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In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Koenigsegg founder Christian von Koenigsegg confirmed that the One:1 will output 1,400 horsepower and have a curb weight of 1,400 kilograms (3,086 pounds). As you may have guessed, the car’s name is a reference to the fact that it achieves a staggering one-to-one ratio of power and weight.
Koenigsegg boasts that the One:1 will be the first production car to achieve the one-to-one power-to-weight ratio. He explains that other automakers have claimed the feat when talking dry weight but his supercar will achieve the ratio with all the necessary fluids and even the driver onboard.
Though based on Koenigsegg’s existing Agera line of supercars, the One:1 will feature numerous unique components. The Ageras all feature a carbon fiber monocoque structure and twin-turbocharged V-8 powerplants. Drive goes to the rear wheels only, via a custom seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Initial performance estimates for the One:1 include an insane 20 second run from 0 to 400 kmh (248.55 mph). Top speed, according to simulations, could be as high as 450 kmh (279.62 mph), which would make the One:1 the fastest production car in the world.
Koenigsegg plans to complete the first prototype for the One:1 by the end of the year. Only six examples will be built for public sale and all of these are already accounted for. Though meaningless at this point, the One:1 will be priced significantly higher than any existing Koenigsegg, with some estimates claiming a pricetag in excess of $2 million.


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The pace of change in tech continues to accelerate as new waves of innovation disrupt previously successful business models. Bain partners David Crawford, Ravi Vijayaraghavan and Chris Johnson discuss how technology companies can navigate these challenges and thrive in a constantly changing environment.
Sign up for upcoming webinars with Bain experts, and watch previous recordings of conversations on topics that matter to your business.
As the global pandemic deepens and the human cost of Covid-19 rises, the novel coronavirus outbreak is sending shocks through the world economy. But across industries, companies can take action now to protect their employees and customers and minimize the economic damage.

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Are we adding up to the number of hungry people around the world?
By Irfan Mufti
Over the recent months, soaring food prices fuelled by financial speculation have contributed to protests in countries like Pakistan, Mozambique, Tunisia, Bangladesh and Algeria. Millions of people are being pushed further into hunger as food becomes unaffordable. Making food markets work for the world’s poor is more urgent than ever. How?
Experts have already warned that the cost of food will soar by 50 percent over the next few decades as the world becomes a victim to famine, mass migrations and riots. The increase will be triggered by the exploding world population, rising cost of fuel and increased competition for water. Spiraling food prices will push hundreds of millions of people into hunger, trigger mass migration and spark civil unrest.
In Pakistan, the prices of basics such as wheat, bread, vegetables, rice and milk will spiral to inflation-busting record within the next few years. The recent report issued by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sets up to predict future crises, calling for ‘urgent actions’ to prevent food shortages. Even a modest rise in food prices could push 100m people into hunger, warns FAO.
Global food prices are already at a record high. Last month, the price of cereals, sugar and meat soared on the world’s markets after a series of crop failures caused by bad weather. Foresight predicted that the world’s population would rise from 6.9bn today to around 9bn by the middle of the century. As the world gets more crowded and wealthy, demand for food, water, and energy will soar.
At the same time, climate change will increase the risk of droughts, floods and crop failures, creating a ‘perfect storm’ of food shortages and above-inflation rises in prices.
A recent report by the Oxford University states: “There is a very large risk of a quite substantial increase in prices over the next 30 or 40 years. We are going to have to produce considerably more food. So, inescapably, we have to produce more food from the same amount of land without wrecking the environment.” The report, written by 40 scientists in 35 countries, calls for a ‘green revolution’ to boost production using traditional, organic crops designed to be resistant to drought or salt water and better training for farmers in developing countries.
Several experts are also saying that the food system is failing. Firstly, it is unsustainable, with resources being used faster than they can be naturally replenished. Secondly a billion people are going hungry with another billion people suffering from hidden hunger, while a billion people are over-consuming.
The situation is worsened while food market is also operating unethically, thus shifting the flow towards financial gains using food as financial commodity and not as basic human need. Financial speculators and bankers are manipulating the market and increasing their gains causing unnatural price hike for consumers. The European Commission is drafting new financial regulations and has launched a public consultation on their proposals. Investment banks, like Goldman Sachs, are lobbying hard to weaken these proposals so that they can continue to profit from betting on food prices.
It’s vital that the voice of ordinary people is heard so that that strong and effective regulations can be introduced needed to prevent millions facing further hunger and deepening poverty.
Peoples’ organisations and representatives have already shown concern about the impact of food speculation on consumers in the developing world. Speculation by financial actors in commodity derivative markets is causing excessive volatility and inflating prices for physical commodities such as food. These markets exist for price discovery and risk management in the physical market, however, they are being distorted by speculators and bankers seeking to profit from rising prices and momentum traders increasing volatility.
This has a devastating effect in global food markets as was seen in the 2007-08 food crises when a further 115 million people went hungry. Food prices reached a record high in December 2010 and without effective regulation to improve transparency and reduce speculation in commodity derivative markets the risks of another food crisis on the same scale are increasing.
Governments and multilateral forums and market regulatory authorities have to seriously consider the proposal for the review of ‘Markets in Financial Instruments Directive’ (MiFID) which would go a long way to ensuring these markets work effectively for producers and consumers and to reducing the negative impacts of speculation. MiFID is the EU directive which regulates financial markets, including proposals for regulating food speculation in derivative markets.
Food derivatives are financial contracts based on the price of food. They were initially designed to give farmers more certainty over the prices they receive for their crops in the future. However, these contracts are now being traded by financial speculators who are not interested in buying or selling actual food, but are making money by betting on rising food prices. This betting pushes up the price of actual food making it unaffordable for people around the world and pushes people deeper into poverty and hunger.
The two key regulatory changes are urgently needed. Firstly, many food derivatives are traded directly between two parties with no requirement for information about the deal to be made publicly available (this is known as ‘over-the-counter’ or OTC). This means that no information, such as the price is available and there is no way to see what effect this has on the wider market. All food derivatives should be traded on exchanges, in the same way shares are, to allow everyone to see what is happening. This should help to make sure that the price -of food derivatives reflects what’s happening in the real world. Secondly, food derivative markets aren’t working properly as they are overwhelmed by the huge number of financial speculators. There should be effective position limits to reduce the influence these speculators can have on food prices.
Some other measures that need to be taken include: reforms and effective regulation in food-trading markets. It should be a requirement that all commodity derivatives should be traded on an exchange (or equally regulated facility). This will improve transparency promoting price discovery, prevent dealers profiting from information asymmetry in ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) deals and ensuring such deals trading do not distort the prices of exchange traded derivatives. It is important that all food commodity derivatives should be moved off OTC due to the risk of distortion to underlying food markets.
Similarly, it is vital that regulation reflects the difference between derivatives of financial and commodity assets, and the risk of distorting the underlying market. Food is not a financial asset like any other and regulation must reflect the potential for devastating impacts on people’s lives through speculation. All commodity derivative trading venues should make position limit information available to regulators and the public for the purposes of market transparency.
Efforts to categorise traders in multiple ways, accurately reflecting their role in the market is also important. This categorisation should reflect whether they are commercial or non-commercial participants, the investment vehicle as well as the type of regulated entity. Regulators should be given the power to adopt hard position and prevent speculation limits for all types of derivative contracts.
The review process at the EU must consider the impact of this regulation on the people, especially in the developing world, not just its impact on the financial services industry. Many financial institutions make significant profits at the expense of affordable food, due to current under-regulated markets. These institutions will be lobbying hard in their own interest to water down these regulations, however, loosening these regulations will only serve to boost profits for a handful of firms while damaging markets, failing to reduce market risk and damaging the lives of people around the world.


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To foil hackers, guard your info
Recently, I got a new debit card in the mail. Why? The letter accompanying the card said the bank had reason to believe the card had been compromised.
This isn't the first time I've received a notice like this. I'm sure you've received them as well — from banks, from retailers, from restaurants, all of which have at some point been the victim of hackers.
Recently, we heard about Athens, Ga.-based Zaxby's alerting diners that their debit and credit card information may have been hacked, possibly allowing thieves access to personal information. Zaxby's joined Kroger, Best Buy, Five Guys Burgers, DSW and a host of other organizations with similar experiences.
Unfortunately, says security expert Ariel Silverstone, being hacked is increasingly part of the cost of doing business. Several sources estimate that more than 90 percent of companies have been hacked, the remainder, says Silverstone, just don't know. As an information technology security professional for more than 24 years, Silverstone has seen it all.
"One hundred years or so ago, banks were where the money was, so people were robbing banks. Today, it is so much easier to perform hacks. It is less likely to be caught and the rewards are incredible," Silverstone says.
Only in the last 10 years has the average consumer become aware of hacking, but it has been happening since the mid-1970s, he says.
For the most part, there are three types of hackers: people who do it for fun or reputation, such as those who hijacked Burger King's Twitter account Monday; those who do it for political reasons; and the most dangerous — the ones who are part of criminal organizations.
An attacker starts with surveillance of the target company, then finds the location of the company's Web services. One strategy to launch an attack is to craft seemingly legitimate email messages to senior level leaders. When the hacker gets a reply, they have a back door into the system via malware or other mechanisms, Silverstone says.
For companies, keeping up with security breaches and the necessary patches to their systems can be challenging.
Once hackers have found a way into the system, they have access to information they can abuse. They may use it the same day or sell it to criminal exchanges. The going rate is currently 1,000 names and card numbers for $30, Silverstone says.
"One of the things that people need to understand when they share any piece of information on the Internet ... is who is on the other side," says Silverstone. The risk is smaller for major companies, he says, but you should be careful which part of your information to share.
Everyone thinks of debit or credit cards, but there are also the security questions that many sites use — some of which are the same from one site to another such as your mother's maiden name. Once you've given that information to one site and a hacker gets it, he or she can use it on other sites to access your accounts.
So what is a trusting consumer to do? Consider with whom you share information. Just as you would think carefully about sharing personal information with another person, do the same with companies. "Don't just give it all away," Silverstone says.
Use false information. Instead of your mother's real maiden name, for example, use a different word. Silverstone uses Lastpass.com — a free tool that generates random passwords and remembers them for every site. "I have over 3,000 different passwords and I don't have to remember them ... and I couldn't because they are random," he says.
Don't share too much on Facebook. "There are a lot of professionals on the bad side that harvest Facebook for information about you that you may not want shared," Silverstone says.
Never use a debit card. In the U.S., the law limits your personal and financial liability if someone steals and uses your credit card. That isn't the case with debit cards. If your bank offers one-time use credit cards, those are even better, Silverstone says.
The only other solution is to stop doing business on the Internet altogether, and that, Silverstone says, would be a devastating blow to the U.S. economy.


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Make In India
The company on Wednesday revealed that it will make an important announcement regarding its business expansion in India, during a highly secured environment at its Noida facility.
Relentless purchases of smartphones, TVs and the like have made electronics India’s 2nd-biggest import item after oil, and is pushing trade deficit wider.
After studying the impact of GST and demonetisation on the MSME sector, it is clear they have been hit hard. The sector now awaits brighter days ahead.
BSH will be investing 100 million euros over the next four to five years across building brands, technology centre and setting up the refrigerator factory to bring best in class German technology in India
In a letter to customers on Amazon.in's homepage, Bezos said the company had launched its services on June 5, 2013 "with a vision to transform the way India buys and sells".
Rele started off believing MNCs and Indian firms that mimicked their offering were missing a trick, by skewing so heavily towards ‘global’ favourites like chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.
“I had a chat with commerce minister Suresh Prabhu on this issue. He has assured us that he will be looking into our concerns,” SJM’s national co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan said.
Corporations need engineers to re-do their technology infrastructure and build innovative solutions, and India is the only place where they can get them in the numbers and quality required.
India's gems and jewellery business is a sterling example of the government's 'Make-in-India' initiative, contributing around 7 per cent of the country's GDP, according to Khandelwal.
Another senior CEAMA member said LG and Samsung will now start their local production plans afresh since they too had been looking at importing panels from Korea.
Firm says the plan is in alignment with the government's Make in India vision. ITC is also exploring investment possibilities in green energy in the coming years.
Indeed, revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia has explicitly stated that the duties have been levied, not to raise revenue, but to provide protection to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The move is aimed at discouraging imports from China, incentivising domestic value addition and propelling the ‘Make in India’ mission.
In light of the new tax on imports of "open cell" LED TV panels, electronics giants mull scaling down local assembling.
Rise in duty to 20% is likely to impact players like Apple and may force them to consider manufacturing higher number of models in India.
The makers are also expecting tax reduction on the energy efficient 5 star and 4 star products to increase adoption by the consumers.
The Paytm founder wants India to become a global reference for electric mobility.
Editor's Picks ›
Siyaram's ropes in Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador / Amazon.in launches its largest Fulfilment Centre in Karnataka / Adidas will open bigger stores in India / Adidas signs endorsement deal with athlete Hima Das / M&S opens first store in Odisha / Patanjali launches dairy products; expects Rs 1,000 cr revenue by 2020 / Sales, profitabilty of key categories doubled over past 6 years: HUL / Caratlane to launch silver jewellery brand Shaya / Blaupunkt to invest $300 million to expand TV biz in 5 years / FSSAI ropes in third-party food auditing agencies


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You know that 1 out of every 5 workers in Santa Clara County is employed in manufacturing. But did you know that, just in 2010, California exported $2.8 billion in manufactured goods to Brazil, now the 6th largest economy in the world?
The San Jose Metropolitan Area, with one of the highest education level in the U.S is home to over 4,505 high technology companies employing over 182,300 people and uniquely qualified to export to Brazil.
The potential is there – we can help you achieve it.
On Feb 13 of 2012, the City of San Jose, America’s no.2 CleanTech city, the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, BayBrazil, Commercial Service-Silicon Valley Export Assistance Center, the Brazil-U.S. Business Council, and local green technology companies got together for a Business Forum on:
Export Opportunities in Brazil for California Green Companies
When: February 13, 2012, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Location: San Jose SV Chamber of Commerce, 101 West Santa Clara, San Jose
8:00 a.m. Registration, Networking, and Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Welcome remarks by
Joanne Vliet, Director, SV Export Assistance Center, U.S. Dep. of Commerce,
Matthew Mahood, San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce and
The Honorable Eduardo Prisco Ramos, Consul General of Brazil in San Francisco
8:45 a.m. Doing Business in Brazil
Natalie Kehle, Analyst , Intl. Department, Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP)
Shannon Fraser, Clean Tech Trade Specialist, Silicon Valley Export Assistance Center, U.S. Department of Commerce
Kathleen McInerney, Director, Brazil-U.S. Business Council
Professor Michael Conniff, San Jose State University
9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Networking Break
10:00 a.m. Local Resources and Success Stories
Calvin Lam, Commercial Banking Officer, GBC International Bank
Rob Guthrie, Business Initiatives Specialist, Office of Renewable Energy & Environmental Exports, Export-Import Bank
Jeff Lund, Vice President of Business Development, Echelon
Margarise Correa, Founder & CEO of BayBrazil
11:00 a.m. Keynote Presentation
Carlos Eduardo de Senna Figueiredo, Economist, National Confederation of Industry for Brazil (CNI)
11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Q&A


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Tech stocks witnessed a massive fall in 2022. While FAANG stocks led the market rally over the last few years, all of them are underperforming the S&P 500 in 2022. Wall Street analysts meanwhile see better days ahead for them in 2023.
Looking at the YTD price action, Apple is the best performer with a YTD loss of 25.7%. Alpahbet comes second with a loss of 38.4%. Amazon, Netflix, and Meta Platforms have lost over 50% each and are among the top 50 S&P 500 losers.
It’s hard to think of any other year where the once formidable FAANGs underperformed so badly. The crash in these stocks has created some dubious records. Amazon for instance became the first company ever to lose over $1 trillion in market cap.
Meta Platforms has also lost its status as a trillion-dollar company while Alphabet somehow managed to hold above that level. Apple also briefly fell behind Saudi Aramco in terms of market cap.
Big Tech US companies looked weak in 2022 and have looked to lose their dominance. For instance, the combined market share of Alphabet and Facebook in the US digital ad market has fallen below 50% for the first time ever. FAANG stocks have usually dominated the markets where they operate.
FAANG Stocks Crashed in 2022: Here’s Why
Netflix too lost subscribers in the first half of 2022. The company is facing stiff competition from Disney which now has more streaming subscribers than Netflix. Facebook and YouTube are also losing ad dollars to TikTok. While the US is looking to ban TikTok on state devices, it would not help much.
Amazon is also facing competitive heat as brick-and-mortar retailers like Walmart have ramped up their e-commerce operations.
FAANG stocks were also under pressure in 2022 due to slowing growth. Amazon’s sales growth fell to the lowest level in two decades in the first half of the year. AWS, which is Amazon’s cash cow also reported its slowest-ever growth in Q3 2022.
Meta Platforms, which is the worst-performing FAANG stock of 2022 has its own share of troubles. Its sales growth was negative in the last two quarters while profits have dwindled amid massive metaverse losses.
Apple is the Best Performing FAANG Stock of 2022
Apple has its own share of headwinds, particularly with regard to China. Along with a demand slowdown in that market, the company is staring at supply chain issues in the December quarter. Wall Street analysts expect Apple’s sales to fall slightly in the current quarter.
Analysts saw Apple as safe haven in an otherwise gloomy FAANG space. Even Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway is the second-largest Apple stockholder, added more AAPL shares in the first half of 2022. There is a guide on how beginners can buy Apple stock.
Data Privacy and Antitrust Issues Have Hit Big Tech Companies
Data privacy and antitrust issues are another headwind for FAANGs. The EU has accused Meta Platforms used its dominant market position to unduly benefit the Facebook marketplace.
The Media bill in the US is another headwind for the company. If the bill gets passed, Facebook would need to pay news publishers for hosting content. The company is meanwhile not willing to do so and has instead threatened to remove news altogether from its platforms.
Apple would now allow alternate app stores on its iPhones in Europe under pressure from the regulators. Even Elon Musk faulted Apple’s App store policies for the massive fees that the company charges.
Alphabet is also facing antitrust allegations in several countries including the UK and India. It was the best-performing FAANG stock of 2021.
Analysts See FAANG Stocks Rebound in 2023
While FAANG stocks had a terrible 2022, analysts see better days ahead for them in 2023. Wall Street is particularly bullish on Amazon stock which has now underperformed markets for two consecutive years.
JPMorgan, Citi, and Bank of America are among the brokerages that have listed Amazon as a top pick for 2023. The prediction should be taken with a pinch of salt though and even last year multiple brokerages including Cowen, Bank of America, Jefferies, and Goldman Sachs named the stock as a top idea for 2022.
Big Tech is Not Dead, Yet
Bank of America is optimistic that Amazon would gain market share in the e-commerce market and increase its margins. We have a guide on how to buy Amazon stock.
While some have written obituaries of FAANGs and Big Tech companies, Michael Yoshikami, founder and CEO of Destination Wealth Management believes that Big Tech is far from being dead.
Speaking with CNBC, he said, “If you’re a long-term investor, I think you can kind of hold yourself through this difficult time and reposition to the names that are going to be the ones that are established and will move forward. It sounds very Warren Buffett-ish and that’s exactly how I’m looking at this in terms of playing the tech sector right now.”
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Kailua business owners weigh in on change of ownership
Several Kailua business owners are uneasy about Alexander & Baldwin Inc. buying a portion of the Windward town’s real estate from longtime landowner Kaneohe Ranch, but for different reasons.
For Kailua resident and entrepreneur Steve Parker, the uneasiness is also a feeling of optimism.
“Alexander & Baldwin is one of the ‘Big Five,’ and so they are similar to Kaneohe Ranch in the sense that they have a presence here in Hawaii,” Parker said. “Some residents of Kailua had been unhappy with the way Kaneohe Ranch was developing — bringing in Whole Foods, for example, which they didn’t like at first and now they love — but it was steering the town in the direction of Ward Centres.”
Parker said he’s indifferent to what he saw as Kaneohe Ranch’s vision for the town, and he hopes that A&B will change that indifference to satisfaction.
“This will be a big change. Kaneohe Ranch helped us get started; they spent more money in our build-out than the rent they initially got from us,” said Chris Tarvyd. “They treated us like family.”
Bonnie Madigan, owner of Under A Hula Moon, a small home decor and gift shop in the Kailua Town Center, agreed with the Tarvyds.
“My lease is up in July,” she said, noting that she’s worried that her rent will increase under new ownership. “I bought this business eight years ago, and I’ve always been at this location. I don’t do much advertising; people just know to come here to Kailua.”
Mitch D’Olier, president and CEO of Kaneohe Ranch, said his strategy was to foster that kind of strong support for small businesses to thrive.
“We’ve leased far more small locally owned businesses than we have the big guys,” he said. “The smaller guys provide the character of the destination that doesn’t really come through with big national tenants. They make Kailua Kailua and they play an important role.”
The need to bring in national tenants, including Target — which recently resumed construction and should open early 2015 — stemmed from responding to Kailua residents’ wishes.
“We did research on what customers wanted, and we learned that Kailua residents love to stay in Kailua,” D’Olier said. “So we started thinking about merchandise — what’s available to buy in Kailua and what’s not, and we asked ourselves ‘how do we present merchandise that keeps everybody home?’”
When it comes to A&B taking over, D’Olier said Kailua is in good hands.
“I think all of us are lucky that a company with local sensitivities as A&B has is the buyer,” he said. “I think they’re sincere in their intention to learn about Kailua.” The fine line between livability and development draws varying viewpoints, but it’s a discussion that recently went national when the Kailua Neighborhood asked the Hawaii Tourism Authority to stop promoting Kailua as a tourist destination. While business owners agree that the town’s development shapes its personality, many agree that tourism is not to blame for Kailua’s growing pains. Read more about that in PBN’s Friday’s print edition.
Jenna Blakely covers health care and nonprofits for Pacific Business News.
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Renewable Energy Analyst Hawaii State Energy Office | Honolulu, HI
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With the country still under attack by Russian forces, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine announced today the opening of the Meta Museum of the History of War, which features only NFTs.
Each NFT in the “Warline” collection will cost 0.15 ETH. Money from the sale of the NFT will go directly to the Digital Converter.
The “museum”, as you can imagine, is not a physical building but a website. Its collection, made possible with support from the ministry, documents recent events in the war between Russia and Ukraine, including personal reflections by both Ukrainian and international digital artists.
But there is something intriguing?
Everything on the site is available for purchase — with each image connected to an NFT generated by the Fair NFT platform, which uses the Ethereum blockchain and the Polygon network. However, all images remain hidden until sold — meaning you don’t know what you’re buying until you buy. As the museum put it: “You reveal the truth when you buy MetaHistory.”
We’re building Meta History: Museum of War. #NFT – Never forget this. 100% of the funds raised are sent to the @mintsyfra wallet to support the Ukrainian army and civilians. We cannot let these events be forgotten. # NeverForgetThisUA— META HISTORY: War Museum (@Meta_History_UA) March 8, 2022.
Each NFT in the “Warline” collection will cost 0.15 ETH (approximately $468), with the assets sold in chronological order of the dates described. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov called the new platform “a place to keep war memories” and “glorify Ukraine’s identity and freedom.”
Money from the sale of NFTs will go directly to official crypto accounts held by the Department of Digital Transformation to support military and civilian aid.
While Russia uses tanks to destroy Ukraine, we rely on revolutionary blockchain technology. @Meta_History_UA NFT-Museum is launched. A place where war memories are kept. And a place to celebrate Ukrainian identity and freedom. Check here: – Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) Mar 25, 2022.
Since the Russian invasion began, over $100 million in crypto donations have flooded the region. According to data from analytics website Merkle Science, much of it has gone to the Ukrainian government. Earlier this month, UkraineDAO raised $6.75 million in ETH with the sale of an NFT depicting the Ukrainian flag.
“The NFTs have shown the world the power of community and the importance of the voices of many and of one person,” Fair wrote in a blog post.


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Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) by 346.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,420 shares of the Internet television network’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,205 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Netflix were worth $1,451,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NFLX. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Netflix by 3.5% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,688,805 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $12,007,252,000 after buying an additional 1,118,349 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Netflix by 1.9% during the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,748,186 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $5,784,623,000 after purchasing an additional 297,582 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in Netflix by 2.2% during the second quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 7,743,499 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $2,844,343,000 after purchasing an additional 163,289 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Netflix by 39.1% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,249,377 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $2,662,841,000 after purchasing an additional 2,039,046 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Netflix by 1.3% during the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,011,246 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $1,840,730,000 after purchasing an additional 62,742 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.22% of the company’s stock.
In related news, CEO Reed Hastings sold 43,372 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.57, for a total value of $11,561,674.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 43,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,561,674.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,702 shares of company stock valued at $38,290,015. Insiders own 3.72% of the company’s stock.
Shares of Netflix stock traded down $8.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $283.11. 9,228,000 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,158,050. The business has a 50-day moving average of $278.12 and a 200 day moving average of $321.34. Netflix, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $231.23 and a fifty-two week high of $385.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.66 billion, a PE ratio of 105.64, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The Internet television network reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.42. Netflix had a return on equity of 23.65% and a net margin of 7.49%. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.
NFLX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Netflix from $450.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on Netflix from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Raymond James lowered their price target on Netflix from $450.00 to $415.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Aegis reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Netflix in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $370.00 price target on Netflix and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Netflix currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.54.
Netflix, Inc provides Internet entertainment services. The company operates in three segments: Domestic streaming, International streaming, and Domestic DVD. It offers TV series, documentaries, and feature films across various genres and languages. The company provides members the ability to receive streaming content through a host of Internet-connected screens, including TVs, digital video players, television set-top boxes, and mobile devices.
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Calendar week 37 – and probably September 12th or 13th: This date for the next iPhone keynote has been rumored for a few days. Bloomberg author Mark Gurman is now more or less committed: “The signs are increasingly pointing to September 12”, he announced on Tuesday evening on X. Things could only change “theoretically”, he continued.
Present it on Tuesday, have it ordered on Friday
September 12 would be a Tuesday, making it Apple’s traditional favorite day for such events, although last year it became a Wednesday due to a US holiday. For example, Apple could take September 15 (Friday) as the start of pre-orders for the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and then ship the first devices the following week (Friday, September 22) for the first time. This would leave the group with a good week of sales in this quarter.
In addition to at least four new iPhones – plus possibly two legacy models retrofitted with USB-C – at least two new Apple Watch models in different colors are expected. It is unclear whether they will appear in the same way. It is also conceivable that Apple will not release all iPhones immediately, but certain models later. Last year, the iPhone 14 Plus only came out in October.
Keynote again only as a video – with guests
The format of the keynote, which Apple has not changed since the Corona period, will probably remain the same: the manufacturer is planning another hybrid event. In the presence of important Apple managers in Cupertino, guests will be shown a video that Internet users will also be able to see. After that there will probably be hands-on encounters with the new hardware again.
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It is unlikely that Apple will hold its keynote live again at some point – pandemic or not. With the video format, the group has significantly more control over the presentation, can record sequences step by step, insert and/or exchange blocks. There are no technical problems. However, the famous keynote feeling hardly comes up, as it also lived from the fact that there were also amusing fails on stage.
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On the heels of its L1 and Up! Lite concepts—which debuted at the recent Frankfurt and Los Angeles auto shows, respectively—Volkswagen is introducing another concept at the Detroit auto show that moves a small hybrid from the German brand closer to reality. More important, however, is that the latest show car previews the look of the next-generation Jetta, set to begin production later this year.
Called the New Compact Coupe, or NCC, the concept follows the developmental naming convention of the upcoming Jetta and Passat replacements, the NCS and NMS—for New Compact Sedan and New Midsize Sedan. Indeed, it sits on a platform sized within an inch or two of the current Jetta’s in every dimension, at 178.5 inches long, 70.1 inches wide, and 55.6 inches tall, with a wheelbase of 104.4 inches. The NCC seats four and boasts 13 cubic feet of trunk space.
Not Such a Radical Appearance
Even as modern concept cars go, this is a tame one, looking like perhaps the “Concept” portion of its name is a mistake. That’s because this is a remarkably faithful preview of the upcoming Jetta sedan. Just shorten the two existing doors a smidge and squeeze in a rear door behind each, and we say you’re looking at the next VW sedan. (Our most recent 2011 Jetta spy photos say the same thing.) We’re not sure Vee Dub will make a two-door Jetta, but the execution on this concept and the lack of traditional two-doors in the VW lineup has us wondering if we won’t see a coupe paired with the 2011 sedan. We’ll call its chances of production solid. And if we’re wrong? Eh, chalk it up to wishful thinking.
A few cues, such as the soft angle on the rear window and the curvature of the decklid, show that Volkswagen is looking to work some of the design cues from its handsome—but pricey—CC into the more pedestrian models in its lineup. The same could be said of the 19-inch “Lougano” wheels, probably named for Olympic diver Greg Louganis and meant to evoke the nimble footwork of the dog-agility competitions he’s been involved in since stepping down from the diving board. Or maybe not. But the twisted-spoke look is one that worked very well on the CC, as it does here and probably would anywhere except a Mercedes G-wagen. CC cues carry over to the inside of the show car, as well, in the ribbed, bolstered seats and two-row console.
Radicalism Found Underhood
This four-seater is motivated by a mild-hybrid powertrain that sandwiches a 27-hp electric motor between a 148-hp, 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four and a seven-speed, dual-clutch automated manual DSG transmission. VW says the NCC “can go 141 mph if necessary”—when is 141 mph not necessary?—and “accelerates to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds,” apparently regardless of necessity.
A 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery mounted in the rear of the car powers the electric motor and draws a charge through regenerative braking, while an automatic engine stop/start system helps the NCC to a claimed 45 mpg in the European combined fuel-economy cycle. We’d figure 30 to 35 mpg on the U.S. cycle.
Volkswagen will introduce a hybrid Touareg later this year, and regardless of whether it powers something with two doors or four, expect to see this powertrain in a production Volkswagen soon. And, as for that sheetmetal, there’s no doubt that the next Jetta is gonna be a looker.


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Suppliers discover beauty of interactive advertising
The barriers between traditional and interactive marketing are dissolving, and interactive marketing spending in the United States is projected to hit $61 million by 2012, according to recent research. Evidence of such growth is increasingly infiltrating the beauty market, as beauty brands aim to drive shoppers to brick-and-mortar mass-market doors and bolster brand awareness.
According to a recent study by Forrester Research, a technology and market research company, interactive marketing spending in the United States will more than triple over the next five years.
The forecast is based in part on a survey of 344 interactive marketing professionals and their budget decisions affecting display ads, search, email marketing, online video and emerging media (social, mobile and adver-gaming).
More specifically, the study found that mainstream marketers are turning to search marketing, which is expected to grow the category at a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent to $25 billion by 2012.
Online video will experience a 72 percent increase in ad spending to $7.1 billion by 2012, as more consumers adopt online video.
Meanwhile, mainstream adoption will boost spending in such emerging channels as social media, mobile, game marketing, widgets, podcasts and RSS, according to Forrester. Spending on social media alone will grow to $6.9 billion, as marketers understand how to use and measure this channel.
Such trends already are evident in the mass-market beauty industry as, in April alone, several brands launched new online campaigns and revamped sites to make them more interactive.
One such example is L’Oréal USA’s Softsheen-Carson ethnic hair care brand, which announced in April the redesign of its online presence at www.softsheencarson.com.
The site, according to the company, has been restaged with new technology, interactive elements, enhanced graphics and entertainment features. The site also links to the new “SSC Lounge.” Within the SSC Lounge, visitors will find, for example, a Colorscope, which is similar to a horoscope but tells visitors about themselves and their hair; a Style Transformation Station that enables visitors to upload their photo and try on a new cut, color or style; and a Rewards Store where visitors can redeem points for exclusive gifts.
Markwins North America debuted in April its new wet n wild Beauty Benefits Web site, located at www.wnwbeautybenefits.com, to promote the new line of Lotus Marine mineral makeup and brushes.
The brand developed the online community so women can learn about the products and get beauty tips, as well as receive advice on how to live a healthier lifestyle via the Lifestyle tab. There’s also a monthly contest that awards women who are doing positive things in their lives to achieve beauty both inside and out.
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Co. is promoting its Melt Away Stress line of skin care products via a new online campaign at the www.JohnsonsForYou.com/escape Web site.
Tapping Glam Media’s network of 450-plus Web publishers, Johnson’s is targeting young women to build brand awareness, stimulate interaction and build excitement for the new products beyond ad banners.
Components of the site include a user-generated content contest, Jamaica getaway sweepstakes, expert and celebrity videos, and an embeddable quiz widget. Visitors to the site will also have access to an exclusive free trial coupon.
Also in April, Unilever’s Dove brand announced the relaunch of Dove.com as the Dove Digital Channel. According to the company, the new media channel signals a new approach to Dove’s online marketing and has raised the game in the digital space by forming a marketing alliance with OgilyInteractive and Microsoft’s MSN.
Stop & Shop cuts prices on health and beauty
QUINCY, Mass. East Coast supermarket chain Stop & Shop has announced that it will lower prices on more than 5,000 products, the company announced Thursday.
Discounted health and beauty items will include shampoos and soaps, vitamins, cotton swabs, bandages, toothpaste and others. The reductions are part of Stop & Shop’s “Low Prices Every Day” campaign, which has also lowered prices on foods, baby-care products, paper goods and household supplies.
Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. employs more than 59,000 people, operating 378 stores throughout New England, as well as New York and New Jersey. It is owned by the Dutch company Ahold.
Smashbox, Sephora initiate ‘beauty guru’ contest
SAN DIEGO Cosmetics line Smashbox and beauty retailer Sephora teamed up to launch round one of the “Are You the Next Beauty Guru?” campaign powered by social media advertising platform Brickfish.
The campaign, located at www.smashbox.com/beautyguru, encourages beauty mavens to create videos, develop communications or submit blogs with photos showcasing their visions for the next must-have beauty products.
The grand prize winner will receive an array of prizes including a one-week apprenticeship at Smashbox to design the official Smashbox Fashion Week Makeup Palette and an all-expenses-paid three-day trip for two to Los Angeles to attend Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in March 2009. The palette will be sold exclusively at Sephora nationwide and will be featured in the Sephora catalog.
The winner will be chose during the second round of the campaign, which begins June 25. In addition to the grand prize winner, the Smashbox and Sephora expert panel will be giving away Smashbox swag bags to the top 10 scores from round one and to weekly sweepstakes winners who sign up to receive emails from Smashbox and Sephora. Round one of the campaign ends June 20.
“Smashbox and Sephora have long been at the forefront of beauty innovation, so creating a social media campaign is the perfect way to connect emerging beauty mavens with each other,” stated Brian Dunn, chief executive officer of Brickfish. “The ‘Are You the Next Beauty Guru?’ campaign will spark conversation on hundreds of social networking sites producing highly original and inspired product ideas. Inviting consumers into the campaign will give Smashbox and Sephora a unique way to engage with their consumers and build brand loyalty.”


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It is possible that young African entrepreneurs will emerge to gain market share internationally, according to Didier Akotey, head of Africa Search. He was speaking in Bamako on January 10, during a Side Event on entrepreneurship, the recommendations of which will be forwarded to heads of state and government scheduled to take part in the Africa-France summit.
“The good woman who sells roadside donuts is an entrepreneur, the one who sells roadside refills is an entrepreneur. But how do you translate this form of entrepreneurship into a structured business that can grow and which can become a champion in its field, “said Didier Akotey.
This specialist firmly believes in the Youth Skills and Jobs Development Project (PROCEJ) supported by the World Bank. For example, the challenge is how it can produce flour which will then be distributed tomorrow in supermarkets or to other ladies who themselves will produce donuts. As for the card seller, it is a question of how he can produce cards than other young people who can sell them in turn.
According to the expert from Africa Search, it is considered that young entrepreneurship is one of the avenues of salvation to the issue of unemployment. About 12 to 13 million young Africans enter the job market each year and Africa struggles to provide between 3 to 4 million jobs per year. “It means that there is a huge deficit in terms of employment”, underlined Didier for whom everyone is an entrepreneur: “there is no age to be an entrepreneur”, he said. indicated.
Although 90% of the African private sector is made up of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Africa can provide champions, he said. Just one piece of advice to young entrepreneurs: “Today everyone comes to Africa, there is not a large global group that does not want to come to Africa,” he said. It is therefore important that young entrepreneurs understand their environment which is in fact a global issue.
Find out more: http://malijet.com/a_la_une_du_mali/174985-sommet_afrique_france_champion_africain.html


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• Binance has added Arkham (ARKM) to its Launchpad platform with a hard cap of $2.5 million.
• A snapshot for BNB balances starts at 00:00 (UTC) on July 11-17, 2023.
• Arkham also announced its Arkham Intel Exchange, dubbed the “world’s first on-chain intelligence marketplace.”
Binance Adds Arkham (ARKM) To Launchpad
Binance has announced Arkham (ARKM) as the 32nd project in the Binance Lanchpad. A snaphot of BNB balances will be taken on July 11 to July 17, and the public sale price for ARKM is $0.05 with a hard cap of $2.5 million per user. The native Binance coin, surged more than 3% to trade at highs of $243 after this announcement was made.
Arkham Intel Exchange
Arkham also announced its Arkham Intel Exchange, dubbed the “world’s first on-chain intelligence marketplace“ which will go live on July 18th and allow users to buy and sell information anonymously via smart contracts by placing bounties for intel. This intel can be used to gain insights into any blockchain wallet address or entity without revealing their identities.
Snapshot For BNB Balances
Binance mentioned that a snapshot for BNB balances will start from 00:00 UTC on July 11 and end at 00:00 UTC on July 17th, 2023 . This means that all users must have their tokens ready before this period ends if they want to participate in the token sale event and benefit from it.
BNB Price Increase
The native Binance coin saw an increase in price as soon as this announcement was made and surged more than 3% trading at highs of $243 . This surge can be seen as a testament to the trust people have in both bianance’s launchpad platform and arkham’s upcoming intel exchange platform , demonstrating how these two news announcements have had such positive effects in such short time frame .
Allocation Of ARKM Tokens
Finally , 50 million ARKM tokens have been allocated by launchpad which is approximately 5% of total supply of 1 billion tokens . These tokens are going to be available for purchase during this token sale event planned by bianance , giving users an opportunity to get their hands on these tokens early while benefitting from them later when they go live .


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Trade Wars Between the U.S. and China Could Send Indices into Bear Market
Over the past few months, the stock market has been volatile, to say the least. Don’t be shocked if the losses mount higher in the coming months. To make a bold statement, we could be entering a bear market in 2018.
It’s important to understand the source of volatility and why we could be entering a bear market in 2018…
It all started with President Donald Trump claiming that America was not being respected in the world. Since a lot of countries around the world sell to the United States, his idea was to place to tariffs on some goods imported to the country. The intention was to teach the world to treat the U.S. with respect, and China was certainly highlighted clearly in all this.
Trump’s vision is that imposing tariffs will make America a strong country.
Well, that didn’t really go as planned.
The Chinese authorities have retaliated, and they are threatening to place tariffs on American goods. China is threatening tariffs on American-made cars, planes, and agriculture products worth roughly $50.0 billion. (Source; “China Tariffs Threaten U.S. Cars, Planes and Soy in Response to Trump,” The Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2018.)
What’s the big deal? You see, the U.S. and China are the biggest nations in the global economy. If they enter a trade war, this could have consequences across the board.
This is exactly what’s spooking investors and why they are selling.
American companies have an immense presence in China. For example, Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) sell their cars in China. Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) sells planes to China.
Let’s just say that the list of companies doing business in China is too big to mention here.
If China and the U.S. get into a full-on trade war, it could cause a lot of damage to corporate America. Their sales and profitability could be on the line. Obviously, their stock prices will also be hit hard by investors.
Why Will a Trade War Cause Stocks to Tumble Into a Bear Market?
Now the question is: “How is this going to send the stock market into a bear market?”
Understand that a bear market is when the stock market falls 20% or more from its peak in a short period of time.
Dear reader, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded as high as 26,616 on January 26. At the time of this writing, it stood at 23,932. Doing simple math, this represents a decline of 10.08%.
We are halfway to a bear market already on the Dow! Mind you, the index made a low of 23,344 on April 2.
Will the selling continue? I believe it’s certainly possible.
My reasoning is very simple: for the selling to stop, you need some sort of levelheaded talks. We are not seeing that happen.
Just recently, President Trump said in an interview that “We may take a hit, and you know, ultimately we’re going to be much stronger for it, but it’s something we have got to do.” (Source: “Trump admits tariffs could cause ‘pain’ in markets,” NBC News, April 6, 2018.)
This is not how you calm the markets.
If the trade war rhetoric continues, investors will continue to sell, and this is why we could be hearing about a bear market sooner rather than later.


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Today HP made a fascinating decision. One that is disruptive, exciting, and could lead to valuable innovation. HP has decided to release webOS to the open source community. This decision could have significant impact on the mobile landscape and may end up being one of the most disruptive moves yet.
A quote from the release:
“HP plans to continue to be active in the development and support of webOS. By combining the innovative webOS platform with the development power of the open source community, there is the opportunity to significantly improve applications and web services for the next generation of devices.”
The move by HP to put webOS into Open Source is a brilliant one. Although it was a disaster for them and forced them to write off the $3 billion they invested in it, it is now a gift from them to consumers and could have a drastic impact on the future of mobile devices. Next to Apple’s iOS, webOS is arguably the best non-Apple mobile OS on the market. And it is easy to develop for since software developers can use mainstream Web tools to create webOS applications. Also as a part of the release to open source HP will also contribute ENYO, the application framework for webOS.
Meg Whitman stated in a quote from the press release:
“webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable,” said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer. “By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices.”
Unlike Google’s Android or Windows 8 for tablets, it will come with no strings attached. As a rich Open Source OS, webOS could finally reach its full potential. It would not surprise me to see many of the big Android backers in tablets move quickly to webOS and some may even use it for some innovative smart phones as well.
We believe Android could be the biggest loser from this move by HP. Google has constantly taken criticism from the OEMs due to their lack of unity in releases and overall short roadmap. We have heard countless times how many vendors desire a better option than Android. To many of them Windows Phone provided an opportunity but now this void may be filled by webOS.
HP said they plan to continue to invest in the webOS open source project and will have dedicated team members involved with the open source community.
The move of webOS to Open Source is great news for vendors, developers and consumers and could quickly become one of the better options for OEMs who want more control of their designs and mobile OS user interface in order to help them differentiate themselves from competitors.
Related: Dear Industry – Dare to Differntiate
I applaud this move and although it is bold I believe it has the potential to benefit this industry greatly. I am extremely excited to see how the open source community, developers, and OEMs embrace this opportunity. This is perhaps one of the most exciting pieces of news of 2011.
Check out this small forum thread on HP’s website, asking them to release webOS to open source.
4 thoughts on “Analysis: HP Releases webOS to Open Source Community”
What a unbelievably disrupting yet good piece of news for the open source community.
This will shake things up like never before. Bravo meg! Bravo!
Why might WebOS also not fragment?
It may, but what has always intrigued me about webOS is the framework and development tools around how apps are made. webOS apps are built similarly the way web apps are built, as webOS is a more web oriented framework. Palm was always clear that if you could write for the web then you can write for webOS.
I look at the Twitter web app for example,which does not work in Androids browser but does on iPhone, and you see an app running in the browser that looks identical to the native, installed, app. Same is true of Facebook.
This is the direction I believe we are heading which means that the fragmentation can be controlled, so long as the browser on all the variations stays the same, or at least close. webOS is built around web kit and was always designed to embrace a more web centric development approach. This is believe will help it manage with any level of fragmentation.
They key to webOS now, however, will be the semiconductor companies. I am already in discussions with all of them on what to do with webOS.


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Silver Oak Winery CEO On Sustainable Wine And The Business Behind It | Better | NBC News Silver Oak Winery CEO On Sustainable Wine And The Business Behind It | Better | NBC NewsWhat made you decide to do this because this is a business that began in 1972, but even when you decided to make this move there wasn’t such a massive Millennial, green movement, those who really love your brand. Now I’ve been concerned about my whole life. I grew up in Colorado, my love, the outdoors, and so it’s it’s always been something very personal to me. Our project is coming out as best as I possibly can was just a natural extension to then the production facility, and we started this well before Millennials could drink ability was popular and you had just withstood of fire.
You were in a crisis moment and taking the truth, how to be a really expensive one at the winery has another way of saying it: a little more crude. That money is a resource as well. The argument all the time that if you do good your business, will do well not in all cases, but in more cases everyday can we found our consumer response really positive with the kids grew up with parents and they’re coming they’re showing up and they want to Know – and we can honestly not technically answer today – is better because of it itself and the Consciousness like the crew has around water, use a focus and a attention given to the wine that did you know kind of the old cuz.
Nothing we do is the old way to do it if we have the same as Winery and that and that translates into the bottle, play NBC News. Click on any of the videos over here to watch.NBC News’ Stephanie Ruhle talks to Silver Oak Winery CEO David Duncan to learn about how going green was good for his company.
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Silver Oak Winery CEO On Sustainable Wine And The Business Behind It | Better | NBC News


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Sprint may soon be no more. Today the venerable telecommunications company announced plans to merge with T-Mobile in an all-stock deal. If regulators give the go-ahead, the new company will be called simply T-Mobile, and T-Mobile’s current chief executive officer John Legere will be its CEO.
That’s a big if. Although the Trump administration is generally seen as more friendly to the telco industry than the Obama administration was, it has taken issue against some mega-mergers, most notably AT&T’s bid for Time Warner. The combination of T-Mobile and Sprint, the third and fourth largest mobile providers respectively, would bring the number of major cellular carriers down from four to three, which could attract a lot of scrutiny.
Assuming the deal moves ahead, the new company would have a combined total of around 127.2 million wireless subscribers, putting it within striking distance of AT&T’s 141.6 million subscribers and Verizon’s 150.5 million subscribers.
The two companies will exchange stock at a rate of 0.10256 T-Mobile shares per Sprint share and 9.75 Sprint per T-Mobile share, valuing the combined company at $146 billion.
T-Mobile owner Deutsche Telekom will own 42 percent of the new company, and the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, which acquired Sprint in 2013, will own 27 percent. The remaining 31 percent will be held by the public. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure will serve on the board of the new company.


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87% of cosmetics contain microplastics
Most cosmetic products contain small particles of plastic, the Plastic Soup Foundation concluded in a recent study. Of the 7,704 products examined from ten major brands, 87 percent contained plastic particles. This includes several types of microplastics, such as synthetic polymer, according to the environmental organization. The Dutch Cosmetics Association (NCV) has spoken out against the Plastic Soup Foundations conclusion and the study’s methodology.
The Plastic Soup Foundation is now calling on the European Union to tighten up legislation. The impact the synthetic particles have on public health needs to be better investigated before their further use is allowed, they argued. The products examined were from the brands, L'Oréal Paris, Elvive/Elseve, Garnier, Nivea, Gillette, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Dove, Rexona, and Axe.
In response, the NCV said that the definition of “microplastics” that the Plastic Soup Foundation used for the study is incorrect. “The organization is taking it too far, and now suddenly everything is ‘microplastic,’” said NCV policy advisor Max Hellinga. “As an example, the foundation says that all synthetic polymers are microplastics. That's not true."
“We see plastic as a chemical substance," Jeroen Dagevos from the Plastic Soup Foundation said in defense of his organization’s report. "Polymers are one of those. They do not degrade easily. You should at least research that before you put it on the market." The organization has based its research into microplastics on the ingredients lists of the various cosmetic products.
The definition of microplastics has already been established by independent scientists at the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) and the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC), according to the NCV. As such, the analysis of the ingredients list by the Plastic Soup Foundation creates the wrong impression, the cosmetics groups argued.
However, Dagevos disagreed, saying the NCV is conveniently hiding behind that definition of microplastics, one in which “they lobbied hard for themselves.”
Despite these differences, the NCV says it takes the problem seriously. The association emphasized that safe products for consumers and the environment are an "absolute priority." Safe products for consumers and the environment are an "absolute priority,” the association emphasized. "The industry, therefore, takes the problem of microplastics very seriously and is looking for effective and science-based solutions."
Reporting by ANP


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The Big Reshuffle of Financial Services Business Priorities
A reality check based on the latest Salesforce report
Customers’ concerns are pointing to low levels of impact and satisfaction from the up-to-date digitalization in financial services.
A recent Salesforce survey, “State of the Connected Customer,” reports that only 27% feel that the financial services industry is actually customer-centric, and only 23% think that the industry handled the pandemic well! At the same time, customer expectations post-pandemic are elevated.
Now, how disappointing is this market feedback after billions of dollars spent in funding Fintech innovations and with hundreds of Fintech unicorns globally?
Salesforce`s recent survey provides multiple insights around the reshuffling of priorities in financial services institutions (FSIs) globally. The 2,500 respondents (not all Salesforce customers) have changed their business priorities. The report compares the top 10 list of business priorities at the end of 2019 and the priority changes after the pandemic.
The biggest change is in de-prioritizing customer experience (CX), which used to be the top priority and seems to have dropped to number five. This means that services that improve customer experience like automating account transfers, portfolio optimization, or nearly instant claims processing, are less important than the implementation of new technology or the automation of various internal processes.
I am actually surprised mostly by the de-prioritization of “enhancing security” that is reported to have dropped by three places and is no longer in the top five business priorities. This led me to look into the differences in reshuffling across wealth management and retail banking and across various regions. This is important as the sector is in a re-bundling phase and wealth management and retail banking are two traditionally siloed areas with different digitalization maturity.


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CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Author Lewis Schiff, executive director of Inc. Business Owners Council, an exclusive Inc. Magazine membership organization for top entrepreneurs, and SAP Business One Evangelist Richard Duffy will give keynote addresses at the Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG) 4th Annual ASUG SAP Business One Summit. The B1 Summit will take place Sept. 10-12 in Anaheim, California.
“Over the past three years this event has become the premier showcase for software solution providers and the only stage where SAP Business One is front and center 100 percent of the time”
ASUG members receive free registration to the intensive three-day education and networking event for users of the integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which provides 35,000 small and medium-sized businesses and corporate subsidiaries and divisions worldwide with sales, financials, inventory, operations, customer relations and human resources support.
The Summit will provide free training classes, workshops, question-and answer sessions with the experts, live product demonstrations, and customer presentations from executives who have changed and improved their businesses.
“Over the past three years this event has become the premier showcase for software solution providers and the only stage where SAP Business One is front and center 100 percent of the time,” said Carl Lewis, Program Chair for the ASUG Business One Special Interest Group and founder of the B1 Summit. “There is tremendous value in meeting and collaborating within this community; through their engagement in ASUG, SAP Business One customers are able to come together as a unified community to share their collective knowledge and experiences.”
In his keynote at 1:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Sept. 10, Duffy will demonstrate the latest functional enhancements to SAP Business One and discuss the business benefits of deploying mobile solutions and SAP HANA.
Schiff’s keynote, “Becoming Business Brilliant,” is at 8:45 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Sept. 11. He will discuss the factors that set apart people in the top net worth households from those in the middle class, which is the focus of his new book, Business Brilliant: Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons. Attendees will learn how the top 10 percent are thriving in today’s new economy and be challenged to evaluate their own practices in key areas such as team-building, risk management and decision-making.
Summit participants also will have opportunities to network and unwind at golf and shopping events on Tuesday, Sept. 10, and to join attendees at the ASUG SAP® BusinessObjects™ User Conference (SBOUC) for a live concert by rock legends REO Speedwagon on Wednesday evening, Sept. 11.
To preview the full 2013 ASUG Business One Summit agenda, visit http://www.asug.com/events/detail/2013-ASUG-Business-One-Summit. Follow and participate in the dialogue on Twitter with the hashtag #ASUGB1Summit.
For more information about ASUG, please visit the ASUG Media Room.


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Ronnie Screwvala’s Unilazer Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount in seed funding in a stealth-mode artificial intelligence (AI) startup named Niki.ai.
The seed funding will be majorly used on product development and expanding service offerings.
The brainchild of the IIT Kharagpur alumni Sachin Jaiswal, Keshav Prawasi, Nitin Babel and Shishir Modi. , Niki is the first AI-fueled smart-purchasing assistant in the entire world, with the aim to both revolutionize customer interaction and redefine the buying experience as a whole.Currently, the startup has a 16 member team comprising of developers, designers and growth hackers.
Speaking on the development, Sachin Jaiswal, co-founder of niki.ai said, “Many users are not able to follow up with the continuing increase in number of apps, due to low memory phones and slow internet connection. There was a need to cut the noises around excess content to a more personalised suggestion and decision-making. The answer was a chatbot which could simplify online ordering.”
The startup is building a product named Niki, a bot that lets users order anything through a chat interface. It has been building and testing the product with a limited set of beta users for the last seven months.Niki supports end-to-end bookings for Ola and Uber cabs and has an in-chat payment option using Paytm Wallet and are working on more services.


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mig33, the world’s largest mobile-first community, today launched mig33 for Android, a much-anticipated, feature-rich version of the mobile social entertainment service that has already attracted more than 40 million registered users worldwide – and a version that radically widens mig33’s opportunity for future growth.
mig33 for Android squarely positions mig33 for continued success, as low-cost Android offerings are expected to soar worldwide and – in particular – in the emerging, mobile-first regions that have seen mig33’s Java and WAP versions help it grow to be the largest mobile-first community ever.
Today’s launch of the mig33 for Android (beta) means mig33’s games, chat features, virtual goods and other social entertainment services are now available on any Android mobile device, and may also soon be available pre-installed on new Android mobile devices manufactured by handset makers in China, Taiwan, and beyond.
In Q3-10, Android surpassed Symbian as the most popular smartphone OS in Asia, according to GfK Retail and Technology, a sector of GfK Group, one of the world’s largest market research companies. Google is further ramping efforts in Asia to put Android on lower-priced mobile devices, as well.
The mig33 for Android (beta) is available now at m.mig33.com for Android 2.1 and higher.


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Americans watching Tuesday's presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden may have been introduced to a term they haven't heard before in regards to the economic downturn during the coronavirus pandemic: A K-shaped recovery.
"President Trump, you say we are in a V-shaped recovery. Vice President Biden, you say it's more of a K-shape. What difference does that mean to the American people in terms of the economy," moderator Chris Wallace asked.
But what is a K-shaped recovery? It's important to note the other types of letter-shaped recoveries and their meanings. Keep in mind that none of these references are official, according to Fast Company. They are terms economists often use.
A V-shape is just like it looks: a rapid decline followed by a rapid bounce back to what it was when the problem started.
A U-shape means the decline bottoms out and stays there a while before coming back.
A W-shape can also be referred to as a double-dip recession, according to Fast Company. This could happen in a second coronavirus wave: There's a rapid decline, a rapid return, and then repeats in a second wave.
An L-shape means a steep drop with no recovery for an extended period of time, perhaps years.
A J-shape reportedly means that not only is there a recovery, but it goes up so much that it exceeds pre-recession levels.
But a K-shape means some facets of the economy have recovered (the upward spike of the K) while others have not (the downward spike). It's notable that while much of the stock market has recovered since the start of the pandemic, millions of people remain unemployed.
In a Sept. 3 blog post, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark suggested that tech companies and parts of the retail industry will thrive. But she says the travel, entertainment, leisure, hospitality and foodservice industries may not bounce back so quickly.
"The uneven recovery is even cutting across some sectors, which explains why some retailers are setting records while others are facing liquidation. Small businesses across industries are facing similar challenges," Clark said.
She added that nearly all the jobs lost in the financial services sector have been recovered, but only 74% of the people in the leisure and entertainment industries have gotten their jobs back.
"The layoffs have come hardest and fastest for those least able to survive prolonged joblessness, creating a cascade of setbacks from which it will be very hard to recover," Clark said.


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U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup has dismissed a lawsuit against Apple alleging the company knowingly sold consumers MacBook laptops with defective logic boards. The Judge ruled that the plaintiffs failed to show the laptops were sub-par because they were able to use the computers for two years.
Judge Dismisses lawsuit claiming Apple sold MacBook Pro computers with defective logic boards
Judge Alsop said,
Plaintiffs have failed to allege that Apple's logic boards were unfit for their ordinary purposes or lacked a minimal level of quality. Both plaintiffs were able to adequately use their computers for approximately 18 months and two years, respectively.
The two plaintiffs, Benedict Verceles and Uriel Marcus, claimed Apple intentionally misled customers with claims that its MacBook laptop line was state of the art and "the most advanced" on the market, according to Reuters. They also claimed that the laptops, manufactured in 2010, failed within two years of purchase because of the defective logic boards, and that Apple CEO Tim Cook was informed of the issue in 2011.
A second and independent lawsuit against Apple claims 2011 MacBook Pro models shipped with defective graphics cards. That case is still underway, and recently expanded to include Canadian Apple customers.
The plaintiffs in the just dismissed defective logic board case have until January 22 to amend their filing in hope that Judge Alsop will reverse his ruling.


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Kuwaiti politics are notoriously wild: fistfights between ministers, lethargy-inducing deadlocks and seven dissolved parliaments in the past decade. Tomorrow the country heads to the polls and Kuwaitis are braced for more of the same, only now there’s a critical need for consensus in this oil-rich Gulf state. Austerity measures are in place as crude prices continue to tank and many development projects have been stalled by the creaky wheels of government. The problem lies in Kuwait’s half-democracy: as the first Gulf state to hold parliamentary elections it remains under the absolutism of the Emir’s rule, stymying decision-making by the elected. Until reform happens at this structural level, Kuwait will continue to be proffered in other Gulf states as an example of why democracy should be left at the door.
Commuters in the capital can identify their stop even with their eyes closed thanks to a distinctive jingle for each station that alerts them to their train’s arrival. Most are fairly standard melodies but anyone travelling to Jiyugaoka Station on Tokyu Corp’s Oimachi Line between now and Christmas Day will find they are greeted by a couple of unusual tunes: the Star Wars theme and Darth Vader’s Imperial March. Tokyu Group is running a citywide promotional campaign with Disney ahead of the opening of the Star Wars spin-off film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on 16 December. Star Wars-themed buses will be driving around the city and trains all over Tokyo are decked out with motifs from the sci-fi dynasty. Now that Tokyu has discovered this new revenue source, expect to see more publicity blitzes.
Folkdays is a Berlin-based fashion brand that works with indigenous artisans around the globe to create sustainable fairtrade clothing and accessories. “It’s the perfect way of combining an entrepreneurial business model with a straightforward approach to reducing poverty in developing countries,” says owner Lisa Jaspers, who collaborates with craftsmen from Peru to Cambodia. This holiday season Jaspers will be hosting a series of pop-up shops in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich as part of Folkdays & Friends, which sees partnerships with sustainable labels such as Conflict Food, The Good Store and Maisoap. Today marks the launch of Hamburg’s two-day pop-up store, to be followed by one in Munich on 2 December; Berlin’s is open until Christmas Eve. “I hope that more people will decide to start a business that has the potential to leave the world a little bit better than they found it,” says Jaspers.
This weekend Singapore’s visual arts scene is abuzz and today the National Gallery of Singapore’s Gallery Light to Night Festival commences to celebrate its one-year anniversary. Extended opening hours (10.00 to 03.00) over the next two weekends will give visitors more time to explore the gallery’s interactive installations by Australian creative firm S1T2 and Spinifex Group’s vibrant light shows, inspired by abstract art from the museum’s collection. What’s more, special film screenings as part of the concurrent 27th Singapore International Film Festival will be shown across the venue. The annual festival, which showcases Southeast Asia’s multicultural independent film-making talent, will be followed in December by the much-anticipated reopening of the Glass Rotunda at the National Museum of Singapore after an expansive two-year revamp. It seems this young nation’s cultural scene is on a roll.
Our December/January double issue sees us go for growth as we explore smart ideas and profile blossoming business to prepare you for the holiday season – and a very fruitful New Year. All that plus our Travel Top 50 and Soft Power Survey. Available now at The Monocle Shop.
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Robert Pattinson was announced on Wednesday, June 12 as the new face of Dior Homme in a campaign that promises to be too sexy for… well, just about everywhere. The campaign will be limited to Europe (but not the U.K.) and Asia (but not China or Japan). And as for Canada? Definitely not. Though I think Team Edward devotees can find a way around it (hint: the internet).
It’s just the latest development in an endorsement deal that has already been strangely convoluted. E! first whispered in October that Pattinson had signed a three-year deal to be the face of Dior Homme, a contract worth a mighty $12 million. At the time, Dior Homme told the Hollywood Reporter there was no deal to announce.
The rumour gained traction in March when The Sun of London reported Pattinson had shot an ad for the fragrance that a Dior source said “is pushing the boundaries of what you can get away with in advertising.” That would include a partially clothed Pattinson in a love scene with a model, and also with another model, and, just for variety, another model. The Cut theorizes this might be why the ad is airing in such specific markets—because Canada is not about to have our Big Bang Theory reruns interrupted by fourgies.
I could see that as a strategy. If Pattinson is going to be fronting this fragrance for the next three years, it’s savvy to kickstart it with a controversial campaign that will get people talking in ways we haven’t seen since Marky Mark went topless with Kate Moss. No matter what it’s win-win. Dior Homme is getting some sexy press and Pattinson is making everyone forget those rumours that he smells terrible.
MORE ROBERT PATTINSON NEWS:


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You can rock out to your favorite Beatles songs on a number of streaming services this Christmas.
Starting on Dec. 24 at 12.01am local time, the band will finally stream its back catalogue (13 remastered studio albums and four compilations) on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Prime, Microsoft’s Groove, Rhapsody, and Slacker.
The Beatles have slowly been adapting to new technology over the years. The band finally added its back catalogue to iTunes in 2010, and all 17 of the group’s albums were on the top 50 album downloads as soon as they went live.
The move to streaming services is understandable as the next logical step, as these platforms are gaining momentum to become a bigger source of income for the music industry. Revenues from streaming sites are currently on pace to overtake digital downloads: earlier this month, Warner Music Group—the third-largest music company in the world—reported that income from streaming services in 2015 had exceeded digital downloads by “a significant amount”.
Although there are only a few of the group’s compilation tracks on Spotify, over 1 million people currently follow The Beatles’ profile page. The most popular song— “Ain’t She Sweet”—had been streamed over five million times. And while the band’s albums and songs have yet to be put on Spotify, fans are still able to listen to the back catalogue of individual band members, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.


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Americans across age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds experienced sharp declines in satisfaction with their personal finances in the second half of 2013, according to CEB, (NYSE: CEB) the leading member-based advisory company. Its bi-annual Consumer Financial Monitor survey of 1,000 American consumers found that the gradual economic recovery has not impacted most consumers’ perceptions of their financial situations. The survey also noted a significant rise in levels of proactive financial management – highlighting a potential risk for financial institutions – as unhappy consumers look to make changes to their providers regardless of customer experience.
The drop in satisfaction across most age and economic groups also correlated to a uniform drop in confidence among consumers’ feelings about their financial providers, and a sharp decline in their satisfaction with financial products. The survey found that pessimism about personal income levels was the single biggest driver of the overall decline in consumers’ feelings about their finances.
The findings showed a 12 percentage point decline in consumers’ feelings about their incomes. The drop in overall consumer sentiment was particularly steep among mass-market consumers, falling 8 percentage points from the previous survey, while younger Americans’ sentiment continued to fall, down 9 percentage points from the same time last year.
The Consumer Financial Monitor also found a uniform rise among different consumer groups in levels of proactive financial management, suggesting consumers are motivated to make changes to their approaches. These activities include working with a financial advisor, keeping a formal budget and setting long-term goals.
CEB Managing Director Peter Aykens said, “Seeing such a large portion of American consumers unhappy with their finances and actively seeking change is a bad combination for mainstream financial services providers. Surprisingly, customer service issues and negative headlines impact consumers much less than their perception of their own personal financial situations. Without a substantial improvement in the overall economic picture for the average American, financial institutions should continue to expect an uphill battle in keeping their customers and growing their profits.”
In this challenging environment for much of its customer base, additional CEB analysis suggests bank executives’ best bets are likely to be small ones. Employing staff capable of empathizing with customers and offering them basic, practical advice is likely to lead to better retention outcomes than new product launches or marketing initiatives. Progressive financial institutions are already formalizing guidelines for their staff to initiate customer conversations in an attempt to help relieve financial stressors.
The Consumer Financial Monitor survey draws from the results of 17,500 consumers across 24 key global markets with results available in the first and third quarters of the year. The US survey measures and compares sentiment by three key age demographics: 18-29, 30-46 and 47-65 and divides by wealth along the mass affluent (more than $100,000 in investable assets) and mass market consumer (less than $100,000).


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Digital shopping consultants and more – What process mining can do
Digitalization has caused fundamental changes in many sectors and brought innumerable new businesses and business ideas to the market, but it has also created uncertainty in some established companies. At <link https: www.wu.ac.at en infobiz>WU’s Institute for Information Business, <link https: www.wu.ac.at en infobiz team mendling>Jan Mendling and his team are working on new ways to understand and depict available data to make the underlying processes visible. Their new project in the clothing retail sector has shown how major the changes resulting from the increasing use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology can be: More accurate inventory keeping, information on the exact location of items on the sales floor, faster check-out procedures, and digital shopping consultants in the changing rooms could be the future of retail.
As part of the EU research project Seramis, Jan Mendling is investigating how the use of RFID labels on garments could support various processes in the clothing retail sector. “To get the most out of new data mining technology, it is crucial to understand the data obtained and to make the underlying processes visible,” explains WU Professor Jan Mendling. “In the fashion retail sector, this makes it possible to attain transparency for processes that have previously been difficult to keep track of.” Processing and visualizing this information can help improve procedures like inventory management, check-out, and theft prevention.
Digital consultants, faster check-out
In addition to process visualization based on data, Jan Mendling and his team have developed completely new digital processes in their work at WU, for example methods of locating mislaid articles or tracking the movements of individual garments through the store. He and his colleagues at the Institute for Information Business have created software tools to support these scenarios with data analyses. Possible future developments include digital shopping consultants in the changing room: RFID tags can identify the items being tried on, and especially the large department store chains could install digital screens in the changing rooms that would suggest matching pieces or accessories to go with the selected clothes and assist customers with their purchasing decisions.
“The advantages of digitalizing business processes include improved tracking options, faster processing, and new opportunities for analysis,” explains Professor Mendling. “In cooperation with international partners, the Institute for Information Business is investigating new approaches in the field of process mining, which uses event data to analyze business processes. Many companies already employ a Chief Digitalization Officer to coordinate the various digitalization projects, but a large number of analysis options have only been implemented in individual projects until now.”
More data, but also uncertainty
In cooperation with Ayelt Komus from the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences and Andreas Gadatsch from the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Jan Mendling has been conducting a study called BPM Compass, investigating how to ensure the success of business process management and assessing the predominant process management goals and success factors in companies in a variety of sectors. The BPM Compass survey, carried out with practicioners from the fields of process and IT management, has already shown that in many companies, the wide variety of opportunities offered by process digitalization are not being used to their full extent. Over 80% of the experts surveyed see digitalization as an important factor in their company’s business model, but only one out of four is satisfied with the level of digital transformation in their company. The researchers at WU’s Institute for Information Business are working on how to improve the visualization of digital processes and uncover new potential for a wide variety of different business sectors.