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The city known for cannabis tourism is cleaning up the streets of its famous late night destination. Amsterdam will also limit alcohol sales.
Amsterdam’s weed-friendly coffee shops have been a destination for canna-tourists for decades. But locals are growing tired of visitors toking in the popular Red Light District, which is also the center of the city’s legal sex work trade.
So lawmakers are banning residents and visitors from smoking cannabis in the Red Light District. In addition to the ban on smoking weed, Amsterdam said it will intensify measures to discourage alcohol sales, which are already banned after 4 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday.
In 1976, the Netherlands passed a policy known as “gedoogbeleid,” meaning the “Dutch model,” which stated that the government would openly ignore the use of cannabis, even though the plant remained illegal. Hundreds of coffeeshops soon sprung up in the capital city of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. But as legalization now spreads globally, Amsterdam citizens and officials have become less 420-friendly.
On top of the ban, many of Amsterdam’s famous cannabis cafes are also closing down. In 2022, government researchers found that 58% of foreign tourists who visit Amsterdam come mainly to consume cannabis at coffeeshops. Last year, the city chose to shrink the number of cannabis-friendly coffee shops from 166 to 70. Officials hoped to continue serving the local market but curb visitors who have coffeeshops at the top of their Dutch travel to-do list.
“The problem is: There are just too many of them,” Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said earlier in 2022. “The drug tourists are the reason for an increase in demand for marijuana,” which the country’s citizens didn’t sign up for.
With bud booming worldwide, Amsterdam is no longer the only option for 420-friendly travelers. Here are 17 countries that could soon replace Amsterdam as the top tourist destination for traveling tokers.


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Samsung achieved about 46% share in the segment in the four months, with demand for models such as Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, Note Edge & Galaxy A7.
Samsung unveiled two new smartphones in an effort to woo consumers seeking large-screen handsets, and to counter US rival Apple.
Samsung is the world's top smartphone maker but its market share fell in the second quarter when its critically acclaimed S6 models launched.
Samsung is reportedly working on another giant-sized phone in addition to its next Galaxy Note that will debut later this year.
Samsung's new Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ flaunt a range of standalone features that even Apple's iPhones don't have.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will launch a new version of its premium Galaxy Note smartphone around mid-August, earlier than previous versions.
We're expecting to see the next phone in Samsung's Note line at this event, which many believe will be called the Galaxy Note 5.
Challenging previous notions about the way host galaxies grow in relation to black holes, an international team of astronomers has spotted a super-sized black hole.

domain: news


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Dialog Semiconductor, a provider of integrated power management, AC/DC power conversion, solid state lighting (SSL) and Bluetooth Smart technology, has announced a Bluetooth Smart development kit, with full support for Apple HomeKit, to accelerate development of smart home accessories.
In a recent report on the connected home, BI Intelligence predicts that the smart home market will grow at an annual rate of 67% between now and 2019, resulting in 1.8 billion accessories being shipped in that year.
“HomeKit is unifying smart home accessories with a common set of controls, user interface elements and end-to-end encryption which is an important step for the home automation market,” says Sean McGrath, senior vice president and general manager, Connectivity, Automotive & Industrial Business Group at Dialog. ”
Dialog’s Bluetooth Smart development kit, based on its SmartBond(TM) DA14580 System-on-Chip (SoC), will help create accessories with the fastest response times, creating the best possible user experience. Initial pairing set up takes 4.5 seconds and pair-verify, which occurs whenever an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch issues a command, takes only 250 ms. The DA14580, which is available in a tiny 2.5 x 2.5 mm package, also offers the lowest power consumption in its class with a peak current of less than 5 mA, maximising battery life.”
The kits are available now at https://mfi.avnet.com/MFI/ .


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Canadian retail sales in October came out stronger than expected, increasing 0.4 percent.
Statistics Canada reported on Friday that total sales activity for the month reached $ 54.6 billion, marking the sixth consecutive monthly increase since the record decline in April.
Sales growth was led by dealers of motor vehicles and parts, Statistics Canada said. Sales at new car dealerships increased 0.8 percent.
Economists’ consensus expectation was that sales would increase 0.2 percent in October, after the 1.9 percent jump seen in September.
Sales in British Columbia increased 2.1 percent, with health and personal care stores, as well as resellers of construction material and garden equipment and supplies, further contributing to the increase. In Alberta, sales increased 1.1 percent in higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers.
In Ontario, retail activity fell for the first time since April, coinciding with a record number of COVID-19 cases and stricter public health measures in the province. Ontario sales fell 0.4 percent, with the drop led by clothing stores and clothing accessories.
Statistics Canada said its forecast for November is that retail activity is expected to remain relatively unchanged.
“Retail sales have achieved a remarkable recovery, having recorded a V-shaped recovery,” said BMO economist Priscilla Thiagamoorthy in a comment.
“But, with stricter restrictions amid an outbreak of new virus cases, we expect some smoothness in activity in the coming months.”
Derek Holt, of Scotiabank Economics, pointed out that total sales volume is now five percent higher than before the pandemic “and therefore the general sector has more than recovered”.
Calculating sales of automobiles and gasoline, sales volumes increased by almost 8% compared to pre-pandemic levels, he said.


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Windows 11 download: How to get Microsoft's new OS now without waiting – CNET
If you haven't got the upgrade yet, Windows 11 Installation Assistant is your shortcut to Microsoft's latest OS.
Microsoft Surface Go 3 review: small Windows 11 tablet can't keep up – The Guardian
Microsoft's smallest tablet PC gets Windows 11, newer chips and a small price cut but really needed more to make it worth the investment.
How to Use the Microsoft Store in Windows 11 | PCMag
Windows 11 introduces a Microsoft Store with simpler navigation and adds third-party storefront support.
I wish Microsoft had been brave enough not to release Windows 11 | PC Gamer
“Windows 10 is the last version of Windows,” says Microsoft's Jerry Nixon just ahead of the launch of the then-new operating system.
Earnings preview: Microsoft's cloud era takes hold, further reducing reliance on Windows PC …
If ever there was a quarter to illustrate that Microsoft's growth doesn't depend on Windows PC sales anymore, this is shaping up to be it.
Microsoft will push PC Health Check app to all Windows 10 PCs | PCWorld
Microsoft says in a support document that it's going to push its PC Health Check app to all Windows 10 PCs as a way to encourage users to upgrade …
On 20th Anniversary Of Windows XP, Elon Musk Trolled Microsoft Real Hard – Indiatimes.com
Another day, another troll tweet by the tech billionaire Elon Musk, however, this time, it was aimed at the software company Microsoft. Elon Musk …
Microsoft starts rolling out PC Health Check app to Windows 10 users – OnMSFT.com
Microsoft is starting to roll out its new PC Health Check app through Windows Update to Windows 10 users.
Microsoft and AMD partner to release software updates for Windows 11 users, read details
The US-based chip manufacturer seems to have resolved the issues in partnership with Microsoft, wherein a software update for the OS and a driver …
Microsoft Is Bringing Its PC Health Check App To A Windows 10 PC Near You – Fossbytes
The company said in new support that PC Health Check will be delivered to existing Windows 10 PCs (v2004 or later) via the update KB50005463.


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Supermarket groups are reporting a run on certain products, a rise in online ordering and are preparing to ration supplies and restrict operations if the coronavirus outbreak worsens.
“There is definitely stockpiling going on — things like kitchen towels, toilet rolls and hand sanitiser in particular,” said the chief executive of one UK supermarket chain.
He added that more people were doing their shopping online, echoing comments from elsewhere in the industry. Earlier in the week, online grocer Ocado said there was higher than normal demand for delivery slots and that customers “appear to be placing larger orders”.
However, retailers said they are coping with the increased demand because most of the products being stockpiled are not perishable. “We are seeing increased buying of staple long-life goods like rice and pasta,” said one large supermarket chain. “But we have got stock of everything.”
Another UK retail executive said that for non-perishable goods, there is typically about three to four weeks of inventory in the supply chain. “All that is happening is that stock is moving from stores and warehouses to cupboards.”
“There will be gaps on shelves for a day or two while the system catches up.”
Retailers in France gave similar reassurances. “We have not seen abnormal situations in terms of sales or shortages,” said a spokesman for one of the big five supermarkets. “There is a enough inventory for supermarket staples since there are no issues with the supply chain or with transport.”
In the US, grocery chain Wegmans said it was working with suppliers to manage inventories and was increasing orders based on demand. “Generally speaking, we’re seeing increased sales on items customers tend to stock up on during flu season, like hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial soap, and cleaning supplies,” said Deana Percassi, head of public relations at the chain, which has 101 stores in the north-east and mid-Atlantic regions.
Kroger, another supermarket chain, said shoppers were spending more on personal care items, ready meals and soup, while Target chief executive Brian Cornell told analysts that US consumers were “starting to stock up on household essentials, disinfectants, food and beverage items”.
Richard Galanti, chief financial officer of Costco, said that “whatever limited amounts we get or allocated are gone pretty quickly”.
He added: “We’re getting deliveries daily but still not enough given the increased levels of demand on certain key items.”
UK retailers said they were reluctant to introduce rationing of products, fearing that it would encourage a sense of crisis. But some have placed limits on the number of items a customer can purchase for certain products such as hand sanitiser.
This week, the UK competition regulator warned retailers and the public about prices for the most popular products. “We urge retailers to behave responsibly throughout the coronavirus outbreak and not to make misleading claims or charge vastly inflated prices,” said Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority.
If the outbreak worsens in the UK, as the government expects, staff shortages could become a problem.
“Even if only a small percentage of the population gets the disease, the impact on the workforce is a lot larger,” said Bruno Monteyne, food retail analyst at Bernstein and a former supply chain executive at Tesco. “If children or family members go sick, or when schools are closed, many mums and dads will have to stay home,” he said in a note to clients.
“No supply chain is able to deal easily with an additional 5 per cent of absences at very short notice.”
One big four supermarket in the UK said “a doomsday scenario would of course mean changes in stores”.
“We’d look at what parts of the store we’d run and which we’d close if we had a lot of people off sick, or caring for people who are sick,” a spokesperson said.
Cafés and other departments with additional staff such as meat, fish and bakery counters may have to close temporarily to focus manpower on the main parts of stores, while ranges might be restricted to the most popular items.
“We have contingency plans to prepare for all eventualities . . . we have a group of people looking at this on a daily basis,” he added.
The French supermarket said it was “following the situation closely” and “preparing alternatives for deliveries, if more aggressive quarantine measures are put in place by the government”.
Meanwhile a call by UK health secretary Matt Hancock to avoid stockpiling and panic buying was supported by industry bosses.
“What causes a problem is everyone saying there is going to be a problem,” said the senior UK executive. “It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”


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After many delays, the South Korean Congress voted to pass the “Anti-Google Law”. Yes, this bill is named after the American technology giant Google. This bill prohibits app stores from forcing developers to use in-app purchase policies.
In fact, this is mainly for the application store industry monopoly giants Google and Apple. These technology companies force developers to pay them royalties on terms.
It is worth noting that the South Korean Congress finally withstood the pressure to pass this bill. It is said that Apple actually tried to lobby the US government to put pressure on the South Korean government.
In fact, there has been a lot of controversy about the in-app purchases in the Apple App Store and Google Play. For now, the European Union, the United States, South Korea, and Japan are all conducting investigations.
The reason for the investigation is that these app stores are suspected of monopolizing, that is, using the market share of their app stores on their respective platforms to force developers to agree to the terms.
The terms stipulate that developers are not allowed to use payment methods other than the platform, nor can they use other pages to guide users to open subscription services through other platforms.
If the above policy is violated, the platform can restrict or directly remove the corresponding application. The popular game Fortnite was removed by Apple because of this.
However, if the developer agrees to the platform policy, it means that they need to pay a commission fee. Apple and Google both charge a 30% commission on all payment flows.
Court documents show that Google can actually cover the operating costs of Google Play with a 6% commission. Obviously, a 30% commission will harm the interests of consumers.
The most important and practical significance of this new bill passed by the Korean National Assembly is that the platform must not force developers to use in-platform purchases in any way.
After the implementation of the bill, developers have the right to provide users with other payment methods outside the platform, and the platform shall not determine that the developer violates the regulations and removes the application directly.
Apple is naturally very repulsive of this approach in South Korea. Apple said that the bill may cause users to buy digital goods from other sources and be defrauded.
And it may leak users’ private information, make it difficult for users to manage their subscriptions, and the actual effect of Apple’s parental controls may be weakened.


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The Launch of Redefine Meat – The New Kid on the Block of the Alternative Meat Sector
The launch of Redefine Meat new meat at the new Chef Works & Bragard UK showroom in Islington last Monday was greeted with enthusiasm by chefs and caterers at the event.
Redefine Meat is the new kid on the block of the alternative meat sector having spent upwards of four years in development while the market has taken off. However, the time spent getting the product right in terms of taste, texture and usability is likely to have been time well spent.
The meat itself is made up of various plant-based proteins, fats, and natural colours and flavours. Gluten is used to achieve the right “chew”. According to Adrian Sagman, Head of Global Sales and Biz Dev at Redefine Meat the new meat looks and behaves just like real meat when you cook it.
There were three types on display the event: steak, beef and lamb mince. The Chefs’ Forum teamed up with Chotto Matte Restaurant in Soho to design a canapé menu that reflected the style of the restaurant with the addition of redefined meat in some of the dishes.
Jordan Sclare, Executive Chef of Chotto Matte, told The Chefs’ Forum: “We designed four canapés for the event including using redefine meat in our beef tataki. It’s been a very exciting process.”
Kurt Zdesar, founder of Chotto Matte, explained why he was excited about the new products and using it in his restaurants: “I’m super impressed how similar it is to real meat. One brand came out when this whole thing started and it’s everywhere now. I think it’s time we saw better versions and I think that version is here now. We are big fans.”
Ben Purton of caterer Thyme & Plaice, said: “If I’d had that meat-free version without knowing then my palate would have been fooled into thinking it was meat. It had that little bit of texture in there.”
Shanti Bhushan of Brigadiers London who also created some Redefine Meat canapés for the event was equally impressed: “The previous attempts that we’ve tried have a dominating taste of unnatural fibres that comes through. So, it doesn’t gel with the spices and the sauces that we make.
“This one just feels right, the texture, the way it absorbs the spices, it works better. It was really nice and I’m looking forward to having it on the menu.”
Jordan Sclare summed up the feelings of everyone present when he said: “I can see the years of development that has been put into the development of this product. It’s not easy to do what they’ve achieved.”


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Which Country Has The Most Gold?
The current price of gold bullion and gold price charts in world currencies. While gold prices have seen much more drastic volatility due to growing bets that inflation will raise as a result of both President Donald Trump’s economic policies and years of muted price growth from weak demand, silver has not been impacted to the same extent.
By studying the historical price of gold available at , it is easy to realize that the only sure way to protect your wealth from inflation, deflation, and poor economic policy while hedging against the uncertainty of your financial future is through investing in gold.
We provide today gold price updates in India including today MCX gold price, gold price from local city markets (Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and more) across India, Dubai gold price, gold ETF NAV price, today silver price, today platinum price, gold price history/trends for more than last 5 years and gold FAQs to help you understand gold and related investment options better in general from a common man perspective.
Latest News, Photos, Videos On Rupee Against Dollar
Forex dealers said US dollar’s gains against rivals overseas in the wake of a string of developments at the global level also had an impact of the rupee. The U.S. dollar falls against most of its major rivals on Monday, but climbs against the British pound as investors question what would be next for the U.K. government as it wrangles with a hung parliament just before Brexit talks are scheduled to begin in a week.
There’s more good news because as of July 22, 2015, one British pound is currently worth around 1.562 US dollars, well below the $1.65 average over the last 15 years from 1990. Again, this means that by spending a pound in the UK right now, it’ll cost you less dollars. London’s calling!
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On the basis of this self-commitment, BaFin suspended its planned ban in December 2016. BaFin stated that it will be watching developments very closely over the next six months to see whether the self-commitment provides sufficient protection for retail investors investing in CLNs. Should the protection prove to be insufficient in BaFin’s view, it will resume product intervention considerations on this topic. See BaFin dismisses plans for ban of credit linked notes due to industry self-commitment for more detail. CFD is just the abbreviation for the a form of trading known as Contracts For Difference.” Unfortunately, even having the full name laid out like that isn’t especially instructive without more explanation about the workings of some trades. A CFD is a type of trade that speculates on where an asset’s price is going to go. The trader makes a prediction about that price, the broker accepts it, and the difference from your prediction to the final result is what you get paid. Fourth, Bitcoin is undeniably unique. There’s no commodity or currency quite like it – it’s the world’s first widely-traded digital commodity and a programmable currency with predictable inflation. As a result, Bitcoin price generally moves independently of Forex, stock, bond and commodity markets. Bitcoin, as a global network, is also somewhat insulated from localised risks. This independent quality substantially reduces the importance of external news flow (and other market noise) to Bitcoin traders.
world’s leading exchange platforms for cryptocurrencies now offer margin trading and margin funding.
Bitcoin has been making headlines in the financial news for the past few years due to extreme volatility in its value. If you don’t yet know what Bitcoin is, it’s a cryptocurrency that isn’t controlled by a central authority like the Federal Reserve, rather by an algorithm. people can make direct, instant payments to other individuals without any exchange or transfer fee. with almost absolute anonymity.
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For Jones Soda, it was game time at Qwest Field
Inside the Deal
- Heidi Dietrich
- Staff Writer
The deal: Scrappy Seattle-based Jones Soda Co. knocked out longtime Seattle Seahawks beverage provider Coca-Cola, scoring the rights to sell Jones Soda at Qwest Field.
The terms: The five-year deal begins July 1. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
When Jones Soda CEO Peter van Stolk received a phone call three months ago from the Seattle Seahawks saying they were shopping for a new beverage provider, he knew the deal could be huge for his decade-old soda pop company.
Van Stolk said Seahawks CEO Todd Leiweke had suggested the team look at options other than longtime partner Coca-Cola, which is currently the beverage provider at 17 NFL stadiums.
Van Stolk knew he couldn't compete against Coca-Cola's resources, but he could give the Seahawks creativity. Jones Soda staff spent two full days in the company meeting room to plot out their pitch.
Jones came up with the idea of customizing the soda to meet Seahawks needs. Instead of the generic red Coca-Cola label, Jones Soda will put rotating photos of players or fans on plastic bottles sold inside Qwest Field. Jones is also working with the football team to create more than one special Seahawks soda flavor.
"We don't have as much money as Coca-Cola, but Coca-Cola is not going to come out with a Seahawks flavor," van Stolk said. "We played to our strength."
Seahawks officials came to the Jones Soda office to hear the initial pitch, and then van Stolk and the Jones team journeyed to Seahawks headquarters to negotiate the details. It took weeks to work out all the terms, van Stolk said.
Welcome to the NFL
As soon as the Seahawks signed the deal, they called van Stolk.
"I was screaming," van Stolk said. "I said, 'We're in the NFL, baby!'"
Added van Stolk: "If you're tied to 17 teams, you'll have a cookie cutter approach. We didn't even have one team, so we looked at what Todd and the Seahawks wanted."
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As we await the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III announcement, Young-Ha has taken the stage at Beijing. The main purpose of his appearance was to inform the press about Samsung’s strategies. But Samsung China’s President also gave us a bit of light about the Galaxy S III arrival, mentioning that it could be launched as soon as April.
Rumors of the Samsung Galaxy S III have been constantly rising, especially the past couple weeks. Many seem to be fake, especially some of the leaked images (the most credible one leaked a few days ago). But among wireless charging, LTE-compatible Exynos chips, and other rumors, this brings a little light to the Android community. The reason being that it comes straight from a Samsung executive.
The time frame is not exact. Young-Ha explains that the plan has been to announce the flagship device sometime in May, but it would be preferable to make the jump during April, if possible. This means that delays are still possible, as the Korean manufacturer is flexible about the debut.
Samsung has plans to release the device globally shortly after the announcement. Such news makes a May or June announcement more believable. With a few leaks here and there, and a bit of luck, we just might see the Galaxy S III next month. Stay tuned to AndroidGuys for all the latest rumors and fanfare on Sammy’s latest flagship device.
So who’s excited to finally see a glimpse of the Galaxy S III? Anyone else think this is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors for a device that might not even exist? Drop a comment below!


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A new restaurant, Largos, is coming to 214 E. Cherokee Ave. in downtown Cartersville just a few doors from Drowned Valley Brewing Co.
Patricia Holt says Largos is planning “creative fresh dishes made with local ingredients. The atmosphere is casual contemporary with an artistic flair.”
Largos will be open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday as well as Sunday brunch. She plans to hire 10 people and those interested can contact her at email@example.com or call 916-316-9138.
Holt is aiming for an April opening.
Thanks to the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber for the head’s up.
Uptown Fashions sets next opening for Cedartown: The grand opening is set for Saturday, March 6, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at 401 S. Main St. The retailer, which describes itself as a “unique and affordable boutique that offers women’s clothing from size small to 5X” also has a shop at 1850 Redmond Circle in Rome. Click Facebook.


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The volume of parcels being handled by UK Mail has surpassed its current operational capacity. In its pre-close trading update for the financial year ended 31 March 2015, UK Mail said the final quarter saw a 12% increase in parcel volume on the same period of the previous year. The spike, it said, is in part as a result of competitor City Link entering administration in December 2014. UK Mail said its operating costs had been higher than expected as […]
Removals firm Pickfords raised its profit before tax by 141% in the year to 30 September 2014, its latest annual accounts have shown.
Suckling Transport said business had been “encouraging” last year, with profit and turnover up 49% and 43% respectively.
Reed Boardall Group saw pre-tax profit rise almost 60% last year despite “fierce competition” in the transport industry and rising fuel costs.


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A look back at the collapse of Donald Trump’s NFT collection: Trump’s NFT collection was launched on December 16, 2022. A crypto winter was in full swing when news of the launch broke, and NFTs struggled. Given Trump’s stance against crypto, it was also unexpected.
Trump dropped his 45,000-strong collection of Digital Trading Cards despite all of that. This set of NFTs was launched on Polygon’s network and offered lucky owners the opportunity to meet a former president. Nearly $5 million was raised from the sale of each NFT, which sold out within 12 hours.
The project’s floor price reached 0.84 ETH or $1,182 on December 17 on OpenSea, the world’s largest NFT marketplace. Many believed that the project would skyrocket further due to its rapid success. In reality, this was not the case since sales of the collection have tanked since then. In addition, newer releases have yet to impact the market positively.
A 10x increase in the floor price of the project on OpenSea, the world’s largest NFT market, occurred on December 17. Since the project was so successful so quickly, many people thought it would still skyrocket. Nevertheless, the collection has fallen apart, and the new releases have yet to impact the market.
It took just two days for the collection to crash by over 50% after it was released and initially successful. During the week of December 18, its floor price dropped to 0.3 ETH. The project dropped due to several discrepancies discovered by crypto sleuths. The creators of NFT, for example, used unlicensed visuals and stock images to create the collection, according to several users.
Morgan Sarkissian, the founder of OnChainTV.io and host of OnChainTV, discovered that one of the Trump NFTs still had a Shutterstock watermark. Within minutes, she tweeted another image from the Donald Trump collection, which Adobe watermarked. Contrary to the collection’s website, which purports that all artwork is hand-drawn, all of this artwork is digitally rendered.
In the days before, an analyst discovered that a wallet linked to the project had created 1,000 NFTs for the administrator. As it turned out, the wallet in question was a Gnosis Safe Wallet, a multi-signature smart contract wallet that requires approval from multiple users associated with the tokens.
There is a restriction on purchasing more than 100 NFTs from the collection on the project’s website, which raised alarm bells.
While this cap was in place, a wallet related to a project minted some of NFT’s rarest collections, including nearly a third of all autographed coins.
There are a thousand NFTs Donald Trump punched into his vault wallet. OKHotshot, an on-chain analyst, tweeted that “he is keeping a large chunk of the rarest NFTs for himself.”. “Thirty-seven 1/1s and 21 autographed NFTs were found in the wallet,” he said.
Donald Trump’s NFT collection value has tanked due to these updates. Twenty-four-hour collection revenue had dropped below $60,000 by December 30, 2022. Compared to the $3.5 million in initial revenue over 24 hours. Over the past 24 hours, sales have dropped by nearly 40% to $43,071, down nearly 40% from the previous day. Project transactions fell by 37%, 17%, and 30%, respectively, as did the number of buyers and sellers.
In addition, NFTs provide users with little in the way of benefits. NFTs had the opportunity to participate in a twenty-minute Zoom call with Donald Trump. Customers who purchased these NFTs were given exclusive access to Trump’s Zoom call. Some users are selling their access cards for less than $25, as they are eager to get rid of them.
Known for his attention-grabbing style, Donald Trump is a former US president living in the limelight. However, while his gamble on NFTs initially looked promising, it has since gone completely off the rails. In light of this, the chances of the collection making a comeback seem slim.


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Get ready for e-scooters, bikes, and booze in 2019, Ontario! Uber Canada has just revealed that they’re looking into expanding alcohol delivery to provinces outside of B.C. in 2019 according to City News.
Especially with the weather we’ve had recently, saving a trek to the LCBO would be a life saver. Dan Park, head of Uber Eats Canada, has announced that the company is looking at Ontario and Quebec markets for expansion first of the B.C. based service, but others could later fit their plans as well.
— CityNews Winnipeg (@CityNewsWPG) January 28, 2019
Just like the LCBO, the new service would require a piece of valid identification when the driver arrives at your door, and in turn, they’ll collect your signature. Drivers will also have the right to refuse delivery if the recipient appears intoxicated.
On top of alcohol delivery, Uber Canada general manager Rob Khazzam has also revealed that e-scooters and bikes are part of the transportation giant’s priorities for Canada. Uber has already partnered with New York-based Jump to bring e-scooters and pedal-assisted electric bikes that come equipped with a GPS to some cities in the United States, but now they’re looking at offering the service up to Canada.
Lime, Uber’s California-based rival, has been piloting e-scooters in Waterloo already with the intention of expanding to the entire Canadian market.


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For toymakers who invest heavily in their products, combating piracy is time-consuming, frustrating and costly. But the financial losses would be even greater if they took no action.
Sten Juul Petersen, chairman of Toy Industries in Europe’s intellectual property committee and legal adviser to the Lego group, said it was hard to put an accurate figure on the financial losses resulting from counterfeiting, but a ‘guesstimate’ based on a recent survey indicated 10-12% of annual turnover.
The damage to toy manufacturers is not just financial. Toy Industries in Europe (TIE) argues that fake toys often do not meet safety standards, are dangerous and undermine customer goodwill. Common hazards are small pieces on which children can choke, or toxic ingredients.
Counterfeiters concentrate on the most popular toys, for example Barbie dolls or Lego, according to Petersen. The Rubik’s cube craze over a decade ago led to such heavy copying that its manufacturers gave up the fight against the pirates.
The new European anti-counterfeiting regulation which came into force two years ago has made a difference, according to TIE, but the problem in dealing with the counterfeiters lies not so much in expanding existing legislation, but in applying it. “Enforcement is by far the biggest problem in the world and the EU,” said Petersen.
TIE would also like legislation to force people who bring counterfeit toys into the EUfor their personal use either to surrender them or face criminal charges.
While most counterfeit toys come into the Union from Far Eastern countries, EU members such as Italy and Greece are not blameless either, says Petersen.


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The one 'Shark Tank' deal Mark Cuban regrets not making
Every "shark" passed on making a deal with The Bouqs Company in 2014.
-- When founder John Tabis brought The Bouqs Company to ABC’s “Shark Tank” in 2014, it seemed that all the “sharks” hated the product.
“We all passed on it,” shark Robert Herjavec told ABC News.
Watch the full story on ABC News "20/20" -- "Shark Tank on 20/20" -- THIS FRIDAY at 10 p.m. ET
The Bouqs Company disrupts the flower delivery system by selling directly to consumers. It cuts out the layers of middlemen normally in the process.
“Flowers are largely sourced in the U.S., out of Ecuador and Colombia and, as a result, have a very long and convoluted supply chain. They go from farmers to exporters to importers to wholesalers to florists and then you buy them from some website,” Tabis explained to ABC News.
Tabis said his co-founder, Juan Pablo Montufar, grew up on a farm in Ecuador and knew how painful it was for farmers to make the flower industry work.
“He started skipping all those layers, and he started shipping directly from his family's farm in Ecuador to a florist. And he loved it because he got better margin, the florist got fresher products for less money and he got paid much more quickly than if he waited for all those layers to pay him,” said Tabis.
Montufar asked for Tabis’ help to get more people to care about the process and educated him on how it could be beneficial for consumers, florists and the environment. They launched The Bouqs Company in 2012.
But when Tabis entered the Shark Tank in 2014, Herjavec says he thought Tabis did a “bad job” with the presentation.
“And they had astronomical numbers. They were doing $2 million a year, and they said, ‘Next year, we’ll be $12 million, and then we’ll be $30 million.’ And we hate stuff like that,” Herjavec recalled. “We’re like, ‘Oh, it’ll never happen.’”
The sharks also disliked that consumers had to wait six days for a flower delivery, and shark Barbara Corcoran said she hated the name of the company.
“I thought I did pretty well. B-plus?” Tabis said. “I definitely didn’t bomb it.”
Despite not getting a deal with the sharks, The Bouqs Company has thrived. In the run up to Valentine’s Day this year, the company reported sales of over $1 million in a single day.
“We did in 24 hours more than we had done in the entire year leading up to the 'Shark Tank' appearance. So, the business has grown a lot,” said Tabis.
Three years after Bouqs appeared on "Shark Tank," Herjavec said he was shocked by the price of flowers while shopping for them ahead of his wedding to his “Dancing With the Stars” partner, Kym Johnson. Herjavec reached out to Tabis and asked him why flowers were so expensive.
“[Tabis] said, ‘Come and see me. I’ll explain the flower business to you.’ [He] draws it out for me, shows me what they’re doing. I’m like, ‘I love it,’” Herjavec said. “So I took part of their last round. We just raised $24 million.”
When shark Mark Cuban learned how successful the Bouqs Company has become, he expressed his regret for not getting in the deal when he had the chance.
“That’s the one I regret not doing, ‘cause that’s a deal I would’ve loved,” said Cuban.
“And most importantly, I saved a ton of money on my flowers for my wedding,” Herjavec joked.


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Conservatory roof opportunities
Emplas has launched the new tiled UltraRoof380 light-weight and high performance solid roof system, opening up access to the rapidly growing conservatory roof replacement market.
According to ‘The Window, Door and Conservatory Markets in Housing in Great Britain’, (Palmer, October 2016) the market for replacement conservatory roofs was up 62% in 2015 to 11,200 installations, and is forecast for continuing growth through to 2020.
Manufactured by Ultraframe, the UltraRoof380 has been developed to tap into this growth area as a replacement roof system and as an alternative to traditional extension roofs.
It weighs in at only a little more than a traditional glass roof at 38KG/m2, which means it can sit on existing window frames and fitted in as little as a day.
Available in carbon grey, harvest brown and terra brick finishes, engineered copolymer interlocking roof tiles offer a strong aesthetic match to traditional roof tiles and slate finishes.
John Leary, sales and marketing director for Emplas, said: “This ease of installation, coupled with genuinely exceptional aesthetics, delivers significant opportunity to installers in a rapidly growing sector of the market.”
The lightweight modular system can also be designed to accommodate Velux-style roof-lights or far lower cost roof windows. An internal pelmet, replicates a more substantial orangery style internal aesthetic.
“The conservatory replacement sector is a major growth area for installers,” John said. “This is being accompanied by a move away from those traditional Edwardian and Victorian-type extensions towards more flexible sun room, orangery, orangery/conservatory type cross-overs and ‘family living spaces’.”


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Orange announced today that it intends to pioneer high definition voice calling in 2010.
Orange promises that HD phone calls will make callers feel as though they are in the same room as the person they are talking to.
To use this service, consumers will need to buy new handsets with the HD capability.
This move is the latest leg of the network battle that is emerging this year as consumers have become more critical of the quality of network being provided.
Explaining the story Orange said: “High definition voice doubles the spectrum devoted to the spoken voice, making it possible to transmit all the nuances of the human voice.”
The service will also be able to filter out background noise to make calling much clearer.


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- COVID-19 exposure notifications will come to Bluetooth wearables through a new specification.
- Youâ€™ll still need a companion device like a phone, but you wonâ€™t need a constant connection.
- A draft spec should be ready within a â€œfew months.â€�
COVID-19 exposure notifications can be helpful if you have a smartphone, but there are many people who donâ€™t have them, like younger children and seniors in care homes â€” and the tech industry wants to be sure they get alerts as well.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has unveiled plans for a specification that would bring the Exposure Notification System from Apple and Google to Bluetooth wearables like pendants and wristbands. The spec would maintain the privacy and security of the existing approach, but wouldnâ€™t require a direct internet connection to get data for potential exposure events.
The SIG toldÂ VentureBeat that these devices would still need to link to an internet-connected â€œproxy device,â€� but there would only need to be a periodic link. The device could talk to a parentâ€™s phone or a shared phone at a care center, for example.
It may be a while before the spec is put into use, however. The Bluetooth group only expects to have an initial draft spec ready in the â€œnext few months,â€� and it will take time after that before wearables support exposure alerts. Thatâ€™s a long time to wait during a pandemic, and thereâ€™s a chance the technology wonâ€™t get much use by the time itâ€™s ready.
Thereâ€™s also the the question of getting people to use the devices. Exposure alert systems like this only work if a large portion of the population agrees to use it, and that has proven to be a challenge in numerous countries. Still, thatâ€™s part of why the Bluetooth wearable program exists. In theory, it makes the technology accessible to people who canâ€™t or wonâ€™t install an app but still want to know if they need to isolate and get tested.


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Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne are teaming up for a new Burberry fragrance ad.
The supermodels are set to join forces for the first time in a high-profile perfume campaign for the British brand, with images shot by legendary photographer Mario Testino.
Cara shared the news on her Instagram page writing: "#regram so excited to be doing a new fragrance for @burberry with the beautiful Miss Moss shot by @mariotestino watch this space... #katemoss".
The teaser image posted by Cara, 21, shows the two women posing cheek-to-cheek in classic Burberry trenchcoats.
Fans were quick to express their amazement at the two iconic beauties' new collaboration.
One enthused, "Kate AND Cara....amazing!", while another fashion fan exclaimed, "Yesss! That's a big thing".
Cara signed with Kate's agency Storm in 2009 and has often been compared to veteran model Kate, who acts as her mentor and offers her advice on everything from her psoriasis flare-ups to dealing with fame.
Chanel mogul Karl Lagerfeld has even declared that model of the moment Cara was on her way to becoming the new Kate, who has been at the top of her game for over 20 years.
This comes after the pair enjoyed a night out in London together earlier this week, no doubt to celebrate their landmark fashion shoot.


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Microsoft: More Expensive WP7 Apps, Nokia Wants Own Marketplace
“I’d rather developers sell fewer than a million downloads and get to a million dollars,” said Brandon Watson, Director of Developer Experience for Windows Phone 7 with Microsoft at a press briefing in Helsinki. Instead of the free and $0.99 model other app stores apply, Redmond will support higher prices on mobile-phone applications.
“If we can support a higher price point that’s good for developers”, he continued. Microsoft wanted to differentiate the Windows Phone Marketplace from the very beginning and is continuously trying to better other platforms’ app stores by offering quality instead of quantity. This can’t always be controlled and every app store will have plenty of “useless” apps; trying to keep the number as low as possible can be done though.
Talking about Nokia, the Finnish company working on is its own app store for Windows Phone 7. Espoo and Redmond have joined forces in convincing Symbian developers to write applications for Microsoft’s platform. The Nokia Marketplace (Ovi Store?) “will look slightly different on the phone from the one that’s for all the other vendors, and they will have more control over the merchandising,” he said.
As far as Mango is concerned, Watson stated that Microsoft has announced most of the more exciting features coming in the platform refresh but there will be several other exciting stuff unveiled soon. We can expect a demo and announcement of face-recognition software and voice dictation for messages features soon.


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- Sears Canada, which is separate from Sears' business in the US, is liquidating all of its assets.
- As it closes stores, everything has gone on sale.
- The resulting photos are apocalyptic.
Sears is shuttering its Canadian locations — and the stores are descending into chaos.
Earlier in October, Sears Canada announced it would seek court approval to liquidate its remaining stores and assets in the nation.
Now, liquidators have taken over the locations. First, they bumped up the prices on items that were previously on sale, Consumerist reported. Now they're dragging prices down until everything is gone.
The result is apocalyptic. Many Sears locations in the US are looking pretty shabby right now. But, as seen in photos published by Consumerist, even the worst Sears in America looks pretty good in comparison.
Here's some of the worst carnage yet of the retail apocalypse.
Sears Canada liquidation sales began on October 19 and are expected to continue for 10 to 14 weeks.
Stores are covered in signs proclaiming that "EVERYTHING MUST GO."
Good morning Canada. Today, we're following the story of a Canadian retail giant saying goodbye. After months of looking for a buyer for the business, #SearsCanada has announced plans to close all of its remaining stores. But what happens to the 12,000 people who will lose their jobs? Tune in to #YourMorning today, for more.
By the end of the weekend, everything had been marked down 20% to 50% at most Sears locations.
A #sad day for #retail in #canada .... #searscanada , a fixture on the #canadianretail scene for 64 years, is closing it's doors 😢. Started out as #simpsonssears in 1953. Especially sad for me too, because I liked shopping there for #quality #clothing (and #lindt🍫 when the cravings hit!). Very sad for the thousands of employees across the country too. Seems the era of the #traditionaldepartmentstore is all but ending. It's either Costco or Wal-Mart or very high end like Holt's. #generalmerchants #defunct #canadianretailer #sears #goingoutofbusiness #chapter11 #defunctstores #departmentstores #malls #stilllifephotography 📷➡😀🏫📺🎹📻💳🎧🎮🔭 .... 👣👻🚫😢➡📱➡INSTA ....
"This makes me so sad," one Instagram user wrote, asking that shoppers be kind to employees working at clearance sales.
It’s the same signage that was used when Target closed down. This makes me so sad. We can talk about execs mismanagement and not changing with the times. But at the end of the day, these are just people that wanted to do the best job they could. I understand people like a bargain, but I’m sure the people that work there are asking: where were we all this time so that it didn’t have to come to this?? I’ve been there; please just be kind; these people don’t know where they are going or what they will do next. Make eye contact, smile. Don’t treat them like they don’t matter; don’t trash the store. It doesn’t help them move on. #RIP #searscanada #endofanera
Inside, stores are pure chaos.
Kids could almost get lost in the mess.
At a Sears in Thornhill, Ontario, pillows had already been thrown to the ground on Day 1 of liquidation sales.
"I implore shoppers to show some common decency/respect for the employees and your fellow shoppers by not throwing EVERYTHING on the floor," an Instagram user wrote.
#liquidation sales really bring out the best in humanity 🙄 I implore shoppers to show some common decency/respect for the employees and your fellow shoppers by not throwing EVERYTHING on the floor. And don’t sneak into the stockroom b/c you think items are being held back. #peoplearecrazy #showsomerespect #searscanada
Sears has struggled to adapt to the rise of e-commerce in both Canada and the US.
In the US, Sears has announced plans to close more than 300 Kmart and Sears stores this year.
Сеть магазинов Sears закрывается. По магазину ходят толпы китайцев, которые сметают все на своем пути. Я никогда в жизни не видел, чтобы так дико относились к товару в магазине. Просто в шоке. . #Sears #sale #finalsale #дикость #дикари #хамство #Канада #Торонто #immigration #психолог #потребление #распродажа
Sears Canada was spun off in 2012 from Sears Holdings, which owns Sears' US business.
Sears CEO Eddie Lampert dodged responsibility for Sears Canada's failure in a blog post published on Sunday.
"Lampert's hedge fund" disagreed with the aggressive and risky strategy to stimulate sales growth known as 'Sears 2.0,'" Lambert wrote on his blog. "ESL believed that strategy was highly risky and unlikely to succeed."
Source: Eddie Lampert's blog


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Unless you work in a financial sector related to payments, you might be missing out on coverage of a developing market opportunity. For a few years, the financial trade press has touted “alternative payments,” consumer options that don’t include cash, check, or credit cards.
While alternatives such as PayPal have been around a while, the alternative payments story is now getting legs due to the burgeoning cell phone/smart phone market. Imagine turning billions of phones into instant micropayment devices.
Most of the coverage of this exciting, emerging topic has been from either the international angle (where cell usage is more advanced) or from the technology perspective. It’s chicken and egg as to whether downplayed coverage from the U.S. consumer perspective has led to limited growth in the U.S., or the other way round.
Looks like the latter.
One of the more innovative alternative methods is called peer-to-peer, P2P. Similar to how teens swap music directly with each other, P2P lets two people swap money via cell phone. Citigroup is one of many companies, large and small, exploring mobile payments. In December, though, it stopped a year-long P2P test. Citi simply did not see meaningful consumer participation.
Declaring a growth opportunity dead is easy to do “for now” when results are that obvious. The tricky part is forecasting the market three years out. In a case like mobile P2P, it is as important to look at the barriers to growth as it is to focus on the drivers.
There are some structural and educational barriers, to be sure. A company like Citi could throw gobs of money at that, but it might not be enough to overcome a barrier I call “the metric system syndrome.” If you’re old enough, you’ll remember how close the U.S. came to adopting the metric system of measurement back in the 1970s.
DOA. Rejected across the board, up the block, and down the drain.
Americans are comfortable with cash, checks, and cards. Mobile payments really don’t replace much of any of that. It brings convenience, but lots of questions about security and control. Americans love control – look how long it took for debit cards and mobile banking to catch on (both mostly with younger generations).
Citi still has a toe in the water, with an investment in mobile payments pioneer Obopay (a company we'd add to the Lairig Marketing Index if it were public). But until Obopay gets Citi and its large bank brethren to come together to address the “control” issues in a comprehensive, scaled manner, this growth opportunity will remain just that – an opportunity.


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Xiaomi has claimed that it has sold over 2 million smartphones in India in the third-quarter of 2016. The Chinese company's India head Manu Kumar Jain tweeted saying the company has sold over 2 million smartphones in Q3 2016 marking a 150% year-on-year growth.
Xiaomi's strong sales in this quarter is its best yearly performance in India. In October, the company sold 1 million smartphone units in just 18 days. This was announced by CEO Lei Jun in an open letter to employees.
According to IDC's Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker released in November, Xiaomi recently became the second biggest player in India based on online sales and the fourth biggest when taking offline into account as well.
The same report claimed that Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Redmi 3S series "fuelled the online shipments" to a large extent for the company. Xiaomi made it to the top five smartphone vendors list based on shipments. The research firm had said that Xiaomi grew over 2.5 times over the same period last year.
There have been several factors to Xiaomi's success in the country.
The Redmi Note 3 effect
Xiaomi launched its flagship device in March this year. The Redmi Note 3 and the Prime 3S series have become one of the bestselling smartphones in the range in India. According to the company, it managed to sell over 2.3 million units of the Redmi Note 3 till September this year and over a million units of the newly launched Redmi 3S and Redmi 3s Prime smartphones. The Chinese company claims that a unit of Redmi Note 3 is sold every 7 seconds in India and that one out of every nine smartphones shipped online is a Redmi Note 3.
Expansion into offline retail
An expansion into the offline retail market has greatly helped boost Xiaomi's sales as well as brand awareness in India. The company has partnered with distributors such as Redington, Innocomm, StoreKing and Just By Live to reach more than 8,500 retail stores across the country.
Soon after its Diwali sale, Xioami announced that it sold half a million smartphone in just three days. While Redmi Note 3 was the best-selling smartphone of Amazon's Great Indian Festival sale, the Redmi 3S and 3S Prime were the top-selling product on Flipkart during its Big Billion Days Sale.
From the early days where Xiaomi smartphones were only available on Flipkart, Xiaomi has expanded its reach in India and now the products can be found on Amazon, Snapdeal, Tata CLiQ as well as retail stores.


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Enterprise Sales Leader Based in New York City to Focus on Expansion of Tier One Strategic Accounts
Finn.ai, the award-winning AI-powered virtual assistant built for personal banking and finance, announced today that Stephen Morse has joined the firm as Global Strategic Accounts – Commercial Head in New York. Morse was most recently Head of Global Finance Data Partnerships at Twitter where he led enterprise data sales and partnerships within the financial vertical.
“The rate of adoption of AI technology within financial services and banking is set to soar over the next decade,” said Morse. “We are also seeing exponential growth in the personal use of virtual assistants such as Siri and Amazon Alexa – Finn.ai is perfectly positioned to leverage the convergence of these technologies. With large bank customers on three continents already in place, the team has proven they can deploy at scale. I’m excited to help the company in this next stage of growth.”
Morse has extensive global experience with disruptive, growth businesses within the fintech space. He led enterprise sales organizations for several early stage firms, which were acquired by – or are now a part of – industry leaders such as Dow Jones, ICE / NYSE, and Twitter. Morse previously ran the New York City office of Gnip, a big data / API technology firm, that was ultimately acquired by Twitter. As the Head of Global Financial Data Partnerships at Twitter, Morse oversaw all business with banks, investment managers, fintech partners, platforms, and other financial institutions.
“Finn.ai has experienced significant growth in the past 12 months, expanding our customer base within North America, Africa, and Latin America,” said Jake Tyler, CEO, Finn.ai. “Our technical and data scientist teams have doubled in size, and we are at a stage in our business where Stephen’s extensive sales leadership within the fintech space will be extremely beneficial to our company. We are excited to have him join the team.”
The addition of Morse comes at a time of robust growth for Finn.ai. The firm recently concluded a successful institutional raise and announced its partnership with ATB to launch the first full-featured virtual banking assistant on Facebook Messenger. Finn.ai was also recently named one of five IDC Innovators in the 2017 IDC Innovators: Canadian Artificial Intelligence (AI) Enabled Customer Interaction Solutions 2017 report.


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(For faster updates on individual market-movers, Eikon users please use search string "STXBZ US"; for the Day Ahead newsletter, link.reuters.com/mex49s; for the Morning News Call newsletter, link.reuters.com/nex49s)
U.S. stocks rallied on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 on track for a fourth straight session of gains as Apple and Texas Instruments jumped following their results. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 1.04 percent at 16,570.72, the S&P 500 was up 1.52 percent at 1,932.9 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.82 percent at 4,394.535.
** APPLE INC, $102.15, +2.40 pct
Strong global demand for Apple’s iPhone 6 will drive revenue growth through 2015, while updated models should help reverse three straight quarters of declining iPad sales, analysts said.
At least 10 brokerages raised price targets on Apple’s stock by as much as $20 to as high as $143. The median price target on the stock is $115, according to Thomson Reuters data.
BREAKINGVIEWS-Apple’s new, new things overshadowed by old thing [ID: nL2N0SF2HI]
INTERVIEW-Apple, IBM to shed light on apps, alliance next month
** TWITTER INC, $51.52, +1.62 pct
Brokerage Citi started covering the microblogging website company’s stock with a “neutral” rating and $53 price target. The stock has a median price target of $58.
“The consensus view that TWTR’s current user monetization is less than FB’s is inaccurate,” Citi analyst Mark May wrote in a note.
** THE COCA-COLA CO, $40.78, -5.80 pct
Coca-Cola Co said its quarterly profit fell 14 percent and that it was expanding cost-cutting initiatives as carbonated beverage volumes in North America declined.
** MCDONALD’S CORP, $91.2, -0.43 pct
The world’s largest restaurant chain reported a 30 percent fall in quarterly profit due to a food scandal in China and tough competition in the United States, and said these factors were expected to hurt current-quarter results.
** HARLEY-DAVIDSON INC, $62.18, +6.51 pct
The motorcycle maker reported better-than-expected third-quarter revenue and profit as it sold more vehicles in key markets, including the United States. The company expects to ship 3.5-5.5 percent more vehicles in 2014.
** HELIX ENERGY SOLUTIONS GROUP INC, $23.71, +4.08 pct
The offshore drilling company reported a 69.5 percent jump in third-quarter profit on Monday, helped by higher revenue from its well management and robotics businesses.
** LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP, $170.64, -2.79 pct
The Pentagon’s largest defense supplier’s third-quarter revenue missed the average analyst estimate and the company forecast sales to decline at a low single digit rate in 2015.
Revenue at Lockheed’s aeronautics business, its largest, fell 2 percent in the third quarter, hurting overall revenue.
“The first look at 2015 is notable with the low-single-digit rate decline in sales indicating some further Department of Defense pain,” RBC Capital Markets wrote in a note to clients.
** SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO, $34.6, +5.36 pct
** ALASKA AIR GROUP INC, $47.61, +3.01 pct
** JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP, $11.53, +2.67 pct
** UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS INC, $49.75, +5.20 pct
U.S. airlines shares rose as fears over Ebola virus waned. The shares had fallen between 2 and 5 percent since Oct. 15, when reports emerged that a second Texas nurse who contracted Ebola virus had traveled on Frontier Airlines flight.
More than 40 people exposed to the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States emerged from isolation with a clean bill of health on Monday.
The WHO declared Nigeria free of Ebola on Monday after 42 days with no new cases.
The WHO’s emergency committee on Ebola will meet on Wednesday to review the scope of the outbreak and whether additional measures are needed.
** PETROLEO BRASILEIRO PETROBRAS SA, $13.4, -4.29 pct
** GOL LINHAS AEREAS INTELIGENTES SA, $4.66, -3.92 pct
** BANCO BRADESCO SA, $14.08, -5.95 pct
** ITAU UNIBANCO HOLDING SA, $13.75, -5.17 pct
U.S.-listed shares of Brazilian companies fell after opinion polls showed market-favorite Aecio Neves lost momentum in the run-up to Sunday’s tightly contested presidential election.
The election is between incumbent Dina Roussef and her pro-business rival Neves, who rode a late surge in support in the final days before the first round of voting.
Brazil’s benchmark Bovespa stock index was down 2.4 pct at 10:45 a.m. ET.
** OREXIGEN THERAPEUTICS INC, $4.71, +16.01 pct
The drugmaker and its partner Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd said on Monday that they had launched their recently-approved diet pill, Contrave, in the United States.
Even though Contrave is launching in two of the softest months for obesity drugs (Nov-Dec), management will be disappointed if Contrave prescriptions don’t eclipse those of rival drug, Belviq after 13 weeks, Wells Fargo analysts said in a note.
** RAMBUS INC, $9.92, -9.57 pct
At least three brokerages cut price targets on the memory chip and security product maker’s stock after the company reported lower-than-expected third-quarter revenue.
JP Morgan cut its price target to $14 from $15, Jefferies to $12.50 from $14 and Topeka Capital to $15 from $17. The stock has a median price target of $12.
** ENANTA PHARMACEUTICALS INC, $43.49, -6.65 pct
** ABBVIE INC, $55.83, +2.61 pct
AbbVie said Enanta had decided not to exercise its co-development option for ABT-493, its protease inhibitor for hepatitis C, being developed in collaboration with AbbVie.
Enanta said its amended agreement with AbbVie says net sales allocable to Enanta on two version of its protease inhibitor-based hepatitis C cocktail, ABT-450, was 30 percent and 45 percent.
FBR Capital Markets said allocation was lower than its previous estimate of 33.33 percent and 50 percent, respectively. The brokerage also cut its price target on the stock to $50 from $52.
AbbVie said sales allocation would be used to calculate royalty payments due to Enanta for the drug, expected to be launched in the first quarter.
** SIGNATURE BANK, $115.355, +7.81 pct
The New York bank, which has 27 private client offices throughout the New York metropolitan area, reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit as it set aside less money to cover bad loans.
** TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC, $45.97, +3.51 pct
The company posted third-quarter results above expectations and its CFO said business was healthy, in contrast to recent concerns on Wall Street about a possible slowdown in chip demand.
** ATLANTIC POWER CORP, $2.25, -10.36 pct
The struggling Canadian power utility ruled out a sale or merger, saying it did not receive any offers it could consider at or above its stock’s closing of $3.04 on May 1.
Activist Clinton Group Inc urged Atlantic last week to restart the sale process it called off on Sept. 16.
** RENT-A-CENTER INC, $29.05, -8.21 pct
Raymond James cut its rating on the rent-to-own home furniture retailer’s stock to “market perform” from “outperform”.
“We do not project that Rent-A-Center will earn its cost of capital during any of the next five years,” Raymond James analysts wrote in a note.
The company on Monday reported lower-than-expected third-quarter sales as revenue in its core U.S. business fell 5 percent.
** APOLLO EDUCATION GROUP INC, $25.97, +0.85 pct
** CORINTHIAN COLLEGES INC, $0.157, +24.60 pct
For-profit education provider Apollo reported its smallest decline in new enrollments in the fourth quarter since they started falling 11 quarters ago.
Apollo also reported better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by cost-cutting and said it expected new enrollments at its flagship school, University of Phoenix, to improve through the year.
Shares of other for-profit education providers Corinthian also rose.
** ILLUMINA INC, $179.942, +9.41 pct
At least seven brokerages raised their price targets on the genetic research technology provider’s stock after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly results and raised its forecast for year on Monday.
JMP Securities raised its price target to $245 from $215, the steepest rise, while Cantor Fitzgerald raised it to $150 from $145. The median price target on the stock is up by $1 at $200 from 30 days ago.
** MICROSOFT CORP, $44.66, +1.32 pct
Microsoft will provide free cloud-computing and research applications to qualified medical researchers working on the Ebola virus, the software company’s chief executive said on Monday.
** IBM CORP, $163.32, -3.42 pct
At least nine brokerages cut their price targets on IBM’s stock by as much as $35 to as low as $125. The median price target on the stock is $180.
The world’s largest technology services company reported on Monday a marked slowdown in business in September and abandoned its 2015 operating earnings target. The company also announced that it would hive off its loss-making semiconductor unit to contract chipmaker Globalfoundries Inc.
** CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL INC, $612.9, -6.15 pct
Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill’s stock to $696 and Wunderlich Securities to $660 from $680. The median price target on the stock is $712.50.
Chipotle reported on Monday another acceleration in quarterly restaurant sales growth, but shares in the popular burrito seller tumbled after it signaled that such momentum would not last forever.
** RHINO RESOURCE PARTNERS LP, $4.86, -59.13 pct
Raymond James downgraded the coal producer’s stock to “underperform” from “outperform”, saying lower cash distribution gives little confidence in the company’s near-term outlook.
“..2014 guidance is out the window and we have little visibility towards 2015,” the brokerage wrote in a note.
Rhino on Monday announced a quarterly cash distribution of 5 cents per common unit, down from 44 cents per unit a year earlier, and said weak coal markets hurt cash flow.
** OMEROS CORP, $11.39, -17.58 pct
The biotechnology company said it suspended enrolment in a mid-stage study testing its experimental Huntington’s drug as the company evaluates data from a concurrent trial in rats.
** SYNERGY PHARMACEUTICALS INC, $2.85, +4.01 pct
The drugmaker reported positive data from a mid-stage study on its constipation drug, plecanatide. Synergy said the drug met its primary goal by showing clear improvement in efficacy at a higher dose range of 3-9 mg.
** AMAZON.COM INC, $311.45, +1.71 pct
The online book retailer said on Monday that it had signed a multi-year deal with Simon & Schuster Inc, the second Big-Five book publisher, on the future price of e-books.
** ALLERGAN INC, $185.02, +3.22 pct
** SHIRE PLC, $186.09, +0.81 pct
** VALEANT PHARMACEUTICALS INTERNATIONAL INC, $131.41, +5.31 pct
** ABBVIE INC, $55.83, +2.54 pct
Allergan shareholder Paulson & Co is urging the Botox maker to merge with specialty pharmaceutical company Shire as an alternative to a deal with hostile bidder Valeant, according to two people familiar with the matter.
U.S. drugmaker AbbVie said on Monday that it had reached agreement with Shire to officially call off its proposed $55 billion purchase of the Irish company, and would pay Shire a $1.64 billion breakup fee for walking away from the deal.
** ACTAVIS PLC, $229.02, +1.04 pct
** SANOFI SA, $51.82, +0.08 pct
The generic drugmaker and France’s Sanofi are among the suitors for privately held Omega Pharma NV , Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
** KAISER ALUMINUM CORP, $70.435, -6.26 pct
The specialty aluminum products maker’s third-quarter profit plunged 36 percent due to lower shipments. The company said it expects full-year adjusted EBITDA to fall slightly below 2013 levels. (Compiled by Shailaja Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Simon Jennings)


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Microsoft is working on an upcoming disc-free Xbox One S, which is expected to be announced officially sometime in April but, according to new information, the console might actually launch across all Xbox markets, simultaneously, on May 7th.
The system won’t be very different from the existing Xbox One S, the only thing that will set them apart is that the new system will not feature a disc drive or an eject button. Additionally, it might arrive with a 1TB hard drive and digital download codes for Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3 and Sea of Thieves.
By the looks of it, Microsoft will start releasing more and more details about its upcoming console in the next few weeks – we don’t know anything about the price tag that will come attached to it yet and the other consoles might benefit from some price cuts with the arrival of their all-digital sibling.
So maybe refrain from buying an Xbox console for the time being and when we know more, so will you.


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This Trade Was Crippled By The Coronavirus
For instance, with customer visitors in conventional dealerships heavily decreased, some carmakers turned to digital solutions. The impacts on the auto business are being felt past China’s borders, as shortages of supplies from China stall production all over the world. Toyota holds a 16.7% stake in Subaru Corporation, mother or father firm of Subaru. Renault and Nissan Motors have an alliance (Renault-Nissan Alliance) involving two world corporations linked by cross-shareholding, with Renault holding 43.4% of Nissan shares, and Nissan holding 15% of (non-voting) Renault shares. Porsche Automobil Holding SE has a 50.74% voting stake in Volkswagen Group. Announced at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, the corporate’s Track25 marketing strategy will see it make investments £1.2billion in research and improvement to ship 18 new automobiles or derivatives by the tip of 2025. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and powerful carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.
World Motor Vehicle Production
Then in 1993 it designed and constructed the McLaren F1 highway automotive – the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As a part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the primary to ship a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™. Launched in 2010, the company is now the biggest part of the McLaren Group. Meanwhile, automakers BYD Co. and GAC Motor Co. additionally introduced it will produce masks and disinfectants at their factories. The deliberate capacity of BYD manufacturing is 5 million masks and 50 thousand bottles of disinfectant per day, with the primary batch donated to drivers of public buses, taxis, experience-hailing fleets and volunteers combating the outbreak. In response to the virus, many auto corporations are looking for solutions to get again to work. For instance, Hyundai and Kia lately stopped a number of meeting lines in Korea and Nissan announced it might suspend its auto production in Japan.
World Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
The platform is created with the help of the World Health Organization and is open to all companies and business teams, in addition to other stakeholders, aiming to combine and inform joint action. Since its launch on eleven March, the Forum’s COVID Action Platform has introduced collectively 1,667 stakeholders from 1,106 businesses and organizations to mitigate the risk and impact of the unprecedented international health emergency that is COVID-19. Tata Motors also formed a three way partnership in India with Fiat and gained entry to Fiat’s diesel engine expertise. Sollers JSC is involved in joint ventures with Ford and Mazda to provide vehicles.
Isuzu and General Motors has a 50-50% three way partnership known as Isuzu Truck South Africa. Dongfeng Motor has a 50-50% joint venture with Honda known as Dongfeng Honda.


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The region, which holds an estimated 11% of the world’s livestock, has been advised to halt exports of raw hides to take advantage of the opportunities in producing value-added leather.
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(Chicago, IL) — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is reporting that identity theft is the top consumer complaint received by her office last year. It’s the first time since 2007 that ID theft is the most frequent complaint. Madigan says data breaches like the one at Equifax that affected nearly 150-million Americans resulted in more than 25-hundred complaints to the AG’s office. She encourages those at risk to put a credit freeze on their credit reports. Student loan complaints were second on Madigan’s list. That was followed by complaints about collection agencies, construction companies, cable and satellite TV and phone scams.
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After studying scores of sponsored videos, Ace Metrix has come up with five best practices for brands that want to connect with viewers..
We’re all guilty of using the words marketing and advertising interchangeably, but they mean different things. Learn how the experts define both, and how they put video marketing and video advertising to use in brand campaigns.
Cross-device personalization is the new goal, and marketers must continuously learn from their data and plug those lessons back into the system.
Shoppers routinely access brand information and view messages on multiple devices. How can marketers assign IDs to those devices, getting a clear picture of the shoppers behind them?
An Adobe Summit session on predictions offers something for video marketers, and also talks gaming, smartphones, virtual reality, and the challenge of fractured online identities.
A survey by eZanga shows that younger and older adults have markedly different feelings about video ads, with younger viewers much more receptive.
Announcing the winners of OnlineVideo.net’s inaugural Video Campaigns of the Year Awards, celebrating excellence in online video marketing.


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Bitcoin represents 53% of Latin Americans crypto portfolios: Bitso
Colombia and Brazil see a surge in female crypto investors, outpacing averages in the region’s other key countries.
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The cryptocurrency sector in Latin America continues to thrive despite global challenges, with Bitcoin and stablecoins leading in market preferences, according to Bitso’s latest report for the second half of 2023. The report highlights that Bitcoin remains the top choice for cryptocurrency users in Latin America, making up 53% of user portfolios.
The adoption of dollar-pegged stablecoins has also surged, driven by the economic climates in Argentina and Colombia where they represent 26% and 17% of user portfolios, respectively.
The report further highlights a significant trend in buying behavior, with Bitcoin and stablecoins accounting for 38% and 30% of all crypto acquired in the latter half of 2023. Notably, in Argentina, the preference for digital dollars over other crypto is pronounced, with stablecoins constituting 60% of total crypto purchases.
Despite the industry’s volatility, long-term crypto holders in the region have largely maintained their investments, signaling confidence in a market rebound and a potential “crypto summer.”
The study also sheds light on the increasing involvement of women in the crypto space. While still underrepresented compared to men, women’s participation is growing faster, particularly in older age groups. Colombia and Brazil stand out for their higher-than-average female involvement in the crypto market.
Furthermore, the report addresses the steady interest in crypto throughout 2023, despite previous market uncertainties. This sustained interest is attributed to a shift towards more stable digital currencies and trust in transparent crypto platforms, with Bitso’s user base surpassing 8 million by the end of 2023.


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Recent News from Connected World.
There has been a lot of talk, as of late, that the cloud has become a resource to turn to when a company needs large amounts of digital storage, constantly updated SaaS (software-as-a-service), or high-performance computing capabilities. Couple this with the expansion of AI (artificial intelligence) in applications, even smaller companies can realize the full computing power available in the cloud.
Commercial buildings are voracious consumers of energy. The buildings and building construction sectors contribute around 30% of global energy consumption and almost 40% of CO2 emissions (direct and indirect), according to the IEA. Sustainable buildings are more than trendy, they’re key to reducing humans’ carbon footprint on the planet. Building owners deploy smart building solutions and building-management systems to not only cut operations costs and comply with regulations but also to do their part in reducing carbon emissions without sacrificing occupant comfort in the process.
As 2020 kicks off a new decade, and one of the questions the tech space is asking about the years ahead is what will happen to traditional data centers? The data center market is expected to reach about $10 billion by 2023, while the global data center market could reach $174 billion by 2023, according Arizton. But what shape will the market take?
The technology to power connected cities exists today—and continued growth is predicted. Will all our cities soon be connected? Or do hurdles stand in the way? Perhaps one of the biggest challenge will be overcoming regulatory hurdles that could slow the progress down. Technavio says the autonomous bus market, as an example, will grow by 2364 units during 2020 and 2024, which is a growth rate of 32%. At the end of last year, IDTechEx also predicted that that the robotaxi services will become a $2.5 trillion market by 2040. Further, if you were at CES earlier this year, then you know intelligent transportation systems and autonomous vehicles were big trends at the show and it is a topic that has been covered in depth over on Constructech TV.
High up on companies’ list is protecting their data, privacy, physical safety, and infrastructure. This is true across the board. No matter the industry, sector, or business, any enterprise looking to develop and deploy secure, connected devices has a similar list of concerns. Microsoft’s latest answer to this need for privacy and security in IoT (Internet of Things) connected devices, Azure Sphere, is now generally available, and the timing seems right on point.
In an industry as dynamic and exciting as the IoT (Internet of Things), it can difficult to separate hype from reality. One sector that often falls victim to hype is AI (artificial intelligence). For many decades, machine intelligence and autonomous decisionmaking have grabbed ahold of people’s imaginations, simultaneously bringing about utopian and dystopian predictions for the future AI-driven world. Practically speaking, the hype surrounding AI technologies can make it tough for investors and businesses to get a handle on exactly what to expect from this growing space and how they should try to harness it. How can companies avoid getting caught up in the AI hype cycle? How can they set their AI projects up for success?
Data can help identify industrial manufacturing projects that are in the conceptual, planning, and design, or approval stages.
Vehicles are the next frontier for voice assistants. Voice-recognition technology in vehicles isn’t new. In fact, as far back as 2004, companies like IBM and Honda were developing in-vehicle voice-recognition solutions for navigation. The Honda/IBM tech came standard on certain 2005 Honda and Acura models in the U.S. and Canada. In 2020, automakers are many generations into their automotive AI (artificial intelligence) tech, and voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant are being used to complete basic tasks meant to make a drive more pleasant and convenient without taking the driver’s attention off the road. One of the latest examples is Fiat Chrysler’s Uconnect 5 announcement, which connects to Alexa’s “Home to Car” functionality and is interoperable with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
A new type of hotel beckons weary travelers who enjoy the connected life. The Sinclair, Autograph Collection in Fort Worth, Texas, is on the cutting edge of the hospitality space, leveraging IoT (Internet of Things) technologies in useful and creative ways to improve guests’ experience, enhance hotel management, and reduce the building’s carbon footprint. Together with technology companies like Intel, The Sinclair is reimagining the future of hotel operations and guest experiences through connected technology.
In 2019, smart speaker ownership in the U.S. surpassed 76 million, according to CIRP (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners), up from 66 million at the end of 2018.


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At a macro level, economic conditions around the globe ended 2018 on an upbeat note. Global consumer confidence was at its highest level in 14 years, but 39 of the 64 countries included in the global Consumer Confidence Index reported declines in consumer sentiment.
Fast-moving consumer goods and GDP growth in Q4 2018 was strongest in Asia-Pacific, and consumers in the region feel the best globally about their financial well-being. Comparatively, only 37% of consumers in Europe believe their conditions have improved over the past five years.
British consumers are displaying a strengthening sense of optimism about their financial wellbeing, with 34% of Brits saying they are financially better off today than five years ago, according to our new report on Changing Consumer Prosperity.
Globally, 58% of global consumers feel they are better off financially than they were five years ago, with one-third of European consumers (37%) feeling positive about their current situation. However, a sizeable proportion of consumers feel that they are in survival mode, with sentiment differing considerably by region and country.
In this webinar, we explore the regions where consumers have experienced the biggest improvement in their financial situations since 2016. We also discuss consumers’ changing spending behavior on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories over the past five years.
Generally speaking, global conditions for the FMCG industry remained positive in second-quarter 2018. Some regions showed significant growth promise, while others showed a slight pullback from gains earlier in the year. With many markets experiencing notable increases in GDP growth, conditions were favorable for manufacturers and retailers.
Join our Nielsen Thought Leadership experts around our regions as they share global insights and regional examples as to why today's businesses need to revisit the definition of 'convenience' as more than a retail format and increasingly a consumer need.
From a global perspective, prospects for the remainder of the year appear largely positive. In Q1, confidence grew across Western Europe, the economic recovery in Latin America looks promising in a number of markets, dollar sales of FMCG in North America performed well, and growing disposable incomes across Asia-Pacific are having an effect well beyond the immediate region.
From a global perspective, conditions and prospects for the remainder of the year appear largely positive. In Q1, confidence grew across Western Europe, economic recovery in Latin America looks promising in key markets, FMCG sales in North America performed well, and growing disposable incomes across Asia-Pacific are having an effect beyond the immediate region.
2017 was a good year for global consumers, with consumer confidence ending the year at a near-record level. Notably, 51 markets finished the year with higher confidence than they did in 2016, and the gains were bigger than 2 points in 46 markets.
Join our Nielsen Thought Leadership experts around our regions as they share their views on how organisations can progress with future focused conversations, how certain drivers of change will mean for businesses and what tools businesses can leverage to 'test the water' of their future operating environment.
In the face of rapidly evolving business and economic landscapes around the world, the importance of organizational intelligence and foresight thinking as a tool to unearth early indicators of change and unlock growth has never been greater.
Backed by improving global consumer confidence, many regions are seeing improved conditions for businesses and the fast-moving consumer goods industry. Here, we’ll look at trends in a few select countries.
In contrast to the ongoing market challenges facing global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers and retailers, consumers are in better spirits than they were at the end of 2016. In fact, global consumer confidence has risen three index points since the close of last year.
Global consumer confidence increased modestly in 2016, a time of great political and economic change around the world, rising three points between the first and fourth quarters to 101. Confidence scores finished the year more strongly than they began in every region except Africa/Middle East.
Notching a one-point increase from the first quarter, European consumer confidence was largely stable in the second quarter of 2016, at 79. Notably, consumer confidence improved from the first quarter in 22 of the 34 measured markets in the European region.
Consumer confidence declined four points in the U.K. (97) and one point in Germany (97) in the first quarter of 2016, as a favorable outlook for jobs worsened. Job prospect sentiment and immediate spending intentions also fell in in both countries.
When asked to pick the attributes they seek when purchasing all-purpose cleaners, 40% around the world say they want environmentally friendly benefits and nearly as many (36%) say they don’t want harsh chemicals.
Once we’ve covered our essential living expenses, how do we spend the money left over? Whether we stash our spare cash for retirement, invest it to try and make more, or purchase new products, strategies differ around the world.
Global consumer confidence ended 2015 on a subdued note as the index declined two points from the third quarter to 97. Compared to first-quarter 2015, confidence in the fourth quarter remained flat in Asia-Pacific at 107, while Europe edged up four points to 81. All other regions ended the year less confident than they started.
To find out how much attitudes about finances differ by age, we asked Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, Baby Boomer and Silent Generation respondents about their saving strategies and debt decisions. It turns out that no matter the age, most of us need sound financial advice.
For multinationals and other companies looking for opportunity in China, look no further than to connected spenders, a young, affluent and connected group eager to engage with brands and their conversations.
U.S. consumer confidence jumped 18 index points in the third quarter of 2015 to a score of 119 after a six-point decline in the previous quarter. The score marked the biggest quarterly increase and the highest index for the country in Nielsen’s 10-year consumer confidence history.
Global consumer confidence increased three index points in the third quarter to 99. Optimistic sentiment for job prospects, personal finances and spending intentions increased in nearly half of all measured markets, but uneven growth continues around the world as confidence stabilizes or grows in many advanced economies and declines in many emerging markets.
Global consumer confidence increased three index points in the third quarter to 99, the highest level since 2006, and optimistic sentiment for job prospects, personal finances and spending intentions increased in nearly half of all measured markets.
In a world of choice, social responsibility is increasingly a factor for purchasing one product over another. In fact, 66% of respondents say they’re willing to pay more for products and services that come from companies who are committed to positive social and environmental impact.
U.S. consumer confidence decreased six index points in the second quarter to a score of 101, but it remained at an above-the-baseline optimistic level. Consumer confidence in Canada increased two points to 98 after declining six points in the first quarter. Despite these declines, confidence in both markets remained above the global average of 96.
The way we view the economy and what’s in our wallets can have a direct impact on our willingness to spend and save. As such, it’s no surprise that changes in consumer confidence can influence the actions consumers say they take to save on household expenses. And as global consumer confidence declined in Q2, saving strategies continued to permeate the mindset of consumers around the world.
Global consumer confidence declined one index point in the second quarter to a score of 96. Regionally, confidence continued to rise in Europe, increasing two points to 79. Confidence held stead in Asia-Pacific, but fell in the three remaining regions.
Recession-minded Europeans found a silver lining in the first quarter of 2015 for, despite the fact that the region remained the least optimistic globally with an overall consumer confidence index score of 77. And Nielsen’s Global Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions Survey showed that job confidence rose quarter-over-quarter in 15 of 32 European markets measured.
Consumer confidence in Asia-Pacific increased in nine of 14 markets measured by Nielsen in Q1, compared to only three that rose in Q4 2014. Nine markets in the region remained at or above the 100-baseline level of optimism. At 130, India reached its highest level since 2011—up one-point from Q4. Confidence in India has been on the rise for six consecutive quarters.
Starting the year positively, global consumer confidence saw an increase of one point from fourth-quarter 2014, with an index score of 97. After a slight dip at the end of last year, when all regional confidence scores declined, it was a more upbeat start to the year, as confidence increased slightly or remained stable in every region except Latin America.
Half of all European consumers are planning to buy a new or used car in the next two years, according to the Nielsen Global Survey of Automotive Demand – with 28% planning to buy a used car, and 22% a new car.
Nielsen’s Inflation Impact Online Survey 2013 revealed that if food prices were to rise, Irish consumers say they would increase price hunting in-store, take advantage of deals by stocking up, reduce number of shopping trips and amount spent per trip, plus shop more in discount stores and look for deals online.
Number of consumers who believe the UK is out of recession at 5½-year high. Proportion of consumers saying they’re willing to spend money hasn’t been higher for seven years. ‘Rising utility bills’ is the only main concern for consumers to increase on previous quarter.
Europeans were in a spending holding pattern in the second quarter and actions to save on household expenses increased as unemployment rates in many European markets were high and confidence in the economic outlook for the rest of the year remained weak.
Consumer confidence fell in 20 of 29 European markets and 10 posted a confidence decline of six points or more since Q3. Norway was the only European market measured with a confidence reading above the 100 benchmark, reporting an index of 102.
Consumer packaged goods value growth across Europe slowed significantly in 2012, dropping from 5% to just 2.8%. Amid continued difficult economic conditions, finding growth will be tough. Retailers however are fighting back, using Private Label as a trigger to drive retail disruption. Here, Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight at Nielsen UK explores how retailers are coping with the continued difficult trading environment.
Europe reported a stark reversal of consumer confidence performance in Q1 compared with Q4 2012. At the end of last year, consumer confidence fell in 20 of 29 European markets. In Q1, the opposite trend was reported as consumer confidence rose in 18 of 29 markets.
The early May bank holiday and accompanying good weather were enough to offset a lacklustre middle part of the month for food and drink sales at the UK’s leading supermarkets, according to the latest retailer performance figures released today by Nielsen.
Retail sales of frozen burgers, the product that sparked the horse meat revelations last month, are down 40% year-on-year to 2 February 2013. But the decline is almost entirely down to shoppers eschewing own-label burgers, while sales of branded burgers have so far held up, according to Nielsen.
The UK tobacco industry has been in flux. With recent significant legislative changes, and more looming on the horizon, change will only accelerate. How the market develops will be defined by how both the industry and consumers alike respond to these new realities. The e-cigarette market however, while still embryonic, is growing. Here, Andrew Morton, commercial director Nielsen Europe, looks at some of the dynamics of this new market and examine the drivers shaping e-cigarette take-up. He also considers how manufacturers should respond for success.
Nearly one in four (24%) Britons felt positive about their job prospects in Q2 2013, the highest level since Q1 2008 (34%) - according to the latest figures from Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy.


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Nintendo to Merge Console and Handheld Divisions - NewsWilliam D'Angelo, posted on 16 January 2013 / 4,580 Views
Nintendo plans to merge its home console and handheld division on February 16. This is the first major change in the company in nine years, when the company brought the DS to the market.
The company is going to open a new 30 billion yen ($340 million) office next to its Kyoto headquarters. In the new office the home console and handheld divisions will be working side by side and will able to share technology and breakthroughs much more easily.
The new office will have 280 engineers from both divisions. This includes 130 home console engineers and 150 handheld engineers.
Nintendo has tried connecting its home consoles and handhelds in the past. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker had connectivity with the Game Boy Advance is just one example. Nintendo is also developing the next Super Smash Bros. game for the Wii U and 3DS at the same time and will offer some kind of connectivity.


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by Stuart Dredge
Thursday, August 11th 2011
But disagrees with Canalys in placing Symbian ahead of iOS for the quarter.
Gartner’s latest mobile market stats claim that Android took a 43.4% share of global smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2011: 46.8 million devices. However, its estimate that Symbian took second place conflicts with the figures issued by rival firm Canalys.
Here are Gartner’s figures: Android in top spot (46.8m / 43.4%), followed by Symbian (23.9m / 22.1%), iOS (19.6m / 18.2%), BlackBerry (12.7m / 11.7%), Bada (2m / 1.9%), Windows Mobile/Phone (1.7m / 1.6%) and Others (1m / 1%).
By contrast, Canalys had Android top with 51.9 million units and a 48% market share, followed by iOS with 20.3 million / 19%. Why the difference? Well, Canalys is tracking shipments, while Gartner’s estimates are for sales to end users – a more accurate reflection of the success of the various platforms, as long as the company gets its numbers right.
Gartner’s stats show that Android more than doubled its market share year-on-year from 17.2% in Q2 2010, while iOS increased its share from 14.1% a year ago. Symbian’s share plummeted from 40.9% a year ago, while BlackBerry also saw a significant fall from 18.7% to 11.7%. Bada, meanwhile, more than doubled its share from 0.9% in Q2 2010.
Gartner thinks that 107.7 million smartphones were sold in Q2 this year, up 74% year-on-year, and now accounting for 25% of all mobile sales. Overall, the company estimates that 428.7 million mobile handsets were sold in Q2.
“Smartphone sales continued to rise at the expense of feature phones,” says Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. “Consumers in mature markets are choosing entry-level and midrange Android smartphones over feature phones, partly due to carriers’ and manufacturers’ promotions.