw up 'The Power 100'.
January may be the time to look forward to the coming year but few in the drinks industry will be eyeing the coming year with relish. However, given the pessimistic tone of virtually every market and economic forecast, it is hard to imagine 2009 being any worse than is being predicted. Olly Wehring offers his view of what’s in store for the drinks market.
Vodka is soon to take over from Scotch whisky as the most consumed spirit in the UK. But Chris Losh sees its success as a triumph of marketing over substance, and wonders whether consumer interest can be sustained if drinkers, like bartenders, begin looking to spirits with more flavour, product heritage and variety to offer, like gin and rum.
Pernod Ricard has announced the departure of the managing director of its Asia Travel Retail division, Con Constandis.
The UK division of Pernod Ricard has revealed a batch of brands it is planning to roll out in the country in the lead-up to Christmas, including a premium brandy and its value vodka offering Oddka.
Pernod Ricard's Wyborowa Oddka
Pernod Ricard is set to roll out a redesigned bottle for its Wyborowa vodka brand.
Pernod Ricard has confirmed a change of managing director at its Havana Club International JV, amid a raft of executive changes.
Pernod Ricard has confirmed the creation of a premium wines business division, while the drinks giant's managing director for distribution is to step down.
Pernod Ricard is looking to boost sales of potato vodka brand Luksusowa in the US after signing a distribution deal with WJ Deutsch & Sons.
Pernod Ricard has announced a series of executive management changes across its business, all effective from 1 July.
Pernod Ricard has confirmed a raft of executive appointments, following changes announced last month at its China business.
Global drinks force Pernod Ricard has announced the UK launch of its super-premium vodka brand Wyborowa Exquisite.
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A new cidery is looking to find out how Boulder feels about them apples.
BOCO Cider is set to open a taproom offering its apple-fermented beverages in Boulder later this month, finishing its takeover of Decadent Saint Winery’s former space at 1501 Lee Hill Drive.
The cidery moved into Decadent Saint’s 1,500-square-foot production space last May, leaving the unit’s anterior 500 square feet to the winery, which continued operating a tasting room there until March.
BOCO Cider founder Michael Belochi said he initially subleased the space from the winery after it moved to a larger production space.
“The luxury of the initial 10 months was that it let me focus on the details of production, licensing, equipment, developing formulas — all the things that end up being the heart of a manufacturing operation,” Belochi said.
After signing the lease, Belochi said he decided to purchase the unit. Records show he and his son Colton paid $505,000 last June for the 2,000-square-foot space.
Belochi was formerly a co-owner of the Boulder distillery Roundhouse Spirits (now Vapor Distillery), and began making cider at home four years ago. He eventually sold his interest in the distillery and took a class on making cider, where he learned that cideries do well in cities with a younger demographic and a heightened interest in gluten-free fare. (Cider is naturally gluten-free, Belochi said.)
He said he was shocked the town didn’t have a cidery, and decided to get the apples rolling himself.
In November, the business quietly debuted its cider when it sold its first keg to Boulder’s BRU Handbuilt Ales & Eats. Belochi hired sales rep Mike Palasciano, formerly the brand ambassador for Vapor Distillery, and cider maker Josh Smith, who also works with Bookcliff Vineyard and Decadent Saint.
Because BOCO’s ciders are unpasteurized and must be refrigerated, the business won’t wholesale to liquor stores. In addition to taproom sales, Belochi said the cidery will continue selling kegs to bars and restaurants that already have their own tap.
The taproom will open with a lineup of 12 ciders, including one made with only Colorado apples, one made with hops and a sour cider infused with kombucha. Belochi said he’ll also feature guest taps with libations from other Colorado cideries. He’s moved some of his cider to oak barrels, hoping eventually to offer a line of barrel-aged ciders.
“My goal is to more or less develop all my own flavors,” Belochi said. “I’m also really resolute on not using any artificial flavors — I’ll use Colorado peaches for a peach flavor. That makes it a little harder to scale up, but right now, I really want to be a boutique-y, fun, handcrafted, innovative place.”
BOCO’s ciders generally will retail by size rather than by flavor, selling at about $6.50 for a 10-ounce pour, Belochi said. The business also will offer tours of its production space.
BOCO won’t have the only cider taproom in Boulder for long; Washington-based Locust Cider also plans to open one this summer, according to the Daily Camera.
Other nearby cideries include Stem Ciders Acreage in Lafayette, The Old Mine Cidery & Brewpub in Erie, Wild Cider in Firestone and St. Vrain Cidery in Longmont. Washington-based Locust Cider also plans to open a cidery in Boulder this summer.
In the future, Belochi wants to expand the cidery’s distribution into bars and restaurants, as well as open up additional taprooms in local areas such as Lyons, Superior or Westminster.
BOCO Cider’s tasting room will hold a soft opening in May, after which it will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated when the taproom is expected to open. It expects to open later this month (May).


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Toys 'R' Us in Manhattan
Published: March 21, 1989
Toys ''R'' Us has signed a letter of intent to open its first Manhattan store, which will be in Herald Center, the vertical shopping mall at 34th Street and Broadway.
The agreement, signed with the New York Land Company, developer of Herald Center, provides the toy company a 70,000-square-foot store on the ground floor and three other levels.
The unusually large store will have a lease of 25 years, real estate executives said. Herald Center was owned by the Marcos family of the Philippines, but the Philippine Government and others have contested the family's title to the property.
The litigation has complicated the pursuit of new tenants. New York Land said the agreement with Toys ''R'' Us was subject to the approval of Federal District Judge Pierre N. Leval, who prevented the transfer of the property in March 1986 until the rightful owner was determined.
Toys ''R'' Us operates 358 stores in the United States and 52 in other countries. Its Kids ''R'' Us division has 124 stores.


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Starbucks suffered what appears to be a major computer system failure late Friday.
It's been just over half a year since Oracle completed its US$5.3 billion acquisition of Micros, and on Wednesday the company added several new services to the retail-focused technologies it gained through that deal.
The mobile payments space is about to get more crowded: CurrentC, a platform backed by some of the country's biggest retailers, will launch in the next few months and give Apple, Google and Samsung added competition.
In just under six months, a behind-the-scenes switch in the payments industry will change the way U.S. consumers shop and could bring wider acceptance for Apple Pay and its competitors.
At an event to launch the Apple Watch, Apple also made several announcements regarding Apple TV, HBO, Macbook, and other products.
If Amazon announces a smartphone on Wednesday, as is widely expected, it will face an avalanche of skeptics.
That someone had to take the fall for the massive breach at Target is neither surprising nor unexpected. The only question is whether more heads will roll in the aftermath of one the biggest data compromises in retail history.
The recent data breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus have once again shown that compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is no guarantee against an intrusion.
Amazon's nascent plan to use unmanned drones to deliver packages to customers has already raised strong privacy concerns that could ultimately nip it in the bud.
Amazon's ambitious plan to use flying drones to deliver packages is far-fetched, but not just because of technology limitations or air traffic regulations. Amazon's fulfillment center network, as it stands now, is too limited to serve even a tiny fraction of the U.S. in the method described by CEO Jeff Bezos.
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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Technology stocks closed sharply lower Monday, with nearly every bellwether closing in the red, as the sector was dragged down by a broad-market retreat, spurred by fears that General Motors, the largest automaker in the U.S., could go bankrupt.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index
closed with a loss of more than 43 points, or almost 3%, to 1,501, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index
gave up 4.4% and the Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index
was off by more than 3%.
Among leading tech stocks, Apple Inc.
fell $2.36, or 2.2%, to $104.49; Microsoft Corp.
gave up 65 cents, or 3.6%, to close at $17.48; Dell Inc.
fell 46 cents, or 4.6%, to $9.49; Hewlett-Packard Co.
fell $1.21, or 3.6%, to $32.12; Cisco Systems Inc.
gave up 64 cents, or 3.8%, to $16.31; Google Inc.
shed $5.01 to close at $342.69; and Yahoo Inc.
fell 48 cents to $12.70.
fell 70 cents a share, or 4.5%, to $14.72. The world's No. 1 semiconductor company will unveil a new microprocessor Monday, called Nehalem, designed for corporate servers. The new chip is said to be designed to help corporate data centers better deal with power consumption and overheating issues. See full story on Intel.
posted one of the few advances, rising 37 cents a share to $94.52 after the publication Monday of the "Open Cloud Manifesto," an attempt led by IBM to propose rules and standards for cloud computing. Cisco and AT&T Inc.
have signed on to IBM's proposals, but Microsoft, Google and Amazon.com Inc.
have expressed opposition. See full story.
shares plunged $1.63, or 17%, to $7.99 after Robert W. Baird analyst Reik Read cut his rating on the ATM maker to neutral from outperform. Read said that he believes NCR will be hit by weak business from European ATM's and U.S. retailers.
But while the tech sector was in the red, much of the losses were blamed on what was going on in the automotive industry, with GM in particular.
Over the weekend, President Barack Obama rejected GM's turnaround plan and said CEO Rick Wagoner must resign in order for the company to receive any more federal bailout aid. Wagoner stepped down amid reports that GM could be on the edge of bankruptcy. Read more about the government and the auto industry.


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HPE to display smart city solutions powered by Intel at its Gurugram CEC
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) India has announced the launch of a Customer Experience Center (CEC) in Gurugram to showcase and demonstrate IoT-based smart city solutions. The facility will feature a wide-range of innovative offerings for smart city projects from HPE, and powered by Intel architecture.
By launching this CEC, HPE will enable partners and customers to experience cutting-edge technologies first hand that can help in the seamless development of smart city projects across the country.
“The vision of the government’s smart cities’ mission is to improve the quality of life of every citizen in the country. A smart city strategy requires careful and proper implementation of new technologies and a citizen-centric approach,” said Som Satsangi, MD - India, HPE. “We are therefore happy to launch this Intel-powered CEC in Gurugram to showcase our experience, best practices, partner ecosystem and technology innovation. Through this initiative we aim to help governments leverage technology to reduce the time it takes to turn smart ideas into smart cities.”
“At Intel, our vision is to work with the industry to connect devices to sensors, and enable storage and analysis of this data for actionable insights. The Intel powered smart city CEC at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, India, is a great opportunity for customers to experience, and for system integrators to showcase local IoT implementation possibilities for industries such as healthcare, smart cities, and waste management. Our end goal is to automate and bring all possible IoT devices online, for maximized efficiency, improved security, and enhanced business performance,” said Prakash Mallya, MD, Sales & Marketing Group, Intel India.
As the process of establishing 100 smart cities gathers momentum across India, HPE along with Intel and other smart solution providers will offer governments and city administrations an excellent opportunity to accelerate time to value and deliver new, innovative, and interactive services to the citizens through IoT. The CEC will demonstrate IoT-based smart city solutions that address the complex and fragmented ecosystem that exists within IoT environments and HPE can help implement an infrastructure that interconnects the various components of the end-to-end solution.
Some of the key smart city solutions that will be showcased and demonstrated at the CEC are - eHealth Center (eHC), Public Wi-Fi, City Surveillance, Solid Waste Management, Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC), Smart water, Smart lighting, Smart traffic and transport, Smart parking, Smart building, Smart industry and Smart farm.
Recently, the Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd. selected the HPE Universal IoT Platform to create India’s first cloud-based ICCC, which with its multitenancy capabilities will be able to run several city command center operations in parallel across seven cities in Madhya Pradesh.
Tags: HPE, smart city solutions, Intel, Gurugram CEC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Customer Experience Center, iot based smart city solutions, iot, internet of things, Intel architecture, smart city, Som Satsangi MD HPE India, Prakash Mallya MD Intel India, varindia, HPE Universal IoT Platform
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By MELINDA WILLIAMS
The next time you see tourists spending money in Virginia, you might want to say “thanks” because they’re helping to keep more money in your pocket.
According to Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), if not for the tax revenue generated by tourism and travel, each Virginia household would have to pay $438 more in annual taxes. As a matter of fact, the tax revenue generated is sufficient to pay the annual salaries for 27,000 firefighters or 22,000 elementary school teachers.
Tourism contributes $20.4 billion annually to Virginia’s economy, making it one of the Commonwealth’s leading industries. This spending supports 207,000 jobs and generates $1.3 billion in state and local revenue, according to VTC.
“Tourism obviously generates a significant amount of revenue for Virginia – and for every dollar Virginia invests in tourism it receives five in return,” said VTC President and CEO Rita McClenny. “The important thing to understand is that tourism benefits us all, whether or not we work in the tourism industry or travel ourselves.”
Most importantly, travel and tourism jobs cannot be outsourced to foreign countries like many other jobs. “A ranger at Shenandoah National Park can no more be outsourced than the park itself,” said McClenny.
Nationally, one out of every eight jobs in America depends on tourism. United States Travel Association reports that domestic and international travel amounts to $2.3 billion per day, directly generating $129 billion in local, state and federal revenue.


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The annual GTCO Food and Drink Festival has returned for its sixth edition, and food lovers across Africa and the world are in for a feast like never before.
The event is slated to hold from Saturday, April 29 till Monday, May 1, 2023, at GTCentre, Plot 1 Water Corporation Drive, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, providing a three-day weekend of food and endless celebration.
The GTCO Food and Drink Festival brings together the greatest minds on the global culinary stage, the most industrious Nigerian small food business owners, a world class, state-of-the-art children’s play area, merging them all to give attendees the most memorable food and drink event.
Commenting on the 2023 GTCO Food and Drink Festival, the group chief executive officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Segun Agbaje, said: “Food and drink are intrinsically social things, and best enjoyed when shared. We understand the value of bringing together businesses and consumers who are passionate about food and have continued to inspire new ways to experience life through food and drink. The continuing success of our free-business platforms reflect our unchanging commitment to Promoting Enterprise and echoes our brand promise of creating Great Experiences.”
Constantly innovating the space and on a quest to continue creating great experiences for all stakeholders, GTCO Food and Drink will be expanding its capacity by creating more opportunities for more businesses and increasing its highly coveted vendor stalls from 142 to 204, giving even more innovative and assiduous business owners the chance to not only showcase their businesses to the over 250,000 foodies in attendance, but also engage with their customer base and learn from a confluence of other great-minded food entrepreneurs.
The event will also feature three premier DJs in Africa, setting the scene for a weekend of celebration, food, drink, and togetherness. Attendance is free.


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India and the UK share long historic ties and as one of the leading G20 investors, the UK has made an investment of 29.56 billion USD in India since 2020 and the number of UK businesses has jumped more than two times during this period with many new India company formation.
The sectors that have been witnessing strong investment growth are healthcare, consumer goods, retail, and infrastructure. Both the countries have long been working to strengthen and improve the trade and investment relationship including enhancement of collaboration in technology and pharmaceuticals.
India having the world’s third-largest startup base can join hands with the UK which has the third-largest Unicorn base in the world to create business growth and employment.
There is no bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and India however as a part of a roadmap to future FTA and during the 14th Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting convened in 2020; trade and investment ministry officials from both countries committed to set up Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) between the two countries expected to be officially launched during the visit of the UK Prime Minister during 2021.
In collaboration with the Department of International Trade (DIT) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Grant Thornton Bharat a reputed consultancy firm in its ” Britain Meets India” report emphasized a stronger trade and investment relationship between India and the UK, especially after covid and post-Brexit. The report highlighted some facts about some information on UK investment in India as under
- UK FDI in India increased from USD 898 million in 2015-16 to USD 1,422 million in 2019-20.
- 572 UK companies in India contributed a total turnover of 46.73 billion USD providing direct employment to 416,121 people.
- The goods and services sector contributed to 26.7 billion USD during 2020.
- India is the preferred country for the UK for economic partnership especially post Brexit.
- Top-ranked sectors being watched by the UK companies are industrial and business service sectors with Maharashtra topping the list of preferred investment destinations followed by Haryana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka.
- Enhanced and continued business collaboration during post covid made India-UK trade and investment partnership stronger.
- Supply chains for Indian pharmaceutical products and surgical masks remained uninterrupted for the UK and other countries as humanitarian gestures including future investment for mutual economic prosperity.
- Relentless collaboration between the two countries in the research, design, and manufacturing of vaccine has further enhanced the investment relationship between the two countries.
- Dyson Technology, Aviva Life Insurance, Diageo Business Services, RMD Kwikform, and FMC Technologies have been termed as the fastest growing UK companies in India, and Vedanta, Vodafone, Hindustan Unilever, United Spirits India have become the top 20 UK companies by revenue.
- Top UK employers in India include G4S Group, Vedanta Resources, and HSBC Holdings.
As per Invest India report, the following Indian business sectors are drawing maximum interest amongst the UK investors
- Indian Chemicals sector nearly contributes to 3 percent of world production of chemicals with more than 80,000 products and generating more than 2 million people and permitting 100 percent FDI through faceless automatic route. Tata Chemicals, Atul, Reliance, and Asian Paints are major players in this segment.
- The electronics and Telecommunications sector with smartphone manufacturing is the second-largest in the world with a projected turnover of approximately 400 billion USD by 2025. FDI up to 100 percent is allowed through an automatic route. Consumer and industrial electronics, computer hardware, and LEDs do also come under this sector and Samsung, Apple, LG, Intex are the major players.
- The Food Processingsegment is the second-largest in the world and dairy, fruits, vegetables, poultry, fisheries come under this sector with 55 mega food parks spread across the country. Britannia, Nestle, Amul, and Hatsun Agro are some major players, and 100 percent FDI is permitted through the automatic route.
- The E-commerce and Retail sector is the third-largest in Asia and online grocery, e-pharmacy, and social commerce are the sub-sectors. 100 percent FDI is allowed and Adidas, Marks & Spencer, Dyson are some major players.
- Aerospace and Defense sector with the second largest armed forces and worth 42.7 billion USD allowing 49 percent FDI under automatic route and 100 percent under the government route with BEL and HAL being the major players.
- The IT and Business Process Management (BPM) sector contributes to 8 percent of the country's GDP with more than 500,000 high skilled professionals.
As per the recent forecast, India would be the third-largest economy in the world with a huge domestic market and has considerably eased the process of How to register a private limited company in India for improving the country’s ranking in the ‘ease of doing business index.
The following are some reasons that are attracting overseas investors to do business on Indian Soil
- India has received 73.45 billion USD FDI inflow in 2019-20 and one of the fastest-growing economies.
- Global maritime trade to shift from the Pacific to Indian ocean providing India growing economic influence.
- India improves its position in global innovation index 2020.
- India has the largest youth population in the world.
- National Infrastructure Pipeline initiative has been announced and is being undertaken for providing world-class infrastructure facilities.
- Rising global competitiveness and drastic improvement in Global Competitiveness Index.


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Today, on International Human Rights Defenders Day, we remember the stories which inspired the Zero Tolerance Initiative which aims to tackle the killings and violence linked to global supply chains.
On the 25 September 2019, two leaders of the Shipibo-Konibo indigenous people explained to the magistrates of Peru’s Constitutional Court why the community of Santa Clara de Uchunya were suing the Regional Government of Ucayali and its agricultural agency.
The Zero Tolerance Initiative seeks to address violence, intimidation and killings of indigenous people and other human rights defenders linked to global supply chains.
Geneva, October 2019* The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, has provided Peru's Constitutional Tribunal with an expert legal briefing
Ginebra, Octubre de 2019*, la Relatora Especial de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, Vicky Tauli Corpus ha enviado al Tribunal Cons
In its Communication on “Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests”, published on 23rd July 2019, the European Commission recognised that the EU consumption represents around 10% of the global share of deforestation embodied in total final consumption of commodities such as palm oil, beef, soy, cocoa, maize, timber and rub
Between 27-30 October 2019, representatives from indigenous peoples’ organisations, civil society and National Human Rights Institutions from across Southeast Asia are coming together in Subic Bay, the Philippines for the 9th Southeast Asia conference on human rights and business.
APP found to be one of the companies responsible for forest fires in Indonesia; NGOs call on APP to uphold it’s promises for both communities and forests
On Wednesday 25 September, Peru’s Constitutional Tribunal will hold a hearing with implications for the future of the Amazon rainforest, indigenous peoples’ rights, and the fight against climate change.
Ten years ago, the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) made a commitment to end deforestation in member companies’ supply chains by 2020. As this date approaches, it is apparent that CGF companies will fail to achieve their goal of Zero Net Deforestation.
Leading NGOs call on companies to follow the Accountability Framework to end ecosystem destruction and human rights violations in the production, trade, and finance of beef, palm oil, pulp, timber, soy, and other commodities.
In light of the forest fires in Brazil, Forest Peoples Programme and others ask the EU to urgently address complicity in current deforestation crisis and instruct the European Commission to work on EU regulation to end deforestation.
Press release: The indigenous community of Santa Clara de Uchunya has called upon major Scandinavian banks to use their influence as shareholders to insist that Alicorp removes Ocho Sur P from its palm oil supply chain.
The long-awaited European Commission Communication on deforestation opens the door for regulation of EU commodity supply chains, in order to protect and restore the world’s forests. On the downside, the Communication lacks the ambition and additional actionable commitments required to tackle the global forest and climate crisis. We share our views.
The global sustainable palm oil body, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), has definitively rejected a formal complaint brought against one of its members, Peru’s largest consumer goods company, Alicorp S.A.A., for sourcing palm oil produced on a plantation which the RSPO itself has previously condemned.
La Mesa Redonda sobre el Aceite de Palma Sostenible ha rechazado definitivamente una queja formal en contra de Alicorp S.A.A., la empresa de bienes de consumo más grande del Perú y miembro de esa organización, por obtener aceite de palma de una plantación que ya fue condenada por la misma RSPO.


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Please buy our memory making business
Troubled Toshiba Corp has said that it is prioritising talks with Western Digital to sell its memory chip business.
Temporary court order issued
Western Digital won a temporary US court order on Tuesday saying that Toshiba must allow Western Digital's employees to access databases and chip samples as part of a joint venture around flash memory chip plants in Japan.
We matched rival's bids
Western Digital said it matched rival bidders' offers to acquire Japanese conglomerate Toshiba's flash memory unit which implies that Tosh was doing its best not to sell the until to its partner.
No-one caught the bus
Controversial chip designer Rambus is trying to sell itself off.
Trouble at mill
Toshiba has had to push back its timeline to clinch a sale of its flash memory chip unit, saying the $18 billion deal was being held up due to differences of opinion within the consortium chosen as preferred bidder.
Auction might be scuppered.
Western Digital is going for a court injunction to prevent Toshiba from flogging its chip business without the U.S. firm's consent in a move that might scupper the auction.
Still fighting for a load of old Tosh
Western Digital may join a consortium of Japanese government money and KKR & Co LP to bid for Toshiba's chip unit.
Stay out of the sale of chip sale
Toshiba has told Western Digital not to interfere with the sale of its prized chip unit, disputing claims by the US outfit that it had breached a joint venture contract.
5400rpm spin and a large cache
Western Digital has expanded its Purple line of hard disk drives (HDDs) with a new 10TB model.
Claims to be the first ever
Western Digital has lifted the kimono on the first-ever 512 gigabit 64-layer NAND chip claiming it is a stride forward in the new 3D NAND technology.


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Sony may be looking to break with tradition with the PS4, but one old habit could rear its ugly head.
As was the way with the launch of PS3, which launched in Japan and North America in November 2006 but didn’t arrive in Europe until March 2007, Edge believes that PS4 will arrive overseas by the end of 2013 but not hit Europe until early 2014.
The complex European market is apparently to blame.
The site adds that the console will come with a redesigned controller featuring a touchpad where the current model houses its Home, Start and Select buttons. The tech will be the same as that utilised in the Vita’s rear touchpad.
Also new on the controller is a Share button that will allow users to share screenshots and video online, with the most recent 15 minutes of gameplay being constantly recorded by the console.
A redesigned PlayStation Eye is also planned, it is said, which will up the tech included and remain compatible with the PlayStation Move.
The PS4 will be revealed at a New York press gathering on February 20th. MCV will have a man on the ground and will bring you the announcement the moment it happens.


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Mobile point-of-sale use by European SMBs on verge of upswing
Visa Europe has released findings of a new mobile point-of-sale study that reveals the technology is on the verge of a sharp upward swing among small businesses in Europe while ABI Research forecasts nearly half of all point-of-sale devices will be mobile within the next 5 years.
Research among 2,000 small businesses in five European countries - France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the U.K. - found that over a quarter were interested in implementing mobile POS (mPOS) within the next six months.
"Small businesses have been traditionally reluctant to embrace card payments but across Europe that is changing. mPOS is the catalyst for that - it's a solution that dispels many of the convictions previously held and genuinely works for small businesses, if they are accepting payments at their premises, or on the go," said Caroline Drolet, Head of Mobile Point-of-Sale at Visa Europe.
The most important feature noted by SMBs was security, followed by industry compliance and the ability to accept all major cards.
About half of SMBs in Germany said mPOS would probably increase sales and 45% of Italian SMBs believe mPOS would improve cash flow and enable them to be paid faster.
Ease of use also attracted SMBs to mPOS cited by around three-quarters in France and Germany, 63% in the U.K. and Poland and 59% in Italy.
A recent forecast from ABI Research indicates that, by 2019, 46% of all POS terminals will be mPOS devices.
"There has been much said about the cannibalization of the traditional POS market, but ABI Research believes that both traditional POS and mPOS can grow together in tandem, co-existing, expanding the presence of digital payment acceptance," said Senior ABI analyst Phil Sealy.
Image via Shutterstock
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As part of this, the Finance Ministry has started preparing ground for the next round of discussions at the GST Council with proposal for including gas and ATF into GST fold first before evolving consensus on other petroleum products.
Petrol, diesel rates in Delhi have gained Rs 1.57/litre and Rs 0.98/litre, respectively, between July 1 and Sept 3.
Centre gives Rs 2.50 per litre relief on petrol, diesel; some states announce additional Rs 2.50 cut
The move comes at a time when domestic prices of petrol and diesel have reached an all time high.
The Centre taxes petrol, diesel differently from the way it taxes aviation and natural gas. Each state levies a different tax rate. For example, Maharashtra has the highest rate of tax on petrol and diesel in India
The peak GST rate plus VAT will be equal to the present tax incidence, which is made up of excise duty, levied by the centre, and VAT charged by the states.
The acquisition of one of India’s top luxury groups is likely to give Reliance a dominant space in the country’s booming luxury market, and gives it an edge when it comes to bargaining for real estate concessions, overhead costs and other benefits.
The tax, which may come in form of a cess, will kick in the moment oil prices cross USD 70 per barrel, sources privy to the development said.
One trigger after another has led to the 10th consecutive day of increase in retail selling price of petrol and diesel, but there is no case for going back on benchmarking domestic rates against international prices.
The government may not rely only on cutting excise duty, which makes up for a fourth of the retail selling price, the official said but did not elaborate.
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2015 Food Trends
As each New Year starts food scientist and food enthusiasts make predictions about food trends for the coming year! Be on the lookout for the following food trends for 2015 from Food, Nutrition & Science Newsletter (Nov 26 2014):
Grocery delivery – Soon the excuse “I didn’t have time to go to the grocery store” may be in the past with same day delivery of groceries to businesses and customers. This will provide customers with access to fresh healthy food items which will increase food security for those who cannot drive, or have physical limitations. In Calgary the following grocery stores currently offering delivery: Sunterra Market, Walmart, Spud, Super Delivery, and Green Earth Organics.
Smoked Everything – Just when you thought the year of bacon lovers was over! Now that smoky flavour and aroma is being added to vegetables, butters, and even some cocktails!
Fermented foods – such as Keifer, tempeh, and pickles will be on the rise in 2015! These fermented foods are packed with good bacteria boosting compounds, which help to create health bacteria in our guts and aid in healthy digestion! Fermentation of foods dates back to ancient times when alcoholic beverages were naturally fermented from fruit, and rice. Today fermented teas, and cold drinks are becoming more popular.
Local craft foods, and beers rose in popularity in 2014 and will continue to make their way into restaurants, grocery stores, and markets.
Nutrition labels will soon be available on more than just packaged foods. Soon nutrition labels will be available to consumers in restaurants, cafes, and all food items. With the overall goal of this is to help Canadians make healthier food choices.
Supermarkets will transform into more than just a grocery store they will be a place for socialization & healthy lifestyle teachings. Check out your local grocery stores and markets to see what new healthy lifestyle and social events they have planned for 2015!
Be sure to try some of these new food trends for 2015 from the Food, Nutrition, and Science Newsletter (Nov 26 2014)! Happy New Years from Poppy Innovations! We look forward to seeing you in 2015!


text: In other news, Pembroke Consulting and Economy.com wrote a new study for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors titled, “NAW Economic Forecast 2004,” that predicts a favorable outlook ahead for wholesale distribution companies in the Midwest. Wholesale distributors in the Midwest will outpace the 2004 national forecast for revenue growth by wholesale distribution companies, which is 5.6%. For example, among wholesale distribution companies in the Midwest, Illinois will lead in revenue growth at 6.5% followed by Wisconsin at 6.2%. Among the region's wholesale distributors, Michigan and Wisconsin will lead in employment growth at 1.4%, followed by Ohio at 1.3%, Illinois at 1.2%, and Indiana at 1.1%. According to Pembroke Consulting's regional analysis, there are about 67,000 locations involved with wholesale distribution in the Midwest which employ more than 850,000 people in jobs ranging from sales and office workers to truckers and warehouse workers. The study is available for purchase at www.nawpubs.org or by calling 202-872-0885.


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BTS delivers strong performance for freight transportation services index
Through LM staff Â·
December 16, 2019
The Department of Transport Transport Statistics Bureau (BTS) recently reported that its freight transportation services index rose 1.3% in October, the most recent month for which data is available.
According to BTS officials, the Freight STI measures monthly changes in freight shipments in tonne-miles, which are then combined into a single index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.
BTS officials said October was widespread with increases in trucking, water, pipelines and air freight, but carloads and rail intermodality declined. And he added that the increase in TSI freight came against a backdrop of mixed results for other indicators, including: the Federal Reserve Board’s industrial production index fell in October, reflecting declines in all major industrial groups; Personal income rose less than 0.1%, while housing starts rose 3.8%; and the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index rose 0.5 points to 48.3, indicating a contraction in manufacturing, but not as much as in September.
October’s TSI freight reading, at 138.6, is the fourth highest on record and is 1% lower than the all-time high of 140.0 set in August 2019 and represents the largest monthly increase since September 2018.
BTS said the October TSI freight reading was up 46.2% from the April 2009 reading of 94.8, during the recession, with rental freight shipments up 13 , 3% compared to October 2014 and up 4% since October 2009. Compared to October. 2018, the October 2019 Freight TSI is up 0.5%.
December 17, 2019
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BTS Freight STI


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Families 'shop' for gifts at SCO toy store
Alison Alcala, 2, points to an item she wants at the South County Outreach toy store.
SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
LAKE FOREST – Families in need picked out toys this week at South County Outreach, a Lake Forest-based nonprofit organization that focuses on preventing homelessness and hunger.
Each holiday season, the charity collects children's gifts from donors and puts together a week-long toy store where families who can't afford gifts "shop" for presents.
Families, community organizations and businesses donated thousands of gifts this year for South County children, according to the organization.
South County Outreach runs a food pantry at its Lake Forest office, at 26776 Vista Terrace.


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As the year 2021 slowly nears its end, online businesses are getting slightly anxious about complying with the saved cards and tokenisation guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
In March 2020, the RBI said merchants can’t store users’ actual debit or credit card details beginning January 1, 2022. It has now postponed the deadline to June 30, 2022.
On the face of it, this sounds like a major setback for e-commerce companies as buyers won’t be able to use their saved cards for quick checkout, which might result in a higher rate of cart abandonment.
However, since consumers’ benefit was at the heart of the RBI’s circular on saved cards, the apex bank offered a solution as well: tokenisation of cards.
What does tokenisation mean?
In simple terms, tokenisation is the process of concealing sensitive details such as the 16-digit debit or credit card number into a unique set of codes, also known as tokens.
RBI has mandated the storage of tokenised debit and credit card details instead of the actual data to improve the safety and security of the payment system.
This directive from RBI kills two birds with one stone: instil confidence in online shoppers to make digital payments without any fear and take away the pressure from e-commerce companies to safeguard users’ sensitive card details.
RBI’s decision to stop online merchants from storing card details is a result of two years of experimentation and multiple discussions with relevant stakeholders.
Let’s understand what happened in the span of the last two years.
Deconstructing RBI’s saved card and tokenisation circulars
In January 2019, RBI kicked off this landmark change in the country’s fintech space with its circular on tokenisation.
In the circular dated January 8, 2019, the RBI said card network providers can carry out tokenisation in debit or credit card transactions via mobile app, QR code, Near Field Communication (NFC), and a few others. It allowed card network providers to offer tokenisation services to any token requestor such as third-party app providers.
In March 2020, RBI widened the ambit of its 2019 circular and said, “neither the authorised Payment Aggregators (PAs) nor the merchants on-boarded by them can store customer card credentials within their database or server.”
It is to be noted that till August this year RBI had not proposed any solution regarding merchants not being able to offer saved card payments, also known as Card-on-File (CoF) to users.
In September 2021, RBI issued a fresh circular detailing and extending the device-based tokenisation to CoF Tokenisation (CoFT) as well. It essentially means that instead of saving users’ card details, e-commerce companies will have to partner with card network providers to tokenise details for fast checkout.
|Timeline||Directives||Impact on the industry|
|January 8, 2019||RBI allowed card network providers to tokenise card-based transactions.|
However, this was limited to payments on mobile apps, QR codes, NFC, and a few other payment types.
|Card network providers such as Visa, Master Card, RuPay, and American Express had to integrate tokenisation technology with their network.|
These companies also had to prepare themselves to provide tokenisation services to third-party app providers.
|March 31, 2021||RBI said neither e-commerce companies nor payment gateway and aggregators can save users’ card details.|
This directive was limited to payments on mobile handsets and tablets.
|All the companies that have been saving card details had to comply with the RBI’s regulation by July 2021.|
This would have directly affected e-commerce companies as saved card features help them in reducing the cart abandonment rate.
|August 25, 2021||This time, RBI expanded its previous directive to include payments happening on laptops, desktops, wearables, and IoT devices.||While RBI extended the deadline of complying with its previous circular to December 31, 2021, it increased the ambit of the application.|
|September 7, 2021||RBI allowed card network providers to tokenise saved cards transactions or Card-on-File payments.|
Just like its previous circular, it asked network providers to certify e-commerce and payment gateways as token requestors.
This means that the end-customers can tokenise their saved cards for faster checkouts.
|Online businesses that have saved users’ card details will have to partner with a network provider before December 31 this year to comply with the rules. (The deadline has now been postponed to June 30, 2022)|
Else, they will have to delete all the card details that have been saved on their servers.
How will CoF Tokenisation affect customers?
Online buyers are the real winners here. The RBI has put the end-user’s safety at the center of this rule.
On one hand, it has ensured online businesses can’t store users’ card details anymore, on the other hand, it has allowed the usage of tokenisation so that customers enjoy a faster buying experience with saved cards. Just like they used to.
Online shoppers who have saved their card details with different e-commerce, travel, and ticket booking websites, will have to give their consent and provide them with an additional factor authentication via an OTP to tokenise their saved cards.
Once their cards are tokenised, customers can continue to pay online by choosing one of the saved cards.
The effect of RBI’s guidelines on merchants
For e-commerce companies, the saved cards feature has been a saviour as it increases the chances of customers going through the checkout process and buying the products in the cart.
However, by the end of June 2022, online merchants will have to either delete their users’ saved cards or allow them to save the tokenised version of their card details.
The RBI has mandated e-commerce companies to take explicit consent from their users and further authenticate it with an OTP before their card details can be tokenised. They also have to provide users with an option to delete their tokenised saved cards from the platform.
How can online businesses abide by the RBI guidelines?
As per the RBI guidelines, only card network providers such as Visa, Master Card, American Express, RuPay and others can use tokenisation technology to save customers’ sensitive card details.
To enable tokenisation, online businesses will have to directly partner with a card network provider. For an easier integration, online businesses can also choose to work with their existing payment gateway like Paytm Payment Gateway to tokenise customers’ credit and debit cards.
Going forward, merchants will have to choose either of these options if they wish to continue offering faster checkouts with the saved card feature.
How Paytm Payment Gateway can help businesses
Paytm Payment Gateway has always been on top of the changes that happen in the industry.
Ever since the RBI released the new guidelines for tokenisation of cards, we have been working with the relevant stakeholders in the industry to come up with an apt solution for our existing as well as new merchants.
To enable online merchants to comply with the RBI guidelines, we have launched Token Gateway Solution. We have partnered with major card networks to provide our merchants with a comprehensive and single integrated solution.
Paytm Token Gateway Solution is suitable for:
- merchants who have been saving users’ card details on their own servers
- merchants who leverage payment gateways or aggregators to store card details
This is hands-down the easiest way to comply with the RBI guidelines and provide users the comfort of faster checkouts. Get in touch with our experts now who will guide you on how to get started with tokenisation.


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Nothing can put the brakes on a freight transportation company’s growth like a weak economy. Needless to say, it’s been a rough couple of years for the logistics industry. But the important work of hauling freight continues for countless businesses large and small across the U.S. And fortunately for one of them, the most exciting “delivery” of the year is about to take place.
Founded in Los Angeles, California, FESCO has become a comprehensive international logistics enterprise specializing in the shipment operation between America and China, freight forwarding, container drayage, warehousing, distribution, and packaging.
“This is a small logistics business,” says FESCO’s Mary Liu. “My husband started the business in 2007. Before he worked for somebody else and then later he decided to go into business for himself.”
“I joined him in 2009,” she adds. “Little by little we have been able to expand our business. Right now we have an office in Chino. We have four trucks and four drivers.”
According to Liu, who is from China but has resided in the U.S. since 2000, FESCO has been able to survive the ups and downs of the logistics industry due to the quality service provided to their customers in China and America. The owners even state on their website that by speaking both English and Chinese, this smooth and friendly communication creates a comfortable working environment that “reduces risk of operation errors” through prompt and accurate replies.
With a $5,000 grant from Intuit in tow, Mary Liu says that FESCO will continue to invest in the best resources available for the company.
“We want to buy newer trucks,” she admits. “We bought one this year already and we’re planning to buy another one by the end of the year.”
Making Your Small Business Wishes Come True
What could your business do with a little financial help from Intuit? During the month of December, Intuit will grant one wish a day for 15 days to deserving small businesses like yours. To learn more, click here.
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There, customers can buy a policy, check an existing claim, and basically get the one-on-one attention expected from shopping in a store – making the experience as easy as buying a TV.
When employers were the buyers, wholesale sales were the way to go, but now insurers are recognizing that retail will be more important. Washington Post and Kaiser Health News reports:
The number of individual health insurance customers is expected to grow significantly in coming years. Employer-sponsored health coverage is eroding, and in 2014 the law will require nearly everyone to have insurance, adding millions to the ranks of the insured.
As insurers see it, bricks-and-mortar stores are one more way, along with online and telephone support, to reach out to consumers.
- Highmark in Pennsylvania and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida have the largest retail presence, each with several stores statewide.
- In New York, UnitedHealthcare recently opened a 16,000-square-foot facility in the Flushing, Queens; it operates a number of smaller storefronts as well.
- Back in 2005, Costco tested health insurance sales with individual policies in Southern California. Now the members-only retailer offers high-deductible plans from Aetna in 8 states.
As NPR explains, people just aren't yet comfortable buying a health plan the way they buy other consumer products, and retail stores might help make it seem more routine.
Image by Ohio Health Insurance via flickr
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com


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Exports outside Europe hold key to reviving UK economic growth, says business group
Britain's economic growth remains too low for sustainable recovery but an improvement in exports to countries outside Europe suggests it could pick up later this year, the British Chambers of Commerce said today.
Publishing its latest economic survey of some 8,000 businesses, the BCC said it expected the economy to show marginal growth of 0.1 per cent in the second quarter, improving to 1.9 per cent in 2013, thanks to falling inflation.
'The second quarter 2012 results indicate weak and inadequate, but still positive, UK growth ... it is clear that the UK economy faces major challenges,' said BCC Chief Economist David Kern.
Slow growth: But exports to countries outside of Europe have improved
The news comes after yesterday's purchasing managers' index showed factories had cut back on activity in both May and June, with more similar news expected tomorrow when a poll of firms in the country's dominant service sector is likely to show only tepid growth.
However, the survey also showed there has been improvement in exporting activity, particularly outside of troubled Europe, Britain's main trading partner.
John Longworth, director general of the BCC, said: 'While domestic growth continues to bump along the bottom, the silver lining is an increase in firms looking for export opportunities, and in many cases, with countries outside Europe.'
The increase in exports will provide some cheer for the government, which is trying to rebalance Britain's economy away from its past reliance on public spending and consumer demand, but the data will also heighten calls for them to change policy and stimulate growth.
The Government, which has focused on cost-cutting to reduce a record budget deficit, has also introduced measures to encourage banks to lend, though many economists think more direct fiscal stimulus might be needed.
'Growth cannot wait. The government must take an imaginative and brave approach to stimulating the economy and helping businesses thrive,' Longworth said.
The Bank of England is expected inject another £50billion of cash into the economy in addition to the £325billion it has already pumped into markets when it meets on Thursday as part of its own efforts to kick-start growth.
Confidence among businesses remains lower than before the recession in 2007 and plans by manufacturers to invest in plant and machinery fell although those of services firms remained unchanged from the previous survey.
Respondents to the survey, who employ around 250,000 people between them, gave a mixed picture of the jobs outlook with the number of service sector firms looking to take on more people rising while the number of factories seeking to expand fell.
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With the cut of a ribbon and the cheer of a crowd, the Issaquah Farmers Market will open tomorrow for its 19th season, heralding the arrival of fresh air, fruit and flowers.
Oh, and a cow will be cutting the ribbon.
“(The farmers market) is a great family event,” said Jera Gilmore, event coordinator for Issaquah Parks and Recreation, sponsor of the market. “It’s fun for everyone who comes to it, and there’s always something different going on.”
The market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at the Pickering Barn, 1730 10th Ave. N.W., rain or shine.
About 100 vendors set up shop every weekend to sell their wares, which range from fresh produce and flowers to a potpourri of arts and crafts.
That wide variety is one of the things that sets Issaquah’s market apart from others’, Gilmore said. Because Pickering Barn isn’t lacking in space, the city can bring in as many vendors as are interested, unlike many markets that have to squeeze into small parking lots or buildings.
“Because we have that space, we like to give the community a large variety of things to shop for,” Gilmore said. “A lot of markets are more limited, and usually have to let go of their crafts, which is definitely our heavy end.”
She estimated that more than 50 percent of the vendors in Issaquah are selling some sort of homemade good — anything from jewelry to quilts. But that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of farmers. The most popular stands, she said, are definitely the produce and fresh-cut flowers.
Laura and Dave Casey, owners of Changing Seasons Farms in Carnation, have been coming to the Issaquah Farmers Market for five years to sell what they say is “everything from artichokes to zuchini.”
And over those years, they’ve built up a strong base of new and regular customers who look forward to visiting their stand every week.
“By the end of the season, we have customers saying, ‘Oh, we’ll miss you so much, we’ll miss your produce, how soon are you coming back next year?’” Laura Casey said. “It’s wonderful to build those connections, and a setting like (a farmers market) definitely allows you to do that.”
In addition to vendors, the Issaquah market provides concessions, hobby booths, and different forms of entertainment every weekend.
A live band performs the first Saturday of every month, and in the past, the market has been stage to a string quartet, a mariachi band, and a ukulele group.
The second Saturday is host to cooking demonstrations by professional chefs, using only food sold at the market, and the last Saturday gears a variety of activities toward children for Kid’s Day — including providing them with free booths to sell their own crafts or produce.
People can also find a booths sponsored by the Issaquah Historical Society, and competitions like the cherry pit spitting contest.
“There’s always something for everyone,” Gilmore said.
At tomorrow’s market, children can take pictures with the Easter Bunny for $7. Profits from the photos will go to the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Patronage has grown over the years, and Gilmore said an average sunny day last year saw about 4,000 people come through.
One of the biggest reasons people come to the market is because of an effort to buy local, fresh produce, Casey said.
“People really like to see the person who grew their food, and talk to them about it, and know exactly where it came from,” she said. “They love to ask a lot of questions about how to cook it, and really just appreciate learning different things.”
Others are drawn to the sustainability aspect, she said — all produce sold at the market is certified naturally grown, or certified organic.
It’s also all grown in Washington, which means no trips across the country in freezer trucks.
Because the produce is so fresh, it also has a higher nutrient value.
“(Farmers markets) are marvelous for local farmers,” Casey said. “We’re meeting people, establishing connections, and really just making a community. It’s a lot of fun.”
Vendors interested in selling at the Issaquah Farmers Market should submit an application to the city. There is a $35 membership fee for the season, and it costs $25 per Saturday.
The city is also looking for any volunteers who can help out on Saturdays by passing out flyers, working at information booths, monitoring traffic, picking up garbage, and of course, wearing the cow suit.
“A farmers market is a community builder; it’s a great way to expose people to music they’re not used to, interesting performances, and a variety of art,” Gilmore said. “Not to mention getting great access to local, fresh food. It’s a great way to support our community farmers.”


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Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Register today.
Yahoo today announced a change that makes it a little easier to find the names and email addresses you want to contact in Yahoo Mail. The Contacts section of Yahoo Mail on desktop now lets users type in their email addresses for more than 200 email service providers in order to access their contacts and import them into Yahoo Mail.
Until this point, Yahoo only let users pull in contacts from Google’s Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Facebook, and a second Yahoo account, Yahoo senior product manager Sumeet Solanki wrote in a Tumblr post. Yahoo isn’t providing the full list of all of the newly supported services, but Solanki does call out AOL, Apple’s iCloud, Comcast, and Mail.ru.
The move comes a few weeks after Reuters reported that Yahoo scanned emails from hundreds of millions of Yahoo Mail accounts following a government request. A few weeks before that, Yahoo disclosed that it believed a “state-sponsored actor” was behind theft of data from at least 500 million Yahoo accounts.
Presumably, Yahoo wants to make it as easy as possible for people to stick with Yahoo Mail and eliminate any possible reasons to them to abandon their accounts. Last year, Yahoo made a similar effort: It started letting people use Yahoo Mail to manage their Gmail inboxes right alongside Yahoo Mail inboxes.
Verizon announced its plan to buy Yahoo for $4.8 billion in July.
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