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On Friday, the government data showed GDP growth for the second quarter has slowed down to a 26 quarter low of 4.5 per cent.
PUNE: The reprieve from the festive season for long struggling domestic automobile industry is proving to be very short-lived.
Except for Hyundai, India’s second largest car maker, which reported 2 per cent rise in sales at 44,600 units in November, all auto majors registered decline in sales.
The decline in Maruti’s sales just when it looked like the worst was over in October, adds to the narrative of a deepening slowdown in the overall Indian economy now inching towards a recession.
On Friday, the government data showed GDP growth for the second quarter has slowed down to a 26 quarter low of 4.5 per cent. As the November figures show, the fear is that the third quarter maybe even worse.
Sales at Maruti Suzuki, which had posted a 2.3 per cent increase in sales in October, breaking a series of seven straight months of decline, fell again in November posting a 3.3 per cent drop in its passenger vehicle sales over the last year.
While sales at Mahindra and Mahindra also dropped 10 per cent at 14,637 units, it was a steep fall at 39 per cent at Tata Motors, India’s biggest automaker by revenues, at 10,400 units last month.
“After an encouraging festival period, in November, industry declined sharply,” Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicles at Tata Motors, said. In addition, industry is also preparing for the BS-VI transition, which would also pose sales challenges with rising prices from April, he said.
Similarly, Honda Cars also reported a whopping 50.33 per cent decline at 6,459 units in November as against 13,006 units in the same month last year.
“Our sales numbers are better than our plan for the month,” Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director, Sales and Marketing at Honda Cars India, said.
Vikas Jain, National Sales Head at Hyundai Motor India said despite on-going market challenges, Grandi10, Nios, Venue, Creta and Elite i20 showed good sales performance.
Carmakers in India count dispatches from the factory gates to their dealerships as sales.
Maruti’s entry level hatchback segment comprising of the Alto, new S-Presso and the old Wagon R saw dispatches of 26,306 units, down 12.2 per cent as against 29,954 units last year. The recently launched S-Presso has initially seen demand and the company will be hoping it continues to bring some much-needed fizz to sales in this segment and overall numbers.
The six-member compact car lot comprising new Wagon R, Celerio, Ignis, Swift, Baleno and Dzire together sold a total of 78,013 units, down 7.6 per cent from 72,533 last year.
The premium Ciaz sedan’s sales were down a whopping 62.3 per cent at 1,448 units in November as against 3,838 units sold in the previous year.
However, sales at Volkswagen India rose 17 per cent year-on-year in November at 2,937 units. “Amidst strong headwinds within the industry, this has been a consecutive month of growth,” Steffen Knapp, Director at Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said.
New entrant MG Motor, which started selling is maiden model MG Hector SUV a few months ago, sold 3,239 units last month.


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More than 400 tourism operators responded to a Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) survey. Three-quarters of them want further wage support from the government.
The survey was conducted from July 6 to July 13. Nearly all of the respondents had accessed the first 12-week wage subsidy and 76% received the eight-week extension.
TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said the biggest challenge for the industry was the "lumpy nature of domestic demand, which tends to be at weekends and holidays".
More than a third of tourism businesses said they were also facing difficulty in developing the right product at the right price for the domestic market.
Almost 40 percent of respondents, meanwhile, said they needed support for fixed business costs such as rents and leases.
Some tourism operators are already planning for a lengthy hibernation if the trans-Tasman bubble does not go through by early 2021.
Roberts said tourism operators were resilient and determined to survive the crisis but the high degree of uncertainty was difficult. Businesses wanted to understand the criteria that would enable the borders to be opened, so they could make plans to be ready when demand returned.

domain: news


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Print in the Mix
Social Media: A Marketing Priority; Not Yet a Revenue Generator
An Econsultancy/Adobe survey of global marketers finds that social media engagement leads the list of "most exciting digital opportunities" for marketers in 2012, yet its effectiveness as a revenue-generating channel is less encouraging.
Top Digital Marketing Opportunities: Social media engagement tops digital marketers' list of opportunities generating the most excitement with 54 percent of respondents, followed by mobile optimization (38 percent), content optimization (37 percent), conversion rate optimization (31 percent), brand building/viral marketing (27 percent) and video marketing (24 percent).
Top Digital Marketing Priorities: Digital marketers say their top focus in 2012 will be on social media (39 percent), which is in line with the percentage who indicated content optimization to be a top priority. Other areas marketers will be focusing on in 2012—conversion rate optimization (34 percent), brand building/viral marketing (32 percent), mobile optimization (29 percent) and content marketing (29 percent).
While social media marketing clearly is top of mind for many company and agency respondents, almost half said that "social media has added many more programs and goals, but not the revenue to support new hires, indicating this to be a key challenge." Just 20 percent of companies and 13 percent of agencies said that this was not an issue for them.
To read the entire Print in the Mix Fast Fact and other print market research studies, go to www.printinthemix.rit.edu. Print in the Mix is a free and easily accessible clearinghouse of research on print media effectiveness, published by the Printing Industry Center at RIT and made possible by a grant from The Print Council (www.theprintcouncil.org). Also, please visit The Print Council Resource Center for additional studies, papers and video content.
Printing Industries Alliance's Franklin Event Committee has chosen three 2012 Power of Communications Award recipients. They include: Thomas Saggiomo, president and CEO, DG3 Group, for Printing; Kit Taylor, COO, New York Media, for Publishing; and Paul Nicholson, senior vice president, production and technology, Showtime Networks, for Advertising. They will be honored during the 60th Anniversary Franklin Event on Sept. 19 at Chelsea Piers in New York.
At TC Transcontinental in Montreal, Alain Gignac has been appointed chief marketing activation officer, a newly created senior management position responsible for the integration of print products and services, print and digital media, and interactive marketing solutions for major accounts.
Proforma has announced eight new member companies: Kathleen Roman, Proforma PromoLady, Amsterdam, NY; Deb and Raymond Orofino, Proforma PromoSensations, Edwardsville, IL; Michelle Toler, Proforma Coastal Business Solutions, Daphne, AL; Dhana and Nissar Jan, Ad Your Print & Promo, Magnolia, TX; Sherry Valentine, Proforma YESS, Maple Valley, WA; Randy Freedman and Lesley Gordon, Proforma CGPP, Toronto; Kord Cernich, Proforma Arctic Branding & Apparel, Anchorage, AK; and Cheryl Lascelles, Proforma Corporate Attire & More, Temecula, CA.
Chris Weber has rejoined Dayton, OH-based WorkflowOne as vice president of enterprise sales for the financial services, manufacturing and retail markets. He reports to Thomas Rizzi, chief sales officer.
DirectMail.com, Prince Frederick, MD, has hired Maureen Raymond as director of business development, responsible for advancing the company's agency component—fundraising, membership and marketing services—within the non-profit sector.
Michael Medved is the new principal of 2M Consultants in Northville, MI. He most recently served as executive vice president of sales at EPI Marketing in Livonia, MI. 2M Consultants offers consulting services to ad agencies, printers and other graphics arts industry companies. PI


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This year we saw inclusion of AI in a lot of the new flagship devices that got launched. Mainly including Apple and Google, where Apple introduced its A11 Bionic neural engine. While Google came up with Pixel Visual Core. Both of which are catchy name tags, but does way more than just sounding good. Which includes handling processes that are done aside from what the main processor cores are responsible for.
These tasks can include things like visual calculations, processing sensory input or helping HDR+ camera algorithms. Which is an efficient and faster way of doing things, rather than only replying on the processing cores. The recent reports also suggest that Samsung might also be moving on with this new technology. Where we might see a Samsung Exynos chip with a neural engine next year. Because a big giant like Samsung won’t like to be the last to join in on the band wagon. As Samsung just invested a large chunk in a Chinese base AI Company named DeePhi Tech.
The Chinese based company named DeePhi Tech mainly specializes in coming up with deep learning AI algorithms. That can be combined with a neural chip design. Which led us to believe that Samsung might be serious about launching an AI based Exynos chip soon. Where the Samsung Exynos 9810 chip might be one of the first AI chip that Samsung might come up with next year. That is also rumored to be what the Samsung Galaxy S9 will be powered on.
Qualcomm is also giving into neural engine as the company already launched its development kit. That will bring Neural Processing Engine to their line of chips. Whatever the case maybe AI is indeed the future in upcoming chips. Where we might see it get included in every other chip, including entry level chips. Because combined with AI even a low end chip can perform much better than you would expect.
The post Samsung Might Also Include A Neural Engine With Its Next Exynos Chip appeared first on TechStunt.
Source: New feed


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For the longest time, singlehood has remained one of the most pressing problems in Singapore. To put this in context: back in 2004, there were 844,100 Singapore residents who were singles — that number rose to 1,048,100 in 2014, an increase of almost 25% over 10 years. While the population of Singapore did increase proportionately in the last decade, the fact that over 1 million people are single in Singapore (which has a population of about 5.4 million) can be a worrying thought.
Perhaps that is why over the last few years, companies such as Lunch Actually, Paktor, and Tinder have been actively looking to capitalise on this opportunity, hoping to solve the problem of singlehood with technology.
And joining them on the quest to hook up more singles in Singapore is newly launched Coffee Meets Bagel.
Started by three sisters, Coffee Meets Bagel aims to attract busy young professionals who are looking for something in between a hook-up and a serious relationship. It is also positioned as a dating app designed by women, for women.
“It was just so hard to meet normal guys,” said Arum Kang, co-founder of Coffee Meets Bagel.
Originally launched in New York, the app is similar to LunchClick, which sends all users a potential match everyday at noon. Your match is determined by your preferences for age, religion and your Facebook profile. If both you and your match mutually “like” each other, you can then chat the person up.
Unlike other dating apps, Coffee Meets Bagel has a heavy gamification feature: you earn coffee beans by inviting friends, filling up information, or taking other actions. These coffee beans can then be used to purchase special features such as revealing your match’s mutual friends or going back to a missed match. Of course, you can also purchase these coffee beans in-app.
Saying No To $30 Million On Popular Reality TV Show Shark Tank
Coffee Meets Bagel first popped up on our radar when we saw them on Shark Tank, one of the most popular reality TV shows in the United States. On the TV show, entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban offered a cool $30 million to acquire the company, but it was swiftly rejected by the Kang sisters, knowing that they would be growing even more.
According to The Fiscal Times, there are currently over 21 million users on Coffee Meets Bagel — mostly in their 20s and 30s — all around the world. So far, Coffee Meets Bagel claims to have helped 10,000 couples meet each other, and that over 120 marriages have resulted from their service.
Will Coffee Meets Bagel be successful in Singapore? We certainly hope so. In the meantime, we will be waiting patiently for our bagels to show up.


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S. R. (Si) Smith, 70, a retired Agriculture Department official, died of cancer Aug. 2 in Columbus, Mont., where he made his home.
He retired in 1967 after serving for two years as administrator of the department's Consumer and Marketing Service. Before that, Mr. Smith had been administrator for four years of the Agricultural Marketing Service.
Born in Dolton, S.D., he received a degree in economics from the University of Montana and took graduate studies at the University of California.
Mr. Smith joined the Agriculture Department in 1934 as an economic analyst with the Agricultural Adjustment Administration.
He seraed in various positions in the department's fruit and vegetable marketing services. During World War 11, he was with the War Food Administration and was director of its office of distribution in 1943-44.
From 1946 to 1953, Mr. Smith was director of the fruit and vegetable branch of the production and marketing administration. He then served for eight years as director of the fruit and vegetable division of the Agriculture Marketing Service before becoming its administrator in 1961.
Mr. Smith held the Agriculture Department's Distinguished Service Award.
His survivors include a daughter, Gerry Lynn Gilboe, and one grandchild.


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The Turkish papers are printing that Tarkan's 2007 contribution to pop music has been released in Turkey today, with Hürriyet paper supplement Kelebek also publishing the lyrics to Tarkan's locomotive track, "Vay Anam Vay". The song has begun to play on Turkish radio stations today, too.
Depending on distribution, hard copies of the album should be in shops by the end of the day, with stocks available nationwide by 27 December at the latest.
Meanwhile state broadcaster TRT has begun to publicise its end-of-year show with initial TV ads using the pop star's circulated image from the promotional album cover. The TV slots also confirm Ali Eyüboğlu's article that Turkish pop diva Sezen Aksu will not be taking part in the event.
It had been reported earlier that Aksu would be taking part in the show, but not alongside Tarkan.
Tarkan's Yuletide Metamorphosis
Giving the album Metamorfoz a 25 December release in 2007, marks a full fifteen years since Tarkan released his début musical offering on 24 December in 1992. Coinciding with the traditional day set aside for the birth of Christendom's leader, Tarkan Deluxe had reported the release as signalling the resurrection of Turkish pop's own saviour, too.
Reports indicate that demand for the album keeps on rising. Tarkan Deluxe is informed by fans all over Turkey and Cyprus that they are constantly asking music shops about the album's arrival, while many have already made pre-orders online, with Tarkan's 2007 album even entering the top ten sales of one shopping site.


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Most recent stories in Apple
Steve Job's iPhone Turns 15Curated byThe Tech Desk
The iconic Apple co-founder introduced the world to the iPhone in January 2007, but it wasn't until June 29 that the first device was sold. Decades later, this smartphone has revolutionized mobile technology and how we communicate with each other. Look back at the iPhone's history, what photographers think today, reactions, and how much Apple's phone dominates the market.
Over a year has passed since the second-generation Apple TV 4K launched in May 2021, and rumors have started to surface about new features planned for the next model and beyond, including a faster chip, increased RAM, a new Siri Remote, and more. We've recapped all of the Apple TV rumors that have …


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Over $30 billion in new trade tariffs go into effect today. What impact will they have on agriculture? The anticipation of the Tariffs that are scheduled to go into effect on Friday have driven soybean prices sharply lower. Purdue Ag economist Chris Hurt said there had been hopes our trade issues with China and NAFTA nations would have been resolved by this day, but that was not the case. As a result, effective today U.S. soybeans in China have increased in cost by $3 a bushel. Hurt stated, “It prices us out of the market.” In a recent Purdue webinar, Hurt said that China will still buy some soybeans from the U.S., “We are too big of a customer for them, but we will be the last place they buy from. In short, we will become a residual supplier.”
Purdue economist Michael Langemeier says, as a residual supplier, the U.S. will over time lower soybean production, “This will stimulate more soybeans acres in other nations and reduce soybean acres in the U.S. I think the era of soybeans being more profitable than corn in the U.S. is over.” U.S. soybean acreage has been increasing in recent years especially in the Eastern Corn Belt, because of good profitability.
Brent Bible soy and corn producer in Romney, Indiana, said the trade war is directly impacting his bottom line, “For soybean producers like me, this is a direct financial hit. This is money out of my pocket. These tariffs could mean the difference between a profit and a loss for an entire year’s worth of work out in the field, and that’s only in the near term. Over the long haul, soybean producers are deeply concerned that China will continue to substitute American soy with soy from our global competitors. The losses these tariffs represent can’t and shouldn’t be made up by government programs. Frustration is growing quickly in the heartland, we need this solved now.”
U.S. agriculture is being impacted by more than just our trade war with China. AFBF trade specialist Dave Salmonsen said many processed food products will be effected by tariffs from Canada and the EU, “Pizza, yogurt, chocolate, orange juice, beer and whiskey. For ag products, that’s what we’re seeing 25 percent retaliatory tariffs start up from Canada. The European Union is also retaliating for the same reason, and, for ag products, they’ve included rice and cranberries, peanut butter, kidney beans, also whiskey, and that’s also going to be 25 percent tariffs. Mexico has done things in two levels. In June, they put 10 percent tariffs including pork, cheese, apples, and whiskey. Here in the beginning of July, they’re going to up that to 20 percent.”
Salmonsen’s advice for farmers: watch and wait, “Watch this closely. Make sure that other people, we always say your congressmen and senators, when you have the chance, know what the current effects are if you’re being affected, or what potential effects are going to be down the road on you.”


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Amid the carnage that’s Tesla’s inventory worth headed into 2023, a Wall Avenue bull has emerged with a reminder to all that the corporate stays a longer-term sustainability play.
“Once we look over the following six to 12 months, and over the following a number of of years, it is truly fairly optimistic for Tesla. They’ve an extremely robust stability sheet to climate a recession. And on the opposite facet, they’re destined to extend their management in EVs, which we predict are on the cusp of actually penetrating penetrating the general auto market,” Canaccord Genuity analyst George Gianarikas advised Yahoo Finance Reside (video above).
In a brand new observe to purchasers, Gianarikas known as Tesla (TSLA) a sustainability “behemoth” — pointing to management positions in EVs and in photo voltaic with SolarCity. The analyst sees honest worth for Tesla’s inventory at $275, up sizably from its present worth of $123 in noon Friday buying and selling.
Gianarikas acknowledged, nonetheless, that the near-term is unsure on Tesla.
“The near-term is extremely unsure. Nevertheless it’s being mirrored within the inventory. Typically shares are likely to backside earlier than the basics do. So once we look out to the long-term, there may be plenty of earnings energy right here. The corporate has plenty of progress vectors, whether or not it is EVs, semis, robotics — we’re very optimistic within the long-term,” Gianarikas added.
To make certain, many different buyers and analysts have lined up in opposition to bullish takes on the one-time well-liked momentum commerce of Tesla this 12 months.
The inventory has plunged round 65% 12 months so far, and 26% previously month alone amid demand considerations and Musk’s unpredictable management over at Twitter. This week introduced information Tesla will supply $7,500 reductions on Mannequin 3 and Mannequin Y autos delivered within the U.S. in December — an surprising improvement that additional pressured the inventory worth.
Quite a few analysts have downgraded the inventory in latest days on fears of a pointy 2023 demand slowdown. Others, similar to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, proceed to trim worth targets on Tesla amid the inventory’s precipitous fall.
“Want a frontrunner presently for Tesla, not Ted Striker,” former Tesla bull Ives stated in a brand new observe on Friday, referring to the pilot within the comedy movie “Airplane.”
“On the similar time that Tesla is reducing costs and stock is beginning to construct globally in face of a possible world recession, Musk is seen as ‘asleep on the wheel’ from a management perspective for Tesla on the time buyers want a CEO to navigate this Class 5 storm,” Ives added. “As a substitute Musk is laser centered on Twitter, which has been an ongoing nightmare that by no means ends for buyers with hopes a brand new CEO is picked within the coming weeks as a primary step ahead.”
Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Comply with Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.
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- Articles tagged "android"
We take a quick look at some of the camera features offered in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom - a smartphone with up to 10x optical zoom and more.
Samsung today announced a new addition to their interchangeable lens camera series with the new Galaxy NX. It comes equipped with Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connectivity as well as an Android operating system that lets you stay connected with your social media apps. Check in to find out more!
LG's latest flagship smartphone, the 5.5-inch, Full HD, Optimus G Pro, was officially launched in Macau for the Asia-Pacific market today. Originally introduced in Korea in February, the Optimus G Pro will now be rolling out to the rest of Asia, with Singapore availability scheduled for early July.
While rumors ran rampant that Facebook would announce a Facebook phone today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg instead unveiled Facebook Home, an Android launcher designed to make your Android phone about 'people, not apps'.
Futuremark's latest 3DMark benchmark has finally been updated for Android compatibility (unfortunately versions for iOS and Windows RT are still not available). We test out the Ice Storm and Ice Storm Extreme benchmarks on a handful of Android devices to see how they fare.
While it hardly comes as a surprise, Polaroid has launched the first Android Interchangeable Lens camera, the iM1836, at CES 2013. Here's our quick hands-on as we play with the unique gadget.
The wild, wild west. That's as accurate a description as we can give for Google Play (formerly known as Google's Android Market). But is it as untamed as we think it is, or is it a wild stallion that can be lulled into submission? We paint you the current landscape and pointers to stay safe.
Samsung today unveiled the sequel to its successful Galaxy Note smartphone at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in Berlin, the Galaxy Note II. We went up close and personal with it to find out what else's new besides its 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display and 1.6GHz quad-core processor.
The Samsung Galaxy Camera has a 16.3-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, a 21x optical zoom lens, and a high density 4.8-inch touchscreen. But its claim to fame is that it runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Here's a closer look at this quad-core-processor-equipped camera.
Amidst the flurry of hardcore iPhone 5 activities today, we managed to sneak in some time with the much sought after device itself. Here's our quick take on the latest, sixth-gen Apple-flavored device.
- Sony unveils the Xperia Z3+, the global variant of the Xperia Z4
- MSI becomes first motherboard brand to be Windows 10 certified
- Samsung unveils Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Limited Edition
- Here is the memo Tim Cook sent to the company on Jony Ive's promotion
- Local company Secretlab launches Throne, racing-inspired gaming chair to take on DXRacer (Updated)
- Biostar Intel 100-series chipset motherboards to debut at Computex 2015
- Panasonic announces launch of the Lumix DMC-CM1, the world’s slimmest communication camera.
- Upgrade your iPhone 6/6 Plus with an easy access back button


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Social media backlash erupted Monday early morning above Apple adding a “pregnant man” emoji in its newest Apple iphone update.
In addition to the “pregnant gentleman,” Apple extra other gender-neutral emoji icons, including a “person with crown.” Whilst a previous update made the emojis optional, the iOS 15.4 update sent the new emojis to all end users.
Video clip Embed
“This is NOT a ‘pregnant man’ emoji,” Twitter consumer @StringfellowH14 wrote. “It’s a ‘wokie-woke Democrat’ emoji. A great way to symbolize contempt for God and nature?”
Other Twitter buyers poked at overweight adult males.
“A ‘pregnant man’ or are you ‘fat shaming’?” Thomas Rossini tweeted.
FLORIDA REJECTS MATH Textbooks Over ‘PROHIBITED AND DIVISIVE’ Ideas This kind of AS Widespread Main AND CRT
A further article in contrast the new “pregnant man” emoji to Invoice Gates.
Online News 72h host Greg Gutfeld sarcastically praised the emoji when it was first built offered, stating the emoji does not discriminate towards men with beer guts.
Online video Embed
Others argued it is flipping a liberal narrative.
“Well performed, we have come SO much as a human race,” Adel Meyer wrote on Twitter. “I’m ecstatic about this update, it definitely is a man’s world.”
Online News 72h
In overall, there are 37 new emoji additions. Among them are a melting face, heart palms, biting lips, and handshakes that includes different skin tones.


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New Sports Direct in town's former M&S set for summer opening
- Credit: Eastern Daily Press © 2014
A new Sports Direct store, featuring many of the brands owned by its parent group, is on track to open in the summer.
According to plans submitted to Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Sports Direct's transformation of the former Marks and Spencer building in King Street, Great Yarmouth, will add Evans Cycles, Game, and designer clothing retailer USC - all owned by Mike Ashley's Fraser Group.
Fears had been expressed the group would close its Gapton Hall store, but this week a spokesman confirmed the store would be staying open and that the new town centre shop would be opening in July.
It has not outlined what is happening to Game in Market Gates.
A statement said: "We can confirm that plans are still very much under way for the new store opening on King Street, this is set to open in July.
"We can also confirm that the store at Gapton Hall Retail Park will remain open."
Town centre manager Jonathan Newman said it would be a good addition to the town centre.
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"There has been a lot of activity in the building and I am looking forward to seeing what they have done with it.
"It will make a big difference. The next target is Palmers because that is looking a bit untidy."
He added footfall in the town centre was sitting at around 75pc of what it was two years ago, in line with the national average.
But the loosening of lockdown on Monday May 17 would likely boost the shopping hub with pubs and cafes opening indoors allowing people to meet up again and enjoy a cuppa and a cake indoors.
"It gives people more reasons to come into town, plus the guest houses will all be open," he added.
Last month Sports Direct submitted a bid for new signage at the store.
The papers suggest a bright shop front with window "light boxes" advertising what's inside.
A decision is due by June 6.
At the same time, it opened an M&S Simply Food outlet at Gapton Hall.


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The Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice marketing at NYCC is in full swing! LexCorp just released the announcement video above announcing free Wi-Fi and even free portable phone chargers. If you’re at NYCC, just head on over to the LexCorp booth to grab yours.
A LexCorp website has also been launched, and it teases “Lex/OS” — a new secure operating system according to the announcement video. More is promised in “Winter 2015”, so it looks like we have something cool to look forward to!


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Bangladesh’s first Government registered and active organization, the Apparel Merchandiser Foundation of Bangladesh (AMFB) organized its members get together to build a strong network among its members on 2 December at a restaurant in Dhaka.
This event was presided over by Abdullah-Al-Mamun Chairman, AMFB. Ala Uddin Ahmed Rasel, General Secretary, AMFB conducted the meeting. While, AMFB Board of Directors, New members spoke at the event and shared their vision.
AMFB’s vision is to assist merchandisers in becoming informed, responsible, creative, and critical communicators and enhance Merchandising knowledge and skill in, the construction, interpretation and distribution of communication in diverse cultural and global communities.
The speakers said a merchandiser creates a bridge between the industry and the buyer. Merchandisers create a good relationship between exporters and buyers.
Speakers opined to build a strong relationship between AMFB members for a better apparel industry.
As per the member’s discussion, soon AMFB will launch its website and arrange an annual picnic. Besides AMFB also will work to reduce the gap between industry and academia.
AMFB is a registered organization. Since its inception, AMFB has been growing steadily keeping in pace with a leading platform of the garments and apparel fashion sector for the apparel market of Bangladesh. Thousands of merchandisers already involved them to build up a unique platform for Apparel Merchandisers only which is renowned. More than 200 apparel merchandisers gathered at the get-together program.


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Ever since the rumour about the release of the first smartphone designed by Tesla, Apple has completely forgotten it’s iPhone 14 plus and focused more on the ones believed to be able to compete with the Tesla Model Pi.
Though, there have been numerous reports about the sales of the iPhone 14 series since its initial release. Sales of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have been excellent.
The same cannot be said, however, of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The Tesla model Pi may have influenced the decision Apple took to focus more on 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 Pro series receives more upgrades than the other models—possibly too many.
Ming-Chi Kuo, a Tianfeng International analyst, claims that the supply chain for Apple’s iPhone has undergone certain major adjustments. Hon Hai Foxconn, Pegatron, and Luxshare Precision are affected by the revisions.
Apple, Pegatron and Luxshare Precision are in talks
Apple reportedly had discussions with several of its manufacturing facilities. Pegatron and Luxshare Precision are both on the company’s negotiation list. Apple plans to upgrade the iPhone 14 Pro/14 Pro Max production line from the iPhone 14/14 Plus line. The iPhone 14 Pro is anticipated to go on sale as early as Q1 2023, according to Luxshare.
In order to address seasonal issues, Ming-Chi Kuo reports Foxconn intends to gradually cut its iPhone production capacity from November to December this year.
Following the start of close-loop manufacturing at the Foxconn iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, plans to cut iPhone production capacity will be postponed. More than 10% of the global iPhone manufacturing capacity would be impacted since the Zhengzhou Foxconn iPhone facility unexpectedly switched to closed-loop production.
The anticipated shipment of iPhones has not changed as a result of this incident, though. In a few weeks, Foxconn’s production capacity will steadily rise. The effect on iPhone shipments in 4Q22 ought to be minimal. Sales of the iPhone 14 Plus have not been very strong.
Apple allegedly asks Hon Hai Foxconn to move production lines, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. The iPhone will then become an iPhone 14 Pro. Following the change, the iPhone 14 Pro shipment will make up the entirety of the iPhone 14 shipment in 2H22.
In comparison to the earlier estimate of 55–60%, this is roughly 60–65%. Additionally, between 30 and 35 percent of the iPhone 14 series’ shipments in 2H22 were made up of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. As a result, it is the most widely used iPhone 14 model.


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Device sales continue to rise
While still a relatively small piece of the overall intimacy health offerings, sales of intimacy enhancement devices continue on an upward trajectory, reaching $15.5 million in overall sales on 21.8% growth for the 52 weeks ended June 10 across food, drug and mass (excluding Walmart), according to SymphonyIRI Group data.
The lion’s share of those device sales — predominantly personal massagers and vibrating rings — still goes to Church & Dwight under the Trojan brand, which has 66.1% dollar share of the market. Durex, managed by Reckitt Benckiser, follows with 30.2%.
But there are products on the horizon that may challenge those positions. In the third quarter, RH Labs will be launching a line of intimacy health products with Laura Berman, a very well-known sex and relationship expert. “Dr. Berman’s line is unique in that it’s the first publicly endorsed line of personal massagers,” stated Joshua Maurice, president of RH Labs. “There’s nobody else in the world with her reputation or her expertise, so her support gives these products a huge competitive edge over other brands in the marketplace.”
Intimina is coming to the retail pharmacy space with phase two of its intimacy health launch plans. Phase one represented intimacy health devices, including pelvic floor exercisers that could be used to address urinary incontinence, among other women’s health needs. And phase two features a line of products addressing a woman’s menstrual cycle.
“With the launch of the menstrual care line, women now have effective, drug-free options to ease the burdens this time of the month brings,” commented Donna Faro, Intimina director of sales. “This new line boasts innovative products that cater to every menstrual need — from protection to pain relief to specially formulated intimate cleansers.”
The addition of menstrual health products to the Intimina lineup maintains the focus on “health” within intimacy. “Society is not only more open and knowledgeable about [intimacy health] benefits, but also [people are] far more willing to accept intimate well-being as integral to a woman’s health as a whole,” Faro said. “Walgreens, CVS and Drugstore.com have very much been trendsetters in this regard, stocking these products online before the move to integrate them into regular store settings. And given the tastefulness and discretion of the products themselves, the positive response they have received has come as no surprise.”
The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Intimacy Health Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.
Billy Boy targets millenials with grassroots campaign, social media marketing
Jarden Corp., a Germany-based condom manufacturer, will be attempting to carve out a space in mass retail with a grassroots marketing effort targeting college-age men with a message that its Billy Boy brand of condoms is not only fun, but it’s the “better built” condom.
“Quality is really what matters at the end of the day,” Matthew Shifrin, general manager for Billy Boy, told DSN. And Billy Boy will be accentuating its German manufacturing heritage as part of its marketing message, he said. “[More than] half of the condom category in the United States is dominated by 18- to 24-year-old males,” Shifrin said. “What really makes Billy Boy special at the end of the day is we’ve come into this category focusing on that 18 to 24 year old, that bread and butter of this category. … Millennials are fiercely independent, incredibly savvy — a kind of no-BS generation.”
To reach those millennials, Billy Boy will be focusing less on TV and/or print placements and more on social media platforms and grassroots efforts with collegiate marketing and sampling through more than 100 on-campus brand ambassadors. “These are in-house reps that are recruited and trained,” Shifrin noted. “These are social chairs of fraternities and sororities; they are social leaders on campus. When you have a brand ambassador that is [your] relevant demographic, … then that person is going to influence [his or her] peers in a market from 5,000 to 50,000, depending upon the size of the school.”
The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Intimacy Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.
CE accessories a boon for drug stores
Impulse purchases are a big part of the electronic accessories segment for the drug channel. Drug stores see strongest sales in such commodity items as blister-packed cameras and camcorders, personal music players, headphones, iPod docks and blank media, according to TWICE’s Alan Wolf. A recent TWICE Top 100 Report said CVS and Walgreens saw a slight decrease in consumer electronics sales in 2011, while Rite Aid category sales were up nearly 6%.
The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete CE Accessories Sell-Through Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.


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After introducing the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro M2, Apple is expected to release several more MacBook M2s between 2022 and 2023. In the latest edition of his weekly newsletter "Power On", Mark Gorman, a prominent journalist at Bloomberg News, said that the company is pursuing a fundamental goal and plans to release the MacBook Pro with the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips early this fall.
- The new 3D renders of the iPhone 14 Pro show other angles of its design
According to Mark Gorman, the MacBook Pro 14 and 16 inch with more powerful M2 processors are currently in the works. He said the overall design and capabilities of the devices will likely remain the same, as Apple has just released a new generation of the device with a redesigned design, more ports, a MagSafe charger, a better display and an improved webcam.
Bloomberg journalist went on to say that the new 14-inch and 16-inch models are expected to be equipped with the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. They follow the same process as Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max chips last year. Gorman also points out an important point about the expectations of the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips: "I believe that in these chips, like the M2 chip, Apple will focus more on the graphics part."
chip benchmarks The M2 in the MacBook Pro shows that its single-core performance is about 11.56% faster than the M1 chip, and its multi-core performance is also increased by about 19.45%. The M1 chip also includes some features only found in higher-end M1 family processors, such as increased performance in 4K video encoding and decoding and support for faster LP5 memory.
In this regard, Gorman believes that The Mac M2 Pro and M2 Max will focus on the graphics department, and this news could be great for professional users who need to do heavy work such as video editing, coding, and more. Another point mentioned by this journalist is the time of introducing these products. According to him, the MacBook Pro M2 Pro and M2 Max will probably be introduced between the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2023. Gorman also believes that given Apple's continued supply chain challenges, it is a bit difficult to predict exactly when these products will hit store shelves. 16-inch with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, he mentioned other products such as Mac Mini with M2 chip, Mac Mini with M2 Pro chip, Mac Pro with M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme chips as possible and future Apple products. There have been rumors about Apple's new Mac Mini for some time. Currently, it is not clear when Apple plans to unveil the next generation of this product or when it will phase out its Intel counterpart. But according to rumors, Apple's new Mac Mini will use the same design as the current generation Mac Mini. In other words, the new Mac Mini will use the same simple aluminum design that the company has used for its products since 2010. has benefited Currently, although the low-end model of the Mac Mini uses the M1 chipset, users have no choice but to use Intel processors to use the high-end model. But it was said earlier that the more powerful model of this computer will be introduced with M2 Max and M2 Pro chips.
Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Po said in a report that Apple's supplier TSMC will begin mass production of the new and more powerful M2 Pro chip later this year. According to a report published by this analyst, Apple will continue with TSMC as Apple's silicon chip supplier.
The Taiwanese chip giant is expected to start mass production of Apple's new M2 Pro chip later this year. According to rumors and speculations, it will be produced based on the 3nm manufacturing process. The scale of a chip in nanometers indicates the distance between its transistors. The smaller the distance, the better the performance and speed of that chip. It should be seen what other news will be published in this matter in the coming days.


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Most college students understand the dreadful experience of scheduling their own doctor’s appointments for the first time. It is a sudden realization that one is in the early stages of adulthood and now that the complications and stress of the health care system are realities, many wish they could have attended an Adult 101 course in school.
Luckily, pharmacy students at the UA are trying to make the health care system a little more user-friendly in the digital age.
Jason Kwan, Jingxin Yang and Osamah Eljerdi are a business team. They started their service, LinkX, one year ago during their pharmacy entrepreneurship course.
They noticed a big problem in the distribution of pharmaceuticals from producer to patient: The lack of transparency and digitalization of prescription medication.
“I saw the problem of people always calling into the pharmacy and asking ‘What is the price of this medication?’ or ‘Do you have this medication available?’ and a lot of times pharmacies are really busy, so customer service can be lacking,” Kwan said, “And then I started to think that a lot of these calls are really simple and can easily be answered by just having the information readily available.”
LinkX, which went live a month ago, is a free online service created to help bridge the gap between pharmacies and patients by supplying more information to the individual. LinkX provides information on the current stock and cash value of prescriptions in pharmacies across Tucson.
The LinkX team hopes this mobile-friendly service will improve the current lack of transparency in health care, since many patients don’t know the true cost of their medications because transactions are riddled with pharmaceutical and insurance fees.
They also want to focus on bringing the business and science worlds together to work more resourcefully. This is important because specialty medicine, like dermatology creams and hormone replacement pills, are becoming increasingly more expensive. LinkX is trying to keep the most money in patients’ pockets by presenting the face value of the medication to consumers.
“A lot of time, people complain and say ‘Well why has my medication gone up?’ and the reason is because the insurance company has changed how much it’s reimbursing the companies,” Kwan said. “The idea is that [LinkX] shows that these are all the different pharmacies, and this is how much it’s going to cost. If you go from one side of Tucson to the other side ... that same medication can be a different price. And you wouldn’t know that because you wouldn’t be able to see.”
Here’s how it works: after going to the LinkX website, patients can type in their prescription information and location to quickly find which pharmacies in Tucson currently have their specific medications in stock. If no results appear, patients can submit a prescription request at their local pharmacies, which helps save time and money.
In its current state, LinkX is only an information service and doesn’t offer discounted medication or waive health insurance fees. The LinkX team hopes that as more independent pharmacies and retail chains hop on board with the idea, it can expand services to Phoenix and, eventually, nationwide. LinkX hopes to revolutionize the way the pharmaceutical business is run in the U.S.
“I think that information is very pertinent and is something we should be very aware about,” said Shivani Patel, a junior studying electrical and computer engineering. “Being vitamin D deficient, I go to the pharmacy a lot and I think [LinkX] is such an easy method to save money on prescriptions.”
LinkX stands firmly behind its motto: “Search smarter, Choose better.”
Follow Arturo Bradic on Twitter.


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The recent developments with Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP) have become eye-catching for veterans and potential investors, with analysts tipping them to return 200% profit soon. In the same vein, Pomerdoge (POMD) boasts of a high return of investment (ROI), which crypto enthusiasts can leverage. Keep reading to know the most recent updates about these three tokens and their reliability.
Payment Integration Helps Solana (SOL) To Maintain Strength Despite Latest Sell Pressure
The future seems bright for cryptos as more cryptocurrencies are being used as a form of payment during shopping and other activities. Solana Pay is making waves as it partners with Shopify to make payment faster and stress-free for entrepreneurs and merchants. The advantage is that this helps to eliminate third-party processing payment and transaction fees.
No doubt, such a development is convincing and shows potential for more use cases. For Solana (SOL), it can be the start of more integrations and becoming a giant network utility. By implication, it increases the possibility of more demands for the SOL token.
Solana has seen a gradual rise in the last few days after battling the bear market in the last few weeks. With the positive news, investors and analysts are tipping Solana to return 200% gains soon.
Investors Hopes Are Renewed Despite XRP’s (XRP) Latest Slump
Investors have remained optimistic about a resurgence for XRP despite the coin battling the bear market in the last few weeks. The coin is currently facing legal dealings, which analysts believe could have a negative effect on the coin.
Even at that, crypto enthusiasts project an improved price performance for the token before the end of the year based on the numerous use cases of the coin.XRP has different use cases, including low-cost transactions, speed, etc. The ecosystem was designed to enhance cross-border financial transactions by banks and financial institutions.
XRP is experiencing an uptrend, with crypto experts predicting a bullish run in the coming days. The technical analysis shows a bull run in sight with the green lines active. If that happens, the possibility of XRP returning 200% profit in the future is high.
Latest Coin, Pomerdoge (POMD) Impresses and Gets Veterans’ Nod
Investors have projected that XRP, Solana and Pomerdoge will return 200% soon. The chances of the POMD token returning profits are very high based on its unique use cases, which have attracted investors to the project.
We have officially raised over $1,500,000— Pomerdoge (@pomerdoge) August 25, 2023
There are hundreds of orders in pending since the price is increasing in 3 hours we expect this to significantly rise before the price increases to $0.01https://t.co/3Hm1hYrira pic.twitter.com/NLAYMc7vDH
The P2E gaming platform comes with three key components to redefine the perception of meme coins as it incorporates virtual gaming. Hence, investors are thrilled with the solutions it brings.
Pomergame is a gaming hub for players to have an exciting gaming experience. They have their unique avatars and can trade them at the Pomerplace marketplace. Also, investors can buy and sell other in-game assets in the marketplace. The platform has made available 7,777 NFTs, which are only available to presale buyers of the token.
POMD token is currently sold for $0.009. Investors will also earn a percentage of the revenue generated from the Pomergame platform. The revenue will be shared based on the number of POMD tokens a user holds.
SolidProod and Cyberscope have certified and audited the project to ensure optimum security. The token’s liquidity will be locked for life to protect the investor’s assets. Experts have projected a 17x price increase before the end of Q4 of 2023, making now the best time to invest for future gains.
Find out more about the Pomerdoge (POMD) Presale Today
Telegram Community: https://t.me/pomerdoge


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When Rocket Fizz Candy & Soda Shop (6303 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-833-4614) opened just across the street from us, we knew there were going to be some crazy items for sale. Rocket Fizz boasts dozens of flavors of soda from run-of-the-mill cola to Snooki-flavored (yup). So we decided to pick up a few bottles and test them out.
We chose seven sodas: "Seal Ya Later" (lovingly referred to as "Osama"), Bacon, Buffalo Wing, Sweet Corn, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Martian Poop and Ranch Dressing.
Seal Ya Later was certainly intriguing, because we couldn't figure out what the flavor would be. The label reads, "Knock Knock...who's there? America!!!" It basically just tasted like watered-down Coke. Which is pretty American, actually.
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Medical device designer and manufacturer Arrotek will create up to 100 jobs in Sligo after the company won planning permission for a 20,000 square foot extension to its city headquarters.
Arrotek is based in a purpose-built 50,000 square foot facility in the Medtech cluster at Finisklin Business Park in Sligo, which was built in 2019 and features manufacturing clean rooms, laboratories and engineering offices.
The additional space is expected to house a mix of office and manufacturing space.
The new jobs will be created in all Arrotek departments, including design engineers and project managers, quality, production, finance, customer service and administration.
Founded in 2005 by Mark Pugh and Ger O’Carroll, Arrotek began as an engineering services provider focused on the design of medical devices for other companies.
The company undertook a major recruitment drive in 2020 and 2021, doubling its headcount and expanding its manufacturing offering to include a third clean room and new braiding, winding and laser welding technologies.
Arrotek co-founder Ger O’Carroll said it is extremely positive that a local Sligo company has managed to grow in international markets and create high quality jobs for Sligo and North West Ireland.
“This is testament to the high-quality workforce we have today and will be recruiting in the future,” he said.
Arrotek co-founder Mark Pugh said that since the company was established in 2005, it has focused on investing in the latest cutting-edge technologies so that it can deliver a world-class service.
“This current investment will allow us to further enhance our service offerings to all of our current clients, both start-ups and multinationals, as well as grow in emerging markets,” he added.


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M&M’s are going to be huge in 2014… well, no, scratch that: they’re going to be mega! This May, Mars is planning on debuting its new M&M’s Mega in both regular and peanut varieties. The tasty chocolate candies will be three times the size of a regular M&M–yep, that means three times the chocolate too.
It’s totally great news. So now all you have to do is stay patient for the next few months.


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Maybe it was a slow news weekend. The story of the Texas woman who reportedly got banned from Walmart for riding an electric cart around the store’s parking lot while drinking wine out of a Pringles can spread like wildfire across the digital grasslands. America had found the hero it didn’t know it needed.
The Wichita Falls Times New Record highlights all the relevant facts of the case, namely:
- The woman had been riding around in the parking lot for hours, starting at about 6:30 a.m. on Friday.
- The electric shopping cart she was riding is usually used for people with physical limitations.
- Police found her in a nearby restaurant, and told her that she had been banned from that Walmart, at the request of store employees.
- She was not arrested.
- Most importantly: She was drinking wine out of a Pringles can. Does the salty leftover detritus add a special element to that Yellowtail chardonnay or whatever?
As this important news gained momentum over the weekend, many speculated about the possible details behind this incident:
So true. Like what flavor of Pringles? Didn’t the liquid make the Pringles can soggy? Did she eat all the Pringles first? What happened to the wine bottle? Did she purchase either of these at Walmart itself?
But many just adopted her as our collective new internet hero, clamoring for her Walmart return.


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In recent months, some subscription services have taken advantage of fee raises, catching some users by surprise. A prime example is, well, Amazon Prime and its recent price change. Additionally, it seems Amazon Music is the latest service to raise the price, upping the monthly fee by one dollar.
If you’re looking for HiFi audio and don’t want to pay the exorbitant prices of Tidal or other high-end competitors, Amazon Music is absolutely the way to go. For less than half of the price of Tidal, you can get up to 24bit 192kHz audio with Amazon Music Unlimited. If you have an external DAC to hook up to your Android device, even better.
According to Amazon, users get access to over 75 million songs in HD. To add, Spatial Audio is available to users as well, catering to those who have the right equipment. To me and many others, that’s a fantastic deal and at least worth looking into.
Unfortunately, it looks like Amazon Music knows how good of a deal that is and taking baby steps to start racking in much more than what we signed up for. Yesterday, April 5, Amazon Music subscribers got an email letting them know that the monthly Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan price would be raised from $7.99 to $8.99, a one-dollar difference. Meanwhile, the Family Plan remains at the same price it was before – $14.99/month.
This new price comes in the wake of other services like Netflix raising their prices and causing a stir among subscribers. In this case, we’re unsure of the cause of the new subscription price or if this means that Amazon’s other services might start to jump in cost as well.
In our opinion, $9/month is still a wonderful deal for Amazon Music Unlimited, considering most other streaming providers offer much less at higher prices. This change is set to take place starting on May 5, 2022.
More on Amazon:
- Amazon Alexa is now available on the latest Wear OS smartwatches from Fossil and Skagen [U: More details]
- Android TV 11 comes to third-gen Amazon Fire TV w/ unofficial LineageOS 18.1 builds
- Amazon Luna drops early access in the US w/ new $9.99 price, Jackbox games, free Prime games
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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London – Kering’s revenue statistics for the third quarter substantiated the slowdown in the luxury market, with a reported exchange rate drop of 13 percent and an underlying decline of 9 percent, amounting to 4.46 billion euros.Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
The revenue figure aligned with the predictions made by analysts, majority of whom had already revised their expectations for the quarter and their Kering share price targets.
Sales for Kering’s primary brand, Gucci, experienced a 14 percent decrease in reported exchange rates and a 7 percent decline, reaching 2.22 billion euros. Yves Saint Laurent encountered a 16 percent drop (12 percent underlying), with Bottega slipping 13 percent (underlying 7 percent).
It was revealed that Kering’s “other home” division, housing brands such as Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen, observed a 19 percent decrease in sales (15 percent underlying).
François-Henri Pinault, the chairman and chief executive of the French luxury conglomerate, mentioned that aside from challenging macroeconomic conditions and subdued demand within the luxury industry, “the change in our revenue performance in the third quarter reflects the impact of our decisions” to enhance our brands and their distribution channels.
He further stated that the establishment of the new organization in July will allow Kering to strengthen its houses’ operations and recover its position and influence within the current market environment. With the recent completion of Creed’s acquisition, one of the world’s most esteemed haute fragrance houses has joined our family, thus taking our beauty ambitions to the next level.
Kering has been implementing numerous changes, including management restructuring, luxury brand acquisitions, and reduction in wholesale distribution, in order to compete effectively in a demanding and saturated market that has experienced a cyclical deceleration in demand.


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Nothing is clear about the future of cryptocurrency in India at the moment. Every day new speculations are being made about cryptocurrency. On the one hand, the Reserve Bank of India is issuing a warning regarding cryptocurrencies, while nothing is clear from the government. Instead of solving the problems of the country’s cryptocurrency investors, all these things are complicating them.
Future of Cryptocurrency in India | Is Really Crypto Ban in India
A cryptocurrency is a collection of binary data. It can be used as an exchange. Only one country that considers cryptocurrency as a currency is an el Salvador. This Digital Currency relies on blockchain technology. Some finance experts said that crypto is the future of modern currency in the world, but some experts disagree with this statement. Expert says right now, maximum people use cryptocurrency as black money or evade tax, and illegal activities, Because of blockchain technology no one can trace the transactions.
How Many Types of Cryptocurrencies are available?
These 14 types of cryptocurrencies are the most famous in the world.
● Bitcoin Cash
● Ethereum Classic
Cryptocurrencies are increasingly being adopted by Indian investors. The government also held a meeting on the subject of “crypto finance” for the first time. The conference was attended by representatives of the India Internet and Mobile Association (IAMAI) Blockchain and Crypto Assets Council (BACC). Till now, exchanges are mostly self-determined by the BACC board. Following regulatory guidelines. The government has not yet passed any official statement on cryptocurrencies in India.
After all, how will the government find a solution?
The focus of the government is now on figuring out how cryptocurrencies can help the financial sector in India, and what impact they might have on the Indian rupee and the economy.
How do Cryptocurrencies work?
These are a kind of digital currency that people can use digitally only. But if the government bans cryptocurrencies, it may give investors a few months to sell their assets. It is not possible to ban cryptocurrencies totally.
Will cryptocurrency be banned in India?
Banning the use of virtual currency in the country is a long process after the RBI had expressed concern over the impact of crypto on the economy. However, it can be regulated by regulatory bans. Banning crypto is not possible due to the presence of so many investors across the country. Millions of people trade. Currently, bitcoin is the most popular of all digital currencies. Crypto experts say that it won’t be possible to totally ban cryptocurrencies. However, the government may ban or set restrictions on trading in crypto and its help as a means of exchange or payments. “Cryptocurrencies live on the blockchain that has no single entity can control it. The decentralized character of blockchain divides it from other digital currencies that might be under the control of a commodity.


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Whiskey producers worried about McGregor’s impact on the sector
Fears that MMA star’s brash persona could damage the Irish whiskey industry
Conor McGregor: he is seen as toxic in some quarters
News that sales of Irish whiskey topped €1 billion in the US for the first time last year should be good cause to raise a glass. After all a prolonged effort has been made to put the brown spirit back on the map globally.
But there has been a somewhat muted response so far from those working in the sector, which is a little unexpected given how good the various players are at promoting themselves. Could the radio silence be because many see the recent surge in sales as a mixed blessing?
The launch of Proper No 12 by renowned mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Conor McGregor last September has caused much disquiet locally, although few if any people in the sector will openly admit to this in public.
The whiskey has sold about 200,000 nine-litre cases since launch, well short of the 7.3 million cases shipped by market leader Jameson in its last financial year but an impressive start for a new brand, particularly given it is only available in a handful of countries.
“I respect other Irish whiskeys, but I am coming in strong, with passion and with purpose,” promised McGregor at the launch of Proper No 12, and it would seem as though he’s following through with this.
Losing market share to the brash new brand is one obvious concern for other whiskey producers, with Jeffries analyst Edward Mundy last week warning of the possible future impact on Jameson. However, that is not the only reason to fear McGregor’s move into the sector.
Industry players question the quality of Proper No 12, with whiskey expert Seáneen Sullivan writing in The Irish Times last year mentioning its inclusion of E20 to make it look far older than it is.
“It is incredibly mild, with a bitter caramel quality that I can only describe as unsweetened Werther’s Original” is how Sullivan described it in her taste test.


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A U.S. District Court in Los Angeles denied a motion to stay patent litigation brought by Signal IP Inc., a unit of Marathon Patent Group (MARA) against Mazda Motor of North America and about a dozen other car companies, pending the outcome of a number of petitions for inter partes review and ex parte reexaminations before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeals Board.
The motion was sought by Volkswagon Group of America.
The case — Signal IP Inc. v. Mazda Motor of America Inc. et al — was filed in May 2014 in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California before Judge John Kronstadt
The complaint alleged infringement of patents for methods of improving zone of coverage response of automotive radar, occupant detection method and apparatus for air bag systems, method and control system for controlling propulsion in a hybrid vehicle and technique for limiting the range of an object sensing system in a vehicle.
The patents at issue were acquired by Marathon from Delphi Automotive PLC, which in turn had acquired some from its predecessor Delco Electronics. The patents were issued from 1995 to 2004.
The ruling by Judge Kronstadt means the cases against Volkswagen and the other car companies will proceed.
"Importantly, not only does this motion denying the stay apply to all the defendants in the California cases who may have sought a stay, but it clears the way to a speedy trial schedule," Croxall said in a statement today. "We anticipate the Court will issue its litigation and trial schedule imminently and expect trials to begin in early 2016."
Shares of Marathon gained 2.3% or 11 cents to $4.95 in midday trading on the Nasdaq. They’ve traded between $4.05 and $9.73 over the past year.
In a related development, Signal IP agreed to stipulate that certain claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,775,601, 5,732,375 and 6,012,007 at issue in the infringement suits were invalid following Judge Kronstadt’s claims construction ruling.
Signal IP has so far reached settlements with only Volvo Cars of North America and Jaguar Land Rover North America. Signal IP received only $275,000 from Volvo, which was only 2% of the $13 million to $14 million originally sought. The amount of the Jaguar settlement has not been disclosed.
The remaining defendants and amount in initial damages Signal IP was originally seeking in the complaint were: American Honda Motor Co.($201 million to $223 million), Kia Motors America ($133 million to $148 million), Mazda ($63 million to $70 million), Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. ($6 million to $7 million), Nissan North America ($151 million to $167 million), Subaru of America ($28 million to $31 million), Chrysler Group LLC ($154 million to $170 million), Ford Motor Co. ($304 million to $336 million), Mercedes-Benz USA LLC ($120 million to $133 million), BMW of North America ($104 million to $115 million), Volkswagen ($132 million to $146 million) and Porsche Cars North America ($23 million to $25 million).
To reach the reporter responsible for this story, please contact Dan Lonkevich at 707 318-7899 or at email@example.com


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Details such as trim level, starting MSRP and fuel economy have emerged on the highly anticipated 2016 Honda HR-V. We now know that the HR-V will reach up to 35 MPG with MSRP starting less than $20,000.
We also know that it should be at Waikem Honda sometime in May. Our first models have been entered into our inventory, and now that we have learned more, we’re excited to finally see one for ourselves.
The Honda HR-V will come with three trim levels and eight configurations:
New trim levels, improved fuel economy and better safety technology was introduced today for the new 2016 Honda Pilot.
For the first time, we’ve seen more than just the outside of this all-new SUV that debuted in the Chicago Auto Show last month. First off, the Pilot adds a new Touring Elite top of the line. All-in-all there are five available trim levels, and the Touring Elite is the most luxurious of them all. Touring Elite gives you all the great features of the modern vehicle, including:
Blind Spot Indicators
Rear Heated Seats
Heated Steering Wheel
Rear Captain’s Chairs (first time Honda has offered this in the Pilot)
The Honda Civic is one of the top ten vehicles for reaching 200,000 miles
The Honda CRV is one of the top ten vehicles for reaching 200,000 miles
The Honda Odyssey is one of the top ten vehicles for reaching 200,000 miles
The Honda Accord is one of the top ten vehicles for reaching 200,000 miles
The Honda Pilot is one of the top ten vehicles for reaching 200,000 miles
A number of Honda models were honored by Consumer Reports for their ability to last forever. The Honda Civic, Pilot, Odyssey, Accord and CR-V were in the top of the list of “Best cars for making it to 200,000 miles.” So if you’re looking for a long-term investment in your next vehicle, look no further than Honda.
Consumer Reports looks at real-world reports and survey data from readers and mechanics to create this list. Each vehicle also had to be Consumer Reports recommended to qualify. We here at Waikem Honda are not surprised that all of Honda’s top models we made the top ten.
The all-new redesigned 2016 Honda Pilot debuted Thursday at the Chicago Auto Show.
The totally redesigned 2016 Honda Pilot made its world debut Thursday at the Chicago Auto Show. The new SUV has an all-new look inside and out and it has shed 300 pounds for better fuel economy and cabin quietness.
The new 2016 Honda Pilot will hit the dealership in summer 2015. If the first reviews are any indication, you’re really going to like this new family-friendly SUV.
Brand New Look
The third-generation Honda Pilot looks nothing like the previous model. Instead of the boxy look of the current models, the new Pilot has a modern, sleek look with a smaller, thin front grill, wide headlines and creases leading down the sides. The Pilot has new thin rear headlights and overall it looks much more like a modern vehicle. Think about an extended CR-V when you think about the new Pilot.
The 2015 Honda CR-V was award the best residual value award from ALG.
The 2015 Honda CR-V received the Best Residual Value Award for Compact Utility Vehicles, one of the most important awards a vehicle can win every year. Residual, or resale value, is very important because you want the vehicle to have value when it’s time to trade it in.
Residual Value comes from ALG, the authority on vehicle value and quality. The CR-V was refreshed and updated for the new year, beating out comparison competitors including the Toyota Rav4 and Subaru Forester.
The popular 2015 Honda Pilot has a great reputation for families and those who need plenty of space. This larger SUV rides like a much smaller car, but provides you with seating for up to 8 people. Add in the great technology that comes standard, and you cannot go wrong with the Pilot.
Honda promises a new, aggressive front end on the 2015 Honda CR-V, which debuts Oct. 1, 2014.
The 2015 Honda CR-V will get a face lift, according to new photos coming from the factory. Honda debuted the new SUV with a more aggressive front end.It will more closely resemble the Accord, with a thin, horizontal lighting pattern and it appears as if the headlights will have an LED wraparound piping. Drivers just looking at the Honda CR-V may not notice a lot of change on its own, but when compared to the 2014 models, there will be plenty of change.
Honda didn’t release much information to the public in this announcement other than this one front end photo. They tell cars.com that it will announce full details of changes on Sept. 30, and the 2015 Honda CR-V will go on sale Oct. 1.
Edmunds.com says the Honda CR-V is the best new 5-passenger vehicle you can buy.
Edmunds,com says the 2014 Honda CR-V is the best new 5-passenger SUV you can buy.
Anyone who is already a CR-V has fallen in love, and when you see it for yourself, you’ll see what Edmunds is saying. Edmunds puts it on the list because you’ll get up to 30 MPG. For a 5-passenger vehicle, there is a lot of available space. With the seats up, you can fit 37.2 cubic feet of cargo inside. Fold down the rear seats, and you can fit up to 70.9 of cubic feet cargo.
“…when it comes to cold, hard facts, figures and just plain reasonable decision-making, there’s no doubt which five-passenger SUV we’d recommend first to friends and family: the Honda CR-V,” Edmunds says.
The 2013 Honda CR-V is one of three Honda models honored with Consumer Reports best in class awards
The Honda brand continues a strong year with a large presence in Consumer Reports annual Top Picks awards.
Three Honda models were awarded best in class in the rankings, which were announced Thursday on their website and will be featured in the April edition of Consumer Reports. As a whole, the Honda brand was in the top 5 of non-luxury models.


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Scientists try to keep up with chemical blizzard entering Puget Sound
The plants sterilize sewage and remove solids and organic materials from it. But they were never designed to remove things like antibiotics, cosmetics, hormones, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer products that wash down household drains.
“The latest estimate of the number of chemicals that are used in commerce is 350,000. That doesn't include degradation products and metabolites that may also be in the environment,” said Western Washington University environmental toxicologist Ruth Sofield.
“The work that we're doing, we're looking at chemicals in the low hundreds,” she told the Puget Sound Partnership’s Science Panel on Wednesday.
Sofield and other scientists are trying to help the state agency identify and prioritize the most harmful substances in the dilute chemical broth that is wastewater.
“We know that we're missing the large universe of chemicals,” Sofield said.


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Nintendo often has fightin’ words for its competition, speaking from a position of confidence and (in the past few years) of strength. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, however, gave a very serene response when asked about how Nintendo looked to counter Sony’s NGP.
“They’re trying to appeal to customers from a different direction than us. The customers will decide which is correct, said Iwata. “Nintendo is not the kind of company that thinks about how we oppose other company’s product.”
Iwata also put the issue of Nintendo games on non-Nintendo platforms to bed, saying, “So long as I am CEO, it definitely will not happen.”


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Signature Travel Network held its first Luxury Summit in Dallas, Texas on April 10th. The sold-out event featured senior representatives from a variety of industries and organizations within the luxury segment, as well as over 250 Signature members.
“Luxury travel is one of the fastest-growing segments of our business, and our greatest opportunity,” said Ignacio Maza, Executive Vice President for Signature.
Summit speakers included Milton Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute. Rainer Jenss followed Pedraza and discussed the latest trends in the luxury family travel segment including the FTA’s latest research conducted in conjunction with Travel + Leisure magazine. In addition, attendees received updates from leading luxury travel brands, including FTA member Abercrombie & Kent.
Jenss emphasized how important it is for travel advisors to recognize the influence children have in the vacation decision making process, pointing out that 62% have a say in the destination parents select. He also encouraged advisors to push their family clients to book their vacations at least 6-9 months in advance given how often they procrastinate in doing so until the fares are too high or inventory is hard to find.
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New Generation Brings Edge to Crafts
Gen-Xers are a new breed of crafters. These knitters, beaders and papermakers emerged from the DIY or do-it-yourself movement. Now, DIY crafters are selling their homemade tchotchkes online, at boutiques and at craft fairs. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Disputed Kobe memorabilia items find a resting spot
BY JAKE KAPLAN
Chris Goeke, of Irvine, takes photos of six items from Kobe Bryant's career at the Newport Sports Museum in Newport Beach. The items are on display this week during an online auction held by Goldin Auctions.
PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved.


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Hello game development students of Mammoth Interactive,
We at Mammoth Interactive found a cool article we wanted to share with some exciting news on Unity. As you may know, Unity’s Unite Berlin game development conference has been going strong these past few days. Among releasing Book Of The Dead assets for free on the Unity Asset Store and giving workshops on animation, VR, and machine learning, Unity has released a new tool: the Facial AR Remote Component.
The Facial AR Remote Component
With this feature a character in your Unity scene can move its face to match yours simply through an iPhone. See a screenshot below from Unity’s livestream presentation.
Facial animations can take hours to do, so this feature will save developers time and money. On top of that — AR technology can also be used to save production costs on films. And this is just the beginning. With more computer tools, building virtual worlds will be easier than ever before.
We at Mammoth Interactive encourage you to read more about this at Alphr’s post by Thomas McMullan.
The Mammoth Interactive Team


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By Emma Okonji
Nigerians have rued the recent drop in mobile internet subscription from 97.8 million in November 2015 to 93.6 million in February 2016.
According to experts’ opinions, the drop could be a combination of reasons, and paramount among them were low broadband penetration in the country which is currently put at 10 per cent, despite the federal government’s projection of 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018.
Nigerians are skeptical about the country achieving the 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018, going by the slow penetration rate currently being witnessed by Nigerians.
Apart from low broadband penetration, some experts are of the opinion that the harsh economic situation in the country, may have contributed immensely to the decline in mobile internet penetration in the country.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), had at the weekend, released the current statistics on mobile internet penetration, which showed a decline in the number of Nigerians that access the internet through their mobile devices like the mobile phones and tablets.
According to the release on NCC’s website, total mobile internet subscription rose to 97.8 million in November 2015, which was the highest ever since the inception of GSM operations in Nigeria in 2001, but the figure dropped to 93.6 million in February this year.
Industry experts are of the view that several factors may have been responsible for the decline.
President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi told THISDAY that the drop in mobile internet subscription could be as a result of the harsh economic situation in the country, where everyone is now cutting down on costs.
He said Nigerians have started prioritising their needs and cutting down on most of their expenditure as a result of the harsh economic situation in the country.
He however said it was also possible that the telecoms services, which include data services have improved in the country and that people have decided to reduce the number of internet subscriptions they initially had across all network operating companies.
According to him, “Nigerians are known for multiple internet subscriptions for fear of poor internet service delivery from various network operators. Today the situation has improved and people are beginning to stick to only one internet service provider, as against the multiple internet subscriptions they do in the past, just to sample the network that provides the best and cheapest internet service.”
Others who spoke in anonymity, blamed the decline in mobile internet subscription on poor implementation of broadband policy in the country. According to them, broadband availability drives internet accessibility and since the internet penetration rate is slow, which is currently put at 10 per cent penetration, there is every tendency that mobile internet penetration would be affected.
They warned that unless the NCC and the federal government come up with measures to boost internet penetration in the country, the mobile internet subscription would continue to nosedive.
Details of the NCC result on mobile internet penetration show that Airtel attained 17.8 million internet subscriptions in October 2015, which was the highest so far, but had a decline in January 2016, with 16.9 million mobile internet subscribers, while Etisalat had a rise of 15.6 million mobile internet subscriptions in September 2015, which declined to 15.23 million as at February 2016. MTN also had 41.84 million mobile internet subscriptions in September 2015, but the figure declined to 35.6 million in February 2016.
Globacom however, had a steady growth in its mobile internet subscriptions from 20.77 million in August 2015 to 21.9 million in September 2015, and it continued rising on a monthly basis until it hit the 25.69 million mobile internet subscription number in February 2016, which is its highest so far.


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WASHINGTON — The Wheatland Lions Club will be sponsoring Wheatfest Friday and Saturday. Several events have planned for celebration that is in its six year.
“The event was brought back by the Lion’s Club a few years ago,” said event organizer Bill Powell.
Events will begin at 4:30 p.m. Friday with the chicken and noodle supper sponsored by the Wheatland United Methodist Church located on Main St. The menu will include chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, slaw, dinner roll, dessert and drink all for $6. Children ages 12 and under can eat for $3. The dinner will conclude at 6:30 p.m. Fifty percent of the profit from the dinner will go toward the purchase of another lot for the Wheatland Lions Club Niblack Park, located on SR 550.
“Our hope is to raise enough money to purchase the lot behind the park and tear down the house that is currently there,” said Powell. “We want to expand the current park.”
From 7:30 p.m. until 9:30, entertainment will take the stage at the Niblack Park shelter house and the Jones Gang will be playing.
The Wheatland Lions Club will be selling homemade chocolate and vanilla ice cream Friday and Saturday.
“The ice cream is quite popular. We have been selling a lot of it at the Vincennes farmer’s market on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings,” Powell said.
Barrel Rides, coney’s, barbeque and other food and craft vendors, as well as games will also be available both days of the event. The museum, located in the Small Town Crossing building will also be open during the festival.
Hedrick’s Drugstore building is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Mugs and t-shirts commemorating the structure will be available for purchase.
“We had someone contact us late last week and we will be having a bounce house and a couple of other rides come in as well,” said Powell. “We try to have something for everyone.”


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Microsoft is not having any part of what Australian adult entertainment company ThriXXX plans for Kinect. Last week the company posted a video of a groping application that used the Kinect camera to touch the naughty bits of women. This week Microsoft has publicly offered a "no thank you" to the company, telling the Los Angeles Times that a sex game is not a great fit for a device that is designed to be family friendly.
"This isn’t the first example of a technology being used in ways not intended by its manufacturer, and it won’t be the last," Microsoft told the Los Angeles Times. "Microsoft did not authorize or license its technology for this use. Xbox is a family friendly games and entertainment console and does not allow Adults Only (AO) content to be certified for use on its platform, and would not condone this type of game for Kinect.”
Of course, hackers are clever people, and they’ll always find a way to use technology and software in a way that might not necessarily be appropriate.
You can check out the video here, but is definitely NSFW.


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In what is likely to be the biggest low-key Android news today, Google seems to have silently flipped the switch (again) when it comes to the "check for update" button on Pixels. On every Pixel device we've tested here at Android Police, tapping the button in the Settings app is successfully pulling down the recent January update.
For a bit of perspective, OTA rollouts are usually pushed out to a smaller group before everyone else, to better ensure that a serious, undetected problem with a given update only affects a few people before it's caught. Nonetheless, those of us that rush into Settings to mash the update button on day one are usually willing to throw caution to the wind, and us early-adopters have lamented the inconvenience of either waiting or manually sideloading updates.
Google originally announced that the button would actually start to work all the way back in 2017. However, shortly after that reveal, the feature was apparently broken. At the time, Google's Elliott Hughes remarked that it would be fixed sometime in 2018. Now that it's 2019, it seems Google was finally able to fix it.
That button actually works on Pixels now.
So far as we can tell, there has been no official announcement about this change, but all of our own Pixel phones have been able to snag the update via the "check for update" button manually, and our readers are universally reporting success in their own efforts.
Thanks for the fix, Google. This will actually make my job testing changes in functional updates a lot easier.
- Everyone in AP comments (we ❤ you).


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C by GE, the smart light brand from General Electric, is finally spelling out its full name to become ‘Cync,’ and it’s bringing several improvements to its app and some new products with it.
The company’s largest focus is on the new app, slated to release in March of 2021. It’s going to be more user-friendly, making it easier for people to control their Cync products.
The company has also added a gimmicky feature that allows people to take a picture of their Cync lights in their room and preview what the room will look like. The company accomplishes this by taking two pictures of your room. One with the lights on and another with the lights off. It then uses AI to make the room look like it would if you were changing the lights. This is a cool feature if you need to plan out your lighting when you’re in a different room.
This functionality doesn’t seem to be a game-changer, but the app’s overall visual updates look appealing.
To complement the rebrand, Cync is releasing an indoor smart camera, an outdoor smart plug and a smart fan speed controller for ceiling fans.
The fan speed controller is an interesting device and will replace a wall-mounted fan switch. The interesting part of the button is that it has four specific speed controls. Therefore, you can turn the fan up and down as well as on/off. You also don’t need a Cync hub to control the new switch when you’re outside your home.
The outdoor smart plug has two outlets with covers, and it uses both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to connect. Cync says that this plug will launch in March.
The final new product is a smart camera that’s meant for inside your home. Cync says that its camera sets itself apart by including a privacy shutter to block the lens and disconnect the audio. The camera has a good design and looks easy to install on a shelf or a wall. This is expected to launch in May.


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Now a national celebration encompassing more than 350 events from coast to coast, Small Business Week began quietly in 1979.
It started as a local event in British Columbia, backed by the Business Development Bank of Canada, before going national in 1981 and has never looked back.
Last year, the BDC-organized week of events attracted more than 10,000 small businesses to various activities.
Small Business Week, Oct. 16 to 22, is part celebration of entrepreneurship, part education and encouragement for the next wave of small businesses, and part promotion of the role small and medium-sized enterprises play in our economy.
“Small businesses account for a significant amount of economic activity and, in fact, of job creation,” says Michel Bergeron, BDC’s vice-president of corporate relations. “This is barely known by the Canadian population in general.”
“We want to use the opportunity of the week to celebrate the success of entrepreneurs and thank them for the hard work that they have done, and to highlight the importance of SMEs to the Canadian economy as a whole.”
The theme of this year’s week is: Invest, innovate and grow! Small businesses are encouraged to “attack challenges with renewed decisiveness, market awareness and creativity” and “invest in the new technology your team needs to get the job done.”
Toronto-area events include Enterprise Toronto’s Small Business Forum on Oct. 18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which is expected to attract more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, as well as investors, social-media experts and government funders. The day-long event will be headlined by Nadia Piatka, founder of Nadia Foods.


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Used-Vehicle Prices Rise in February
MCLEAN, Va. — Extreme winter weather during the first half of February had used-vehicle prices on track to grow only 0.7%. But improving weather during the second half of the month helped prices grow an additional 1.5 points to a total of 2.2% by month’s end, according to the NADA Used Car Guide’s March report.
The increase in used-vehicle pricing was in line with the NADA’s forecast of 2.1%. Additionally, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)’s seasonally adjusted used-vehicle price index remained unchanged for the third month in a row at 124.6, tying August 2013, December 2013 and January 2014 as the third highest figure recorded.
At the segment level, price improvement was positive across all mainstream segments, with prices increasing between 1% and 3.2%. Per the seasonal norm, compact and mid-size car price growth outpaced all other segments at 3.2% apiece, which accounted for respective lifts of 2.8 and 3.2 percentage points over January’s final figures.
“While positive, the gains recorded last month in compact and mid-size cars are slightly lower than each segment’s respective five-year February average of 4.3% and 3.9%,” the report noted, in part.
Compact and mid-size utility prices grew by 2.2% and 1.7%, respectively, while mid-size van prices increased 2%. Toward the bottom of the mainstream pack, the firm noted, large pickups and SUVs recorded respective increases of 1.7% and 1.1%.
On the luxury side, utility prices increased for the first time in February since 2011, but the increase was a scant 0.3%. Luxury car prices, however, dipped by a slight 0.1%, which is on par with historical norms.
On an annual basis, wholesale prices ended the month 1% higher than they were in February 2013. Large pickup and SUV price growth continued to overshadow the rest of the market as their respective prices were 10.6% and 6.5% higher on a prior-year basis. Mid-size cars, utilities and vans rounded out the list of segments whose prices remained elevated compared to last year, up by a range of 0.4% to 3.2%.
Additionally, compact car prices were down by 0.1% from a year ago, while prices of compact utilities and their luxury segment counterparts were, on average, 0.6% lower than last year. Bringing up the rear was the luxury segment. That segment’s 2.4% decline added another month to the group’s 14-month streak of year-over-year losses.
Looking ahead, the NADA expects prices to rise an additional 1% in March before falling by an average of 2.5% to 3% per month from April through June. Last March, prices increased by a similar 1.2% but fell by a less steep average of 1.7% in the second quarter. “Last year’s more subdued rate of depreciation was due, in part, to the fact that prices grew less than usual over the first quarter,” the report noted.
At a segment level, prices are expected to increase 1% to 2% in March for vans and pickups (both mid-size and large), as well as for compact and luxury utilities. Growth for the remaining segments is forecasted to be less than 1%.
“In the second quarter, luxury car and mid-size utility and luxury compact utility prices are expected to drop close to the upper end of our forecast range, while mid-size and large pickup depreciation should remain below the overall market average,” the report stated. “Downward movement for other segments is expected to slot in between the former and latter groups.”
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With spy photos and rumors about the return of the Corvette ZR1 (will there or won’t there be a hyphen in there this time?) flying across the Internet these days, let’s take a few minutes and look back at the second version of this Chevy supercar that debuted 27 model years ago.
People apparently didn’t learn from the 1978 Pace Car that had zoomed way out of control price-wise and has turned out not to be a particularly wise investment.
When the C4 Corvette ZR-1 (this time there was a hyphen; the first ZR1s didn’t have it from 1970-72) hit the scene in 1990, folks again went wild about this rare Corvette just like they did 12 years earlier with the 25th anniversary model, with some dealers asking and getting $100,000 for a car that listed for around $60,000.
For all that money, buyers could at least take comfort in the fact that they were driving one of the best cars General Motors ever built, at least according to a recent article by Hagerty’s Paul Duchene.
Indeed, the King of the Hill, as it was nicknamed in those days, produced a whopping 375 horsepower, with the 1993-95 models getting a bump to 405 horsepower. That performance, of course, came courtesy of the new LT5 Mercury Marine engine that featured four overhead camshafts, an 11-to-1 compression ratio and four valves per cylinder. The ZR-1 could go 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds and produce a 13-second quarter-mile at about 110 mph and 180 mph top speed.
The problem with the ZR-1 wasn’t the performance, though.
In addition to the fact that the ZR-1 was about double the price of the base model, the King of the Hill certainly didn’t look like royalty. While it did feature a unique look at the rear along with a wider body to accommodate the 11-inch-wide wheels with 193 mph Z-rated 17-inch tires, the car just didn’t look that distinctive compared to the regular model that produced just 245 horsepower.
Chevy exacerbated the design problem in 1992 when it handed the same rear look to the regular models, then increased the base car’s horsepower to 300, effectively making it impossible for the average person to know that you just chunked out $60,000 or more for a Corvette supercar (at a time when the base price of the regular model was in the low 30s).
Not surprisingly, by the time Chevy pulled the plug on the ZR-1 after the 1995 model, sales had dropped from a peak of 3,049 in 1990 to just 448 each of the last three years.
So here we are 22 years after the last C4 ZR-1 was built. Should you buy one?
Well, Mr. Duchene of Hagerty says maybe.
“It depends if you will drive it,” he suggests. “The 1993-95 cars were boosted to 405 bhp, and that’s an impressive figure today. The flexible engines are a blast to drive, with maximum power delivered at 5,800 rpm. The ZR-1 is competitive with European supercars of the time and the maintenance is a bargain by comparison.”
Duchene says the highest price at auction is $48,600, a figure hit by Mecum for a 1995 model on Jan. 24, 2015 at Kissimmee. Most ZR-1s go for much less, though, with the range being from $20,000 to $35,000.
That’s not a bad price for a car that will always command an air of respect among Corvette enthusiasts.
Duchene notes that low mileage trailer queens could have seal issues, but regularly exercised cars should be fine. He also says some unique parts (including the windshield) could eventually be hard to find due to limited production, so he recommends hoarding what you might need one day if you plan to hang onto the car for a long time.
He also suggests finding a good mechanic to maintain the Mercury Marine engine, though he notes that it has proven to be very durable over the past quarter-century, even pointing out that he’s seen one with 250,000 miles on the clock without a teardown.
We’ll leave you on a positive note. Duchene says prices are on the way up.
“And well they should be,” he says. “The 6,939 ZR-1s are the least-appreciated Corvette and the best value in the entire lineup.”