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The US Consumer Is Bigger Than China’s Entire Economy
Last month the FOMC explained their decision to stand pat by citing two factors: concerns about global developments and the decline in market-based measure of inflation expectations.
Within a couple of business days of the Fed's decision two economists from the San Francisco Federal Reserve published a short paper viewing different ways to forecast inflation. They concluded that market-based measures were the worst at forecasting future inflation. We discussed the paper here.
Let's turn our attention to global developments. At Yellen's press conference it was clear that the main global developments that were worrisome were China. After all it is the world's second largest economy. Although few place much stock in the official estimate of growth, there was a sense that the economy was even weaker still. The precipitous drop in China's equity market and the mini-devaluation inject greater uncertainty and volatility into the global capital markets. China spurred its own "taper-tantrum" like reaction that poses a further headwind on many emerging market economies.
This Great Graphic by David Rosenberg and posted on Business Insider offers a timely corrective to the creeping myopia. It shows the composition of the world's GDP. The US economy is a little more than a fifth of the world's economy. The US consumer is 15% of the world's economy. It is bigger than China's entire economy. Moreover, with a bit more recovery in US capex and residential investment, and a little more rebalancing of the Chinese economy away from investment, US investment can surpass China's investment.
It is possible that the weakness in the latest US jobs report replaces concern about China in the explanation of the Fed not raising rates later this month. We have argued that there are three different ways to interpret the jobs data. First is that it is a bit of a statistical fluke. Other measures of the labor market do not confirm the weakness. Second is that the US business cycle is maturing, and that near full-employment, net jobs growth will likely slow. We suspect that most Fed officials accept one of both of these scenarios.
The third possibility is the weakness in the labor market presages broader economic weakness. Many estimates for Q3 growth have been cut from 2.0% to closer to 1.5%. Some economists fear something worse, like a new contraction. However, the resilience of the US consumer is important. Auto sales in September were a little more than 18 mln units (annualized pace)—the strongest for around a decade. Recall Q2 GDP was revised higher due to consumption. Assuming the consensus is correction, and retail sales, when it is reported next week, shows a 0.3% increase, excluding autos, gasoline and building materials, then core retails sales was the strongest in Q3 since Q2 14.
The preceding content was was originally posted at MarctoMarket.com
About Marc Chandler
Marc Chandler Archive
|10/16/2018||Great Graphic: What Is Happening to Global Equities?||story|
|08/15/2018||R.I.P. Bretton Woods||story|
|08/02/2018||Is Something Important Happening to Oil Prices?||story|
|07/12/2018||Great Graphic: Is Mr. Market Thinking About the First Fed Cut?||story|
|06/28/2018||Move Over Behavioral Finance, Make Room for Sociobiology||story|
|06/19/2018||America First Clashes With Made in China 2025||story|
|06/14/2018||Euro Craters After Hawkish ECB||story|
|05/31/2018||Six Weeks That Could Shake the World||story|
|05/01/2018||Fed's Hawkish Hold||story|
|02/26/2018||Changing of the Guard||story|


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Fixing an inflation target for five years is risky
The next bi-monthly monetary policy statement is scheduled to be released by the Reserve Bank of India on August 9.
It is, however, not clear if the process of selecting and appointing three independent members of the Monetary Policy Committee, now mandated by the amended RBI Act, will be completed by then.
The Committee will have three more members representing the RBI including the governor, who will be its chairman.
It is, therefore, uncertain if the August review of the monetary policy would be overseen by the Committee under the new framework in which decisions will have to be taken by a majority vote and the governor will have a second vote in case no majority view emerges after the deliberations.
The new system could be different in another respect.
The Monetary Policy Framework agreement concluded between the Union government and the RBI in February 2015 had fixed an inflation target of four per cent with a flexibility of two per cent on either side.
More significantly, the inflation to be targeted was to be measured by changes in the consumer price index or CPI.
Largely in line with that agreement, the RBI Act was amended last May, formalising the Monetary Policy Framework agreement through statutory changes.
But the notification that was issued to give effect to the operation of the Committee has not yet specified the inflation target that the RBI will be mandated to fulfil.
As a report in this newspaper has pointed out, the government is in discussion with the RBI to determine the inflation target that the Monetary Policy Committee must adhere to.
Two issues of concern arise from it.
One, it seems that the target set by the Urjit Patel Committee -- a CPI-based retail inflation rate of four per cent within a range of two per cent above or below it -- is being reviewed.
While not being rigid about an inflation rate fixed by a committee reflects pragmatism, it also raises questions about the robustness of the process through which the target is to be modified.
It will be necessary to ensure that the process of consultation between the government and the RBI is as rigorous and robust as that an experts committee usually follows to arrive at its recommendations.
The second area of concern pertains to the five-year period for which an inflation target is supposed to remain valid.
Fixing an inflation target for five years is risky not just because volatility in markets and changes in macroeconomic parameters can be substantial to make a five-year validity of an inflation target too rigid an imposition on policy makers.
A five-year target fixed in the middle of the life of a government can also give rise to a situation where a new government with a new popular mandate could be obliged to review the inflation target before the completion of the five-year period.
A three-year validity of an inflation target is, perhaps, more reasonable and practicable.
A larger, but equally relevant, concern arises from the Monetary Policy Committee’s focus on the CPI-based inflation target.
While a single target may make the central bank more focused on its inflation-fighting agenda, it is worth considering if instead of overall retail inflation, the focus on core inflation would be more useful and effective.
In a developing economy like India’s where food and energy prices cause huge variations in inflation, targeting of core inflation that excludes these two items could reveal a more reliable indicator of underlying inflation pressure in the economy.

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Rob Handfield Explains the Unpredictability of Hospital Supplies for the Spring
Many hospitals have been building their inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE) since the initial shortage of supplies at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Rob Handfield, executive director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative and professor of operations and supply chain management, sees the unpredictability of many hospitals still relying on Asian manufacturers for the majority of their PPE supplies.
“Over the past several months, the federal Strategic National Stockpile has been purchasing billions of dollars of PPE to replenish depleted warehouses from earlier this year,” said Handfield. “They have loaded up on PPE and are sitting on it.”
Read more on Modern Healthcare.


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MOBILE, Alabama – Chipotle Mexican Grill will open its doors to the chain’s first outlet in Mobile on Friday, March 28.
The new 2,300-square-foot restaurant located at 3871 Airport Blvd., will open for business at 11 a.m. It features indoor and outdoor seating for 74 people and will employ approximately 30 people.
Chipotle is a national restaurant chain that has a commitment to using sustainable and locally source ingredients. “For more than a decade we have been working to improve the nation’s food supy by finding more sustainable sources for all of the ingredients we use in our restaurants,” said Chipotle founder and CEO, Steve Ells.
The restaurant is famous for its unique take on fast food. It serves an array of burritos, burrito bowls with white or brown rice, tacos and other traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex fare.
For information on Chipotles, visit their website at chipotle.com


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Let’s face it. Kia and Hyundai were both not very reliable and their cars were far from looking attractive not too long ago, but they sure have gone a long way. Today both Korean automakers are putting out cars that look good and drive well.
Later this month at the Detroit Auto Show, Kia will show a GT4 Stinger concept, designed at Kia’s American Design Center in California.
The GT4 Stinger is a rear-wheel drive car, sporting the latest version of Kia’s signature ‘Tiger Nose’ grille and vertical LED headlamps. While the teaser does not reveal much, Kia says it also comes with “ront-brake cooling vents, 20-inch wheels and carbon fibre front splitter mounted below the bumper.
Power comes from a turbocharged 311bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine. 300+bhp and rear-wheel drive sounds like a winning combo! Consider us excited…


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LONDON – Memory chip maker Micron Technology Inc. was impacted by problems in manufacturing as well slow demand for some of its component types in the first quarter of its fiscal 2013 year.
Micron (Boise, Idaho) made a net loss of $275 million on revenues of $1.83 billion for the quarter ended Nov. 29, 2012. This compares with a net loss of $243 million on net sales of $2.0 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, and a net loss of $187 million on net sales of $2.1 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2012.
Sales were down 6.6 percent sequentially and 12.2 percent compared with the same quarter a year before.
Micron reported revenues from NAND Flash sales were 4 percent lower in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, due to a 9 percent decrease in sales volume, partially offset by a 5 percent increase in average selling prices.
Revenues from sales of DRAM products in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 were 9 percent lower compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 primarily due to an 11 percent decrease in average selling prices.
"Our sales volume for both NAND and DRAM was below our initial forecast for the quarter as we experienced some manufacturing and supply-chain challenges. We are confident these issues have been addressed and will not negatively impact fiscal Q2," said Mark Durcan, CEO of Micron in a conference call with financial analysts.
Although executives were asked about the manufacturing problems executives declined to go into detail. They said that the problems were "nothing out of the ordinary" but had created supply chain disruptions that had led to an inability to get all the product out that the company might otherwise have done.
David Patterson, known for his pioneering research that led to RAID, clusters and more, is part of a team at UC Berkeley that recently made its RISC-V processor architecture an open source hardware offering. We talk with Patterson and one of his colleagues behind the effort about the opportunities they see, what new kinds of designs they hope to enable and what it means for today’s commercial processor giants such as Intel, ARM and Imagination Technologies.


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Women’s Connection to host fashion show
The Women’s Connection of Decatur will meet Fri., March 6, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Decatur Country Club.
The group will host a spring fashion show presented by Belk. Following lunch, Carolyn Sofield will present “Women of Influence,” a mini-drama about ordinary women whose lives had an extraordinary effect on the future.
For reservations and a complimentary nursery, please call or email Clarice, (256) 301-9196, email@example.com (or) Stephanie, (256) 686-2876, firstname.lastname@example.org. The cost of the lunch is $15.


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Consumers showed less confidence in January as the impact of the omicron variant weighed on expectations, according to a report from the Conference Board on Tuesday.
The headline index slid to 113.8 from 115.2 in December, snapping a string of gains since September, when the economy came out of the delta wave.
The fast-spreading omicron variant, while less deadly, has had a significant impact on spending and economic activity across the country as cases and hospitalizations have soared.
If history continues to repeat itself—as in the case of the delta variant—we should expect confidence to slide even more for at least one more month barring any new economic shocks.
The component for expectations inside the index was the main driver of the decline in the consumer confidence measure, dropping to 90.8 on the month from 95.4 previously.
The moderation in growth prospects was to blame for the decline in expectations, according to the report. Still, January’s reading was slightly higher than November’s reading of 90.2, when the economy was believed to be marching toward robust growth in the last quarter.
Labor differential—another important component that is historically correlated with the unemployment rate—ticked down in January to 43.8 from 44.2. Because the component measures the difference between survey responses for jobs that are plentiful and jobs that are hard to get, the labor market from a consumer perspective remained tight.
But the omicron variant and the current concern with inflation did not seem to sway consumers from planning more purchases in the next six months. Buying intentions in the next six months increased for all categories surveyed: automobiles, homes and major appliances.
The reason is that consumers are expecting inflation to ease in the coming months. The one-year inflation expectations in December slowed by 0.1 percentage point to 6.8%. Although that is still elevated, it was an encouraging sign as the figure declined for the second straight month.
So far, consumer confidence has moved in a similar pattern whenever there is a new wave of the coronavirus. We should expect confidence to stay on a downward trend until the omicron variant’s surge subsides.


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Gone with the wind: Telangana, Andhra locals ignore lockdown over Covid-19
Despite many restriction, many people in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh threw caution to the winds and thronged shops and markets.Updated: Mar 23, 2020 16:49 IST
Sunday’s nation-wide janta curfew to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus may have been a success, but the nine-day lockdown announced by the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments seemed to have had no impact on the people in the two states.
With both the state governments exempting milk booths, petrol pumps, provision stores and vegetable markets from the lockdown to ensure smooth supply of essential commodities, people thronged the markets in hundreds since morning, completely ignoring restrictions imposed by the authorities.
While the Telangana government said not more than one person from every family should come out to buy essential commodities and restricted the maximum number of people at one place to five, the Andhra Pradesh government ruled that not more than 10 people should assemble at any store.
Both the governments banned all passenger vehicles including buses, auto rickshaws and private vehicles on the roads to check the spread of coronavirus.
But on the ground, the situation was completely different. In Hyderabad, for example, the vegetable markets, supermarkets and other small and medium provision stores witnessed a mad rush. At Erragadda Rythu Bazar (farmers’ market), there were panic buying as a huge crowd showed up buy vegetables and fruits.
A popular supermarket on Raj Bhavan Road at Somajiguda was so packed with the customers that the staff at the counters had a tough time controlling them. All the racks emptied within a couple of hours and the customers were found arguing with the supermarket staff for not storing enough commodities.
Shoppers simple ignored social distancing as they thronged the markets. However, the supermarket authorities allowed the customers inside only after making them wash their hands with sanitiser. Many of them wore masks as a precautionary measure.
There was also heavy traffic of cars and two-wheelers on several roads. Though autorickshaws have been banned, some autos were seen on the roads on the pretext of carrying essential commodities.
The blatant disregard of restrictions forced the Telangana government to announce stricter controls.
Chief secretary Somesh Kumar and director general of police M Mahender Reddy held an emergency press conference and announced severe restrictions from Monday afternoon.
The chief secretary announced that the petrol bunks, gas stations, markets and provision stores would be kept open only during morning hours and would be strictly closed from 7 pm to 6 am during the lockdown period till March 31. He said people would be allowed to buy essentials from their nearest store during day time.
The DGP said the officials would seize private vehicles if lockdown restrictions are violated. One person can go on bike to the nearest store for buying grocery. If going on long distance without justification, the vehicle will be seized and the person would be booked under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code. Only two persons would be allowed to travel in a car.
Similar incidents of violation of lockdown restrictions were reported from Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.
Minister for information Perni Nani announced that stringent action would be taken against those who violated the restrictions. He assured that there was no need for panic buying and the government would ensure sufficient supply of essential commodities in their respective localities.
Telangana has 26 positive cases of coronavirus while Andhra Pradesh has 5.


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Smiti Holding & Trading Company (Jalaj Dani Family office), founder of Smart Express Yogesh Dhingra along with other co-founder participated in the round
Smart Express will utilise the fund for team building and creating pick-up and delivery and transit hub infrastructure
Smart Express to commence its operation during the festive season in 30 Indian cities
Mumbai-headquartered Indian logistics start-up Smart Express has raised a seed round worth INR 100 Cr led by IIFL India Private Equity Fund and Smiti Holding & Trading Company (Jalaj Dani family office). Promoter and founder of Smart Express Yogesh Dhingra along with other co-founders have also participated in this round. Investment is expected to happen in two tranches over the next 2 years.
Smart Express will utilise the fund for team building and creating pick-up and delivery and transit hub infrastructure. Funds will be further used in technology infrastructure to support operations. Smart Express is expected to start its operations during the festive season this year in 30 cities.
Founded in 2018, by former CFO, COO, and CSO of Blue Dart – Yogesh Dhingra, the startup helps its institutional clients with logistical support through its services like AirLite Express, AirSecure Express, AirPackage Express Premium, AirPackage Express Economy, Ground Package Express Saver, E-Tail Express Forward, and E-Tail Express Reverse.
Dhingra said that new-age technology will help them to provide 360 visibility, faster transit time and better customer experience. “To make a difference in the market, we are also creating a future ready team that has a combination of industry experience, passion and energy,” he added. Smart Express also plans to build over 300 centres across India, which will include its own pick-up and delivery service centres, transit hubs, and alliance partners.
Smart Express intends to build business across segments including B2B, B2C, D2C, C2C, and hyper-local delivery over a period. The startup leveraging the air support, will provide AM/PM deliveries based on customer requirement. Customers who are unable to afford air services will be provided with services with 48/72/96 hours deliveries.
Vikrant Sibal, senior executive vice president, IIFL AMC said, “India’s logistics space is vibrant and dynamic. In the current pandemic scenario, the importance of the sector has grown manifold. We are happy to embark on this exciting journey with the vastly experienced Smart Express Team.”
India’s logistics market after the first wave of COVID19 fused with months of stringent lockdowns saw a rise in demand. Rise in demand for home delivery services to avoid physical contact has only propelled the growth of logistics companies. The market for delivering essential products such as ration, medicine and other products expanded at a rate forcing several startups to pivot their operations to offer hyper local delivery services. As per a Technavio report, India’s third-party logistics is expected to grow by $10.74 Bn progressing at a CAGR of almost 8% during 2021-2025 A ReportLinker’s report states that manufacturing sector in India, which will contribute 25%-30% of the country’s GDP by 2025 will drive the warehousing segment of India. Booming of the ecommerce market is expected to spur the growth of logistics services.
Apart from major logistics players operating in the country such as DHL and Bluedart, India already has seen the emergence of two indigenious logistics startups — Delhivery and BlackBuck that have achieved the unicorn status. Delhivery is also expected to go for IPO in the months to come.


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The public awareness campaign, launched through the Kauai and Maui District Health Offices’ Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative, warns Hawaiians “Don’t Drink Yourself Fat”. The initiative’s media campaign is funded by a $3.4m federal grant, which is also being used to promote consumption of locally grown produce and to encourage physical activity.
DOH Kauai district health officer Dr. Dileep Bal said that Americans now consume an average of 200 to 300 more calories a day than 30 years ago.
“Nearly half of these extra calories come from sugar-sweetened drinks,” Bal said. “Research points to the strong correlation between consumption of sugar-loaded beverages and obesity with its many associated health problems. We know from our experience with anti-tobacco efforts that targeted media campaigns work and are a key component not only in raising awareness, but in changing social norms.”
Hawaiian health officials point out that the state’s adult obesity rate more than doubled from 1995 to 2009, from 10.8 percent of the population to 22.9 percent – and in 2003 Hawaii spent $290m on obesity-related medical costs. The state health department also said that the average American adult drinks 46 gallons of sugar-sweetened beverages each year.
However, the American Beverage Association, which represents the interests of the US beverage industry, has long argued that it is unfair to target soft drinks as the sole cause of obesity.
The association's director of communications Chris Gindlesperger told FoodNavigator-USA: "It's an attempt to bash one industry and blame them for the obesity epidemic, but when you look at the total calories from all sugar-sweetened soft drinks...they only count for 7 percent of the average American caloric intake."
He added that the beverage industry is "leading the way on doing its part to address obesity", citing its 'Clear on Calories' front-of-pack calorie labeling initiative, and its moves to remove sugar-sweetened beverages from schools.
Commenting on the initiative’s funding, state health director Loretta Fuddy said: “This grant is all about making healthy choices be the easy choices. This will help us in giving the people of Hawaii more opportunities to choose healthier options and enhance the overall well being of our communities and islands.”


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Earlier this week we featured a look into Ronda Rousey’s Sports Illustrated painted bikini shoot, only to come across a similar behind the scenes video for athlete Caroline Wozniacki’s shoot in the same magazine.
For those not in the know, Caroline Wozniacki is a 25 year global tennis sensation from Denmark who decided to wear nothing but a bit of body paint for the latest edition of the International Sports Illustrated Swimwear edition. This decision has made many men and lesbians around the world very happy, as we all get to drool over just how beautiful these sporting icons are (aside from their sporting ability). Here’s what she had to say about the whole thing:
I’m totally naked, but when I look in the mirror it’s the weirdest thing, I feel like I have plenty of clothes on.
I may just have to go and buy myself a copy when it comes out next month!


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People are getting food poisoning from this one menu item at McDonald’s
Most of us go to McDonald’s for fries, burgers, and chicken nuggets, but if you’re trying to eat healthy on the go, you’re going to want to have this information. There’s a food poisoning outbreak that started with McDonald’s salads, so for now, stay away from the green stuff.
According to the FDA, the CDC is investigating a multi-state outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which is an illness you can get when you consume fruits or vegetables that have been contaminated with feces. Cyclosporiasis can cause all kinds of nasty stomach symptoms, like diarrhea, nausea, and cramping, and if untreated, it could last as long as a month or come back after it’s gone away — so definitely not something you want to mess with.
The outbreak has been traced back to McDonald’s salads, although the FDA has yet to figure out which ingredient in the salads is causing the outbreak. So far, 61 people in seven different states have been infected, and two have been hospitalized.
So how can you avoid getting sick? The best way is obviously to stay away from McDonald’s salads for now, but the CDC says that if you’ve eaten a salad from McDonalds since mid-May in the states that have been affected, you should see a doctor and get tested for the illness, especially if you’ve experienced diarrhea. So far, those states include Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. And if you have a salad that was purchased in those states still hanging out in your fridge, throw it away.
Hopefully the investigation will reveal the exact cause of the outbreak soon, and McDonald’s salads will be safe to eat once again. For now? Maybe just stick to McDonald’s fries. You have to admit that McDonald’s makes some of the best in the world, especially when they’re hot out of the fryer.


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Hotel group Hilton has scooped a trio of awards at the Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards.
The hotel group was named Favourite Hotel Chain, Best UK Hotel Chain and Best Hotel Chain (Worldwide) at the ceremony attended by the top companies in the UK travel industry.
Hotelier and restaurateur Stanley Tollman was honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his service to the industry through the Travel Corporation, which operates in 60 countries and includes Red Carnation Hotels and Trafalgar Tours.
A native South African, Tollman has spent 60 years building the family business while also working to preserve animals on the verge of extinction in the country, as well as supporting heritage projects and budding artists.
Meanwhile, Four Seasons was named Best Hotel Chain.
Addressing travel agents at the awards ceremony Clive Jacobs, Travel Weekly Group chairman, said: "The economic outlook continues to be cloudy, but I am greatly encouraged by the number of travel companies which have demonstrated sound business sense and flair to challenge the norm and flourish against a tumultuous backdrop.
"The relevance of the Globe Travel Awards is clearly demonstrated by the ongoing support of our sponsors and the many thousands of agents who cast their votes, and I would like to extend a personal thank you to them all."
The awards, run in association with headline sponsor Mail Newspapers, are voted for solely by travel agents, and are the biggest in the travel industry calendar.


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A $60 million recycling plant in Southeast Mexico aims to recapture 55,000 tons of post-consumer PET annually.
PET recycling capacity is increasing as the company seeks to further a commitment to bottle-to-bottle recycling.
A new consortium led by Brightlands Materials Center in Geleen has been formed to explore the development of fully recyclable, sterilisable, stand-up pouches for soups, sauces and other “wet’ food applications.
Renewable chemistry company Avantium has been given the go-ahead to build its new FDCA flagship plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.
Canada-based plastic packaging manufacturer IPL Global has acquired West Yorkshire-based plastic recycling firm Bright Green Plastics from investment firm AIAC.
A joint development agreement entered into between biotech company Heartland and Ravago Americas aims to promote the creation of new hemp-based additives that will help manufacturers reduce the cost, weight, and carbon footprint of the resins they process.
In the lead-up to K 2022, the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association VDMA is publishing a series of interviews with leading businesspersons in the industry, under the title Way2K.
A new collaboration between two industry initiatives, European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) and RecyClass, aims to promote and sustainably improve the production, collection and recycling of PET bottles in Europe.
According to a newly published report on sustainability in product development, sustainability is a factor of increasing importance.
Toray Industries has expanded its Ecodear family with the addition of its first 100% plant-based nylon 510 fibre.
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Netherlands: Dutch Cannabis Paradise
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]While the Netherlands has long been praised for its liberal approach to cannabis creating one of the largest cannaba-toursim markets in the world, in many ways, the Dutch cannabis paradise has a long way to go when it comes to standards for its green.
Even though it’s legal for Dutch citizens to buy up to five grams of cannabis for personal use, the government has limited regulations in place to ensure what its citizens are buying is up to standards…. any standards.
In Amsterdam, the industry’s legal status does not require coffeeshops to test their cannabis before selling it to consumers making it a gamble for what products people are actually getting.
While potency labeling (accuracy aside) has become a standard for retail cannabis in the United States, most Dutch coffeeshops do not provide users any lab-backed cannabinoid content or batch information making cannabis quality control nearly non-existent.
With somewhere around 400 coffeeshops in the Netherlands, there is certainly some questionable quality cannabis circulating. But a growing group of coffee shop owners have decided to take things into their own hands and set quality standards for their product.
Tara van der Poel, owner of a coffee shop called Dizzy Duck, is one of the first coffeeshops in the Netherlands to perform batch testing on their cannabis.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image media=”22777″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]
“There’s a lot of bad weed around. All kinds of stuff is added to increase weight.
That’s why I’m so happy that everything is tested now”
Van der Poel told Leafly magazine in a recent interview.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Despite the large group of those lobbying for looser regulations around cultivation, distribution and testing protocols, it remains difficult for coffeeshop owners who want to create quality assurance to do so. One of the biggest obstacles is the prohibition around coffeeshops altering their flowers in any way, which is the way most potency testing has been performed until recently.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
What’s accounting for the lack of quality control?
As countries around the world begin legalizing cannabis, the once progressive nation is starting to lag in its country’s grip on cannabis. Cannabis in the Netherlands is still technically illegal but decriminalized and ‘tolerated’ for recreational use in limited amounts.
Because growing more than five cannabis plants is still very much illegal, exactly how coffeeshops get their supplies is rarely investigated. However, similar to the outdated stance by the United States army, the Dutch government takes on a sort of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it comes to its nations coffeeshops. The perpetual turning of a blind eye does not go without harm to its country’s cannabis users.
“The most difficult thing about having a coffee shop in the Netherlands is that it’s allowed to sell it, but it’s not allowed to buy it” said Joachim Helms, co-owner of Green House Coffeeshops in Amsterdam.
Because licensed coffee shops can buy and sell limited quantities of cannabis, they have begun turning to the black or grey market to fulfill the high demand for product. Although you can call the black and grey markets lots of things, reliable and transparent probably won’t be one of them.
“Right now, you are allowed to buy the milk, but you can’t know anything about the cow,” said Vera Bergkamp, a Dutch lawmaker.
It only takes a few determined individuals to change things, and we have faith the wonderful coffeeshop owners dedicated to improving quality assurance for the safety and benefit of their customers will overcome the often-challenging Dutch regulations.
As new potency testing tools allowing for easier, cheaper, and less destructive in-house testing hit the market, there is new hope that the nations quality control in cannabis will turn over a new leaf.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]2020-09-10 06:36:55Itayganot


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Some owners like lowering their Porsches, a rare few may even slam theirs, and then there are those who would like to lift the 718 a bit. Well TechArt has just released a front axle lift system for the Porsche 718, which should alleviate owner anxiety whenever a ramp or speed hump appears.
A German automobile tuner, TechArt specializes in producing kits specific to Porsche models. They already have aero kits, carbon fiber packages, custom wheels, and bespoke interiors for both the new Porsche 718 Boxster and the 718 Cayman.
Now according to CarScoops, the company has a lift kit that can increase the 718’s ground clearance by 2.3 inches at the push of a button”. The kit consists of two front and two rear sport springs, two hydraulic cylinders, a hydraulic pump, installation kit and instructions. The full Diy package if you decide to install it yourself.
There’s also a power kit from the same company if a 50 horsepower and 44 lb-ft increase is desired. This will also reduce the 718’s 0-62 mph sprint speed by 0.3 seconds and increase top speed to 184 mph.
Pricing for the new lift kit was not mentioned, but with TechArt displaying a tuned 718 Cayman S at the ongoing Essen Motor Show, perhaps it’s just a matter of time until that nugget of information is publicised.


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Swiss Banks Slow on the Digital Uptake
Thursday, 08 29 2019, Category: Banking, Country: Europe
Swiss banks are turning their attention to providing more digital services for customers, but their progress has been slow. This may have something to do with new technology upstarts struggling to gain significant traction thus far in Switzerland, according to a new study.
Once financial technology (fintech) innovation properly takes off in the over-crowded banking sector, the competition may well cause some traditional players to disappear, says the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in its “Survey on Digitalisation and Fintech at Swiss Banks”.
Fintech is a growing theme in Switzerland, but its current importance pales in comparison to countries like Britain, Germany, China and the United States. Digital banks, such as Revolut and N26, have only chipped away at Swiss borders, making modest inroads, while payment apps and devices are scarcely used, according to the survey.
“Although there have been significant developments in certain segments, the entry of such players into the market has thus far been relatively modest,” states the SNB survey.
Most Swiss banks (47%) forecast increased competition from fintechs and large technology companies, like Google, particularly in the area of payments. But they have been slow to react. “Overall, the banks have not yet achieved their desired level of digitalisation. In many process steps, digital maturity is well below target,” the SNB says.


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Apple isn't due to bring augmented reality (AR) apps to iPhone users for at least two weeks.
But the tech press was treated to a sneak peek at what to expect after the company trailed some applications using the ARKit tools at a special event at its California campus.
Big-name developers including Ikea, The Food Network and AMC TV, showed off their plans for apps utilising AR, technology which Apple CEO Tim Cook believes could radically change how we use our phones over the next few years.
AR works by layering virtual scenes over real-world views, something already seen in smash hit games such as Pokemon Go.
ARKit allows for more realistic views compared with older AR apps. Ikea’s new Ikea Place app lets users measure rooms and place furniture in them, and walk up to items to see how big they are and even assess what textiles and finishes look like.
Game developer Climax Studios used the gathering to show off a new game, Arise, which works by tilting an iPhone to push characters around a puzzle scene.
Best of all, these games will work on devices with an A9 processor, meaning they're compatible with Apple devices from the iPhone 6s or iPad Pro or later.
However, they’re likely to work best on the soon-to-land iPhone 8.
Apple will doubtless detail more ARKit plans at its iPhone 8 launch event, apparently planned for 12th September.


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That's one way to say thank you! Rihanna poses in just a white lace thong to show off gifted custom made thigh-high leather boots
Fans of Rihanna know she isn't afraid of showing off every part of her life online - and what better way to thank you for a gifted pair of thigh-high boots than wearing them naked, bar a simple white thong, and posting the snap online?
Unapologetic Rihanna showed off her perfect figure as she modelled the leather thigh-high boots in her marble floored bathroom in a rather provocative pose.
The custom-made Prada boots are held up by a leather suspender-type belt which encircled the 25-year-old's tiny waist as she posed with her hand on her bathroom wall.
That's one way to say thank you! Rihanna shows off her custom-made Prada boots in a tiny white thong
Captioning the picture Rihanna, 25, wrote: 'Gotcha b***h tip toeing on my marble flo'!!! Sick a** custom Prada boots! Miuccia you RULE!!! Thanks you'
Saying what most Twitter users were thinking, mother-of-two Lily Cooper tweeted: 'Not fair! A**e not boots.'
Speaking to Elle UK Rihanna recently explained why she shares every aspect of her life online.
Saying what we are all thinking... Lily Cooper takes to Twitter after seeing the snap
Double denim: Rihanna has been in London following the launch of the Rihanna For River Island collection
'Well I Instagram everything about my life, whether it’s smoking pot, in a strip club, reading a Bible verse - how crazy, I know! - or hanging out with my best friend, who happens to be Chris.
'Everybody wanted to know what was happening in my life. Is she a drug addict? No. Is she an alcoholic? No. Is she a victim? No. That’s when I got the gun [tattoo]. It was a symbol of strength. I’ll never be a victim.’
'That’s why I’m posting pictures of myself smoking pot, to tell the truth about myself. I’ve got so much to think about, why bring all this extra s*** by being dishonest?’
Showing off some leg: Rihanna is no stranger to showing off her near perfect figure - for her clothing launch she opted for a black dress with a thigh-high split from her own collection
Rihanna was in London on Monday launching her debut fashion line for River Island.
All eyes were on the Bajan singer as she made an appearance at the River Island flagship store in London's Oxford Street to promote her collection.
Arriving in one of her own designs, the Umbrella singer looked flawless in a floor-length black gown which featured a thigh high split and a cut-out back.
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As a regulatory measure to protect the country’s consumers against unfair market practices, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says an Australian court has fined Uber Technologies 21 million Australian Dollars ($14m) for threatening cancellation fees the company never charged, and overstating fare estimates on some rides.
ConsumerConnect learnt the penalty announced Wednesday, December 7, 2022, was below what the competition watchdog had wanted.
The Australian arm of the US ride-sharing app broke consumer law by misleading customers with warnings they would be charged for cancelling some rides from 2017 to 2021 and by using an inaccurate software algorithm to estimate fares for a taxi service it offered until August 2020, the Federal Court ruled.
Related: Uber Agrees To Australia Minimum Pay
Uber said in a post on its Web site that it apologised to Australians “for the mistakes we made, and we have since proactively made changes to our platform based on the concerns raised with us.”
Judge Michael Hugh O’Bryan in a ruling declared that by supplying inaccurate information on its smartphone app, Uber “would be expected to lead a proportion of consumers to alter their decision and not proceed with the cancellation and perhaps deter future cancellations”, while distorting demand for its service, reports Al Jazeera.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which brought the case against Uber, and the tech firm had already agreed on a fine of 26 million Australian dollars ($17.39m), but O’Bryan told the court the evidence provided by both sides was “grossly inadequate”, leaving him to speculate on the extent of harm to consumers.


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Beijing/Shanghai - Car sales in China are expected to rise on 18 million this year. Only in the first 11 months of 2010, 16.4 million cars were sold in the Middle Kingdom, according the China Association of Automobile Manufactures
In November, the association's estimated that the number of cars sold in Chine would be one million less.
The bullish car sales numbers are just one of several recent signs that the booming Chinese economy is far from slowing down, and that Chinese leaders will have to try hard to prevent it from overheating.
Skoda, a Czech car manufacturer and a subsidiary to Germany's Volkswagen, wants to have its fair share of this emerging market. Skoda announced that in 2013, it will start to manufacture its compact SUV Yeti in its factory in Shanghai.
China's demand rose by 83 percent
Skoda's interest in China is understandable. In the first half of 2010, the Czech carmaker sold 378,747 cars - 15 percent more compared to the previous year. This was above all thanks to the Chinese demand, which rose in the first months by 83 percent in a year-to-year comparison.
Between January and June 2010, the Chinese bought more than 84,000 Skoda cars, and their appetite is still growing. In July, they bought 15,000 cars - an increase by a more than 50 percent compared to the previous year. In August, the Chinese bought nearly 56,000 Skoda cars, which means a year-to-year increase of 11.5 percent.
"In China, our sales broke the barrier of 100,000 cars. We are particularly happy about the increasing interest of customers in our Skoda GreenLine models," new head of the carmaker Winfried Vahland said in August.
China has already overtaken the USA in its position of the largest car manufacturer, by selling 13.65 million cars this year, which means a staggering year-to-year increase of 46 percent. The production grew year-to-year by 48 percent, with 13.79 million manufactured cars.
Yeti goes to China
In spite of this growing competition, Skoda's breathing space in China is still comfortable. If China's car sales indeed reach the estimated 18 million, it will be a year-to-year sales growth of 30 percent.
Skoda Yeti is already the fourth Skoda model to be produced in China.
"Companies Skoda Auto and Shanghai Volkswagen are successfully cooperating ever since the Skoda brand came to China in 2006 and experienced a quick and significant growth there," president of Skoda China Alfred Rieck said. According to Rieck, the production of Yeti in Shanghai reflects the long-term interest of Skoda in the Chinese market.
Emerging markets such as China or India will guarantee the growth of Skoda's sales in the years to come, and it is likely that the target yearly production of 1.5 million cars will be reached before the year 2020, as planned by Winfried Vahland.


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Stay Up to Date with the Latest Tech: ChatGPT, iPhone 14, and Food Scams to Avoid
This week was full of exciting tech news, and if you missed out on some of the biggest stories, don’t worry. Here’s a roundup of what happened in the world of technology this week.
Slack announced that it is partnering with ChatGPT to bring natural language processing capabilities to its messaging platform. This will allow users to ask questions and get answers from Slack bots powered by artificial intelligence.
Apple unveiled its new iPhone 14 at an event this week, which features improved cameras, faster processors, and longer battery life than previous models. It also comes with 5G connectivity for faster data speeds when using mobile networks or Wi-Fi hotspots.
Additionally, there have been reports about food scams related to Covid-19 relief funds being targeted toward vulnerable communities in India recently. Consumers should be aware that scammers are trying to take advantage during these difficult times so they can protect themselves from fraudsters who may try to sell fake products or services under pretenses.
Finally, Sony released an update for their PlayStation 5 console which includes several bug fixes as well as improvements for game performance. Players can now enjoy their favorite games without any technical issues getting in the way!Read more at Yahoo News


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This week’s guest is Vahid Manian, the COO of Morse Micro, a company building a radio chip for Wi-Fi HaLow. If you are unfamiliar with the standard, that’s because after the Wi-Fi Alliance launched it in 2017, no one got excited about the so-called Wi-Fi for IoT. So far, I can’t think of a single company pushing forward with Wi-Fi HaLow devices or silicon, outside of Morse Micro. But Manian explains what Wi-Fi HaLow is good for, and why we might see it used for sending video over longer distances. I don’t know if I’m sold, but he says we can expect some devices using the tech in the middle of next year, so I’m willing to wait and see. Enjoy the show.
This week’s guest is Dr. Ben Calhoun, co-founder, and co-CTO at Everactive. I profiled the company a few years back when it had a different name but the same mission — building battery-free sensors that are powered via energy harvesting. The company has sold its steam trap sensor since 2018 and is now launching a vibration sensor. We talk about how to build a sensor that can harvest enough energy to monitor factory conditions, how COVID-19 is changing the demand for industrial IoT, and what changes once plant managers get a continuous stream of data about their operations. It’s a fun show, and you’ll learn all about steam traps!
Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Dr. Ben Calhoun, co-founder, and co-CTO at Everactive Sponsors: Very and Edge Impulse
Wyze sold $95 million in gear last year
Microsoft’s really building out an end-to-end IoT infrastructure
Wink is charging me $5 a month so my voice assistants integrate better
Our guest this week is Jason Johnson, the co-founder of August Home. He’s not on the show to discuss the new lock but to talk about his new home and the systems he uses for automation. Like many of us, Johnson went the DIY route and says he spends about five or more hours a week tweaking his set up. He explains why he chose the platforms he uses and how he has routines and automation set up. For those curious about what’s governing the 138 nodes in his home, I encourage you to listen and find out.
Our guest this week is Christine Sunu, who got a lot of attention a week or two ago with the creation of a sourdough fitness tracker called Sourd.io. She joined us to walk us through the creation of a sensor to detect if your mail has arrived (specifically if your mailbox has been opened). As an IoT developer community engagement manager with Twilio, and a former developer engagement manager with Particle, Sunu has been making connected devices for years, so she helps with the terms you might want to Google and how to get over common barriers standing in the way of a final project. It was so much fun to talk to her, and she has written a blog post to go with the interview in case you need more than the auditory guidance.
Our guest this week is Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai, which makes a voice platform for the pro installer market. The company has just raised $11 million in funding, and Capecelatro tells us what he plans to do with that money as well as explains why Josh.ai shifted from making software to building hardware. He also offers perspective on the development of the voice market in the smart home. Josh.ai started in 2015, a few months after Amazon released the Echo speakers, and before Amazon had enabled the smart home features on the Alexa platform. The interview offers a history of voice, IoT hardware, and a hint of the future. Enjoy.
Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guest: Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai Sponsor: Very
Why silicon startups are on the rise
Companies blaming the pandemic
Should you buy the new Blink Mini camera?
Why Josh.ai pivoted from software to hardware
Can a dedicated voice platform for the smart home beat a digital assistant?
This week’s guest is Karen Herter, Level III energy specialist at the California Energy Commission, who explains how we’re going to get to a dynamic energy grid that helps consumers and businesses react in real time to the price of energy. We have plenty of energy-saving devices and even the ability to turn off or lower the energy demands in our home, using smart tech, but there’s not much of an incentive. If states and utilities work to make real-time pricing changes available to the home (likely a governing device) then the home can react by reducing electrical demand. She talks about the tech and regulations that will make this possible and informs me that FM broadcasts might be the best way to disseminate the pricing information cheaply. It’s a good interview.
My guest this week is Dave Crosby, co-founder and head of marketing at Wyze Labs. We kick off with an explanation of why Wyze has released a scale and the fitness band, which is a bit of a pivot for the smart home device maker. Crosby teases the timing for the outdoor camera and we talk about how low-cost devices could open up a lot of creativity for users. We then discuss how the coronavirus is affecting the business before ending the conversation with the Connected Home over IP standard. Enjoy the show.
Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel Guests: Dave Crosby, co-founder and head of marketing at Wyze Labs Sponsors: Calix and Ayla Networks
Everything in the IoT has been touched by the coronavirus
The pros and cons of Google and Apple’s contact tracing plans
Wyze scale is cool, but the band needs work
Low-cost devices could open up the DIY smart home of my dreams
Surgical masks? Thermometers? How Wyze is trying to help with the pandemic
This week’s guest is Alex Kubicek, the CEO of Understory, a startup that began life as an IoT weather sensor company and is now an insurance provider. Kubicek talks about why the company had to build its own gear and bypass the insurance market in order to succeed. He also anticipates where we’re going to see data-driven insurance go next. As a bonus, he offers a detailed account of how hail insurance works in my former home state of Texas. Exciting!
This week’s guest is Steve Steinhubl, the director of digital medicine at the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Scripps is trying to recruit people who have a Fitbit or other wearable to participate in a study to detect COVID-19 using variations in resting heart rate. We talk about the DETECT study (which you can sign up for from the link) as well as how to design a legitimate health study that includes consumer wearables. We also discuss the use of data and data privacy for those who want to understand those things before dedicating data to science. Enjoy the show.
Our guest this week is Josh Datko, founder and chief engineer at embedded security firm Cryptotronix who is here to school us all in IoT security. We start with his advice for consumers, including advice on splitting off a separate IoT network in your home. We then discuss the difference between embedded security and IT security and discuss the importance of security engineers in product design. We end with Datko explaining the difference between secure enclaves, trusted execution environments and other security terms that may mystify you. Enjoy the show.


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Free meals does not look like a foul factor, however for some residents of New Westminster, B.C., it has been the supply of bother for weeks.
Individuals dwelling within the Victoria Hill neighbourhood in New Westminster say they’re pissed off by a slew of unsolicited Uber Eats deliveries — a weird scenario that is additionally occurring in California.
They say dozens, if not a whole lot, of packages have been piling up on their doorsteps in latest weeks. Residents don’t know who ordered them.
Greater than 30 deliveries had been despatched to Jennifer Hughes’ townhouse in only one week, together with two bottles of water and a single doughnut.
“One in every of our neighbours bought a bowl of gravy from KFC,” Hughes advised CBC Information.
“Both we weren’t residence they usually had been left on our terrace or a number of supply drivers confirmed up carrying luggage and I used to be like, ‘we did not order any of it.'”
The orders are all paid for. The title of the sender is not included and there are not any particular addresses or unit numbers connected — solely generic addresses for a number of townhouse and condominium buildings.
Hughes reached out to different residents on a Fb group and found dozens of persons are dealing with the identical dilemma.
Geoff McLennan says the undesirable meals deliveries reached their peak this previous Thursday with dozens of deliveries piled up in entrance of doorways and condominium buildings.
“Any person despatched me a photograph of their entrance porch the place animals had gotten within the McDonald’s bag and the meals was in every single place,” McLennan stated.
Deliveries have since stopped. Residents hope it is for good.
Reviews of unsolicited deliveries ‘regarding’: Uber
Uber stated the reviews of unsolicited deliveries are “regarding.” An organization spokesperson was not made out there for an interview however stated in an announcement that Uber has banned accounts associated to latest orders and “won’t hesitate to take further motion if the unsolicited orders proceed.”
Hughes says she contacted the New Westminster Police Division in regards to the orders however was advised police are usually not in a position to handle the difficulty.
The police division didn’t reply to CBC’s request for remark.
The Uber Eats orders had been addressed to names resembling “Steve C” and “Jenn O,” which did not match any names of individuals dwelling within the buildings they had been despatched to. The deliveries got here from a cellphone quantity with the digits 555-555-5555.
Comparable unusual scenario in California
Residents of a Los Angeles neighbourhood have additionally been lately inundated with undesirable Uber Eats meals deliveries, the Los Angeles Occasions and ABC7 reported final week.
Uber launched an investigation into the supply of the undesirable orders, in line with media reviews.
David Jao, a professor on the College of Waterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privateness Institute, says he believes the incidents in New Westminster and Los Angeles might be linked.
“This sort of factor is uncommon sufficient that in fact they might be linked,” he stated in an interview.
Whereas it is unclear who’s behind the unwelcome deliveries, and what their motive is, Jao says it is nearly sure that it is not criminals testing out stolen bank card numbers to see in the event that they work earlier than they make a giant buy — for the reason that deliveries have been occurring for weeks.
“If that is coming from stolen cash, anyone’s going to note the stolen cash, they will report it to the bank card companies,” he stated.
Jao says if the deliveries had been in some way despatched by accident, maybe due to a buggy account, then banning the accounts will work.
But when it is deliberate, then the particular person or individuals behind it should attempt to discover a method across the bans, in line with Jao.


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Who’s ready to rumble? Nintendo announced on Thursday that Super Smash Bros. is making its way to the Nintendo Switch. The beloved brawler, which pits classic video game characters against one another in a battle royal, will presumably have updated graphics and controls. It will definitely provide parents with an outlet to finally take their aggression out on Pikachu and other cartoon characters.
In the short teaser trailer released, Nintendo wasn’t heavy with the details, so it’s impossible to know both how much has changed about the format of the game and what other characters have been added to the roster. One thing we do know, however, is that it will release in 2018 and bring an updated roster of characters. In addition to such longtime Smash staples as Mario, Link, and Pikachu, the game will feature the Inklings from Nintendo’s kitschy third-person-shooter Splatoon, among other new additions.
Regardless of what new changes come to town, Smash is set to be a hit with kids once again. Super Smash Bros. has always had a very cartoonish and kid-friendly aesthetic to its beatdowns. Common Sense says the game is ideal for kids 11-years-old and up, while parents who reviewed the game on Common Sense Media were a bit more forgiving, saying that it was fine for children eight and up.
What do parents get out of the deal? Well, if you’re tired of Pikachu and other cheery kids characters from grifting your kids for more money this is your chance to take out your frustrations on Pokémon‘s yellow money-sucker. If only they’d add Daniel Tiger and Peppa Pig to the roster.


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GM announces minivan recall
Tuesday, October 30th 2001, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
DETROIT (AP) _ For the second time since April, General Motors Corp. is recalling three of its minivan models to repair a problem with their power sliding doors.
GM said Wednesday it is recalling 314,000 1997 to 2001 Chevrolet Venture, Pontiac Trans Sport/Montana and Oldsmobile Silhouette minivans because of poorly-made welds.
``If the welds do not hold, they could separate and the actuator could jam in the unlatched position,'' Jeanne Merchant, GM assistant vehicle line executive, said in a statement.
An unlatched power sliding door could open under certain conditions, she said.
GM says there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the problem.
The automaker recalled 558,000 of the minivans in April to repair the actuators, said GM spokesman Michael Morrissey. Approximately 276,000 vehicles were brought for repairs.
The actuators were replaced, but during subsequent evaluations, engineers found the new parts plus those installed in approximately 38,000 minivans built after those included in the first campaign had the bad welds.


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Apple and Google today made available the first public version of their exposure notification API, which was originally debuted as a joint-contact tracing software tool. The partners later renamed it the Exposure Notification system to more accurately reflect its functionality, which is designed to notify individuals of potential exposure to others who have confirmed cases of COVID-19, while preserving privacy around identifying info and location data.
The launch today means that public health agencies can now use the API in apps released to the general public. To date, Apple and Google have only released beta versions of
Read more Source: techcrunch.com


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PARTNER FEATURE: Tech experts in a recent Mobile World Live webinar revealed how our industry can really make the most of 5G’s potential.
In a wide-ranging special virtual event, senior management from Huawei, and author, adviser, storyteller and Top 50 Women in Tech Influencer 2021 Elise Quevedo discussed market progress so far; the new use cases and value of 5G including cloud gaming; the social benefits of 5G; and the team had one eye on the near future as they examined the opportunity for new 5.5G technology.
More than 160 operators worldwide have launched commercial 5G networks with total connections forecast to reach 638 million by the end of 2021, or 8 per cent of the total global connections.
GSMA Intelligence predicts 2.2 billion mobile 5G connections by 2025, almost a quarter of the total mobile connection base. In just four years, more than two in five people around the world will live within reach of a 5G network.
The introduction of standalone (SA) 5G technology, which uses a core 5G network not an existing LTE core, is going to also provide widespread benefits, including very low latency, support for massive numbers of devices, network slicing capacities and the introduction of Voice over New Radio services.
At the end of June, 14 mobile operators across 11 countries had launched SA 5G services, with Germany and China each having deployed more than one commercial SA service.
Over the last 20 months, China and South Korea emerged as the two leading 5G markets globally. Based on the H1 financial reports released by operators, the two countries have a 5G user penetration rate of 33.2 per cent and 26.5 per cent respectively.
“This means the two countries have crossed the business development milestone of 20 per cent user penetration rate, and advancing towards 5G business success,” observed Wilson Yang, Head of 5G Marketing for Huawei’s Carrier Business Group.
One Chinese operator which pushed for a rapid rollout and quick migration off LTE, achieved 13.8 per cent revenue growth and 6 per cent net profit growth in H1, while one South Korean operator, mainly focused on innovative services, saw revenue increase by 3.1 per cent and net profit 37.4 per cent.
He outlined what Huawei sees as the three key factors for 5G business success.
The first is to have a strong 5G network foundation to deliver a superior user experience to raise consumer awareness. “We understand that building 5G networks takes time and constant effort. We would do that step-by-step. In phase 1, we would focus on 5G branding and high-end user migration to cover high-value regions.”
The second factor is that 5G user development acts as an accelerator for commercial growth. He pointed out there is no doubt that a faster-developing and more mature 5G device ecosystem greatly increases 5G user adoption and promotes 5G business development.
The 5G device ecosystem has developed much faster than that of 4G. In the second year after 5G was commercially launched, the first $150 5G handset was released. It took three years for a $150 4G model to hit the market.
Yang cited data estimating 5G smartphone shipments will exceed 4G shipments by 2022.
The third factor is 5G service innovation as a growth engine.
The technology is ten-times faster than LTE and its latency is within milliseconds, providing a superior user experience than 4G, Yang noted. “5G technologies are inspiring more innovative services.”
He gave the example of South Korean operators making great strides to develop new 5G services, such as AR/VR and cloud gaming, and establishing XR industry alliances. Currently, about 40 per cent of 5G subscribers in the country use AR/VR services.
Elise Quevedo, author, adviser and storyteller, noted that consumers in Europe want what consumers in other countries such as China and South Korea already have access to, which is better, faster and more reliable mobile internet services. “What we want as consumers is seamless connectivity to become a reality.”
She cited a survey conducted in 2020 on what features are most important to consumers when purchasing their next mobile device, with 5G connectivity ranking fourth, after battery life, durability and camera quality.
Quevedo expressed concern delays in commercial launches and rollout of 5G coverage in Europe seem to have impacted consumer intention to upgrade handsets compared with the excitement they had back in 2019 before the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
In terms of specific services, she is excited about the prospects of cloud gaming because companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Google, Amazon and even Apple are all launching the services for a better user experience.
She reckons 5G fixed wireless access has been launched in more than 50 per cent of markets in the western part of the European Union and is possibly accelerating cord-cutting with the growing adoption of OTT TV.
Kevin Xu, VP of Huawei’s Carrier Marketing Demand Program Department, highlighted 5G can not only bring huge commercial value, it also has the potential to create social benefits by making society more inclusive and improving working conditions in several industries.
He said AR, for example, is being used in schools to make lessons more engaging.
“We all know that rural areas do not have access to the same healthcare resources that the big cities have. 5G can help solve this. It also is making business safer and smarter by turning difficult and dangerous jobs into more comfortable and safer jobs,” he explained.
Quevedo agreed, noting the European Commission quantified the potential socio-economic benefits of the introduction of 5G collaboration at €113 billion per year by 2025, making “5G the world’s next technological breakthrough”.
She also highlighted the ways in which 5G is helping make the world greener by driving improved energy conservation, better water management, more efficient traffic management and smarter buildings.
The technology “is paving the way for more effective solutions to our problems, and climate change is one of the biggest”.
Turning to the next phase of 5G, Yang noted Huawei in 2020 proposed the vision for 5.5G, with the focus on three major pillars: uplink centric broadband communication (UCBC); real-time broadband communication (RTBC); and harmonised communication and sensing (HCS).
He acknowledged 5G in its current form can’t meet the expanding needs of certain industry digitalisation use cases that require ten-times faster uplink speed and uplink-centric networks or fully immersive applications such as holography and XR, dependent on high-speed real-time experiences.
The evolution of 5G will support new commercial opportunities such as the internet of vehicles, he said. “We see 5.5G representing a higher stage of 5G and will take us from the internet of everything to the intelligent internet of everything.”
Yang concluded: “The new scenarios enabled by 5.5G will create new value for social development and industry upgrades.”
Watch the full webinar (no registration required) here.


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India’s Reliance partners with Google, Facebook for digital payment network bid
Reuters | New Delhi
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
India’s conglomerate Reliance Industries has partnered with Facebook Inc, Google and fintech player Infibeam to set up a national digital payment network, Economic Times newspaper reported yesterday, citing unnamed sources.
Last year, India’s central bank invited companies to forge new umbrella entities (NUEs) to create a payments network that would rival the system operated by the National Payments Council of India (NPCI), as it seeks to reduce concentration risks in the space.
Set up in 2008, NPCI is a not-for-profit company, which as of March 2019 counted dozens of banks as its shareholders, including the State Bank of India, Citibank and HSBC.
It processes billions of dollars in payments daily via services that include inter-bank fund transfers, ATM transactions and digital payments.
Citing three unnamed sources, India’s leading business daily Economic Times said that the group led by Reliance and Infibeam was in the advanced stages of submitting their proposal to the Reserve Bank of India.
A spokesperson for Infibeam declined to comment on the report, saying the company was bound by the confidentiality of the process, while Reliance, Google and Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Digital payments in India could rise to $135.2 billion in 2023, according to an Assocham-PWC India study in 2019.
Facebook and Google are already partnered with Reliance and own stakes in Jio Platforms - the unit which houses Reliance’s music, movie apps and telecoms venture.


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Previously there was word of amiibo support coming to NBA 2K18 on Nintendo Switch.
2K Games, the developers of NBA 2K18, have clarified that the game will not support amiibo. It’s unfortunate, but not something to lose sleep over.
What do you think of this? Let us know in the comments below.


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BARCELONA, Spain — Across the floors of the mobile industry’s annual mega trade show a year ago, it was difficult to walk the cavernous halls without someone shoving a smartwatch in your face.
In 2015, Mobile World Congress took place at a precipitous moment between the time Apple had announced its smartwatch the previous fall and late spring, when the gadget would actually go on sale. As such, everyone at MWC seemed to be simultaneously holding their breath and doing their best to pimp whatever wrist-bound technology they had for fear that Apple would soon stomp on them.
This year, however, it was a different vibe. There were almost no significant smartwatch announcements at MWC, and wandering the showroom floors, one had to turn over a few rocks in company exhibit booths to find wearable gadgets. Instead, everyone wanted to talk virtual reality and Internet of Things.
The curious absence of smartwatch talk was even more surprising because the show was held amid reports that wearables are doing quite well. And when it comes to mobile, this is an industry seemingly in need of every trick possible to find new revenue, with smartphone sales expected to hit a plateau this year.
So is the smartwatch revolution stillborn? Hardly, says Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. Instead, it seems to have hit the pause button, as companies wait on several developments due later this year.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of discussion on wearables at the show,” he said. “No one should confuse that with a reduction in consumer interest, though.”
The numbers certainly back that up. As IDC recently reported, the worldwide wearable device market shipped 78.1 million units in 2015, up an astounding 171.6 percent over 2014.
“It shows that wearables are not just for the technophiles and early adopters; wearables can exist and are welcome in the mass market,” said Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC’s Wearables team, in a statement. “And since wearables have yet to fully penetrate the mass market, there is still plenty of room for growth in multiple vectors: new vendors, form factors, applications, and use cases. This will help propel the market further.”
And certainly, there were some smartwatch announcements at MWC.
Garmin announced the Vivoactive HR smartwatch, which includes special sensors to measure heart rate. It costs $249.99 and will be available in regular and extra-large black bands. Haier announced a $220 smartwatch that funds a full Android operating system. Omate released the Wherecom K3, a smartwatch for kids that has 3G connectivity and a GPS tracker running on Android 5.1 Lollipop.
And, in a relatively odd match, Deutsche Telekom unveiled “dial,” a new smartwatch made with Will.i.am.
On the other hand, Samsung barely mentioned its smartwatches at its high-profile press conference the night before MWC. And HTC reportedly decided to push back release of its new smartwatch.
Kevin Walsh, director of trends and forecasting at GfK, said he believes part of the problem was that the smartwatch announcements made at MWC were a bit too incremental to warrant much media attention, even though companies are still pouring resources into the devices.
“Having been at MWC, my view is that smartwatch announcements have perhaps been drowned out of the news coverage by newer product groups,” Walsh said in an email. “There seemed to be a lot of updated watch products and many new manufacturers entering with a ‘me too’ device. The proliferation of devices was compounded by a large fashion driver element, meaning many brands had reasonably large portfolios even if the variants were mainly cosmetic in nature.”
According to GfK’s smartwatch tracker, the number of smartwatch options available to consumers continues to explode. In January 2013, GfK noted 23 different smartwatches. By the end of December 2015, that number had grown to 598 choices of styles, brands, and features. But, as Walsh notes, there is little to set most of these new entrants apart.
Within the IDC report, there are some hints as to why smartwatch fever may have cooled — at least temporarily — among mobile giants.
First, the Apple Watch does in fact seem to be eating everyone’s bacon. In just nine months, Apple (which famously does not attend big shows like MWC) has shipped more than 11 million Apple Watches, making it number three in overall wearables market share. In general, Apple has gobbled up the high-end market for the pricier smartwatches that might actually have decent profit margins.
Samsung is number five in wearables, having shipped 3.1 million units — only a modest increase from the 2.7 million it shipped in 2014 — despite the release last year of the well-regarded Gear S2 smartwatch.
The top two wearable slots belong to Fitbit and Xiaomi, who both focus on lower-cost fitness trackers. A good business for some, but with smartphone prices tumbling, many in the smartphone business probably aren’t looking for more commodity items to sell.
It appears that some companies are waiting with impatience for an update to Android Wear, Google’s companion watch OS for its Android ecosystem. There is widespread hope that Google will announce a major update at its I/O developer conference in May.
Apple is expected to announce some modest updates to its watch later this month, but a full redesign may not come until the fall, according to multiple reports.
New Apple Watches and an Android Wear update that offer new functionality could re-ignite excitement among manufacturers and app developers. More challenging, though, is that some observers believe that smartwatches, for the moment, may have simply bumped up against the limits of their components.
Boris Brault, CEO of Swiss smartwatch startup MyKronoz, said he expects that the next wave of major innovation in smartwatches will come in a couple of years, when a new generation of miniaturized chips, batteries, and sensors arrive.
“My feeling is that chipset manufacturers are putting so much emphasis on wearable energy and performance that this new technology is going to make the wearable even smaller and more acceptable to users,” he said. “Right now, I feel many people still hesitate to buy a smartwatch because of the power consumption.”
Walsh, of GfK, certainly remains bullish on smartwatches. His firm projects that over the next two years, smartwatches will grow from 31 percent to 52 percent of the wearable market.
In 2016, GfK expects to see 85 percent growth in smartwatch sales (from 2015, when 19 million smartwatches were sold). But the really big growth is projected in 2017 and 2018, when unit sales are projected at 75 million and 141 million units, respectively.
Those aren’t anywhere near sales of smartphones. But those kinds of numbers would still put the gadgets squarely in the mainstream of usage and — just as importantly for mobile companies — make them a major piece of business for years to come.
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They wear miniskirts, bra tops and "bling-bling" jewellery over tattooed bodies - but the bad news for parents is that they are to become role models for thousands of six-year-olds.
This week, the toy manufacturer Mattel - the company that brought us squeaky-clean Barbie - will launch its latest range of dolls. But in a move set to cause consternation among parents, the "Flavas" - with their hair extensions, make-up and piercings - would be more at home in the ghetto than the playroom. They're hip-hop toys for little girls.
The Flavas are Mattel's attempt to tap into the increasing popularity of hip-hop and R'n'B culture.
With the toy industry's Christmas season about to begin, Mattel is confident Flavas will hold their own against the more traditional toys, such as My Little Pony.
Julia Jensen, from Mattel, said: "Our research told us that a lot of young girls are now aspiring to the world of rap and hip-hop music.
The six dolls, known as "the crew", will be targeted at six- to 10-year-olds. Each comes with accessories including ghetto blasters, mobile phones, record bags and stick-on tattoos. One character, "Tré", is a black tracksuited doll in the "P. Diddy" mould - with goatee beard, string vest and diamond earrings.
The range will be officially launched on Wednesday by Mis-Teeq, the hip-hop group.
The success of the dolls will be watched closely by the British Association of Toy Retailers. Val Stedham, the association's chairman, said the launch of Flavas spoke volumes about the current generation of children.
"Kids are getting older younger," she said. "Mattel can't afford to stand still, and if Barbie isn't fitting in with the desire of an eight-year-old girl, they have to do something about it. I'd like to be more moralistic about some of these things, but this is what the kids want."
John Baulch, publisher of industry magazine Toys and Playthings, saidthe risqué nature of these dolls would guarantee their success.
"Kids today are becoming a lot more conscious of fashion at a younger age," he said. "Everything has to have 'attitude'. Parents might not like the dolls, but that will make them appeal to children even more."
Dr John Richer, a clinical child psychologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, disagreed. "This has the same sort of flavour as beauty contests in America where little kids get dolled up as teenagers."
Nevada Summerley, nine, from Wandsworth, south-west London, said: "I like the way they have realistic clothes. Barbies wear fancy, fluffy dresses, not T-shirts and jeans like real people. They look how I'd like to look when I grow up."Reuse content


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Adidas making another push in NBA
Posted by ZA on October 15, 2009
Adidas trails way behind Nike when it comes to basketball. Nike has more prominent NBA stars endorsing their product (e.g.- Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant) than Adidas, which has translated into much larger market share for Nike. Nike has had so much success in the NBA that it even has it’s owned themed basketball shoes, the Jordan Brand.
But Adidas is content to concede the category to Nike and has launched a new campaign to promote the 3 stripes. The new Adidas campaign is “celebrating basketball as a brotherhood” and features Adidas’ most prominent NBA endorsement stars; Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Derrick Rose. Adidas hopes that putting all of their big names together in these segments will outshine any individual endorser that Nike has. This campaign is an extension of their 2007 “Basketball is a brotherhood” theme.
Top NBA stars that endorse Adidas:
Top NBA endorsers for Nike:
Ray Allen (Jordan Brand)
Carmelo Anthony (Jordan Brand)
Blake Griffin (rookie)
Richard Hamilton (Jordan Brand)
Joe Johnson (Jordan Brand)
Chris Paul (Jordan Brand)
Dwayne Wade (Jordan Brand)
Top NBA endorsers for Reebok:
Top NBA endorsers for Converse:


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This infographic by ShopOnLess sheds some 47 facts and figures on WhatsApp that will keep you in the know about the world’s most popular instant messenger.
Started in 2009, WhatsApp has around 800 million active users to date. You probably knew that already, heh? But did you know though that an estimated 27% of the internet’s selfies are shared via the instant messaging platform or that India is the company’s most active demographic, representing 10% of its users.
No ad to show here.
Oh, and it only has 55 employees.
Last year, WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook for a hefty US$19-billion — the same company that refused the co-founders, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, jobs at the blue social media giant six years earlier. To give you an idea of how valuable WhatsApp is, it’s estimated to be worth more than NASA’s annual budget.


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Successful designer sale marks beginning of Fashion Week
Media release: Sunday 10 March 2013
Successful designer sale marks the beginning of iD Dunedin Fashion Week
Hundreds of fashion lovers queued at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery today for high profile fashion labels at rock-bottom prices, designer cocktails and free pampering, as the Di Lusso iD Designer Sale kicked off the beginning of the 2013 iD Dunedin Fashion Week.
Now in its 14th year, the global fashion event combines a week of fashion shows, events, tours, public talks, and exhibitions, culminating in the must-see iD International Emerging Designer Awards on Thursday night and the iD Dunedin Fashion Shows on Friday and Saturday nights.
iDFW 2013 features an international line up, including iD guests UK-based celebrity milliner, Stephen Jones, New Zealand luxury women’s designer Yvonne Bennetti, and a catalogue of New Zealand fashion icons, including NOM*d, Tanya Carlson, Mild-Red, Charmaine Reveley, Tamsin Cooper, DADA Vintage, Company of Strangers, MisteR, and more.
Today’s Di Lusso iD Designer Sale (sponsored by Dunedin’s Di Lusso Bar) included the all-new Di Lusso Pamper Lounge where attendees were pampered for free by the Redken hair and Revlon makeup teams from Aart on St Andrew and Ali Mcd Makeup School after picking up bargains from the designer labels on offer, including NOM*d, Charmaine Reveley, Jane Sutherland, Suture, Phizacklea, Emily Kerse and Claire Bloom, alongside exclusive fashion stores Plume, DADA Boutique, Waughs and Arthur Barnett. New to the sale this year was jewellery designer Debra Fallowfield, online store www.zipmeup.co.nz and fashion label Gemma.
“What a fabulous start to iD,” says iD Dunedin
Fashion Week Committee Chair Susie Staley.
“The week just keeps getting better, with an incredible offering of associated events, including fashionable breakfasts, hat and hair art workshops, film and theatre, exhibitions and runway shows.”
Tomorrow evening, an official invite-only launch event will be held at the Otago Daily Times.
The iD Dunedin Fashion Week Hub at Dunedin’s Golden Centre Mall will host a range of activities from guest and designer appearances, including Stephen Jones on Thursday at 3pm, spot prizes, and the impressive catwalk show on Wednesday night, ‘Black Tie from the Darnell Collection’, with iD 2011 guest Charlotte Smith, alongside modern designer fashions from premier retailers STORM, Hype and I Love Paris, and New Zealand’s leading menswear bespoke tailor and designer RJB Design.
Hotel St Clair, the major accommodation sponsor of iD Dunedin Fashion Week, will host the Designer Breakfast Series from Tuesday March 12 to March 15 – four days of breakfasts, with presentations from unique Dunedin fashion identities, including iD label, UNDONE.
Exhibitions include ‘Home Sewn’, a touring exhibition from the New Zealand Fashion Museum, held at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, fine art exhibition ‘Fashion-Show’ at the Inge Doesburg Gallery and Studio on Castle St, a New Zealand Light Leathers fashion colours world premiere and the New Zealand Hat and Hair Art ‘Retrospective’ exhibition, celebrating a decade of ingenious originality in hat and hair art, held at Dunedin’s Temple Gallery.
This year’s iD Dunedin
Fashion Shows on the 120m catwalk at Dunedin Railway Station
feature an incredible retrospective collection by
international guest, UK milliner Stephen Jones. To celebrate
his 33 years of business, models will be wearing 33 Stephen
Jones’ hats and will be dressed in much-loved Dunedin
labels NOM*d or Carlson.
Stephen Jones’ presence at this year’s iD Fashion Shows continues the high standards set by previous iD international guest designers, Zandra Rhodes, Akira Isogawa, and Lutz Huelle. He will also join the prestigious iD International Emerging Designer judging panel, which this year includes Australian fashion authorities Associate Professor Karen Webster and Glynis Traill-Nash, alongside Dunedin’s own Tanya Carlson and Margi Robertson (NOM*d).
iD also welcomes New Zealand designer Yvonne Bennetti, who has dressed Kiwi stars such as Rachel Hunter and Lorraine Downes, joining iD’s tradition of showcasing high profile New Zealand fashion designers, which in the past has included Zambesi, Liz Mitchell, Francis Hooper of WORLD, Adrian Hailwood and Cybèle.
New to iD this year are popular television presenter from FOUR Live, Shannon Ryan, who will host the iD International Emerging Designer Awards show on Thursday 14 March and from 3 News Charlotte Shipman and Tova O’Brien, who will host the iD Dunedin Fashion Shows on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March.
For a full calendar of not-to-be-missed fashion events – including public lectures with our international guests, opportunities to meet emerging designer finalists, the library’s popular Geek-Chic catwalk show and vintage fashion tours, as well as exhibitions by local artists and jewellers – visit www.idfashion.co.nz.
Tickets are still available for iD’s key runway shows from TicketDirect venues (including the Regent Theatre, Dunedin), by phoning 0800 4 TICKET or online at www.ticketdirect.co.nz up until 5pm Monday 11 March. A booking fee applies.
From Tuesday 12 March until Saturday 16 March the last remaining tickets will be available from Dunedin’s Golden Centre Mall at an exclusive Golden Centre price from 11 – 6pm each day (cash only).
The iD International Emerging Designer Awards will take place on Thursday 14 March 2013, starting at 7pm. Tickets from $50 and include a complimentary drink, show gift bag and programme. The event will be held at the Lion Foundation Arena, Edgar Stadium, Dunedin, in front of an audience of more than 1200. Doors will open at 6.00pm.
The 2013 iD Dunedin Fashion Show will take place on Friday 15 March and Saturday 16 March, starting at 8pm, in front of an audience of 1500 each evening. Tickets from $65 and include a complimentary drink, show gift bag and programme. Doors will open at 6.30pm.


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Looks like Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend literally feels like the hairy Star Wars character as she hits the catwalk at NY Fashion Week for the first time.
The 27-year-old Russian model walked the runway at the Jeremy Scott fall 2013, on Wednesday February 13. Model of the moment 20-year-old Cara Delevingne has dominated the show. 18-year-old Lindsey Wixson closed the show in a neon gorilla look. Irina Shayk has stepped out only once (you can see her walking at minute 07:16 in the video clip below).
The day before she attended the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue launch party at Crimson with Chrissy Teigen, Anne V, Jessica Gomes, John Legend and more... Kate Upton is Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl for a second year in a row.


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If you’re a doughnut fan in Upperco, MD then we have very good news for you. A brand new Dunkin’ Donuts store will be opening in Upperco.
The store will be hosting their grand opening celebration tomorrow on January 5th, 2018 from 9am to 12pm.
Love us? Show us ❤Share your favourite Dunkin' Donuts pics for a chance to be featured on our channels 👍(📷: @stjohnsshopping)
They will be giving out free samples and will be performing a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10am. The3 store is located at 15304 Hanover Pike, Upperco, MD.


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Chicago uniquely thrives as a tier one global tech and innovation powerhouse, where home-grown startups are reinventing and reimagining industries overnight. Chicago’s thriving tech and startup ecosystem has access to one of the largest concentrations of Fortune 500 HQs, globally-ranked startup incubators and accelerators, and premier universities and two national labs. We’re both a B2B powerhouse, and an emerging hub for consumer tech and marketplaces. As the most diverse economy in the United States, Chicago founders are world-class innovators across several high-growth sectors like logistics, healthcare and life sciences, food and agriculture, and advanced manufacturing. It’s no surprise that Chicago is home to the highest number of the fastest growing Logistics companies in the US. Companies in Chicago are outpacing those in New York, California, and Texas.
Inc. 5000 Chicago’s Logistics and Transportation Companies
Data Source: Inc. 5000
Chicago surpasses other major metros across the nation in the number of fastest growing companies: 22 across a diverse placement in rankings. That’s the same number of companies as the entire state of New York and California, combined.
The growth of Chicago’s Logistics Tech has attracted multiple key industry players, and more growth capital — venture capital, private equity for growth, and corporate venture capital — is being attracted as these companies grow larger and more valuable.
This cycle of attraction and growth becomes clear when looking at deal flow and overall investment into Chicago’s Logistic Tech companies: Chicago has seen the most logistics tech growth in the U.S. with growth capital investment increasing 802% between 2019 and 2021. As of August 31st, Logistics Tech firms have raised $689M in growth capital in 2022. Moreover, at a time when the unicorns trend is being questioned, Chicago’s Logistic Tech companies are demonstrating consistent valuations.
Chicago is Home To 22 Total Unicorns
In 2022, Chicago welcomed 2 new Unicorns, Loadsmart and FourKites, in the logistics and transportation industry which is the biggest unicorn-producing industry.
Data Source: Pitchbook
All of this activity has led World Business Chicago to host the city’s flagship startup and venture capital conference, the Chicago Venture Summit Future-of-Logistics, at 167 Green in Chicago’s Fulton Market District this October 5-6, 2022. The summit will connect local founders with venture capital firms, investors, and Fortune 500 leaders; showcasing the city’s thriving logistics startup ecosystem, and promote Chicago as a global destination for founders, innovators, and investors.
Readers can learn more about Chicago’s Logistics Tech ecosystem from World Business Chicago’s Research Center publication, Chicago Business Bulletin.
We are excited to share that the World Business Chicago Research Center, in collaboration with the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership (GCEP), has unveiled a new interactive online tool and compr
PRESS RELEASE A Deep Dive into the Chicagoland Region’s Economic Strengths CHICAGO – [September 27, 2023] – Today the World Business Chicago Research Center published an asset
Who is S2G Ventures? S2G Ventures, the direct investment team of Builder’s Vision, partners with entrepreneurs who are working on solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges across food,&
The Midwest region’s premier startup and growth capital summit advances to include climate tech innovation. Chicago, August 7, 2023 – Mayor Brandon Johnson joins World Business Chicago in anno


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Welcome to the new edition of our 10 most talked about TV ads on social media. Iphone 11, Subaru and Call of Duty are taking it.
Check them out! Any other great campaigns you spotted?
#1 – Apple iPhone 11 Pro TV Spot, ‘It’s Tough Out There’
#2 – Subaru Forester TV Spot, ‘Dog Tested: National Make a Dog’s Day’
#3 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare TV Spot, ‘Seismic Shift: Pre-Order’
#4 – GEICO TV Spot, ‘A Witch for a Third Roommate’
#5 – 2019 Ford Expedition TV Spot, ‘Leave No One’
#6 – Donald J. Trump for President TV Spot, ‘Changing Things’
#7 – GEICO TV Spot, ‘Movie Night With Casper the Friendly Ghost’
#8 – Allstate TV Spot, ‘Mayhem: Cat’ Featuring Dean Winters
#9 – Subaru TV Spot, ‘The Underdogs’
#10 – GEICO TV Spot, ‘The Gecko Explores an Old Attic’
This top 10 is provided by iSpot.tv, the leading real-time measurement tool for TV advertising. iSpot.tv aggregates all online video views, social actions, and search activity, to evaluate ad performance compared with its industry set.
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