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General Motors, which has earmarked $750 million for EV charging infrastructure, is working with its dealers and BEV charger suppliers to install 40,000 public Level 2 chargers in rural and other underserved markets, doubling the number of public charging stations in North America as part of its commitment.
Named the Dealer Community Charging Program, GM is kicking off the program with the first such stations in Michigan and Wisconsin. Nearly 1,000 dealers, working with local authorities on location selection and permitting, have enrolled in the program so far.
“Nearly 90% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a GM dealership. Our dealers are deeply involved and trusted in their communities and are well positioned to determine locations that expand access to EV charging, including at small businesses, entertainment venues, schools and other popular destinations,” says Hoss Hassani, vice president of GM EV Ecosystem.
The chargers will be branded with GM’s Ultium brand, as well as show branding from charger supplier FLO and the sponsoring dealer.
GM’s announcement comes at a time when the transition from the internal-combustion engine to battery-electric-vehicles is dominating the industry, sales of BEVs are climbing and the government and industry are targeting having half of all-new car sales BEVs by 2030.
The program is building on GM's strategy to create a coast-to-coast, border-to-border network of EVgo 350-kWh DC fast chargers at more than 500 fueling stations and truck stops. Also, GM is close to launching at-home versions of its Ultium brand chargers.
Broken, Unmaintained Chargers Targeted for Improvement
A nettlesome issue for automakers is the state of the charging infrastructure today, which is a patchwork of new chargers, Tesla-only chargers, chargers that are networked and monitored for operability and maintenance and un-networked chargers that have been in service for a decade but are not well maintained. Journalists and BEV advocates have been writing for the past few years about the sorry state of public chargers.
That reality, says GM, is why it has chosen not only to invest in charging infrastructure, but also selected FLO, which has a record of 98% uptime for its chargers, as its partner. FLO has 24-hour monitoring of its chargers and a quick-response system to repair problems.
“We are proud to support this extraordinary effort to grow access to public EV charging in thousands of local communities across North America,” says Louis Tremblay, FLO president and CEO. “Together, FLO, GM and GM dealerships will bring reliable charging to drivers from curbside to countryside.”
Level 2 chargers recharge a BEV in 6-12 hours, with a connection that is about 7.5 kWh. FLO’s Level 2 chargers work at 19.1 kWh. Not all BEVs can recharge at that rate, but FLO’s chargers do cut down the recharge time for those that can. FLO manufactures chargers in Auburn Hills, MI.
Tremblay notes that one of the leading causes of chargers to be in disrepair is vandalism, along with connectors becoming loose, vehicle incompatibility, software problems and lack of over-the-air networked support. FLO has a network of electricians in every state where it operates and promises repair to a charger within 48 hours of a problem being reported or detected.
Wheelers Chevrolet GMC, the first GM dealer to sign up for the program, recently installed its first charging stations at several locations in Marshfield, WI, including two parks, a library and a sports complex. Young Chevrolet Cadillac was next to install its first charging stations at Memorial Healthcare Wellness Center in Owosso, MI. Dealers in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio and Washington state are expected to install their first chargers in coming weeks and months.
"We're excited to be the first dealership in the nation to have these chargers," says Mary Jo Wheeler-Schueller, owner of Wheelers Chevrolet GMC. “This will help put Marshfield on the map in terms of EV leadership.”
Enthusiasm for BEVs among dealers, though, is not universal. Dealers are watching start-up BEV companies such as Tesla and Lucid bypass the traditional dealer franchise system. They also see their business model under pressure as BEVs need less service and maintenance, traditionally a big portion of profits. Finally, the politics of electric-vehicle subsidies have been hot issues for dealers. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), for example, is a car dealer and introduced a bill a decade ago to repeal federal EV subsidies and has been a vocal opponent of BEV sales targets and government support.
GM is spending $30 billion through 2025 to put a planned 30 BEVs on the road globally.
GM has cut the price of the Chevy Bolt BEV. It is rolling out a Chevy Equinox BEV with 300 miles (483 km) of range for around $30,000 in fall 2023, as well as a Silverado pickup BEV and a GMC Sierra BEV, on top of the Hummer BEV it introduced last year. Cadillac’s battery-electric Lyriq CUV has sold out for the 2023 model year; and the GM division has stated it will have an all-BEV showroom by 2030 – indicating even the hulking and popular Escalade SUV will be battery-powered by then.
With the federal government and most automakers spending tens of billions on new products and charging infrastructure, the question is not if the whole industry is going electric, it’s how fast it is going to achieve 90%-100% of new-vehicle sales per year.


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As the UK began to ease back on its lockdown restrictions, the date that seemed to attract most interest was the day on which pubs would once again open their doors. A milestone on the long road of “getting back to normal”, the day was symbolic as much as a reflection of the nation’s love of food and drink. One week on from “Super Saturday”, figures suggest the public were not knocking down the doors of their local eateries and sales were half the pre-covid levels over the opening weekend.
As Rishi Sunak seemed to acknowledge in his Budget, a lot of work will be required to lift the economy into a sustained recovery. The measures he announced were met with a lukewarm reaction from businesses, but with so much support needed so broadly, there are challenges in targeting the money without adding time-consuming complexity. Sunak says there is more to come, which is good news for many not covered by existing schemes.
The UK’s recovery remains fragile, although it’s hard to measure exactly how fragile. In common with many of its European neighbours, the UK’s Q2 GDP estimates are unlikely to provide a reliable gauge of the impact: estimates are subject to revision in normal circumstances, they are likely to be subject to bigger shifts in the current environment. Although countries globally are facing the same types of challenges in managing Covid-19, not all countries will be equally impacted. Some sectors are clearly more compromised than others and nations such as France and Spain, which have a stronger focus on the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors will face more obstacles to operating than Germany’s industrial and manufacturing businesses that can maintain production levels and manage social distancing more easily.
Analysis by Goldman Sachs has suggested that a lengthy lockdown that was closely adhered to by the public has resulted in behavioural changes that have lasted beyond lockdown i.e. some of the lockdown routine has become habitual, with a cautious consumer potentially leaving a country vulnerable to weaker economic performance. If this proves to be accurate, Italy could be among the worst affected countries, while Norway and Denmark have mostly returned to normal. For consumers, the propensity to spend hinges on both affordability and willingness. Where government spending has been directed to households, some have built up some cash reserves during lockdown. Consumer confidence has taken a bigger hit where the number of Covid-19 deaths has been high (and where the lockdown has been longer), so it may take a bit longer for some regions to bounce back, even if the number of new Covid-19 cases remains low. However, despite the cautious response from the consumer, the determination of governments to alleviate the worst of the crisis should not be underestimated.
To download the full report please click on the link below:

domain: news


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Under-pressure courier DX has secured a loan from an activist shareholder and sold five properties in a bid to shore up its finances.
The company, which in the past six months has abandoned a potential tie-up with part of rival John Menzies and been the subject of a brief City of Police investigation, will sell and lease back five of its sites, leading to a cash injection of £4.5m.
Beyond this, Gatemore Capital Management, the activist investor that railed against the initial terms of the mooted merger with Menzies and owns 23.8pc of the shares, has also loaned the company £2m.
The combined proceeds will enable it to pay off a short-term £5.8m loan with HSBC and put the business in a position to refinance on better terms. The outstanding money will be used to help support the day-to-day workings of the company, which employs roughly 3,100 people.
Liad Meidar, managing partner at Gatemore, said the moves had been made to “clear up the balance sheet” of the company ahead of its move to gain long-term financing.
Mr Meidar said it was not possible to say how the company would raise extra cash, whether through equity or debt, but that discussions were well under way in terms of a fresh wave of cash for the business.
Gatemore’s loan is due to be repaid by November 30, indicating that it will have to raise new funds in the coming months.
The sale and leaseback of the sites at Thatcham, Basildon, Rotherham, Northampton and Nottingham are set to take place on September 29. DX said the lease terms for the properties had an aggregate rent of roughly £450,000 per year with lease terms between two and 10 years.
The board had also considered selling its freight and logistics hub at Willenhall but it was decided it would be better to retain the freehold.
DX issued a profit warning in February after stating the expected growth in higher margin revenue from its DX Courier and Freight activities had not come through. The shares plunged 61pc on the news to 7p and are only at 7.98p now having fallen 4.7pc in early trading.


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Lenovo profit up 30 pct but slow growth
BEIJING - The Associated Press
Lenovo’s profits, though up 30 pct, are down from last quarter’s 59 percent. EPA photoLenovo Group said yesterday its quarterly profit rose 30 percent on strong sales in developing markets, but growth slowed amid global economic weakness.
The world’s second-largest personal computer maker said it earned $144 million in the three months ending June 30 on $8 billion in global sales. The profit growth rate was down from the previous quarter’s 59 percent increase.
PC shipments in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America rose 59.2 percent while those to Europe, the Middle East and Africa were up 62.3 percent.
“Despite uncertainties in global economic conditions impacting the PC market in the short term, we will remain focused to outperform the worldwide PC market in a profitable way,” said chief financial officer Wong Waiming in a conference call with reporters.
“Our strategic investments in mobile internet have started contributing to the growth in sales and improved profitability.”
The company passed Dell Inc. last year as the second-biggest PC maker and said yesterday it has narrowed the global market share gap with industry leader Hewlett-Packard Co.
Lenovo said it sold 5 million smartphones in China in the quarter, passing PC sales by number of units for the first time.
The company, with headquarters in Beijing and in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina got into wireless Internet in 2010. It has launched smartphones and Web-linked tablet computers to compete with Apple Inc., South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Corp. and Taiwan’s HTC Corp.


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USA TODAY has the scoop today on an all new set of Batman Stamp Set Collection announced today and DCComics.com is thrilled to exclusively debut the entire stamp sheet.
Showcasing eight unique designs in a pane of 20 stamps, this new issuance from the U.S. Postal Service® celebrates the 75th anniversary of Batman. Four versions of the iconic DC Comics Super Hero are depicted from four eras of comic book history. In addition, there are four incarnations of the Bat emblems. The Batman Stamp Set Collection of eight limited-edition Forever Stamps celebrates Batman’s Evolution in Comics.
The Batman Stamp Set Selvage (Click to view full size)
A column on the left side of the pane includes four different circular stamps. Each is affixed with a different Bat-Signal, the spotlight Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon sent into the night sky to summon Batman.
The background illustration features a silhouette of Batman standing on a bridge with the skyline of Gotham City looming above him. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp pane.


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Auto sales for the month of August 2019 continue to reflect the downward trend which the industry has been battling since over last nine months. Last month saw a steep decline in car sales, with many companies experiencing a new low.
Maruti Suzuki, India's largest automaker, reported a 36.1 per cent fall in domestic sales of passenger vehicles in the month of August 2019 as compared to same period last year. The company, which had sold 1,45,895 units in August 2018 sold only 93,173 units last month. As a matter of fact, sales of Maruti Suzuki's vehicles for last month has also dropped in comparison to 96,478 units it sold in July 2019, marking a drop of 3.42 per cent drop in sales in August 2019 over July 2019.
Maruti Suzuki's major drop in sales is being contributed by Alto and Old WagonR, which saw a massive 71.8 per cent drop in sales during August 2019 as compared to same period last year. Maruti's Ciaz, which was had gained 4,893.8 per cent in July 2019 over the same period last year saw a decline of 77.2 per cent in its sales for August 2019 as compared to the same period last year.
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), on the other hand, reported a 16.58 per cent drop in domestic sales from 45,801 units in August 2018 to 38,205 units in August 2019.
Tata Motors noted a 50 per cent drop in sales of its passenger vehicles, falling from 4,458 units in August 2018 to 2,259 units in August 2019. The company also reported a 29 per cent drop in total domestic sales for the month of August 2019.
Mahindra recorded an 11 per cent drop in sales of its passenger vehicles, falling from 1,00,318 units in August 2018 to 89,738 vehicles sold in August 2019.
Honda Cars India Limited registered domestic sales of 8,291 units in August 2019 as compared to 17,020 units in August 2018, marking a 51.28 per cent drop in sales. However, the company noted that it recorded high sales in August 2018 on account of high demand of Honda Amaze, which launched in July last year.
Toyota reported a 24 per cent drop in sales of its vehicles in August 2019 when the company sold 10,701 units as compared to August 2018 when it sold 14,100 units.
However, marking a deviation from the existing trend, MG Motors reported a growth in sales of Hector for the month of August 2019 over July 2019. The company noted that it retailed 2,018 units of Hector last month as compared to 1,508 units in July 2019.
The ongoing decline in the Indian automobile sector is said to be the worst-ever in last two decades. Besides marring the sales of vehicles, it has also left over 2 lakh people jobless. Taking cognizance of the grim situation, the government recently announced a few measures to revive the auto sector. Under these, the government has decided not to hike one time fee for vehicle registration and has also announced that all BS 4 vehicles purchased before April 2020 will remain operational for entire period of their registration. Besides this, the government will also provide additional liquidity support to banks and NBFCs so as to increase lending for purchase of new vehicles. These steps, combined with the start of festive season, will hopefully offer the industry some relief. However, these measures are most likely to stabilize the fall in the near future while a growth could be seen only next year.


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The company: LugLess.com
What it does: Billing itself as a "travel agent" for luggage, this online firm sends customers' suitcases to their destinations using FedEx and other shipping companies for a price that's sometimes less than airline baggage fees.
How it's doing: Parent company MadTravelers expects to hit $1 million in revenue this year.
After building a successful shipping and storage startup, MadPackers, Brian Altomare took a major risk: He transferred ownership to a public logistics company in exchange for 50% of the future profits of the enterprise. Then the larger company went out of business. "I lost everything I had," recalled Mr. Altomare. "I was living in a cabin in the Poconos for three years, surviving as a dishwasher and a sales rep for a magazine."
That was in 2007. But soon, some of the wounds had healed, and Mr. Altomare felt the entrepreneurial itch again. He found himself looking for an idea he had the expertise to bring to life—and found himself running LugLess.
The international service, which he co-founded in 2009 with serial entrepreneur Ben Luntz, offers travelers an alternative to bringing their bags on airlines. Instead, LugLess picks up their bags at their homes and ships them to their hotels via major couriers such as FedEx and UPS.
The idea of bypassing the luggage carousel is nothing new. The wealthy have long shipped their attire by FedEx to avoid schlepping it and waiting to pick it up. "It's been [an] über-luxury-based [service] for private-jet owners, celebrities and CEOs," said Mr. Altomare.
But with airlines hiking baggage fees, in some cases to $100 a bag, shipping luggage this way is no longer the luxury it once was. It's a money-saver. For instance, a carry-on-size bag costs $39 to ship via LugLess, and a standard-size suitcase is $59. "In the next 10 years, we will not see a bag at the airport," Mr. Altomare said optimistically. So far, the service hasn't lost anyone's bag, according to the entrepreneur. It has agreed to compensate customers up to $500 per bag for late luggage.
Currently, the four-employee, Brooklyn-based company serves 200 to 250 customers a month through LugLess, generating close to $700,000 in annual revenue. Its parent company, MadTravelers.com, derives the rest of its revenue from its other holdings: the college shipping and storage startups BoxMyDorm.com and Ship2School.com, and a door-to-door storage business for apartment dwellers called BoxMyPad.com.
Customers can sign up for LugLess online from more than 200 countries, choosing to have their bags shipped by a variety of express options. LugLess then sends travelers a package of shipping labels and reusable luggage tags before it picks up the bags from their home. "It goes right to their hotel," he says. LugLess acts as a go-between, negotiating with FedEx, UPS and DHL for wholesale rates and working with thousands of couriers around the globe to ensure timely deliveries.
Tapping his contacts in the shipping industry, Mr. Altomare has attracted investors for MadTravelers such as Chris Smith, owner and president of Transit Systems Inc., a national logistics broker based in Philadelphia that helps consumers arrange small moves and ship items such as heavy pieces of furniture. "Chris provides a lot of infrastructure help," said Mr. Altomare.
Mr. Smith has also provided two rounds of capital since 2011. "It really made sense to me," said Mr. Smith, who likes that LugLess can deliver its service at a reasonable price and also assists consumers with matters such as insuring luggage.
The upshot: If LugLess can convince more travelers that the convenience of traveling light is worth using the service, it should continue to benefit from high airline baggage fees.


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Deloitte establishes Cyber Intelligence Centre in Australia to link to its global network has been saved
Deloitte establishes Cyber Intelligence Centre in Australia to link to its global network
Risks are evolving faster than business can react and businesses needs to transform their thinking about cyber security
4 February 2015: The threat to Australia’s cyber security is growing in severity according to global professional services firm Deloitte. “The average cost of a data breach per Australian organisation is more than *$2.5 million per year …and rising,” says Deloitte Cyber Risk Services Partner Tommy Viljoen. He pointed out that: “The average breach involved more than *20,000 records in Australia over the five years to 2014. And there was also a 25% increase in data loss between 2013 and 2014 globally.”
Viljoen added: “Given there is no legislation for breach notification in Australia and that most organisations are focussed on prevention as opposed to detection, there is significant under-reporting of cyber breaches in Australia.”
James Nunn-Price, who joins Deloitte in Australia this week, to lead Cyber and establish the Australasian arm of Deloitte’s chain of Cyber Intelligence Centres, explained that: “Cyber risks are a result of dynamic targeted threats. On an industrial scale they are focused at the digital assets, operations and information of the organisation. Both complex and severe, these risks are evolving faster than business can react.”
The national Cyber Intelligence Centre will link in with Deloitte’s existing Cyber Intelligence Centres in the UK, Europe, Canada and the United States.
Nunn-Price established the Cyber Intelligence Centre concept, overseeing its implementation in the UK in 2013 and its 24x7 services to clients. He was responsible for Deloitte’s overall information security, resilience and cyber advisory services to the UK Government, also personally assisting the London 2012 Olympic Games leadership team with cyber incident response, crisis management and forensics.
Nunn-Price was joined at the Cyber Intelligence Centre launch in Australia by Deloitte cybersecurity global leader, Kelly Bissell. Bissell who leads Deloitte’s global cyber practice said: “Our role is to help business better protect their critical assets against known and emerging threats across the ecosystem. We help them monitor and watch out for any pre-emptive threats, so they both detect and protect themselves against both known and unknown adversarial activity.
“It’s all about being secure and vigilant,” he said. “…and being sufficiently resilient to recover when incidents do occur.”
Australia’s Viljoen added: “In Australia businesses need what we term, ‘actionable intelligence’. They need to transform how they think about cybersecurity - building ever more secure environments and ever higher firewalls no longer works. The cyber-criminals are already on the inside. Knowing what’s happening, and working on the basis of having already been attacked, and preparing for even more complex and often apparently ‘insider’ attacks to happen again, is what’s now needed. It is transformational.”
Nunn-Price said: “Ninety two per cent of breaches are perpetrated by outsiders. These known external perpetrators come from organised crime (55%), state affiliated hackers (21%), activists (2%) and former employees (1%). Only 14%*** of breaches are by insiders, but this is rising**.
“More than three quarters of the breach incidents are caused by weak or stolen credentials. With rogue hardware and malware also frequent causes of breach or service denial. It is therefore important for all employees, contractors and suppliers to be aware of how criminals are targeting them with their well-planned attacks, often triggered by ‘apparent insiders’ who are already lying in wait within the organisation, ‘like cockroaches’.”
The global average number of breached records
The above graph shows that the average global cost of data breaches per organisation in Australia has increased almost three per cent in one year.
“Cloud computing, the world’s Internet of Things phenomenon – where each digital device is interconnected – the blurring of the personal and professional, and the ‘always-on’ nature of the internet, means costs associated with breaches are likely to continue to rise each year. So it is critical that organisations ensure their cybersecurity effectiveness,” Viljoen said.
“Add to this Deloitte Reputation@Risk research that shows there is an 80% chance of a company losing at least 20% of its value (over and above the market) in any single month due to reputation loss from the impact of a crisis – whether that be a cyber-breach or another disaster. These stats mean that cyber-security breaches are becoming top of mind for business leaders along with reputational risks.”
Deloitte/Forbes strategic risk research shows that regionally, the biggest impact of technology enablers and disrupters on established business models was in the Asia Pacific (including Australia), where 98% of respondents report having changed their business strategies. “We need business leaders to make sure they are sufficiently informed about the state of cybersecurity within their organisations. With new business models and corporate restructuring, new customer service and sales models, new sourcing and supply chain models, and inherently new applications and mobility tools, business leaders need to be able prepare for, respond to and recover from growing threats,” said Mr Viljoen.
The Cyber Intelligence Centre will link into the recently established Australian and South East Asian arm of the Deloitte global Centre for Excellence for Crisis Management.
** Source: 2014 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report with the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, Deloitte, DHS and others
*** number overlap because some insiders and outsiders are in collusion
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/au/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.
Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte has in the region of 200,000 professionals, all committed to becoming the standard of excellence.
About Deloitte Australia
In Australia, the member firm is the Australian partnership of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. As one of Australia’s leading professional services firms, and winner of both the Australian Financial Review/CFO Audit Firm of the Year and Accounting Firm of the Year awards 2013, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and its affiliates provide audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through approximately 6,000 people across the country. Focused on the creation of value and growth, and known as an employer of choice for innovative human resources programs, we are dedicated to helping our clients and our people excel. Formore information, please visit Deloitte’s web site at www.deloitte.com.au.
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© 2015 Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu


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- The demand for legal cannabis products in the U.S. increased by 0.7% in July.
- Cannabis product demand is up 7.5% from six months ago.
- July marks the first month in which recreational use in Vermont is legal.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EAST LANSING, MI—October 3, 2018—The demand for legal cannabis products in the United States increased by 0.7% in July 2018, according to the monthly AndCan Index, which closely monitors demand across every U.S. state.
“U.S. demand for cannabis products has been increasing for six consecutive months,” said AEG consultant Traci Giroux, who oversees the AndCan Index.
In July 2018, recreational use of marijuana became legal in Vermont, the first state to legalize recreational marijuana through its state legislature. “Vermont has yet to legalize a commercial market for recreational use, so this change in legal status has a modest effect on consumer demand,” said Giroux.
AndCan Index data shows that the demand for legal cannabis products has grown by 36.5% nationwide since the start of 2015. Since the November 2016 election, when four states—Nevada, California, Massachusetts, and Maine—voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana, overall U.S. demand has increased by 21.8%.
The AndCan Index was launched in June 2017. It builds from three years of comprehensive coverage of the U.S. cannabis market and assessments of demand by Anderson Economic Group; a rigorous methodology that has been presented in technical papers at two conferences of professional economists; and more than two decades of business consulting experience worldwide. Comments from other economists from these conferences, as well as additional research by Anderson Economic Group consultants, have been incorporated into the AndCan Index.
Rising cloud: July marked the sixth consecutive month of growth in U.S. demand for cannabis products.
How the AndCan Index is constructed
The AndCan Index originates from tens of thousands of data points, including recreational and medical sales in states where cannabis products sales are legal (where available for Alaska, California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington). In addition, it includes calculations for the latent (unobserved) demand in emerging markets across the remainder of the 50 states.
Adjustments are made based on the concentration of cannabis in products that are sold both medically and recreationally—a highly-potent marijuana cigarette is indicative of greater demand for cannabis than a low-potency, cannabis-oil-infused beverage, for instance—as well as the market-share of these products, and pricing differences from state-to-state.
In those states where legal sales are not available, we estimated latent demand from survey data on marijuana usage, alcoholic beverage consumption and spending, and demographic data. Estimates are made for each state based on that state’s unique data.
Monthly data on actual purchases in states where the products are legal are the primary drivers of month-to-month variation in the AndCan Index. As states change their laws, AndCan captures the transition from latent demand to observed demand without the distortion that would be caused by incorrectly assuming that all taxable sales in newly-legalized states represent growth in consumer demand.
Historical data dates back to the start of 2015. All values are indexed to the period of the November 2016 U.S. general election. The index structure means that any value greater than 100 indicates that the market demand has increased since the baseline period of November 2016.
The same market expertise is used in the publication The Market for Legal Cannabis Products in the 50 United States—AEG’s 265 page, state-by-state analysis. This report is one of the most comprehensive on the economics of the cannabis industry, estimating market demand—for recreational marijuana and the use of marijuana-related products—in each of the 50 United States.
The report is in its Second Edition and was updated following results from the nine ballot initiatives in the 2016 election. For more information on the report, visit www.andersoneconomicgroup.com/CannabisReport.aspx
Editorial note: Beginning with this release, the AndCan Index incorporates more comprehensive sales data from the State of Nevada. Accordingly, historical index values have been adjusted to reflect the most accurate information available.
About Anderson Economic Group
Since its founding in 1996, Anderson Economic Group has become one of the nation’s premier boutique consulting firms, specializing in business valuation, expert testimony, and public policy. AEG has assisted governments, universities, large corporations, and businesses across the U.S. and abroad. All of the firm’s work is based on its core values of Professionalism, Integrity, and Expertise.
AEG has offices in East Lansing, Chicago, and New York.
AEG—East Lansing, Michigan


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Mark Zuckerberg can’t keep Apple out of his head. While Apple pushes more aggressive customer privacy protection features on its platform, the Facebook CEO is decrying Apple’s efforts as competitive interference with the social network.
In Facebook’s quarterly earnings call with investors today, Zuckerberg accused Apple’s new changes around IDFA (IDentifier For Advertisers) as actually being intended to harm Facebook’s business interests and not protect customer privacy.
“Apple may say they’re doing this to help people, but the moves clearly track with their competitive interests,” Zuckerberg declared. The Facebook CEO went on to label Apple as “one of [Facebook’s] biggest competitors” despite the social network relying on the iPhone and iOS as half of its mobile platform in the United States.
In Zuckerberg’s view, Apple’s moves to limit how advertisers can track iPhone users on iOS is driven by an “incentive to interfere” with Facebook and force a preference on Apple’s own apps. Apple highlights privacy features in iMessage and FaceTime including strong encryption that Facebook doesn’t adopt in its messaging apps.
Facebook is clearly spooked about the effect Apple’s strong policy on privacy will have on its business. The company turned to full-page newspaper ads in December to try to turn the public against Apple’s ad-tracking changes. The Electronic Frontier Foundation wasn’t entertained, and Apple CEO Tim Cook responded by saying Apple is standing up for its users.
Facebook has since taken the public position of saying it’s forced to handicap its business partners due to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy as part of iOS 14. Learn more about these changes in iOS 14 here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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With losses from food stamp fraud estimated to average around a billion dollars a year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) commissioned the creation of an algorithm called ALERT to sift through millions of retail transactions to identify potentially fraudulent activities.
ALERT cast a wide net for food stamp (now called SNAP) cheaters, perhaps too wide. Over 1,600 retailers were banned from receiving SNAP payments in 2017 based on algorithmic assessments alone. But the processes involved in arriving at such assessments are unclear and difficult to challenge. It also puts the burden of proof on the accused.
Claire Brown explains further in this article from The Intercept:
It’s impossible to pin down exactly how many retailers were banned from accepting SNAP dollars due to fraud charges that the government can’t actually prove. But court testimony by a USDA official indicates that, just last year, hundreds of retailers were permanently disqualified from the program based primarily on an algorithmic assessment of their transaction patterns — the same circumstantial evidence that ensnared Mejia. “It’s a jerry-rigged system against small retailers unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Stewart Fried, an attorney who has represented store owners flagged by the algorithm.
The USDA does not bother to justify or even explain the precise sales figures or thresholds that cause retailers to be flagged for investigation. In fact, officials appear not to know how they were developed in the first place…Mejia seems to have been disqualified from the SNAP program based almost entirely on the atypical transaction patterns identified by the algorithm. He said he was never asked to explain these patterns before he was charged with fraud, nor did the agency present him with any evidence that he had traded cash for food stamps. Once accused, he was expected to prove his own innocence and the odds were stacked against him.


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Google and retailer Okayplayer are set to launch an initiative to help freelance journalists and publishers cover local news. Reporters can use the open-source software to “create a personal widget, allowing the public to financially support them through a digital tipping technology”. This will benefit 200 US counties and 36,000 journalists that lost jobs during the COVID.
Twitter Blue, a $2.99 monthly subscription, appears to be coming soon to a Timeline near you. Two weeks ago, researcher Jane Manchun Wong first reported that Twitter’s new subscription service is in the works. Twitter’s iOS App Store listing updated to list Twitter Blue as an in-app purchase.
Twitch has received a series of new takedown notices from music publishers over copyrighted songs in recorded streams (VODs), and warned streamers in an email to avoid it. Streamers who get three copyright strikes on their channel will be permanently banned from the platform.
Apple is delaying the launch of its podcast subscription service until June. The delay came as some creators began facing issues when uploading their shows. In April, Apple announced that the service would be launching in May. Podcasts Subscriptions will be launched in 170 countries with initial partners including Pushkin Industries and NPR.
Upfront TV ad spending in the US will bounce back to nearly pre-pandemic levels for the 2021-2022 seasons, according to eMarketer’s latest reports. Advertisers will increase their upfront TV spending by 7.6% this year to $19.90 billion, a continuing recovery from the pandemic and economic crisis in the US.
Apple Inc. tried to buy the livestreaming music platform Verzuz before it was bought out by the video network Triller in March, indicating that the company is still interested in developing a social music service. Verzuz, which was founded by rappers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, allows users to broadcast rap fights and other musical competitions.
The Corona pandemic brought unusual changes in media consumption habits worldwide. There was an unusual boost in time spent with the media last year. While the digital media is dominant in the US, Canada, and UK, the rest of Europe is holding fast to TV. Asia-Pacific, China and India rely overwhelmingly on smartphones for digital media consumption.


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Bank or America, Chase and Fidelity are among the winners of the latest Monitor Awards from Corporate Insight, the US firm that rates users' online experiences with financial firms.
Bank or America, Chase and Fidelity are among the winners of the latest Monitor Awards from Corporate Insight, the US firm that rates users’ online experiences with financial firms.
The awards categories include Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in the areas of annuities, banking, brokerage, credit cards and mutual funds. The awards are calculated using Corporate Insight’s proprietary grading criteria.
Gold awards are presented for website features that offer users an exceptionally valuable and comprehensive service in a user-friendly, well-designed interface, the company said.
|Advisor Monitor Awards||Lord Abbett|
|Annuity Monitor Awards||The Hartford
|Bank Monitor Awards||Bank of America
|Credit Card Monitor Awards||Discover|
|e-Monitor Awards (Online Brokerage)||Fidelity
|Mutual Fund Monitor Awards||Fidelity|
Corporate Insight noted that the past year was one of rebuilding for asset management firms. Websites were upgraded, and new tools and calculators launched to keep clients invested.
Mutual fund firms released 25 advisor-targeted tools and eight retail investor-focused tools that addressed a wide range of issues, including college savings, portfolio building and fund performance, it said.


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|05.06.2018 – Free Comic Book Day has become a worldwide event that started as one of the campaigns in America to promote literacy and also introduce comic books to the next generation.
Yesterday FCBD is a global event considered as “Christmas” for comic book fans all over the world as they march to their nearest shop.
In Adelaide it has been hyped up a few days before Saturday with all four comic shops within the area had set to promote this annual gathering of comic book fans as well as inviting new readers to this medium.
|11.01.2017 – Marvel’s Thor Ragnarok is the seventeenth installment in their ever-expanding billion dollars breaking the cinematic universe. It’s by far heading to break box office record with great reviews rolling over as it’s headed for the US release date. By now everyone’s talking about this film like its brand new and going through the shortest Marvel film ever released Taika Waititi hits a big goal on this one.|
|10.31.2017 – Halloween Comic Fest is a global event happening all over the world. It’s the first time doing coverage for this event overseas namely in South Australia with Greenlight Comics and Gamma Rays Comics as the shops to pick free comics.
It’s unfortunate that back in the Philippines since its inception in 2012 the event was cancelled due to delayed shipment, but will bounce back for “Justice League Day” two weeks from now. In South Australia Halloween Comic Fest was highly presented by Greenlight Comics with more activities that happened this recent weekend.
|10.30.2017 – When you think of Justice League the Trinity of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman comes to mind. But with Cartoon Network’s hit in Justice League Action there’s more than the three lead characters that make up the team.
Then you have the villains like Lex Luthor and The Joker as interesting as the heroes in this animated series that debuted late in December 2016. There’s not much merchandise aside from the Happy Meal toys and overly large figures for kids. But Mattel still have some left for the fans with 4.5 inch figure like The Joker!
|10.27.2017 – Halloween weekend is almost here but for those who haven’t heard any event happening this Satruday for those who’ll be interested in taking home FREE COMICS this might be a good news as list of selected shops participating around Asia and South Australia has been announced.
Halloween Comic Fest has been an annual event since 2012 and like Free Comic Book Day this is the day everyone comes and grab a couple of fee comics. But in a Halloween theme without the need for trick or treat when you visit your nearest store and here’s a very short list of the shops…
|10.17.2017 – Supanova is descending to Adelaide Showground on November 17 to 19, 2017, and its one of the highlighted fan conventions this side of South Australia.
Headlining the guests for this event is Stan Lee, The Man himself will making his way not only to Brisbane, but also in Adelaide next month. The co-creator almost all of Marvel's characters is the one to look for ward to and more!
|09.30.2017 – Celebrating “Batman Day” in the Philippines taking a look at Cartoon Network and DC Entertainment’s collaboration in bringing “Justice League Action” featuring a rotation of heroes that’s led by Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, the main characters that’s compose of the “Trinity.”
Just like any property with an animated series there’s merchandise related that’ll be produced. Mattel produced a range of figures based from the “Justice League Action” series with first wave having the “Trinity” and here’s a closer look on The Batman!


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Since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, the production and mainstream usage of smartphones has exploded. The device opened a world of innovation in mobile technology, which was soon followed by a similar boom from apps.
Today, we rely on apps to do just about everything, from keeping us organized to pure entertainment. Millions of downloads later, the app economy is as strong as ever.
App development has created 466,000 jobs across all available platforms, according to a survey performed by TechNet. This includes local baristas, since many developers rely on coffee shops to get work done.
Our friends at Frugal Dad have created this inforgraphic about the economy and how it's been affected by smartphones and apps.


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In November 2018, Michigan’s government helped push through voter efforts to legalize recreational marijuana use and distribution within specific legal parameters. The legislative change is only a small checkpoint in a longstanding timeline of events for the cannabis industry.
Due to the heavy role that the state’s government will continue to play as it relates to the modification of marijuana laws, a few individuals in the policy space came together Thursday at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference to discuss the past, present and future of cannabis legality.
These individuals include two policy advisors to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer—Josh Neyhart and Samuel Buchalter— along with MCIA’s Josh Hovey and Marijuana Policy Project’s Executive and Director Steve Hawkins. The panel was moderated by noted Michigan marijuana attorney Matthew Abel.
News From The Whitmer Organization
So what’s going on these days in the governor’s office regarding cannabis legislation?
“Today we announced that the rules for industrial hemp testing are in place, and we have them assigned in files and in effect now,” said Neyhart, which was the first time his department has been able to do this. With harvest coming up, these kinds of industrial regulations will be very helpful for farmers.
Click here more information about the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference and future events
Addressing The Medical Marijuana Shortage In Michigan
A relatively recent issue in the state has been a medical marijuana drought of sorts.
“The number one...issue raised is about supply. We’re working with the department. What we’re really trying to do is put in regulatory certainty,” Buchalter said. “And we are working to make sure that the licenses that have been issued have value and that the product is coming through that license process.”
More specifically, the shortage has been due to licensing of far more retail facilities than growers and sellers.
“It seems [like] very basic supply and demand, but the problem started off wrong from the very building,” said Hovey. He noted law changes regarding product testing and caregiver usage also can help fix the shortage.
“We’ve had many meetings with the state regulatory body and have not made any success where we’ve proposed to them to allow the caregiver product to be sold and tested, but, if it’s not tested, allowing the caregiver to take that product back and give it to their patients,” Hovey said. “Because right now, if it fails the test....the caregiver would have that product destroyed.”
Another political issue as it relates to the cannabis market is the location of the businesses themselves. Some argue that cannabis buildings should be spread far apart, while others believe that bar-strip format where stores would be lined up, creating a successful atmosphere in certain locations.
What’s the future of cannabis for the everyday consumer? According to Hawkins, cannabis businesses need to focus more on the government’s power as it relates to the creation of uniform regulations.
"Cannabis companies need to hire people to work on government affairs and do more work with organizations that are pushing for more favorable regulation for the industry in order to form a conduit to push for more uniform regulations and market efficiency," he said.
Steve Hawkins (far left), Sam Buchalter, Matt Abel (middle), Josh Hovey, Josh Neyhart (far right) speaking at the Cannabis Capital Conference in Detroit on Aug. 15. Photo by Dustin Blitchok.
© 2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Meet the biggest cannabis industry players and make deals that will push the industry forward.
Featuring live company presentations, insider panels, and unmatched access to networking, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is where cannabis executives and entrepreneurs meet.
Join us September 13-14, 2022 at The Palmer House in Chicago, IL.


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Bithumb Posts 171x Revenue Gain in 2017
Apr 10, 2018 Posted / 589 Views
As indicated by Coindesk Korea, In 2017 Bithumb raised its income by 171 fold in 2017 as compared to its income in 2016. Bithumb takes an operating fee on every order at 0.15 percent and the fee model stays as the fundamental income stream of the digital currency trade.
In its final quarter in 2017, the trading volume of South Korean digital currency exchanges escalated exponentially because interest for cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and Ethereum also climbed up. Major digital currency platforms were sold at high value and the stock costs of publicly recorded digital currency trades surged.One of the third biggest digital currency exchanging platform in South Korea, Korbit was obtained for $150 million.
Bithumb in 2017 recorded a net profit of $420 million and recorded an income of 330 million. Investors in the market were shocked by the numbers,given that its net income was higher than its revenue, which isn't conceivable much of the time unless the organisation makes considerable income outside of its fundamental revenue model.
Bithumb agent amid an interview with Coindesk Korea expressed that the organisation has made a benefit of $90 million outside of its fundamental business model and its digital currency exchanging platform as non-operating income. Bithumb indicated this may have been produced from office rental, investment profit and interest rates.
Bithumb said “The details of Bithumb’s balance sheet will only be finalized on March 30, in a board meeting. As such, it is difficult to confirm any details of the company’s balance sheet in early April. Bithumb will likely introduce details of its earnings in late April."
Non-operating income often originates from organizations with properties that are being rented to different people or organizations. For instance, if Bithumb has a business building in the core of Seoul and it rents out to different organizations as it only uses a section of it, it can now consider the organization's non-operating income. Thus, it is excluded from income generated from the organization but including in its net income.
It is possible that Bithumb produced its non-operating income from its digital currency investments and it is conceivable that the organisations held funds in digital currencies like bitcoin and Ethereum.
In the event that the non-operating income of Bithumb originated from its bitcoin investment, which is the probability of the case, Bithumb might see a misfortune in 2018, if bitcoin neglects to recuperate past $19,000. The 2017 profit of Bithumb incorporated bitcoin's value spike to $19,000, which hit $24,000 in South Korea because of local premium.
Applancer is an open platform for discussion on all things like Blockchain , Cryptocurrency and Ico news updates. As such, the opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Applancer .
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We had an extremely busy and fruitful trip to Guangzhou and Shenzhen last month on our high-level business mission to Guangdong. Discussions with senior officials during the visit reinforced the huge importance of Hong Kong’s ties with the province as the Greater Bay Area (GBA) takes shape.
As always on visits to these cities, we noticed the ever-changing environment as infrastructure develops, new companies spring up and the workforce becomes more international.
Our mission also gave us on-the-ground insights into some of the challenges to doing business in the GBA – from minor inconveniences to more significant policy hurdles – that could be ironed out for the benefit of both sides.
One of the key priorities for HKGCC is ensuring that Hong Kong regulations are fit for purpose. And as cross-border activity intensifies, we also see scope for relevant regulations to be unified and processes streamlined.
Since the three jurisdictions that make up the GBA have different regulations and systems, achieving an efficient flow of goods and people is easier said than done. But it is not impossible. Unifying certain regulations would benefit the authorities as well as smoothing the path for businesses. For example, customs procedures could be streamlined to avoid duplication of work as well as speed up clearance.
Unifying regulations would also help to encourage more Hong Kong companies, especially SMEs, to move into the Mainland market. In a survey that we conducted on the GBA, many Chamber members reported that one of the chief difficulties they experienced was their unfamiliarity with local compliance requirements. Currently, they tell us that it seems the GBA opportunities are behind a glass door – highly visible, but they do not have the key to access them.
The most obvious signs of initiatives moving at full speed are the greatly improved transport links. But travellers can still be held up at immigration, so to speed up the passage of Hong Kong residents who regularly travel to the region, we have proposed a “GBA card” that would allow international businesspeople to travel more easily to and from the Mainland.
We also need to examine how tax regimes can be aligned to deepen cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangdong. Two districts in the GBA – Hengqin and Qianhai – have already implemented a concessionary corporate income tax rate of 15% for businesses in certain industries. We hope that this policy will be rolled out across other cities in the GBA soon.
We believe such measures could have a significant impact in encouraging more Hong Kong businesses to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that the GBA is creating, for the benefit of both sides.


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New Apple update fixes 51 bugs
Apple has long boasted that their platforms are the most secure and in the past couple of years, they’ve doubled down on making security and privacy a priority. And their latest update to iOS is no exception. Anyone who’s concerned with security and using an Apple device should make sure to download iOS 12.2, as it contains 51 security updates.
The updates include patches to popular apps like FaceTime, Safari, Siri, Messages, and Mail. They’ve also fixed security holes in parts of the operating system that users aren’t necessarily aware of, like WebKit and Kernel. These updates boost user security when using Safari, including one gap in ReplayKit which made it possible to access your device’s microphone without your knowledge.
Operating system updates don’t get as much attention as other announcements companies make. They’re certainly not as sexy as Apple’s new titanium credit card, for example, or their new streaming platform. But while those other announcements are exciting and fun, fixing holes in security is much more important for the average user. If you’re still convinced, here are four more reasons it’s important to always make sure your software is up to date.
1. Cyber crime is up.
As technology becomes more and more a part of our daily lives, so too does cyber crime. By one estimate, global cyber crime will cost $21 trillion per year by 2021. Cyber crime is constantly evolving, from email based malware phishing attacks to bitcoin mining without a device owner’s knowledge to major corporate hacks to even hacking the updating system itself. It’s a constant race between cyber security experts and cyber criminals, but one way to protect yourself is by making sure you’re plugging all of those potential holes where criminals can get in.
2. Are you sure you’re automatically updating?
While some systems will automatically update, others don’t — or we turn them off and then forget to turn them back on again. But because we expect our systems to do their thing automatically, we can get a little lazy. Now’s a good time to check and make sure that not only are all of your systems up to date, but also that they’re set to update automatically.
3. You could infect your friends and colleagues.
You shouldn’t go into work if you think you might be sick and you shouldn’t pass on emails or other files that you think might be infected. But if there’s a virus on your computer and you don’t know it, you could pass it on unknowingly. If you’re not motivated enough to keep your systems update to protect yourself, do it for your friends and colleagues!
4. You could be missing out.
Automatic updates don’t just push security fixes. They also push cool updates to your favorite apps and programs. And if you’re not updating your systems, you’re missing out on those updates!
So whether you have an Apple device or you’re on Android, make sure that everything is up to date. It’s still one of your first lines of defense against cyber crime.Share this post
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Virtual reality has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years – except it has not. Although the excitement about its potential to become nothing short of awesome has been discussed in great detail in the press, this hasn’t translated into sales. While people will gladly pay amounts close to $1,000 for smartphones that allow them to play real money online video casino games and others as fluidly as possible, they seem to be reluctant to invest a smaller amount into VR gear that has a similar – or often smaller – price. And while it would be a bit harsh to
Virtual Reality Slots, What More Can We Expect From VR?
While virtual reality won’t take over gaming just yet, it is making a big impact in how we play games. More of a peripheral that allows us to extend how we play games, it offers a more immersive experience that really drags the player into the gaming world. With new online casinos emerging that use all forms of new technology throughout their platforms, we’ll no doubt see them invest heavily in creating online virtual casinos for their players. With that in mind, what impact will this new form of gameplay have on the online casino world? The answer is, probably a lot. One of the
How is VR Changing the Face of Alternative Online Entertainment?
While Virtual Reality is an exciting new technology, it didn’t “BOOM” quite as it was expected to, mostly due to lack of innovative content which is expected in the fourth quarter of this year, as well as into the 2017 – look for Hollywood franchise tie-ins as VR experience centers roll out, such as the collaboration between Acer, IMAX and Starbreeze. As a technology, VR is certainly a revolutionary innovation, but it probably won’t become as mass-adopted as smartphones, for example. VR is here, and it has already started its quest to revolutionize entertainment as we know it. And it will have its effects on all
Gaming of the Future: When Virtual Becomes Reality
Ever since developers started turning code into pixels, and pixels into virtual worlds, the overriding desire has been to make things more realistic. While Pong was the perfect way to pass the time back in the Seventies, its basic graphics and simple structure simply wouldn’t make it a hit in the modern day. Similarly, while Super Mario was a pioneering plumber in his day, the two-dimensional mushroom hater is now nothing more than a “classic” that inspires fond memories from “back in the day.”


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This year the impressive HTC One M8 was one of the most popular smartphones released, right up there with the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6, but like all good things a successor is on the way. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about it, but today new leaks and rumors have emerged about what could be the HTC One M9 for early 2015.
This year HTC took a completely different approach over years past and released the HTC One M8 in March ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S5, the LG G3, and the Moto X. All of this was likely an attempt to be first to market and gain some traction, and it appears they’ll do the same for 2015.
The first rumors about a new HTC One to replace the M8 this year was way back in June just a few months after its release, but with the year nearly over and 2015 quickly approaching more details should start to surface. Today new details have begun to leak about what’s being called the HTC “Hima” in what many are considering a codename for the new HTC One M9.
At the moment the rumors are still unclear, and leaksters have yet to confirm if HTC is working on more than one major smartphone release for next year, or if there are simply more than one HTC One M9 prototypes that have leaked giving mixed results.
The first news suggested an impressive 5.5-inch smartphone with a Quad-HD display like the LG G3 and Nexus 6, as well as some other top end features as well as a 16 megapixel camera. Something all HTC One or One M8 owners can look forward to. However, a new leak today courtesy of @upleaks is reporting something very different. The HTC One M9 could be different from the “Hima” but for now its too early to tell.
According to Upleaks a new phone is coming sometime in March of 2015, which is the same release schedule as the One M8 last year, but his leaks paint a different picture from the device mentioned above. Upleaks sources state the new HTC Hima will have a 5-inch Full HD display, and be powered by a new Qualcomm 8-core processor with 3GB of RAM. Meaning this could be one extremely powerful smartphone.
The 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 will be a 64-bit processor and run on Android 5.0 Lollipop. Using 2.0GHz Quad-core for heavy tasks, and a lower-power battery friendly 1.5GHz Quad-core processor for everything else. The focus here being a fast smartphone that also gets excellent battery life.
This leak goes on to mention the HTC Hima will have a 20.7 megapixel rear camera with a 5 or even 13 Ultrapixel front camera like the newly released HTC Eye, come with a large 2,840 mAh battery, run Android 5.0 Lollipop and a newly redesigned HTC Sense UI 6.0 user interface.
There is no mention of an aluminum unibody frame like the HTC One M8 this year, but that’s expected given the leak states four color choices: Gray, Silver, Gold, Gunmetal Gold.
As 2014 started we began seeing more and more leaks regarding the upcoming HTC One M8 this year, long before it was officially released. If this is any indication buyers can expect more details and possible leaked photos of the impressive-sounding new smartphone sooner than later. HTC is aiming to beat Samsung, Motorola, and LG to market again in 2015, and we’ll keep an eye out for more details.
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The pandemic-induced computer chip shortage is continuing to wreak havoc on the automotive industry. After taking a bite out of Ford and GM’s plans, it’s now laying waste to Toyota’s production.
The world’s largest automaker says it is being forced to reduce its global production by 40% in September -- meaning it will produce 360,000 fewer vehicles than it planned. While Toyota says the rise in COVID-19 cases in Vietnam and Malaysia made the semiconductor shortage worse, the effect is being felt across almost all of its plants, including ones in Japan, North America, China, and Europe.
“It became difficult to secure the necessary volume for several parts, which led to this sudden and large-scale production cut,” said Kazunari Kumakura, Toyota’s global procurement chief.
Being felt on the bottom line
Until now, Toyota has been able to withstand the pandemic’s impact in areas where many of its peers haven’t; in fact, it was able to record profits. But this news is already taking a toll. By midday on Thursday, shares of Toyota stock had fallen by 7.44 points (-4.24%).
“The new cuts could mean rougher seas ahead for all global automakers -- and their shareholders,” said The Motley Fool’s John Rosevear, suggesting that the global shortage of new vehicles won't end anytime soon or possibly by the end of 2021.
“I think this Toyota news suggests that we should expect automakers' shipments and revenue to remain well below pre-pandemic levels for a while longer -- certainly beyond the end of 2021.”
Impact on consumers
The chip shortage is causing a yin and yang effect that’s comparable to what we’re seeing in the housing market. It’s a good time to be a seller, but it’s not great if you’re a buyer.
“In short, waiting lists are getting longer, and some vehicles are being built with different electronic systems in order to keep production lines running. If you're looking to jump waiting lists by buying used, prices are on the rise as the used car market becomes stronger,” said automobile valuation analyst Curtis Moldrich.
Prices are on the rise for used cars as the chip shortage rages on, especially for low-mileage, recent model cars in good condition. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of used cars and trucks rose 41% from July 2020, to July 2021.


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A stroke of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s pen is all it would take for more Australian lithium to leave these shores at a time when desperate customers in Asia are paying record prices for the battery mineral.
Mr Frydenberg’s Foreign Investment Review Board has spent the best part of a year mulling whether to grant permission for a company called Austroid to take ownership of the Bald Hill lithium mine and processing plant in Western Australia.
Bald Hill was one of the six Australian lithium mines that rushed into the market during the boom of 2017 and 2018, only to be shut in August 2019 when sliding lithium prices pushed its owner into administration.
A price of $US780 a tonne for the lithium-rich spodumene concentrate produced at Bald Hill was enough for the mine to generate positive cash flow from operations in the first three months of 2019.
If Bald Hill were operating today, its product would sell for closer to $US3250 a tonne in the daily “spot” markets.
But rather than spitting out spodumene and creaming cash, Bald Hill is standing idle while FIRB ponders its verdict on Austroid’s agreement to buy Bald Hill from the administrators of its failed parent.
There may be good reasons why the FIRB is taking its time; Nevada-registered Austroid has some common links to the Chinese-backed company that originally struck a FIRB-dependent purchase agreement with Bald Hill’s administrators.
The Chinese-backed deal did not complete for reasons that remain unclear.
Bald Hill’s prolonged state of limbo provides investors with a timely reminder that amid euphoric lithium prices, there is plenty more spodumene supply that could theoretically hit the market quickly.
The multibillion-dollar question is how quickly producers in Australia and other countries will respond to the bonanza prices on offer.
Bald Hill is not the only ghost of the last lithium boom that could come back to life this year.
Pilbara Minerals is in the processing of restarting the lithium assets that were run during the last boom by Altura Mining, before it too fell on hard times.
Mineral Resources will in coming months sell some of the stockpiled material that is lying around its idled Wodgina mine, and a three-year mining hiatus at Wodgina is scheduled to come to an end in the final three months of this year.
Northern Territory spodumene will hit the market about the same time, with ASX-listed Core Lithium expecting to start exporting before Christmas.
While all that is happening, the world’s biggest and best spodumene mine – Greenbushes in WA – operates in a constant state of gradual production growth.
“In 2022, Australia will see the largest growth in lithium units globally with growth around 28 per cent year-on-year,” Wood Mackenzie analyst Allan Pedersen said.
Having crushed spodumene prices with their exuberant supply surge during the last boom, will Australian lithium miners do it all again?
With Wodgina and Core both guiding to the final months of 2022, Canaccord analysts Reg Spencer and Tim Hoff reckon there is very little extra spodumene supply that could hit the market and dampen prices in the next six months at least.
“We do not see an easy route for the market to balance throughout the year,” they said in a note to clients.
If anything, spodumene supply appears more likely to underwhelm in the next six months.
Operational hiccups have hampered Pilbara Minerals’ ability to ramp up output in recent months and those hiccups have been exacerbated by supply chain delays and WA’s labour shortage.
Pilbara Minerals is expected to downgrade annual production targets later this month, and if it does, it would be the company’s second downgrade in the space of two months.
The gradual spread of COVID-19 into WA could be a further headwind to productivity in the next six months, given the state dominates Australian lithium exports.
Canaccord expects spodumene contract prices – which are typically set with reference to prices for battery-grade lithium in the previous three or six months – to peak about July at close to $US3600 s tonne.
The tiny volumes of spodumene that get sold in daily “spot” markets between now and then could fetch even higher prices.
When Wodgina does restart, Mineral Resources managing director Chris Ellison said it would be with a clear focus on value over volume.
“We have the capability to turn on three [processing] trains up there, [but] we are not doing that. We are just going to take this slowly and make sure we get it ramped up properly,” he said of the plan to restart just one processing train at Wodgina.
“Trains two and three are sitting ready, willing and able to go, and we will restart them in line with market demand.”
Supply discipline at Wodgina is important; at full capacity, the mine can produce about five times as much spodumene concentrate as Bald Hill.
Canaccord believes the prices recorded in the past couple of months are triple the levels required to provide incentives for new projects to enter production, and they expect the hangover from this year’s party to be felt in 2025 when that incentivised supply hits the market and spodumene prices revert to about $US750 a tonne.
But they don’t expect the hangover to last long; Canaccord predicts surging demand for electric vehicles will ensure demand for lithium exceeds supply from 2026 onward, dragging the spodumene price back towards $US1000 a tonne.
Mr Pedersen also doubts that this year’s boom will become next year’s bust.
“The risk of growth in lithium production overwhelming demand in the coming years is very slim. Demand growth from the automotive sector will continue to be very strong,” he said.
A big unknown in the longer-term battle between spodumene supply and demand will be the rate at which Australian miners stop selling their spodumene to third parties and instead feed it into processing plants with a view to selling higher margin, battery-grade products such as lithium hydroxide.
Spodumene from Greenbushes will increasingly go that way now that the mine owners – Albemarle, Tianqi and IGO Group – are getting their lithium hydroxide plants south of Perth completed and into production.
Mineral Resources and Pilbara Minerals have similar ambitions, suggesting the spodumene growth plans announced by the miners will not translate directly to spodumene sales.
“Export of spodumene concentrate will increase less than actual production. We forecast export to increase approximately 23 per cent in 2022 and a further 11 per cent in 2023,” Mr Pedersen said.
Mineral Resources and Albemarle want to build a fleet of new lithium hydroxide plants “outside Australia” to process the spodumene mined at Wodgina, and while the proportion of Wodgina’s output fed into those plants is yet to be determined, Mr Ellison would like it to be as close to 100 per cent as possible.
Mr Ellison said last week he wants the company to go from zero to 100,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide in five years.
The trend for miners to get closer to end consumers could leave those in the middle of the value chain – typically Chinese businesses that buy spodumene and convert it into the lithium chemicals that battery manufacturers need – in the perverse situation where mine production of spodumene is rising but less of the commodity is available for them to buy.
For those converters, owning the “upstream” mineral assets will only become more attractive.
“If you own the rock in the ground then you control your future,” Mr Ellison said.
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Price of MgO rise up? No, it's sea freight.
From May, sea freight from Dalian to India port rise up a lot, before it's around USD400/20FCL, in May, it's more than USD500/20FCL, while from the shipping lines, we know that, from June, it's more than USD600/20FCL, and short of containers. This will definitely influence magnesium oxide export.
We hope that it won't rise up this much as it influence our clients benifites, and it's too much higher than the market.


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AD Ports Group, the region’s premier facilitator of logistics, industry, and trade, has partnered with UAE-based, multi-business conglomerate Ghassan Aboud Group to establish one of the region’s largest multi-category wholesale food trading and logistics hub in KIZAD in collaboration with Rungis. The project was announced at the official project launch ceremony held on-site in KIZAD.
The ‘Regional Food Hub - Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with Rungis’, will bring together wholesale buyers, sellers, logistics players, consolidators, and distributors from across the world, enhancing the diversity of all food categories available for consumers in the UAE and wider region.
Rungis International Market is the largest wholesale fresh food market in the world. It currently hosts 1200 companies, serves 18 million consumers, and has a turnover of EUR 10 billion.
The project will partner with the world’s leading wholesale market players to ensure the services, facilities and systems are world-class and the site is sustainable, hygienic and a zero-waste ecosystem to cater to post-pandemic requisites.
It will facilitate trade across proteins, seafood, pulses and rice, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, dry foods and fresh flowers. Food companies from all countries can offer their products and buyers will have a selection of thousands of fresh items managed in a safe, clean environment positioning the UAE as an important part of evolving global food supply chains.
Covering a land area of 3.3 sq km in KIZAD, the Regional Food Hub – Abu Dhabi will be one of the largest of its kind in the region. Its ecosystem will feature trading pavilions, logistics services, refrigerated and ambient warehouses, critical government services, waste recycling facilities and various other support amenities and services.
The project is designed to accelerate the government’s National Food Security Strategy and enhance food trade flow through Abu Dhabi. By lowering the overall supply chain costs of food products, the food hub will provide a competitive ecosystem for both local and global players.
H.E. Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), Chairman of Logistics Sector Development Committee in Abu Dhabi said, “Food security and safety are among the top priorities of the UAE, and this major new trade hub will drive efficiencies in food supply chains and help improve safety, affordability and sustainable access for wholesalers in the UAE. At ADDED, we are keen to support the launch of the ‘Regional Food Hub - Abu Dhabi’ which enhances public-private partnership, as part of our wider work to achieve a knowledge-based, diversified, and sustainable economy.”
Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, stressed the importance of this project and its role in supporting the UAE’s efforts to be number one on the Global Food Security Index by 2051. He said: “The development of new resources such as this, which will bring together leading local and global suppliers, supporting them with advanced innovation and world-class infrastructure, is testament to AD Ports Group’s commitment to facilitate food trade in line with the key objectives of the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy that was launched by our wise leadership in 2018”.
He added: “Our partnership with Ghassan Aboud Group is an important step towards promoting public-private collaboration and aligns our efforts to support the food sector by utilising the world-class infrastructure and logistics in KIZAD, in addition to our advanced technological capabilities that enhance food safety and security”.
Ghassan Aboud, Founder and Chairman of the Ghassan Aboud Group, said, “We are committed to investing in the food value chain in the UAE and we are confident that our partnership with the AD Ports Group will mark a pioneering step in the UAE’s food processing and distribution sector.
“The readily available infrastructure and value-added services will provide an integrated ecosystem for local and global food commodity providers and deploy cutting-edge digital technology to promote food-related innovation.”
Stéphane Layani, Chairman & CEO Rungis International Market, the largest wholesale fresh food market in the world, said: “We believe that the challenges seen during the Covid-19 crisis call for supply chain management in which wholesale markets play a strategic role.
Our ambition, working with strong and recognized public and private partners in Abu Dhabi over the years, is to create a network of wholesale markets able to connect with each other in a very unique global network which will provide additional tremendous strength to food supply chains and ensure critical food security.
“With our support and the leadership of our partners, the development of this new generation of infrastructure in Abou Dhabi will make it possible.”
Ghassan Aboud Group is an international conglomerate engaged in several key business sectors, including FMCG Distribution, logistics, supermarkets, catering and business-to-business digital platform for food and FMCG distribution. Its food and retail businesses have pioneered a range of key sustainability and food technology processes in recent years. With its participation across the food value chain, the Group is committed to facilitate uninterrupted supply of quality food products to the UAE’s and regional consumers.
KIZAD provides a fully integrated trade and logistics platform for food companies looking to expand in the region. Located near Khalifa Port, KIZAD enables multimodal connectivity via sea, air, road and rail networks in the future, with world-class infrastructure as well as water and electrical power at a competitive rate.
Its integrated service offerings include aluminium, paper and packaging, and food processing providers, enabling companies that use the food hub to benefit from significant economies of scale in the preparation and transport of their products.
The ‘Regional Food Hub - Abu Dhabi’, in collaboration with Rungis will also leverage cutting-edge technology to offer a digital marketplace that will provide a range of services for tenants and customers to increase adoption and ensure continuity while easing business by supporting key synergies between Abu Dhabi’s government entities and trade enablers.


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Vodafone teamed up with Telegraph Spark to demonstrate how advancements in technology are bringing about digital transformations that businesses can embrace and capitalise on – utilising emerging digital formats to bring the story to life.
Date: 19 October 2018 – 1 May 2019
- The campaign covers four main areas of technological development: mobility, connectivity, unified communications and the internet of things.
- Telegraph Spark created 10 creative digital formats to deliver the campaign, incorporating AMP Stories, long reads, infographics and video as well as conventional articles.
- The content includes four AMP stories highlighting some of the crucial elements businesses should focus on when considering digital transformation.
- The campaign was promoted in conjunction with the Digital Transformation Forum, a prestigious industry event, hosted by Telegraph Events.
You can view the full campaign here.


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In a rather Black Mirror turn of events, researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed an app that will tell you how to take ‘the perfect selfie’.
To help you capture your best angle, the app uses an algorithm to direct the way you position the camera.
In order to decide on the ‘best’ angle, the researchers used 3D digital scans of a collection of computer generated people. Then, after taking hundreds of virtual selfies – each with different composition and lighting, an online crowdsourcing service was used to get thousands of people to rate the selfies as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. These voting patterns were then mathematically modelled in order to develop the algorithm.
To check that the app worked as it should, the researchers had real people take selfies with and without the computerised aid. Based on the subsequent online ratings, a 26% improvement was seen in selfies taken with the app compared to a normal phone camera.
‘We can expand the potential to include variable aspects such as hairstyle, types of smile or even the outfit you wear,’ says Dan Vogel, one of the scientists involved in the development of the app.
To see the app in action, click here.
Image credit: [http://images.shape.mdpcdn.com/sites/shape.com/files/styles/story_detail/public/selfie-study-promo.jpg]


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Unicorns aren't so hard to find these days. The term 'Unicorn' refers to successful companies like Uber, AirBnB and Snapchat: small tech startups that exploded into billion-dollar industries almost overnight.
These mythical creatures aren't just found in Silicon Valley, they're popping up everywhere and Australia has their fair share of them. Companies like Atlassian, Campaign Monitor and Menulog are all prime examples of Australian-made Unicorns, according to the Australian Financial Review.
The startup ecosystem in the Gold Coast recently received a boost that is sure to attract talent far and wide. In the hopes of producing the next Unicorn, will this new hub of innovation inject a boost to industrial leasing in the area?
In media release by the Queensland government, the Gold Coast is set to see an injection in the local startup economy with the announcement of the $8million Advance Queensland Hot DesQ entrepreneurial program will be based in the city.
According to Innovation Minister Leeanne Enoch, the two startups – Much Better Adventures and Skin Analytics, will be a welcome boost to other local businesses in the area.
"They will work very closely with local startups on the Gold Coast, sharing their experiences and providing that all important insight into how to grow a successful business," Ms Enoch said. "These startups have extensive entrepreneurial experience and business connections and will be of huge benefit to our local entrepreneurs on the Gold Coast."
The Hot DesQ program is designed to attract both local and international interest to the area, creating a nurturing environment that will hopefully accelerate the startup industry and growth of commercial businesses in the area, according to Queensland Chief Entrepreneur Mark Sowerby.
"We're attracting some of the best and brightest from around the world. They are bringing this huge wealth of expertise, experience and knowledge in running successful startups to Queensland, which will be of enormous benefit to our local budding entrepreneurs," Mr Sowerby said.
It's not just the government supporting the innovation culture. Australian expat and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Ben Sand believes that it's start-ups on the Gold Coast and south-east Queensland that could be the big winners. Speaking to Business News Australia, the co-founder of Meta, plans to bring $2 billion worth of investments into Australia, with a focus on south-east Queensland (including the Gold Coast), by 2018. Other programs, such as Google-powered Startup Weekend is a hotbed of activity with the hopes of creating Australia's next unicorn. Happening in March 2017, this fast-paced environment crams the highs, lows, funs and pressures in a 52 hour period turning ideas into action.
According to the City of Gold Coast's 'City in focus' report, the Gold Coast holds unique opportunity for startups in the health, technology and knowledge based companies. With the Gold Coast University Hospital, Griffith University and the Gold Coast Private Hospital in close proximity to each other, there's a hive of activity in these industries waiting for the right business to come along.
Business in general in Queensland is looking up. In the NAB's monthly business survey, business confidence Australia-wide has rebounded since mid-2016, yet it is Queensland that is leading the pack in terms of positive trends. As of December 2010, Queensland is the most positive state in terms of business confidence, highlighting an opportunity for startups to capitalise on this trend.
To find out more about locating the right industrial property to take part in this swell of innovation in the Gold Coast, start a conversation with the team at Ray White Surfer's Paradise today.


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If the water coming out of the tap tastes OK and is cheap, no one cares about the plumbing under the sink. Except perhaps for the chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Gary Gensler is expected this week to roll out ideas for how retail stock orders should be routed and executed.
In recent years, an increasing number of brokerages have offered commission-free trades to retail customers. The rub is that the trades are not costless. Brokerages, notably meme stock specialist Robinhood, sell the transactions to wholesale market makers. These buyers include Citadel Securities, Virtu and Susquehanna. They are hardly household names. But they have captured enough tiny bid-ask spreads to become highly profitable.
Their pipes were exposed last year during the meme-stock trading frenzy, when retail investors wildly bought and sold shares and trades sometimes halted.
Gensler is expected to propose an auction mechanism forcing brokers to improve pricing for end clients. Naturally, incumbents are resisting changes to a status quo that has worked out well for them. They say trading commissions may rise. But equally, prices on trade execution may drop.
Similar arithmetic was exposed in late 2020. Robinhood settled with the SEC for $65mn over allegations it was not upfront with users about its “payment for order flow” practices. The SEC claimed the brokerage failed to seek the best execution terms, ensuring payments it received for order flows stayed healthy
According to the SEC’s analysis, terms were bad enough that account holders would have been better off paying a typical $5 commission on orders of more than 100 shares than using Robinhood for free. For an order of 500 shares, that average execution loss was $15.
It remains to be seen whether an auction system devised by a regulator will do a cleaner, cheaper job of executing trades than competing brokerages and market makers. But we should at least credit the SEC with trying to improve the system creatively instead of just grumpily punishing businesses whose practices it dislikes.
If you are a subscriber and would like to receive alerts when Lex articles are published, just click the button “Add to myFT”, which appears at the top of this page above the headline.


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The original 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special holds a unique place within the beloved science fiction franchise. The bizarre variety show-like format, the inexplicable guest appearances from the likes of Bea Arthur and Jefferson Starship, and the focus on Chewbacca’s entire family of hairy, grunting Wookiees led to this special becoming one of the worst-rated and poorest-received pieces of Star Wars media of all times. However, the infamously bad special’s lack of re-broadcast or home video release has given the Holiday Special an almost cult-like status among Star Wars fans due to how difficult it is to obtain and view a copy.
Now, the team behind the LEGO Star Wars video games and TV series have officially announced that they are producing a Holiday Special of their very own. Simply titled The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, this TV experience will release on November 17 exclusively for streaming service Disney+.
The brand new Holiday Special will star the cast of the most recent trilogy of films – including Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, and, of course, the adorable rolling droid BB-8 – as they celebrate the Wookiee holiday Life Day alongside their friend Chewbacca. (Life Day was the same holiday Chewie had hoped to spend with his family during the original Special). During the preparations, Rey and BB-8 will find themselves sucked into a “cross-dimensional adventure,” where they will encounter characters from previous Star Wars films including Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Currently, only a few actors have been announced to reprise their roles in the Holiday Special, most notably Kelly Marie Tran as Rose and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. As of today, Billy Dee Williams is also confirmed to be returning as Lando Calrissian, a character who had not previously been mentioned as appearing in the special. What role Lando will play is currently unknown.
Will you be watching the LEGO Holiday Special? Let us know!


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Editor’s Note: Many argue that current stock market action is discounting a huge post-pandemic surge in spending. This report casts doubt on this assumption.
Free money whipped consumers into a rollicking eight-month splurge on goods. There’s nothing “pent up.” And services are not a shoo-in for “pent-up demand.”
Give Americans some free money, and tell them it’s their duty to buy some stuff with it, preferable stuff imported from other countries, and they’ll buy some stuff with it, big and expensive stuff too, and they did buy a lot of stuff with it, more than they’d ever bought before, and their homes are full of stuff they bought in this eight-month long record rollicking free-money spending spree.
And it happened again in January: Free money from the stimulus payments kicked in and consumers further boosted their spending on goods from already high levels.
In January, spending on durable goods spiked by a stunning 18.6% from a year ago, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis today, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.86 trillion. The spending spree has been going on since June:
And spending on nondurable goods – which includes food and gasoline whose prices have jumped recently – rose by 6.1% from a year ago to a record of $3.21 trillion (annual rate):
This is an entirely different scenario than what consumers went through in any prior crisis. During the Financial Crisis, consumers suddenly cut their purchases of durable goods and nondurable goods, which you can see in the charts above.
Spending on durable goods plunged by 19% from the peak in October 2007 to the trough in April 2009. This plunge in spending did create some pent-up demand during the recovery.
Nondurable goods during the Financial Crisis dropped by 10% from the peak in July 2008 to the trough in March 2009. Some of this drop in spending had to do with the collapse in the price of gasoline, and also the reduced driving because people were out of work. Prices of food and other items too fell for a few months during this time, which, though welcome by consumers, caused a dip in the dollars spent on these items. This kind of drop in spending on nondurable goods creates only moderate pent-up demand, if any.
But during the Pandemic, the opposite happened.
People got lots of free money from the stimulus and extra unemployment programs. The most recent $600 stimulus payments started showing up in consumers’ bank accounts at the end of December, and massively arrived in January.
Income from wages and salaries in January, at $9.7 trillion (seasonally adjusted annual rate), was up 1.1% from a year ago. But income from unemployment benefits, stimulus checks, and other government support payments exploded to $2.9 trillion (seasonally adjusted annual rate).
Along with income from interest, dividends, rental properties, farm income, income from Social Security, and other transfer payments, total income in January, all together, jumped by 13% from a year ago to a record $21.5 trillion (seasonally adjusted annual rate). These stimulus payments made for a majestic free-money-based overshoot:
The Prickly Pear’s TAKE ACTION focus this year is to help achieve a winning 2024 national and state November 5th election with the removal of the Biden/Obama leftist executive branch disaster, win one U.S. Senate seat, maintain and win strong majorities in all Arizona state offices on the ballot and to insure that unrestricted abortion is not constitutionally embedded in our laws and culture.
Please click the TAKE ACTION link to learn to do’s and don’ts for voting in 2024. Our state and national elections are at great risk from the very aggressive and radical leftist Democrat operatives with documented rigging, mail-in voter fraud and illegals voting across the country (yes, with illegals voting across the country) in the last several election cycles.
Read Part 1 and Part 2 of The Prickly Pear essays entitled How NOT to Vote in the November 5, 2024 Election in Arizona to be well informed of the above issues and to vote in a way to ensure the most likely chance your vote will be counted and counted as you intend.
Please click the following link to learn more.