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The miserable year for tech stocks just won’t end, so nobody could really blame you if you started looking for tech stocks to sell.
While tech seemed to have a resurgence in August and gave growth investors some hope in an utterly miserable year on the market, the sector is once again on the downturn. The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ), a leading tech exchange traded fund, is down 15% since August.
And there’s really no indication that tech stocks will bounce back any time soon. Inflation at its highest rate since the 1980s will force the Federal Reserve to continue to raise interest rates; a strong U.S. dollar is hurting tech companies that rely on imports and the Russia-Ukraine war will continue to cast a shadow on the global economy.
Sure, there are some good tech stocks out there. But there are some real dogs as well as identified by my Portfolio Grader. Here are seven tech stocks to sell now.
|Zoom Video Communications
Enterprise software firm Pegasystems (NASDAQ:PEGA) was one of the first customer relationship management companies. Now it’s working in robotic process automation and business process automation.
It offers an AI-powered software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that helps business and government agencies improve workflow and automation.
The threat of a recession weighs heavily on PEGA stock. In July, the company acknowledged that its clients were seeing pressure from slower global economic growth.
That fear is reflected in the stock price – down nearly 70% so far this year and down 31% since July.
Earnings in the second quarter were misses on both revenue and earnings. Pegasystems reported revenue of $275.34 million and a loss per share of 38 cents. Wall Street was expecting revenue of $338.31 million and a gain of 5 cents per share.
PEGA stock has an “F” rating in the Portfolio Grader.
Stitch Fix (SFIX)
Stitch Fix (NASDAQ:SFIX) the e-commerce fashion and clothing company, is having just as bad of a year.
The stock is down 78% to penny stock territory (less than $5 per share) as a tightening economy leaves less discretionary income for Stitch Fix customers to spend on new outfits.
On the surface, Stitch Fix seems to be a great business subscription idea – customers go online to complete a style profile and to put in the clothing sizes. A stylist uses that information to pick out a few clothing items and sends them to the customers to either buy or return.
But there are two big things working against SFIX right now – the weakened economy and the fact that many people aren’t leaving their homes to go to work as often as they did before Covid-19. People don’t need as many work outfits as they did in 2019, and I don’t know when that’s going to change.
Earnings for the company’s fiscal fourth quarter continued to disappoint. Revenue of $481.9 million was less than analysts’ expectations of $488.79 million. An earnings loss of 89 cents per share was worse than the anticipated loss of 60 cents per share.
SFIX stock also has an “F” rating in the Portfolio Grader.
On top of that, the personal computer market is expected to drop by 10% this year, or even more, according to Intel CEO David Zinsner.
Second quarter earnings were pretty disastrous, with earnings of $15.32 billion coming in lower than the Street’s estimate of $17.92 billion. EPS of 29 cents per share was much worse than expectations of 70 cents EPS.
Intel stock is down 46% so far this year, has an “F” grade in the Portfolio Grader.
Penn Entertainment (PENN)
I don’t have a lot of faith these days in Penn Entertainment (NASDAQ:PENN) stock. The casino and entertainment company bought 36% of Barstool Sports in 2020 and recently announced it was exercising its rights to buy 100% of the company.
PENN bulls thought that the Barstool partnership would be huge for PENN because it would theoretically open the door for the company to provide in-game betting across the country. But the rollout of legalized gaming has been slower than anticipated and enthusiasm for the partnership has definitely waned.
PENN has shown a habit in recent quarters of hitting its revenue goals but missing on earnings – and that trend continued in the second quarter of this year. Revenue of $1.63 billion beat analysts’ expectations for $1.6 billion. But the 14-cent EPS was much worse than expectations for EPS of 50 cents.
PENN stock is down nearly 40% so far in 2022. And like the others on this list, PENN has an “F” rating in the Portfolio Grader.
PayPal Holdings (PYPL)
PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ:PYPL) has actually shown signs of life in recent weeks. The stock was down below $70 as recently as July but currently tops $94 to show more than a 30% gain over the last three months.
But as I wrote recently, don’t be fooled by this sudden move up in PYPL stock.
While analysts are projecting improved EPS in the future thanks to cost-cutting and share repurchases, I think the market is already pricing in PayPal’s improved operating performance. Meanwhile, the market conditions that initially pushed PayPal lower are still a factor, so it’s likely that PYPL stock will drop again, soon.
True, earnings for the second quarter were better than anticipated – revenue of $6.81 billion was better than the $6.78 billion that analysts expected. EPS of 93 cents was 6 cents better than predicted. But I’m still not sold on PYPL stock.
Neither is the Portfolio Grader, which gives PYPL stock an “F” grade.
Zoom Video Communications (ZM)
When you think about Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM) you probably remember one of the many Zoom calls you were on during Covid-19, when Zoom meetings became the norm for many businesses and schools.
You may also have some wistful feelings if you missed out on ZM’s huge gains in 2020 and 2021.
But those boom years are over and ZM stock is still feeling the pain. Down more than 57% so far in 2022, ZM is one of the tech stocks to sell on continuing weakness.
. Revenue in Q2 was $1.1 billion, narrowly missing analyst expectations of $1.2 billion. Guidance for the third quarter of $1.09 billion to $1.1 billion is lower than the $1.15 billion that the Street expected.
So, it’s unlikely that ZM stock will give you anything but pain for the rest of the year. It gets an “F” rating in the Portfolio Grader.
DoubleDown Interactive (DDI)
DoubleDown Interactive (NASDAQ:DDI) develops digital games for mobile and web-based platforms.
It specializes in casino-style games with its flagship title being DoubleDown Casino. Another popular title is the zombie survival game Undead World: Hero Survival, which has been downloaded more than 1 million times in its first year.
However, this doesn’t appear to be a good time to double down on DDI stock. Revenue of $80.57 million in the second quarter was down 13% from a year ago. The company also saw significant drops in net income (down 284%), EPS (down 264%) and profit margin (down 313%).
DDI stock is down more than 37% so far this year, far worse than fellow gaming stocks Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) and Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) making it one of the tech stocks to sell while you still have a chance.
Unsurprisingly, this zombie of a stock has an “F” rating in the Portfolio Grader.
On the date of publication, neither Louis Navellier nor the InvestorPlace Research Staff member primarily responsible for this article held (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.


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Hate speech on social media can significantly damage brands advertising on those platforms, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California, surveyed over 3,000 respondents who were shown simulated negative, positive and neutral posts with adjacent ads on Facebook, Instagram and X — which was still known as Twitter at the time, in February and March 2023.
One-fifth of respondents reported liking an advertiser less after seeing ads on social media with hate speech, and there was a 35% drop in the number of people willing to click on those ads. The survey also found that the hate ads caused a large change in net favorability, with sentiment toward advertisers shifting from favorable to neutral. There was an even larger drop in favorability sentiment towards the media platforms themselves.
Methodology. The survey experiments examined how user-generated hate speech posted on social media would impact social media users’ opinions of social media websites and apps, and the brands that advertise on them. Survey respondents were shown simulated negative, positive, and neutral posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in February and March 2023. The text-and-image posts were shown adjacent to advertisements from an oral care brand, a car manufacturer, and a home improvement retailer, to replicate the feel of scrolling through social media feeds.
The more liked a brand was, the bigger the change in favorability.
“While 66% of respondents reported a favorable view of the oral care brand after seeing the positive post and 70% reported a favorable view after viewing a neutral post, only 57% reported a favorable view of the brand after viewing a negative post,” the report stated. “Given that the oral care brand had high baseline favorability, these results could suggest that brands with the highest favorability may be especially vulnerable to negative impact on brand perception caused by proximity to user-generated hate speech posts.”
Sourced from: https://bit.ly/3PDWbzA

domain: news


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Beleaguered internet casino Purple Lounge has finally made contact with its customers to relay that the site has suspended operations and will communicating again within the next week.
The email shows an identical message on the casino's website and revealed nothing new to players who have been keeping up on the situation. For several weeks players have been complaining of stalled payouts and a lack of customer support on the site.
Purple Lounge's owners Media Corp released a trading update last week saying that it was suspended operations of the company due to a lack of success. Media Corp had acquired Purple Lounge just over a year and a half ago.


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Zwipe and IDEX Biometrics have teamed up to create a more comprehensive authentication system for biometric cards. To that end, Zwipe will be integrating IDEX’s fingerprint sensors into its own Zwipe Pay ONE platform, which includes the operating system and necessary software for a single-chip biometric secure element solution.
The two companies will work together to market the joint solution. They will also try to come to a more formal cross-licensing agreement for their respective intellectual properties. Together, IDEX and Zwipe are hoping their efforts will encourage the mass adoption of biometric payment cards as the market moves towards commercialization.
“We believe the combination of Zwipe Pay ONE with IDEX has strong potential to become a market leading solution,” said IDEX Biometrics CEO Vincent Graziani.
“We are ideally positioned to take a leading position in the biometric payments market, providing manufacturers with energy efficiency and biometric performance at industry-leading manufacturing costs,” added Zwipe CEO André Løvestam.
The agreement formalizes the independent relationship between IDEX and Zwipe, who are both involved in a new F.CODE biometric card pilot with IDEMIA. IDEX fingerprint sensors have already appeared in two recently certified biometric payment cards. The first is a FEITIAN card that has been certified for the China UnionPay network, while the second is from an undisclosed tier 1 card manufacturer in Europe.
April 20, 2020 – by Eric Weiss


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AT&T (NYSE:T) logged a stronger-than-expected 5.6% rise in third-quarter earnings on Wednesday as the telecom giant continues to offset sluggish wireline revenue with growth on the wireless front.
The blue-chip telecom said it earned $3.8 billion last quarter, or 72 cents per share, compared with a profit of $3.6 billion, or 63 cents a share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, it earned 66 cents a share, topping forecasts by a penny.
Revenue increased 2.2% to $32.16 billion, compared with the Street’s view of $32.19 billion.
“We`re seeing excellent growth across our major platforms - mobility, U-verse and strategic business services,” AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said in a statement.
AT&T said it sold a third-quarter record 6.7 million smartphones, compared with 6.8 million in the second quarter. Analysts had been calling for slightly more robust smartphone sales of 6.92 million units. Smartphones made up a company record 89% of postpaid phone sales last quarter.
Total wireless revenue, including equipment sales, rose 5.1% to $17.5 billion. Wireless expenses increased 5.7% to $12.9 billion.
AT&T posted a net increase of 989,000 total subscribers in the third quarter, including 363,000 postpaid net additions, which is twice as many as the year-earlier period.
Wireless leaders AT&T and Verizon Wireless have faced increased completion from the likes of Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS), each of which have been bolstered by recent acquisitions.
On the wireline front, AT&T's revenue slipped 1% to $14.7 billion last quarter. AT&T said its high-speed U-verse service enjoyed its first billion-dollar revenue month and overall grew revenue 28.1%.
AT&T said its capital expenditures totaled $6 billion during the third quarter, compared with estimates on Wall Street for $5.36 billion.
Dallas-based AT&T was little moved by the news in after-hours action, with its shares trading up 0.06% to $35.29.


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If you haven’t heard yet, there’s two new kawaii shows coming to Netflix this year featuring Rilakkuma and Gudetama!
Everyone who fell in love with Rilakkuma & Kaoru has been waiting impatiently for the sequel and we finally have a date! Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure will be available to watch on Netflix worldwide on August 25th. Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori, Kaoru and Tokio will all be back, but rather than a direct sequel, this series will take place in an amusement park that’s about to close and they’ll have various adventures there. You can add a reminder in Netflix and hopefully there will be a trailer soon.
And look who else is getting their own show – Gudetama! This teaser video was shared by Netflix last week to introduce Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure. According to the description it’s a “lethargic, empathetic road movie about finding one’s parents” and will star Gudetama and chick sibling Shakipiyo as they go on an adventure to find their mother. SoraNews24 have some more details too including that it’s a mix of live action and animation. There’s no official release date yet but it will be sometime this year – here’s the Netflix page.
Which one are you looking forward to most?
Marceline is the co-founder and editor of Super Cute Kawaii and the author of The Super Cute Book of Kawaii. She lives by the seaside in Scotland in a flat full of kawaii, creating cute character goods as Asking For Trouble, working on endless craft projects and playing Nintendo.


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CAMPING IN STYLE
You’ve seen it on the cover of Garden & Gun and featured in the pages of Southern Living. For over a century, campers, road warriors, and adventurers have hit the road in an Airstream. An airstream isn’t a just travel trailer or recreational vehicle—it’s a lifestyle, and there are Airstream clubs around the world to prove it, along with celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Patrick Dempsey —especially now that COVID restrictions are lifting. People are desperate to “get out of Dodge” and hit the road.
Founded in 1929 by Wally Byam, he was the first to identify the demand for a towable, functional, home-on-wheels as jobless Americans scoured the Wally Byam with his righthand men, Art Costello and Andrew Charles country for work. Hundreds of thousands of Airstream “caravans” have been manufactured since then. Built to last, more than 70 percent of the Airstream travel trailers ever built are still on the road. According to The Washington Post, retail sales jumped 22-percent in 2020 as a result of the pandemic and sales of the “Silver Bullet,” as the all-aluminum Airstream is called, are expected to more than double that by the end of 2021.
Just last week, Airstream introduced a new model to its fleet. The Jackson Center, Ohio-based company has teamed up with the upscale home furnishings company, Pottery Barn, to produce a luxurious home on wheels. Entirely decorated from stem-to-stern in Pottery Barn’s Big Sur Collection and Benchwright Dining Collection, and Aubrey Furniture Collection, the 28-foot land yacht features soothing colors, ultra-soft seating, Roman shades, Belgian flax linen bedding, and bleached oak trim and tables. The Airstream Pottery Barn Special Edition is offered in two-floor plans, sleeps up to five, and costs $145,000, and is available at Airstream dealers nationwide.


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DuPont Investing in $200 million Expansion, Creating 46 Jobs
DuPont is expanding its plant in Circleville, investing in its Kapton® film production capabilities
Published: Wed Mar 13 2019
DuPont is investing $200 million in new equipment and a significant expansion of its sprawling facility in Circleville. The plant, already one of the largest employers in Pickaway County, will add 46 jobs as it increases its ability to manufacture Kapton®, a durable and versatile plastic film that’s been used in a wide variety of applications, from insulating cell phone batteries to keeping the Opportunity and Spirit rovers warm on Mars.
It is critical that DuPont invest in the plant if the company is to meet increasing demand in the consumer electronics and imaging sectors, company officials said. Hiring will begin in the third or fourth quarter of this year.
“This strategic investment solidifies the Circleville plant’s ability to compete and serve the growing electronics and imaging sectors,” said Stephen Irwin, plant manager. “We thank JobsOhio, Pickaway Progress Partnership and Columbus 2020 for their support and ability to work with us to expand the manufacture of this advanced material.”
DuPont, based in Wilmington, Del., services markets in more than 90 countries. DuPont opened the Circleville plant in 1953 to make Mylar film, which is used in packaging. In the early 1960s, the plant started to produce Kapton film among other products. Today, the plant employs 500 full-time workers.
“This investment represents the strength and vitality of the nation’s manufacturers. To remain globally competitive, manufacturers are expanding to add capacity and scale,” said Dana Saucier Jr, Vice President and Head of Economic Development for JobsOhio. “We are pleased that DuPont is investing in a state that is on the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing investment and has a skilled, reliable workforce.”
The plant is among the growing number of manufacturers in the region. More than 1,700 manufacturers employ more than 85,000 people in the Columbus area, according to Columbus 2020.


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Paytm BAN or you can say removed from Google Play Store because of violating the gambling policies. Google has also warned Disney+ Hotstar to display a warning before running ads about fantasy sports apps.
Why Paytm BAN from play store?
According to a tech crunch report, Play Store restricts online casinos and other unregulated gambling apps that promote sports betting in India. Paytm has violated Play Store’s policies by promoting fantasy sports services within its app. Additionally, Paytm First Games is also pulled from the Play Store because of violating the same guidelines.
Dear Paytm'ers,— Paytm (@Paytm) September 18, 2020
Paytm Android app is temporarily unavailable on Google's Play Store for new downloads or updates. It will be back very soon.
All your money is completely safe, and you can continue to enjoy your Paytm app as normal.
The company has made an announcement on its official Twitter account “Paytm Android app is temporarily unavailable on Google’s Play Store for new downloads or updates. It will be back very soon”
“All your money is completely safe, and you can continue to enjoy your Paytm app as normal” They added in their statement.
As mentioned, the tech giant has also warned Disney+Hotstar to display a warning before promoting such Applications. Additionally, Google instructed several companies in India to pause all advertising campaigns which drive users to those websites that offer installation files of sports betting apps.
However, Paytm has not shared further details related to this issue but the company confirmed that It will be back very soon on the Play store. What are your thoughts about Paytm BAN from the Play store, Which Application would you prefer to use rather than Paytm? Let me know in the comment section.


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Stock of the week: Nvidia
NVIDIA’s had a busy few months. Starting with the 4-for-1 stock split back in July last year, the acquisition of Arm failed due to antitrust concerns, and the general selloff in tech stocks dragged NVIDIA down by almost 40% from the (post-split) November high at $345.37…
Some analysts have attempted to quantify crypto miner demand for GPU’s as a key driver for NVIDIA’s future revenue growth, but it’s tricky to be precise (for obvious reasons).
Summit Insights Group analyst KinNgai Chan recently noted:
“A meaningful part of its (NVIDIA) gaming sales do include crypto-mining, which we think could be volatile. Our most recent industry check does indicate a significant weakness in crypto-mining demand,"
How meaningful those gaming sales are is anyone’s guess…
The Russia-Ukraine situation was another negative catalyst for all risk assets this week and NVIDIA was no exception.
Until Thursday. After gapping down to open just above the 208.50 YTD low, the turnaround in risk sentiment saw bargain hunters pile in. It’s pretty rare to see a candle that’s solid green with no wick! Opened at the lows and closed at the highs…
The conference will be held from March 21st to March 24th and there’s a lot to look out for.
- DRIVE Hyperion 8: a computer architecture and sensor set for full self-driving systems.
This system was announced in 2021, but CEO Jen-Hsun Huang considers autonomous vehicles as a key expansion for the company. In a recent VentureBeat interview Huang commented:
“I think there will be thousands and thousands of applications of autonomous vehicles, and it's a sure thing,"
"This year is going to be the inflection year for us on autonomous driving. This will be a big year for us. And then next year, it'll be even bigger next year.
And in 2025, that's when we deploy our own software where we do revenue sharing with the car companies ... And so if the license was $10,000, we shared 50-50. If it’s a subscription base of $1,000 or $100 a month, we share 50-50.
“I think I’m pretty certain now that autonomous vehicles will be one of our largest businesses.”
Jaguar Land Rover have just entered a partnership with NVIDIA to develop their upcoming vehicles on the platform.
Alongside this, there will likely be a focus on the “omniverse”, NVIDIA’s simulation package for enterprise. They use this to simulate real environments such as logistics warehouses and factories for developers to collaborate on.
And back at the core of the business is the highly-anticipated RTX 4000 GPU, which is rumoured to be released this year.
It’s expected to offer a 150% performance increase, and reinforce NVIDIA’s position as a leading graphic card manufacturer. Whether the demand comes from crypto miners or gamers, that’s definitely a factor to watch for the stock price.
Not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee or predict future performance.


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With new materials, a new desanding station and 3D printer, new 3D printing and research partners, and more, Pennsylvania-based binder jetting leader the ExOne Company (Nasdaq: XONE) was pretty busy in 2020, and is already hitting the ground running in 2021. Today, the manufacturer of industrial metal and sand 3D printers is introducing its newest business innovation: an online estimating tool for companies thinking about switching over to ExOne’s high-speed binder jet 3D printing for their metal parts needs.
The new ExOne Production Metal Cost Calculator offers manufacturers a per-part estimate for binder jetting a precision metal part, which gives them the ability to quickly compare the cost of ExOne’s technology to other additive and traditional manufacturing processes. Once you enter your name, email address, phone number, and company, you can easily use the online calculator. You just need to input some simple, but important, information, such as your part dimensions and volume, the material, and the machine, to get going.
“As customers compare new binder jetting options in the marketplace, we wanted to provide greater transparency into the affordable costs of binder jetting with ExOne technology. Our new estimating tool takes a comprehensive range of costs into account, such as initial capital investment, throughput speeds, material, binder, replacement printheads, and more,” John Hartner, ExOne’s CEO, said in a press release. “Our team is confident that our high-speed systems offer the best value in terms of build area, throughput, consumable costs, material flexibility, and experience.”
This new tool provides per-part estimates for binder jet 3D printing on any of ExOne’s Pro series systems, which are qualified to print with more than twenty materials, such as four ceramics, five composite metals, and 11 single-alloy metals; specific examples include Cobalt Chrome, Titanium, M2 Tool Steel, Copper, Inconel 718, and 17-4PH. Aluminum has been qualified to be used for R&D purposes on ExOne’s printers, and its first aluminum alloys should receive important third-party qualification status sometime this year.
ExOne says the metal production 3D printers in its Pro series can complete with new binder jet 3D printers from the likes of HP, Desktop Metal, and GE. The Pro series lineup includes the extra-large X1 160Pro, which features a maximum print speed 10,000 cc/hr and a 30 to 200 μm layer height. The market demand for ExOne’s tenth metal 3D printer, which is currently in production at the company’s German facility, is pretty high, and will be shipping to customers soon.
The X1 25Pro was launched in 2019, with a maximum build rate of 3,600 cc/hr, the latest recoating technology, and a variable Z depth if requested. The final printer in ExOne’s Pro series is the InnoventPro, a faster version of its popular metal binder jetting Innovent+ that can print with the company’s NanoFuse particulate inks. It offers a 3-liter or 5-liter build volume and should be coming to the market later this year, so we’ll have to wait for final specifications.
But, there’s no waiting for the new ExOne Production Metal Cost Calculator, which is now live on the company’s website.
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Martha is Dead has been update version 1.04 (1.120 PS5) is out today. You can get the patch notes for PS4 and PS5 version from here.
According to the developers, this patch addresses some minor issues including crashes when launching the game and opening photos in it. Take a look at the patch notes that are shared below, or have a look at them on the official Twitter profile.
Martha Is Dead Update 1.04 Patch Notes
A new patch for #PlayStation 5 and 4 players in the works at the moment, expecting it to drop early next week to address the recent launch and photo crashes you’ve told us about.


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- December 1, 2007
- Posted by: admin
- Category: Media & Broadcasting
5. Hosken Consolidated Investments chairman
Marcel Golding, a former trade unionist, is the chairman of Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) which is the biggest shareholder in e.tv, South Africa’s first free-to-air private television station. His company is also involved in E.Sat, one of the four new pay-TV channels launching in the new year. It is planning to launch a 24-hour news channel which will compete head on with Telkom Media’s news channel.
“My role is to build a successful and prosperous company that is concerned about its employees… This is one of those industries where people can get an inflated sense of their own importance,” he said when he launched e.tv which soon surpassed the SABC channels in viewership numbers.
Golding also has directorships in most HCI companies including Tsogo Investment Holdings (the controlling company of Tsogo Sun), Golden Arrow bus company, niche financial services group Mettle and Wired, the company that controls YFM, according to the Financial Mail’s Little Black Book. His influence is felt behind media doors.


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Production reorganization, joint projects between export companies and new distributors and clients are only a small part of the presented results during the first edition of the export program.
The first edition of Export Hub Bulgaria’s training program EXPO1 has ended and the results were reported through an online event. In the program participated 15 companies – Cardinal Bites, Biostyle, Entegra, TechnoLogica, INOX, ADP – Smolyan, SingleCelled, Europack Bulgaria M, Convoy-World, Daisy Tech, Eljoy, Piros, Ayali Group, Innova BM, Aichhorn and Co.
The closing event took place in Sofia Tech Park’s studio for online broadcasting – Clubhouse. In the event participation took Boyko Takov, the Executive Director of Bulgarian small and medium enterprises promotion agency (BSMEPA) – the initiator of Export Hub Bulgaria, and Todor Mladenov, the Chief Executive Officer at Sofia Tech Park – a co-founder of the Hub.
Within 4 months of the training were held 13 theoretical sessions about the most important topics regarding the export business development. The information about the potential possibilities and the market specifics in the different countries was presented by the representatives of the Commercial and Economic Office Abroad.
“I want to thank everyone that had any part in the process – the companies, the mentors, the lecturers, all our partners, the Commercial and Economic Office and the BSMEPA’s team. We proved that with common efforts we can achieve significant results in supporting the companies.” commented the Executive Director of BSMEPA Boyko Takov.
“I am glad that the Sofia Tech Park’s team is part of this initiative. I look forward to seeing the companies’ progress and also to finding out which tools of the program are the most effective, to analyzing and improving the following editions.” Commented the Chief Executive Officer at Sofia Tech Park Todor Mladenov.
“I want to thank the BSMEPA for this initiative and to be able to be a mentor. The match between the mentors and the companies was very good. We truly made history and presented a very interesting program. We showed that in Bulgaria there is a unique talent which will improve our competitive power.” Commented Genoveva Hristova – a lecturer, mentor in EXPO1 and Chairwoman of Bulgarian Association of Business Clusters, a co-founder of Export Hub Bulgaria.
Representatives of the companies that underwent the training also shared their impressions of the initiative, the changes that were made in their business after the sessions, as well as the real benefits of the training.
The Export Hub Bulgaria is a publicly private initiative with the purpose of increasing the export potential of the Bulgarian business. Under the aegis of Export Hub Bulgaria are organized international events in the country. You can find the full information on the official site www.exporthub.bg.


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The current New York Times Magazine carries this stunning feature on North Korea’s super-sophisticated operation to counterfeit US dollars:
According to defector accounts, Kim Jong Il endorsed counterfeiting not only as a way of paying for covert operations but also as a means of waging economic warfare against the United States, “a way to fight America, and screw up the American economic system,” as the North Korean specialist paraphrased it to me.
In a similar vein, according to Sheena Chestnut, a specialist on North Korea’s illicit activities who has also interviewed several key defectors, counterfeiting was seen as an expression of the guiding idea of the regime: the concept of juche. Often loosely translated as “self-reliance” or “sovereignty,” the idea of juche entails an aggressive repudiation of other nations’ sovereignty — a reaction to the many centuries in which Korea capitulated to its larger, more powerful neighbors. “It appears that counterfeiting actually contributed to the domestic legitimacy of the North Korean regime,” Chestnut told me. “It could be justified under the juche ideology and allowed the regime to advertise its anticapitalist, anti-American credentials.”
By 1984, as North Korea’s planned economy began to fall apart, Kim Jong Il, who by that time was effectively running much of the government, issued another directive, according to the North Korean specialist, who told me he has obtained a copy of the document. It explained that “producing and using counterfeit U.S. dollars” was a means, in part, for “overcoming economic crisis.” The economic crisis was twofold: not only the worsening conditions among the general population but also a growing financial discontent among the regime’s elite, who had come to expect certain perquisites of power. Counterfeiting offered the promise of raising hard currency to buy the elite the luxury items that they had come to expect: foreign-made cars, trips for their children, fine wine and cognac.
From all accounts, superb quality is a feature of much North Korean contraband: methamphetamine of extraordinarily high purity; counterfeit Viagra rumored to exceed the bona fide product in its potency; supernotes. It’s an impressive product line for a regime that can barely feed its people. When I discussed this with Asher, he let out a sigh. “I always say that if North Korea only produced conventional goods for export to the degree of quality and precision that they produce counterfeit United States currency, they would be a powerhouse like South Korea, not an industrial basket case.”
Better yet, read the whole thing – it’s always good to be up to date on what Chavez’s buddies are up to.
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uga Labs announced on February 16th that it had acquired NFT development company PROOF in a strategic move to expand its brand and vision. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Yuga Labs stated that the acquisition aligns with its goal of becoming the "front door of Web3". Through the purchase, Yuga Labs now owns all of PROOF's assets and products including its flagship Moonbirds NFT collection.
Moonbirds Joins The Yuga Family
The Moonbirds project is considered a rival to Yuga Lab's own Bored Ape Yacht Club collection. As part of the deal, Moonbirds and the PROOF Collective will now fall under Yuga Lab's ownership. Yuga Labs CEO Daniel Alegre expressed excitement about the acquisition, saying it represented the company's commitment to supporting art and culture in web3. He also noted plans to introduce Moonbirds to Yuga Labs' upcoming metaverse project Otherside due to shared brand elements.
PROOF Founder Takes On Advisory Role
PROOF founder and CEO Kevin Rose will be coming on as an advisor to Yuga Labs following the completion of the acquisition. Rose said he was excited to bring Moonbirds to Otherside, calling it the "perfect home" for collectors. All PROOF team members will also be joining Yuga Labs. As part of the transition, certain former PROOF employees including Josh Ong, Jesse Bryan, and Amanda Gadbow have been appointed to an oversight team.
Positive Outlook Despite Market Declines
While NFT trading volumes have plunged over 90% from their 2021 highs, according to data from Cryptoslam, this acquisition shows confidence from Yuga Labs in the long-term potential of the space. By expanding its footprint with the addition of Moonbirds and PROOF's talent, Yuga Labs is positioning itself to continue leading in the NFT industry even during the current crypto winter. The incorporation of Moonbirds into upcoming projects like Otherside also provides collectors assurance that the project is here to stay. Overall the deal marks an ambitious move by Yuga Labs to solidify its presence as one of the premier NFT brands.
A New Era For Moonbirds
The acquisition is widely seen as a positive step for the future of the Moonbirds collection. Being brought into the Yuga Labs portfolio provides access to greater resources to develop the project further. Integration into the Otherside metaverse also offers collectors new utility for their NFTs. Under new leadership and with the support of Yuga Labs, Moonbirds enters a new phase focused on innovation and community building. For the project's dedicated users, the PROOF takeover signals an exciting new chapter and promising prospects to come.


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A girlfriend has been left mortified by her boyfriend's money saving habit at the checkout. She describes it as "frugal" but it is truly beyond what most customers would do.
In a video shared on TikTok @savingforboba we see a couple at supermarket self-checkout in Australia where the boyfriend is scanning grocery items.
He takes a banana out of it's plastic bag, peels it, places it back in the plastic bag and then places it on the scale for weighing.
"Real frugal ppl weigh them without a bag," one TikToker joked.
"Tell him to just weigh it without the bag too at this point," added another.
Another TikToker added: "The weight of the plastic bag and the cost it added must be giving him sleepless nights."
"That's not frugal, that's a Penny pincher," one person said.
"Break up with him and call the cops," another suggested.
"Major red flag, get out of that relationship asap!!" one said.
One joked: "I'd be less embarrassed if he stole it."
Some expressed reluctant admiration for the trick.
"The peel accounts for 31 to 33% of the total weight of the banana. so bro is getting 33% off. lmao," one said.
"Like that one lady who picks grapes by how many she's gonna eat," said another.
"I've seen people taking grapes off the stalks," one confirmed.
Another commented: "Dude will have more money than all of us. Very smart man."
One TikToker suggested the practice is "illegal."
'I think I saw this one on extreme cheap skates," one TikToker said.
Coles is currently selling bananas for $4 a kilo however Aldi is currently selling them on special for $1.99 a kilo this week.
Woolies is selling a bunch of five kid's bananas for $3.50.
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Given that there are thousands of different cryptocurrencies circulating all over the place, you might have a hard time cherry-picking which one to invest in. But not to worry, we’ve got you covered with our carefully curated list of the five best cryptocurrencies to invest in now.
There’s no better candidate to start with than the king of crypto space. The world’s largest digital currency by market cap, bitcoin, reached a new ATH this week to trade for $67,000.
The price level briefly dropped and is currently hovering around the $60k mark, but analysts believe another bullish run is still on the cards before the end of the year.
A group of expert analysts says bitcoin is poised to reach $250k. You don’t want to be left out if that happens.
Following bitcoin’s lead, ethereum set a new ATH price level of $4,361.18. The blue-chip cryptocurrency now accounts for 18% of the entire crypto market, up from 10% at the start of the year.
With the predicted altcoin season around the corner, ethereum is set to surge even higher in the coming weeks.
Solana is one of the best performing cryptocurrencies this year, rising from obscurity to become a pioneer in DeFi.
Solana’s price has climbed to over $190 from $1.5, thanks to the growth in market cap and fascinating use cases.
Axie Infinity Shards (AXS)
Here’s another cryptocurrency that has done incredibly well this year. AXS, the governance token of the Axie infinity game, is one of the best digital assets you can own. AXS has gone from selling for $0.57 to around $126.
Founded by one of Ethereum’s co-founders Charles Hoskinson, ADA is well placed on the list of credible projects in the crypto space.
Based on the market cap, ADA is the third-largest cryptocurrency in the world. Although some analysts are uncomfortable with its large market cap, considering that it’s relatively still a young project. ADA is still regarded as a crypto goldmine that will yield great returns soon.
Other Cryptocurrencies to watch
Fantom (FTM), Binance Coin (BNB), Wilder World, Algorand (Algo), and Polygon (Matic).


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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally took the next big step toward expanding treatment options for hearing loss in October 2021. It proposed rules establishing a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids that you can purchase without a prescription.
This FDA push toward making OTC hearing aids more accessible is a solution to the widespread issue of access in the U.S.
In its press release, the FDA notes that approximately 37.5 million American adults report trouble hearing. Yet only about 20% of people who could benefit from hearing aids are currently using the medical devices.
It’s hard to say exactly why the percentage of hearing aid use remains so low. But some experts attribute it to lack of access to an audiologist or hearing aid dispenser. Because the FDA currently regulates hearing aids as prescription medical devices, they have to be prescribed by a hearing professional.
Others believe the costs of the devices prevent many Americans from affording them.
OTC hearing aid availability could help address both of those concerns. Consumers will be able to purchase the hearing aids at retail and online outlets. However, while the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act could help millions of people achieve better hearing, some experts still have concerns.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Are OTC Hearing Aids Currently Available?
- Am I a Good Candidate for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids?
- Concerns With OTC Hearing Aids
- Final Thoughts: What Over-the-Counter-Hearing Aids Could Mean for You
We know some reading this may be confused. A quick search on Amazon will reveal dozens of products marketed as hearing aids or that use similar terms. But most OTC devices for hearing on the market right now aren’t FDA-approved and may not offer much help.
Technically, these devices are personal sound amplification products (PSAP) – not hearing aids – and can only amplify sound by about 20dB without picking up on specific frequencies.
Since PSAPs don’t differentiate between frequencies, they can make certain noises unbearable, and do little to help with difficult listening situations like competing speech. Background noise and the target sounds aren’t picked up differently by PSAPs.
That means many of those items actually do little to help with hearing loss.
Over-the-counter hearing aids were first seriously brought up with the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017. The act aimed to address many drugs and devices for consumers, but hearing aids were largely ignored until October 2021.
It wasn’t until then that the FDA followed President Biden’s July 2021 Executive Order and announced its proposal to bring the OTC Hearing Aid Act forward. The FDA now has a timetable set up to help make over-the-counter hearing aids a reality.
Companies like Bose already have products ready to launch as FDA-cleared once rules are established. Those brands will likely work toward FDA approval as soon as they can.
So true OTC hearing aids – those that have the potential to make life-changing improvements for people suffering from hearing loss – aren’t available yet, but this new hearing aid category should be approved shortly. And many big brand companies have already shown an interest in the OTC hearing aid market.
It’s important to remember that while OTC hearing aids should be available soon, it doesn’t mean they’ll be the right hearing loss solution for everyone.
In anticipation of the OTC Hearing Aid Act passing, experts have conducted studies to determine how successful the new products might be in helping Americans with hearing loss. Most experts agree that OTC hearing aids will work best for people who:
- Have previous experience with traditional hearing aids
- Are between the age of 18-60 (some older adults may be successful, but they may need assistance at first)
- Are able to use smart devices — many OTC models are tested with apps or Bluetooth connectivity
- Have mild to moderate hearing loss
Children with hearing loss, adults with severe hearing loss, and anyone with compromised cognitive ability (especially patients with dementia or health issues that affect brain function) will still need to see an audiology professional to have hearing aids fitted. An audiologist will ensure the best treatment outcomes for these groups.
Because the final rules of the OTC Hearing Aid Act aren’t available yet, options like required hearing tests or recommended follow-up treatment with an audiologist haven’t been determined.
While the introduction of over-the-counter hearing aids will hopefully increase usage and lower costs, the devices will still likely bring challenges for users. The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) filed comments to the FDA on its recent proposed rule.
Here are some of the major concerns that doctors, hearing loss organizations, and other professionals have expressed about OTC hearing aids:
- Fit: One of the biggest concerns audiologists have is proper fitting. If hearing aids don’t sit well in the ear, users may incorrectly assume the devices don’t work well and quit using them.
- Consumer protection: As we mentioned earlier, many of the devices being tested so far require pairing with a smartphone or similar device. Some organizations are pushing for clear labeling, so consumers know if they’ll need a phone to set up their hearing aids.
- Quality control: While many hearing aid manufacturers have shown interest in the OTC market, so have many electronics manufacturers with little to no experience in hearing aids. It will be important to help consumers find which brands are FDA-approved and actually help with their degree of hearing loss.
- Missing underlying health problems: Hearing loss is associated with several acute and chronic health conditions, including concussion, diabetes, and heart disease. Because consumers won’t receive a thorough assessment by a hearing health care provider before purchasing OTC hearing aids, it’s possible that more serious health issues could go undiagnosed.You should still see a doctor before getting fitted for a hearing device if you experience:
- Sudden hearing loss
- Severe hearing problems
- Hearing loss in only one ear
You should also consult a health care professional if you’re under 18.
- Optimal use: OTC hearing aids may not need to be fitted by an audiologist, but they aren’t as simple of a solution as something like reading glasses.Your brain will still need to adjust to the new sounds OTC hearing aids provide, and that can be difficult without assistance. LACE Auditory Training can help you get the most out of your hearing aids. But if you’re still struggling, it’s important to speak to an audiologist.
As the FDA moves toward opening the market for OTC hearing aids, it could mean big changes in how hearing loss is treated in America. It’s even possible the devices will be available before the end of 2022.
Over-the-counter hearing aids could mean fewer doctor visits and less expensive devices. But they could also lead to patients not knowing how to fit the devices properly and larger health issues being misdiagnosed.
Whether or not you use or plan to get a listening device, you can include LACE in your hearing health routine to improve your listening comprehension. Training your brain to focus on what you’re listening to can help, even when the sounds are difficult to hear.


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It’s been a tough market for retailers. In just the past few months, Toys R Us and Bon-Ton have both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 2017, there were more than 8,000 retail store closures, according to Business Insider. Many news outlets called 2017 the “Retail Apocalypse.” But despite all the store closures and negative headlines, this doesn’t quite tell the whole story.
Beauty brands have been thriving amidst the flurry of store closures and bankruptcies, consistently posting sales growth, announcing new store locations and adding new product lines. Beauty retailers have found a winning formula that others have yet to successfully replicate.
The Growth of Beauty Brands by the Numbers
Ulta Beauty, one of the most successful beauty retailers today, boosted overall square footage by approximately 10% in 2017. They plan to open 100 stores this year and grow sales by 6-8%, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). These new stores add to their 1,097 stores worldwide, with 807 located in major malls and shopping centers in North America, according to Directory of Major Malls | ShoppingCenters.com data (DMM).
Perhaps most revealing is that J.C. Penney, once a highly profitable anchor store, recently revealed their plan to hire 6,500 stylists for their burgeoning hair salon business across the U.S. Marvin Ellison, CEO of J.C. Penney, said one of the key components of their strategy moving forward is their unique partnership with Sephora. At the end of 2017, J.C. Penney’s beauty offerings outperformed all other product offerings.
Sephora is the golden standard in retail innovation and, like Ulta Beauty, they are thriving. They have 2,300 stores across 33 countries, and DMM data shows 525 of these are located in major malls and shopping centers in North America. Sephora plans to open new stores styled in a new, smaller boutique format through the next few years, continuing their strong growth while other retailers struggle.
2 Reasons Why Beauty Brands are Thriving
Beauty retailers are posting strong growth while others disappoint for two main reasons: they provide a great in-store experience, and they’re quick adopters of technology to constantly stay on the forefront of innovation.
Sephora and Ulta Beauty are, once again, shining examples of experiential retail. Ulta in particular understands customers’ desire to try on cosmetic products before making a purchase, especially at the high-end price range. Their in-store experience is entirely focused around accessibility. They carry an enormous line of beauty products with space for customers to test just about anything they want. Some Ulta locations have salons where customers can get their makeup done by experts or get a quick tutorial in applying certain types of makeup. Each of these gives customers a compelling reason to visit Ulta stores while making the products, as well as the actual appearance the customer truly desires, easily accessible. In this way, Ulta makes intelligent use of the in-store experience not just to drive foot traffic but to incentivize sales.
Sephora is also a trailblazer in experiential retail, but they take a much more technological approach, even taking the Sephora-experience outside of their physical locations. Sephora recently launched an augmented reality mobile application that lets users try on over 50 different shades of lipstick without leaving their homes. They can also scan their faces to get a Color IQ, which is essentially a reference number to find beauty products that match their skin tone. Sephora even offers digital classes for consumers to learn things like contouring cheekbones. Their technological approach dramatically expands the customer’s experience while keeping them at the forefront of innovation. Being an innovator is one of the best ways to safeguard against downturns in the retail market and stay top of mind among consumers.
Both Ulta and Sephora deliver great experiences for their customers. Beauty retailers are uniquely positioned to do this as buying cosmetic products isn’t always about the products themselves. Customers are already searching for an experience – the experience of looking a certain way – and beauty brands can work to effectively deliver a small taste of this experience.
Other retail verticals such as drugstores and big box retailers, like Walgreens and Target, are beginning to implement beauty demonstrations and concierges in an effort to replicate the success of beauty retailers. But the truth is many retailers are struggling to find their own way to deliver this same type of value to their customers. Sephora and Ulta certainly provide a roadmap with their use of cutting-edge technology and in-store offerings. Retailers in other categories will have to find unique methods of serving their customers.
Beauty brands have been thriving in a tough retail market. They’ve found a winning formula and other retail verticals need to take notice. Even as bankruptcies and store closures continue, beauty brands will be redefining the way retailers serve their customers.
This blog was partially informed by data from Directory of Major Malls | ShoppingCenters.Com. For more data like this, see how online access to Directory of Major Malls database informs retail strategy.


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When questioned by investors about cutting costs, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata expressed his desire to keep the company strong for the future.
It could be easy to look at Nintendo and think that it’s in dire straits. While the insane success of the Wii did a fair job of lining the company’s coffers, the Wii U hasn’t done quite as well. That in mind, inquiries during a recent investor Q&A session questioned whether or not the company had any cost-cutting or workforce reduction plans in the works to shave off some of the expenses that currently have the company operating at a loss.
“If you believe that there is no possibility of Nintendo’s results improving, then you would be right about it being necessary to review the structure of the workforce and the company itself to match the scale of the business,” replied Iwata. He then affirmed his belief that, despite recent setbacks, “Nintendo has the potential to be a large-scale business” and needs “a lot of muscle” to do that. He did agree that there should be efforts to excise “excess fat” but said that “restructuring the workforce is not the first option” the company wants to look into, even when its profits are one the decline. “I would like you to understand that this is because we do not see a dark future for Nintendo,” he said.
This investor Q&A follows recent financial reports from Nintendo which noted that, though the Wii U was still something of a drag on the company’s overall performance, its sales had improved. Likewise, with recent software releases like Pokemon X & Y further bolstering strong 3DS sales and the company looking forward to an arguably strong lineup of future software releases, Iwata may be right not to overreact to the doom and gloom predictions some have for the house that Mario built.


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It’s been a tricky time for the automotive industry as the recession has plunged its claws in deeper with every passing month, will 2009 see it recover?
Not an industry to rest on its laurels, there’s some great cars launching to keep an eye out for in the coming year with something for all tastes and budgets. Here’s five of those I’m excited about.
New Seat Exeo. To be honest, I’ve never given this particular marque much attention or consideration. Yet, as belts are tightened, this may prove to be a flourishing year for the Spanish car maker especially with the new Seat Exeo. Given its first airing at the Paris Motor Show in 2008, this “Audi in drag” has met with high praise from the motoring press and it’s certainly an interesting idea: the reliability of an Audi with the Spanish flair and the Seat price tag.
Far from looking like something cheap and flimsy, this is a solid, handsome looking motor. The proof will be in the pudding but, if they get this right, it could be the big hit of 2009.
New Ford Focus RS. With its bright green paintwork taking over from its predecessor’s garish orange hue, the new Ford Focus RS isn’t going to sit quietly and unnoticed in traffic. But that’s not what it’s about, is it.
From the sculpted bucket seats to the 300hp engine, aggressive styling it’s about performance and plenty of it, at a low price. This is a screaming monster of a hot-hatch that’s sure to put a grin on plenty of drivers’ faces even if Gordon Brown is still destroying our future income and is likely to deliver a slap in face to a few Evos and STIs on the way.
One thing’s for sure, you’re certainly not gonna have to look hard to see this one.
New Renault Laguna Coupe. What? A Laguna? Exciting?! Well, yeah. I know that there’s a bit of a dodgy history with attempts to make a coupe out of a hatchback – Calibra anyone? – and the new Renault Laguna isn’t exactly a French beauty in the Laura Thomas league but there’s been success too, look at the Peugeot 407 coupe.
Here the French have pulled out all the stops and poured some sleek, smooth style all over the new Laguna Coupe. They’ve even dropped in the 3.5 litre V6 from the Nissan 350Z which means that this puppy will have the established quality of the Laguna, a stonker of an engine and, let’s face it, some gorgeous looks. If only they’d kept their hands on the style-control switch when deciding the size of and where to dump the Renault badge.
This is a company in dire need of a comeback so let’s hope that the new look Megane and the new Laguna Coupe do the job. I want one. I actually do.
As hatchbacks and saloons become coupes, should coupes become saloons? The Aston Martin Rapide could have been a styling disaster along the the Porshe Panamara lines. Instead, in good old English fashion, Aston have succeeded. They’ve really really teased us with this one too but late this year the car is due to finally launch. They’ve taken the famous and unquestionable Aston Martin styling and drizzled it lovingly over an extra pair of doors and delivered what is beyond doubt the best-looking saloon likely to hit the roads.
Given that it’s an Aston Martin it’s guaranteed that the engine is going to be an absolute belter too – a 6.0 litre V12 in fact – and the price tag to be a little on the hefty side – expect around the 150,000GBP mark – but it’s a gorgeous evolution for the marque.
As the need to push to greener cars increases, Honda are set to launch the second generation of the initially flawed and failing Insight hybrid. Another one that made a debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the new Honda Insight is a dramatic improvement in looks over the first generation and the oh-so-smug Toyota Prius. The Insight is expected to kick off at around the 15,000 GBP mark and its economy and efficiency means that it’s going to be an extremely popular car for the environmentally-minded family.
With more and more companies and auto manufacturers waving the green flag there’s sure to be more where this one came from and, with any luck, it won’t be long before the FCX Clarity and hydrogen is able to become the main power source for vehicles.
The strange thing, to me, is that for all the styling innovations, gorgeous curves and lines, that it’s only the barmy Ford Focus RS that seems to come in anything other than silver, black or white. I really hope the new Aston is available in British Racing… though that much green may be a bit too much.


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Riding on the back of a strong Black Friday performance, the Xbox One was the king of console sales last month.
For months now, the PlayStation 4 has been a seemingly unstoppable force in the console market. Even when conditions seemed primed for the Xbox One to pull ahead, the PS4 still took the top sales spot. After nearly a year of coming in second place to Sony’s gaming machine however, it would seem that Microsoft’s console has finally had its day. According to recently released NPD tracking numbers, the Xbox One was the highest selling console in November.
Not unexpectedly, the news has left Microsoft more than a little happy. Speaking about the sales numbers, Corporate Vice President of Xbox Marketing Mike Nichols expressed his gratitude for the company’s customers and their decision to support the Xbox One. “We are amazed by the excitement Xbox fans have shown to start off this holiday. November set a new record for sales of Xbox One, and Xbox One was the best-selling console in the US and UK,” he said. “We love to see the excitement from our fans and are grateful for their passion, support and contributions to the Xbox community.”
The Xbox One’s increased sales could most likely be attributed to its success during the most recent Black Friday. While the PS4 also moved a high volume of units that day, a $329 Assassin’s Creed: Unity bundle helped the Xbox One outsell its competition by a considerable margin. Seeing how it’s fairly common for shoppers to reserve their big electronics purchases for Black Friday, it makes sense that the Xbox One could win the whole month based on its performance for that one day. The big question, of course, is whether or not it will be able to stay on top without something like a major sales holiday to cushion its sales numbers. Suffice it to say, we’ll be interested to see how the numbers play out at the end of December.


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The carbon footprint of the company is minimized by offering a green aluminum range. Machine learning and the industrial internet of things are some of the technology capabilities that it has been strong proponents of. The largest cluster of Artificial Intelligence and tech companies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will be located in the DIFC premises.
There is a Mercedes bus on wheels that will cover several regions across the country. More than 25 cities in India will be covered by vehicles carrying a range of OnePlus products, including the flagship OnePlus 11 lineup and the new OnePlus Pad. The subsidiary of tech giant Alphabet Inc., is looking to establish partnerships with Indian suppliers for the local manufacturing of its Pixel phones. With this, the likes of global tech giants would be able to manufacture products in India. The tech giant is in talks with several Indian manufacturers to assemble their devices in India. New CEO Linda Yaccarino will likely focus on video, creator and commerce partnerships.
Weak infrastructure and unskilled labor present challenges for U.S. businesses wishing to expand their businesses in India, according to CNBC. There is a skilled workforce and robust infrastructure at the company. IT specialists, data analysts and technology experts are some of the people who are spearheading our digitalisation efforts. The power of data and digital tools has led to a breakthrough in product quality for rolled aluminum products used in the building and construction, packaging and automotive industries. Increased efficiency, reduced water consumption, improved power plant efficiency, optimised supply chain, enhanced asset management and superior quality control are some of the results of the technology initiatives. In its current financial year, it produced half of India’s aluminium at 2.29 million tonnes and is ramping up production in cities such as Jharsuguda and Korba.
In The First Quarter Of The Year, Almost 50% Of The World’s Phones Had Screens
The new IDM 2.0 model will allow production units to officially earn profits in terms of financial reporting. In the long term, Intel will have an overall profit margin of about 60% and an operating profit margin of at least 40%. The manufacturing division of Intel is expected to make more than $20 billion in sales from the company’s own Silicon wafer processing orders. The IDM 1.0 model, as it is commonly called by the current group management, has now become obsolete due to irreversible changes in market conditions, but also due to mistakes made by Intel, leading to significant delays in further development. Intel’s own divisions will establish their relationships with the company’s production structure on the same terms with third party customers.
Two thirds of this year’s cost reduction will come from savings in capital expenditures and one third from lower production costs. Historically, Intel CFO David Zinsner based the company’s activities on maintaining significant reserves of production capacity only occasionally. intel overtook the competition for the development of new technical processes by two years in the best times of its history The investor event hosted by Intel this week was focused on explaining how the processor giant’s business model is changing and the discussion of achievements in the technology sector was postponed until the second half of the year. The financial reporting structure of Intel will change next year to provide more transparency. The Federal Trade Commission has been accused of unfair business practices in the cloud, including by the industry’s number two by market share Microsoft, according to a report.
How Big Tech Supported Disabled Users
The city’s maximum temperature in May was below normal on a few days. By 2037, the demand for cooling equipment such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and cold chains is likely to be eight times higher than the current demand, according to a World Bank report. The demand for a new air conditioner will increase every 15 seconds, leading to a huge rise in greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. Carl Pei, the company’s founder, has shown off a new cable design for the upcoming Phone (2), which is expected to be launched soon. Pei posted a picture of the transparent cable without a caption and wrote a Gif tocaption it. Frank Wisner, a former U.S. ambassador to India, told CNBC that the opportunity is huge.
The DIFC Innovation Hub hopes to attract $300 million in investments and generate over 3000 jobs within the next five years. The tech giant pointed out that users can long press images while browsing to access the Lens feature in the Chrome browser. Integrated lens support is one of the new features for the chrome browser on theios. Users will soon be able to use their device’s camera to search for images, both newly captured and existing ones in their camera roll, according to an official post by the tech giant. As we drive a major technology transformation across our business, this is also an exciting time for us. As we grow our presence in the area and create additional roles, there will be a lot of opportunities in the area.
Thomson Reuters is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people each day. Business, financial, national and international news is delivered to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. They follow scrutiny worldwide, including a recent probe by Europe’s antitrust authority Tech News into Microsoft’s licensing agreements that may have discouraged rival cloud usage. They follow scrutiny worldwide, including a recent probe by Europe’s antitrust authority into Microsoft’s licensing agreements. The central government is investigating Realme over the alleged collection of the private data of its users, including call logs, usage statistics and the device’s location.
The FinTech and innovation sector in DIFC raised over $615 million in funds, making it the fastest growing sector within the Centre. NetChoice took aim at Microsoft and Oracle in one of the public comments. A partnership has been announced between a South Korean gaming company and an automotive icon. You can get your hands on both the La Voiture Noire and the Grand Sport Vitesse with additional secret colour themes unlocked. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has been calling for stricter regulation of artificial intelligence for months, but the creator of ChatGPT has been lobbying the EU to reduce regulations. After threatening to leave the EU a couple of weeks back, OpenAI later said it has no plans to do so.
The Education Working Group Meeting Is Over
The technology iron is hot in areas like operations, manufacturing and supply chain management through robotic process automation to streamline and automate business and industrial processes. The technology centre will not provide any banking services but will focus on using technology and digital, data and analytics capabilities to drive innovation and end to end product delivery and is a step forward in the group’s approach to international resourcing. A list of Chinese companies seeking to win an edge in next generation artificial intelligence includes a company backed by Jack Ma. The March request from the U.S. agency for information on security issues and competition in the lucrative market for data storage and computing power in the so called cloud was responded to by the comments that were due Wednesday. On Wednesday, the comments responded to a request from the US Agency for information on security issues and competition in the lucrative market for data storage and computing power in the so called cloud. In order to support local news publishers in India, the “Indian Languages Programme” was launched on Friday.
The Tech News Space team monitors news from the world of high technology, science, the gaming industry and delivers it to its readers in a timely manner. Vedanta is a prime example of how Indian companies can manufacture high quality products that meet global standards while maintaining competitive pricing. The company works with tech companies to develop in house innovations that address business challenges and implement viable projects. With this information, it identifies opportunities for product diversification and tailors its offerings accordingly. Vedanta has been able to effectively manage customer relationships and understand specific customer requirements by streamlining the entire product development process. The campus aims to drive innovation and transform the financial services industry with a specific focus on the integration of artificial intelligence and Web 3.0.


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Companies supplying goods and services to the government have been blamed for undermining the local currency.
Zimbabwe’s currency plunged to a record in the unauthorised market on Monday after the government urged suppliers not to buy foreign currency with payments recently received from the government.
The Zimbabwean dollar traded at Z$950-Z$1,100 to the US dollar in the parallel market, according to Zimpricecheck.com, a website which monitors unofficial and official rates. That is the lowest on record, and significantly weaker than the official rate of 671 to the US dollar. Businesses are allowed a 10% mark-up on the authorised price.
The currency has been stable since May after the government introduced gold coins that helped reduce arbitrage opportunities between the official and the black markets. The latest turmoil in the parallel market can be traced to the lack of foreign-exchange sales by the central bank during the holidays, according to Persistence Gwanyanya, a monetary policy committee member.
The weekly forex auction run by the central bank resumes on Tuesday after a three-week break.
“The last quarter of the year generally is our weakest,” Gwanyanya said. “That’s when forex inflows are low and demand is up.”
In August, the Treasury halted payments to government suppliers as part of efforts to stem the currency’s slide. Companies supplying goods and services to the government were blamed for undermining the local currency through charging exorbitant prices. In response to the , authorities blacklisted 19 businesses from state contracts late in 2022.
The privately owned weekly Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported on January 6 that more state suppliers face blacklisting.


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April 22, 2015
The Senate Finance Committee by a bipartisan vote of 20 to 6 passed the Trade Promotion Authority legislation, S.995. The Senate bill was passed without any amendments that could hinder the progress of free trade agreements in the future. The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to vote on the issue today.
The National Pork Producers Council and 39 state pork associations urged Congress to approve legislation renewing TPA so that major trade deals can be finalized and implemented to help the U.S. economy. Failure to do so would allow other countries to write the rules for international trade, according to the organizations.
TPA defines U.S. negotiating objectives and priorities for trade agreements and establishes consultation and notification requirements for the president to follow throughout the negotiation process. Once trade negotiators finalize a deal, Congress gets to review it and vote yes or no – without amendments – on it. Congress has granted TPA to every president since 1974, with the most recent law being approved in August 2002 and expiring June 30, 2007.
To grow pork exports, which support more than 110,000 U.S. jobs, the NPPC and the state pork associations have been pressing the Obama administration to conclude a good deal in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, a 12-nation Asia-Pacific trade agreement. If approved, it would be the most significant commercial opportunity ever for U.S. pork producers, generating more than 10,000 pork industry jobs.
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How Blockchain Can Fight Counterfeiting and Fraud
A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office shows that imported counterfeit goods raked in $509 billion in 2016 — nearly 3.3% of all global imports for that year. To fight back against the rising tide of knockoffs threatening their brands, companies are turning to blockchain technology to create more transparent supply chains.
Blockchain is a distributed, decentralized ledger technology controlled by smart contracts and regulated by a consensus protocol. The ledger automatically records every transaction, and every record it creates is unalterable. Depending on exactly how one uses the ledger, it can be classified as permissioned, public, or fit for purpose.
Within a brand’s supply chain, a blockchain ledger can manage a variety of activity from automating contract compliance between entities via smart contracts to tracking products from manufacturing to distribution. The ledger eliminates supply chain ambiguities and creates transparency that ensures companies and customers get the quality for which they pay.
Blockchain’s Value in Existing Supply Chains
The value of modernizing supply chains with blockchain isn’t just theory. Major brands have already begun partnering with tech firms and other entities in response to rising demands for improved brand protection. LVMH (Louis Vuitton SE), for instance, working closely with Microsoft and ConsenSys, has created Aura Ledger to provide proof of authenticity of luxury items and trace their origins from raw materials to point of sale and beyond to the used-goods markets.
Throughout the retail industry, companies like eBay are starting to offer product authentication as a value-added service. Currently, the company authenticates only handbags due to rising concerns from customers about their authenticity. However, eBay plans to expand authentication to additional luxury items that might be subject to counterfeit.
In agriculture, the blockchain-based Grain Discovery streamlines transactions between farmers and buyers, making it easier for them to form new partnerships. In the pharmaceutical industry, distributors have formed the MediLedger consortium to track the provenance of pharmaceuticals and stem the counterfeit drug market worth more than $75 billion annually.
In virtually every industry, suppliers and distributors are turning to blockchain technology to lower their risk of fraud. A decentralized, immutable record of every product’s journey can help verify authenticity — or lack thereof.
Blockchain as a Force Against Fraud
Companies that worry about counterfeit versions of their products have options to address the issue. When implemented together, the following steps can help mitigate risk and inspire confidence among companies and consumers alike:
Establish a secure supply chain network.
For blockchain to successfully transform a company’s supply chain, every business entity along the chain must agree to participate. That makes establishing a network of trusted partners the most important step toward securing products.
For example, the jewelry consortium TrustChain, which operates on IBM’s blockchain platform, only works because the group includes the mines that produce jewels, manufacturers that refine them, and retailers that sell them.
Given the rise of counterfeit purchases, most companies with strong brands are looking to work with their suppliers to prevent fraud. The momentum of such efforts increases when every stakeholder in the supply chain sees the value and signs up to actively participate in the efforts.
Choose the tags most suited for the brand and product.
Only with the right tagging technology can blockchain technology track every product along its journey. Through various IoT devices, tags can detect diversions, liquid leaks, vibrations, package openings, tilt, excessive force, and more.
Companies have several options, such as smart tags and high-resolution signatures that digitally relate products to the blockchain. Purpose-fit tags that have been developed to track shipments at the container, pallet, and package levels further help. Companies can also employ decentralized identifiers (DIDs) that are universally resolvable and globally visible to stakeholders throughout the supply chain.
This topic holds great interest across many industries. The RFID Lab at Auburn University recently announced the Chain Integration Project (or CHIP) launch, a project focused on finding ways for retail and apparel companies to communicate with their suppliers about tracking product inventory at the item level using radio frequency identification tags and blockchain. The project has attracted global companies across many industries due to the applicability across supply chains outside of retail and apparel.
Some products don’t need to be tracked with such intricate detail, while others should be tagged to track every moment of their journeys. Determine what tagging technology makes the most sense, adds business value, and is easiest to manage along the entire supply chain.
Encourage customers to be part of the solution.
When customers clearly and directly benefit from a company’s use of a blockchain-enabled supply chain, getting more partners to join the consortium becomes easier. However, brands can’t expect all end users to automatically jump on board.
When eBay released its authentication program for handbags, it did so in response to a need its customers had expressed. To entice sellers to participate, it offers several incentives if they sign up to authenticate their products.
Before long, the streamlined processes and unprecedented transparency that blockchain provides will be more than enough to encourage participation. Until then, make it more attractive through bonuses and other rewards in order to incentivize users and increase customer stickiness.
Unleash IoT, AI, and ML to actively fight fraud.
Protecting against counterfeiting and fraud isn’t always a passive exercise. With blockchain, companies can unleash the potential of IoT, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to actively prevent fraudulent transactions.
For instance, customers can scan product tags to verify their authenticity or compare images of the product against its stored signatures. Proof of purchase and other transaction details can be cryptographically linked to the buyer and product and then subsequently uploaded to the blockchain.
Any product that bears a brand’s name but can’t be tracked to its manufacturer would be considered counterfeit. A company can ensure, in real time, that it receives compensation for every product sold with its name on it.
The reported value of fraudulent goods that hit the global market is expected to continue rising, but companies are no longer helpless in the face of counterfeiters. As more industries and their supply chains embrace blockchain technology, counterfeit goods will no longer have a place in any market.
Mohan Venkataraman is the chief technology officer of Chainyard, a blockchain consulting company focused on delivering production solutions that address supply chain, financial services, transportation, government, and manufacturer pain points. With more than 20 years of proven experience, Mohan has extensive skills in software engineering, governance best practices, and industry models. With exposure to more than 70 clients, he has a clear focus on understanding client needs and aligning technology and business priorities to deliver value. His current interests include blockchain, cloud solutions, big data, service-oriented architecture, governance and integration competency center establishment, and enterprise architecture, with a focus in telecom media, technology, insurance, retail, healthcare, and life sciences industries.
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An analyst who rightly predicted that Bitcoin would reach $2,000 in 2017 has gone on to predict greater things for the digital currency in the future, claiming that it can reach $100,000 in 10 years.
In December 2016, Denmark-based Saxo Bank released a report called Outrageous Predictions for 2017. At the time, the price of Bitcoin was trading around the $750 mark and seemed a long way from attaining anything what we’ve seen so far in the first half of 2017.
In the report, the bank made a number of forecasts on an array of things such as Brexit, stocks, banks and commodities around the world. It also mentioned Bitcoin. More specifically, Kay Van Petersen, a global macro strategist at Saxo Bank, predicted that under Trump’s presidency and his spending ‘binge,’ which would push the dollar sky high, emerging markets would be forced to seek alternatives.
This, in turn, produces an ideal environment for Bitcoin to test the $2,000 mark, he adds, which it did when it reached that price on the 21 May, 2017. It subsequently continued achieving new heights where it nearly attained $2,800 before falling back down to $2,300 on 30 May after a price correction saw its bubble burst.
Now, though, Van Petersen is back with new predictions and is looking ahead toward the long-term growth of the digital currency.
Bitcoin at $100,000?
Quoted in a report from CNBC, Van Petersen is reported as saying that in 10 years, ‘bitcoin’s market capitalization would be ten times the average daily volume, giving a figure of $1.75 trillion for the market cap.”
In 10 years time, there will be 17 million Bitcoin in circulation, which, when divided by $1.75 trillion, would equate to each Bitcoin being worth over $100,000.
Not a bad estimation considering how far the digital currency has come in its relatively short life span and the fact that it has achieved so much in the first part of 2017. With the price of Bitcoin steadily rising, it seems probable that Bitcoin could quite easily reach $100,000 in 10 years.
However, while Van Petersen states that his prediction is ‘conservative,’ he believes in the future of digital currencies.
“This is not a fad, cryptocurrencies are here to stay. There will emerge two to three main ones. Bitcoin will be one of those. And the reason is the first-mover advantage, the scale and the pioneering.”
It is hoped that improvements to Bitcoin scalability issues will put an end to the gridlock that many users are experiencing with their unconfirmed transactions. This is one problem with the currency that the community is struggling to resolve in a timely fashion.
On the 24 May, the Digital Currency Group (DCG), which represents 56 companies in 21 countries and makes up 83.28 percent of hashing power, $5.1 billion monthly on chain transaction and 20.5 million Bitcoin wallets, revealed that a scaling agreement had been reached for the activation of Bitcoin Core’s Segregated Witness (SegWit) and a 2MB hard fork implemented within six months.
The agreement also lowered the threshold for activation from the original 95 percent to 80 percent of the network’s mining power. The arrival of this news also pushed the price of the digital currency up to over $2,300 for the first time.
In an interview with CoinGeek, Massachusetts-based software developer Gavin Andresen, was hopeful that a solution will be reached to ensure Bitcoin’s future:
“I’m hopeful the agreement announced today (SegWit plus a 2MB blockchain increase) finally breaks the gridlock. I think everybody using the Bitcoin blockchain and all the companies that have to deal with customers that are using the Bitcoin blockchain see that network is near a breaking point.”
Room to Grow
When Bitcoin first came on the scene in 2009 there were only a few select people who truly understood what is was and what Satoshi Nakamoto was attempting to achieve with it.
Now, the digital currency is known all around the world, is accepted in many shops in various countries and is undertaken as a form of payment for countless day-to-day services. Not only that, but several people have undertaken round-the-world trips only using Bitcoin as a form of payment.
In such a short time, Bitcoin has managed to demonstrate it has real world value, but it also has plenty of room to grow and expand on what it’s doing at the moment. Van Petersen believes that, with time, these developments will appear.
“Volumes are going up, volatility is going down. A lot of people talk about the volatility, but if you are in Zimbabwe or Venezuela, this volatility is nothing. This is the interesting thing to me. I think in the West, a lot of people view it is as speculative, but emerging markets will get it, their needs will be different.”
Growing Risks for Investors?
Interestingly, while Van Petersen is predicting great things for the future price of Bitcoin, a report from the Nikkei, states that with soaring Bitcoin prices, investors face growing risks.
Unlike investments in assets such as stocks where price-earning ratios and other measures aid investors’ decisions, when it comes to digital currencies there is ‘almost no yardsticks for investment,’ the report states.
It’s not surprising that there have been comparisons to the Dutch tulip bubble in the 17th century, and yet, the buzz around the price of Bitcoin and where it’s heading hasn’t done anything to stem its flow.
It’s because of this that the digital currency community remains excited about the path that the currency is on and what it achieve in 10 years time. Within that time could we be using the currency more easily and freely in shops and how we undertake our day-to-day transactions? Will banks be less relied upon? And just as importantly, will we have reached a solution to the cryptocurrency’s scaling issues by then?
Who knows, but if Bitcoin is to reach $100,000 in the next decade, it would certainly be an exciting time for the digital currency community. So much so, that it may even be worthwhile holding some Bitcoin in a secure wallet to reap the rewards further down the line.
As of the 1 June, 2017, the price of Bitcoin is trading at $2,440.
Featured image from Flickr via tiendientu vietnam.


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Aksys Games have announced that they have begun a donation drive, alongside the second anniversary of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster.
For every item purchased from the Aksys Games Store between March 11th – March 15th, the publisher will donate $5 to the American Red Cross in their continual aid of relief efforts across affected areas within Japan.
If you’d like more information, please visit store.aksysgames.com.
Nintendo 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro set for March launch
Nintendo of Europe have confirmed plans to soon launch the Nintendo 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro across the…


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S. Korea’s F&B exports reach a record $4.28 billion in 2020, expected to surpass $4.5 billion in 2021
Tyson Foods discovers why it is producing fewer chickens; Company to begin new breeding program
Tyson Foods just made a surprising discovery, and this led to the introduction of a new breeding program for its poultry business. The American food manufacturer found out that eggs fertilized by a male fowl hatch less often, and this was the reason why the company is producing fewer chickens.
Upgrading the breeding plan
Tyson Foods is now removing a certain type of rooster in its breeding program and will put in a replacement to boost chicken production. The company based in Arkansas is expected to introduce the new setup by fall.
The plans for the new scheme were revealed on Monday, May 10, by Tyson Foods’ poultry division president, Donnie King, as per Fox Business. Currently, the chicken supply in the U.S. is low, and the country is looking for more poultry meat as restaurants are also revving up their chicken menu that includes sandwiches, nuggets, wings and more.
“We're changing out a male that quite frankly we made a bad decision on," King told business analysts during the quarterly earnings call. "It's about a 50/50 split between the hatch issue for us and the strong demand but we'll get our supply sorted out."
However, he did not say which type of rooster it is getting rid of and what they would choose for a replacement. Tyson Foods has one of the country’s major poultry breeding companies called Cobb-Vantress. Such firms provide roosters and hens to chicken producers that breed fowls and hatch their eggs for chicken meat.
It was in January when Tyson Foods experienced an unexpected decline in hatching eggs. This was around the time when it introduced a certain type of rooster, which is being booted out now. The food company said that this error is part of the reason why Tyson’s chicken supply is very low.
High chicken demand boosted Tyson Foods’ sales
Meanwhile, despite having issues with chicken breeding, Reuters reported that Tyson Foods was able to beat Q2 revenue estimates. It was said that the reason for this was the strong demand for its chicken products as restaurants and dining places start to reopen.
Meat producers in the U.S. are slowly recovering as their sales volume shot up following the easing of pandemic restrictions. More people are dining out now, so fast food and restaurants are getting back customers after a long time.


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Support your local small business on Saturday, November 26!
Small Business Saturday, a national movement begun in 2010 by American Express, is Saturday, November 26. Falling between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the idea is to promote business for the small brick and mortar businesses throughout the country.
Locally the Chamber of Commerce is spearheading the observance of this special day. During Small Business Saturday WEEKEND, every customer who purchases from a participating small business will be entered to win a Chamber Gift Certificate. For every $20 spent the customer will receive one entry form and a chance to win a $250, $150 or $100 Chamber Gift Certificate.


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Proposal To Allow Radio And TV To Air Cannabis Ads Introduced In Senate.
There is yet another path open to potentially allowing cannabis advertising on radio and television stations. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) has introduced a bill that would permit radio and television stations to accept advertising for legal cannabis products if the station is licensed in a state that permits the advertising of medical or adult-use […]
What the Facebook changes of 2022 mean for local news outlets
Six tips to navigate a continuously transforming social media landscape Summer 2022 has brought waves of changes at Meta that demonstrate its deprioritization of news products, including its wind-down of payments to U.S. news publishers. In parallel, the company has been planning shifts to how it delivers content. The new default home feed will function as a discovery […]


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Greg Cross, the chair of Venable's Bankruptcy Group, was quoted in a February 18, 2010 story on the recent surge of bankruptcy cases that have also given rise to appeals of interest to the legal community. These cases, which were mostly generated from the flood of bankruptcy filings prompted by the poor economy, are reviving dormant questions that will significantly affect future consumer and business bankruptcies.
The article outlined appeal cases that are being closely watched, including a Clear Channel Outdoor Inc. v. Knupfer ruling on which Cross was quoted. According to the article, the ruling held that some aspects of a sale order may be appealed and undone, even when the sale has not been stayed. The Clear Channel court affirmed the Bankruptcy Code provision that protects good-faith deals from being reversed by a court, which makes appeals moot, but declared the sale in question not free and clear of liens.
"There's uncertainty about how other courts will apply that," said Cross.