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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Locations – Hawaii's leading real estate firm – published its Oahu Residential Real Estate Report for August 2017. The report, which analyzes sales activity for more than 350 Oahu neighborhoods, concludes that the Oahu real estate market is continuing to show strong and steady growth, with increasing sales figures, rising prices and a competitive buyer's market in August with Days on Market remaining at near-record lows.
In August, both single-family home and condo sales hit their highest point in more than 10 years on Oahu. This is even more remarkable because the pace of sales is currently constrained by limited available inventory. The Oahu median home price hit $786,000 in August, the second-highest median price on record. The all-time high of $795,000 was reached in June 2017, just two months ago. Prices will likely continue to rise in 2017. Home prices are up all across Oahu, in almost every market area. Competitive demand is increasing in the more affordable areas in and around urban Honolulu.
"Oahu's real estate market showed continued stable growth in August, with moderate increases in median price and new listings for both single-family homes and condominiums," says Scott Higashi, President and CEO of Locations.
"With a 16 percent increase in sales year over year, condos remain popular with homebuyers for their affordability and convenience. Months of remaining inventory is down 15 percent for single-family homes to 2.8 months and 4 percent for condos to 3 months, indicating an advantage for sellers. Homes that are priced well are selling at or above asking price in only a few weeks."
Sales are increasing in 2017. In August, both single-family home sales and condo sales hit their highest point in more than 10 years. This is even more remarkable because the pace of sales is currently constrained by limited available inventory. The Oahu median home price hit $786,000 in August, second-highest median price on record and 5 percent higher than last year. The median condo sale price of $415,000 is up 3 percent over last year. Prices will continue to rise in 2017 for both single-family homes and condos due to the current competitive market environment.
Time to sell, measured by Days on Market, is dropping significantly in 2017, with both single-family homes and condos still at near-record lows in August. Low Days on Market is an indicator of both competitive real estate market conditions and strong demand. Inventory for sale has seen welcome increases in 2017. The number of active condo listings has risen above the previous year's count for the first time in almost 3 years. Low inventory constrains sales and increases competition for available properties.
Months of Remaining Inventory (MRI), also called absorption, is at record lows in 2017, the tightest supply conditions in more than 10 years. If no new properties came on the market the existing supply would sell out in less than 3 months. MRI is an indicator of the supply-demand balance. Bid-ups are the percent of sales that are bid-up over asking price in competitive bidding. Bid-ups are an indicator of demand and signal rising prices.
Single-family home prices are rising in almost every market. The above chart shows 2017 single-family home median prices for 12 months through August compared to 2016 median prices, by market area. Areas close to the urban core showing demand by price increase are Manoa, Kaimuki and Hawaii Kai.
Bid-ups are the percent of home sales that are bid-up over asking price through competitive multiple offers. Bid-ups push prices upward. In 2017, many Oahu single-family home markets have seen strong increases in bid-ups. There are strong increases in competitive demand in Manoa, Kaimuki, East Oahu and Hawaii Kai, mature neighborhoods in Honolulu.


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A joint study by the World Bank and FAO’s Investment Centre Division entitled: “The Grain Chain: Food Security and Managing Wheat Imports in Arab Countries”, has now been published. Following the agriculture commodity price shocks of 2007-08 and 2010-11, volatility in the international wheat market raised global food security concerns. Arab countries are particularly vulnerable to wheat price shocks as they are highly dependent on the global wheat market. and import nearly one third of the world’s traded wheat. As this is anticipated to surpass 40 percent over the next ten years, investing in more efficient logistics and strategic storage may improve food security.
Whereas most studies of wheat-import supply chains (WISCs) have looked at isolated parts of the process, this paper provides an overall strategic framework for Arab countries to increase supply chain efficiency and improve food security. The authors examine the WISC from the destination port to the flour mill and highlight three critical sections — strategic storage, logistics, and procurement. The report also offers strategic recommendations for Arab countries to improve efficiency and reliability of their supply chain and to reduce the cost of importing wheat. During consultations, the team additionally presented specific recommendations to each country involved in the study.
The report also focuses on the evaluation of tradeoffs, whether the choice is between allocating resources to WISC infrastructure versus other sectors; or micro-level tradeoffs of where in the WISC to invest. Julian Lampietti, Lead Economist at the World Bank Middle East and North Africa Sustainable Development Department, and co-author of the report, commented: “With high dependence on imports and scarce water resources, Arab countries face a unique set of food security challenges. This report can help policymakers assess the tradeoffs they face in developing a comprehensive food security strategy.”
For the full report, please see below.
Related links: Article in Handshake magazine and event in FAO.

domain: news


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Seoul Semiconductor Obtained Permanent Injunction against Everlight’s LED Products and Recall of Such Products from German Court
Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:046890) (“Seoul”), a leading global innovator of LED products and technology, announced that Seoul won a patent infringement lawsuit against a global distributor of Everlight LED products in Germany. The German court issued a permanent injunction against the sales of the accused Everlight products and ordered the distributor to recall such products from commercial customers.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181218005261/en/
The Patented Technology Improving Light Intensity and Brightness (Graphic: Business Wire)
In March 2017, Seoul filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Germany at the District Court of Düsseldorf against Mouser Electronic Inc, accusing the distribution of certain Everlight LED products to infringe a patent that Seoul was enforcing. After 20 months of litigation proceedings, the Court rendered judgments in favor of SSC’s infringement claims, including ordering an injunction against sales of the accused Everlight products. The Court also ordered to recall the accused Everlight products sold after July 13, 2012 from the distributor’s commercial customers. The decision issued in the first instance.
The patented technology involved in this litigation serves to efficiently extract light emitted from the internal LED structure by treating LED chip surfaces, thereby significantly improving light intensity and brightness. This patented technology has been registered in major 12 countries including the US., Europe and Asia. It has been widely used for automobile headlamps, UV lighting, horticultural lighting, outdoor lighting, and cell phone flashlights. Therefore, this court judgment would enable Seoul to exercise its patent rights in the global LED market which is worth about $5 billion.
“We do our best to encourage a fair-competition environment, in which young entrepreneurs and small entities can succeed in the business world, relying on fair competition in the market and respecting hard-earned patented technology” said Sam Ryu, Seoul’s vice president of IT Business.
About Seoul Semiconductor
Seoul Semiconductor develops and commercializes light emitting diodes (LEDs) for automotive, general illumination, specialty lighting, and backlighting markets. As the fourth-largest LED manufacturer globally, Seoul Semiconductor holds more than 12,000 patents, offers a wide range of technologies, and mass produces innovative LED products such as SunLike – delivering the world’s best light quality in a next-generation LED enabling human-centric lighting optimized for circadian rhythms; WICOP – a simpler structured package-free LED which provides market leading color uniformity and cost savings at the fixture level, providing high lumen density and design flexibility; NanoDriver Series – the world’s smallest 24W DC LED drivers; Acrich, the world's first high-voltage AC-driven LED technology developed in 2005, including all AC LED-related technologies from chip to module and circuit fabrication, as well as multi-junction technology (MJT); and nPola, a new LED product based on GaN-substrate technology that achieves more than ten times the output of conventional LEDs. UCD constitutes a high color gamut display which delivers more than 90% NTSC. To learn more, visit www.seoulsemicon.com.
Seoul Semiconductor Inc.
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Knopp Biosciences Expands Research Collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s to Characterize Effect of Dexpramipexole in Inflammatory Diseases16.1.2019 14:00 | Tiedote
Knopp Biosciences LLC, a privately held drug discovery and development company focused on delivering breakthrough treatments for inflammatory and neurological diseases with a high unmet need, today announced the expansion of its research collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to further elucidate the eosinophil-depleting mechanism of action of Knopp’s lead investigational drug, dexpramipexole. Eosinophils are white-blood cells that play a central role in several debilitating conditions, including asthma, hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), and other inflammatory diseases. Dexpramipexole has been shown to selectively reduce eosinophil levels in multiple clinical trials, including a Phase 2 study in HES and a Phase 2 trial in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Knopp is advancing dexpramipexole into Phase 2 development in severe asthma and Phase 3 development in HES. The research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is being led by Patricia C. Fu
NexPlayer Supporting Low Latency HLS & DASH Streaming on Android, iOS, Smart TVs, STBs, PCs, and Macs16.1.2019 12:52 | Tiedote
As part of their mission to provide the most advanced feature set, NexPlayer has added low latency functionality to its media players. NexPlayer allows you to enable low latency streaming with HLS and DASH on all devices, solving the latency problem and improving the OTT viewing experience. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005301/en/ Latency is a serious issue for streaming services, as live playback with HLS and DASH typically falls 30 seconds to a minute behind the live event. With linear TV only 6 seconds behind, OTT viewers find out what happens via social media or text before seeing it firsthand. Now with the support of NexPlayer, media organizations can achieve sub-6 second latency on Android, iOS, Smart TVs, STBs, PCs, and Macs. In the past, the only ways to achieve low latency were through proprietary end-to-end protocols or by foregoing ABR support. Both methods have considerable drawbacks. Propr
Temenos Revolutionises its Banking Software, with the Launch of Two New Cloud-Native, Cloud-Agnostic Products – Temenos Infinity & Temenos T24 Transact to Accelerate Cloud Adoption16.1.2019 11:43 | Tiedote
Temenos (SIX: TEMN) the banking software company, today marked a major milestone with the launch of two new products. Temenos Infinity – a breakthrough digital front office product and Temenos T24 Transact – the next generation in core banking. These new products combine the most complete banking functionality in the market, leveraging 25 years of functionality from 3,000 banks in over 150 countries with the most advanced cloud-native, cloud-agnostic, API first technology and design-led thinking. Through APIs, both products can be implemented independently or integrated. Clients will be able to roll-out new applications in hours utilising advanced continuous deployment tools and methodologies. The conversion from Temenos’ existing Digital Front Office and T24 Core Banking products are automatic and upgrades for existing clients to the new cloud-native, cloud-agnostic Temenos products are available from April 2019. All Temenos SaaS products run on the new Temenos platform. Temenos Infin
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OpenGate Capital, a global private equity firm, announced today that it has launched OGx, a newly formed digital innovation and business transformation growth capability as part of the firm’s commitment to untap the full potential of its acquired businesses. Developed during 2018, OGx represents the combined power of the firm’s operational excellence best practices with applied exponential technologies and business model innovation to yield the XPotential™ for select investments. Andrew Nikou, OpenGate Capital’s founder and CEO stated, “We are constantly looking for innovative and differentiated ways to accelerate profitable growth in the businesses we acquire. We are excited to launch OGx after successfully piloting it during 2018, recognizing that in this age of increased technology and business disruption, sustainable and scalable value creation within our holding period must go well beyond traditional operating drivers. We believe that a great deal of upside can be created from tak
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LONDON and GUANGZHOU, China, March 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GOWIN Semiconductor Corporation, the world’s fastest-growing FPGA provider, will attend Embedded World 2023 on 14th-16th of March in Nuremberg, Germany. This will be the third time GOWIN has had its own stand (Hall 3A Stand 340) at Embedded World to showcase and demonstrate our latest FPGA technology to the European market.
Embedded World, held annually in Germany, is Europe’s leading trade show for all embedded solutions and technologies. With over 1000 exhibitors it is one of the world’s largest fairs focussing exclusively on state-of-the-art embedded technologies for IoT and related market spaces.
This year GOWIN will be showcasing and demonstrating, amongst other things, our new Arora-V family of high density, high performance, and low power FPGA. Built on a highly optimized TSMC 22nm process this family will compete fiercely with similar competitive FPGA devices by offering not just the lowest power and prices but also pin-compatible footprint options that will offer customers real alternatives without changing their PCB layout.
Also on the stand will be demonstrations of our latest USB offerings which include for the first time a fully integrated FPGA based solution supporting high resolution UAC (USB Audio Class) 2.0 with integrated soft PHY and controller. Additionally, there will be various demos showcasing display and camera solutions.
Lastly, we are very pleased that, for the first time, the sales and technical team will be joined on our stand, by Jason Zhu, GOWIN CEO, who will be hosting various meetings with invited customers and partners. Let us know if you would like to spend some time with an FPGA industry visionary.
“We are immensely proud to be exhibiting again at Embedded World, and to have Jason joining us,” said Mike Furnival, Vice President of International Sales. “It speaks volumes to the progress that we have made during the past year in terms of differentiated as well as pin-compatible FPGA solutions. Whilst we continue to be the lowest cost provider of low and mid density FPGA devices, we are now in the high-density FPGA world and have emerged as one the most innovative in terms of advanced solutions in the marketplace, adding significant value to our customers and partners.”
GOWIN Semiconductor looks forward to welcoming all interested potential customers and partners to our booth in Hall 3A Stand 340.
About GOWIN Semiconductor Corporation
Founded in 2014, GOWIN Semiconductor Corp. with sales and R&D locations worldwide has the vision to accelerate customer innovation worldwide with our programmable solutions. We focus on optimizing our products and removing barriers for customers using programmable logic devices. Our commitment to technology and quality enables customers to reduce the total cost of ownership by using FPGA on their production boards. Our offerings include a broad portfolio of programmable logic devices, design software, intellectual property (IP) cores, reference designs, and development kits. We strive to serve customers in the consumer, industrial, communication, medical, and automotive markets worldwide.
For more information about GOWIN, please visit www.gowinsemi.com
Copyright 2023 GOWIN Semiconductor Corp. GOWIN, LittleBee®, GW1N/NR/NS/1NSR/1NZ®, Arora®, GW2A/AR®, GOWIN EDA and other designated brands included herein are trademarks of GOWIN Semiconductor Corp. in China and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, please email email@example.com
Media Contact: Andrew Dudaronek


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OC3D Reviews ›› Input Devices
Input Devices | 10th November 2012
Today we're taking a look at the third iteration of the Roccat Kone gaming mouse, the XTD.
Input Devices | 29th October 2012
Today we're taking a look at a high-end mechanical keyboard from Ducky Channel, the Shine 2.
OC3D Articles ›› Input Devices
Peter Stoba | 20th August 2009
Razer have decided to produce a mouse aimed at the ever increasing number of MMO players.
Peter Stoba | 9th August 2009
They say the possibilities are endless.
Gaurang Shah | 18th June 2009
Microsoft Hardware today launched a new wireless mouse that has been designed specifically for netbooks.
Input Devices | 3rd September 2012
The Sensei was our favourite mouse from last year. Today we look at the Sensei [RAW], a stripped down version.
Input Devices | 14th August 2012
Today we take a look at the Taipan from Razer, a mouse equipped with a mind-blowing sensor.
Input Devices | 13th July 2012
The latest in a long line of CM Storm peripherals is the Trigger keyboard, a mechanical number with macro support.
Input Devices | 28th March 2012
Epic Gear are willing to throw their hat into the gaming mouse ring with the innovative Meduza mouse.
Input Devices | 12th March 2012
Fancy all the benefits of a bonkers sensor but don't need all the multi-button frippery? SteelSeries might have just the ticket.
Peter Kennedy | 27th May 2009
Razer add a new a new gaming surface to their already impressive range, this time an ultrathin surface.
Peter Kennedy | 20th May 2009
Microsoft launch two new Bluetrack mice and a new Wireless keyboard.
Gaurang Shah | 16th May 2009
After showing up at various tradeshows and causing waves all around, the Asus Eee Keyboard is finally set to be out this June.
Derrick Huey | 25th March 2009
OCZ Technology Introduces Two New Gaming Mice to their Lineup of Affordable Peripherals
Derrick Huey | 10th March 2009
Sharkoon Rush FireGlider: Laser mouse with flame-décor, six programmable buttons, a weight tuning system and DPI selector switch / MSRP 25 euros
Derrick Huey | 5th March 2009
Previously simply a design concept, Asus's innovative keyboard PC will soon be on its way to market.


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Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt, along with 49 other states and the District of Columbia, announced on Friday a $575 million settlement with Wells Fargo Bank N.A. to resolve claims the bank violated state consumer protection laws.
The conduct resulting in this settlement includes opening millions of unauthorized accounts and enrolling customers into online banking services without their knowledge or consent; improperly referring customers for enrollment in third-party renters and life insurance policies; improperly charging auto loan customers for force-placed and unnecessary collateral protection insurance; failing to ensure customers received refunds of unearned premiums on certain optional auto finance products; and incorrectly charging customers for mortgage rate lock extension fees.
Under the terms of this settlement, Nevada will receive $13,363,512.80. Additionally, Wells Fargo will create a consumer redress review program within 60 days through which consumers who haven’t been made whole by other restitution programs already in place can seek review of their inquiry or complaint by a bank escalation team for possible relief. Wells Fargo will create and maintain a website for consumers to use to access the program and will provide periodic reports to the states about ongoing restitution efforts.
Wells Fargo has identified more than 3.5 million accounts where customer accounts were opened, funds were transferred, credit card applications were filed, and debit cards were issued without the customers’ knowledge or consent. The bank has also identified 528,000 online bill pay enrollments nationwide that may have resulted from improper sales practices at the bank. Additionally, Wells Fargo improperly submitted more than 6,500 renters insurance and/or simplified term life insurance policy applications and payments from customer accounts without the customers’ knowledge or consent.
The states alleged tWells Fargo imposed aggressive and unrealistic sales goals on bank employees and implemented an incentive compensation program where employees could qualify for credit by selling certain products to customers. Other allegations include the bank’s sales goals and the incentive compensation program created an impetus for employees to engage in improper sales practices in order to satisfy such sales goals and earn financial rewards; that these sales goals became increasingly harder to achieve over time; and that employees who failed to meet these goals faced potential termination.
The states also alleged that Wells Fargo improperly charged premiums, interest and fees for force-placed collateral protection insurance to more than two million auto financing customers, despite evidence the customers’ regular auto insurance policy was in effect, and despite numerous customer complaints about such unnecessary placements. Additionally, the states alleged Wells Fargo failed to ensure that customers received proper refunds of unearned portions of optional Guaranteed Asset/Auto Protection (GAP) products sold as part of motor vehicle financing agreements.
Wells Fargo has committed to or already provided restitution to consumers in excess of $600 million through its agreements with the OCC and CFPB as well as through settlement of a related consumer class-action lawsuit and will pay more than $1 billion in civil penalties to the federal government. Additionally, under an order from the Federal Reserve, the bank is required to strengthen its corporate governance and controls, and is currently restricted from exceeding its total asset size.
More information on the redress review program, including Wells Fargo escalation phone numbers and the Wells Fargo dedicated website address for the program will be available on or before February 26, 2019.


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Liquor store Cellarbrations has won the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction ‘Best of the Best’ Award for 2021 for the first time just ahead of car manufacturer Isuzu UTE. The ‘Best of the Best’ award goes to the company that achieved the highest customer satisfaction of all 37 winners in the Annual Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards.
Cellarbrations is the first liquor store to win the prestigious ‘Best of the Best’ Award and breaks the four year streak of the ‘Car Manufacturer of the Year’ category which had wins in the ‘Best of the Best’ Award for Isuzu UTE in 2018 and 2020 and Lexus in 2017 and 2019.
View a full list of all 37 of the 2021 Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Award Winners here.
The victory for Cellarbrations was built on the back of eight straight monthly victories in the Liquor Store of the Year category from March to October 2021. Cellarbrations had average customer satisfaction of an exceptional 96.6% in 2021 to beat Car Manufacturer of the Year Isuzu UTE (six monthly victories) by the barest of margins in second place on an average of 96.1%.
Other category winners to perform strongly included General Insurer of the Year RACT on 95.9%, Supermarket of the Year ALDI on 95.1% and Bank of the Year Bank First on 94.4%.
Cellarbrations and Bank First were the only two first-time winners in the Top 10 Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Award Winners in 2021 and were joined by Isuzu UTE, ALDI, Apple iPhone and Aussie Broadband who all registered consecutive top 10 results for the ‘Best of the Best’ Award.
Top 10 Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Award Winners 2021
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia). An average of 50,000 Australians per 12 month period aged 14+ interviewed in the time periods of 12 months to January 2021 through to 12 months to December 2021.
Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan says Cellarbrations has performed exceptionally well during 2021 providing an ‘essential service’ to millions of Australians during a year of extensive lockdowns – particularly in Australia’s largest cities:
The Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards highlight the winners but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Roy Morgan tracks customer satisfaction, engagement, loyalty, advocacy and NPS across a wide range of industries and brands. This data can be analysed by month for your brand and importantly your competitive set.
Need to know what is driving your customer satisfaction?
Check out the new Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Dashboard at https://www.customersatisfactionawards.com.
For comments or more information please contact:
Roy Morgan - Enquiries
Office: +61 (03) 9224 5309
Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
|Sample Size||Percentage Estimate|
|40% – 60%||25% or 75%||10% or 90%||5% or 95%|


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ENERGYAES to Sell Stake in Venezuelan Oil FirmPower producer AES said it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its 82 percent stake in Electricidad de Caracas to Venezuela's state-owned oil company for about $739 million. AES, of Arlington, said it expects to receive its share of a dividend that will provide up to $98.6 million after conversion into U.S. dollars. As a result of the sale, AES said it expects to record a pretax, non-cash charge of $550 million to $650 million in the first quarter of 2007. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's government announced on Feb. 8 that it had signed an agreement to buy the stake, clinching the nationalization of Venezuela's largest private electric company.
MEDIAWashington Post Partners With Web TV ServiceWashingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Co., said it is partnering with Internet television service Brightcove to launch ad-supported video channels on its Web sites, including washingtonpost.com. Post subsidiaries Slate.com and Newsweek.com already use Brightcove. The Post's Web site will feature Brightcove-powered videos with Post journalists, as well as documentaries and eventually user-generated videos, the company said. RETAILMexx Stores in Georgetown, Tysons to CloseLiz Claiborne plans to shut its remaining Mexx clothing stores in the United States, including those in Georgetown and Tysons Corner, to focus on better-known brands such as Lucky and Juicy Couture. Liz Claiborne, which had closed seven Mexx stores in early 2006, is to shut the four remaining U.S. locations by July. Mexx stores in Europe and Canada are to remain open. The shutdown ends a 3 1/2 -year run for Mexx, which sells casual clothes geared toward people younger than 40. Liz Claiborne brought the brand to the United States in September 2003 after buying the Dutch chain in 2001 for $300 million. MORTGAGESFannie Mae Again Misses Filing Deadline Fannie Mae of the District said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it would miss a regulatory deadline yesterday for submitting its financial report for 2006. It said that recent cost-cutting measures could trim operating expenses by $200 million this year but that expenses rose by $900 million last year, to $3.1 billion. About $850 million of the costs from last year were to pay for accounting fixes, lawsuits and regulatory compliance related to its earnings overstatement. Fannie, which is recovering from an accounting scandal, said its internal financial controls continued to be weak last year. It has not reported or forecast its results beyond June 2004. DEFENSEGeneral Dynamics' Divestment Plan ApprovedA plan by General Dynamics of Falls Church to divest its 50 percent stake in a military ammunition company, American Ordnance, was approved by the Federal Trade Commission. The sale was required before the defense contractor could buy SNC Technologies of Canada for $275 million. General Dynamics plans to sell its share of American Ordnance to Day & Zimmerman, which owns the other half of American Ordnance. EXECUTIVESLegg Mason Names Board MemberLegg Mason said former AT&T pension manager Robert E. Angelica will replace Carl Bildt on its board. Bildt stepped down as a board director in October to become Sweden's minister of foreign affairs, the Baltimore-based company said.


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Doosan Infracore opens German distribution centerDoosan Infracore, the construction machinery arm of Doosan, started operations of a new parts distribution center for engines in Halle, Germany.
The 1,000-square-meter center in Germany handles around 4,600 engine parts used in construction machines. The center will enable Doosan to quickly respond to urgent parts orders from European customers. According to the company, the new facility can cut response time from an average seven days to two days.
It is the third engine parts distribution center Doosan has set up. Its existing distribution facilities are in Korea and the United States.
By Kim Jee-hee
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Knowing what we know about the environmental impacts of cattle farming and other meat production, it’s not so far-fetched to start looking to insects as our next major source of protein. Many leaders in this space have been trying to change hearts and minds for years, moving the needle toward a greater acceptance of incorporating bugs into our diet. (Of course, the hearts and minds that need changing are primarily American ones; many countries around the world serve insects in a variety of treasured dishes, and our country’s hesitation to eat bugs is by no means the global norm.) Now, Frank’s RedHot is using the Brood X cicada swarm as the perfect excuse to join in the conversation: it has released The Cicada Cookbook, a collection of recipes that combine periodical cicadas and hot sauce to create delectable snacks, apps, and even beverages.
The digital cookbook will be available online next week at www.FranksRedHot.com and will feature 13 different recipes, which I have to believe is more than enough for even those most curious about Brood X cuisine. Here’s what Frank’s had to say about the collection in an email sent to The Takeout:
Crafted by Frank’s RedHot® with your favorite classic recipes in mind, the cookbook breaks down the best ways to prepare the insects and spice up those suckers with your Frank’s. Luckily, the main ingredient won’t be hard to find this summer.
We recently polled readers on whether they’d try eating Brood X cicadas, especially considering that experts have described them as having a sweet shrimp-like flavor. The reactions were pretty mixed; some people were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to taste them, while others said no amount of fried breading or chocolate chips could cover up the bugginess enough for their taste. I was ambivalent up until now, but a Frank’s RedHot cookbook might be what nudges me toward tasting them, because I really do put that $#!t on everything.


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The Forgettable Dungeon Kickstarter Trailer
The Forgettable Dungeon is an online co-op dungeon crawler supporting 2-16 players in a game, procedural dungeons, custom skins and more.
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In its quest to move ever closer to its customers the Panalpina Group is realigning its regional setup and appointing a Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). A fourth region consisting of the Middle East, Africa and the CIS (MEAC) will come into effect on January 1 2014. The new region will be headquartered in Dubai.
In his new role as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) on the Executive Board, Karl Weyeneth will be responsible for Sales, Marketing and Quality as well as for the company’s Operations Transformation Program.
The COO function will be dissolved meaning that the Global Heads of Air Freight, Ocean Freight and Logistics will report directly to the CEO. “Moving forward, the two dimensions of our matrix organization, the products and the regions, will be equally balanced,” explained Peter Ulber, CEO of Panalpina.


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Developers should not simply focus on trying to improve game graphics on the Xbox One and PS4, says Keiji Inafune.
Speaking to NowGamer, the industry veteran, who has worked on titles such as Dead Rising and Mega Man, said for the next generation of consoles developers should focus on creating different types of games harnessing the new features on offer with new hardware.
He identified the real challenge of next-gen as finding new ways for users to interact with games and creating new experiences.
“As a developer, I’m really excited to take on the challenge of making games for that hardware,” said Inafune.
“When PS3 was announced, when the last generation was announced, there was a lot of looking at how do we make games look nicer? How can we make games look a lot better than the previous generation? I don’t really feel that pressure right now. I don’t think that should be focus right now. It should be about finding new kinds of games with the features that the hardware offers.
“That’s the real challenge for this generation. It’s not just pushing the graphics but finding new ways to interact with games, finding new kinds of games to create for these platforms.”


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Washington: US President Donald Trump has claimed that China has lost more than 20 lakhs jobs in a very short period of time, due to his tough policies, including imposing additional import tariffs.
Chinese economy, he said, is doing "very, very" poorly."China is eating the tariffs because of monetary manipulation. And also, they're pouring a lot of money into their country because they don't want to lose jobs...
They lost over two million jobs in a short period of time," Trump told reporters at Bedminster in New Jersey on Sunday.
Trump said China wants to make a trade deal with the US. Officials of the two countries are having a series of meetings on this for the past several months. "We will see what happens. But they definitely want to make a deal," he said.
He refused to comment on reports that he has spoken to the Chinese President Xi Jinping on this. "They've had the worst year they've had in 27 years because of what I've done.
They want to come to the negotiating table. The companies are leaving. They are laying off millions of people because they don't want to pay 25 per cent (import tariff)," he said.
Trump said that the Chinese want to come to the table for talks on a trade deal.
"I don't think there's another reason other than President Xi, I'm sure, likes me very much. But they're losing millions and millions of jobs in China. We are not paying for the tariffs; China is paying for the tariffs, for the one-hundredth time," he said.
By Lalit K Jha


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A mostly vacant shopping center in North Dallas is finally getting some love.
The Hillcrest Village retail center has been purchased by 2GR Equity and Shop Cos. and will be completely renovated in the next 12-24 months, reported the Dallas Morning News.
The redevelopment will include revamped building exteriors, new lighting, signs and landscaping. Also, one of the six retail buildings on the property will be torn down and replaced with a 1.5-acre park.
"We believe this asset is long overdue for redevelopment given its access, location and visibility," 2GR Equity principal David Gregory said in a statement to the Dallas Morning News.
"When you add the element of a brand new city park in the middle of the retail center, along with up to $3 million of conditional grants from the City of Dallas, 2GR believed this investment opportunity had a lot of merit."Click here
to read more.


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After a year that saw considerable attention to the rising cost of groceries as Canadians faced a cost-of-living crisis, Canada’s Food Price Report predicts food prices will continue to increase in 2024 – but by less than last year.
The annual forecast, prepared by the University of Guelph, Dalhousie University, University of British Columbia and the University of Saskatchewan, predicts food prices will rise by 2.5-4.5 per cent – an increase of up to $701.79 for a family of four.
This is less than the increase of 5-7 per cent that was predicted for 2023, but still challenging for many families whose budgets have been stretched by rising costs of housing, utilities and debt.
One of the most striking findings of the report was that Canadians spent less on food in 2023, despite rising prices. This suggests that Canadians may be reducing either the quality or the amount of food that they are buying, perhaps as a result of other rising costs.
“Last year was a challenging year for consumers, with rising food prices and increasing levels of food insecurity impacted by climate change, geopolitics, and other factors,” said Dr. Evan Fraser, Director of Arrell Food Institute and University of Guelph Lead on the Food Price Report.
“The Food Price Report predicts we will see further increases to food prices, though thankfully not at the same level as last year. Nevertheless, this may put additional strain on consumers and exacerbate levels of food insecurity.”
Why are food prices rising?
Canadians may wonder what is behind the steep rise in food costs, with some suggesting that price gouging, profiteering or carbon taxes may play a role. The Food Price Report found little evidence for these explanations. Although grocery profits did rise since the pandemic began, this was largely due to inflation; indeed, most price markups occurred in 2020, but were negative or zero in 2022.
The impact of carbon taxes, meanwhile, are complex and difficult to determine. “It would be misleading to assert that carbon pricing has a direct and straightforward impact on retail food prices, and it would be equally misleading to claim otherwise,” says the report.
Meanwhile, climate change and geopolitics are expected to contribute to food price fluctuations, and the rising cost of food, high interest rates and other increasing costs are expected to put additional strain on Canadians’ wallets.
Predictions for 2023 were largely accurate
Predictions from 2023 saw food prices within the expected range, except for bakery items, which cost more than expected, and dairy, which cost less. Amongst G7 countries, Canada had the third lowest food inflation rate.
However, Canadians are spending less than expected on food – in 2023, Canadians reduced the amount they spent on food and beverage retail by 3.26%. This resulted in lower-than-expected food expenditures overall in 2023.
University of Guelph expertise improving predictions
Expertise from the U of G’s Machine Learning Research Group and the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence is crucial to ensure the accuracy of predictions in the report. Dr. Graham Taylor and colleagues Kristina Kupferschmidt, Dr. Ethan Jackson, Sara El-Shawa and Cody Kupferschmidt, using state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, are working to improve the analytic models that are the backbone of the Food Price Report.
This year saw the team taking the lead on a new approach. With the advice of subject matter experts, they identified a series of factors that could impact food prices – including information on climate, economics, and geopolitics.
“Last year saw the return of El Niño, which can have major impacts on precipitation and temperatures in North America,” said Cody Kupferschmidt. “By including climatic factors such as El Niño, drought, and water availability in our model, we were able improve predictions for several categories including fruit and vegetables.” Including these factors in the model helped the team to understand how these factors impact food prices and more accurately predict prices in the 2024 Food Price Report.
Other new strategies involved the use of transformer-based machine learning models – similar to the underlying technology used by Chat GPT – to improve predictions, and using ensembles, or the combination of multiple models rather than one model, to ensure accuracy. This innovative approach improved the accuracy of predictions for various categories of food.
Kristina Kupferschmidt emphasized the significance of this approach in improving predictions. “Transformers are an amazing technology, but in order for them to perform well, they require large amounts of high-quality data. We found that by incorporating data from the key factors suggested by food economists, we were able to leverage these sophisticated models for more accurate forecasts.”
Support for this year’s report comes from Arrell Food Institute at U of G, the Vector Institute and Dalhousie’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab. Other U of G authors and advisors involved in the report were Dr. Maria Corradini, Dr. Jess Haines, and Paul Uys.


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Just like with the X5, changes will be minimal – precisely why this prototype is mostly uncovered. The biggest changes will be made up front, where we expect to see the same bumper design that we saw on the recently spotted facelifted X5. The headlights will also get a new design, and while many were hoping they will be inspired by the recently launched XM Concept, they will in fact just be a little bit slimmer than the current ones.
At the rear, there is nothing new on this prototype. But, the facelift BMW X6 is expected to be revealed sometime in 2023 as a 2024 model, so there is time for a lot to change.
We also have a picture of the interior, and, like all the recently launched models, the facelift X6 will also benefit from BMW’s latest iDrive 8 infotainment system.
We do not expect any major updates under the hood; so, the X6 will continue to be offered with the same engine lineup. In the States customers will still get the usual 40i model with a turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six engine rated at 335 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque and the M50i powered by twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 rated at 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque.


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Trade Department limiting pork exports
The Commerce Ministry's Internal Trade Department looks set to limit pork exports after retail pork prices surged to 170-180 baht per kilogramme, the highest in 10 years, driven by rising domestic demand as well as exports, notably to neighbouring countries and China.
According to a source from the Commerce Ministry who requested anonymity, the ministry has received a raft of complaints from the public about the continuous rise of pork prices in many areas.
The department earlier this year reached agreement with a group of swine raisers that pork exports would be restricted to prevent any impact on domestic prices if the ex-farm pork prices exceed 80 baht per kg.
Ex-farm pork prices are quoted at 86-87 baht per kg, a rise from 75 baht per kg earlier in the year, with retail pork prices rising to 170-180 baht per kg from 150-160 baht.
The source said ex-farm pork prices could increase to 90 baht per kg as demand both in domestic and export markets remains robust.
"The sharp rise in pork prices stems partly from higher domestic demand, rising economic activities and schools reopening," the source said.
"Supply also significantly decreased because of drought, which not only affects the growth rate of pigs but also endangers their lives."
In addition, widespread swine virus in China, Laos and Vietnam created strong demand for imported pork.
Thailand has shipped 6,000-8,000 pigs per day to the three countries.
Overall, Thailand can produce about 22 million live pigs a year.
Thailand exported 400,000-500,000 pigs last year.
Wattanasak Sur-iam, deputy director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said to ensure domestic adequate supply the department looks set to apply export limit measures as earlier agreed with the group of swine raisers.
Authorities will also seek cooperation with retailers to cap retail pork prices while the department pledges to work together with department stores and Blue Flag low-priced shops nationwide to offer affordable pork prices to consumers.


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Exciting news for investors interested in the booming cannabidiol (CBD) industry! Dragonfly Biosciences, a prominent CBD producer and distributor, is preparing for its upcoming listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). While the official listing date is yet to be announced, investors can expect an opportunity to be part of this rapidly growing sector.
Dragonfly Biosciences is dedicated to the production and distribution of cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating compound derived from the cannabis plant known for its potential therapeutic properties. With a focus on quality and innovation, Dragonfly Biosciences aims to provide high-quality CBD products to meet the growing demand in the market.
The issue price for Dragonfly Biosciences’ ordinary fully paid shares is set at AUD 0.20, and the security code assigned to the company is DRF. Through this initial public offering (IPO), Dragonfly Biosciences plans to raise $5,000,000 in capital. This presents an opportunity for investors to participate in the growth and expansion of the CBD industry.
The joint lead managers for Dragonfly Biosciences’ IPO are Finexia Securities Limited and Lazarus Corporate Finance Pty Ltd. These esteemed firms will play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth and successful listing process.
Dragonfly Biosciences’ specific GICS industry group is yet to be confirmed, reflecting the evolving nature of the CBD industry and its integration into the financial markets.
For more information about Dragonfly Biosciences and its upcoming listing, interested parties can visit the company’s website at https://dragonflybiosciences.com/ or contact Dragonfly Biosciences directly at 1300 886 103.
As the listing date approaches, it is important for investors to stay updated on any further announcements regarding Dragonfly Biosciences’ IPO. IPO Society will continue to provide the latest updates on this and other upcoming ASX listings, ensuring investors have access to the most current information.
Please note that the details provided are based on the available information, and it is advised to refer to the official offering documents and consult with financial advisors before making any investment decisions in the emerging CBD sector.


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Blog: Cal, of those California commercials, passes
Graeme Roberts | 10 September 2013
Few Californians will not have heard of Cal Worthington, the car dealer known for his mad TV ads.
He achieved quite a lot of fame. After such success, and a bit of failure along the way, it's interesting to learn he wasn't all that keen on selling cars. Always wanted to be a pilot.
Sectors: Retailing, marketing & distribution
BMW has launched its ActiveHybrid 7 sedan in India for INR13.5m (US$224,952), reported Press Trust of India....
Mercedes-Benz has opened its new Shanghai Training Centre, the brand's largest passenger car training site globally....
Mercedes-Benz has wasted no time in basking in Germany's reflected glory of winning the World Cup on Sunday night and becoming the first side since reunification to lift the golden trophy....
We can forget just how amazing some of the technology in the latest production cars is. This video from HMA is a terrific reminder....
New BMW Group UK managing director Graeme Grieve is a former sales director of the British unit and starts on 1 October 2014....
TMC continues to promote Japan's Ha-Mo car sharing scheme via its own i-Road commuter model. The latest promotional video is worth a look....
- Audi TDI tech is 25 years of age
- Swallowing Fiat-Chrysler 'would be bad for VW'
- VEHICLE ANALYSIS: BMW X4
- Global light vehicle market developments
- VEHICLE ANALYSIS: Driving the Swedish nanny state
- Sir Nick Scheele dies
- Volvo claims two safety firsts for XC90
- Rule change hits 'free charger' offers for EVs
- Ford changes R&D chief
- Nissan learns from India mistakes


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Following Tesla’s lead, EV startup Rivian, which turned heads at the LA Auto Show with its prototype electric pickup and SUV, doesn’t plan to use traditional dealerships to sell its vehicles in most areas.
Buyers will order Rivians directly from the company – it’s already accepting pre-orders, secured by refundable $1,000 deposits. Unlike Tesla, however, Rivian does plan to use dealerships for service and support. Rivian founder and CEO R.J. Scaringe says these service centers could be located at other brands’ dealerships or at independent repair shops. He adds that Rivian has already seen a lot of interest from dealers.
The company also plans to set up its own “brand experience centers” where customers can test drive and order cars. Unlike Tesla’s facilities (don’t call them “stores”), Rivian’s establishments won’t be in malls, but neither will they follow the traditional dealership form factor of a showroom surrounded by acres of parking lots.
In states where direct sales by automakers are still illegal, such as Michigan and Texas, Rivian may partner with existing dealerships, Scaringe said.
Scaringe pointed out that the internet has empowered consumers with more information about vehicles, has practically put an end to the traditional haggling sales model, and has cut into dealerships’ margins on sales.
“Existing dealers are all recognizing that there are changes happening to their business,” Scaringe told Motor Authority. “There are aspects of what the dealers do that don’t get talked about enough,” namely service and support.


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By Zara Salman
In December of 2013, Pakistan acquired the GSP plus status from the European Union, granting member states duty-free access to 96 percent of Pakistani exports to the EU. Pakistan was the second country in all of South and Southeast Asia to receive the trade advantage, giving it a 10 to 14 percent duty advantage over major regional competitors including China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Between 2013 and 2015, Pakistan’s most important export industry – garments – increased exports by 10 percent. But Bangladesh and India increased their garments exports in the same period by 13 percent and 17 percent, respectively. This shows that Pakistan has not yet fully exploited the benefits of the GSP plus status.
The garments sector has the potential to drive Pakistan’s export-led growth due to high value addition of exported products, high labor intensity, and low energy requirement. In 2015, garments accounted for over 20 percent of total exports. Once GSP plus status was obtained, the garments sector was expected to grow considerably from increased exports and other associated economic benefits. But has that really happened? What needs to be done to fully exploit the potential benefit of the GSP plus status?
A recent study by the International Growth Centre provides evidence to answer these questions.
Impact of GSP plus in numbers
The most recent data confirms that the GSP plus status has positively impacted Pakistan’s garments exports to the EU compared to its exports to the rest of the world (Figure 1). In the first two years of GSP plus, garments exports to the EU grew much faster (at 11 percent per year) than garments exports to the rest of the world (1.5 percent per year).. Between 2013 and 2015, the EU’s share in Pakistan’s total garment exports has also increased from 50 to 54 percent. However, the benefits are probably less than initially projected.
Figure 1: Pakistan’s Garments Exports (2013-2015)
Source: UN Comtrade
Analyzing specific garment categories, exports of knitwear to the EU expanded faster (at 6 percent per year) than of woven (at 5 percent per year) after GSP plus status.  Yet, this pace of growth is only visible for the EU, as knitwear exports to the rest of the world grew slower than woven garments exports (6 percent per year versus 7.5 percent per year, respectively).
Figure 2: Pakistan Garments Exports by Categories
Source: UN Comtrade
What is holding back gains from GSP plus?
Despite some evident growth in garments exports, the private sector does not seem too optimistic about realizing the full potential of GSP plus and has vocally expressed frustration at the challenges that remain.
Their biggest concern is the continued energy shortfall. In the last few years the industry has operated below 70 percent of full capacity due to this deficit. Production costs have also increased as firms employ alternate measures to ensure regular energy supplies. The energy crisis is expected to lessen in the coming years as investments on energy projects planned under CPEC materialize. But in the interim, industry continues to struggle with meeting production targets.
Pakistan’s adverse business climate hinders investments in export manufacturing particularly by new EU-based clients. International buyers prefer suppliers from less risky countries, especially where physical engagement with firms is possible. Maplecroft, an international agency that ranks countries according to their investment climate, places Pakistan in the high-risk category. Pakistan fares much worse than Bangladesh on most categories (Table 1). Without a coherent strategy to improve the business environment, the gains of GSP plus will not be fully availed.
Table 1: Risk Rating for Pakistan and Bangladesh
|Adjusted Country Risk Score||8.26||7.88|
|Overall Risk Rating||Extreme||Extreme|
Note: The agency analyzes countries at different risk levels on a scale of 1 to 10 (1= Best and 10= Worst).
An important challenge faced by the industry is the tax regime and custom clearance procedures. The industry is subjected to a higher duty on raw materials compared to other countries, which makes the final product more expensive. Due to cumbersome customs procedures and high duties on the import of artificial fibers and PTA (a raw material for the manufacture of polyester), the garments industry has been unable to move from the existing cotton concentrated 80:20 mix to the globally demanded 50:50 mix in its exports.
On the bright side, GSP plus status has allowed the garments industry to maintain its export shares – even improve them slightly – despite the many challenges. The new incentive package for exporters, announced by the Prime Minister in January 2017, may ease some of the tax constraints.  There is also some progress towards solving the energy crisis and lowering the tax burden.
But the desired benefit of the GSP plus status – substantially higher exports – will be realized only when the energy, tax and customs challenges are addressed comprehensively. Improving Pakistan’s business environment will also be key to attracting foreign clients including Chinese investors, given that the Chinese garment industry is relocating to lower-cost developing countries and Pakistan offers the additional advantage of easy access to European markets.
Zara Salman is a senior research associate at the Consortium for Development Policy Research.
 World Trade Organization
 Nabi, I & Hamid, N. (2016). Implementing Policies for Competitive Garments Manufacturing.
 Knitwear held a greater share of total world exports (at 53 percent) compared to share of EU exports (39 percent) back in 2013
 Includes labour and safety laws and human rights.
 Includes power, roads, climate change and disaster management
 The government, in response to the demands of the spinning industry, has imposed a duty on imported cotton yarn ranging from 5 to 15 percent, which makes products more expensive than that of competitors. Furthermore, taxes paid by exporters on local raw materials are eligible for refund but significant delays and costs are involved in the refund process. Although zero-rated tax regime has been introduced, billions of rupees pending with the FBR for earlier cases remain to be refunded.
 Firms face the problem of having to first pay import duties on small items such as tags, zips and other trimmings used in manufacturing of garments and then getting their refund, which is a hassle for them. Moreover, a 24/7 custom clearance facility is officially available, but staff is commonly absent and collectors are available only five days a week, which delays shipments and may lead to loss of clients.
 The package includes removal of both customs duty and sales tax on the import of cotton, of customs duty on man-made fibres other than polyester and of sales tax on the import of textile machine. In addition, garments exports will be eligible for duty drawbacks at 7 percent. However, exporters will get these incentives only if they increase exports by 5 percent from January to June 2017 and then by a further 10 percent during FY 2017-18.
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Infographic: The cost of Halloween
Will Halloween spending cost you an arm and a leg?
By Kristin McGrath and Juan Rodriguez
Between August (when Halloween paraphernalia first started haunting the stores) to the stroke of midnight on Oct. 31, Americans will have spent $6.9 billion on Halloween fun, according to the National Retail Federation.
What they buy will ring up to an average of about $107 per Halloween shopper. CreditCards.com broke down that frightful number into the most monstrous spending categories, based on data from various trade groups that keep tabs on the retail, costume, candy, haunted house and greeting card industries. We also scared up some fun facts about the holiday traditions and treats that will cost Americans an arm and a leg -- and perhaps various other body parts.
To use the graphic on your site, use the following code:
Published: October 23, 2013
- Mobile banking becoming a consumer favorite – As banking by cellphone takes off, branches are falling out of favor as American consumers' favorite way to do their financial business ...
- Study: 8 in 10 Americans saddled with some form of debt – Findings of a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts suggest younger generations are growing more wary of borrowing ...
- Credit card delinquencies improve despite economic chill – U.S. consumers improved their on-time payment performance on credit card bills during the first quarter, despite shrinkage in the economy ...


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The Competition Commission has unconditionally approved the sale of five shopping malls in South Africa, carrying a total transaction value of R3.9 billion.
The commission approved the proposed transaction of the malls by Hangar 18, which intends to acquire five retail property letting enterprises from Rebosis Property Fund Limited.
Baywest Mall is of particular interest as it is a more recent build and is the largest shopping mall in the Eastern Cape at 87,000 square metres. Baywest was acquired for R1.25 billion in the deal.
The 74,000 square metre Hemingways Mall was acquired for a slightly higher price at R1.265 billion.
The other malls included in the sale are Sunnypark Shopping Centre in Pretoria, Forest Hill City in Centurion and Bloed Street Mall also in Pretoria.
The malls and their sales prices are as follows:
- Hemingways Mall, 74,000sqm: R1 265 million
- Baywest Mall, 87,000 sqm: R1 250 million
- Sunnypark Mall, 27,500 sqm: R530 million
- Forest Hill City, 75,000 sqm: R500 million
- Bloedstreet Mall, 25,700 sqm: R350 million
Rebosis, a JSE-listed Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), entered into business rescue in August 2022, following years of deterioration in financial performance.
The group was established by the Billion Group in 2010 and became the first black-managed and substantially black-owned property fund to be listed on the JSE.
While the company owned a number of high-value income-generating properties – including several large malls – the group came under increasing financial pressure in recent periods, which resulted in the group’s financial position deteriorating significantly.
Some notable pressures included the rising interest rate cycle on servicing debt costs as well as an inability to recover increased municipal costs from sovereign tenants.
To address the group’s ballooning debt, the group’s business rescue practitioners (BRPs) embarked on a sale of around 41 properties, which include a mix of commercial properties and retail centres.
Hangar 18 is a special-purpose vehicle that is not controlled by any firms, the commission noted.
“The commission found that the proposed transaction is unlikely to result in substantial prevention or lessening of competition in any relevant markets. The commission further found that the proposed transaction does not raise substantial public interest concerns,” it said.


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Webinar on ‘Protecting your Brand on E-Commerce Platforms – Battling the Odds Amid COVID-19 Pandemic’
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the dangers posed by illicit trade. It calls for greater focus on addressing the growing hazards of counterfeiting and smuggling which are severely impacting the economy and endangering lives of consumers. With the current unpredictable situation, along with the commercial predicament, the need for protecting consumers and brand identities have become more important than ever before.
In the present scenario, with the physical brand protection efforts of industry, enforcement officials and government authorities minimized, winning back control of the online space, which could be hijacked by counterfeiters, has become increasingly important. With a view to deliberate on this issue, FICCI CASCADE organized a Webinar on ‘Protecting your Brand on E-Commerce Platforms: Battling the Odds Amid COVID-19 Pandemic’ on April 24, 2020.
The webinar had representatives from Amazon and over 70 industry delegates from India and across the globe participating in the deliberations. The focus was on discussing anti-counterfeiting strategies that would not only protect brands and consumers, but also deter illicit operators taking advantage of the pandemic.
Mr. Arun Chawla, Deputy Secretary General, FICCI, while welcoming the participants said that “E-commerce in India has seen a phenomenal growth over the years. From USD 39 billion in 2017, it is projected to rise to USD 200 billion by 2026. While the e-commerce services will grow, this growth will come with a set of challenges. The coronavirus epidemic has presented fresh challenges for the Indian economy, causing severe disruptive impact on both demand and supply side elements. Given the spike in consumer demand and the corresponding shortage of supplies from legitimate sources, it is imperative that businesses take steps to protect consumers from the proliferation of scammers and infringers that seek to take advantage of the crisis”.
Mr. P C Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, in his address, highlighted that “while the sale of counterfeit and smuggled goods in the physical world is rampant and causing enough grief to industry, consumers and government, the size of illicit trade is estimated to be 3.3% of the global trade. The online counterfeiting ecosystem offers distinctive challenges that require a unique online approach”. Mr. Jha also indicated that criminals were seizing on the opportunity by taking advantage of the high demand for products and it was imperative that enforcement authorities were taking preventive initiatives.
The webinar was also addressed by Mr. Amaresh Kumar, Additional Commissioner, GST Policy, who stated that “the measures like the waiver of penalty, late fee and interest on GST will help the industry to tide through this tough phase”. He also invited suggestions from industry members on issues relating to GST and areas that required policy interventions.
Ms. Kaleigh Miller, Global Brand Relations Lead, Amazon, gave an overview of Amazon’s brand protection efforts globally. She informed that over 2.5 million bad-actor accounts have been stopped before they published a single listing on the site, highlighting the many measures taken by Amazon to detect the potential infringements and related remedial actions. She also highlighted Amazon’s sophisticated real time tools, like productive analytics, adaptive machine learning and technology that help review data sources and identify signals, identify inauthentic goods and take immediate action.
An overview of Amazon’s brand protection tools and efforts in India was given by Mr. Sumit Kapoor, Global Brand Relations Manager, Amazon, focusing on their brand registry program which provides powerful search and report tools. “It simplifies cases of potential infringement and provides a simple and guided workflow of submitting a report of infringement. It also helps to build the brand and business with promotional tools and customer analytics”, said Mr. Kapoor.
The concern today was that trade in illicit products, aided by the Covid-19 crisis, was enriching criminal groups and endangering health, while also draining away vital industry and tax revenues. The webinar saw participation of leading industries such as ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Britannia, Puma, Johnsons & Johnsons, Dabur, Beiersdorf, Mars, HP, Pernod Richard, Diageo, Underwriters Laboratories, among others including leading law firms. Some key concerns flagged by the representatives from these major players were:
• Need for a mechanism to monitor parallel imports which are not meant for sale in India.
• Tools to monitor counterfeit products sold with non-refundable caveats and consumers from being duped due to low pricing point and higher discounts.
• Availability of automated brand protection tools to remove duplicates/fakes.
• Mechanism to ensure that required regulations are met before sellers put products on the portal.
• Time taken between listing of a merchant and identification of bad actors.
Most participants agreed that brands were struggling in the diminishing market, with cheap counterfeits creating new listings on online marketplaces. They conclusively agreed on the need for a technology-enabled system to help counter illicit operations, besides an effective and strengthened deterrence actions against perpetrators of such criminal activities.
webinar on Combating Counterfeit and Smuggled and Pirated goods- During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond ,Kerala
27/10/2020 | Kerala Be Vocal for Local and Prevent Illicit Trade Illicit...


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Good news for Android and Windows Phone users!
StarHub Mobile post-paid customers can now charge their Google Play and Windows Phone Store purchases, including apps, in-app purchases, books and games, directly to their monthly bill with ease.
This is in line with StarHub’s push to offer customers the best seamless-mobility experience on all fronts, from paying for digital content easily and securely with their phone, to enjoying consistent mobile surfing experience across Singapore.
Upon making their selection, customers are given the option to pay for their purchases using their StarHub Mobile account. Customers can visit www.starhub.com/direct-carrier-billing for further details on how to activate and use StarHub’s Direct Carrier Billing service.


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Main contractors must ensure they better understand their exposure to their supply chain from the very day workers arrive on site, according to Crossrail’s programme supply chain manager.
John Mead was speaking at CN’s Forecasting for Construction event today.
He shared the stage with Balfour Beatty construction chief Mike Peasland, Bam Nuttall CEO Steve Fox and PwC engineering and construction leader Jonathan Hook.
Mr Mead said Crossrail has spent £5 billion on contracts so far, yet “not much of that” has reached the supply chain. He expects money to “cascade down” over the next few years.
“[Working with people you don’t know] is the surest way to hurt your business”
Steve Fox, CEO Bam Nuttall
He said Crossrail knows its exposure to its tier one contractors, but questioned whether the same could be said for main contractors.
“I don’t think it’s always understood at tier one,” he warned, adding that “a failure there [down the chain] could obviously derail the programme”.
Mr Mead said this is a particular concern outside of the multi-billion-pound joint venture partnerships on the contracts.
“You can go down one level in the supply chain and you can very quickly go to a very small organisation that does not have that comfort of a finance director,” he said.
He also said main contractors are holding onto cash and extending their payment periods.
“But down the supply chain the payment periods are staying the same; that’s not going to help,” he said.
“I think there’s this dichotomy and we are trying to address it with the use of project bank accounts [PBAs].”
Mr Hook echoed the concerns over supply chain risk, saying 2013 is likely to see many more failures.
But he described PBAs as a “double-edged sword”, meaning main contractors will have to look both at how they manage their cash, and at whether they can hold onto it in the way they do at present.
He warned that main contractors may have to work that financial impact into their bids.
Mr Hook added that main contractors and clients will also need to become more interventionist to ensure they are protecting themselves.
Mr Peasland warned the audience against basing their business plans on government policy, which he said “changes at a whim”.
But he said companies need to see where they can transfer skills to different markets, while not moving too far away from their core business.
Mr Fox also said companies need to avoid a “scatter-gun approach” to work, and focus on the right markets for their businesses.
He said relationships are central, adding that working with and for people you do not know is the “surest way to hurt your business”.
Mr Fox also warned that there has been a “huge return” to pay-led bidding, rather than quality.


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Germany grew by 1.5 percent in 2018 as Europe's largest economy struggled with global economic cooldown, trade disputes between the United States and China and political uncertainty surrounding Brexit. The preliminary estimate from the Federal Statistics Office showed growth had slowed from 2.5 percent in the previous year. Berlin had left global investors on edge after it was announced the German economy had contracted in the third quarter. This was followed by a string of weak data, pointing to slower growth in Berlin and sparking fears the German economy could be plunging toward recession territory, defined as two or more consecutive quarters of negative growth.
An official estimate of fourth quarter growth will be released in February, but the preliminary data today suggests the economy was likely to have grown in the final months of 2018.
Imports grew at a faster pace than exports, meaning that net trade had a slight downward effect on overall German gross domestic product (GDP) growth, the office said.
Storm clouds first began circling the German economy after figures released last year revealed the economy had shrunk by 0.2 percent in the third quarter, marking its first contraction since 2015.
In other gloomy data released, latest numbers showed industrial output dropped 1.9 percent on the month in November.
Germany news: Growth has slumped to the weakest rate in five years
Growth somewhat slowed in the past months as it did in many other countries
This was lower than the 0.3 percent increase that had been forecast.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector in Germany also nodded to companies shifting down a gear with new orders falling at the fastest rate in four years.
Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for manufacturing, which accounts for about a fifth of the economy, tumbled to a 33-month low of 51.5 in December, down from 51.8 in November.
The German government recently downgraded their growth forecast for 2018 as the slowdown in growth was acknowledged by Economy Minister Peter Altmaier.
Mr Altmaier predicted economic expansion of around 1.5 to 1.6 percent, below his previous forecast of 1.8 percent.
He told members of Germany’s foreign press association in December: “Growth somewhat slowed in the past months as it did in many other countries.
“For the year as a whole, we’ll have growth of around 1.5 percent to 1.6 percent.”
A weaker car sector has also been partly to blame for the slowdown in the overall German economy.
A slump in car production was noted as having dragged down levels of exports, caused by new pollution tests that were introduced back in September.
The new WLTP emissions testing regime was brought into effect after the Volkswagen ‘dieselgate’ scandal, which saw millions of diesel motors fitted with "defeat devices" which could identify when they were being emissions tested.
It is believed the slump in the German auto sector was down to some car models not having timely approval for a new registration, forcing manufacturers to throttle production.


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- Starbucks is “one of the best, if not the best, first job in America,” former CEO Howard Schultz said.
- Schultz made the comment in testimony before Congress Wednesday.
- Senators and employees at the hearing challenged Schultz on Starbucks’ anti-union tactics.
You can’t do better than Starbucks for a first job, the chain’s former CEO told Congress on Wednesday.
Senators asked Schultz about the chain’s treatment of unionizing employees in light of a recent court ruling that found Starbucks had illegally monitored and fired employees in New York state and complaints from employees that the company had tried to keep them from organizing.
Through about two hours of questioning, Schultz was steadfast in his claims that Starbucks has never broken the law in its handling of an ongoing labor movement at the company. He argued that the company’s stores might be the best option for first-time job seekers.
“We put our people. First, we make decisions based on our people, and we have the track record to prove it,” Schultz said. “Starbucks is probably one of the best, if not the best, first job in America.”
Schultz’s testimony largely revolved around the successes of Starbucks. He brought up stories of employees — who the company calls “partners” — that have worked toward better lives using benefits afforded to them by Starbucks.
“As I said in my opening statement, 65% of baristas are now managers,” Schultz said. He added that he had just met a worker who has been employed at Starbucks for 22 years, attributing the employee’s ability to gain US citizenship and buy a house to Starbucks.
Schultz also pointed to Starbucks’ average hourly pay of $17.50 is “higher than the minimum wage in every state in America.”
Schultz said that unions are a useful tool in America for workers who are exploited by their employers. Starbucks, he said, is a company that treats its employees fairly, offering them health benefits and stock options.
“It’s unprecedented, and that’s why Starbucks doesn’t need a union,” Schultz said.
Schultz testified at the capitol after Sen. Bernie Sanders threatened to subpoena him earlier this month.
“Under your leadership, Starbucks has repeatedly refused to bargain with any of the 7,000 workers in nearly 300 stores where workers have voted to represent themselves through union,” Sanders said. “The first group of workers to win their election have been waiting more than 460 days to reach a first contract.”
Schultz maintained the company has always negotiated in good faith with the union, adding that Starbucks is prioritizing face-to-face negotiations in union discussions.
But Wednesday’s hearing showed that some current and former Starbucks employees don’t agree with that assessment.
Jaysin Saxton, a former Starbucks barista who lost his job in August at a Starbucks in Augusta, Georgia, also spoke at the hearing.
A complaint from the National Labor Relations Board filed late last year claims Saxton’s firing was a direct result of his union activity. Other employees at the store where Saxton worked were also fired, he told the committee.
“Union busting ramped up even more after we won our election,” Saxton said. “We were constantly being watched, and managers listened into our conversations on our headsets.”
Maggie Carter, who started at a Starbucks in Jackson, Tennessee, in May 2019, told the committee that she took a job at the company partly because she believed it would offer benefits and flexible scheduling while she studied and parented her young son.
“As a lesbian, I was also drawn to Starbucks by its reputation as a progressive employer,” Carter said.
Her opinion of the company later changed after she and her colleagues decided to unionize, she said.
“Partners suddenly started getting disciplined for minor dress code violations or being five or so minutes late,” Carter said. “Every day, it felt as if there was a concerted effort to build a case against partners who showed even the smallest bit of support for the union,” she said.
Turnover among Starbucks baristas has risen during the pandemic. One-quarter of them leave their jobs within three months, the Wall Street Journal reported last year, citing company data. That figure was 10% before the pandemic.


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PPB Group Bhd expects earnings for the financial year ending December 2005 to be eroded by high raw material costs and ocean freight rates, chairman Datuk Oh Siew Nam said.
“The year 2004 was very good for us. We had our strongest performance to date. The board is conservative that profit this year may be lower than in 2004 due to high raw material costs and ocean freight rates,” Oh said during a press briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to announce last year’s financial results.
For the period under review, PPB also declared a 20% increase in gross dividend to 30 sen per share, comprising 7.5 sen tax exempt and 22.5 sen less tax, he said.
Corporate affairs senior manager Koh Mei Lee said the company's yearly dividend had been on the uptrend over the last five years, except for 2002, when it declared a special dividend in addition to the annual dividend.
She said palm product prices were expected to remain volatile, but higher crop production should mitigate some of the negative effects of lower prices.
PPB's pre-tax profit rose 3.7% to RM733.51mil on the back of some RM11bil in sales for 2004, due to better contributions from oil palm plantations, edible oils refining and shipping operations, as well as investment activities, she added.
The key contributor to the increase was the strong financial performance of its plantation unit, PPB Oil Palms Bhd, which benefited from further improvement in palm product prices and higher crop production, she added.
Koh said crude palm oil (CPO) prices were on the uptrend in 2004, resulting in PPB Oil achieving an average realised price of RM1,610 per tonne. Production of fresh food bunches rose 10% to 1.27 million tonnes, while CPO production increased by 17% to 338,409 tonnes.
For 2004, profit performance from edible oils refining and trading improved significantly on better margins due to higher selling prices.
The group’s refineries processed 3.2 million tonnes of refined edible oils, an increase of 11% over the previous year on higher CPO production throughout the year thanks to favourable weather conditions, she added.
She said PPB Leisure Holdings Sdn Bhd, the film exhibition and distributing unit, achieved an 18.8% increase in revenue to RM104.3mil driven by higher admissions and the opening of Golden Screen Cinema’s 12-screen cineplex at Gurney Plaza in Penang in January last year.
Admissions rose to 11.2 million from 9.6 million due to more screenings of films locally simultaneous with their release in the United States and increased releases of local Malay and Asean movies, she added.
Property arm PPB Hartabina Sdn Bhd maintained its profit performance despite lower unit sales of the Phase Two Bukit Segar residential project in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
The environmental engineering, waste management and utilities division also improved its revenue by 32% to RM140.5mil.
The sugar, grains trading, flour and feed operations faced trimmed profit margins on higher raw material prices and freight rates. – By YEOW POOI LING


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By Robert Preidt
THURSDAY, Jan. 11, 2018 (HealthDay Information) — Whereas your canine or cat would possibly love the style of uncooked meat, a gentle food regimen of it is perhaps a foul thought, a brand new research warns.
Uncooked meat diets for pets have change into more and more fashionable, however there isn’t any proof that they’re more healthy than typical pet meals, the researchers mentioned. In reality, some research have reported that uncooked meat diets could pose a menace to pets and their house owners as a result of potential presence of micro organism and parasites.
To study extra about these dangers, the Dutch researchers analyzed 35 business frozen uncooked meat food regimen merchandise for pets which can be extensively obtainable within the Netherlands.
E. coli micro organism was present in eight merchandise (23 p.c), listeria micro organism was found in 15 merchandise (43 p.c) and salmonella was detected in seven merchandise (20 p.c).
Eight merchandise contained Sarcocystes parasites and two merchandise (6 p.c) contained Toxoplasma gondii parasites. The 2 sorts of Sarcocystes parasites discovered within the merchandise don’t have an effect on folks however pose a danger to cattle. T. gondii may cause illness in folks, the researchers mentioned.
The research was revealed Jan. 11 within the journal Vet File.
“Cats and canine that eat uncooked meat diets are additionally extra prone to change into contaminated with antibiotic-resistant micro organism than animals on typical diets, which might pose a severe danger to each animal well being and public well being,” lead researcher Paul Overgaauw, from Utrecht College, and colleagues mentioned in a journal information launch.
Pet house owners ought to be knowledgeable in regards to the dangers of feeding their pets uncooked meat food regimen merchandise. They need to be educated about correct dealing with of the merchandise and private hygiene measures, and the merchandise ought to embody warnings and dealing with directions, the investigators mentioned.


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From split ends to 'pandemic beards,' hair stylists offer up virtual advice
With salons closed due to COVID-19, barbers are sharing the tips of their trade online
Even if you had a hair appointment just before the COVID-19 shutdown, your locks may already be looking a little lanky.
But before you get out the kitchen shears and bowl for an at-home cut, some local stylists are offering virtual advice on how not to butcher your look ahead of your next Zoom meeting.
Barber Tanya Clark said that a few days after her ByWard Market salon Headquarters shut down, she started getting messages from regulars.
"It's crazy, but you build such a strong relationship that they can hit me up whenever they want with questions about hair — or relationships. These people have become my family," said Clark.
In response, she's been posting videos to social media, using a mannequin to walk people through common cuts and giving advice for growing out "pandemic beards."
"It's not like I'm giving them an expensive or crazy cut. I'm giving them something basic, that they can clean themselves at home," she said.
'Looking good is part of feeling good'
Paula Whitelocke agrees that right now isn't the time to "go crazy" with your at-home salon.
Whitelocke has been answering questions online about how to handle curly, kinky and coiled hair types — her specialties at her west-end salon, Curly Hair Designs.
She's telling clients with curly hair to focus on moisturizing, deep conditioning and getting at those split ends.
"There are lots of options for people right now. I don't want people to do things out of fear," she said, adding that things like mascara can cover areas of concern for people who get regular hair-colouring.
Whitelocke also recognizes that as the pandemic shutdown continues, people may take on even more DIY hairstyling.
"I know that looking good is part of feeling good, so you gotta do what you gotta do during this time," said Whitelocke.
Removing hair extensions
For people with hair extensions, Lindsay Landry of Trakk Queen Hair and Beauty is offering virtual consultations on how to remove them safely.
The Kingston, Ont., salon owner says most clients need to renew their extensions every two to three months, but since that's not possible, she's advising that they be taken out.
"It's never really a recommended thing to do, to remove your own extensions at home," she said. "But we also never anticipated being told to stay home for an unlimited amount of time."
Landry says it's especially unfortunate for clients who put in hair extensions after undergoing chemotherapy or gastric bypass, or are dealing with other health issues that caused hair loss.
Though all three stylists are struggling with lost income because of the shutdown, for now they're offering their virtual advice free of charge — at least for regular clients — while they explore options for making up for lost income online.
As Clark says, a stylish haircut can make dealing with COVID-19 a little easier — even if you have nowhere special to go.
"When you look good, you feel good, right? Lots of people are not feeling good right now because they don't look good," said Clark.
"So if there's any way that I can bring some sort of positivity to people's lives why wouldn't I do that, right?"
Trying a trim at home? Send us your photos of your at-home hairdos — whether they're successful or not.


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Boost Juice has turned its popular app into a tool for instantaneous customer feedback, giving the chain, its franchisors and support staff highly granular insights into performance and the customer experience.
The shopping centre staple had been using mystery shoppers to check on retailers, visiting each of the 270 stores once a month and manually reporting on the experience.
As a result, data would only reflect how each store was operating in one brief window, leaving lots of room for guesswork as to how well it weathered peaks and lulls in trade across different times and days throughout the month.
The chain’s in-house development team realised the popularity of the app with Boost’s tech-savvy target demographic could be harnessed as a customer service tool, and so enhanced it with a questionnaire that feeds into the company’s Zendesk implementation.
App users received targeted questions based on the initial star rating of their experience, giving the company extra avenues to explore attitudes and avenues for improvement.
Customers readily took up the offer, with the company now receiving between 2,000 and 3,000 pieces of feedback every day and mostly within minutes of customers visiting the store.
That roughly equates to 50,000 comprehensive reviews per month, up from 270.
The initiative quickly turned into Boost Juice’s strongest marketing communication platforms and customer service tools, helping the company maintain its premium position.
It’s also helped the brand to refine its offerings both in its products and promotions to deliver services and benefits that are more likely to pique the interest of its customers.
Feedback from franchisees and staff members has so far been positive as a result, who can rapidly see what’s working and what needs improvement thanks to the speed of incoming feedback.
And as a nice side-effect, encouraging customers to use the chain’s mobile app has also seen an increase in traffic to its mobile website.


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The future of technology looks bright.
Artificial intelligence, the metaverse, autonomous driving, and quantum computing—are all set to change the world around us.
And one chip-maker has its hands on all of it – Nvidia (NVDA).
The company is always in one of the top two spots for semiconductor searches amongst financial pros and retail investors.
Yet, it always felt overvalued to us.
With so many analysts following the stock and stratospheric price-to-earnings ratios, we thought the top search result might have been too obvious.
But with shares down nearly 50% year to date, is now the time to buy shares of Nvidia (NVDA)?
Nvidia (NVDA) provides graphics, computing, and networking solutions across the globe.
Most of us are familiar with the company’s graphics cards. The graphics segment offers GeForce GPUs for gaming, and PCs. GeForce Now is a cloud gaming service, which hosts 11 million members and is available in 70 countries.
Nvidia’s Data Center business, geared towards large data center clients, did $3.8 billion in revenues during its last quarter. Its superchips are used by many of the top computer makers in the world. Plus the data center is used by companies for AI, cloud computing, and quantum research.
NVDA accelerates more than 700 applications, including the top 15 in scientific computing.
Furthermore, its technology is used in the auto-industry. NVIDIA DRIVE is aj end-to-end platform for automakers aimed at bringing autonomous vehicles to life. Some of its clients include Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nio, Navistar, and Hyundai.
The firm’s work in AI and computer graphics touches industries vauled at more than $100 trillion.
Nvidia fell into obscurity after the PC boom of the ‘90s. It wasn’t until the past decade that things took a huge turn.
From 2015 to 2021, the company increased its revenues by 5X. Its 12-month trailing revenues are at $29.54 billion.
However, quarterly revenue in 2Q FY23 only improved by 3% from a year ago to $6.7 billion. The firm blames supply chain issues and the economy for its slowdown. But the future does look bright, thanks to accelerated computing and AI. Its data center revenue reached $3.8 billion last quarter, marking an improvement of 61% from a year ago.
Despite the massive haircut NVDA shares have received this year, down -46% YTD, the company is not in a bad financial situation. That is evidenced by its $0.16 annual dividend and share repurchase program. Last quarter the firm bought $3.44 billion worth of its stock.
NVDA has a current ratio of 5.3x, which means it has plenty of cash to handle its short-term liabilities.
High P/E multiple tech stocks have gotten battered in 2022, and NVDA has been no different.
The company has a P/E GAAP (ttm) of 53x, which is lower than its 5-year average of 58x, but not as low as its competitors.
For example, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) has a P/E GAAP of 17x, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stands at 40x, Qualcomm (QCOM) is at 12x, and Broadcom (AVGO) is at 25x.
NVDA has a price-to-sales ratio of 13.6x, which is below its 5-year average of 16.8x, but still notably higher than its competitors.
For instance, TSM has a price-to-sales ratio of 6.9x, AVGO is at 7.1x, AMD is 5.7x, and QCOM is at 3.6x.
However, one could argue that NVDA should be trading at a premium because of its outstanding technology, but its stock has gotten punished this year.
At a gross profit margin of 60.5%, NVDA bests TSM at 54.9%, QCOM at 57.9%, and AMD at 50.7%. But trails AVGO at 74.8%.
It just goes to show how profitable the semiconductor industry is.
Additionally, NVDA has an EBITDA margin of 35.9%, which is better than AMD at 26.1% but not as strong as TSM at 67.9% orAVGO at 56.2%, and QCOM at 39.8%.
With a return of equity of 34.4%, NVDA is right in line with its competitors, but trails QCOM significantly at 106%.
NVDA is a money printing machine, generating over $7.5 billion in cash from its operations.
Despite its massive size, NVDA continues to find pockets of growth. At 35.8% revenue growth (YoY), it bests all of its competitors except for AMD at 61.7%. It’s worth noting, NVDA did guide lower for Q3, $5.7 billion to $6.2 billion vs. $6.9 billion from the street.
Our Opinion 6/10
NVDA is a great company with a bright future.
However, it trades at a high valuation. And because of that, shares could remain under pressure throughout the year. The firm did lower its guidance, as it expects the economy to stay challenging.
We do like this stock as a long term investor, and would be buyers if it continues to decline.
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