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Solid growth & financial results.
All 2019 objectives raised.
Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346 - ING), the global leader in seamless payment, today announced its results for the six-month period ended on June 30th, 2019.
Revenue of €1,611 million, up 13% on a comparable basis1
All 2019 objectives raised on H1’19 performance
Activity has been very strong throughout the semester leading the Group to grow by 31% thanks to the 13% organic performance and the benefit from the Paymark and BS Payone contributions. The Retail performance is fully in-line with our expectations with 11% growth, whilst B&A performed above expectations at 16%, driven by an over-performance in Brazil and Asia. This achievement, coupled with the roll-out of cost-savings initiated in Retail in 2018, and the implementation of our Fit for Growth program across the Group, enabled us to deliver a solid EBITDA. At the same time, the deployment of a redesigned cash control process allowed the Group to reach a record €120 million free cash-flow for the first semester. For the second part of the year, the performance in B&A is expected to normalize whilst Retail will continue to deliver solid double-digit growth with operating leverage.
Our teams are now fully executing our Fit for Growth transformation plan including B&A Revival, Retail Acceleration and Corporate actions. The early achievements of the first semester have created a solid foundation for our mid-term ambition, as communicated last April. In the light of the first half over-performance, we are raising all our 2019 objectives.”
Update on the Fit for Growth implementation
The Fit for Growth plan has been launched in February 2019 and is now fully in run mode. Its ambition is to revive the B&A business unit, accelerate the Retail growth profile and to transform the Group structure and operating model by 2021. Some key milestones have already been reached during the first half of 2019:
These milestones are in line with the plan and enable us to confirm the €20 million positive EBITDA impact expected to be generated in 2019 and the €100 million positive EBITDA impact in 2021.
2019 first half-year performance
In the first half of 2019, revenue totalled €1,611 million, representing a 13% increase on a comparable basis. On a reported basis revenue was 31% higher than in the first half of 2018 and included a positive foreign exchange impact of €12 million.
Over the semester, the Retail Business Unit reported a revenue of €906 million, showing an increase of 11% on a comparable basis. On a reported basis, revenue increased by 44% during the semester and included a positive foreign exchange impact of €4 million. Compared with H1’18, the various activities performed as follows on a like-for-like basis:
The B&A Business Unit posted a revenue of €705 million, a 16% increase on a comparable basis. On a reported basis the activity increased by 18% and included a positive foreign exchange impact of €8 million. Compared to H1’18, the various regions performed as follows on a like-for-like basis:
Note: all below P&L analysis versus last year are based on H1’18 proforma figures (including BS Payone and Paymark since January 1st, 2018).
Adjusted gross profit
In the first half of 2019, adjusted gross profit reached €572 million (€570 million excluding IFRS 16), representing 35.5% of revenue (35.4% of revenue excluding IFRS 16) to be compared with €547 million in the first half of 2018, or 38.7% of revenue. Retail adjusted gross profit rate was stable, while investing into growth initiatives and B&A adjusted margin was impacted by an unfavourable geographical mix, mainly driven by the 104% organic growth in Latin America, and isolated pricing pressure in some mature countries, as expected.
Adjusted operating expenses
During this first half of 2019, adjusted operating expenses have reached €318 million. Excluding the positive IFRS 16 effect of €14 million, adjusted operating expenses were €332 million, stable compared to H1’18 while revenue base increased by c. €200 million. Adjusted operating expenses rate has decreased from 23.7% to 20.6% down 310 bps excluding the IFRS 16 positive effect. These results have been achieved through a strong cost control initiated first in Retail in H2’18, then rolled out and accelerated in B&A and Group support functions through the implementation of the Fit for Growth plan.
EBITDA came in at €254 million including a positive IFRS 16 effect of €17 million. Without this effect, EBITDA would be €237 million, against €212 million like-for-like in the first half of 2018 (€193 million on reported basis), thus an improvement of €25 million, of which €8 million is derived from the Fit for Growth plan. Excluding the €5 million investment in Retail growth initiatives as communicated on February 12th, this improvement represents €30 million up 14% versus last year, fully in line with revenue growth.
The Retail EBITDA came in at €122 million. Excluding positive IFRS 16 impact of €10 million, the EBITDA reached €112 million (12.4% of revenue) to be compared with €96 million (11.8% of revenue) in H1’18, an increase of 60 bps. Excluding the €5 million growth initiatives investment, EBITDA would have reached €117 million, at 12.9% of revenue, increasing by 110 bps. This overall performance is fully in line with our annual Retail EBITDA objective to be above €285 million.
The B&A EBITDA stood at €132 million. Excluding positive IFRS 16 impact of €7 million, the EBITDA reached €125 million (17.7% of revenue) to be compared with €116 million (19.4% of revenue) in H1’18, decreasing by 170 bps. This EBITDA improvement of €9 million is derived from an over-performance in revenue in both Latin America and Asia. In line with the B&A revival plan as previously communicated, the Fit for Growth positive EBITDA impact in H1’19 (€8 million) has compensated the pressure on the gross profit coming from geographical mix evolution and isolated pricing pressure in some mature countries. As a consequence, we raise our B&A EBITDA objective for the year from c. €295 million to c. €305 million.
EBIT margin reached €188 million, compared to €170 million in the first half of 2018 (€159 million on reported basis).
The other income and expenses (OIE) reached €-13 million compared to €-16 million in H1’18 (€-18 million on reported basis), this includes an exceptional non-cash profit of €5 million. On a like-for-like basis the OIE for the first semester represents €-18 million.
The operating income also includes purchase price allocation amortization that represented €50 million in the first half of 2019 compared to €47 million in H1’18 (see exhibit 4).
After other income & expenses and purchase price allocation described above, operating income came in at €124 million, compared to €107 million in the first half of 2018 (€94 million on reported basis).
Net profit attributable to shareholders
The financial result accounted for €-21 million compared to €-20 million in H1’18 (€-19 million on reported basis).
Income tax landed at €21 million in this first half from €23 million in the first half of 2018 (€20 million on reported basis). The latter has benefited from a general decline of the taxation rates and a more favourable mix in terms of taxes. Those changes led to an effective tax rate of 20.4%, against 26.9% in H1’18.
After accounting for €1 million of non-controlling interests, the 2019 first half Group net profit attributable to shareholders came in at €80 million, up 32% compared to €61 million in the first half of 2018 (up 48% vs. €54 million on reported basis).
The free cash flow improved very significantly during the first half of 2019 at €120 million compared to €23 million in the first half of 2018. The major elements of the free cash-flow improvement were:
In consequence, netted from this one-off reimbursement, free cash-flow for the first half 2019 would have represented €95 million, leading to a sustainable first half conversion rate of c. 37%.
Group net debt
The Group's net debt decreased to €1,466 million against €1,518 million at the beginning of the year. The major elements of this evolution are the €120 million free cash-flow generation and the €73 million net cash-out mainly related to the Paymark acquisition. The ratio of net debt to EBITDA3 is down to 2.7x from 3.1x at the end of 2018 and 3.6x end of June last year.
In July 2019:
All 2019 objectives raised


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In its second major recent decision about sponsored content, the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division has criticized American Express for the way it advertised Open Forum -- a site aimed at small business owners.
American Express uses the tech company Taboola to drive traffic to the Open Forum site, according to an opinion issued by the self-regulatory group. The links on those Taboola ads previously said “Open Forum,” but did not indicate that people who clicked on the links would land on a page operated by American Express, the opinion says.
The National Advertising Division wrote in its opinion that American Express has taken the “necessary and appropriate” step of revising its ads. The links now indicate that clicking on them takes people to a site operated by the financial company, according to the opinion.
The self-regulatory group suggested that the previous “Open Forum” label, standing alone, potentially confused consumers. “NAD’s concern generally was whether the label, 'OPEN Forum,' reasonably described the Web site to which consumers were directed, and specifically whether the label 'open forum,' which generally denotes a place or space where people can exchange ideas, could reasonably confuse consumers as to the nature of the linked Web site,” the NAD wrote.
Although American Express changed the labels in its ads, the company disagreed that the old approach was problematic. American Express told the self-regulatory group that the “Open Forum” label “correctly identifies the source of the content -- i.e., the well-known OPEN brand,” according to the opinion.
“The advertiser claimed that to require additional disclosures would mean that NAD is distinguishing between Web sites that are purportedly 'purely editorial' (owned by companies that sell media) and those that are 'commercial' (owned by companies that sell products),” the opinion says. “American Express asserted that such a distinction would not reflect the reality of the marketplace, as media sites, themselves, are a mix of 'purely editorial' and 'commercial' content.”
American Express also pointed out to the BBB's self-regulatory group that the Open Forum site offers articles written by freelance journalists, and that many pieces don't refer to the company or its products. On Friday, the site displayed articles like a reported piece on the ways in which dating is harder for entrepreneurs, and a column alerting business owners to the signs that their companies “may be hitting a wall.”
The financial company said in a statement emailed to Online Media Daily that it has “developed guidelines for native advertising placements emphasizing the importance of transparency.”
Taboola, the company that placed the ads, came in for criticism earlier this year when the BBB's self-regulatory unit said the company's prior “sponsored content” disclosures weren't noticeable enough. Taboola agreed to make those disclosures more prominent.

domain: news


text: The sneaker game has drastically changed over the last few years as rare releases find themselves only available through lotteries or the exponentially marked-up resale market. To some, investing in sneakers may be even more valuable than gold. Gerome Sapp, CEO at Rares, a social investing platform that allows users to invest in hard-to-find kicks through buys and trades, joined Cheddar to talk about why he thinks the future of investing is in sneakers. "Sneakers have outperformed gold, the S&P 500, and many other traditional securities that have been doing well over the years. And sneakers have been doing it consistently for the last 10 years," he said.


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27 Juni, 2018
Cannes Lions 2018 Take-outs
by Karl Waters
Creative Partner, JWT Folk
From navigating Blockchain to the future of agencies, there was lots of chatter going on in every corner of Cannes last week. Artificial Intelligence continued its charge to the top of the advertising world, making more of an impact than ever before. And while diversity may have been the talk of the festival last year, this year it walked the walk in the form of some culture-changing campaigns.
Aside from our trendy Cannes Lions tote-bags, here are some take-outs we brought home from this year’s festival:
The Evolution of Brand Purpose
Brand purpose isn’t exactly a new thought. However, this year it was front and centre of so many winning campaigns. And most of these campaigns showed much more than purpose, they were ideas that changed society and people’s lives. From the ‘Palau Pledge’ to ‘Trash Isles’ we saw how capable the industry is of doing good, when we put our minds to it.
The Rise of Hackvertising
The meeting of creativity and culture is where most good advertising lies. Two big-hitting brands very much lived that this year. Hacking culture, or hacktervising, informed both Burger King’s and KFC’s brand strategies for the past 12 months. They chose to be reactive and always on. Whenever and wherever there was something happening in culture, you found them appearing making their brands relevant.
Some Old Principles Still Apply
Brand Purpose and hackvertising may sound like contemporary advertising soundbytes. However, it’s worth noting that some older advertising principles still played a starring role at this year’s festival. Campaigns didn’t need to change the world or take AI to new levels to make an impact. In fact, really prominent among the Gold, Grand Prix and Titanium winners was one of advertising’s oldest principles; humour. From ‘It’s a Tide Ad’ to ‘Nothing Beats A Londoner’ ‘Dundee’ and the hilariously insane ‘Friendshit’ campaign from Thailand, humour is back on top. If indeed it was ever any other place.


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It has been reported by Reuters that Taiwan-based electronics company ASUS plans to invest $16m (£11.5m) to set up a cultural and media firm in China, with plans to be predominantly involved in professional esport business operations.
Asus CFO Nick Wu said the “subsidiary will see esports as its major business pillar as well as focusing on expansion in Chinese esports ecosystem,” in a report from Yutang Sports.
Asus CEO Jerry Shen added that their businesses will not be limited to esports-based sales of products including personal computers, display devices and smartphones. The company aims to create its own esports industry chains and ecosystem.
China has an estimated 72 million esports enthusiasts, presenting a great opportunity for investment in the industry. According to ASUS’ latest annual report (covering 2016), Chinese market revenues are equal to roughly 18% of the company’s total yearly revenues, equating to approximately $14.5bn (£10.4bn).
As part of its new Chinese esports project, ASUS launched the Rogue Warriors esports team in December 2017. The team will compete in the League of Legends Pro League, and it is expected that ASUS will also create an affiliate team based in Taiwan.
ASUS esports’ involvement and interest has been apparent for several years now, including partnerships with over 20 teams, including SK Telecom T1, Echo Fox and NRG Esports. They even hosted an international CS:GO and Dota 2 tournament in 2017, with a prize pool worth a combined $500,000 (£360,000).
The plans follow a strong year for Chinese esports, trailing the news that Tencent secured exclusive rights to PUBG in China, as well as the company’s plan to create a $14.6bn (£10.5bn) esports market in the country.
Esports Insider says: With ASUS’ long and storied record in esports, it is both promising and unsurprising to see them making another huge investment into the space. It will be interesting to see exactly how they utilise their past experiences in esports to create a business model that is effective and profitable for all parties involved.


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Lush Lincoln has reopened their store in the city centre, with a full refurbishment offering a first of its kind concept focusing on encouraging customers to recycle and a fresh customer journey.
At a time where physical retail is under immense pressure, Lush has renewed its commitment to the high street through investment into customer experience and product innovation.
Pursuing their mission to “Leave the world lusher than we found it”, the Lincoln store refurbishment utilised recycled elements of the existing store to provide a new lease of life, alongside furniture from ethical sources. Refreshing the track lighting was also key to ensuring the store design achieved the design criteria, the Lincoln store now uses our black Dingo track light.
The Dingo boasts a deep aluminium reflector, which produces premium illumination with minimal glare. These optics along with the latest COB technology create excellent lumens per watt, making the ‘Dingo’ one of the most energy-efficient track lights on the market.
Echoing elements of previous store concepts from Harajuku, Munich and Liverpool, the new Lincoln concept makes the customer journey much clearer. Separating each product category into sections within the store, allowing the customer to find what they are looking for with ease.
DINGO Track Light
Clean design and high performance track light.


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In an intriguing strategic move, Egyptian startup Grinta has officially announced the acquisition of Auto Cure. This development is poised to significantly amplify Grinta’s presence within Egypt’s burgeoning health-tech landscape. This marks Grinta’s third acquisition since its inception in 2021, a testament to the startup’s dynamic expansion strategy.
Grinta’s journey of growth began with the acquisition of PH Store, a pioneering B2B marketplace for pharmaceutical products, swiftly followed by the integration of EME, a formidable software development company. With the addition of Auto Cure to its portfolio, Grinta is set to fortify its market influence and drive innovation in the sector.
A noteworthy aspect of this acquisition is the incorporation of Mohamed Rezk, Grinta’s co-founder and CEO, into the company’s leadership fold as a partner overseeing the commercial team. However, the role that Amr Kamel, the other co-founder, will undertake remains to be elucidated.
Mohamed Rezk expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “Joining hands with Grinta is incredibly exciting for us; our commitment to digitizing the market and delivering customer satisfaction has led us to join Grinta’s brilliant team. We have unlocked a world of possibilities, and together we will be extending our reach not only in Alexandria but throughout the Middle East and Africa.”
Having secured $8 million in seed funding during 2022, Grinta has directed its efforts toward advancing its technological infrastructure and expediting its expansion initiatives across Egypt. With a track record encompassing more than 7,000 vendors and an impressive tally of over 200,000 orders fulfilled since 2021, Grinta has solidified its position as a key player in the market. On the other hand, Auto Cure, with its partnership with over 450 pharmacies and a commendable track record of delivering 5,000 orders since inception, brings a strategic advantage to the table.
This amalgamation of forces between Grinta and Auto Cure is poised to yield substantial gains in Egypt’s healthtech sector, enabling both entities to seize a larger slice of the market share. Notably, 2022 witnessed a significant infusion of $50.5 million in funding for startups within Egypt’s healthcare domain, constituting a remarkable 6.2% of the total funding amassed during the period.
As Grinta and Auto Cure embark on this collaborative journey, the future appears promising for their shared vision of revolutionizing healthcare solutions throughout Egypt and beyond.


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March 13, 2024
Media contact: National Consumers League – Melody Merin, email@example.com, 202-207-2831
Washington, DC – Today, the National Consumers League sent a letter to the United States Senate urging action on the Shrinkflation Prevention Act. As American consumers struggled with spiking inflation, companies posted steep profits. One analysis found that corporate greed drove over 50% of consumer price increases in the years following the pandemic. One of the methods businesses have used to extract greater profits has been shrinkflation—selling less product at the same price. The Shrinkflation Prevention Act would officially designate this as an unfair or deceptive practice.
“Multiple surveys have found that consumers are unhappy with this practice,” said NCL CEO Sally Greenberg. “Almost four out of five Americans say they feel cheated by shrinkflation. Despite this sentiment, sellers continue to take advantage of the public and participate in this trend.”
The full letter can be found here.
About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit nclnet.org.


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Inflation’s many causes
In July, the national consumer price index (CPI) was up 3.2% year-over-year. That’s slightly higher than the 3% rate in June and significantly higher than the Fed’s 2% target.
Lawmakers and economists have suggested several different reasons for this stubborn inflationary wave. Pandemic-era supply-chain issues are yet to be fully resolved while the ongoing war in Ukraine is impacting everything from fuel to food prices.
Some have also pointed to recent increases in the money supply, particularly pandemic stimulus spending, which put thousands of dollars directly into Americans’ bank accounts, creating heightened demand for a limited supply of consumer goods.
But the biggest factor is the cost of housing. In July, rent and mortgages accounted for 90% of the 3% inflation surge, according to the latest BLS data.
Minneapolis managed to tame inflation by focusing on that key element.
Housing prices and trends
Minneapolis focused on reducing the price of shelter even before the pandemic erupted. In 2018, the city outlawed zoning rules that permitted only single-family homes. This allowed for much more housing density.
Meanwhile, the city also invested heavily in helping people pay rent. Since 2018, renters have collectively received $320 million in rental assistance and subsidies from the city’s government.
The result was a much better outcome for all citizens. Rents have grown just 1% in Minneapolis since 2017, whereas rent prices are up 31% in the rest of the country during that period.
Other cities are taking notice of this strategy.
Among others, Arlington, Virginia; Gainesville, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Washington, D.C. have also reformed their zoning rules to allow for more multifamily units. And the state level, Oregon, California, Washington, Montana and Maine have implemented similar policies in recent years.
But the impact of new zoning policies could take several years to have a noticeable effect, as was the case in Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, renters and homebuyers are faced with higher rents and unfavorable home prices, while homeowners and prospective buyers still have to deal with high mortgage rates.
Kiss Your Credit Card Debt Goodbye
Millions of Americans are struggling to crawl out of debt in the face of record-high interest rates. A personal loan offers lower interest rates and fixed payments, making it a smart choice to consolidate high-interest credit card debt. It helps save money, simplifies payments, and accelerates debt payoff. Credible is a free online service that shows you the best lending options to pay off your credit card debt fast — and save a ton in interest.


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In 2020, 1 million 504 thousand tourists visited the country, Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Abdukhakimov said at a briefing.
“As a result of the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, tourism in our country has become one of the most severely damaged areas.
In 2020, a total of 1 million 504 thousand tourists visited Uzbekistan, we provided tourism services worth $261 million.
In 2021, we want to pay more attention to pilgrimage tourism,” Abdukhakimov said.
According to him, Uzbekistan plans to attract 1.7 million foreign tourists in the current year.


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Survival Horror Gets Medieval With LORN
Despite an overabundance of dark fantasy in video games, medieval horror isn’t really something that has been explored all that much. Developer Teamkill Studios is looking to mine some of that potential with their upcoming title LORN, which just dropped it’s official gameplay trailer.
Originally announced in January 2017, LORN‘s latest trailer shows off a lot of what genre fans have come to expect from modern first person horror games. Players will be navigating dimly lit environments with a torch while trying to survive hideous the monstrosities stalking the halls. While the trailer itself doesn’t give a lot to go on in terms of the game’s story, it does show off some interesting visuals, including some ominous knights and maybe a hint at a few forbidden rituals.
According to the game’s official website, LORN‘s story puts players in the shoes of a loyal servant to a king who has seemingly gone mad. Having absconded with some object that had driven the king to madness, players must escape and find a way to restore order to the kingdom. While it seems to be taking a few story cues from the likes of Dark Souls and Game of Thrones, there’s nothing wrong with a little fantasy in horror. It remains to be seen if Teamkill Studios have enough of a unique concept on their hands to set LORN apart from the droves of first person indie horror games out there, but it seems to be off to a strong start.
You can check out the game’s official trailer down below. LORN’s demo is expected to arrive October 20 2017, with the full release coming in 2018. For a look at another upcoming indie horror game, you can check out our coverage of Inmates right here.


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In a few days, leaders from all sectors will gather at Davos. In a world where politics is becoming more polarised, many are beginning to wonder about the limits of our systems, especially capitalism, and their ability to stand the test of time. Will capitalism stand the scrutiny of a generation of young people who have been impacted by a global recession, the narrowing of international migration opportunities and a future in which technology will make employment more precarious than ever?
Millennials are now becoming leaders across multiple facets of society—in business, government and non-profits. 50% of the world’s population is under the age of 27, with millennials expected to represent approximately 75% of the world’s workforce by 2025.
For that reason, we gathered millennials from nearly 20 countries in a series of roundtables to discuss the future of capitalism. In the report that followed, launched in partnership with the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, it was clear that there is a belief in capitalism as an overall construct but that the system must evolve.
The first generation of digital natives, millennials have a unique perspective that differs from previous generations of young people who want to see a better future. This generation, empowered by the Internet and a global perspective, believes that companies should be held to higher standards. In particular, millennials expect their values to be reflected as they engage with the economy- as consumers, employees and investors.
As consumers, millennials are focusing their spending power on brands that make a social impact. Three quarters of millennials believe it’s important that a company gives back to society instead of just making a profit. Over half will pay a premium for sustainable products and check packaging for sustainable labelling. And more than 90% would switch brands for one associated with a social purpose. It’s clear that brands need to do more than adopt corporate social responsibility– they need to make social purpose a core component of their value proposition.
As employees, millennials believe that the private sector in particular has a responsibility behave ethically. Contrary to popular beliefs about the gig economy, for most millennials, participating in precarious employment is not a choice but rather the result of a lack of opportunities. Only 16% of millennials see themselves with their current employers a decade from now. With many labour market challenges taking place, the traditional relationship between large corporations and long-term employees is becoming a relic of the past. Millennials expect companies to compensate for this increasing uncertainty in the workplace with pro-social behaviour.
And as investors, millennials are both sceptical of the financial sector and, as a result of precarious employment, unable to invest in their future. Traditional milestones, such as home buying, are out of reach for much of the millennial generation. A full 70% of millennials feel stressed about the prospect of planning for retirement and one in five young people are not saving at all. Additionally, millennials who are able to invest are looking at alternative models, eschewing financial advisors and actively seeking investments that provide a triple bottom line. Millennials are also problem solvers who actively look for alternative solutions to engage in capital markets. We’ve seen this with the growth in crowdfunding and Fintech platforms. Financial institutions must change their practices in order to benefit from the $30 billion wealth transfer that will take place from Baby Boomers to millennials in the coming years.
In spite of these challenges, millennials are optimistic about the potential for capitalism’s future, especially if it becomes more inclusive. Over 90% of millennials believe that businesses can move the dial on key issues. Even though millennials want to push capitalism forward, there is a strong belief in its power to make an impact.
Although meaningful changes need to be made in order to make capitalism sustainable in today’s world, most millennials would agree that inclusive capitalism holds the greatest potential for a prosperous 2017 and beyond.


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Target cut its outlook for October sales at stores open at least a year on Monday, the second month in a row the discount retailer has lowered its same-store sales forecast, as investors begin to focus on how the holiday sales season will measure up.
Target now expects same-store sales to rise between 2 percent to 4 percent, down from a forecast earlier this month of an increase of between 3 percent and 5 percent.
In a recorded message, the retailer said its reduced forecast was partly based on "greater-than-normal daily volatility and continued disappointing sales results for the first two weeks of October."
Target reports actual sales results on Nov. 8.
Investors are watching retail sales closely to see how consumer spending holds up headed into the crucial holiday selling season, when the bulk of retailers' profits are made. U.S. retail chains reported largely disappointing September sales, blaming unusually warm weather that crimped demand for cold-weather gear.
Last month, Target warned that September sales at its stores open at least a year would miss initial expectations they would rise 4 percent to 6 percent. But when it reported final September sales results earlier this month, it missed even its own lowered forecast.
September same-store sales rose 1.2 percent -- below the revised forecast for a rise of 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent. The company blamed poor apparel sales and weak traffic.
Target also said at the time that its full-year earnings should be below $3.60 per share. Earlier, it said profit could be slightly more or less than that figure.
In 2006, Target's October same-store sales rose 3.9 percent.
Target shares fell 15 cents to $61.40 in light after-hours trading from Monday's close of $61.55 on the New York Stock Exchange.


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New orders for machine tools, a closely watched indi cator of future business activ ity, showed small gains in July for the second straight month, the National Machine Tool Builders Association reported yesterday.
Total orders for the month were $77,550,000, up 1.7 per cent over the June figure of $76,850,000. In May this year, orders came to $69‐million.
However, compared to July, 1969, when bookings totaled $128‐million, orders this year were 39.4 per cent lower.
The association reported that both the metal cutting and metal forming segments of the industry showed gains in July over June.
Metal cutting machine tools were $62.8‐million, up 1.5 per cent from the June orders of $61,850,000.Continue reading the main story
Metal forming machine tool builders registered an increase of 2.4 per cent, from $14,400,000 in June to $14,750,000 in July.
The industry group noted that the July total of domestic metal cutting machine tool orders showed an increase of 8.5 per cent over the June figure, while foreign orders dropped 15.7 per cent.
For the year to date, the in dustry has received orders worth $614‐million. This is 47 per cent below the bookings of $1,159,850,000 in the 1969 period.
Metalcutting orders this year reached $467,650,000 down 41.2 per cent from the correspond ing 1969 total, while metal forming orders declined 59.6 per cent from the 1969 total of $364‐million.
Reflecting the summer vaca tion slowdown, shipments of machine tools in July were $113,250,000, compared with $141,800,000 in June.
Metal cutting machine tool shipments in July were $74, 200,000, against $100,600,000 in June. The corresponding total for metal forming machine tools were $39,050,000 in July and $41,200,000 in June.
The order backlog of metal cutting machine tools at the end of July amounted to $645.7 million, compared with $657.1 million a month before. Metal forming machine tools had an order backlog of $247.4‐million at the end of July, and $271.7 million at the end of June.
In a related development, the Machinery Dealers National Association reported last week that July sales of used equip ment dropped 31.9 per cent be low the level reached in June.
However, industry officials attributed part of the down turn to monthly fluctuations.Continue reading the main story


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News Highlights: Top Company News of the Day
Lego Builds on Its Position as World's No. 1 Toy Maker
The Danish toy maker reported a 46% rise in first-half sales,
saying it had shrugged off the Covid-19 pandemic and its disruption
to global supply chains.
Facebook Asks Oversight Board for Guidance on Rules for High-Profile Users
The board-an outside body that Facebook created to ensure the
accountability of its enforcement systems-recently cited
inconsistencies in the way Facebook makes content decisions, after
a WSJ investigation.
Gold Miners Agnico Eagle Mines and Kirkland Lake to Merge. Both Stocks Fall.
The merger creates a Canadian gold mining giant with a combined
market cap of about $24 billion.
Thoma Bravo Sells Stake in Command Alkon to HeidelbergCement
Software-focused private-equity firm Thoma Bravo is selling a
45% stake in Command Alkon, a provider of supply-chain-management
software, to HeidelbergCement in a deal that values the company at
about $1.7 billion.
Google Faces Pushback in Australia Over Online Ad Fees
Competition watchdog says tech giant has too much influence in
online advertising services and new regulations are needed to level
the playing field.
Sunac Leads Rebound in Chinese Property Stocks
The real-estate developer played down a leaked request for
government help, and the country's central bank said it wants
healthy development of the property market.
Exxon, Chevron Lack a Certain Je ne Sais Quoi
Investors seem to prefer major U.S. oil companies'
energy-transition plans compared with their European peers. The
jury is still out.
Facebook Efforts to Attract Preteens Go Beyond Instagram, Documents Show
Facebook has investigated how to engage young users in response
to competition from Snapchat and TikTok. A 2019 internal
presentation was titled: "Exploring playdates as a growth
Amazon to Defend Firing of Workers Following Complaint
An administrative law judge is set to hear a case brought by a
workers' union claiming that two Amazon employees were wrongly
fired for "their support for fellow Amazon employees' working
Startup Aims to Help Landlords Reward Reliable Tenants
Watson Living, which has raised a seed round, is one of several
startups offering rent-rewards programs.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 28, 2021 15:15 ET (19:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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EaglePicher Technologies expects to certify a lithium-ion main-ship aircraft battery by year-end, according to Ron Nowlin, vice president and general manager of EaglePicher Aerospace Systems. The battery has been selected for a jet, but Nowlin was unable to reveal the OEM and said he “cannot confirm” news reports “that we are doing any work for Cessna.”
The battery chemistry is lithium-iron phosphate, which, he said, “is a little more thermally stable” than the lithium-ion cobalt technology used in the Boeing 787 battery. The EaglePicher aircraft battery weighs 40 percent less than a comparable Ni-cad battery and is housed in a stainless steel container with a top-mounted heat sink to keep it cooler during the charge cycle.
The battery management has redundant electronics systems, but if both systems should fail then the battery must withstand an explosion containment test to meet the applicable DO-311 performance standards. “This requires you to charge a cell in the pack to the point that it ruptures or vents,” Nowlin said. “And you have to ignite the electrolyte. It can’t release flame, electrolyte or particles outside the battery enclosure.” EaglePicher’s battery has passed initial DO-311 tests and will be subjected to further testing with validation by an FAA DER before certification.


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Music’s biggest night will be celebrated on Sunday, Feb. 4, in Los Angeles where stars will flood the red carpet ahead of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
For the last 25 years, Distinctive Assets, a marketing agency based in Los Angeles, has worked to put together epic gift bags for both presenters and performers.
This year, Fox News Digital spoke with founder Lash Fary, who previewed some of the unique gifts — including options for the whole family.
“What’s interesting is that I never really know how it’s going to all come together until sort of the final swing of this when the products start arriving,” he said.
GRAMMY AWARDS $30000 GIFT BAGS ARE FULL OF SNACKS
Each year, a pre-assembled gift bag is given to every performer or presenter at the Grammy Awards, Fary confirmed.
“So as long as you show up for the show and read your lines, if you’re a presenter, or sing a song if you’re a performer, a gift goes into your vehicle as you’re leaving the venue,” he said.
The Grammys also host a “gift lounge” for the three days prior to the awards show for guests to select from a wider array of options — either during a rehearsal break or at the end of the day.
“If you show up and Rihanna’s running late, and you’ve got an hour to hang out, you can come and go through the gift lounge where you get to pick out the different items,” he said.
INSIDE 2022 OSCARS’ SWANKY, SIX-FIGURE BAGS THAT A-LIST STARS LIKE STEVEN SPIELBERG WILL TAKE HOME
With 68 brands and items featured, here are some of Fary’s favorites from this year’s list.
Fary said one of his top picks for the gift bag this year is the Dyson Zone Headphones, which retail for $699.99.
The headphones are not only noise-canceling and can last up to 50 hours of audio-only run time, but also have a built-in air filtration attachment.
Fary added, “It’s super cool, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Another gift option are Cate Brown toss pillows, handmade in New York City from vintage, heritage fashion and deadstock textiles, according to the brand.
THE $225000 OSCARS 2020 GIFT BAG: HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE
Fary said the pillows are made from fabrics by fashion designers and turned into one-of-a-kind, luxury toss pillows.
He added, “So you can do the right thing for the environment and have some luxury for your home.”
One of the unique gifting options for 2024 is an offering from a healthy pet food brand.
Smack Pet Food is a Canadian-made dog and cat food brand that offers raw, dehydrated organic and non-GMO ingredients.
The gift bag includes pet food and a canvas tote, which plays on the brand name by reading, “My dog is on smack.”
One of the other unique finds on the list is an interactive globe for kids — something Fary said celebrities tend to pick up.
The Orboot by PlayShifu globe is a smart toy that allows users to select different parts of the Earth to learn more about. It contains over 1,000 facts about cultures, cuisines, monuments, inventions, animals and maps.
Fary said that sometimes celebrities won’t have time to select items for their gift bag, so in the past, they have asked for everything that could be given to their child.
“The last time Adele was on the show, she didn’t have time to come up from her dressing room from rehearsals, but she asked if we could bring anything kid-related down to her dressing room for her son to play with,” he recalled.
Fary said Dan & Shay have also posted about their children going through the epic gift bag in the past and noted that it’s fun for the whole family.
Fary added that many brands included in the gifting this year are female-owned, minority-owned or family-owned — something he loves to see.
For example, one company featured is Hair Forge — a men’s hair accessory small business run entirely by family, Fary said.
“It’s family run, including the children — two kids and a cousin who help the family run the business based in the Midwest,” he said.
He added, “They’ve been featured on all of their local new stations getting all of this coverage about these kids who are entrepreneurs going to the Grammys.”
Fary said making a difference in the lives of the people behind small businesses, minority-owned businesses and female businesses is something that matters to him.
“That’s been a specific goal of ours over the past few years … to amplify and let the media know what we’re doing, because I think representation does matter.”
Other brands included in the gifting options include Garnier, Auro Wellness, Miage Skincare, Kerastase, Poppi, Shinery and WineEnthusiast.
The 2024 Grammy Awards will air Sunday, Feb. 4.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle.
Read the full article here


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In the weeks prior to the passage of New York's 2018-2019 budget, many elected officials called on lawmakers to include a new "internet tax." The primary explanation for the proposal — supported by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others — was that it would "level the playing field" for local businesses. The Republican-controlled Senate, however, opposed the tax and it was not included in the final budget.
But with Democrats now in control of both legislative chambers, the Internet Fairness Conformity Tax has resurfaced in the governor's latest budget proposal, once again under the guise of "leveling the playing field."
The promise is an echo of the same pledge made in 2008 when lawmakers first passed an internet tax, referred to by supporters as the "Amazon tax." It too was a promise that it would offer a leveling effect between the booming online retailers and struggling local businesses.
Since then, sales tax has been collected for online purchases from internet retailers that were considered to have a physical presence in the state. This latest proposal, if approved, would allow a new state and county tax to be collected for all internet purchases, regardless of the business location.
In spite of that promise more than a decade ago, local businesses continue to struggle and New Yorkers continue to bear the burden of new and higher taxes. So before we accept the simplistic reasoning that relief is on the horizon for our local businesses simply because elected officials say it is, we should ask exactly how the increase in revenue from a new tax will provide the leveling effect they are promising.
The reasoning behind this reoccurring tax pitch is that it will result in an increase in retail foot traffic for local businesses by decreasing the price differences between them and their online competition. This theory is flawed in both its promise and its ideology and, when placed on the e-commerce timeline, is approximately 20 years too late.
Today, most online shoppers do not make purchasing decisions solely on the potential savings from not being charged sales tax. Their decisions are, instead, generally influenced by initial retail price, product selection, availability, ease of transactions and the abundance of product information. Consumers lately are more educated and informed about the products they want, right down to the model number and suggested retail price, before even stepping foot into a store.
The real competitive disadvantage our local businesses face is the actual cost of doing business in New York. From high overhead and operating costs, expanded layers of government and a deteriorating infrastructure, it's the lack of a supportive business ecology that is the real disruptive factor to the growth and prosperity of the local retail economy. This bureaucratically imposed collection of excessive demands, invisible to the same state lawmakers who voted to implement them, is more burdensome than the experience of their out-of-state competition.Read Full Article
Our elected officials today — many of the same officials who supported granting Amazon incentives and tax breaks estimated at $2.8 billion for its headquarters in Long Island City — must learn from their failed promises of the past. They, like all New Yorkers, should expect that the same "level the playing field" pledge will once again produce the same results. We need to look no further than a sampling of broken funding promises of the past — the defunct Shoreham nuclear power plant, the MTA tax, the lottery for funding education, and the "Amazon tax" of 2008 — to witness the marketing of a noble reoccurring theme with an expensive reoccurring result.
Supporting local business is a righteous cause, but it's not a stretch to assume that, for state and local lawmakers, real solutions have been overshadowed by the salivating promise of more tax revenue. Rather than carefully and responsibly manage the state budget by curbing spending, Albany officials will once again seek new revenue and consequently hurt the cause they try to help. Perhaps it's time our political leaders realize that pledging to assist local businesses while standing on their backs is not only the wrong way to govern but no way to level the field.
Christopher Paolillo is a regional sales manager in the industrial tooling industry for a New York-based company and has a background in executive management and marketing. He is the administrative director for ChangeNYS.org.


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Sep 14, 2021Pace International adds plant-based organic coating to stone fruit portfolio
Wapato, Washington-based Pace International LLC, a provider of sustainable postharvest solutions and technologies for the fresh produce industry, announced Sept. 9 the introduction of PrimalFresh 60 Organic.
PrimaFresh 60 Organic (OR) is the latest advancement in Pace’s organic premium line of edible plant-based coatings, developed specifically to enhance dehydration control in stone fruit and maximize its fresh appeal.
The innovative coating technology provides a longer-lasting, durable shine, while significantly reducing moisture loss from the fruit. Lower dehydration shows significant beneﬁts for a better fresh appearance and less shrinkage at the retail level. Like all of Pace’s plant-based coatings, PrimaFresh 60 OR was designed for versatile performance in the packing line and performs exceptionally well compared to other conventional coatings.
“In the U.S., consumers are looking for greater shine with their stone fruit and on peaches specifically. With all fruit, Pace’s goal is to maintain the freshness of fruit naturally to provide the marketplace with a quality, premium product,” Michelle Smith, Pace’s senior manager, sales and field services South U.S., said in a news release. “Working alongside our customers has shown us the marketplace is requesting an organic coating that extends shelf life. We are excited that we are now able to offer a select number of customers this solution and look forward to extending this outreach to more customers.”
“The introduction of PrimaFresh 60 OR in California is another example of how Pace continues to meet the needs of our customers by providing a diversified portfolio of innovative organic, sustainable solutions in the global marketplace,” said Jorge Gotuzzo, senior director of marketing. “We are excited about expanding the PrimaFresh 60 OR offering this coming year to further support our customers in the stone fruit industry.”
Pace International LLC is a subsidiary of Valent BioSciences LLC, a Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. business.
Pace collaborates with growers, packers and agricultural organizations to develop innovative solutions to enhance, protect, and preserve fruit and vegetable quality and freshness. Pace is the leading global provider of sustainable postharvest solutions and technologies, equipment and technical services to maximize efficiencies in packing operations and increase the freshness and value of harvested crops. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.paceint.com.
Headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, Valent BioSciences LLC is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. Valent BioSciences is the worldwide leader in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of biorational products, with sales in 95 countries around the world. Valent BioSciences is an ISO 9001 Certified Company. For additional information, visit the company’s website at valentbiosciences.com.


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Negotiators would like to announce an agreement at a meeting of ministers in Detroit on May 27, added the people, who asked not to be identified because conversations are unfolding behind closed doors.
The talks are focused on systems to provide early warnings when countries see a risk of supply chains being interrupted. The intention is to avoid the kind of global disruptions experienced during the coronavirus pandemic.
Supply chains are one of the four “pillars” in the framework that countries began discussing last year — along with clean economy, which focuses on the transition to renewable energy and fighting climate change; fair economy, which includes taxation and corruption issues; and trade.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s office is negotiating the trade pillar for the US, while the Commerce Department, led by Secretary Gina Raimondo, is supervising efforts on the other three.
The Commerce Department didn’t respond to a request for comment sent after normal business hours and the USTR declined to comment.
The US initiated the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, as a way to counter China’s growing influence and make up for lost ground after pulling out of previous efforts to set regional trade rules.
Aside from the US, the talks include Japan, India and South Korea, which all rank among the 10 biggest national economies in the world. The nations included in the framework, represent more than $34 trillion in economic output, or about 41% of global production.
Negotiators met in Singapore from May 8 through 15 for a third round of talks after earlier sessions in Bali, Indonesia, in March and Brisbane, Australia, in December. During the latest sessions, the countries “continued to make strong progress on a wide range of issues across the four pillars,” according to a statement from the USTR.
The framework is the most significant American economic engagement in the region since President Donald Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017, but it stops short of reducing tariffs like a traditional free-trade agreement, which some countries have sought. Because of that, it does not require approval by Congress.
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Sales of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), cars, smartphones, and household appliances surged in the September quarter, both sequentially and year-on-year, company executives told ET.Piyush Goyal, Chandrasekhar to Grace ET Startup Awards
Union Cabinet minister Piyush Goyal and minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be the guests of honour at a dazzling ceremony to celebrate the winners of The Economic Times Startup Awards on Saturday, October 7.GST Collections in Sept Jump 10% to ₹1.63 L cr
Goods and services tax (GST) collections rose 10% to ₹1.63 lakh crore in September from a year earlier , maintaining the recent robust pace of growth, showed data released on Tuesday.
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This nonprofit designs a brace for children with clubfoot for less than $20. Its founders spoke with the mothers of children born with clubfoot and discovered that existing braces are prohibitively expensive, difficult to put on and usually an eyesore, which all contribute to low compliance rates.
Developed in the school's Launchpad class, which asks budding entrepreneurs to develop and introduce a product in just 10 weeks, this app aggregates news and other online content. Last April, LinkedIn acquired the company for $90 million.
The creators of this project discovered that the devices used to deliver pressurized oxygen to children’s lungs were prohibitively expensive or did not fit children’s nasal passages. So they created a one-size-fits-all adapter that can form a better seal and offer greater relief.
This start-up provides personal finance tools, primarily for Spanish speakers, that lets users send text messages to record how much they spent on different items. The idea was inspired by interviews with janitors working the night shift at Stanford, according to Ben Knelman, one of the founders.
A search, analytics and collaboration tool for lawyers, this platform visualizes and organizes legal cases to highlight patterns and connections between them.
A miniature pouch, not unlike a sleeping bag, helps prevent newborns from developing hypothermia. The inventors of the pouch say it has helped prevent 22,000 infant deaths.
This brand of low-cost, rechargeable solar lanterns is designed to replace kerosone lanterns in the developing world, which can produce respiratory problems in children and can pose fire hazards.


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Binance has offered a $300,000 reward for information leading to the capture of an individual who posted 10,000 photos of users and their identity documents that may have come from the leading cryptocurrency exchange’s customer data.
Kik Interactive responded angrily yesterday to a lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleging its $100 million initial coin offering of the Kin cryptocurrency was illegal. The case is the SEC’s highest-profile action to date claiming that an ICO violated the law by selling an unregistered security to the public.
A California judge gave Brian Armstrong’s cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase three quarters of a win Tuesday, throwing out fraud and unfair competition allegations.
A Canadian Bitcoin YouTuber turned the tables on a scammer this week, convincing a con artist—who promised to double bitcoin investments in 24 hours—to send him $50 worth of the cryptocurrency. He promptly passed it along to Bitcoin Venezuela, a charity providing food in the suffering country.


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Amazon lobbies the United States federal government and state governments on issues such as the enforcement of sales taxes on online sales, transportation safety, privacy and data protection and intellectual property. According to regulatory filings, Amazon.com focuses its lobbying on the United States Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Reserve. Amazon.com spent roughly $3.5 million, $5 million and $9.5 million on lobbying, in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively.
After the introduction of the September 5, 2018 'Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies (Stop BEZOS) Act', Amazon announced to its workers on October 2, 2018, that the minimum wage paid to salaried workers be increased to $15 per hour. The wage increase applies to about 350,000 workers. It does not apply to the majority of Amazon's employees who are contract workers. Furthermore, Amazon has also removed some grants and stock options.
After reading a report about the future of the Internet that projected annual web commerce growth at 2,300%, Bezos created a list of 20 products that could be marketed online. He narrowed the list to what he felt were the five most promising products, which included: compact discs, computer hardware, computer software, videos, and books. Bezos finally decided that his new business would sell books online, due to the large worldwide demand for literature, the low price points for books, along with the huge number of titles available in print. Amazon was founded in the garage of Bezos' rented home in Bellevue, Washington. Bezos' parents invested almost $250,000 in the start-up.
Sign up for Amazon Family and a Prime account to get special offers, coupons and discounts on family-oriented items. If you aren't a Prime member, you'll get a 5% discount on baby food and diaper subscriptions. Prime members get an additional 15% off with five or more active subscriptions. Get a 15% discount code and a free Welcome Box when you sign up for the Baby Registry.
That same year, the company launched Dash buttons for instant reordering of products like laundry detergent, and it’s more recently been investing in new services that let package-carrying couriers unlock the truck of your car and even your front door. Most recently, Amazon has signaled an intention to disrupt health care by purchasing online pharmaceutical startup PillPack. All of this has helped Amazon grow its North American retail operation at an unbelievable pace; annual sales for the division more than doubled from $50.8 billion in 2014 to $106.1 billion last year.
Bezos selected the name Amazon by looking through the dictionary; he settled on "Amazon" because it was a place that was "exotic and different", just as he had envisioned for his Internet enterprise. The Amazon River, he noted, was the biggest river in the world, and he planned to make his store the biggest bookstore in the world. Additionally, a name that began with "A" was preferential due to the probability it would occur at the top of an alphabetized list. Bezos placed a premium on his head start in building a brand and told a reporter, "There's nothing about our model that can't be copied over time. But you know, McDonald's got copied. And it's still built a huge, multibillion-dollar company. A lot of it comes down to the brand name. Brand names are more important online than they are in the physical world."
H&M's business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. H&M has since it was founded in 1947 grown into one of the world's leading fashion companies. The content of this site is copyright-protected and is the property of H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB. H&M is committed to accessibility. That commitment means H&M embraces WCAG guidelines and supports assistive technologies such as screen readers. If you are using a screen reader, magnifier, or other assistive technologies and are experiencing difficulties using this website, please call our TOLL-FREE support line (855-466-7467) for assistance.
With all the reasons to celebrate and get ready for dress season, we're coming in full swing with spring dresses for prom, graduation dresses, and crowd pleasing wedding guest dresses. The wildest time of the year is soon to follow with festival season! We'll be dressing down in stunning swimwear & rocking our hottest outfits to feel that festival fire under the desert sun. See you there, babe!
Bezos and those he’s hired over the years have been prescient about a vast number of shifts in how people spend money, buy products, and use the internet. But none of their predictions may have panned out quite as lucratively as Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing division that loans server space and other computing resources at massive profit margins.
Cyber Monday generally means more retailer-wide discounts, rather than product-specific ones that pop up on Black Friday, says Novickis. But occasionally, the specific products that do get marked down on Cyber Monday are serious steals. "If a merchant stocked up on a product for Black Friday and then it didn’t sell as well as expected, there could be a deeper discount on Cyber Monday," she says.
Prime started as a two-day shipping membership for devoted Amazon shoppers, and it didn’t add any additional benefits until 2011. However, since then, Prime has grown into a subscription service with more than 100 million paid users worldwide, while the service itself has evolved to include additional perks over the years, including a Prime credit card now with 5 percent cash back. (Amazon also operates Amazon Pay for purchasing online goods elsewhere with your Amazon account, and the Amazon Cash service for translating cash into store credit using a barcode, although neither are restricted to Prime users.)
In March 2015, it was reported in The Verge that Amazon will be removing non-compete clauses of 18 months in length from its US employment contracts for hourly-paid workers, after criticism that it was acting unreasonably in preventing such employees from finding other work. Even short-term temporary workers have to sign contracts that prohibit them from working at any company where they would "directly or indirectly" support any good or service that competes with those they helped support at Amazon, for 18 months after leaving Amazon, even if they are fired or made redundant.
The first Echo came out in late 2014 as a Prime member exclusive, but in the four short years since, Amazon has developed dozens of different smart home products that revolve around the speaker and voice assistant format. Today, thousands of products integrate with the company’s Alexa platform to make use of its voice search and query capabilities. Just as it once foresaw e-commerce, streaming, and cloud computing as the future of the internet, Amazon saw AI as not just something that could live within the smartphone — as Apple established with Siri and Google with its Assistant — but also in the home.
While Amazon has publicly opposed secret government surveillance, as revealed by Freedom of Information Act requests it has supplied facial recognition support to law enforcement in the form of the "Rekognition" technology and consulting services. Initial testing included the city of Orlando, Florida, and Washington County, Oregon. Amazon offered to connect Washington County with other Amazon government customers interested in Rekognition and a body camera manufacturer. These ventures are opposed by a coalition of civil rights groups with concern that they could lead to expansion of surveillance and be prone to abuse. Specifically, it could automate the identification and tracking of anyone, particularly in the context of potential police body camera integration. Due to the backlash, the city of Orlando has publicly stated it will no longer use the technology.
Look at shipping costs. While items may not cost to ship at purchase, how much does it cost to return it in case it wasn’t what you’re after? “If you have to pay for shipping or return shipping it may be smarter to look elsewhere because the delivery fees could cancel out the savings,” says Woroch. “Knowing these details ahead of time is key to saving money and your sanity.”
Amazon's home page provides three methods to start finding and buying items. The front page itself shows off featured items, and once the site starts learning your tastes, it will display products based on your history. To find a specific item, type in the search bar at the top of the page. Press "Enter" to search the entire catalog, or select from the drop-down menu set automatically to "All" to search a specific category, which also enables the "Refine" capability for more specific results. If you'd rather just window shop, click "Shop by Department," to pick a section to browse.


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WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. producer prices for finished goods fell for the third consecutive month in December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.
On a 12-month unadjusted basis, prices were up 1.3 percent, the fourth lowest figure of 2012 behind May through June, when annual inflation averaged 0.6 percent.
Both food and energy prices received by producers fell in December with food prices off 0.9 percent and energy prices off 0.3 percent, pressured by a 1.7 percent decline in gasoline prices.
The lower index for food indicates that the drought of 2012 has not yet affected pricing.
Core prices, which excludes both energy and food items because of the price volatility of those categories, rose 0.1 percent month-to-month for the second consecutive month.
Core prices are considered a key inflation measure, as they show how much energy prices are seeping into other expenses.
For intermediate goods, prices rose 0.3 percent in December, while prices of crude goods, generally raw materials, rose 2.5 percent.
|Additional Business News Stories|
OSLO, Norway, May 24 (UPI) --Norwegian oil and gas company DNO International said tests from a field in the Kurdish region of Iraq yielded an average flow rate of more than 100,000 bpd.
LEIDEN, Netherlands, May 24 (UPI) --With South Korea edging closer to deciding on a contractor for its $7.3 billion KF-X fighter program a European competitor is dangling a new carrot to its bid.


text: Shutdown: Another General Motors Corp. production facility closed Friday in the wake of a strike by 2,400 members of the United Auto Workers union at a parts plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The walkout earlier forced a halt to production of GM`s hot-selling Saturn model. Saturn officials said they stopped their assembly line in Spring Hill, Tenn., because they do not stockpile parts. The strike resulted Friday in the closing of the automaker`s Lordstown assembly plant, which is near the scene of the strike. It employs 7,000 hourly workers, producing the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird.


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Leading provider of open software platforms, innovative products and
24/7 services that help self storage owners work SMARTER, connect with
tenants, simplify operations and grow their business.
Our Products + Services + Apps
Featured in the News
OpenTech Alliance has partnered with Maryland-based Self Storage Services, Inc. over the past 10 years to ensure they’re always open for business. The product that has proven vital to their operations during the current pandemic, and one they anticipate will be key to future success, are OpenTech’s INSOMNIACTM self-service kiosks.
OpenTech Alliance helped Northwest Self Storage reduce operational inefficiencies to create a seamless lien enforcement process with StorageTreasures.com. Since the company started using online auctions in 2017, they’ve not only seen great returns, but have also leveraged StorageTreasures to reduce the number of units that go to auction at all.
we couldn’t do that without OpenTech technology. We have found
synergies in utilizing INSOMNIAC Live! Call Center solutions, INSOMNIAC XpressPay,
INSOMNIAC Kiosks, INSOMNIAC XpressCollect and most
recently INSOMNIAC CIA and Storage Genie.”
conveniences at their fingertips which means we win out over our
competition. We’re now selling what’s outside the four
walls of a storage unit, not what’s inside.”
within 8 months of installing the bundle of automated services. What’s even
more mind-blowing is that the move also increased the facility’s
net income by more than $6,000 per month within the first year,
while occupancy rose 11%.”
Storage Counselors. In 2018 they handled over 2,000 calls on our behalf – I see those all as
missed opportunities. Of the people who called to rent a unit, 82 percent booked a reservation.
We then added kiosks, and in 2017 they assisted in collecting $215,000 in payments
and took over 174 rentals.”


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Marvel and Medicom Toy team up to produce a Cyclops and Deadpool edition of the 400% Bearbrick. The
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For Medicom Toy’s latest Bearbrick collection, the toy and accessories label has collaborated with
Here’s a closer look at the official The Simpsons LEGO set that we previewed earlier here. In
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Easily one of the more recognizable structural landmarks in the world, the Eiffel Tower becomes the
Here at HYPEBEAST, we’re pretty fascinated by the extent to which LEGO blocks can be used, whether


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Average credit card rates remain at 20%
New laws from July 1 are forcing credit card providers to be more transparent, with the latest Roy Morgan figures showing Australians owe $37.1 billion in credit card debt where interest is being charged an average of $4,852 a cardholder.
The amount owing has continued to grow. Five years ago, the national credit card debt was $28.9 billion.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut rates by 125 basis points since November but the average credit card rate has increased by seven basis points.
Many credit card interest rates remain about 20 per cent, so if debt isn't paid off before the interest charges kick in, users end up badly stung.
Source: Courier Mail


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The iPhone lineup continued to reign supreme in the U.S. market for 2021, and Apple is expected to continue this winning trend by introducing more options later this year.
More Than One out of Two Smartphones Sold in the U.S. in 2021 Was an iPhone
The fourth quarter of 2021 was the best for Apple, according to Counterpoint Research, as the report states the company accumulated a 56 percent market share. On average, the Cupertino tech giant had a 52.75 percent market share in the U.S., meaning one out of every two smartphones sold in the region was an iPhone, which is impressive. Samsung’s best performance of the year was in Q3, when it amassed a 34 percent market share.
This is also the period where Apple had the lowest market share at 47 percent. Unfortunately for Samsung, the Korean tech behemoth could not replicate the same success it had in the third quarter of 2021, as its share dropped to 22 percent in Q4. This was likely due to Apple launching the iPhone 13 series, and it was the first time in history that the ‘Pro’ versions shipped with a 120Hz LTPO OLED ProMotion panel, which was probably a huge selling point for customers.
This year, Apple is said to be done with ‘mini’ versions of iPhones and reportedly plans to unveil four iPhone 14 models, all with bigger displays. Two are said to feature a 6.1-inch display, while the remaining two are rumored to ship with a 6.7-inch screen. Two versions will belong in the premium sector, while the other two will directly succeed the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. Apple is also said to introduce the low-cost iPhone SE 5G, which will retain the same exterior as the 2020 iPhone SE, but sport better hardware, including 5G support.
This strategy will likely help Apple maintain a strong foothold in the U.S. market, but Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series has so far garnered a fair degree of popularity, so the tide may turn in the future. We will revisit how Apple and Samsung fared in the U.S. smartphone market for 2022, but for now, check out some highlights listed below by Counterpoint Research.
“Smartphone shipments grew 10% YoY and 30% QoQ in Q4 2021 as the new Apple iPhone 13 launched, filling channels with its latest premium devices for the holiday season.
In the premium segment, although Apple grew 67% QoQ due to the new launch, Samsung declined -11% QoQ as it could not replenish its S21 series fast enough which also resulted in a decline in market share, down to 22%.
Lenovo (Motorola) once again grew to 12% market share with the help of devices such as the Moto G Pure, which is the first major MediaTek device for the OEM in the US market.”


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Unexpectedly expansionary fiscal policy undermines monetary policy and supports US economic growth. Eurozone: Economic momentum continues to weaken, but consumption could provide slight support. China: The renewed weakness in the real estate sector is likely to further dampen economic growth.
Chart of the month
Survey values from German companies have recently deteriorated further. While manufacturing, construction and retail have been slowing for some time, pessimism is now spreading in the services sector as well. According to the ifo survey, business sentiment in this sector was negative in August, with both the current situation and expectations deteriorating. The Purchasing Managers’ Index for service providers for August reflects this downturn and is now well below the 50-point growth threshold. It looks increasingly likely that Germany will continue to post negative growth figures in the second half of the year.


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The move comes after Asda cut the price of four pints from £1.53 to £1.25 two weeks ago, swiftly followed by aggressive price promotions from the other multiples. Morrisons, for example, ran a promotion offering four pints for 50p.
"We are deeply concerned the major retailers have decided to launch a price war when Britain's dairy farmers are already battling to stay in business," said NFWI chairwoman, Ruth Bond. Consumers wanted to see the UK dairy industry thrive long-term and produce high-quality products, she added, and no assurances had been given by the retailers that producers would not "ultimately bear the brunt" of the price cuts.
The organisation is now gearing up for a rerun of its 2006 Great Milk Debates campaign with the NFU.
In 2006, the two campaigned for higher milk prices for farmers after the farmgate average hit 18.4ppl, down from 24.5ppl a decade earlier.
Following the campaign, prices paid by retailers began to rise, reaching 25.91ppl in 2008 [Defra].
Farmgate prices then dropped again in 2009 to 23.71ppl, which combined with rising production costs meant farmers were now in a worse position than before the debates, the NFWI said.
Details of the new campaign have yet to be finalised, but an 'action pack' will be distributed to members in November. There will also be a half-day conference on the issue.


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Some 43% of CMOs and 50% of CIOs say their relationship with the other has improved over the past year.
Moreover, 23% of respondents say collaboration between the two groups is currently at the right level, up substantially from the 10% of respondents who last year said collaboration was at the right level.
However, the two groups remain at odds on various issues, especially regarding the speed at which new digital initiatives are being implemented.
Below, key findings from the report, which was based on data from a survey of more than 1,100 senior marketing and IT executives from around the world.
- More than half of CMOs (52%) and CIOs (53%) say keeping marketing and IT departments aligned is a top priority.
- Most respondents agree on the top five marketing-IT priorities: customer experience, customer analytics, social media, corporate website, and other Web development.
- 40% of CMOs surveyed say their company's IT team doesn't understand the urgency of integrating new data sources into campaigns.
- 43% of CMOs say the technology development process is too slow for the speed required for digital marketing.
- 43% of CIOs say marketing requirements and priorities change too often for them to keep up.
- 25% of CIOs say CMOs lack the vision to anticipate new digital channels, compared with just 11% who expressed that view last year.
For more insights from the report, check out the following infographic:
About the research: The report was based on data from a survey of 1,147 senior marketing and IT executives from around the world (37% working for B2C-focused companies; 28%, B2B; and 35%, hybrid).
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News & Articles
Driver Changelogs reveal the emergence of the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Professional GPU.
NVIDIA's upcoming RTX 5880 Ada Generation graphics card is expected to bridge the gap between the RTX 5000 and RTX 6000 models, offering a higher SM count, wider memory bus, and increased memory capacity for professional visualization applications.
The Fluid Motion Frames Preview Driver by AMD enhances stability and frame-pacing.
AMD releases December update for its Fluid Motion Frames preview drivers, offering improved stability, reduced stutter, and improved frame-pacing for Radeon RX 7000 and RX 6000 series GPUs.
Beta version 101.5074 of Intel's Arc GPU Graphics Drivers has been released.
Intel has released the latest version of their Arc GPU Graphics Drivers, which includes optimizations for "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" and fixes various game-specific issues, providing improved performance and stability for gamers.
AMD has released a range of data center AI solutions called the AMD Instinct MI300 Series, showcasing their leadership in this field.
AMD has announced the availability of the AMD Instinct MI300X accelerators and the AMD Instinct MI300A accelerated processing unit (APU), both offering breakthrough performance for AI and HPC workloads, with major companies like Microsoft and Oracle already leveraging the latest AMD Instinct accelerator portfolio.
GIGABYTE introduces advanced HPC & AI servers featuring AMD Instinct MI300 Series Accelerators.
GIGABYTE Technology announces the release of the GIGABYTE G383-R80 and G593 series servers, designed to harness the power of the AMD Instinct MI300A APU and MI300X GPU for exascale computing, offering impressive performance for HPC and AI applications.
The GALAX GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Max 16 GB Unparalleled Max stands out as the initial single-slot GPU in the RTX 40 Series.
GALAX introduces the RTX 4060 Ti Max, a single-slot graphics card with a thin profile and unique cooling system, offering a solid performance base for GPU-intensive tasks, although overclocking should be approached with caution due to the small cooler size.
NVIDIA RTX Love Expanding for Call of Duty and Cyberpunk 2077
NVIDIA celebrates 500 games in the RTX ecosystem, while Activision introduces new features for Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare III, and CD Projekt Red enhances ray tracing and DLSS support for Cyberpunk 2077 with the upcoming Ultimate Edition.
AGON by AOC has announced the release of the CU34G2XE and CU34G2XP ultrawide gaming monitors.
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The release of TechPowerUp GPU-Z 2.56.0 has occurred.
TechPowerUp introduces the latest version of GPU-Z, featuring new features, usability upgrades, and support for a range of new GPUs including NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada, AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, and Intel Arc A570M.
Following export restrictions on NVIDIA, AMD's RX 7900 Series experiences a surge in sales in China.
The export ban on RTX 4090 GPUs to China has led to a surge in demand for AMD's top offerings, causing a shortage of Radeon cards in the country and potentially impacting sales for the next few quarters, although AMD has not yet imposed any official restrictions on sales.


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Two Marijuana Stocks to Play for the Future of the Industry
Marijuana Industry NewsUncategorized July 30, 2019 MJ Shareholders
The marijuana stock market has seen quite the ups and downs over the past few weeks. In that time, we have seen company values shoot up as well as the amount of investor faith. This has led to one of the most exciting times for marijuana stock investing that we have seen thus far. With so many innovative products coming out of the industry, these marijuana stocks to watch are key players in the market. As they continue to put out new and groundbreaking ideas into the pot stock world, it seems as though the future of the industry is just as exciting as the present.
A Marijuana Stock Worth Watching
Nabis Holdings (NABIF/NAB) is a Canadian investment company working on producing vertically integrated investments throughout the marijuana stock market. The company has made their business by investing in multistage operators as well as companies on the International level. Because they have such a broad scope, the company has continuously put out a track record of innovation and new ideas.
For those who don’t know, the two co-founders of the company previously founded MPX Bioceutical. MPX Bioceutical famously completed one of the largest corporate takeovers in the U.S. marijuana space to date. This was an almost CA$900 million merger with iAnthus Capital. This just goes to show how experienced their leadership is at making successful deals in the cannabis industry.
Where Nabis Holdings is Going
The company has announced a series of investments and acquisitions. This started with a letter of intent with the company Chong’s Choice based out of Washington. Chong’s Choice is a producer of high-grade CO2 vaporizer cartridges, which are regarded as some of the best in the industry. The company then moved on to acquiring Bloombox, one of the leading cannabis software companies. With access to Bloombox’s technology, the company should be able to integrate this new technology into their business model.
The most recent of these moves comes with a 49% stake in the Israeli company, Cannova Medical. Cannova Medical has a patented cannabis delivery system that uses sublingual technology as its main source. The company’s flagship product has been hailed as a major breakthrough for cannabis delivery methods throughout the industry. All of these acquisitions and investments just go to show that Nabis Holdings could remain on top moving into the future. They definitely remain a key marijuana stock to watch.
A Large Producer of Marijuana
HEXO Corp. (NYSE:HEXO) is one of the largest marijuana stocks in the industry. The company has a valuation north of a billion dollars, which shows their potential market share moving into the future. The majority of their output for the next five years is heading to Quebec, which is a very large buyers market for cannabis. The company has stated that they have over 600,000 square feet of processing capacity. This capacity is being used to put out very high-margin products which they can do on a consistent basis. With a very large supply deal with the province of Quebec, HEXO Corp. is a pot stock to watch for the coming years in the industry.
Pursuant to an agreement between an affiliate of MAPH Enterprises, LLC (owners of MarijuanaStocks.com), Midam Ventures LLC and Innovative Properties Inc dba Nabis Holdings, Midam has been paid $500,000 from Innovative Properties Inc dba Nabis Holdings for a period from 4/10/2019 to 7/25/2019. Midam has been compensated an additional $400,000 and 200,000 common restricted shares of Nabis Holdings to extend coverage an additional 6 months ending 1/25/2020. We may buy or sell additional shares of Innovative Properties Inc dba Nabis Holdings in the open market at any time, including before, during or after the Website and Information, to provide public dissemination of favorable Information about Innovative Properties Inc dba Nabis Holdings
MJShareholders.com is the largest dedicated financial network and leading corporate communications firm serving the legal cannabis industry. Our network aims to connect public marijuana companies with these focused cannabis audiences across the US and Canada that are critical for growth: Short and long term cannabis investors Active funding sources Mainstream media Business leaders Cannabis consumers