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FMT Advisory puts its money where its mouth is, and we have invested in front of massive and irreversible trends.
5G, electric vehicles (EVs), and self-driving cars are going to have massive impacts on society that will be far more profound than almost anyone is considering today.
The combination of all 3 – 5G, EV’s, and self-driving cars – is going to send productivity through the roof and create fortunes along the way.
However, these disruptive technologies are also going to displace a lot of jobs and many well-known businesses will become extinct in the years ahead.
FMT believes now is the time to start investing in these disruptive trends to build wealth and to provide a protective moat around your finances for the broad changes ahead.
Electric vehicles (EVs) will start to dominate new car sales by the middle of this decade. Self-driving EVs will proliferate once 5G infrastructure is fully in place.
Apple is going to unleash their first 5G phones before 2020 ends. Markets are forward looking and it is foretelling big things to come in these areas.
Imagine in a few years tapping your transportation as a service (“TaaS”) app on your smartphone and within a few minutes having a self-driving/EV vehicle zip you off to where you want to go.
You will need no insurance, have no car to maintain, no fuel costs, and you’ll have cheap hassle-free transportation at a fraction of today’s driving costs. 5G and self-driving EVs will make this into a reality.
A Jetsons world is coming, and you can see the consequences this will have on many businesses such as insurance companies, car dealerships, auto supply stores, and many other brick-n-mortar stores.
Tesla and Google are forward-thinking innovators and have catapulted the EV/self-driving movement into the forefront and it is going to leave a lot of wreckage in the fast lane.
Tesla has made every other automobile manufacturer move far faster on the EV front than most people are remotely aware of. By the time 2025 hits, every major automaker will be rolling EVs off their own assembly lines—and they’ll be playing catch up to Tesla.
Combustible engines have more moving parts than EVs and cost far more to maintain over their lifetime. As EVs scale and sticker prices come down, the overwhelming value of EVs will easily make them the ultimate winner in the years ahead.
Electric vehicles coupled with autonomous driving capabilities require an abundance of technology. FMT believes investing in the technology is where it gets interesting.
Many of the companies that already dominate the technology behind the build-out of 5G, Internet infrastructure, mobile devices, cloud storage, and wireless networks are the same companies now dominating and powering the technology behind electric vehicles and the self-driving car movement.
Barriers to Entry
Tesla’s EVs and Google’s self-driving Waymo’s are equipped with 3D sensing, memory chips, RF filters, optical communications, and many other high-tech components that must communicate with one another to make it all work.
It’s an intricate web of tech companies that must collaborate with one another for seamless functionality. Because they are also the same entrenched businesses in the Internet, mobile networks, and devices, this creates enormous barriers to entry for any new entrants into these markets.
As every other car manufacturer follows Tesla’s path in the EV and autonomous market, these tech names get to enjoy new sales channels with their R-&-D costs already out of the way.
FMT Investment Advisory owns a few entrenched tech names in this space, two of which are Superinvestor Wealth Compounders!
These Superinvestor Compounders are very fortunate to be laying the foundation for next generation 5G, while they are also huge cogs in the EV markets as well. Therefore, we get multiple drivers for meaningful earnings growth over the next few years for our holdings in this space with 5G and EVs!
The power electronics segment for green energy alone (electric vehicles, smart grids, solar, and wind) is estimated to grow north of 25% annualized for the foreseeable future and the total addressable market (TAM) is expected to be in the billions by 2022.
Meanwhile, the total addressable market (TAM) of 5G is going to be in the trillions.
FMT Advisory was the first firm in the entire universe predicting that 5G is going to be one of the most transformative events since the automobile. It is going to transform the auto-market itself, create new industries, and usher in whole new ways that companies interact with the world.
FMT is very excited about some of our technology names in the upcoming 5G/EV gold rush… profound change is coming and we’re making the changes to reflect it.
There is virtually no stopping this freightrain.


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The property market will continue to face challenges this year but there are “green shoots” in the luxury residential and office sectors, said DBS Group Research.
It estimates that luxury home prices will bottom out over the next 12 months as transaction volumes and foreign interest in properties in the core central region pick up.
Overall, private home prices have fallen by about 11 per cent since the third quarter of 2013 as a raft of cooling measures weighed on demand.
The price slide has made high-end apartments here more appealing than those in other cities.
“The gap has widened over time when compared to other residential investment destinations such as Hong Kong, London and New York, where prices have continued to increase over the past few years,” DBS Group Research said in the report.
It noted that there is “potential capital upside in the medium term” in the luxury home segment and expects sales of these properties to continue to improve this year.
DBS Group Research tips that office rents could also bottom out by the end of the year owing to better take-up of space in new buildings.
Developers and real estate investment trusts (Reits) will continue to seek growth opportunities overseas but DBS Group Research expects the “acquisition momentum to taper on the back of increased currency volatility, coupled with higher cost of funds”.
It said London, Melbourne, Sydney and Shanghai remain attractive in terms of currency valuations in relation to the Singdollar.
Developers are also more likely to dip into the collective sales market or turn to mergers and acquisitions to build up their store of sites.
A potential increase in en bloc deals, along with more participation in government land sales tenders, should keep site values firm and home prices stable in the coming years, it added.
Adapted from: The Straits Times, 10 January 2017

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[Shenzhen, China, September 4, 2012]: Huawei today released a White Paper on cyber security authored by the company's Global Security Officer, John Suffolk. The document, entitled "Cyber Security Perspectives: 21st century technology and security – a difficult marriage," outlines the impact cyber security is having on technology, the global supply chain, and society. The development of networks enables people from different regions to have more equal opportunities for development, allows different cultures to communicate on a common footing, and advances the progress of human civilization. While we enjoy the conveniences and benefits offered by networks, we also face cyber security challenges, which require governments and the technology industry to drive forward comprehensive and collaborative solutions.
"Network technology is a remarkable innovation. Open networks have encouraged information flow and sharing, provided more opportunities for innovations, lowered the costs of innovation, and have helped improve the world's health, wealth and prosperity," said Suffolk. "This White Paper is a step towards improving industry awareness of Huawei's global efforts in the area of cyber security and presents our view on actions companies and governments need to carry out to manage the global cyber security challenge."
Cyberspace is a new and unfamiliar domain that has gradually become the 'nervous system' through which society operates. In a world where over 87% of the population are mobile users , the stark reality is that cyber security is a growing global challenge demanding rational and universal solutions. As governments, enterprises and consumers have become increasingly reliant on ICT solutions that integrate inputs designed, developed, coded and manufactured by multiple suppliers around the world, the scale of the cyber security challenge has grown exponentially.
As a multinational corporation, protecting the network security of our customers is in line with Huawei's fundamental interests. Huawei has established and implemented an end-to-end global cyber security assurance system that embeds security into internal procedures. The system has been established and implemented across all business areas, such as corporate policy and management, organizational structure, personnel, and technology to ensure its effective deployment and to build an auditable, sustainable and reliable security system.
As stated in the White Paper, Huawei believes that cyber security is a marathon, not a sprint. All stakeholders – governments and industry alike – need to recognize that cyber security is a shared global problem requiring risk-based approaches, best practices and international cooperation to address the challenge.
The Huawei Cyber Security White Paper is available at:


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Never Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.
May 28, 2015
4 Min Read

GE IP CEO Kate Johnson

Big Data: 6 Real-Life Business Cases
Big Data: 6 Real-Life Business Cases (Click image for larger view and slideshow.)
Kate Johnson becomes the CEO of GE Intelligent Platforms Software just as the Internet of Things is altering the landscape for industrial software. GE sells about $4 billion worth of software a year, but since that software is spread across its industrial businesses, the business has been fairly low-profile.
GE expects that profile -- and revenue -- to rise as industrial companies see the chance to collect more data from networked equipment, and analyze that data better to improve their operations, such as predictive analytics that can spot a looming breakdown so workers can prevent it. "You're starting to see a GE software footprint," Johnson said.
As more companies become digital businesses, and embed some kind of technology in their product or customer experience, they're going to face the decision GE did: Do we sell software as its own product, or do we bundle in software as part of the product? Whether you're selling a car, annuity, or amusement park ticket, software will become an increasingly important part of the experience.
GE does sell software as its own product, thought it does so largely to its installed base of customers in power, water, aircraft, locomotives, and other mostly industrial products.
"What 'good' looks like is when Power & Water sells more software to their installed base, to drive more value out of those assets," Johnson said. GE sells a portfolio of industry-specific software for managing and analyzing industrial data, much of it built on its Predix development platform.
Johnson wears two hats -- CEO of GE Intelligent Platforms, and Chief Commercial Officer, reporting to CMO Beth Comstock, where she's been working to improve GE's ability to commercialize software. Johnson comes from tech, most recently as a senior VP for Oracle's North American consulting business. Here are some insights from our recent interview with Johnson as she takes the CEO role:
Why now for GE to push its software business more?
Two reasons, one external and one internal, Johnson said. Externally, would-be customers are ready to embrace analytics in a much bigger way to wring more value out of their industrial equipment.
Internally, GE is farther along on its own transformation, better integrating the role of analytics and a digital experience in the design and operation of industrial gear. Johnson has been focused since joining GE on helping the company hone its software selling.
"Selling industrial equipment and selling software is different. … Software is about selling an outcome -- there's nothing the customer can hold," Johnson said.
Are CIOs leading this digital industrial push, or getting pushed aside?
GE Intelligent Platforms is targeting CIOs directly with this message of analytics and digital business, Johnson said, "so you can be the hero."
Companies across industries face the same problem -- keep assets running, get more productivity from existing infrastructure. But digital business could get companies -- and IT -- out of pure cost-cutting mode. CIOs can be the person to bridge the information technology and operational technology worlds, since CIOs understand the data and how to drive cross-company projects.
"There's a digital revolution out there, and we have to figure out how to take advantage of that, not just by driving efficiencies but by finding new revenue opportunities," Johnson said.
So what's holding companies back from embracing the industrial Internet?
Complexity, Johnson said, and in particular knowing where to start. That's another area CIO experience helps -- knowing how to take an incremental approach to a potentially big project. Johnson recommends starting by getting one key asset networked, and running some time series analysis against it to start getting insight into its operations.
[Tear down the silos. See How Corporate Culture Impedes Data Innovation.]
"If you start with connecting one asset, it's addictive," she said.
Is the software group a spin-off play down the road for GE, like American Airlines' Sabre reservation tech business became many years ago?
Johnson says no: "We see our software as inextricably tied to our equipment." GE's competitive advantage in software comes from its knowledge of the industrial gear itself, combined with its new and growing software talent that includes a major software center in San Ramon, Calif.
"That's why we've been successful so far -- no one knows that pump as well as us," Johnson said.
[Did you miss any of the InformationWeek Conference in Las Vegas last month? Don't worry: We have you covered. Check out what our speakers had to say and see tweets from the show. Let's keep the conversation going.]
About the Author(s)
Chris Murphy is editor of InformationWeek and co-chair of the InformationWeek Conference. He has been covering technology leadership and CIO strategy issues for InformationWeek since 1999. Before that, he was editor of the Budapest Business Journal, a business newspaper in Hungary; and a daily newspaper reporter in Michigan, where he covered everything from crime to the car industry. Murphy studied economics and journalism at Michigan State University, has an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia, and has passed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams.
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A new bazaar is planning to bring everything from vintage clothing to artisanal food to a National Landing Market starting next month.
The new market is scheduled to launch Saturday, May 15 with a selection of artist vendors. The market will be held at Plaza at 220, a surface parking lot at 220 20th Street S. in Crystal City, and will be open every Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
“DCBB Productions, the group that brought the ‘Below Zero’ market to Dupont Underground in 2020, has come above ground to collaborate with JBG SMITH and the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) to announce a new market in National Landing, scheduled to open on May 15,” DCBB Productions said in a press release. “National Landing Market [is] a new weekly international arts market [that] will feature extraordinary vendors selling furniture, vintage clothing, collectibles, antiques, a curated selection of jewelry, arts and crafts, delicious fresh food and artisanal food.”
A few of the vendors currently signed up are below.
- Thirakul Designs: Vintage-inspired dresses and separates that pay homage to the styles of the early 1960s. Designed by Nina Thirakul, NOVA native who spent many years working for Chanel before starting her own line. Many of the pieces come in a matching-companion size for dogs.
- Scuttlebutt BakeShop: A small batch, women owned, home-based bakeshop. All of the cookies have a nautical theme — CHIPwreck, The Anne Bonny, Shark Bait
- Vincenzo’s Vintage: Enzo Dagnesese has an eye for treasures. Whether it be vases that are shaped like a mermaid’s tail, to vintage typewriters to original WW1 Red Cross posters from 1917, he’s got it all.
- Ananya Murthy: A GW student who started painting after pandemic canceled her internship last summer. She soon realized she wanted to share her art with people. She’s been running a small business on the side while in school selling paintings and custom painted clothes.
The market will have some COVID-19 precautions. All vendors must be 10 feet from each other, wear a mask, and have touchless payment options. Additionally all vendors, customers and staff will have to receive a temperature check before entering.
(Today the CDC recommended that everyone continue wearing masks in crowded outdoor settings, but said that those who have been fully vaccinated can safely stop wearing masks at small gatherings and while participating in certain types of outdoor exercise.)
Image courtesy DCBB Productions
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From a new Columbia Pike library to a dedicated pickleball court, County Manager Mark Schwartz’s proposed 10-year $3.9 billion capital improvement plan would fund projects across Arlington. The first 10-year…
Arlington is in the midst of a rash of vehicle-related crimes. In just the past three weeks or so, 28 cars have been stolen and 35 airbags have been stolen,…
After a relatively cool spring, the D.C. area is going to get a blast of mid-summer temperatures this weekend, and forecasters want residents to prepare. The National Weather Service has…


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Electric Vehicles to get business mileage rates
AT last, it appears that HMRC has eventually recognised that company car drivers in electric vehicles need to have their own business mileage rates – or AFRs (Advisory Fuel Rates).”
And that’s thanks very much to the ACFO organisation of fleet operators that has diligently campaigned for a specific EV rate with HMRC.
The new EV company car business mileage rates will be introduced from the beginning of September. The new rates will be know as Advisory Electricity Rates.
ACFO Chairman John Pryor said “this change is a major leap and will assist all fleets operating and seeking to introduce pure electric cars.” For more on this story – go here.
Van VED reform could hurt small businesses
I don’t think anyone thinks that reforming van VED to encourage lower emission van choices is a BAD THING.
Far from it. The Government is currently in consultation on the matter: it wants to bring van VED in line with car VED, ie base it on CO2 emissions.
This has its problems, as industry and business bodies – the BVRLA and FSB respectively – have pointed out: lack of choice.
And the fact that the proposed VED system would actually encourage older vans…
Choice is certainly an issue. But I also think lack of communication is another. Most small traders hardly travel any distance in their vans because their work is local. Making them ideal candidates for electric vans. But rarely do I see the benefits of lower cost, customer recognition and so on spelt out to them. It’s a real opportunity for EV makers. More on the VED topic here.
Energy Saving Trust adds electric insight to Leasing Broker Conference
This year’s Leasing Broker Conference, being held at the National Motorcycle Museum, is shaping up to be a real humdinger.
One of the keynote topics for discussion is managing the transition of businesses and fleets to electrified business motoring.
While While James McKemey, Head of Insights at Pod Point, will deliver the keynote speech, I’m delighted that Ian Featherstone, Fleet Advice Manager at the Energy Saving Trust, will be joining our discussion panel.
The Energy Saving Trust has already assisted many enterprise to a low emission future, and Ian’s experience will provide additional insight.
Three ways to recognise an online used car scam
Scary what these scammers can get up to. It doesn’t what area of business you are in, sure thing there will be a scammer somewhere trying to part you illegally from your money.
In Motor Trade News this week, editor Chris Wright reports on three tell-tale signs you’re trying to be scammed online when buying a used car. Don’t get caught out – more here.
Analysis of a company car winner
THE MINI has got into a winning habit – taking the Best SME Compact Company Car in our SME Company Car of the Year Awards for three successive years.
But what makes it such a winner with our independent judging panel?
We’ve had a look at why the car is such a business motoring success story for the SME sector in our story Why MINI’s a winner as best compact company car.


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ASRock and Intel Deliver Secure Automated Onboarding
September 21, 2023
Taipei, Taiwan. ASRock Industrial partnered with Intel and designed FIDO Device Onboarding (FDO)-enabled device series, which for now, includes the iEP-5000G Industrial IoT Controller powered by Intel Atom x6000E Series. The FDO-enabled devices allow users to leverage the complete capability of IoT security through efficient automated onboarding.
James Lee, President of ASRock Industrial commented, “With the cutting-edge FDO technology, the iEP-5000G sets a new standard for automated secure and seamless device onboarding. We are proud to empower businesses with a solution that simplifies and strengthens the process of connecting and managing devices, a true milestone in ASRock Industrial’s commitment to delivering innovative and future-proof solutions!”
An Ownership Voucher (OV) is registered to the specific platform and once networked, the device seamlessly auto-provisions itself and features zero-touch onboarding past power-ON. “Our collaboration with Intel to help ASRock Industrial build FDO-enabled devices such as the iEP-5000G has opened up new marvels that will revolutionize the way devices are provisioned in the IoT landscape,” ends Lee.
For more information, visit www.asrockind.com


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WEDNESDAY, Jan. 28, 2009 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials announced a startling nationwide recall late Wednesday for all peanut products made over the last two years at the Georgia plant involved in the current salmonella outbreak.
The recall was initiated by Peanut Corp. of America, whose facility produced peanut butter and peanut paste that was the source of the sickening of 501 people, and the possible deaths of eight others.
"Today, the firm announced that, due to internal tests indicating salmonella contamination in its products, which had not been disclosed to state or federal regulatory authorities until very recently, the company is expanding its recall of all the peanut products manufactured in its Blakely, Ga., plant since Jan. 1, 2007," Stephen Sundlof, a top official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said during a teleconference Wednesday.
"This is among the largest recalls we have had," he added.
The recall involves all whole peanuts, dry and oil roasted; granulated peanuts; peanut meal; peanut butter, and peanut paste, he said.
Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, also said the agency did not know whether all the recalled products have been consumed or whether they are still in use. "We are trying to find out the scope," he said.
The news followed disclosure by FDA officials Tuesday that Peanut Corp. had distributed questionable peanut butter products in the past from the plant.
That revelation prompted Congressional and Georgia officials on Wednesday to call for a federal probe of possible criminal violations at the plant, the Associated Press reported.
From 2007 into 2008, Peanut Corp. shipped peanut butter that it knew had been contaminated with salmonella, FDA officials and officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday following an inspection report from the plant.
"The FDA team identified 12 instances where the firm, as part of its own internal testing program, identified some type of salmonella and released a product after it was retested," Michael Rogers, director of FDA's division of field investigations in the Office of Regional Operations, said Tuesday.
Inspection reports released Wednesday from FDA investigators at the plant two weeks ago cite a litany of safety and sanitation problems and a trail of products that were sent out after being retested to clear the salmonella contaminants.
The investigation cited roaches, mold and signs of a leaking roof among numerous problems inspectors uncovered.
At Wednesday's teleconference, Rogers elaborated.
"The plant was not in compliance with good manufacturing practices required by the FDA," he said. "Inspection revealed that this firm was shipping adulterated products."
But he added that it is unclear at this point what enforcement action the FDA will take. The first step is to work with the company to fix the problems before making a final determination as to what to do, he said.
Reaction elsewhere was less muted.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who oversees FDA funding, said Wednesday that Peanut Corp.'s actions "can only be described as reprehensible and criminal," according to the AP.
"Not only did this company knowingly sell tainted products, it shopped for a laboratory that would provide the acceptable results they were seeking. This behavior represents the worst of our current food safety regulatory system," DeLauro added.
The American Peanut Council also reacted strongly to the expanded recall.
"Although we support PCA's precautionary move to recall additional products, since the health and safety of the consumer is our highest priority, one thing is certain -- willful neglect of public health and safety cannot be tolerated under any circumstance," Patrick Archer, president of the council, said in a prepared statement.
"This is a clear and unconscionable act by one manufacturer," Archer added. "This act is not by any means representative of the excellent food safety practices and procedures of the U.S. peanut industry."
Peanut Corp., in a statement released Wednesday night, expressed regret "that these circumstances are causing distress to our consumers, our customers and our employees."
But, the statement added, "PCA categorically denies allegations that the company sought favorable results from any lab in order to ship its products."
The Lynchburg-Va.-based company vowed to "remain vigilant to the recall process until we know all potentially harmful products have been pulled from store shelves and families have all the necessary information to remove recalled products from their homes."
At a teleconference Tuesday, FDA officials said that four strains of salmonella have now been linked to the Georgia plant in the current outbreak.
Only one strain, salmonella Typhimurium, was to blame for the wide-spread illnesses that started in September.
That strain was found in tubs of peanut butter in Minnesota and Connecticut and in peanut butter crackers in Canada, according to Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the CDC's division of foodborne, bacterial and mycotic diseases in the National Center for Zoonotic Vectorborne and Enteric Diseases.
But a second strain of salmonella was found in cracks in the floor of the plant, a third in a container of peanut butter from the plant, and a fourth strain was found in peanut butter in the plant, Tauxe said. No cases of salmonella infection have resulted from the latter three strains, Tauxe added.
While jars of peanut butter on store shelves appear to be safe, hundreds of peanut butter and peanut paste products from scores of companies have been recalled so far.
The FDA Web site lists these recalled products.
Meanwhile, health officials on Tuesday reported that the outbreak might be winding down, with the number of new cases declining during the past two weeks.
Because most of the tainted products went to institutions like schools, Tauxe said more than half the victims have been children.
For more on the outbreak, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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TiVo Inc. secured a strong foothold in the battle to control the digital video recording market Wednesday as electronics giant Sony Corp. of America said it would take a minority stake in the company, build set-top boxes and create programming for the personal TV service.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
TiVo is planning an initial public offering of 5.5 million shares of stock at a projected range of $11 to $13 a share, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it plans to use the estimated $60 million it hopes to raise from the offering to boost advertising and promotion of its service and to develop products.
The nonexclusive deal is a coup for upstart TiVo. The company began selling its computer disk-based digital video recorders this year competing with close rival Replay Networks Inc., which has a similar service.
As part of the deal, Sony will begin distributing its own branded TiVo-equipped set-top boxes sometime next year. Product decisions about pricing and timing have yet to be ironed out.
Sony will also incorporate TiVo into its next generation of TV sets and electronic equipment.
Sony Pictures Entertainment will provide interactive versions of its TV programs to the service, including playable editions of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” It also hopes to provide video-on-demand movies in the future.
Sony execs are expected to join TiVo’s board of directors.
TiVo’s set-top boxes, currently built by Philips, enable viewers to record up to 30 hours, select programs based on such criteria as favorite theme or actor, and pause or rewind live programming.
“This alliance further validates TiVo’s personal television service as the next big thing in television,” TiVo CEO Mike Ramsey said during a teleconference.
Media, cable and consumer electronics players CBS, Cox Communications, Discovery Communications, Disney and Liberty Media subsidiaries Liberty Digital and Encore Media Group are also investors in TiVo.
Investors in rival Replay include Time Warner Inc. and Disney.


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Fans of Disney classics aren't the only ones who have taken notice to the new streaming platform Disney+.
Netflix has also felt the heat with the rise of the new platform, and the pressure is on. The fight for the best of all platforms begins as Netflix, Disney+ and even Hulu suit up for battle.
Having just been released to the public a few weeks ago on Tuesday, Nov. 19, Disney+ has already racked up more than 10 million subscribers. In a desperate effort to remain a favorite streaming platform, Netflix just recently signed a multi-year contract with Nickelodeon.
This deal means that Netflix will produce both new and original TV shows and movies, including "SpongeBob Squarepants," "iCarly" and "Invader Zim."
“Nickelodeon’s next step forward is to keep expanding beyond linear platforms, and our broader content partnership with Netflix is a key path toward that goal," President of Nickelodeon Brian Robbins said in a statement.
Although many are excited with the announcement of the new partnership, others feel that Netflix is desperately trying to compete with its new rival, Disney+.
"I just feel like even before Disney+ was released to the public, Netflix was already hanging on by a thread, and the only reason they decided to partner with Nickelodeon was to save themselves from going even more bankrupt," said junior Alexa Rowlings.
While there is no doubt that the reason Netflix made a deal with Nickelodeon was to compete with Disney+, it doesn't take away the fact that many are skeptical about this new partnership and what exactly it entails. The New York Times recently revealed that Netflix is making a musical based on the "SpongeBob SquarePants" character Squidward.
Although Hulu and Disney+ both offer very different content, they are not competing directly against each other. This is because the two streaming platforms are owned by the same company.
Disney+ even announced its bundle package, which is for only $12.99 a month. It includes access to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN. Separately, all of those streaming platforms cost $18 a month, so you would be saving $5 if you chose to purchase this bundle package.
Overall, what you watch is going to determine what streaming service you decide to spend your money on. If you are a die-hard fan of Nickelodeon, then Netflix is what you will want to go with. But if you are a Disney fanatic, you will want to invest in Disney+. The question comes down to what did you watch as a kid? Personally, I was a Disney kid, but my boyfriend was a Nickelodeon kid ... Let's just say our streaming service bill is going to be high moving forward.
Let the streaming wars rage on and happy watching!
By MELANIE RAIBLE
Featured photo from Disney.


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Future Skyscrapers Will Be 3 Miles High With the Ability to Clean the Air Around It
Miles high and good for the environment, the self-cleaning skyscraper design is thought to be the building of the future.
According to a report from Business Insider, material science company Arconic conceptualized the three-mile high skyscraper using materials that are already in-market or in development. It's part of the company's "The Jetsons" campaign that envisions the different technologies that could be relevant in the future.
One of the projects that the company is currently engaging in is the EcoClean, which is a special coating for buildings. Arconic chief material scientist Sherri McCleary said that EcoClean doesn't just help the structures clean itself, but it also cleans the air around. This is possible as light and water vapor combines with the chemicals in the coating, creating atoms dubbed free radicals that attract and break down smog to be cleaned off building like shedded dead skin cells.
"The functional coating provides aesthetics, it provides maintenance benefits, and it also provides a benefit to the surrounding environment by reducing the content of pollutants around it," McCleary explained.
Another feature that is also being developed in the Arconic laboratories is Bloomframe. It's a special motorized window that could be converted into an all-glass balcony in less than a minute.
3D printing, McCleary explained, offers endless of possibilities. A report from Computer Weekly revealed that even in Southeast Asia, where the technology didn't kick off to the best start, 3D printing is already being embraced as an innovation with great potential in business.
"We're looking at optimizing the materials that can be 3D-printed to give more and more options to designers and architects," McCleary pointed out.
Of course, the Arconic vision is not limited to ultra-advanced eco-friendly buildings. Some of the other designs in the works include flying cars, ultra-lightweight cars and aerodynamic airplane wings.


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The hype is fading. The profit is real.
All good fads must come to an end. Is it wrong to call Pokemon Go a fade? Yes. It’s a game that is part of a huge franchise, driven by a loyal fan base and now a large mobile gaming audience. But was the hype behind it, the small businesses advertising PokeStops on their windows, the people flocking to public places in large numbers.. all a fad? Yes. Yes it was.
Nintendo nor Pokemon Go developer Niantic expected the kind of insanity that began when Pokemon Go first hit the app stores. They expected it to be a big hit, but not THAT big THAT fast. The problem now? As expected, download numbers are dwindling. Even more important, active long-term users are dwindling. Players are getting bored of the game, and are moving on from it. Pokemon Go just isn’t cool anymore.
Nevertheless, the game itself isn’t dead. 700,000 people still download the app each day. And the big number: $2 million in profit EACH day. Pokemon Go has redefined mobile gaming. But in terms of laying ground for any other developers.. sure, a new audience has awakened to the world of mobile gaming for maybe the first time. But anyone who tries to follow in Niantic’s footsteps will face a difficult path. Pokemon Go’s launch will never happen again. It was a combo of perfect timing, franchise weight, and huge anticipation. Replicating that is almost impossible.
For Niantic, they need to work on adding new features into the game to bring their core players back. But.. with a profit of $2 million a day.. who at Niantic is in a hurry to change anything?


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The new dedicated social media and influencer team will work with fast-growth brands and startups.
The firm will work with clients to create smart social and influencer strategies that integrate with media relations.
Formerly part of 1000Heads, Loud joined Cherish’s service portfolio in 2019 bringing clients including eBay for Charity and Elanco.
Headed by Director, Danielle Carter, Loud will offer paid and organic social campaigns; content planning and creation; community management; reach and engagement as well as influencer whitelisting and commercial partnerships.
The social media and influencer services will complement Cherish’s existing offering of communications consultancy, media relations, partnerships, events and community to some of the world’s most innovative brands.
“Our vision is to be known and recommended by the world’s most exciting and disruptive brands and businesses and they increasingly demand an integrated approach to social, influencer and media relations”, said Cherish PR’s Founder and Managing Director, Rebecca Oatley.
“They want a senior team they can trust to build their reputation across all digital channels and having the expertise and connections of the Loud team will drive this opportunity forward significantly.”
Loud Director, Danielle Carter said: “PR is no longer just about telling brand stories; it’s about driving audiences to recreate them, giving stories a social momentum and breathing life into PR campaigns.
“We have been doing great work for some time but now we are truly excited to bring our skills to the Cherish client portfolio.”


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Market Rasen is preparing to hold its first new market after being awarded funding as part of a project organised by retail expert Mary Portas. Steve Hine runs a shop on the main high street in the town. He hopes it will encourage people to explore what Market Rasen has to offer.
More top news
What has the weather got in store for us?
A Department of Work and Pensions decision could mean as much as £150 million more in payments to claimants wrongly denied welfare.
The singer said he was ‘choked up’ after winning a High Court privacy battle with the BBC over coverage of a police search of his home.


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Facebook expands into new territories and might threaten LinkedIn in the recruiting business. This might have a profound effect on the job seeking market.
According to TechCrunch, Facebook is testing a new Jobs tab. It will allow certain pages to post new job openings and offers. But that’s just the basic explanation.
Actually, Facebook is testing quite a few recruiting features. A spokesperson for the company has confirmed this to the famous tech blog. “Based on behavior we’ve seen on Facebook, where many small businesses post about their job openings on their Page, we’re running a test for Page admins to create job postings and receive applications from candidates”, says the spokesperson.
If successful, the test could open a new niche for Facebook. A niche which would target LinkedIn directly as the top recruitment and business-focused social network. The Jobs tab will allow companies to post full on free job ads and “boost” (pay) them if needed.
The candidates will have an button to “Apply Now”. It will launch a form which will be pre-filled with info from the user’s Facebook profile. Of course he or she will be able to edit it at any point. The companies will then receive the applications as Facebook messages or get them forwarded to an email address of their choosing.
Facebook might be good for your business
Facebook is not saying if or when the service will be ready. But it already shows that the company is looking to become the go-to place for more than just sharing with friends, news and entertainment. Facebook is already looking into becoming a place for business, too. A lot of companies are selling products and services via their Facebook Pages. It also wants them to help them communicate with clients via chatbots on the Facebook Messenger.
Adding an option for job postings, which already happen quite often, but are not regulated, will make it even more attractive to companies. After all LinkedIn is used by about 467 million people. Facebook has more than 1.79 billion users. People browse it all the time, often several times a day. This increases the likelihood they will see the job offers. It can also boost sponsored ads to even more people.
Granted, most people don’t really have business-oriented profiles. You might not want to apply for a job at a big company if your profile picture is you out drinking or even somewhere on a beach. But with more and more companies trying to come closer to the people and break away from the cold corporate tone, this might be a great, almost seamless way to do it. As long as they don’t go overboard with it.
Image credit: Flickr (CC) / chriscorneschi


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Look alive, SoCal, Vaniman will be at LMT® LAB DAY® West 2023! This is the second-largest dental lab event in the country, and the biggest on the West Coast.
Each seasonal change brings its own challenges, but few seasons bring pumpkin spice pollution nearly as much as autumn.
Even if you’ve got a completely optimized dust collection system, it’s still a good idea to clean your indoor air.
Vaniman Manufacturing Co. is proud to announce the arrival of our latest product for industrial customers: the Pure Breeze FX HEPA Fume Extractor. The newest member of the Pure Breeze family of HEPA filter-based air cleaners includes our long-neck flexible capture hose for targeted fume extraction and a smaller body with foot pedal start/stop control. […]
Protection against COVID-19 (in all its various forms) is like Swiss cheese. Specifically, it’s like a block of Swiss cheese made up of individual slices.
It’s late October 2021. The pandemic isn’t over. We’re still in it.


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MSI analysis shows i9 chips are your best bet for overclocking Intel's 10th Gen Comet Lake CPUs.
The tech specs can be configured for good levels of performance, but the claim of stylish minimalist design won't ring true for many.
AMD's release of the RX 6600 XT eschews a reference card, but AMD's board partners have a veritable avalanche of products readied for release.
In a recent blog post, MSI warned overclockers of a new copy cat MSI website that is full of viruses.
MSI appears to be crowdfunding a new gaming pedal called Liberator that promises to help gamers "free their fingers."
One of MSI's factories in China suffered a fire. No injuries were caused and the production line was not affected.
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A police officer was left with a horrible message on his car after stopping at Tesco to buy lunch.
The cop, who is unnamed, shared the heartbreaking tale on social media.
Taking to Twitter, he revealed he found a handwritten note on his vehicle after buying a ready-made sandwich.
After picking up the sarnie, the cop was left stunned to return to the note, saying "£100 fine for shopping on duty".
Posting to Twitter, the cop wrote: "Just left Tesco. Handwritten note on the windscreen of my patrol car. '£100 fine for shopping on duty'."
The tweet, from the @NorthWestCop account, has subsequently gone viral, with well-wishers flocking to give thanks to the cop.
In a follow-up tweet @NorthWestCop wrote: "Absolutely blown away by the response to my tweet.
"It's hard to see at times, as we deal with the worst society has to offer most days, but the good people clearly far outweigh the bad based on the messages I have received.
"My faith in humanity is restored. Thank you."


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Li Auto's combination of a relatively safe valuation and profitability from a strong margin profile could allow shares to find some upside between its peer group even as the EV industry faces a valuation crunch from rising rates.
Electric vehicle (EV) stocks have come under a lot of pressure recently, facing industry constraints through chip shortages as well as macroeconomic headwinds within rising rates threatening rich valuations. Even though the overall EV industry has yet to consolidate in light of rapid expected growth fueling many new entrants into the market, a handful of names stand out as solid choices to capture such growth. China has been touted as one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for EV in particular; with many startups and legacy manufacturers all involved in EV and EV partnerships. In terms of the main three startups, and Li (LI:NASDAQ) seems to be a safer long-term investment between NIO (NIO:NYSE) and Xpeng (XPEV:NYSE) due to a more reasonable valuation as all three scale deliveries higher.
Growth in the overall EV market in China is a significant tailwind for Li and the rest, as rising consumer demand downplays the competitive risks from a highly fragmented market. EV sales have already started the year off on high volumes, as sales "surged 281.4% to 158,000 in January from a year earlier, though they dropped 23.9% month-over-month," as the market is expected to show over 40% growth in sales for 2021 to just over 1.8 million vehicles. Although January's growth and the rest of 1Q 2021 will look strong due to weak comparable numbers from pandemic impacts, starting the year on high volume points to a solid year for growth with EV seasonality exhibiting more purchases in the second half of the year.
With projected units of 1.8 million in the overall market, Li would have about 3.9% share this year with projected deliveries of around 70,000 units, or +101% YoY; Li started the year with 5,379 Li ONEs delivered during January (+355.8% YoY), taking cumulative deliveries up to 38,976 units. This figure for January already equals 16.5% of 2020's total deliveries.
Seasonality was exhibited with Li just as it had with the broader EV market - deliveries declined 12.2% month-over-month. Even so, Li's incremental gains in overall NEV market share are visible, from 2.3% in November, 2.9% in December to 3.4% in January. This further solidifies the potential to reach ~4% share by year-end as deliveries rise with strong seasonality in 2H.
Although the Li ONE competes with BYD's (1211:HK) Tang PHEV, Tang 600/600D, NIO's ES8, and Tesla's (TSLA) Model Y in the SUV/compact SUV segment, it offers certain technological advantages while at a median price point of around CNY 328,000. High safety scores and an under-development R&D center for "high-voltage platforms, ultra-fast charging technologies, autonomous driving technologies, next-generation intelligent cockpits, operating systems and computing platforms" serve as differentiators and drivers for deliveries in this price segment.
Aside from a vehicle-competitive risk, risks stemming from chip/battery cell shortages on an industry-wide scale could implicate outright production growth, thus potentially affecting delivery projections. While global supply chain distortions manifested in the chip shortage, China presents a different chip industry dynamic, leaving it more vulnerable to these shortages. Although it boasts the world's largest auto market, China "imports the vast majority of the chips used in car production, [and] until Chinese companies build up their own manufacturing capabilities... and speed up the development of chips and operating systems," it could face risks for up to a decade.
While competitive risks and macro risks both can threaten Li's delivery growth, the manufacturer provides an attractive valuation relative to peers on top of profitability.
The strong auto market and demand environment leading to projected deliveries of 70,000 units for FY21 would correlate to approximately CNY 19.8 billion in revenues (USD 3.06 billion), +/-5% in deliveries from that projection would correlate to around CNY 18.9-20.7 billion (USD 2.92-3.19 billion). As such, Li trades at approximately 8.4x 2021 sales under these projections; compare that to NIO, at 13.6x sales on projected 105,000 units, and Xpeng, at 14x sales on projected 65,000 units.
On a per-vehicle basis, Li trades below the two, at nearly USD 0.8 million per vehicle delivered in 2020; NIO trades at around USD 1.7 million per vehicle and Xpeng at approximately USD 1 million. Looking forward to 2021's projected deliveries, Li trades at under USD 0.4 million per vehicle, NIO at USD 0.7 million, and Xpeng just over USD 0.4 million. Compare that to legacy manufacturers BYD at just USD 0.03 million per vehicle sold in 2020, and Geely (0175:HK) at USD 0.22 million – higher multiples are attached for electrification, yet Li and Xpeng are worth less per vehicle, as valuations come down from sky-high levels.
Relative to peers, Li trades at a 'fairer' multiple, but it's likely that these higher multiples have been assigned to these companies based on the disruptive and growth factor stemming from the EV industry as a whole as well as differences between the three – NIO is the leader of the three in terms of deliveries and technological strengths, Xpeng is the first to enter the European market, and Li is the first to reach profitability.
Profitability is one of the components that could help Li earn a higher valuation as sales grow, possibly up to 9.5-10.5x sales, assuming that no further crunching of valuations associated with rising rates occurs.
For 4Q 2020, with quarterly deliveries topping 14,000 units, Li managed to post CNY 107.5 million (USD 16.5 million) in net income on CNY 4.15 billion (USD 635.5 million in sales) due to strong margin performance. Vehicle margin and gross margin fell slightly QoQ, but remained elevated at 17.1% and 17.5% respectively, higher than NIO and Xpeng.
As deliveries scale, driving revenues higher, Li should be able to maintain this margin profile – F1Q could see another sequential decline to 16.7% for vehicle margin due to lower sales volumes associated with the New Year holiday as well as a slight uptick in costs associated with R&D. However, as seasonality likely picks up through the summer into the winter, Li could see vehicle margin climb back towards 3Q's 19.8%, thus driving FY21 vehicle margin to 17.7%.
This margin profile could see Li post up to CNY 500 million (USD 77 million) in net income or USD 0.09 per ADS in a best-case scenario; however, it's likely that operating expenses will rise due to R&D development, chip prices, and network expansion, which could bring profitability down to CNY 200-300 million (USD 31-46 million), or USD 0.03-0.05 per ADS.
Overall, EV manufacturers are facing industry headwinds from chip shortages and potential battery cell shortages, and macro headwinds from rising rates threatening high-growth valuations. China's domestic EV growth to 1.8 million vehicles during 2021 combined with the goal to have homegrown companies as dominant world players by 2025 has sparked wide-spanning competition in the sector. Li, part of the 'big three' in the US-listed Chinese EV startups, currently sits behind NIO in terms of revenues and deliveries but slightly ahead of Xpeng for both metrics. Li's top margin profile, aided by volume growth, will serve as a driver for continual profitability after a surprise profit in 4Q; risks like those mentioned earlier could increase costs, thereby impacting profitability. Even so, deliveries to 70,000 units in an upside scenario could boost revenues ahead of a prior projection of CNY 17.9 billion up to CNY 20 billion, giving Li the 'safest' valuation relative to peers as the EV industry faces a valuation crunch, and opening up the door for an attractive long-term entry should valuation drop lower.
Disclosure: I am long XPEV at the time of publication. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Read more about EqualOcean's contributor program.


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[eMarketer] How shopping festivals are shaping commerce in Southeast Asia
Since Alibaba held its first Singles’ Day in 2009, the event has grown into a weekslong shopping extravaganza stretching across various platforms.
Also known as Double 11 or 11.11, it is now also a must-watch event for marketers to catch a glimpse of retail tech innovations and shopping trends. Its wild success has inspired local competitors, such as JD.com and ByteDance-owned Douyin, to launch shopping festivals of their own.
According to eMarketer, These festivals are increasingly spreading beyond China’s borders. In Southeast Asia, Lazada and Shopee—backed by Alibaba and Tencent, respectively—run monthly sales festivals on dates of the same formulation, such as Shopee’s 9.9 Super Shopping Day held September 9.
Events can feature discounts of up to 90%, and other perks like free shipping and product giveaways. Up next are the year-end sales festivals, scheduled for October 10 (10.10), November 11 (the original Singles’ Day), and December 12 (12.12).
Among internet users in Southeast Asia ages 16 and older, 86% said they had bought products online during a double-digit shopping festival, like 6.6 or 7.7, according to an April 2021 GlobalWebIndex survey commissioned by Facebook and Bain & Company.
Of these respondents, 43% were first-time digital buyers. Thailand and Vietnam saw higher percentages of new digital buyers than any other Southeast Asian market included in the poll.


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You’d be forgiven if you weren’t able to recognise the names Ben Richardson and Dave Greiner – these founders don’t seek personal press too often, if at all.
They kicked off their venture – a simple Cronulla-based design agency – back in 1999 while they were studying in university. A primary task within their line of work was designing and managing email-based campaigns for their clients – hard to do when the platforms available at that time were sub-par and the templates less than beautiful.
Born out of a need to systemise their own business, Campaign Monitor was created in 2004 with modest expectations in place. Worst case scenario, it was going to be a tool that the pair could integrate into their day-to-day running of their business to increase efficiency.
But fast forward six months, and the revenue being generated from Campaign Monitor matched what they were making from consulting. Another six months down the track, it was triple the consulting revenue and the pair decided to give the platform 100 percent of their daily focus.
When it comes to email marketing platforms for business, Richardson and Greiner are kicking it with the top companies in the world. The bootstrapped beachside startup now boasts over 800,000 customers; and those people are using Campaign Monitor to send 1.3 billion communications to their clients per month.
If you compare this to the likes of Mailchimp, founded in 2001 by Dan Kurzius and Mark Armstrong and lead by Ben Chestnut, it is clear that over the last nine years, Campaign Monitor has been catching up to the chimp.
Although Mailchimp still dominates the marketplace with over 5 million customers, Campaign Monitor has overtaken them in more critical areas – with the average number of emails sent per customer at Campaign Monitor sitting at 1,625 compared to that of Mailchimp’s average of 1,200.
It would be foolish to think that Mailchimp have not noticed this. At the very core of the Campaign Monitor platform is the ability to manage multiple campaigns across multiple clients. From the very beginning Richardson and Greiner said they made a strategic decision to target designers and agencies – a very specific vertical in the world of email marketing.
Upon closer analysis of Mailchimp’s revamped site, you can speculate that Mailchimp is shifting their focus slightly – to the design world. The “cheese factor” cartoon chimp has gone from prominent marketing gimmick to subtle logo status, and it seems the system is all about a better, more professional looking email.
The Campaign Monitor strategy – to go after and capture the design market – meant they needed to think beyond Australia from day one. In an email to Shoe String, the pair stated that the very first version of Campaign Monitor was priced in US dollars and hosted at a .com. They were also fairly ambiguous about their location. In fact, their fifth hire was in the US; and today, more than one-third of their team work across Europe and North America.
Although a Subscription-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model is pretty standard today, back in the early days of Campaign Monitor, it wasn’t. It was a clever move by Campaign Monitor to integrate this into their business model.
It wasn’t just that customers, especially the types of firms they were targeting, wanted that kind of pricing in order to manage their cash flow better; an SaaS business model also allowed Richardson and Greiner to scale the software, as the customer base grew, without pouring a massive investment into headcount.
This tactic, which was refined a few years back to include a tiered subscription model, has ensured the company has loyalty from their 100,000+ paying customers on the platform.
Although Campaign Monitor doesn’t reveal its revenue to the public, we can estimate that even if all those customers were paying the lowest price – an average of $20 a month – the relatively micro-global firm of 55 people are still clearing at least $2 million in revenue per month. By every measurement, this is simply outstanding. That’s over $35,000 per head – hello profit!
Sometimes in a war, the size of your army doesn’t matter. Considering Mailchimp hired 72 people last year, it is clear they have a bigger one. From my perspective, however, the battle on owning the professional designer market has been won – and the winners are two lads from Cronulla.


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Last week the New England Journal of Medicine published a study following over 100,000 people over 20 years to quantify just how bad certain foods are. The short answer? Just what you think — fried foods, refined grains, and potatoes are the bad guys in your diet. An extra serving of french fries, for example, was associated with over three pounds of weight gain for each four-year study period.
Of course, what we eat isn't the only culprit in what's making us fat. Read on for the top lifestyle practices that researchers found were bad for you.
- Not exercising. OK, this is another no-brainer, but the study found that it was one of the most important lifestyle habits for preventing weight gain. In fact, researcher from the Harvard study found that over each study period participants who exercised prevents almost two pounds of weight gain.
Check out the rest of the list after the break.
- Not enough or too much sleep. Getting enough sleep is one of those easy no-diet ways to help stay slim, but turns out, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Turns out, people gain weight when they get fewer than six hours of sleep as well as when they get more than eight. Too little sleep has been associated with eating more every day, while too much can mean you're not getting quality sleep, which can leave you too tired to exercise. One study found that too little sleep and too much sleep were both associated with about three pounds of weight gain compared to getting just the right amount.
- Watching too much TV. A sedentary lifestyle can be measured in the hours spent watching sitcoms on the couch. In the Harvard study, watching TV was associated with a third of a pound in weight gain over each of the four-year periods.
- Drinking alcohol. People who drink alcohol in the Harvard study gained almost half a pound over each four-year study period. Alcohol can be the source of empty calories — even if you aren't drinking fruity, sugar-filled cocktails, a glass of wine or a gin and tonic will still run around 100 calories each — and it also can impair your judgement in making food choices (until all of a sudden, late-night fried potato skins sound like a good idea).


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In today’s top stories, China’s video gaming giant Tencent posted its fastest growth in quarterly revenue for over a year. Elsewhere, automaker Stellantis has warned that electric vehicle manufacturing in the UK could become “uncompetitive and unsustainable”, while Elon Musk announced on Tuesday that Tesla is to launch its first advertisements. The US FTC is suing to block Amgen’s acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics on the grounds that it would stifle competition. Lastly, autonomous driving company Boldly is teaming up with Estonian start-up Auve Tech to bring self-driving buses to the streets of Japan.
Stellantis threatens UK factory closure
Vauxhall maker Stellantis [STLA] has issued a warning to the UK government: renegotiate a Brexit rule on where parts are sourced from, or its UK factories could close. The current terms of the rule stipulate that, to avoid tariffs, from 2024, 45% of the value of an EV must come from parts sourced within the UK or EU. Stellantissays it cannot satisfy the requirements, and unless the rules change, electric vehicle manufacturing in the UK will become “uncompetitive and unsustainable”.
Amgen–Horizon deal in doubt
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing to block Amgen’s [AMGN] $27.8bn acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics [HZNP] on the grounds that it would “stifle competition for thyroid eye disease and chronic refractory gout treatments”. While biotech M&A activity has been picking up, with several big pharma companies striking deals, the FTC argues that “rampant consolidation” has given the industry an excuse to “exorbitantly hike prescription drug prices”. Amgen’s share price fell 2.4% Tuesday.
Softbank-backed self-driving buses
Autonomous driving company Boldly, which is backed by investment powerhouse Softbank [9984.T], is teaming up with Estonian start-up Auve Tech in the hope of speeding up efforts to bring self-driving buses to at least 50 locations in Japan by 2025. In an interview with Bloomberg, Boldly CEO Yuki Saji said: “SoftBank’s biggest strengths are in mobile networks and, going forward, cars will be among the products most in need of both mobility and connectivity.”
Tencent boosted by 11% revenue growth
China’s video gaming giant Tencent [0700.HK] posted its fastest growth in quarterly revenue for over a year. Sales in 2022 had been hampered by Beijing’s freezing of gaming licences, which had prevented new titles from being released. But the regulatory picture has improved since the start of 2023. Tencent also benefitted from “domestic consumption recovery” in the three months to the end of March, chairman and CEO Ma Huateng said in a statement alongside the results.
Tesla targets advertising
Elon Musk announced on Tuesday that Tesla [TSLA] will launch its first advertisements. Speaking at the company’s investor day on Tuesday, Musk said that “there are amazing features and functionality about Teslas that people just don’t know about”, but promoting these via traditional channels, like the company’s Twitter account, is “like preaching to the choir, and the choir is already convinced”.
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UK travel agents are being warned they could be “saddled” with the obligations of overseas travel organisers come 1 January if the operators do not comply with UK regulations.
Speaking at TTG’s Agenda 2021 conference today (which continues tomorrow and remains open for registration), Fox Williams travel partner Rhys Griffiths explained that while currently UK travel agents selling package holidays of organisers based outside of the UK don’t need to worry about most of the obligations under the Package Travel Regulations (because those obligations sit with the organiser), there is a risk with the end of the Brexit transition period.
The status quo will remain, but the risk from 1 January is that unless those EU or rest-of-the-world-based organisers have made arrangements to comply with the UK Package Travel Regulations and have arranged UK insolvency protection – so have obtained an Atol or one of the three other alternatives for non-flight packages – then the UK travel agent gets “saddled with the obligations and responsibilities of the organiser”.
“So it’s important to make sure UK travel agents effectively police the companies that they are representing,” said Griffiths.
“And the onus is put on the agent to make sure the non-UK organiser has managed to get itself compliant and if those aren’t compliant.”
He added: “It’s more bureaucracy, cost and back-office stuff which is just paperwork and very time-consuming – nobody really wants to do it and it’s all a consequence of Brexit.”
Griffiths further warned travel companies to be proactive in their communications around what customers should expect when travelling next year with regards Brexit.
“I’m seeing much less concern around Brexit issues, but there is a need to provide information to customers on what to expect after the end of this year, because they are going to be asking whether they can still travel, are the passport rules changing, can they still hire a car.
“So what we’re seeing is clients going out there proactively with FAQs on their websites, using a lot of what the government has already produced to prepare information to give to customers. “Communicate about what sort of things are the customer’s responsibility, and what sort of things sit with the travel company.
“There’s loads of information out there. It’s probably going to change over the next two weeks but keep an eye on it.
“The government’s Brexit website has certain sections geared towards travel and travel in Europe.
“It’s a case of putting all that stuff together in a way that is digestible for customers.”
Resister for Agenda 2021 at the dedicated webpage.


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Business Standard reports that TAM Media Research, India’s sole television ratings agency, will move court this week against the guidelines on ratings agencies approved by the Union Cabinet on January 9, 2014. The guidelines prevent any entity from having paid-up equity of more than 10 percent in a rating agency and a broadcaster, an advertiser or an advertising agency, at the same time.
TAM, a 50-50 joint venture between Nielsen and WPP’s Kantar Research, has been given 30 days to comply with the guidelines. Those in the know say with time running out, the agency has to move court to prevent itself from going out of business.
A spokesperson for Nielsen said, “We have taken into account the recently announced guidelines on monitoring television ratings. We are in process of internally discussing and evaluating options to find a suitable way forward.”
In an interview with Firstpost, Kantar’s CEO Eric Salama said that the 30-day deadline is “unworkable”: “There’s no way that change can happen in that space of time.” If there remains no change to the deadline, “the industry could have no ratings at the end of 30 days, which I think is a disaster for the industry.” He also feels that the issue of cross-ownership “is not something that is an issue in India”, is “not in the interest of the industry, and isn’t something that will promote the most competition or the best service for the Indian industry.”
Business Standard learnt that TAM is being backed by industry bodies Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Indian Society of Advertisers and the India Broadcasting Federation, all stakeholders in the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), a non-profit body set to launch an alternative ratings system by October this year.
“The absence of TRP data will not help (media) agencies and advertisers because there will be no basis to buying advertising time. This will be detrimental to the TV advertising business,” said Arvind Sharma, president, AAAI.
Earlier, AAAI had made a plea to extend the deadline for the implementation of the guidelines on ratings agencies, saying 30 days weren’t sufficient for TAM to sort its cross-holdings. But the information and broadcasting ministry stuck to the deadline.
Sources say a media-dark environment for the next six-seven months, till BARC launches its ratings system, isn’t feasible, as there are key television properties to be launched in the first half of the year. These include the second season of the Aamir-Khan-anchored Satyamev Jayate (slated to be launched on STAR Plus in March) and the seventh season of the Indian Premier League (April-end or the beginning of May on SET Max).


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It was a first for the menswear industry: a celebration of merchants whose stores have been in business for more than 100 years! Co-sponsored by the Chicago Collective, Peerless and Nobis, Peerless president John Tighe kicked off the evening by congratulating the Century+ stores, crediting Michael Holdstein for coming up with the idea several years ago.
In all their acceptance speeches, merchants acknowledged that they remain driven by their long friendships, both with customers and vendors. Some expressed a passion for fine product, others for offering value, and others for watching young guys transform as they try on their first-ever suit. Most retailers attributed their longevity to a strong team; many singled out talented tailors. All acknowledged the need to embrace change.
Many honorees spoke of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, of how they made it through the Depression by scrimping and saving, taking on odd jobs and even keeping the lights off until a customer walked through the door. It was a wonderful evening where retailers enjoyed meeting each other (“I thought I was alone in my frustrations,” was a common refrain) and vowed to support each other through whatever trials and tribulations lie ahead.
To read more about this year’s honorees click here.


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Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) turned net sellers in the month of November. NSE Data shows that DIIs offloaded stocks worth around Rs 6,300 crore in November 2022. Despite the selling, India’s benchmark indices BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 scaled new highs, as Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) pumped in over Rs 22500 crore last month. According to analysts, the selling by DIIs in November was due to valuations turning expensive, and profit-booking. So far this year till June, DIIs have been buying at an average of over Rs 35,000 crore per month. However, the pace has slowed down from June onwards. FIIs have net offloaded equities worth over 2.64 lakh crore so far in 2022, while DIIs have net bought shares worth over Rs 2.52 lakh crore.
Indian markets’ resilience to continue
According to Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities, the fact that Indian markets have recovered from every fall and made new highs after the Covid crash has brought some amount of complacency among investors – both local and foreign. “Investors are worried about selling aggressively even in the face of apparent negatives – whether local or global, as they are afraid of losing out on the next upside. Our markets are valued highly going by global and our own past valuations. Despite this, investors feel that India as a market may continue to outperform for quite some time. The recent rise in debt yields has not dampened the lure for equity in any significant manner,” Jasani said.
Bulk of FII selling absorbed by DIIs in 2022
There has been a decoupling of Indian equity markets from the global markets, according to Siddharth Vora, Head – Investment Strategy & Fund Manager – PMS, Prabhudas Lilladher. “Bulk of FII selling seems to be behind us and well absorbed by domestic capital participants, thus in the current year, we have seen more resilience in Indian markets. As we see the FII gradually returning to India, and following a period of aggressive sustained rate hikes and high inflation, we believe macros that lie ahead could provide a positive surprise,” Vora said.
According to analysts, Indian markets have managed to touch fresh record highs despite global headwinds because earlier this year, when there were record outflows by FIIs from Indian equities, the shock was absorbed by DIIs in a big way. “Greater women in workforce, strong job markets, Record retail participation, Ease of investing facilitated by technology, improving financial literacy leading to higher awareness and financialization of savings. I think retail investors are directing more of their savings towards financial products like mutual funds. To some extent, the surge in SIPs in mutual funds has also contributed to the resilience of Indian equity markets,” Vora added.
No major downside in markets expected
Indian markets continue to remain less volatile compared to its global peers as India’s domestic demand continues to remain resilient, helped by several steps taken by the government to boost consumption, as well as manufacturing, like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, easing of FDI norms and China+1 policy. Despite quantitative tightening by the RBI, demand continues to remain resilient, according to Narendra Solanki, Head- Equity Research (Fundamental), Anand Rathi Shares & Stock Brokers. With DIIs now booking profits, a runaway rally in the Indian share market is unlikely, however, there is no major downside expected either.


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Today’s Quote “I don’t initiate violence, I retaliate.afrohustler.com/hustlers-digest-china-launch-tariffs-us/">… Continue reading.
MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) just added another spice to its already amazing MoMo service of paying tuition fees. High school students across Cameroon will also be benefiting from their new service. The innovative idea came from the University of Buea’s College of Technology at MTN Cameroon’s
Considering the unofficial and socio-cultural mood of the recent visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Nigeria, it will be analytically misleading to conclude that he came just to socialize with Nigerians. Quartz Africa describes the visit as unconventional, anti-establishment and low in
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Emit Less, Suffer Most from Climate Change! If the US withdrawal from what seems to be the greatest historic accord on climate change, has been condemned by several statesmen, it is definitely because they recognize the world power’s role in solving international perils and calamities.afrohustler.com/us-withdrawal-climate-change-agreement/">… Continue reading.
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Passing on knowledge to generations has always been one of man’s greatest cravings and books have proven to be very good at disseminating such information.afrohustler.com/african-book-publishing/">… Continue reading.


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Shoppers in many Southern California cities were urged today to go without a disposable bag. The event, dubbed "Day without a Bag" is being sponsored by LA City, LA County and other municipalities and attempts to bring awareness to the fact that Californians use an estimated 20 billion disposable plastic shopping bags annually. Susan Abram writes in the LA Daily News:
And state taxpayers dole out 17 cents each time a bag is collected and disposed of, a cost of $50 million a year, according to published reports. How are they going to tackle the problem? It's about leadership," [Heal the Bay Director Mark] Gold said. "San Francisco was by far more bold. But I believe (Los Angeles officials) are taking it very seriously from various perspectives."
Earlier this year, San Francisco, Oakland and Fairfax banned the free distribution of plastic shopping bags. Oakland and Fairfax were sued by a consortium of plastic bag manufacturers; Fairfax was forced to drop its ordinance, Oakland is fighting in court to retain theirs. CAW-sponsored AB 2449 recently required California grocery stores to recycle plastic bags if they distribute them for free, and requires stores to offer reusable bags.


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New Spanish site joins German, Italian and French versions launched in November
Qatar and TransPerfect complete phase one of internationalisation partnership
Qatar Tourism has released a Spanish version of its website as part of an internationalisation partnership with TransPerfect.
The new site joins versions in Arabic, French, German and Italian launched last November and represents the end of the first phase of the project with TransPerfect.
TransPerfect is a leading global supplier of language and technology solutions for business helping them to optimise their web presence and marketing in markets worldwide.
The new Qatar Tourism sites make use of TransPerfect’s GlobalLink technology, featuring the first regional integration into Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) as a cloud service.
Qatar Tourism aims to triple the number of international visitors by 2030, focusing on digital innovation and outreach to position the country as one of the world’s leading destinations.
In addition to website translation, Qatar Tourism is also using TransPerfect and GlobalLink to create and manage multilingual content in five languages for their mobile app and multiple marketing campaigns.
Joel Brandon-Bravo, TransPerfect vice president of travel and digital solutions, said who oversees the relationship with Qatar, said:
“We were very pleased to be selected by Qatar Tourism to help them reach a wider global audience and help elevate Qatar as a destination of choice for travel.
“Qatar went through a rigorous process to select a localisation partner to help launch VisitQatar.qa into multiple markets and languages so it was an honour to be selected.
“Especially in light of all that is happening to put Qatar on the world stage in 2022. This is the beginning of the journey to inspire, attract and engaged with the global travel audience and I’ve very excited to be supporting Qatar on that journey.
“The launch this week of Spanish version of VisitQatar.qa added to French, German and Italian, as well as Arabic and English, brings the destination closer to travellers across Europe.”
GlobalLink’s project management interface allows Qatar Tourism’s marketing teams to focus on campaign development, inspiring potential travellers, and enticing them to return as repeat visitors rather than project managing localisation work.
The AEM integration enables Qatar Tourism to offer customised, customer-oriented, and data-driven communications to deliver personalised content before, during, and after trips.
Chief operating officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel, said: “As Qatar welcomes back travellers from across the world, we are excited to showcase everything the destination has to offer, from its rich culture and sumptuous cuisines, to unique experiences and varied landscapes.
“Enabling our website and app to be viewed in multiple languages is essential to delivering a tailored visitor experience to key international markets.”
Iris Wagner, head of digital marketing of Qatar Tourism, added: “To get more tourists to Qatar we needed a technology and language partner able to tell the country’s story in a way that will resonate with travellers from around the world, in their own language.
“The combination of AEM and TransPerfect’s GlobalLink will allow us to reach our goals and ensure the localisation process is both seamless and future-proofed.”
GlobalLink technology is a modular suite of tools designed to manage the complex demands of creating, deploying, and maintaining multilingual content.
Over 5,000 of the world’s leading organisations currently use GlobalLink solutions to reach audiences in multiple languages and optimise return on investment in markets abroad.
Phil Shawe, TransPerfect president and chief executive said: “Qatar is highly motivated to become a destination of choice for global travellers, and digital transformation is a big part of their strategy. We’re pleased that they trusted the combination of GlobalLink and Adobe to help them achieve their goals.”


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Vue has signed a deal with Sony Europe to install 4k digital cinema projection systems across its UK sites.
The cinema chain said it will enable it to screen more live 2D and 3D sports and arts events and more 3D films.
Chief executive of Vue Entertainment Tim Richards said: “The transition to all digital screens heralds a new era for cinema offering greater choice not only of films but it also allow us to expand our range of live and recorded 3D and 2D content covering sports, music, opera, ballet, theatre, comedy gaming and other major special events.”
Last week, selected Vue cinemas screened Lucrezia Borgia, the first TX of live 3D opera, which was also shown live on Sky Arts and Sky 3D.
Vue and Sony said the conversion process is expected to take 18 months to complete.


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OnePlus 12 can be launched in China on December 5. It’s confirmed to incorporate highly effective specs together with a 2K decision show, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, as much as 24GB of RAM, 64-megapixel Sony LYT-808 telephoto digital camera, and a most of 1TB of storage amongst others. Whereas we await the official launch, the flagship handset has allegedly debuted on the AnTuTu efficiency benchmarking platform. The OnePlus 12 has allegedly secured the very best rank on the platform with a powerful 2.3 million mark. It scored 5,33,566 within the CPU sector.
Tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese language) on Weibo posted an alleged screenshot of the OnePlus 12’s AnTuTu v10 itemizing. As per the leak, the handset has obtained 23,33,033 factors on the benchmarking web site. This prime rating is claimed to be the very best rating on the platform. This includes a CPU rating of 5,33,566, a GPU rating of 9,04,961, and 5,38,511 within the MEM class. The UX of the handset has scored 3,55,995 factors.
The OnePlus 12 is claimed to have employed a robust vapour cooling system to attain this stage of efficiency. The Chinese language tech firm has reportedly collaborated with recreation builders, producers, and chipmakers to optimise gaming efficiency on the upcoming handset
OnePlus 12′ launch will happen in China on December 5 at 2:30pm native time (12:00pm IST) following the corporate’s tenth anniversary celebrations on December 4. It’s presently up for pre-reservations through the corporate’s official on-line retailer and JD.com. It’s confirmed to be obtainable in Pale Inexperienced, Rock Black, and White color choices (translated from Chinese language).
The OnePlus 12 is confirmed to return with a 2K decision show with as much as 4,500 nits of peak brightness. The ProXDR show has additionally bagged A+ certification from DisplayMate. It’s teased to return with a Hasselblad-branded triple rear digital camera setup, comprising a 48-megapixel Sony IMX581 ultra-wide-angle digital camera and a 64-megapixel Sony LYT-808 telephoto digital camera with 3x optical zoom help.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC will energy the OnePlus 12. It is going to embody an in-built new technology X-axis motor for gaming. It’s teased to run on ColorOS 14 primarily based on Android 14.