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The MarTech Minute: HubSpot’s newest solutions, Bloomreach and Salesforce launch search connector, DialPad reveals new AI for Uberconference and more
MarTech Minute briefs always appear first in our daily newsletter throughout the week. The following is our compilation of the past week’s briefs from those newsletters.
MarTech Minute briefs always appear first in our daily newsletter throughout the week. Click here to subscribe. The following is our compilation of the past week’s briefs from those newsletters.
HubSpot announces new growth platform features for sales and marketing and new marketplace. HubSpot’s expanded features include a machine learning tool to remove duplicate contacts, expanded functionality in Sales Hub Professional, and improvements to HubSpot Conversations. The upgrades, which were announced at this year’s INBOUND conference in Boston, were all prioritized based on direct feedback from HubSpot’s customers. “Businesses today are using more apps than ever to get their work done. According to the 2019 Blissfully SaaS Trends Report, every employee is using 8 apps and companies over 250 employees are using over 100 apps,” said Ari Plaut, senior product marketing manager, HubSpot. “To remove every ounce of friction from their customer experience, they need a central platform that makes it easy to create connections between tools, the new App Marketplace makes it easy to find, install, and manage app integrations through HubSpot. The new App Marketplace also makes the experience of building apps for developers a lot easier as well.”
Salesforce and Bloomreach launch new connector. Bloomreach today announced it has launched a B2B Search & Merchandising Connector for Salesforce Commerce Cloud on the Salesforce AppExchange. The new connector will help businesses connect with their customers, partners and employees in different ways. The connector allows users of Commerce Cloud to integrate Bloomreach’s site search and merchandising tools in users’ B2B commerce environment, providing their users with even more relevant search results and allowing their merchandisers to focus on strategic tasks while smart algorithms take over the grunt work.
HighWire announces partnership with SendGrid. The scholarly tech publisher is partnering with email deliverability vendor SendGrid and unified global ad server AdButler in hopes of allowing publishers to gain more insights from their customers. AdButler will allow publishers to show ads in their email alerts. “We can easily see how many people have signed up and opened emails at a global level, but also journal by journal,” said Matt Zimmerman, online platform director at Springer Publishing Company. “If that number is lower than expected, we know that very quickly and can start to think of better ways to get engage our readers. In the past, we didn’t have an easy way to track any of this. By using the depth of data now available, we can better understand our readers’ behaviors, what they will be interested in, and make informed changes.”
Drift acquires Giant Otter to launch Drift Automation. Conversational marketing platform Drift has acquired Giant Otter and announced the launch of Drift Automation. Giant Otter, previously led by CEO Jeff Orkin, Ph.D., has joined the Drift team and launched the Drift AI Lab. “At Drift, we think a lot about customer experience. And we realized that we needed to disrupt ourselves at Drift in order to really deliver on it,” said Drift CEO, David Cancel. “Giant Otter’s machine learning and AI technology helped us do just that, and build on the mission we created four years ago — to transform the way businesses buy from businesses.” Drift Automation is the first product from the AI Lab and has been designed to develop a better contextual understanding of what an engaged user needs
Kabbage to acquire B2B CDP assets from Radius Intelligence. The small business vendor will acquire assets of the small business data platform. The acquisition will allow Kabbage to understand and serve their small-business customers with the addition of the 20 million U.S. small business insights to its platform. “Data has always been our competitive advantage, and Radius strengthens it by adding millions of new and verified small business insights to our platform,” said Kabbage CEO Rob Frohwein. “These new technology and data-analysis capabilities further differentiate us from other SMB-focused FinTech companies as we dramatically expand our product set and service platform to address the unique cash flow needs of small businesses.”
Skype’s messaging features upgraded. Video calling and chat app Skype is getting a few new upgrades to its messaging feature sets. Namely, support for Message Drafts will be added, allowing users to start a message and return to it at a later time. Image and video previews can also be neatly organized in the Skype interface and shared with groups working on projects together.
Dialpad launches AI features for UberConference. Cloud-native communications platform Dialpad has rolled out new features to its UberConference solution that includes HD video conference, automated transcripts, notes and action items. Voice Intelligence uses speech recognition and natural language processing to analyze conversations, then provides detailed meeting notes to attendees following the meeting.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


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World War 3 doesn't need a clever name to set it apart from the rest of the shooters out there, because it has plenty that does that for it already. Shacknews sat down with The Farm 51's Kamil Bilczyński, lead designer on the game, to chat about the ambitious shooter and everything it has to offer.
"We want to show what World War 3 in the future could look like if it happened," said Bilczyński of the game, which follows a global conflict as it takes the third worldwide war to Berlin, Moscow, Warsaw, and a variety of other locations.
"It's a first-person experience, so it's much closer to the Battlefield experience," Bilczyński said of what players will be able to expect – it won't be taking its cues from battle royale games like PUBG, if you were curious about where it'll fit in the current state of games.
Check out the interview above and let us know what you think about the latest shooter to join the crop of franchises out there. For more great videos, including games convention coverage and developer interviews, be sure to check out Shacknews and GamerHub.tv over on YouTube.
Brittany Vincent posted a new article, World War 3 interview: Lead designer Kamil Bilczynski talks futuristic warfare
This does not look good.

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Wal-Mart lawsuit could affect Chicago temp workers
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- Staff Chicago Business Journal
A new lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and two staffing agencies it works with, could affect hundreds of temporary workers in Chicago.
The class action case, filed in a U.S. District Court in Chicago, is Twanda Burkes et al, on behalf of themselves and all other persons similarly situated, vs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Labor Ready Midwest Inc. And QPS Employment Group Inc.
Reuters reported the suit alleges Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Labor Ready and QPS violated minimum wage and overtime laws as well as not paying temporary workers a minimum of four hours' pay on days when the person was contracted to work, but not used for the entire four hours.
Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogleman said the company is still reviewing the complaint, and that "the litigation is driven by the same union organizations that have been mischaracterizing several issues about Walmart and are more concerned with creating publicity than with improving workers’ rights."
"We are committed to ensuring that anyone working in our stores - whether they're employed by Walmart or, in this case, a temporary staffing agency - is treated appropriately and compensated fairly for every hour they work," Fogleman added.
The 20 plaintiffs worked for one of the two staffing agencies in the Chicago area, and have claims that stretch back to 2009, the Huffington Post reported.
The plaintiffs are seeking back pay and an injunction against the three companies, according to the Post.
Wal-Mart has is also facing other protests as well including workers claiming they will walk off the job the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, Reuters reported.
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Ambank Launch a Fully End-To-End Digital On-Boarding for SMEs In Malaysia
AmBank announce on 14 June 2021 Malaysia’s first fully end-to-end electronic business current account opening for SMEs. This is the first truly contactless customer experience for digital on-boarding where it completely eliminates the need for a physical meeting, which is essential during the movement control order (MCO) period.
This new value-added proposition from AmBank will provide an option for business sustainability as well as allow retail SMEs to grow and lookout for new opportunity, even during the movement restriction period as this would allow businesses to continue to operate by leveraging on AmBank’s digital capabilities.
When an application is submitted by a representative of the company, all owners or directors will be triggered to perform digital verification from their mobile phones to reaffirm the intention of the company to open a bank account.
“As part of AmBank’s digital transformation journey, we are continuously curating seamless customer experiences by introducing digital innovations with our customers in mind – to enhance their banking experience with us, making it convenient, fast, secure and truly digital.”Dato’ Sulaiman Mohd Tahir, Group Chief Executive Officer, AmBank Group
“We believe that banking institutions play an important role in supporting the development and growth of the SME segment. Our end-to-end digital on-boarding solution will allow SMEs to fast track their digitisation journey, especially in the wake of the current pandemic. This is fully in line with our government’s effort to digitise SMEs and establishes our commitment to ensure SMEs are equipped to deal with the new normal,” added Datuk Iswaraan Suppiah, Group Chief Operations Officer, AmBank Group.
This seamless approach to on-boarding SMEs also allows instantaneous registration to AmAccess Biz, AmBank’s digital banking channel dedicated to SMEs. The solution is currently in a pilot phase and will soon be available to New Partnerships and Sdn Bhds in the first phase and Sole Proprietorships in the second phase.
Digital account opening for SMEs is part of AmBank’s innovative roadmap to empower SMEs with essential tools to manage their finances, access working capital, grow and digitalise their business models entirely online.
For more info, head over to https://www.ambank.com.my/
AmBank Strengthens Financial Relief for Affected Borrowers with Repayment Assistance in Excess of RM15.2 billion
AmBank has stepped up its ongoing efforts in providing relief to customers, both individuals and SMEs who are affected by the movement control order (MCO) that was recently re-implemented as part of the nation’s efforts to fend off the global COVID-19 pandemic.
AmBank’s efforts are in line with the Government’s Targeted Repayment Assistance initiative, which was announced under the Pemerkasa Plus financial aid package.
Dato’ Sulaiman Mohd Tahir, Group Chief Executive Officer, AmBank Group, said “We welcome the Government’s call for Banks to provide further assistance to those who are severely impacted by the pandemic. AmBank will continue to assist customers through the Repayment Assistance packages and the rescheduling and restructuring plans that meet their respective needs.”
“To this end, as at 31 March 2021, we have extended approximately RM15.2 billion in repayment assistance for loans and financing for all customer segments and have approved close to 100% of these applications. We aim to extend this service further, up to 31 December 2021 and are also conscious of the need to review the potential of granting further extensions, if need be, in light of MCO 3.0.”
AmBank will be proactively engaging with customers via Relationship Managers to extend their trade bills by one cycle in order to further cushion the impact to cash flow.
“We would like to urge customers to reach out to us to discuss repayment assistance and at the same time, the Bank will also continue to engage with our customers especially those in the affected industries,” added Dato’ Sulaiman.
The Repayment Assistance will be extended to all AmBank customers who have experienced loss of employment, B40 who are recipients of the Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) or Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) and any microenterprise (with approved loan/financing facilities of less than RM150,000) as well as SMEs and microenterprises that are not allowed to operate during the MCO (locked-down sectors), with the choice of a payment deferment for three months or a reduction of monthly instalments by 50% for a period of six months.
In addition to this, all individual loan / financing customers who have suffered a reduction in income will be offered a lower monthly instalment payment plan, which corresponds with the reduction in their income.
For customers who are not eligible for any of the abovementioned schemes or would require other forms of assistance, the Bank is also providing repayment assistance which suits the financial needs and circumstances of these customers, as part of its initiative to help alleviate the financial burden of customers in need.
For more information on the repayment assistance, head over to https://www.ambank.com.my/eng/repaymentassistance.
Individuals and businesses in need of Repayment Assistance may contact AmBank at:
For Individual Customers:
- 03-2178 8888 (Operational daily from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.); or
- 03-2054 6688 (Operating hours: Monday to Thursday, from 8.45a.m. to 5.45 p.m. and Friday, from 8.45 a.m. to 4.45 p.m.)
For Business Customers:
- 03-2178 3188 (Operating hours: Monday to Thursday, from 8.45a.m. to 5.45 p.m. and Friday, from 8.45 a.m. to 4.45 p.m.); or
- 03-2054 6688 (Operating hours: Monday to Thursday, from 8.45a.m. to 5.45 p.m. and Friday, from 8.45 a.m. to 4.45 p.m.); or
- Customers may also reach out to their respective Relationship Manager.
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News-Medical.Net Cellulite News Feed
RENU 28 skin gel effectively improves skin elasticity, appearance of cellulite
ASEA, an emerging global leader in cellular health, today announced findings from a skin study conducted by leading dermatological research institute Dermatest. The study showed that RENU 28 skin gel effectively improves the appearance of cellulite as a result of the reduction of the size of adipose lobules. Additionally, the study showed significant improvement in skin elasticity.


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In a blog post written Monday, Walmart aimed to outshine Amazon's upcoming 'Prime Day,' by announcing "rollbacks" on hundreds of items to last throughout the week.
"We’re standing up for our customers and everyone else who sees no rhyme or reason for paying a premium to save," the post read.
Amazon has been advertising a celebration of its 20th birthday on July 15 with "Prime Day," a day of savings promised to be bigger than Black Friday.
Shoppers must be a member of the online retailer's Amazon Prime program to participate. Free trial memberships are being encouraged at amazon.com/primeday.
Walmart countered the Amazon hype promising its own "atomic deals," which are to be announced later this week.


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When the General Motors Holden factory closes at Elizabeth in October, an Australian icon will no longer be made here. But the Holden has been remade through art.
The world's landfills are growing, which has prompted the search for new industrial processes that can use everyday waste items in some surprising ways.
We tend to throw away broken things, but the Japanese art of kintsugi – repairing broken ceramics with gold and silver – can give us a different perspective on waste.
Ten years ago, the English Potteries looked to be breathing their last. Their reinvention should bring hope to struggling manufacturing bases everywhere.


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It's been a rough time for the official fuel economy figures for the Ford C-Max Hybrid. When the car was released in 2012, Ford made a huge deal about how it would beat the Toyota Prius V, which was rated at 42 combined miles per gallon, 44 city and 40 highway. The Ford? 47 mpg across the board.
2013 Ford C Max Hybrid
Ford will be voluntarily recalling 23,830 Focus Electric and C-Max Hybrid and Energi models equipped with push-button ignition, according to The Detroit News. Why? Because the cars don't make a noise when the driver's door is open, and are therefore in violation of federal regulations. It's not as silly as Honda's badging recall that isn't a recall, but it's close.
Despite the ballyhoo that accompanied Ford's lowering of the C-Max fuel economy figures, the Blue Oval is still seeing strong demand for the five-seat MPV, as Automotive News reports. Speaking to marketing boss Jim Farley, AN says that the controversy surrounding the C-Max's fuel economy figures won't force Ford to change its marketing strategy.
Ford is recalling 33,021 units of its 2013 C-Max Hybrid not equipped with optional panoramic roof panels. During testing, the model in question returned testing results for occupant head injuries that fell outside of criteria laid out in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. The issue puts occupants at greater risk of injury in the event of a crash if they are in an affected car.
A California lawsuit over the fuel economy claims for the 2013 Ford C-Max was first reported back in December. Based on the numerous reports we've heard of disgruntled owners failing to get their car's EPA fuel economy ratings on the C-Max and 2013 Fusion Hybrid, we suspected there would be more to this story. The Detroit News is reporting that two California law firms are combining their lawsuits against Ford on this matter for "false and misleading" claims.
The grain of salt one should take this post with is that Wayne Gerdes is just one man, and that his personal test results may not be applicable to everyone. Still, Gerdes is well-known in the green car community – his Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption in a hybrid and his position as owner of CleanMPG are just two good reasons – so when he and his crew tested a Ford C-Max Hybrid, the results are worth paying attention to. Turns out, they couldn't get anywhere near the
The Environmental Protection Agency has said it "will look at the report and data" from Consumer Reports indicating that the 2013 Ford C-Max and Fusion hybrids don't come close to achieving their fuel economy estimates of 47 miles per gallon. In CR testing, the C-Max Hybrid averaged 37 mpg; the Fusion Hybrid averaged 39.
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SDW 2015 – Exhibition sold out and exceeding all expectations
SDW 2015 Conference and Exhibition, 9-11 June 2015
Pangbourne, UK, 15 December 2014
- SDW 2015 Exhibition sold out, more than six months ahead of the show;
- 105 companies on the exhibition floor and waiting list is in operation;
- Launch of Government Select scheme to attract high-ranking government attendees to the event;
- Delegate and visitor registration booking now live, including special deals for government delegates;
SDW 2015 exhibition floor sold out
With still more than six months to go to the show, the SDW Exhibition has completely sold out, beating all previous records for the event. Some 105 companies have signed up to participate at the event, which focuses on next-generation human identity and secure credential solutions. An exhibition waiting list is now in operation.
A full list of exhibiting companies can be viewed at: www.sdw2015.com/exhibitors
Mark Lockie, Managing Director of Science Media Partners and Director of SDW 2015 commented: "We are immensely proud to have sold out our exhibition more than six months before the event starts. We believe this reflects the strong reputation that SDW has built up over the past nine years to become the number one international event for all those seeking next-generation citizen and government ID solutions."
Entry to the exhibition is free to registered visitors, and all visitors pre-registering before 01 May 2015 will be upgraded to Visitor Plus+ status and the chance to win a free delegate pass to SDW 2015.
Pre-registration can be completed at: http://www.sdw2015.com/visitor-registration
Conference initiatives and launch of Government Select Scheme
The SDW event (and the associated DocEx seminar series) has a demonstrable record in attracting a wide international audience, with a special emphasis on government participants. More than 1,600 attendees from 65 nations joined the 2014 event, with 66% of participants travelling from outside the UK. An impressive 16% of attendees represented government and/or law-enforcement organisations, comprising more than 250 individuals from 30 countries.
Recognizing the special significance that government involvement plays in the event, SDW 2015 today announces the launch of its Government Select scheme to increase further the number of high-ranking government officials participating in the event.
Mark Lockie, SDW 2015 Director, commented: "We are delighted to announce today the establishment of our Government Select scheme, which will see us investing a significant capital
resource into being able to invite hand-selected, high-ranking government officials from across the world to attend the event. We anticipate that this will boost our already-strong government presence and deliver an unparalleled audience to the event."
Senior-level government officials interested in participating in this scheme should contact Mark Lockie (
Conference registrations now being accepted
Registration for the SDW 2015 conference is now open, with Science Media Partner's novel limited-availability, stepped pricing policy in operation once again. Delegates booking early can access the lowest rates – currently at £450 +VAT for a full 3-day ticket – less than 40% of the standard conference fee. This price is for any category of participant, government or otherwise, but there is limited availability.
In keeping with the emphasis on attracting participants from government departments, the rate for government attendees from Asia, Africa and Latin America is set at just £399 +VAT, which includes access to the entire three day event, including the conference and exhibition.
Government attendees from other world regions can register for £499 +VAT (Rate expires 20th February 2015). Plus, for every two standard government places booked, the second is at half price.
Delegates can register online at: www.sdw2015.com/delegate-booking
About Science Media Partners Ltd
Science Media Partners is an innovative British publishing and events company based in Pangbourne, Berkshire. Its ethos is to provide exceptional events and editorial products with an emphasis on value and building long-term industry partnerships. Science Media Partners is the owner of the SDW Conference and Exhibition, as well as the connect:ID event in Washington, DC.
For further information, contact Mark Lockie, Managing Director, Science Media Partners Ltd, Tel: +44 (0)118 9844932, or email:


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Windows 10 May Update is becoming more precise
Microsoft has experienced some setbacks with the latest major updates of Windows 10. However, remember, last November, the Redmond firm made a commitment to improve the quality of new versions of Windows and the update process. Unfortunately, things have been getting worse in recent months: the October update has literally been abandoned and the April update has been postponed to May.
Windows 10 May Update downloadable via the media creation tool?
The next Windows update is almost ready. Microsoft wants to avoid a new fiasco and has decided to delay its release to fix any bugs that may impact users. The update has therefore been made available to the most curious and courageous users via the slow channel normally dedicated to Windows 10 Preview. This method requires the creation of an Insider account (free).
The Italian site HTNovo.net has located the new version of Media Creation Toolkit. This software is none other than the Windows 10 in-house update tool for creating ISO installation files. Nevertheless, despite the first information announced by this site, the proposed ISO file does not correspond to Windows 10 1903 (May Update).
As you can see on this screenshot, the ISO file created with MediaCreationTool1903.exe corresponds to Windows 10 version 17763.379 (1809) and not to version 1903. It will therefore take a few more weeks before the update can be downloaded.
To learn more about Windows 10 installation methods, see the following article:
The different methods to install the latest version of Windows 10
Author : Nicolas JJE
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Benetton says ciao to another store
Italian clothing company Benetton is quietly looking to unload its Benetton store at 120 Seventh Ave. in Chelsea, as it ends its corporate ownership of retail shops in New York City. In the past six months, the firm has shut its stores at 2308 Broadway, 666 Third Ave. and 555 Broadway. A spokesman for Benetton's Manhattan-based U.S. operation says the company remains committed to retailing, but primarily through licensees. The company has four locations in Manhattan operated by licensee IK Retail Group, based in Washington, D.C.
Hotel changes name, plans a makeover
Clarion Hotel Fifth Avenue has changed its name to Hotel 5A and is planning a $3 million renovation of the bedding, window treatments and other soft goods in its 189 rooms early next year. Owned by ING Realty and managed by Tishman Hotel Corp., the 14-year-old property has dropped the Clarion name to become an independent hotel. The change will allow it to go after a higher-end market, says General Manager Brett Deckard. The current $225 room rate will probably rise to $250.
Best place to work on Wall Street
Based on employees' ratings, Jefferies & Co. is the best place to work on Wall Street, according to an annual poll by InstitutionalInvestor.com. Jefferies scored 3.87 out of a possible 5. American Technology Research came in second with 3.76 points. Deutsche Bank ranked third with 3.63 points, a sharp move up from its 11th-place finish in 2003. Employees rated their firms in 28 categories, including day care, travel policies, compensation and respect for employees' ideas.
Atlanta law firm opening NY office
Kilpatrick Stockton, a 470-lawyer, Atlanta-based firm, will break into the New York legal market this September with an office on Third Avenue. The office will concentrate first on intellectual property cases and then expand during the fall into corporate litigation, finance and real estate work. The firm has poached Simmons & Simmons intellectual property partner Christopher Woods to help launch the office. Mr. Woods will also focus on generating business from Europe and Asia.
Software developer gets new financing
Manhattan software developer MetaMatrix Inc. received $12 million in a sixth round of funding led by Integral Capital Partners and including existing investors Artal Services and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The new financing brings total outside investment to $42.2 million since MetaMatrix was launched in 1998. The company, which makes software that integrates information from different units of a large company, plans to use the funds for sales and marketing. MetaMatrix has revenues of less than $20 million and has just reached its breakeven point.
Furnishings maker remains at home
Home furnishings manufacturer CHF Industries Inc. renewed its 54,000-square-foot lease at 1 Park Ave., between East 32nd and East 33rd streets. Studley represented CHF; the building's owner, SL Green Realty Corp., represented itself in the deal. The building's asking rents average $39 a square foot.
Rangel goes online to oust Rumsfeld
Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel began fighting on a new front last week to impeach Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Mr. Rangel sent an e-mail to a list of supporters on Thursday evening, and by midday Friday, more than 1,500 people had signed an online petition seeking Mr. Rumsfeld's ouster. In May, Mr. Rangel introduced articles of impeachment in Congress. The petition Web site, www.stoprumsfeld.com, was launched in mid-July, but last week was the first time Mr. Rangel notified his supporters that it existed. The notice followed two new reports on the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.
New room assignment for Dept. of Education
The U.S. Department of Education signed a 15-year lease to relocate to a 70,000-square-foot office at 1 Financial Square. Cushman & Wakefield Inc. represented the building's owner, the Paramount Group. The Department of Education represented itself, with help from Lansco Corp. The building's asking rents average $37 a square foot. The agency currently has offices at 75 Park Place.
Midwestern law firm sets up in the East
Kansas City, MO.-based law firm Lathrop & Gage has launched a New York office, its first, staffed by seven defectors from the intellectual property practice of Duane Morris.


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Xbox One To Launch in 29 New Markets Throughout September
One small step for the Xbox One, one giant leap for Microsoft.
The Xbox One is set to launch in 29 new markets through September, attempting to even the playing field between its rival the PlayStation 4.
As the PlayStation 4 is available in 72 countries worldwide, currently the Xbox One is only available in 13. Do the math, that’s a wide gap between the availability of each system.
However, the Xbox One will soon be available in some major markets, all of which are listed below with their respective release dates:
- September 2 - Chile and Colombia
- September 4 - Japan
- September 5 - Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates
- September 15 - Israel
- September 23 - Hong Kong, India, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, China
- September 26 – Russia
Although there is no release date, Microsoft said they do plan to release the Xbox One in Argentina before the end of 2014 as well.
So what does this mean for the future of the Xbox One?
Well, when September ends the Xbox One will be available in 41 countries.
However, the future isn’t all that bright for the Xbox One. Sony has confirmed the sale of 10 million units at their Gamescom 2014 press conference in Cologne, Germany. All the while Microsoft has only confirmed the shipping (not sale) of 5 million units currently.
On the flip side, since its $100 price drop in June the Xbox One’s sales have “doubled” according to Microsoft. Will this console war continue to be one sided? Only time will tell.


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The Japanese luxury automaker has confirmed standard specification for its upcoming GX, but no prices… yet
It’ll be the first time that the GX has been made available in Australia, offering both five- and seven-seat layouts with three grades to choose from.
The GX in Australia will include the GX 550 Luxury, the GX Sports Luxury and the GX 550 Overtrail flagship.
Power will come from a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine that produces 260kW/650Nm and will be available in all grades. This engine is paired in the GX with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Based on the GA-F ladder frame architecture, the GX’s all-terrain credentials are anchored by full-time all-wheel drive, a centre locking differential and a low-range transfer case.
The Japanese luxury arm has said that the GX is due in Australia around the middle of 2024, with local pricing yet to be announced.
The base Luxury spec has been confirmed to receive:
The Sport Luxury GX adds to this base specification with:
The Overtrail grade adds off-road flare with:
Toyota says it will charge Australians more under new emissions scheme in break from American position
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Lexus GX specifications revealed for Australia! Toyota Prado sibling reported to have 3.5-tonne towing, three-grade lineup


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|Day's Range||33.855 - 33.855|
|52 Week Range||28.690 - 33.990|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
Even Apple doesn't like to overpay.
Major Asia-Pacific stock markets turned lower Thursday, with a decline for the Shanghai Composite led by financial shares.
TOKYO (AP) — Toshiba Corp. has chosen a U.S.-Japan consortium as the preferred bidder in the sale of its lucrative memory chip business. The troubled Japanese electronics giant has had deep recent losses and has been selling pieces of its operations to ensure its survival.


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Only a couple of months ago, Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, announced that Xiaomi would launch more than ten 5G phones in 2020. However, today, the CEO made a new statement. He said that all Xiaomi phones over CNY2,000 (roughly $285/€258/£221) would come with 5G support.
Jun said this during a keynote speech that was part of the annual China Mobile Global Partner Conference. He delivered the speech in Guangzhou, China.
According to the carrier’s Chairman, Yang Jie, the company has plans to add 70 million 5G users in 2020. In addition to this, Xiaomi also plans to expand the 5G application to more than 100 industries.
Currently, Xiaomi has only a couple of smartphones that support 5G. We have the Mi 9 Pro 5G (exclusive to China) and the Mi Mix 3 5G. There is also the Mi Mix Alpha (pretty much a prototype right now).
If Xiaomi’s plan is anything to go by, then we will likely get a 5G variant of the next Black Shark gaming smartphone. The company recently released the Black Shark 2 Pro with Snapdragon 855+ and 12GB RAM. A 5G smartphone with such features or even better will likely be well received.


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Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has agreed to divest major portions of its chemical industrial products business unit to fellow Japanese companies Nitta Corp. and Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. for undisclosed sums.
Among the businesses being divested are components for railway cars, industrial rubber products, hoses, waterproof materials, rigid polyurethane products, etc.
Toyo stressed that the seismic isolation rubber business — which was involved in a series of fraudulent business transactions over the past several years that resulted in tens of millions of dollars in losses for Toyo — is not part of the sale.
Neither Toyo nor Nitta disclosed financial details of the deals, which involve the creation of a new stock companies involving Toyo Chemical & Industrial Products Co. Ltd. and Soflan Wiz Co. Ltd., Toyo subsidiaries.
The Nitta deal involves six factories — three in Japan, two in China and one in Thailand.
Toyo did not disclose the scale of sales the businesses being divested represent.
Toyo said the divestitures are related to a business review process started earlier this year. Toyo said it evaluated and reassessed each business from various perspectives, including market growth potential and business continuity, and determined the best course of action to enhance the value of each business.
That led to Toyo’s concluding it would be best for the businesses now targeted for divestment to “pursue future opportunities under the ownership of a well-established company that possesses profound knowledge of a similar business segment, and has the necessary infrastructure to promote the business.”
By Bruce Davis
Source: Tire Business
The deal includes the 600kt Acetic Acid plant and all associated third party activities on the site. Eastman and INEOS have also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore options for a long-term supply agreement for vinyl acetate monomer.
The Supervisory Board of Borealis has accepted the decision of Lucrèce Foufopoulos-De Ridder, EVP Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Innovation & Technology to step down from her executive position at Borealis, and the Board of Borouge Pte effective 31 December 2023 to pursue other career opportunities.
Sidel has launched a new 100% rPET bottle base, StarLiteR, aiming to help carbonated soft drink (CSD) packaging producers embrace material circularity. StarLiteR allows CDS producers to switch to rPET bottle production easily and efficiently, while significantly reducing the impact on product quality or packaging integrity.


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The iPad Pro and iPhone 6 release dates will come soon and Apple is set to kill iPad 2, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5C this year.
Apple Insider has reported that Apple intended to take iPad 2 off the market this year. iPad 2 has been in the market for three years and it is almost time to remove the ancient tablet from store shelves.
One of the reasons why Apple will remove the tablet is because an iPad Pro is coming and will replace the current iPad Air. iPad Air will receive a discount once a new tablet will arrive.
Another reason why the iPad 2 will be removed from the market is due to poor sales. Consumers looking for a tablet at a slightly lower price point have begun shifting to iPad Mini with Retina display. This is the main reason the shipment of iPad 2 has decreased.
Digital Spy also reported that Apple will pack away iPhone 5C as the company will revamp the iPhone 5S and will make a cheaper version of the said smartphone. Moreover, the Cupertino-based company will launch two models of the iPhone 6 this year, one with a 4.7-inch screen and the other featuring a larger 5.5-inch display.
The iPhone 5C will also be axed as the low cost handset did not meet the expectations of Apple and the consumers. The low cost iPhone 5C was introduced and released last Sep. 2013. However, reports said that the response on the handset in terms of sales was not what Apple was expecting from the device.
Apple already cut down the production of iPhone 5C due to poor sales late last year. Furthermore, Apple gave deals and discounts on the handset many times despite the fact that it was released last September.
In addition, iPhone 4S may also be out of the view since Apple usually sell three versions of its devices in its online store. Thus, we can assume that Apple's iPhone line up for this year is consisted of iPhone 6 with 4.7 inch screen, iPhone 6 with 5.5 inch screen and iPhone 5S. However, Apple has not confirmed these rumours yet.
According to rumours, iPhone 6 will pack a larger screen display within the range of 4.8 to 6 inches, A8 processor, and iOS 8. Moreover, it may retain some of iPhone 5S' new features like the M7 graphics chip and the fingerprint sensor.
The iPhone 6 release date is speculated to take place at the Worldwide Developers' Conference in June, which is the original launch date of Apple's iPhone. However, the handset may also be released in September.


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international.gc.ca for details.
Biolase Inc., a dental laser maker based in Irvine, can now sell its Epic product in Canada. The company, which already sells other devices in Canada, received a license from the Health Canada-Medical Device Bureau to sell its newest generation of dental laser technology. The Epic cuts soft tissue and can be used for pain therapy and to whiten teeth.
Emerald Expositions Inc., a trade show operator in San Juan Capistrano, agreed to acquire George Little Management LLC, a trade show organizer based in White Plains, N.Y., from Providence Equity Partners for $335 million. The transaction is expected to close this month. Funding comes from $200 million of debt and a $140 million equity investment from Onex Partners III, which acquired Emerald in June.
Three people who work at the Irvine office of e-commerce giant Amazon.com were awarded a patent for a software development kit that lets programmers create one mobile application that works on Google's Android phones and tablets as well as Apple's iOS products such as the iPhone and iPad. Currently, software makers have to create separate versions of applications if they want them to work on both operating systems.
Taylor Morrison Home Corp. broke ground on a recreation center for residents of the Palisades at Vista Del Verde community of new homes in Yorba Linda. It will include a yoga room, kitchen, TV lounge, and heated pool and spa. The center is expected to open in summer.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County, a Santa Ana nonprofit that provides free or low-cost personal financial management programs to O.C. residents, added three members to its board of directors. Wendy Munua is assistant vice president and premier banking manager at the Anaheim branch of California United Bank. Gary Stine is director of support services at the Orange County Department of Education. George Teats leads his CPA firm in Santa Ana.
"You can always go back to doing what's safe. These windows of opportunity open up. It's almost like you have to take them." - Heidi Golledge, talking with Forbes about giving up running a small financial service firm to cofound the Irvine-based CyberCoders recruiting firm in 1999.
Contact the writer: 714-796-3589 or email@example.com


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On Watch What Happens Live yesterday, Jan. 6, ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star Brandi Glanville totally freaked out and threw a glass of wine at fellow guest/Bravolebrity Jeff Lewis for making a joke about STDs!
When host Andy Cohen asked Brandi, 42, to run her hands through Jeff’s hair to prove he wasn’t wearing a toupee, the ‘Flipping Out’ star quipped, “Could I get an STD from that?”
READ MORE: 7 Times Brandi Glanville Has Taken It Too Far
While she didn’t react at first, she did explain her frustrations to Jeff after the commercial break.
“Before I do this I have something to say to Jeff about the whole, ‘Can you get an STD from me putting my hands through his hair,’” she told Andy. “As long as you wet it —“ she said while chucking the contents of her wine glass at him. “I think you’ll be fine.”
Brandi breaks down on ‘WWHL.’ Photo courtesy of Getty.
Her reaction to the comment shouldn’t come as a surprise — as it’s understandably a touchy subject considering Brandi claimed in her book she got an STD from her ex-husband.
Jeff apologized for his remarks, explaining it was all just a joke. And even though her tears on air would’ve suggested otherwise, Brandi has now claimed to be in on it as well.
RELATED: Brandi Glanville Slams Tori Spelling, All Cheaters Everywhere
“People, Jeff and I were joking! We are good friends! I turned around because I couldn’t stop laughing and we wanted to fool Andy,” she tweeted last night. “It was just jokes for Andy’s sake although Jeff might’ve deserved it. It was a PRANK!”


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Vampirism at its Finest
It’s almost time to experience the world of vampires like never before. The foundations are being laid out. The crypts are preparing to open on a whole new world. Today, Stunlock Studios revealed that they are releasing major updates for their hit MMORPG, V Rising, ahead of the game’s full release. Leaving Early Access in early 2024, the game is an ever-expanding MMO experience that allows players to take on the role of vampires. A new blog post provides details on the preliminary updates to the official release. Additionally, a press release gives more information on a new realm coming soon.
V Rising can look forward to a vast amount of changes coming in the near future. The vampire MMO is preparing for the full launch of the game with some of the largest updates in its history. For instance, players can expect live events, revamped spell mechanics, and enhanced character customization are all on the horizon. Additionally, the team at Stunlock has been building up the foundations of the game, improving the experimental engine just in time for the release of a new area to the map. This area is full of icy mountains, new weapons, enemies, and a formidable challenge.
“Prepare for the zenith of your Vampire saga! We’re crafting an experience that feels like the grand finale of an age-old legend, and naturally, such a grand tale requires a grander stage,” Says the blog post.
Importantly, the updates are looking to expand the game. Of course, this means new cosmetics, new additions to the world of the game, and more. Interestingly, this is nothing new to V Rising. Considering the release of Secrets of Gloomrot earlier this year.
V Rising is out now on Steam Early Access. The game is launching in early 2024.


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Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate’s flagship project Dubai Festival City has opened part of its new expansion at the Festival Square.
The new expansion includes a completely re-designed main atrium, Festival Square and new stores representing some of the world’s most prominent fashion brands and 22 new F&B brands overlooking the creek that will enhance the shopping experience of the mall’s customers.
In June this year, five new stores including Jashanmal, Iconic, Kipling, Cinnabon and Annabelle joined the 25 brands that were opened at the mall a month earlier. According to the plan, upon the completion of its expansion programme by 2016, the mall will have a total of 420 stores.
“Many regional and international retailers have committed a growing number of stores to Dubai Festival City Mall as they are aspiring to expand their retail network alongside our unique waterfront location on the banks of Dubai’s historic Creek,” says Brad Merchant, general manager of the mall.
Amongst the new brands that are part of the expansion between now and 2016 include Massimo Dutti, Dani by Dani K, Kate Spade, Paul, Eataly, The Cheescake Factory, Serendipity 3, Magnolia Bakery, Sandro, Maje, DVF, Mint Velvet and Zadig & Voltaire.
“We have already opened world’s largest Aldo store in the mall, in addition, we will be housing a new anchor department store brand and family entertainment centre,” adds Merchant.
The F&B outlets and the all-weather waterfront will be a unique differentiator to the mall. Once opened to the public early next year, the 300-metre-long waterfront promenade will feature more than 20 waterfront restaurants overlooking the creek and 50,000 sqft plaza submerged in water. More dining options will be available at the indoor food court, which has undergone a radical makeover.
Saudi-based Al Othaim Group’s ‘FabyLand’, a 70,000 sqft family entertainment centre will feature a wide array of thrilling rides, many other attractions for teenagers and adults alike, including My Town, a new concept that combines entertainment with physical activities for children and toddlers.
Majid Al Futtaim has made significant strides toward environmental, social, and corporateJuly 5, 2022 | By RetailME Bureau
Consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders of fashion retail are at aMay 11, 2022 | By Zubina Ahmed
Walmart announced this week that it will offer Paramount Global’s streaming service
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GMG, a global well-being company retailing, distributing, and manufacturing a portfolio of leading
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LEGO Certified Stores – owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim together
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Shopping while earning money or getting returns from a part of your
The global online fashion market is now a $500 billion industry, with
Apparel Group expanded its footprint in Qatar, with the launch of 20
As consumers are becoming more aware of the impact of cosmetic ingredients


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Total sales growth in July was up 2.6%, compared to the previous year but like-for-like sales, which exclude new stores, rose only 0.5%
In the three months from May to July, most of the sales growth came from food sales, which were up 4% while non-food sales growth was only 2.3%. Several sectors saw a fall in sales growth.
Clothing sales were boosted by end of summer clearance sales while homewares suffered and big-ticket items were impacted as shoppers focussed on essentials as public spending cuts and job security caused uncertainty.
Declining consumer confidence even hit online sales, which showed the slowest growth for almost a year, up 11.3% than a year earlier.
Stephen Robertson, British Retail Consortium director general, says: “These are poor results for non-food retailing. The benefit from sunny weather receded as it turned cooler and wetter in parts of the country, while the World Cup boost ended. But the overriding factor is consumer confidence – it’s fallen recently, though people are still more confident than this time last year.”


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"Not all change is good, but all change is change," said Chuck Ewert, keynote speaker for the New Mexico Chamber Executive Association conference in Ruidoso this week.
Ewer, who has been a faculty member of the Institute for Organization Management through the United States Chamber of Commerce since 1991, has been in the chamber world since 1979. He has been involved in economic development and organization management and has served as the chief executive officer for chambers of commerce in South Carolina and North Carolina.
Ewert talked about the rapid rates of change in the world and how chambers of commerce and businesses don't know what is next, but must embrace whatever it is.
"Change is the only constant," he said. "We will succumb to 'innovator fade-away' if we do not make the appropriate changes."
Every four years, the current population of America, approximately 318 million people, is added to the planet, Ewert said. This has brought the world to 7.256 billion as of Aug. 20. That's almost four times the population in 1930.
Today's world offers an over-abundance of information.
"All of us are being bombarded, on all sides by information," Ewert said.
Individuals are so inundated with information in today's world, businesses have to choose the information they get out to their customers, he said. Like too much food at once, too much information or data is not easily ingested, much less digested.
"I receive about 150 emails daily," Ewert said. "We've got to be very careful about what we put out there. With time being the new currency, you can not afford to pay homage to everyone else's 15 minutes of fame."
Ewert said studies show that newsletters still are valued in the hard-copy form. Many chamber members and business customers prefer to have that physical copy to pick up from time to time.
"A vast majority look at the pictures," he said.
New Mexico Chamber of Commerce director Terri Cole added that demographics mean a lot when looking at who reads newsletters. The younger groups tend to like their information electronically and the older set sometimes prefers the hard copies of reading materials.
"I want to touch all the senses that people have," said Scott Terry, Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce president.
"With an overabundance of choices, how do you choose (how to get the message out)?" Ewert asked. "There are more than 1,250 varieties of shampoo in the marketplace, there are more than 6,000 books published in print and electronically daily."
Today technology rules, Ewert said, so how should chambers move forward into the future?
For one thing, entrepreneur development through the chambers of commerce is essential to serve the people in the future, he said.
"Of all the new jobs created between now and 2016, 50 percent are not on the drawing board at this point," Ewert said. "Ten percent will require no skills; 20 percent will require a traditional degree; and 70 percent will require technical training."
There is no avoiding change, he said. Economic development is going to change.
"When it comes to economic gardening," he said. "We have to focus on growing our own."
As a leader in the community, one of the most important things to do is help others learn how to effectively establish a planning process, Ewert said. Consciously and systematically establishing goals and objectives can dramatically help improve an organization ... and a life.
"Change equals opportunity," Ewert said. "We have to look at how the economic challenges and changes provide us with opportunities."
Some of those challenges include new business start-ups and franchising are increasing, the availability of high quality talent and balancing life with work.
"When things change, we must change," he said. "Enjoy the journey. There is a lesson to be learned from every change."


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More than 100 game fans queued before 7 a.m. this morning outside a store in Tokyo’s Shibuya shopping district, awaiting the release of Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Vita.
“I can’t wait to open the box and play,” said Fumito Ito, 23, who was among the first to purchase the new game device. “I look forward to playing against others.”
Sony aims to revitalize its game business and lure consumers increasingly turning to Apple Inc.’s iPhones for entertainment. Success with Vita is critical for Sony in a gaming landscape reshaped by price cuts from larger Nintendo Co. and the growing popularity of Rovio Mobile Oy’s “Angry Birds” on smartphones, analysts said.
“Serious gamers may bolster Vita demand in the beginning, but what Sony needs is casual gamers to sustain sales,” said Satoru Kikuchi, a Tokyo-based analyst at Deutsche Bank AG. “Sony may need to cut the price as early as next year to keep attracting buyers. It’s a difficult time for console makers.”
Profit from the new portable console also is key to Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer’s efforts to offset a slumping TV business that’s put the world’s No. 2 video-game maker on course for a fourth straight annual loss.
“The ultimate portable entertainment device is now available,” Executive Deputy President Kazuo Hirai said today at a press conference. “We would like to introduce a new way of gaming.”
A Wi-Fi version of the Vita, the first major overhaul of the handheld since the PlayStation Portable went on sale in 2004, costs 24,900 yen ($319 in Japan), while the 3G model costs 29,980 yen.
The device, with a 5-inch display using OLED, or organic light-emitting diode, technology and touch pads, already sold out in pre-ordering in Japan, said Andrew House, chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment.
“There were lines to make reservations for the machine at retailers,” House told reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 15. He declined to provide sales figures.
House’s comments came the same day Sony, Japan’s biggest consumer-electronics exporter, had its rating cut to one level above junk by Fitch Ratings, which cited difficulties reviving the TV business and deals that won’t improve profit.
Tadayoshi Sugaya, who cooks pasta dishes at an Italian restaurant in Tokyo, wasn’t among the Vita’s customers.
“I’m happy playing games on my smartphone,” said the 39-year-old chef, who uses Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy model to play mahjong and other games. “I don’t see much need to buy a game player.”
The Consumer Products and Services Group -- Sony’s biggest by revenue and maker of TVs, games and cameras -- had a loss of 34.6 billion yen in the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with a loss of 35.5 billion yen a year earlier.
Sony rose 1.1 percent to 1,360 yen at the close in Tokyo trading. The stock has declined 54 percent this year, while the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average has lost 18 percent.
Reviving demand is important to help Tokyo-based Sony recover from its worst hacker attacks in April, when intruders compromised more than 100 million customer accounts in the second-largest online data breach in U.S. history. Sony suspended those services until July and budgeted 14 billion yen in costs this year.
The device will miss this year’s shopping season in the U.S., where it will debut in February and is priced at $249.99 for the Wi-Fi version and $299.99 for the 3G model.
That’s more expensive than Nintendo’s competing 3DS after the world’s biggest maker of video-game machines slashed prices of the new 3-D handheld player to as low as $170 because of poor sales. Nintendo sold more than 795,000 of the 3DS portable units last month, the Kyoto, Japan-based company said Dec. 10, citing figures from researcher NPD Group Inc.
Sony has a “very good product” at a “very affordable price” and, therefore, won’t cut prices of the Vita in response to other companies, Hirai said in August.
Sony expects to sell 15 million of the PlayStation 3 consoles this fiscal year, up 4.9 percent from last fiscal year, after the company lowered prices in August.
The Vita is part of Sony’s strategy to link its TVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles and digital cameras via the Internet to movies, music and video games. Sony also is increasing online services, including the PlayStation Suite that allows users to download games on devices running on Google Inc.’s Android software.
There will be 24 titles available when the Vita goes on sale, Sony has said. They include the “Unchartered” adventure game, which costs 4,900 yen to download, and “Everybody’s Golf 6,” priced at 3,900 yen.
By comparison, Nintendo had eight titles when it began selling the 3DS in February. The 3DS allows users to see 3-D images without wearing special glasses.
“The number of titles is truly impressive, so there is no risk that people will wait to buy,” said Michael Pachter, a Los Angeles-based analyst at Wedbush Securities Inc. “The price point is the biggest obstacle.”
The iPod Touch media player, the cheapest Apple device that can download and play games, costs $199 in the U.S. while the iPhone 3GS is free with a wireless contract. Apple sold 17.07 million iPhones and 11.12 million iPad tablet computers, which can also be used to play games, in its fiscal fourth quarter.
In a similar strategy, Sony is consolidating its multimedia devices. In October, the company agreed to buy Ericsson AB’s 50 percent stake in their mobile-phone venture to integrate the smartphone business with its gaming and tablets.
That still won’t entice Ai Takenaka, 28, to buy the Vita because she can get free titles from Apple’s AppStore and Google’s Android Market.
“I like to play simple games with my smartphone because they are all free,” the Tokyo restaurant worker said.


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The Tesla Roadster EV isn’t for everyone. With a price tag of $109,000, only wealthy car nuts could even consider buying the vehicle, and in fact, only 700 cars have been delivered to customers thus far. So is it any surprise that Roadster owners have already begun tweaking the car to make it even more high-class?
Tesla Roadster modifications are a burgeoning business at Al and Ed’s Autosound, a mobile electronics specialist in West Hollywood, California. Elie Rothstein, the owner of the West Hollywood franchise, claims that the inspiration to tweak Teslas came from a Roadster customer who was disappointed with both the quality of the leather interior and the audio options available. So far, Al & Eds is the only company modifying the Roadsters. “Tesla knows and approves,” Rothstein explained. “We’re getting clients from word of mouth in the Tesla community.”
Among the customizations available to Roadster owners are a $7,000 bespoke interior lined with Mercedes-Benz grade black leather and Alcantra, an $8,000 Audiophile Sound System that trumps the weak factory-grade Roadster speakers, $2500 carbon fiber doorsills, $1500 customer-colored OEM wheels, and more. Next up for Al & Eds: customizing the upcoming Tesla Model S and Fisker Karma
This is hardly revolutionary in the world of cars, as loyal viewers of Pimp My Ride undoubtedly know. But customization is new in the EV world, where startups are releasing vehicles that car shops have never seen before. And as EVs become more mainstream, so will tricked-out Teslas with thumping bass systems and spinning rims.
[Al & Eds]


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All You Need To Know Going Into The Second Quarter Earnings Season
Rising prices of crude oil, a depreciating rupee and headwinds due to rising input costs and interest rates weigh on companies as they enter the earnings season.
The Nifty 50 companies will announce results for the quarter ended September soon, with Zee Entertainment Ltd. being the first on Oct. 10. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. will announce their results in the next two days, respectively.
JSW Ltd. was added to Nifty 50 while drugmaker Lupin Ltd. was excluded during the September quarter.
The Nifty members reported an earnings per share of Rs 114 in the June quarter, missing the consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg by 7 percent, largely due to a surprise loss by State Bank of India.
It would had been the best earnings performance by the largecaps in three quarters if not for the unexpected loss by India’s largest state-owned lender. Overall, 38 companies either surpassed or met forecasts in the three-month period ending June, the highest since the quarter ended September last year.
For the second-quarter ended September, analysts estimate the earnings per share of Nifty 50 companies at Rs 129.1.
Edelweiss Securities in its earnings note estimated a 6 percent profit growth for the Nifty 50 companies with a high risk of earnings downgrade for the current fiscal. Prabhudas Lilladhar said in a report that rising crude prices, a depreciating rupee and liquidity crunch can lead to lower growth rates and reduced earnings in the coming quarters.
The brokerages, however, projected the earnings per share of the Nifty companies to grow in high double digits over the next two years against a contraction in the year ended March.
- Rupee will be key to topline growth for information technology and pharmaceutical sectors.
- Rising interest rates can pose a challenge to non-banking financial companies.
- Auto, cement, industrials, telecom and utilities likely to remain weak.
- Retail banks expected to do better than corporate banks.
- Global commodity prices will aid financials of metals and mining stocks.
- Upstream companies will benefit on higher crude prices.
- Delayed festive season and Kerala floods to impact financials of consumer companies.
Here’s a compilation of sector-wise projections made by Edelweiss, Prabhudas Lilladhar, Axis Capital, Kotak Securities and IDBI Capital.
- UPL Ltd. will have a strong Indian business with continuing headwinds in Latin America.
- Higher MSPs along with normal sowing and normal monsoon will aid agro and fertiliser companies.
Auto, Auto Ancillary
- Kerala floods and delayed festive season to dent earnings of auto companies.
- Q2 will be stronger for companies in medium- and heavy-commercial segments.
- Disappointing financials expected from passenger vehicle-focused companies.
- Margin pressure expected to continue for two-wheeler segment.
- Higher input and fuel costs, lack of pricing power to impact earnings.
- Impact of IL&FS issue on banking space will be seen in the quarter-ended December.
- Elevated credit costs and muted treasury gains would dampen earnings of banks.
- State-run banks may continue to disappoint on elevated credit costs.
- Retail-focused private banks are expected to be stable with sustained loan growth.
- NBFCs may report strong numbers but concerns of rising interest costs remain.
- Government spending is without private capex which can dent earnings.
- Sector is already facing issues of shrinking order book and weak execution.
- Weak cement price and higher fuel costs will dent financials.
- Competition and monsoon seasonality will keep prices subdued.
- Road construction companies to report strong financials due to robust order book.
- Rising crude oil prices and a depreciating rupee will dent margins.
- Volume growth likely to be subdued due to a higher base.
- Margin expansion to be hit by rising crude prices and rupee plunge.
- Demand momentum continues with rural sales growth outpacing that in urban areas.
- Strong financials expected due to weaker rupee.
- High-growth digital business and large transformational wins to aid sector.
- Double-digit ad revenue growth expected for TV broadcasters.
- Good box-office performance will aid cinema companies.
- Ferrous companies will post strong numbers due to volume and price uptick.
- Strong commodity prices will aid non-ferrous players in the quarter ended September.
- Upstream companies will continue to benefit from higher crude.
- Higher gas consumption and doubling of LPG prices to aid gas companies.
- Oil marketing companies will face pressure on marketing margins due to crude.
- High base due to GST restocking will dent domestic business growth.
- Weaker rupee expected to aid revenue growth.
- U.S.-focused generics businesses will face competition and pricing pressures.
- Depreciating rupee and higher coal price to dent margins of power companies
- Continued down-trading of average revenue per user will dent financials.
- Exits will dent earnings of mobile tower companies.


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The days when daring acts of blackmail were carried out by dashing young idealists are long gone. During the past few decades, technological developments have significantly changed the security perception of many decision makers, particularly when it comes to threats. Conventional acts of extortion that can be traced to a certain perceptible entity have merged considerably with cybersecurity, thus rendering the identity of the attacker ambiguous.
The global economy today is extremely interconnected, and it is this current reality of cutting-edge technology and vast worldwide economic integration that has changed the face of company safety. Nowadays, the survival of a company is less determined by how much revenue it generates, but by its cyber aptitude. As companies become increasingly cyber based, their exposure to cyber threats grows, and those who do not take necessary precautions to protect themselves from an inevitable hack will be wiped-out by their otherwise prepared competitors.
The scenario is simple; you are a c-level executive of a highly successful company, so successful, you are about to become public within the next few weeks. There you are, happily seated in your suite, gazing out to the city below, when a mysterious message from an anonymous source appears on your screen. You’ve been hacked.
As panic starts to set in, you open the content of the message and realize that an unidentified attacker has hacked your database and now holds all the personal and financial information of your top 100 clients. Not only would this be disastrous for current business activity, but if word gets out, your upcoming IPO is surely to be a catastrophe. In exchange for returning the data and his silence, all the hacker is asking for is one million dollars to be paid in BitCoins, a small price for your multimillion-dollar company. However, you know as well as the next guy that caving in to blackmail never pays, and in any case you need to report this case to the authorities as soon as possible. Or do you?
It is this confusion pertaining to how a company should react in times of cyber blackmail attacks, which necessitates real aid. In the past, we could say that such attacks are not widespread, but nowadays they are prevalent more than ever. Just last Friday it was revealed by Marriott International that hackers had breached its Starwood reservation system and had stolen the personal data of up to 500 million guests. The assault started as far back as 2014, and was one of the largest known thefts of personal records. Though in this case experts suggest that the attackers weren’t looking to sell what they took, the threat is evident.
In Israel, many have tried to deal with this issue. The complexity, novelty and multidisciplinary characteristics of the matter necessitate an encompassing and dynamic supportive structure, which would manage the crisis until a sufficient solution is found. One of such cyber crisis management teams is based at Herzog Fox and Ne’eman law firm, which beyond dealing with legal aspects, incorporates technical specialists and integrates vast experience gained in past events into newfound solutions, which would protect the company’s interests and comply with the law at the same time. Though it is only the beginning of the cyber-attack era, it is definitely not the end, and companies should take every step possible in order to insure that they’re covered.


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What's Happening ARCHIVE
Philpost Celebrates World Post DayOctober 26, 2009 Posted By: admin
[caption id="attachment_569" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="UPU LETTER WRITING WINNER. 3rd prize winner of the UPU letter writing contest 2009 Ms. Joyce Dayrit (3rd, right), 2nd year High School of Mauaque Resettlement High School in Pampanga, visited the Manila Central Post Office to participate in the World Post Day celebration last October 9. With her are Mr. Miguel Rivera Jr. (1st , left)Principal, Mauaque Resettlement High School , Ms. Jocelyn Cacho (2nd, left) of PhilPost Marketing Department and Ms. Estrella Brady, Teacher /coach."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_571" align="alignleft" width="300" caption=""World Post Day" posters are posted throughout the Main Post Office Building in Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_572" align="alignleft" width="300" caption=""World Post Day" poster at the Information Desk in the lobby of the Main P.O. Building."][/caption] The Philippine Postal Corporation joined the worldwide celebration of the World Post Day last 09 October 2009. In line with the annual celebration, a Universal Postal Union (UPU) Letter Writing contest will soon be launched anew by Philpost which will run from October 2009 to June 2010. The said contest will tackle AIDS awareness and is open to all elementary and high school students including out-of-school youths nationwide. The awarding of winners will be on October 9, 2010 or during next year's World Post Day celebrations. The World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. Since then, countries across the world participate annually in the celebrations. The Posts in many countries use the event to introduce or promote new postal products and services. In most countries philatelic exhibitions are organized during this period and special stamps and date cancellation marks are issued on 9 October. Other activities include the display of World Post Day posters in post offices and other public places; open days at post offices, mail centers and postal museums; the holding of conferences, seminars and workshops; as well as cultural, sport and other recreation activities. A World Post Day message from the Director General of the Universal Postal Union is sent each year to all Posts, read during celebrations and published in the media. The UPU, for the past 35 years, had organized an International Letter-Writing Competition for young people. Most participating Posts use World Post Day to award prizes to the winners of the competition.


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Hover Automotive India (HAI) Nissan India’s former sales and distribution partner is now winding up operations after Nissan officially terminated the partnership two months ago. As the future of the company looks weak, Hover has conveyed to its 180 employees to start looking out for jobs and have been put on a three months notice without pay. Six years after Nissan and Hover formed an alliance; the termination of the partnership came after Hover provided far from satisfactory sales and services to the customers of Nissan.
The termination didn’t go down well with Hover, who immediately issued a public notice terming Nissan’s action as “invalid” and “ineffective”. The company filed for for an interim and emergency relief against Nissan Motor Co. Ltd at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. But, following the proceedings, Hover lost the arbitration as well. The company can surely foresee its future without business coming in from Nissan. Moreover, the concept of a master franchisee has not really worked in the country, and Hover proves to be a prime example.
Troubled times brewed up on Hover after dealers and customers voiced their opinion over poor sales and service from the company. Moreover, Hover was just adding another layer of margin that certainly did not bring any help in the falling sales of Nissan. Nissan’s displeasure was evident when the company announced that the ambitious Datsun brand will be marketed and distributed by the Japanese automaker itself.
Nissan which received rave reviews for the Datsun GO hatchback is now concentrating on improving the sales and service network for its products. The company managed to sell 38,217 units of its products last year, up from 36,975 units sold in the previous year. For Hover Automotive, it seems the end of the road, as the company too is pretty sure of what the outcome will be in the court after the legal proceedings come to an end after 2-3 months.
Source – Livemint


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Californians who want to cash in on a Microsoft court settlement have limited time left to file their claims, although the deadline is a moving target. The original deadline for California consumers and businesses to file paperwork for their share of a $1.1 billion settlement was March 15. But a delayed court hearing has already pushed that deadline to April 29, and future hearings could delay it even further.
The delay gives consumers and businesses much-needed time to file their claims, says Howard Yellen, founder of the Settlement Recovery Center, a San Francisco-based company designed to help businesses file claims. Yellen, a lawyer and entrepreneur, founded the SRC after receiving a notice of the settlement in the mail.
"I got this piece of mail, basically it looked like a computer generated piece of junk mail," he says. "What occurred to me was A, there was a lot of money involved in this. For individuals, there was a decent amount, but for businesses, a huge amount. And B, I realized that people would not be able to figure this out. People would not act on this."
View: The full story
News source: PCWorld
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The "PV" stamp is back.
A fast-fingered thief made off with customer reward cards and drink stamp of Pura Vida Shaved Ice a week ago, but co-owner Jenna Harvey said it was returned Wednesday morning.
"Somebody taped it to an envelope to our door, and it said 'Sorry.' " Harvey said. "Honesty finally prevailed."
Honesty got a little nudge from a Pura Vida Facebook posting of the pictures from a video of the theft taken at 4:45 p.m. July 16, Harvey said. She won't forget the date, the first day back for Harvey and Pura Vida partner Ryan Woods after getting married.
The newlyweds had customers call with the thief's name and information, but could not get Modesto Police to arrest the man.
Losing a $60 custom stamp, a stack of paper cards and money from the "tips" jar rates as petty theft, said Modesto police Sgt. Rick Applegate. After days have passed, police can issue a citation but not physically arrest a suspect, he said, and against the assaults, robberies and even homicides police also needed to solve, the free smoothies caper got little traction.
"Unfortunately this is a misdemeanor and we are doing the best with the limited resources we have. Sometimes these crimes don't get the attention they need simply because we don't have the resources," Applegate said.
But without the stamp, the business was over a barrel, Harvey said, unable to honor the 5,000-20,000 customer cards in circulation. The tenth shaved ice, expresso drink or smoothie is free, up to a $5.60 value, Harvey said.
Even with stamp in hand, the estimated 50 cards gone means up to $280 in drinks still might be going to a thief and his friends, but that's a risk she said they're willing to swallow.


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Basepoint Tilbury held a 'Red Nose Day' coffee morning for Comic Relief last week.
The British Small Business Awards aim to celebrate and bring attention to the UK’s small business sector. The purpose of this awards scheme is to give recognition to outstanding sole traders, micro businesses and small companies in the United Kingdom.
The Mayor of London and Christian Brodie, Chairman of SELEP, have unveiled a bold vision to transform the Thames Estuary into a hub for the creative and cultural industries.
Last week Basepoint Tilbury held its first Networking Hub of 2017.
Serviced meeting rooms, conference and training facilities are conveniently located across Basepoint’s network of business centres in the South, Midlands, East of England and Wales.


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Rumors of a metal-clad lineup of Samsung smartphones – or a single phone – have been surfacing by the dozens ahead of a supposed mid-August launch. While concrete details regarding display resolution and size are sparse, it is agreed that the body of this device will be at least partially made out of metal. The timing of this launch makes no attempt at hiding the fact that this move is targeted directly at Apple's looming iPhone 6 release. New industry information suggests that the metal case manufacturers who aren't controlled by Apple can only produce 1 million metal bodies a month.
Because there are no metal case producers in Korea, it is believed that Samsung will turn to the Chinese firms. As mentioned above, these firms combined can produce approximately 1 million units per month. With a rumored launch date sometime in August and production that is still in its early stages, it seems likely that the Galaxy Alpha will see a limited number/limited market release much like last years Galaxy Round or Galaxy J.
Rumors about a metal-bodied Galaxy S5 Prime turned out to be off base all year long until they melded with the current reports of the Galaxy Alpha. Thusly, it seems that it might be most prudent to assume that a large-scale metal Samsung phone release is not happening just yet. That said, the past few days have seen an increase in reports claiming that a metal variant of the Galaxy Note 4 will be made widely available, so there may be hope after all.


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NetEnt Signs Deal with Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs plans to enter the New Jersey online gambling market could be advanced by a new deal with NetEnt for online casino games.
NetEnt will deliver its full portfolio of online casino games to Churchill Downs, which has targeted early 2019 for the launch of both an online casino site and an online sports betting site in the state. The company has already announced a partnership with Golden Nugget Atlantic City and tech provider SBTech for the launch.
Erik Nyman, managing director for NetEnt’s Americas business, said in a press release that the addition of its games will become an “important contributor” to growth in online casino for Churchill Downs.
The move also comes after NetEnt promised it was working on deals to reverse a slowdown on the company’s UK-based revenue.
Churchill Downs has also applied for an online gaming license in Pennsylvania.
In another story, Rush Street Interactive—which runs the playsugarhouse.com online casino and sportsbook in New Jersey—has apparently switched its partnership on sports betting from Golden Nugget Atlantic City to Monmouth Park racetrack in Oceanport NJ.
Online casino sites in New Jersey must be partnered with an Atlantic City casino, but online sportsbooks can also be partnered with the two racetracks in the state—including the Meadowlands Racetrack—that have sports books.
Golden Nugget’s sports book cannot accept bets on NBA games under New Jersey regulations as the casino’s owner, Tilman Fertitta owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets. The transfer of playsugarhouse’s sports book to Monmouth Park would presumably allow the site to accept wagers on the NBA.
PlaySugarHouse’s online casino site remains partnered with Golden Nugget.


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The GeoMarketing Top 5 Countdown
The holiday season is in full swing — and here's how the news is shaping up.
Looking for a little reading to wrap up your Friday? Below, our top stories from the past week — and our favorite links from around the web.
Link Picks of the Week:
- The Great Google Plus Local – Google My Business Decoupling of 2015 — Andrew Shotland, Local SEO Guide
- Uber Snags Another Google Mapping Executive to Lead the Product Team — Mark Bergen, Recode
- Target Shoppers Wait In Line, Online, On Cyber Monday — Julia Greenberg, Wired
- Google Drops Change Location Search Filter From Search Results — Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Land
Top Stories of the Week:
“Retail apps can use precise and accurate location data to personalize the experience by knowing Personas,” David Bairstow, Skyhook’s VP of product, told GeoMarketing. “Knowing the history of precise location tied to a device opens up the ability to categorize behavior at a granular level. Add venue level context to each precise location and you have a story of the device behavior called a Persona. Knowing a user’s Persona allows the app to tailor the experience to the user and reduce the time to value.”
UberMedia analyzed the mobile behavior patterns of 1.7 million U.S. shoppers who made purchases at Walmart, Target, Macy’s Nordstrom, and other national retailers over the holiday, finding that Black Friday “Deal Seekers” favored their preferred brands at non-holiday times — suggesting that loyalty offers and in-store experiences have more of an impact than deals alone.
Promoboxx wants to be considered the ‘un-co-op’ marketing platform, as it looks to smooth the path between national brands and local retailers’ ad programs.
“In addition to increasing our strength in retail of every flavor, from big box store to department stores to grocery, as well as hospitality, transportation, dining, all the way through to quick service retail, coffee chains, we’re also looking for continued growth to come from events and out-of-home,” Russakow told GeoMarketing last week. “One reason OOH is so important is that it easily furthers our goal of growing our physical network. You can grow it in store, but in order to experience marketing in the widest way, you have to move with consumers out of the store.”
200 million “kicks” — as the Shopkick’s beacon-activated app rewards are called — were earned by users on Black Friday alone. In addition, 73 percent of Shopkick users viewed products in the app before visiting a store, while 61 percent of the those consumers visited more than one Shopkick partner store.


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Impressive growth in its Azure Cloud business in a pandemic-hit year helped Microsoft post a 17 per cent increase in its revenue which reached $43.1 billion, with declaring a net income of $15.5 billion, for the quarter ended December 31, 2020.
Microsoft stock rose as much as 6 per cent in extended trading on Tuesday. "What we have witnessed over the past year is the dawn of a second wave of digital transformation sweeping every company and every industry," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
"Building their own digital capability is the new currency driving every organisation's resilience and growth. Microsoft is powering this shift with the world's largest and most comprehensive cloud platform," he said in a. statement. Revenue in Intelligent Cloud was $14.6 billion and increased 23 per cent (on-year). Server products and cloud services revenue increased 26 per cent driven by Azure revenue growth of 50 per cent, Microsoft informed.
"Accelerating demand for our differentiated offerings drove commercial cloud revenue to $16.7 billion, up 34 per cent year over year," said Amy Hood, executive vice president and CFO, Microsoft.
LinkedIn revenue increased 23 per cent while Dynamics products and cloud services revenue increased 21 per cent, driven by Dynamics 365 revenue growth of 39 per cent. Revenue in More Personal Computing was $15.1 billion and increased 14 per cent. Xbox content and services revenue has increased by 40 per cent compared to the same quarter last year. Microsoft's overall gaming revenue was up 51 per cent.
Surface laptop revenue increased 3 per cent and Search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 2 per cent.


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Vepac Electronics extends Cosel's distribution network in South Africa.
Tuesday February 18, 2020
Cosel's distribution network has expanded with the addition of Vepac Electronics.
Based in South Africa, Vepac Electronics bring a much welcomed local knowledge of an interesting yet growing electronics market. With over 30 years experience representing manufacturers in the South African market and with historical links to Eplax GmbH (a Cosel Group company), the new partnership is set for success from the start.
Cosel's European Sales Director Nick Theodoris commented "With a background in power supplies (among other products), Vepac bring a wealth of local knowledge in a market where Cosel has seen only small pockets of success. We are looking forward to mutually working together with the team at Vepac to further growing our buisness in a region which has much potential".


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Hallmark Store Latest To Leave Sacramento’s Country Club Plaza
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SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Country Club Plaza is seeing another business close its doors as the Hallmark Store is going out of business.
Friday saw the closing of Claire’s, leaving the mall about 75 percent vacant. And that’s before the Hallmark Store leaves after more than two decades.
“The mall is dead,” said Toinette Sledge, who worked at the store for 24 years. “You can’t keep doing business this way.
Four women we spoke to say they’ve worked side-by-side for more than 20 years.
“It used to be a million-dollar store,” she said. “Now it’s not even three-quarters of that.”
On Tuesday, their decades of work will be over, because the store is finally closing up shop. After that, Sledge won’t see her friends and coworkers every day.
“I’m devastated,” she said. “But you got to keep a smile on your face.”
It’s an emotional time for a store that Sledge says used to be the community’s store.
Shopper Jacki Lease says she’s sad to see it go, but isn’t surprised because of how things have been going with the mall.
“Every time I come, another store is closing,” she said.
The mall has tried to do things to draw people in, such as having a farmers market. But on a Saturday, it’s clear people aren’t coming.
The Hallmark Store is planning an open house on Tuesday to thank their customers for supporting them.


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BlackBerry's Global Encryption Key
Last week, there was a big news story about the BlackBerry encryption key. The news was that all BlackBerry devices share a global encryption key, and that the Canadian RCMP has a copy of it. Stupid design, certainly, but it’s not news. As the Register points out, this has been repeatedly reported on since 2010.
And note that this only holds for individual users. If your organization uses a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), you have your own unique key.


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BREMEN, Ind. — Gen-Y Hitch has been a company for just six years, and yet, in that time, has amassed eight patents, more than 150 dealers located in 45 states, a distribution network in three countries and the sales success of a much longer tenured organization, the firm reported today
Now, the company can add being chosen as a semi-finalist in the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Launchpad competition to that list.
The SEMA Launchpad, according its website, is “the premiere young entrepreneur automotive competition offering innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs under the age of 40 a platform at the world’s largest B2B gathering, the SEMA Show, to pitch their business to a panel of iconic industry judges at a live event.”
Gen-Y’s proprietary “torsion” hitch is what gained the attention, and Gen-Y Owner Carl Borkholder will be traveling to Las Vegas later this month to tape his 3-minute video for this initial portion of the semifinals.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” said Borkholder. “I know we have an amazing product, but that can be said of many products across the nation. I truly believe that it is the caliber of individual we have working at Gen-Y, and their passion, mixed with our product that has allowed us to be at this level, and I can’t wait to give our customers across the world a chance to vote us into the finals.”
As far as a timeline for the contest goes, here is what SEMA had on its website:
- Applications due: May 30
- 15 semi-finalists will be selected: June 1
- Semi-finalists film 3-minute pitch video at SEMA Exhibitor Summit in Las Vegas: June 19-21
- Voting Period: July 18 to Sept. 4
- Finalists (10) will be notified: Sept. 5
- SEMA Launch Pad Live Event: Oct. 30 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas
Gen-Y Industries was formed in 2011 by Borkholder, who remains the sole member of this Indiana limited liability company based in the Northern Indiana community of Bremen, Ind. The foundations of Gen-Y Hitch were based upon his involvement in the recreation vehicle industry centered in nearby Elkhart County, as well as his involvement in the ownership and operation of a business which provided commercial tree care services.
For more information on Gen-Y Hitch, contact Jeff Petermann at 574.327.4505 or email email@example.com.
SOURCE: Gen-Y Hitch press release


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Skyworks Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: SWKS) reported a 10% drop in earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2020 due to weak top-line performance. However, the results exceeded analysts’ expectations. Further, the semiconductor company guided second-quarter revenue and earnings above the consensus view.
Net income fell by 10% to $257.1 million or $1.50 per share. Adjusted earnings dropped by 8% to $1.68 per share. Revenue decreased by 8% to $896.1 million. Analysts had expected EPS of $1.65 on revenue of $880.6 million for the first quarter.
Looking ahead into the second quarter, the company expects revenue in the range of $800-820 million and adjusted earnings of $1.46 per share. The consensus estimates EPS of $1.40 on revenue of $788.38 million. For the March quarter, the company expects new content opportunities and the ramp of its Sky5 solutions to drive better-than seasonal results.
The company’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.44 per share of its common stock. The dividend is payable on March 3, 2020, to stockholders of record at the close of business on February 11, 2020.
For the first quarter, the company said the results exceeded its expectations backed by global demand for its high-performance connectivity engines. The highly advanced Sky5 platform is fueling market adoption of 5G across a broadening customer set. The company believes its solutions will provide a critical connection, ensuring peak performance for 5G and Internet of Things usage cases.
The company sees that 5G opportunity will go well beyond the handset and this could certainly be a major catalyst for revenue and content. The 5G technology will continue to dominate in the IoT, machine-to-machine, automotive, healthcare, industrial, and education domains as there remained really no end to the markets for this technology.
The IoT is likely to be a major opportunity for Skyworks due to its large scope and probably bigger sphere for a certain period of time. The mix of IoT along with 5G could spur revenue growth for Skyworks as the company continues to invest a lot in 5G.
Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) Thursday said its fourth-quarter profit declined from last year, hurt by a sharp fall in revenues. Earnings, however, beat the market’s projection. On an adjusted
Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) were down 1% on Thursday. The stock has dropped over 9% year-to-date. Although the tobacco industry has felt the pinch of inflation,
CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:KMX) reported second quarter 2023 earnings results today. Net revenues rose 2% year-over-year to $8.1 billion. Net earnings were $125.9 million, or $0.79 per share, compared to $285.2 million,