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(VIANEWS) – Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood continued to sell shares of AliBaba stock on Thursday, after having sold $1.55million in stock. Wood owned several Chinese ADRs in multiple Ark ETFs. However, she has been trimming her positions over recent weeks due to the Chinese government’s ongoing crackdown. Wood also sold large shares in Tencent and JD.com (NASDAQ.JD). Masayashi Son, Softbank CEO, also stated that the VIsion Fund will stop investing in Chinese companies for the near future until current enthusiasm has subsided.
This was a forgettable year for eCommerce company AliBaba. AliBaba shares fell another 1.59% on Friday to $188.62 at the close of trading. BABA shares are currently trading below the 50-day and 200 day moving averages and they will continue to trade lower due to the steep decline in the stock price.
Shares of Alibaba (BABA) dropped 7.89% to $173.73 at 17:49 EST on Tuesday, after three consecutive sessions in a row of losses. NYSE Composite is sliding 0.03% to $16,871.12, after three successive sessions in a row of losses. This seems, as yet, a somewhat down trend trading session today.
Alibaba’s last close was $188.62, 40.93% under its 52-week high of $319.32.
Today’s last reported volume for Alibaba is 38570602 which is 133.33% above its average volume of 16529846.
The company’s growth estimates for the present quarter is 1.8% and a drop 17.6% for the next.
Year-on-year quarterly revenue growth grew by 63.9%, now sitting on 717.29B for the twelve trailing months.
Alibaba’s last week, last month’s, and last quarter’s current volatility was a negative 4.80%, a negative 1.13%, and a positive 1.46%, respectively.
Alibaba’s current volatility rank, which measures how volatile a financial asset is (variation between the lowest and highest value in a period), was 4.80% (last week), 2.17% (last month), and 1.46% (last quarter), respectively.
Stock Price Classification
According to the stochastic oscillator, a useful indicator of overbought and oversold conditions,
Alibaba’s stock is considered to be overbought (>=80).
Alibaba’s Stock Yearly Top and Bottom Value
Alibaba’s stock is valued at $173.73 at 17:49 EST, under its 52-week low of $179.67.
Alibaba’s Moving Average
Alibaba’s worth is way below its 50-day moving average of $205.32 and way under its 200-day moving average of $225.50.
News about Alibaba (BABA) today
Alibaba launches new NFT marketplace: what you need to know. According to today’s article on Benzinga, “Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) has launched a newmarketplace for non fungible tokens, or NFTs, where trademark holders can sell tokenized licenses to their intellectual property, the South China Morning Post reported.”, “Price Action: Alibaba Group shares closed 3.1% lower in Monday’s trading at $182.71.”
More news about Alibaba (BABA).


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This browser doesn’t assist Spotify Web Participant. To drum up pleasure around the launch of a bank card focusing on the oft-pursued millennial demographic, American Express Canada tapped several star cooks final month to serve Instagram-worthy plates at a restaurant in Toronto that would launch and shut within every week.
(I’ve given up on her since.”) And her forays into crimson state America for her present — she traveled to a small Texas city the place President Trump gained by 87 p.c and spent a day with a household of Trump voters in a suburb outside New Orleans — have led to tradition clashes.
The follow allows the corporate to develop an experience for shoppers they don’t get to work together with in stores, and re-invent a model for brand spanking new, youthful demographics, said Tracey Cooke, vice-president of communication and advertising and marketing excellence at Nestlé.
Ms. Silverman has carried out extra dramatic performing of late (see the current Battle of the Sexes”) but after a few narrative pilots for tv didn’t work out, she determined she needed to strive one thing nearer to face-up, a present the place she performs herself, seems to be on the camera and talks to people who don’t essentially agree with her.
The pop-up shop might have began as a means for on-line retailers to stage a lower-threat experiment with a physical presence, but the temporary storefront has developed into a advertising and marketing tool for established brands, usually ones that already boast a number of places.

domain: news


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A record 49,000 self-checkout terminals were delivered to retailers around the world last year. Shipments to U.S. retailers jumped about 155% in 2016, more than double the previous year's growth and reflecting increasing investment in self-checkout systems by some of the largest U.S. retailers, according to a new study by London-based strategic research and consulting firm RBR.
RBR said it expects to see more than 400,000 self-checkout terminals deployed in more than 60 countries worldwide by 2022.
NCR remains the market leader for self-checkout gear, accounting for 73% of shipments in 2016 and with growth of about 6% in deliveries. Toshiba held second place on strong market position in Japan, while Diebold Nixdorf’s was the market mover among the top players, hopping from fourth place to third place last year.
Self-checkout technology has been around for a while now, but adoption always has seemed hit and miss, with several large retailers, including Target, using it and working hard to refine the self-checkout experience. But others, like Costco and CVS, adopted it several years ago only to change their minds and pull back on the investment in recent years.
Some of those retreats from self-checkout deployment may have had to do with the inconsistent performance of early-generation terminals in scanning products and with an overall clunky experience for something intended to help shoppers save time. Looking at 2016, the market for self-checkout systems is in better shape than ever, with record shipments overall and U.S. retailers leading the way.
Recent technology advancements may have played a role in the growth. For example, Diebold Nixdorf recently announced a new low-profile self-checkout system that could make the concept more viable for a broader variety of merchants, while Panasonic announced a fully automated checkout machine.
RBR, however, suggested that a lot of the recent growth could also be driven by the simple fact that more retailers are investing more in self-checkout, and merchants who hadn't tried it before are finally moving into a pilot testing phase.
All of this growth in self-checkout adoption comes at a time when Amazon is challenging the overall concept of funneling shoppers through any kind checkout line — self-service or otherwise — with Amazon Go.
Amazon Go's aims to support line-less checkout through automatic mobile payments. This would appear to sidestep the whole self-checkout evolution, leaving retailers that want to keep up with Amazon questioning the need to have checkout lanes of any kind. But if RBR's research is any indication, the self-checkout market remains healthy, with growth still ahead.


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Kevin KohnMember since August 2017Contact Kevin
Kevin Kohn is leading iQ Media and the TV industry into a new era of measurement, where real-time TV analytics allow advertisers to focus on real-life performance. iQ Media is currently working with major brands, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, NHL, CNN, Warner Bros and more, to correlate real-time TV mentions and logo appearances with consumer behaviors, online and off. Prior to iQ Media, Kevin served as the Chief Revenue Officer for Lotame and as SVP & GM of General Markets at LivePerson, Inc.
Articles by Kevin All articles by Kevin
- Sponsorships Get Performance-Based Makeover in
Marketing Insider on
For an industry that lives and dies on performance, live sports are late to the game for metrics that reflect the performance of brands' sponsorships.
- Your Brand's In The Olympics ... Now What? in
Marketing Daily on
Here are three questions this week's Olympics advertisers should be asking.
- Is TV's Latest Cry For Help A Call for Attribution? in
Television News Daily on
TV, unlike digital, wasn't built with measurement in mind. Yet marketers have become accustomed to a granular level of knowledge about their audiences and are now demanding the same from TV.


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Sophie Blythe from tech start-up Koala & Joe on how she co-founded a one-stop shop for parenting experts.
Parenting isn’t easy, but it can be hard to know where to turn for help. That’s where Koala & Joe comes in. Sophie Blythe speaks about how she co-founded the tech start-up dedicated to putting trusted experts from various different fields in touch with parents.
A: It’s a new nationwide online marketplace dedicated to connecting parents and carers with the best, most trusted experts in all areas of their children’s care.
From doulas to dieticians, massage to mental health, we enable parents and carers to find local and online experts all in one place, read reviews from other parents and book appointments directly at a convenient time.
Parenting is a demanding job and it has never been more so than in the past two years. With up to 80% of parents reporting feelings of being overwhelmed post-pandemic, there is a clear deficit in support available to the eight million families with dependents in the UK.
Whether it’s a newborn struggling to latch, a toddler yet to start walking, or an anxiety-riddled teen, parents and carers are constantly faced with challenges that require external support.
With the NHS overburdened and under-resourced, experts offering their services to parents privately are the solution – but until now this army of independent helpers have not been mobilised in an accessible, effective way. In the digital era, parents are woefully underserved by technology with no ‘go to’, reliable source to find expert help when in need.
A: We are a founding team of six – three working mums and three working dads – and we created the business in direct response to our individual and shared struggles engaging experts for our children.
Developing Koala & Joe alongside our busy jobs, young families and the global pandemic has been challenging but rewarding. When we came up with the idea two years ago, there was nothing else like it. Marketplaces existed for products (think Etsy, Airbnb) and some services (e.g. Treatwell, MyBuilder), but nothing serving parents and supporting the thousands of self-employed experts trying to reach parents in need.
We have spent two years building the tech and curating a pool of the very best experts across 15 specialisms from Maternity Nurses to Hypnobirthing Instructors, Lactation Consultants to Paediatric Physiotherapists.
A: An interesting fact that came up repeatedly in our research with the professional associations for these specialisms was that it is often the fathers that end up making the calls for help.
In a market dominated by “mummy brands”, it was important for us that Koala & Joe appealed to parents of all genders. We put a lot of time and thought into developing a brand that represents the many different identities, shapes and sizes of modern-day families with a core of humorous empathy running throughout that would strike a chord with mums and dads alike.
As of this month we are now live and taking bookings and it feels immensely satisfying to know that we are already helping parents and carers across the country to get the expert help they need, when they need it. We look forward to a future where all parents, carers and kids are supported and empowered to live their happiest, healthiest lives.
To find out more about Koala & Joe or to book an appointment follow @koalaandjoe.


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How times change: the shock waves are still rebounding in some quarters from drinks giant Diageo's May announcement that it was to close part of its famous Guinness brewery in Dublin as part of a £520m modernisation drive. But that's only half of the old 1759-vintage operation, after all, and Diageo will of course continue to sell us the Black Stuff, as well as its other refreshing brews - it being the world's biggest alcohol company, created back in 1997 through a series of mergers. Its brands include not just Guinness but Bushmills, Smirnoff and Bailey's.
In October last year Diageo's then CIO Robin Dargue left to join the Royal Mail, being replaced by Brian Franz, who joined finally in March, being headhunted from PepsiCo International, where he was senior VP and CIO. He will report direct to Diageo chair Nick Rose.
Franz is expected to do little to change Dargue's architecture, which centred on extensive use of SAP across all Diageo's 180 markets and geographies. Diageo also has two more years at least to run on its £300m, seven year outsourcing deal with IBM Global Services it signed in 2003, which was supposed to be run on the then trendy pay-per-usage model; it still has a 450-strong internal IS function which Franz will manage. In any case, the agreement was supposed to standardise and consolidate the drink giant's then somewhat messy internal structure, technology-wise.


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When they first laid eyes on the Samsung Electronics T7 Shield Portable SSD back in April of last year, a lot of people thought it looked like a bar of soap. And, to be fair, it kinda does.
Samsung wisely used that criticism to create a funny follow-up campaign with a self-deprecating ad asking the question: “Samsung makes soap?”
According to Cheil, the agency behind the campaign, the original release campaign successfully showcased the product’s features but comments on how the product resembles a bar of soap soon started to appear. Then, images of T7 Shield’s doppelganger, a real bar of soap from an Indian brand, began spreading, drawing even more attention to the product’s appearance rather than its features.
The marketing team at Samsung Electronics recognized the opportunity and worked to create a funny secondary marketing campaign film that directly draws a comparison between the T7 Shield and a bar of soap. The video opens with a bar of soap shaped like the T7 Shield.
Then abruptly, the background music stops, and the question “Samsung soap?” appears, followed by a range of consumer comments asking why it looks like soap.
Then the words “not soap” appear, followed by a demonstration of the device’s IPX5 grade waterproof feature by placing it under a shower in the bathroom.
The viral video has amassed 1.3M views and 20,353 likes with over 1,000 comments saying that the video is funny, praising Samsung for turning a crisis into an opportunity, and expressing the brand’s likeability.
It’s a good lesson in a brand actively listening to consumers and positively reflecting their opinions of the product into ongoing marketing communications while gathering even more attention and boosting brand favorability.


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LAS VEGAS - General Motors Corp. is pla-nning to revolutionize the marketing and distribution of used vehicles, as well as improve customer rela-tions, with its new e-GM program.
Richard M. Lee, e-GM's general manager of North American Operations, opened his presentation at the Conference of Automotive Remarketing 2000 with a video of young children explaining how computer literate and Internet savvy they are already.
"Just think about when that generation gets to its earning and buying years," Mr. Lee ponders. "This whole phe-nomenon is turning the hands of time. We have examples in our company where 28-year-olds are tutoring our most senior managers on this whole issue."
He says e-GM should be able to help dealers improve customer satisfaction and cut into the time it takes to re-market a used vehicle
"It's all about matching up the exact vehicle with customer's needs and delivering it in the least amount of time and at the lowest acquisition cost," says Mr. Lee. "It's very much evolving to a very dealer-centric model."
The use of Internet technology and databases - via e-GM - will allow dealers to give customers information on cars soon to be coming in from leases and rental fleets, he says. If they choose one of these vehicles, it can be delivered directly to the dealership and delivered to the buyer.
"The advantages here are obvious," says Mr. Lee of the process currently being piloted. "It eliminates some transportation costs. It certainly eliminates a lot of time that's involved in the process today. It will allow dealers to hold less inventory and it allows dealers to find the exact vehicle the consumer is looking for."
He say the corporation considers its dealers as partners in this new enterprise.
"We very much see everything we do going through our dealers," he says. "This is not about cutting the dealers out of the equation."
He used the customer test drive as an example of how GM will coordinate its web activities with its dealers. He calls it integrating the clicks and the bricks.
"We're talking about allowing the consumer to go on line to schedule a test drive with a dealer," Mr. Lee explains. "We want the consumer to choose the location from which that test drive initiates, whether it's the office or the home or the dealership itself. The important thing here is the customer is driving the process."
Mr. Lee and his e-GM colleagues have their work cut out for them.
"Obviously the biggest task that we've got is integrating the Internet with our dealer network," he says. "It's important because we have to be able to provide a seamless on-line experience for somebody who wants to communicate with both us as a manufacturer and our dealers."
He notes that much technical infrast-ructure must be built to make it all work. Mr. Lee adds that many business process and decision-making changes must occur inside GM to integrate the relationships it has with customers and dealers.
In addition to working on GM's Internet interface with its customers and dealers, Mr. Lee says the automaker is trying to electronically connect with its suppliers. The ultimate goal is for the entire supply chain to be alerted instantly to a customer order.
"A lot of this is about rapid order fulfillment," says Mr. Lee. "We're also looking to condense operating stocks at the dealer level."
GE Capital Auto Financial Services is the latest firm to sell its off-lease vehicles on-line to dealers.
GE says it introduced the site in response to dealer feedback on what they need to be more profitable. The site also allows lessor GE to re-market its off-lease vehicles.
The site is for dealers, not consumers. It's a supplement to auctions, not a replacement, stresses GE. The firm reports that during a three-month pilot for GEAutoDirect.com, 125 dealers bought more than 2,400 vehicles.
Features include free registration, free transportation for 300 miles, 45-day floats for qualified dealers, multi-view photos of vehicles for sale and damage reports.
One dealership owner, Gary Linam of Driving 2000 in Madison, AL, has purchased $1.3 million worth of cars on GEAutoDirect.com.
He says, "Dealers may shy away from Internet buying because they can't smell, feel, touch and drive the car."
But he says that if a dealer overcomes such apprehensions, Internet buying is a convenient way to buy inventory without leaving the office.


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Car Tech covers the new models and concept cars shown off at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in blogs, photo galleries, and video.
The ever-present "123456" takes the top spot, but it has some equally terrible company on the annual list of worst passwords people are still using.
The administration will offer loans and work to remove law that limit consumers' ability to choose fast, affordable broadband.
A new study shows that people want their health monitored by gadgets. Just not all of their health.
Pew Internet Research reports a notable spike in tablet ownership, which is up 10 percent from a year ago among Americans.
With a vote looming on new rules for Internet access, Tom Wheeler talks candidly with CNET News in an exclusive interview about legal challenges, President Obama's role and being the butt of late-night TV jokes.
Technically Incorrect: To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Google uses the work of a first-time doodle artist to depict the Selma march. Apple, too, changes its home page in homage.
CNET editor Dong Ngo's dream of having a hotspot shower almost comes true with the capacious Jetpack MiFi 6620L from Verizon.
Among eight new Kepler planets found are the two most Earth-like to date, with possible conditions for the propagation of life.
This uneven take on the cyberthriller genre dives deep into computing and international hacking, with Thor rocking a keyboard.
Samsung CEO BK Yoon opened CES 2015 in Las Vegas with his company's vision for the Internet of Things, a technological ecosystem that holds the promise of connecting you and all the devices you use in your daily life.


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GM interview: AlRayyan Hotel's Luca Crocco
AlRayyan Hotel, Doha, Curio Collection by Hilton GM Luca Crocco reviews the first few months of business at his newly opened hotel
With a soft opening in Doha, Qatar on December 11, 2016, it could be said that the entry of Curio, Hilton’s latest brand into the Middle East happened just when market conditions for hotels in the country was not exactly at its brightest. Sluggish economic activity had resulted in weak hotel occupancy levels as well as falling average room rates by the end of 2016, market research revealed.
AlRayyan Hotel, Doha, Curio Collection by Hilton general manager Luca Crocco, however, declares that the opening of his hotel — and business response since its opening — has actually been nothing short of “amazing.”
“The business has actually been much better than we thought, I must say. We are going a little bit against the trend at the moment,” Crocco discloses during an interview with Hotelier Qatar.
A veteran Hilton hotelier with over 20 years of international experience, Crocco adds that he was up to the challenge of opening the first Curio in the Middle East when the opportunity was first offered, but confesses that he was initially taken aback by the hotel’s location.
“When I came here and saw the location, I thought, ‘wow, this location is going to be a challenge. We’re not within the city centre’,” he says. “Now, it has actually become my luck, in the sense that the location poses a huge opportunity for us because within a radius of about eight kilometres, there is not a single hotel apart from our hotel.”
He adds: “Effectively, our hotel is also attached to the biggest shopping mall in Qatar — the Mall of Qatar. So it has actually been due to the combination of the niceness and the beauty of the hotel and the success of the mall — and the mall is extremely successful; there are some weekends where there are 70,000 to 75,000 people in the mall. The success of the mall has actually really helped us to position the hotel.”
The clientele of the AlRayyan Hotel, Doha predominantly comes from Qatar as well as from regional GCC countries.
“Around 90% of our business is Arabic: the KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, all the GCC markets and the local Qataris,” Crocco says, stating how astounded and gratified he was by the resulting popularity of the hotel with the locals.
“I must say, I was overwhelmed by the interest of the locals,” he says. “Close by is a residential area and it is quite upmarket. I had to put a team 24 hours on duty for show ups. We have Qatari people coming in at all times of the day and night, asking for show arounds.“
With buoyant business on the books, Crocco is focusing on achieving his key priorities for the hotel, such as positioning the hotel as a new Middle East destination, establishing the Curio brand and meeting the hotel’s revenue targets.
“For the first year of operation and knowing also how the market is, this can be challenging,” Crocco says. “But I’m feeling very positive about it.”
He also emphasises the importance of creating and implementing quality service standards for the hotel, saying: “It’s all about ensuring the level of service. I want this hotel to have a very high level of service but in a setting that feels very familiar. We are building this hotel to be very friendly, very welcoming. So when people come in, especially for the type of clientele that I have, I want them to feel like they’re at home.”
Ensuring the quality of service meant that Crocco and his management team had to invest time in recruitment of the right people with the right attitude, embarking on recruitment campaigns in eastern Europe, northern Africa, as well as Asia and the UAE. He also tapped the existing pool of talent in two Hilton properties, the Hilton Doha and the Doubletree by Hilton Doha — Old Town, especially people who were ready to move on to the next level in their career journey. Once the team was on board, intensive training, creating and communicating the Curio service culture, commenced.
“The Curio culture is something we defined here in the hotel, unlike the Hilton culture which is already pre-defined. Curio has its own identity. If you also look at the hotel itself, the name itself is very different: AlRayyan Hotel Doha, a Curio Collection by Hilton,” Crocco says. “There are some basic similarities, things we align, of course, according to Hilton. But everything else, we started from scratch here in the hotel. We opened the hotel in a very short period of time but we spent a lot of time to make sure that we got it right.”
The market seems to be appreciating the quality of service, with a steady stream of business coming in from a mix of corporate travellers during the week and leisure on the weekends. As for pricing, Crocco points out that Curio is carefully positioned within the Hilton brand hierarchy, a strategy which suits the AlRayyan Hotel Doha extremely well.
He explains: “We are priced above a Hilton hotel. If you look at the positioning of Hilton brands, you have the Waldorf Astoria, the Conrad, the Hilton; we are positioned between the Conrad and the Hilton. We are well positioned in the market as of the moment, that’s what I can tell you.”
And speaking of the Doha market, which saw a softening throughout 2016, Crocco says he realises that his bullish opinions may not be shared by everyone, saying: “At the moment, with the hotel, the way I see it, is actually very positive.”
Crocco cites the various measures and initiatives by the Qatar Tourist Authority (QTA) as additional driving factors behind his optimism. He says: “There is a lot of work currently being done in the Qatar tourism market. The Qatar Tourist Authority has come up with different strategies: there’s new visa measures so we are now starting to see people come for stop-overs. This was not there before. Now, there is also the conference and events market, which is very active at the moment, with the new Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, only about 10 kilometres from the hotel.”
He sums up: “I think 2017 will still pose challenges,but be more positive because actions undertaken by the government will start to bear fruit. It is very difficult to say how the future will develop. At the moment, with the market aligned with the vision for the future, the infrastructure coming up for FIFA 2022, everything is looking positive and solid.”


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Think of the 2001 Toyota Celica as a motorcycle on wheels. It's light on its feet, compact, racy looking, and...
If a Japanese automaker had a weak product in its lineup, it was bound to show up in February.
Read This Article
You know it's bad when an automaker has to point out that one of its vehicles is "a car." And that's exactly what Toyota has done with a series of quirky commercials featuring its new Yaris and comedian Michael Showalter.
Are you ready for an all-new, all-different Toyota Corolla?


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Published 01 April 2020
The newest forecast from the University of Guelph and Dalhousie University in Canada predicts that grocery store prices could soar as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have widespread effects on the food industry.
April 1, 2020 — An update on the food price forecast was issued this week, taking into account the changes that have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The report predicts we will see large surges in some food prices, emphasizing that “meat could rise up to six per cent, which means a $20 cut would become $21.20. Seafood could rise up to four per cent, which means a piece of fish that sells for $20 could become $20.80.”
Some of the reasons for this price increase could be attributed to the fact that salaries are expected to go up, especially due to the high demands being placed on grocers. This will put food prices in a position to rise as well.
Food prices could also rise due to grocery stores having to mitigate increased costs that have come as a result of the pandemic. Many grocery stores are installing plexiglass shields at checkouts, increasing cleaning and sanitizing measures and increasing staff pay.
It remains to be seen just how food retailers will continue to adapt as the pandemic progresses. If the reports predictions are accurate, consumers will begin paying more for essential food items during a time when they need them most. It is clear, however, that food retailers are in a precarious position as they attempt to weather the COVID-19 crisis. Time will also tell how long food prices will be increased for.
Researcher Sylvain Charlebois thinks higher prices could be here to stay. “My guess is that it won’t be temporary. They’ve set a new bar,” he says. “That bar will require everyone in the food industry to pay their people more, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But in the end, consumers are going to have to pay for that.”


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Band Shreyashi Sanyal
July 22 (Reuters) – The S&P 500 and Nasdaq headed for a lower open on Friday as social media and ad tech companies led declines after dismal quarterly earnings from Twitter and Snap, while an upbeat forecast from American Express looked set to boost the Dow Jones.
Twitter Inc. TWTR.N fell 1.8% in premarket trading as it reported a surprise drop in revenue, while Snap shares SNAP.N plunged 32.4% a day after the Snapchat owner missed revenue targets and declined to make a forecast.
Both companies face fierce competition from Apple AAPL.O and TikTok as investors brace for the slowest-ever global revenue growth for the social media industry in the second quarter.
Online advertising giants Meta Platforms Inc META.O and Alphabet Inc. GOOGL.O also fell 5.2% and 2.8%, respectively, weighing on Nasdaq futures NQcv1.
Meta and Alphabet are expected to report earnings next week along with other big tech companies including Apple Inc. AAPL.OMicrosoft Corporation MSFT.O and Amazon.com Inc. AMZN.O.
“Meta and Google results are going to be subdued compared to last year, but I also think these stocks are down enough that most of this bad news is likely to be factored in,” said Thomas Hayes, member. director of Great Hill Capital.
Wall Street’s three major indexes are still expected to end the week with their biggest gains in nearly a month, with growth stocks doing most of the heavy lifting after markets cheered quarterly reports from Tesla Inc. TSLA.O and Netflix Inc. NFLX.O.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI looked set to open higher as American Express Co AXP.N jumped 3.9% after raising its annual revenue forecast.
The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by 75 basis points next week to rein in runaway inflation, followed by second quarter US gross domestic product data, which is again expected to be negative.
Two quarters of negative GDP would mean the United States is in recession.
Searing inflation also hit Verizon Communications Inc VZ.Nwhich fell 4.2% after it cut its adjusted annual earnings forecast.
To 8:41 am ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1were up 59 points, or 0.18%e-mini S&P 500 ESCv1were down 6.25 points, or 0.16%and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1were down 48 points, or 0.38%.
Of the 91 S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings so far, 78% have exceeded expectations. Analysts now expect S&P 500 year-over-year earnings to rise 6.3% in the second quarter, down from the 6.8% estimate at the start of the three-month period, according to Refinitiv data. .
Seagate Technology Holdings STX.O plunged 11% after memory chip maker announced plans to cut production, hurting shares of rivals Micron Technology MU.O and western digital WDC.O.
(Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal and Aniruddha Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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Jeroen van Hasselt and his team at Dutch indie studio Vogelsap had high hopes for their first release, the exclusively multiplayer horror title The Flock; and why shouldn’t they? The game’s gutsy new “population” gimmick had garnered massive attention from press and the gaming public alike. Preliminary reviews at gaming events were good, and developers believed in The Flock‘s potential for success. Vogelsap was living the dream of every burgeoning game studio: riding high on positive initial feedback and a whole lot of hope. But the launching of The Flock on August 21, 2015 was a complete, unmitigated disaster. A nearly unplayable game build led to universally bad user reviews and a cringe-inducing Metacritic score of 33 (that’s out of 100, in case you were wondering). In van Hasselt’s own words, “What the f**k?”
Vogelsap wanted The Flock to be different, and (surprise) they actually succeeded, at least on some level. Without going into soul-crushing detail, here’s how that groundbreaking population game mechanic is supposed to work: A counter corresponding to players’ in-game lives was attached to the game at launch; and now, every time a member of the titular flock dies, this counter ticks down. When it reaches zero, the plan is to take the game off the market, leaving its self-described “climactic” ending available only to those who were wise enough to get in before the buzzer. And if that’s not enough, after the ending, The Flock will never be playable again, ever.
Because innovation is about taking risks, and if this one had worked the way Jeroen van Hasselt envisioned, it might have been really cool. In a presentation he gave at Control Conference 2015, he highlighted the fact that the Steam platform, through which The Flock was released, is growing by a frankly ridiculous margin every year. “This was a very tough market,” he said. “We needed to do something different, to stick out, to be that lamp that everyone would notice.” The population mechanic was indeed their ticket out of obscurity, but not in the way he imagined. The idea was to bring the game out of a strictly fictional realm and into one where player experience had a tangible effect on the real world. That’s cool, right? That’s the sort of thing we look for in our interactive experiences: a blurring of the lines between what we’re living and what we’re playing. Unfortunately for van Hasselt and Vogelsap, the greatness of their vision didn’t come through in its execution, at all.
In short, almost everywhere. Van Hasselt swears The Flock was tested two weeks in advance, but upon its release, it was riddled with crippling problems, not least of which was an incompatibility with the newly-available Windows 10 OS. These problems are attributed to an influx of major additions at the end of production, a subject he doesn’t elaborate on except to say that the changes wrecked the stability of their game build. Lack of dual-window functionality meant that The Flock was off-limits to Youtube streamers, who have been a huge vehicle for indie horror games in the past. And all that press coverage we mentioned? Gone, once the media realized what a mess the official release had turned out to be. At the end of the day (there were 20 negative reviews in the first live hour), van Hasselt was left reeling. His game was an abject failure, his company name sullied. “It’s a … grim situation for me personally because a lot of my own things are on the line at the moment.” The Flock has sold 3000 copies; its population counter began at 215,358,979. We’re going to go out on a limb and say that might have been a little optimistic.
There’s no getting around it, really: The Flock was an abject failure. To the team’s credit, hope springs eternal at Vogelsap, and there are plans for the upcoming Halloween season, including a price drop and a load of new content in the form of game modes and a map. Vogelsap isn’t ready to bail on this arguably sunken ship, so rest assured that we haven’t yet seen the last of them. If nothing else, kudos to Jeroen van Hasselt for being able to power through after gazing so far down into the game developer abyss.


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RubyPlay, a B2B studio specializing in online games development, has recently agreed to content integration with EveryMatrix, a software provider in the iGaming industry.
“We are pleased to welcome RubyPlay to our network of global partners, the largest content library in the iGaming industry. This collaboration signifies our commitment to delivering the most comprehensive and engaging gaming content to our operator partners and their players,” Amund Stensland, chief operations officer at CasinoEngine, said in the EveryMatrix RubyPlay press release.
RubyPlay’s most popular online slots coming to the EveryMatrix SlotMatrix
This partnership entails the seamless integration of RubyPlay’s diverse range of online slots into EveryMatrix’s aggregation platform, SlotMatrix. Among these titles are some of RubyPlay’s most popular games, including:
- Immortal Ways Diamonds
- Diamond Explosions 7s
- Mayan Cache, promising
Dr. Eyal Loz, chief product officer at RubyPlay, said in a news release the incorporation of RubyPlay’s slot games into EveryMatrix’s platform is poised to enhance player gaming experiences and be a pathway to an expansion.
“The integration of RubyPlay’s slots into EveryMatrix’s platform represents a mutually beneficial partnership that will undoubtedly elevate the gaming experience for players. EveryMatrix’s extensive network of international brands combined with RubyPlay’s diverse portfolio of high-quality slots sets the stage for an exciting journey ahead.
“We are confident that this collaboration will open up new avenues for expansion and solidify our position as a leading provider of innovative iGaming solutions.”
EveryMatrix expands its online casino portfolio across borders
EveryMatrix extends its services to more than 300 brands worldwide. Their comprehensive online solutions encompass sports betting, casino operations, payment processing and affiliate management.
The operator also achieved a significant milestone by becoming the inaugural iGaming supplier to attain the WLA Safer Gambling Certification. This signals an advancement in promoting responsible online gaming practices, setting a commendable precedent for the broader gambling industry.
RubyPlay has a diverse portfolio of more than 80 interactive online slot games. One of its recent partnerships is the slots deal with Light & Wonder in the US. Other regions that stand out as the top-performing markets for the company include Argentina, Germany and Malaysia.


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A fifth of marketers admit their business ‘doesn’t see value’ in apprenticeships
More than half (57.9%) of the 4,463 marketers surveyed for Marketing Week’s 2022 Career and Salary Survey work for a brand with no marketing apprenticeship, with more than a fifth (21.2%) stating their company does not currently see the value in introducing one.
A further 10.4% say it is too complicated to develop a programme, while 6.6% cannot get buy-in at the highest level for such an initiative.
Marketers list numerous reasons why their brand does not run a marketing apprenticeship scheme. These range from the fact their business is too small to the fact there is no budget to develop a programme or because they already have a graduate scheme in place.
Currently, just 25.1% of the marketers surveyed say their company has a marketing apprenticeship, while 17% aren’t sure whether their business does or not.
Source: Marketing Week
UK radio reports biggest ever audience
A combined audience of 49.5 million people are tuning into UK radio, equalling the highest total audience ever recorded in the previous quarter and representing 89% of the UK adult population.
Commercial radio increased its share of listening time to 48%, up from 47.1% during the third quarter, while the BBC’s share fell to 49.9% from 50.9%. The total commercial radio audience is now 36.77 million, just shy of its biggest ever audience of 36.8 million last quarter.
Total digital listening now represents 64.4% of all radio listening. This is mainly accounted for by DAB radio (42.5%), while online (including smart speakers) now represents 16.9% of all listening time. The remaining 5.1% is listening on digital TV.
Global increased the audience across its network to 25.8 million weekly listeners, growing the broadcaster’s share of the commercial radio market to 24%.
Global-owned radio brand Heart notched up its highest ever listening figures during the period – hitting 10.3 million – up 250,000 over the three-month period. Meanwhile, talk radio brand LBC reached 3.2 million weekly listeners, the biggest listening base in the channel’s history.
The data shows Bauer Media reached 20.6 million listeners across its stations, boasting more than 75% of listening via a digital device ahead of an industry average of 65%.
Quarter of BAME consumers see ‘no improvement’ in advertising’s portrayal of diverse groups
Just 34% of BAME consumers agree the way people from their ethnic group are portrayed in advertising has improved in recent years.
Of the 1,000 BAME participants included in the Advertising Standards Authority study, 27% say they disagree with the statement, while 38% are unsure.
The ASA conducted 22 focus groups and a survey of more than 2,000 people for its study, which forms part of a “major” project looking at the extent to which portrayal of race or ethnicity in UK ads might give rise to harm or serious offence.
The results reveal BAME groups are almost three times more likely to feel under-represented or not represented at all in advertising (66%) compared to white consumers (23%).
Meanwhile, around half of BAME participants say when they are represented in ads, they are not portrayed accurately, rising from 49% among men to 57% among women. Of those, a similar proportion feel people from their ethnic group are negatively stereotyped.
Shoppers return to pre-pandemic routines as focus on price rises
Supermarket sales dropped by 3.8% over the 12 weeks to 23 January 2022, compared to the same period a year earlier when the UK was in lockdown. Spend does remain 8% higher versus the same period pre-pandemic, though.
Like-for-like grocery inflation stands at 3.8% for the past four weeks, a 0.3 percentage point increase on December. Taken over the course of a 12-month period, this rise in prices could add an extra £180 to the average household’s annual grocery bill, according to Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar.
“We’re now likely to see shoppers striving to keep costs down by searching for cheaper products and promotions. Supermarkets that can offer the best value stand to win the biggest slice of spend,” he adds.
Only three grocers recorded growth over the 12-week period compared to 2021, with Aldi and Lidl recording 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, while Ocado grew by 2.3%. All retailers increased sales on a two-year basis.
Tesco and Waitrose performed ahead of the market over the past 12 weeks and increased share. Tesco’s share increased from 27.3% last year to 27.9%, marking a full year of market share gains for the retailer.
Waitrose saw the greatest footfall increase of any supermarket, helping its share increase by 0.1 percentage points to 5.1%.
Sainsbury’s now holds 15.6% of the market, Asda 14.4%, Morrisons 9.9%, Co-op’s share stands at 5.7% and Iceland at 2.4%.
Online orders accounted for 12.5% of all grocery spend, which is down by 15% year on year when the UK was in lockdown. It is almost double the pre-pandemic level, though.
A quarter of people will spend an hour a day in the metaverse
A quarter (25%) of people will spend at least an hour a day in the metaverse for work, shopping, education or education by 2026, according to Gartner.
Over the next four years, it predicts 30% of the world’s organisations will have products and services ready for the metaverse. However, given the adoption of metaverse technologies is nascent and fragmented, Gartner cautions against companies investing heavily in a specific metaverse at this stage.
It expects the metaverse will impact “every business” that consumers interact with every day and for it to have its own virtual economy enabled by digital currencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
“Vendors are already building ways for users to replicate their lives in digital worlds,” said Marty Resnick, research vice president at Gartner. “From attending virtual classrooms to buying digital land and constructing virtual homes, these activities are currently being conducted in separate environments. Eventually, they will take place in a single environment – the metaverse – with multiple destinations across technologies and experiences.”


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“No major salmon production area has tougher market conditions than Chile,” says Mowi CEO Ivan Vindheim.
“Chile mainly produces fillets for the US market sold through traditional fish dishes, which have been shut down in addition to the Horeca segment( hospitality sector: restaurants and hotels) In other words, Chile has lost their most important customer, does not have processing capacity, and as a result has had to put the fish on frozen stock,” says Vindheim to TDN Finans.
To move the stock from ocean to land is no long term solution.
“Of course, when you store the fish, no money comes in. So it is also very challenging financially for the companies in Chile,” he says.
Mowi has processing capacity in Chile, and did not increase their frozen storage in the first quarter of the year. All fish produced have been sold.


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One of the Sony smartphones launched this year, which lacked the KitKat flavor is the mid-ranger Xperia T2 Ultra. The smarpthone was initially launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean version and now it will soon receive the KitKat update as Sony Mobile has officially announced it today via a blog post.
Sony Xperia T2 Ultra and it's dual SIM variant will both receive the update which brings along with it a number of software goodies. The Japanese company has also mentioned a changes that the KitKat update will bring in the phone.
According to the company, in addition to the performance improvements and user interface optimizations that Android 4.4 KitKat normally brings with it, new firmware update also comes with a series of enhancements delivered by Sony itself.
Moreover, after installing the update, users will also find a tweaked Status Bar and Quick Settings, which according to Sony is more intuitive and offers customizable experience. It is forked in a way, that users will only receive the notifications that they really need.
The update also brings a new UI which resemble the one available on Sony PlayStation 4, including a sleek launch animation and live wallpaper across the lock and home screens. At the same time, the company announced that its entire native app portfolio has been updated to the latest versions as part of the new platform upgrade for T2 Ultra.
Other UI improvements include in Messaging, MyXperia, Smart Connect, Small apps, TrackID, TrackID TV, Sony Select, and Smart Social Camera. Further, new iterations of Sony's Media apps, including WALKMAN, Album, and Movies, are available for download, all of them with Sony Entertainment Network cloud service integration, thus offering a more converged and full Sony entertainment experience.
Xperia T2 Ultra users will also see a unique custom interface experience: "Xperia Themes", with downloadable UI packs from Sony Select - skin up to 280 assets across your Xperia smartphone with a variety of styles.
Lastly, according to Sony, the update brings the device's compatibility with SmartWear Experience. Thus, SmartBand SWR10 and Lifelog app can be enjoyed in the phone.
Moreover, what can be a treat to Xperia users is that Sony has also hinted saying that the Android 4.4 KitKat OS upgrade will also be released to all Xperia E1 and Xperia M2 (& M2 dual variants, respectively) devices out there.
However, since, Android update mostly rolled out in phases, Xperia T2 Ultra owners will have to wait for a while. From time to time users can also head on to the phone's Settings > About Phone > Software update to check for the update manually.


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Though we’re a province known for cod, snow crab is a bigger contributor to our economy. The landed value of shellfish in 2016 was $568 Million (48% of which came from snowcrab), while the landed value of groundfish and pelagics combined (cod, turbot, herring, capelin, etc) was $139 million.
There is big money in crab, but we’re unable to cash in on it the way we used to. In the past, Newfoundland sold canned and frozen crab meat into global markets that were hungry for it. But as other regions of the world began producing crab products that were more competitively priced than ours, we were forced out of the global marketplace for canned and frozen crab meat.
Since being forced out of the global marketplace for extracted crab meat, we’ve resorted to selling only “crab sections.” Crab sections are fresh or frozen halved crabs (the claws and legs, with the shell still attached).
We sell this un-extracted crab meat into two markets: the US and China. The United States buys the more attractive and retail-friendly sections, for sale in grocery stores and restaurants, where chefs and delis extract the meat themselves. China get the less attractive crab sections (the ones that are slightly broken or barnacle-covered), and they extract the meat in plants, then re-export into other markets, mainly Japan, but also Europe and the US.
Cracking back into the crab market with frozen/canned products would require some truly futuristic and innovative work in robotic automation. We’d have to turn to robots to make us a crab product that is competitively priced in today’s global market, and that’s exactly what we’ve done, with brilliant and groundbreaking work that was years in the making.
The Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation came up with the idea of creating the world’s first robotic system for butchering crab. They assembled a crackerjack team by combining the forces of both the College of the North Atlantic (CNA) and the Marine Institute’s Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development (CASD).
CNA and CASD provided the expertise of their staff and facilities, and Ocean Choice international was the industry partner, for funding and industry knowledge. The technology is currently undergoing a patenting process, and the cell they demonstrated in May, during Innovation Week, has had all 42 claims of uniqueness accepted. The hope is to master the final stage of their 3-step process, which would greenlight this robo-butcher being put to work in the province.
“CCFI’s fundamental mandate is to make the capabilities of academic institutions available to the aquaculture, fishing, and fish processing industry sectors, to help them take advantage of opportunities and solve problems,” said Robert Verge, managing director of CCFI.
“We began thinking about this project in 2010, with the overall objective of increasing the value we get from our crab resources. This world-leading ‘smart’ butchering technology is a major part of a system we are designing to do that.”
The robo-butcher does things we humans cannot do in an economically feasible way; properly extracting crab meat by hand is extremely arduous, and the Chinese plants that do it use tweezers under UV light. It’s ridiculously tedious and time-consuming, which is to say, a costly endeavour.
This new technology would not only put us back in the global crab game, it would do so without replacing human jobs, and the team is quite proud of that. This tech would not be replacing real live human jobs, because there really isn’t any plant workers extracting crab meat for export here now.
Here’s to hoping this technology one day gets adapted to a kitchen gadget for personal use at home. It’s definitely a trying act of precision science to wrestle that sweet treat of crab meat out of its shell.


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EDF Energy is teaming up with the UK’s largest generator of solar power in a bid to create the biggest challenger brand in the energy retail market by the end of the decade. The Big Six supplier has thrown its weight behind Sunplug, a consumer energy project developed in partnership with Lightsource, which provides the solar panels on thousands of British roofs. Sunplug is led by a former Goldman Sachs banker James Brooks, and aims to offer a solar power and battery system at no upfront cost. Mr Brooks joined Lightsource from his role as head of natural resources at the US bank six months ago to spearhead the project he says could reach one million homes by 2020. This would put the venture ahead of suppliers such as First Utility and Ovo Energy which are currently the largest independents in the market. “It’ s a different way for consumers to interact with their utility,” Mr Brooks said. The Sunplug system allows energy users to store solar energy through the day and use the power when it’s needed at a fixed price, without the cost of installing or maintaining the panels. In the same way that mobile phone contracts allow customers to pay for the handset alongside the service tariff, Sunplug hopes to create a boom in demand for solar technology by removing the cost barrier. “There are a lot of companies which are talking about off-grid generation and smart devices. But Lightsource is approaching this trend from a consumer perspective. Solar generation might have once been the preserve of the wealthier middle-classes, who have a few thousand pounds to spare, but now anyone can be part of this evolution,” Mr Brooks added.
Telegraph 17th April 2017 read more »
Just a few years ago experts the world over bemoaned the prohibitive cost of solar power. But today it is widely considered to be the best and most affordable hope for decarbonising the world’s energy system. Solar prices are down 62% in the last eight years, according to a recent Bloomberg analysis, and on track to beat the cost of coal within a decade. In fact it’s already achieved that milestone in more than 30 countries, according to the World Economic Forum. So what happened? We asked a few experts.
Energydesk 14th April 2017 read more »


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Growing farmer interest in using drones has led a Southland catchment group to organize a field day to showcase the technology.
Otago South River Care is holding a field day today and tomorrow at a farm in Balclutha with over 80 people expected.
Group coordinator Rebecca Begg said members of the capture group often talk about innovation on farms and drones continue to emerge as something farmers want to try.
“Many are interested but not ready to take the leap just yet, so we want to show them what’s available and bring some of the technology down to the South Island, because most of it is based on the South Island. North.”
Drone company Ferntech and contract spraying company Aerial Agri Solutionz will showcase their drones.
Begg said there is a growing list of how drones can be used on farms.
“You have your standard drones, which you can use for inspection purposes, either looking for inventory or checking troughs. You can get drones with speakers on them which people call barking drones so that they are used for gathering.
“We have a thermal drone coming out of Auckland which can be used for pest control and spray drones which can be used for spot and blanket spraying, especially in small areas that you can’t get to with a helicopter.”
Begg said farmers are embracing the technology.
“I think there are a lot of things right now that are pushing farmers to look at how they can do things more efficiently and also more sustainably, especially when you look at things like the price of diesel and fuel.
“Technology is now integrated into farming practices and drones can help with so many things.”
Bill Paterson, who runs Aerial Agri Solutionz in Southland, will showcase his 16 liter drone which can be used for spraying or spreading seeds.
He said the drones have high accuracy and allow farmers to access areas without having to create tracks through crops.
“Obviously the drones don’t carry as much as a helicopter, but the accuracy when it starts, the GPS is down to centimeters, so in tight blocks that have sensitive areas around them, that’s where the drones really come into their own. Nozzles on them so you can make bigger droplets to avoid drift.”
Paterson, who worked as a commercial helicopter pilot before the pandemic, said interest has grown since he set up the company earlier this year.
“We have sprayed around 200 hectares so far, including our own farm, and we plan to do a lot more research and development over the winter so that we can increase the area next summer.”
The technology is expensive and there are a lot of rules to follow when flying drones, so it’s not as easy for farmers to go it alone, he said.
“I’m lucky; I have my experience as a pilot, but there are discussions that in future there will be more than one system like Australia to get your certificate. aerial operation, which would facilitate access.
“I’m sure in the future we will see a lot more drones being used in the agricultural sector,” he said.


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With brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary…
• Axios reports that "Retailers are preparing for the first holiday season in years where inflation collides with slowing consumer spending … 41% of Americans are planning to spend less this holiday season compared to 2021, according to a recent survey by Trustpilot, a consumer reviews platform." And, "20% plan to reduce spending by more than 50%."
The story notes that "Deloitte estimates that overall holiday sales will grow by 4%–6% — less than the current annual inflation rate of 8.5%."
• The BBC reports that "Aldi has overtaken Morrisons to become the fourth-largest UK supermarket for the first time, according to data from research firm Kantar."
The story notes that "discounters are grabbing more market share as shoppers take steps to manage their budgets, Kantar said."
• Wine Spectator reports that "Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE) has acquired Oregon's fast-growing A to Z Wineworks brand, as well as its sister label, Rex Hill … Already the largest producer in Washington state, Ste. Michelle now has a dominant footprint in Oregon as well. The purchase, when combined with SMWE's existing Oregon winery, Erath, brings the company's total annual production in Oregon to approximately 700,000 cases."
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The story notes that "this is the first acquisition for SMWE under the new ownership of New York–based private equity firm Sycamore Partners, which purchased the company for $1.2 billion in late 2021."
The betting here is that this is just one of a number of acquisitions planned by SMWE, which is likely to try to put together an even larger portfolio of brands before selling them off - at a profit, it hopes - to a major conglomerate in the space. And, as this happens, I suspect there could be other players making similar moves, which could drive up prices considerably.


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Bell's Chime warns of further toll
LORD Bell's advertising and public relations group Chime sounded its second profits warning in six months today. It said that market conditions had not improved and that the marketplace was 'still very weak'. Chime shares slumped 21 1/2p or 17% to 108 1/2p, their lowest for six months.
A weak start to the year meant that first half turnover would be 'just over 10% lower than in the second half of 2001'. It added that while it still believed that the second half would be better than the first 'the recovery may be slower than anticipated'.
The group said it was pitching for much more new business than last year and converting a higher proportion of this into new clients. It warned, however, that the average value of these gains was lower than previously and the benefits of new income were unlikely to come through until the second half.
Having slashed costs last year, Chime said it would have a further exceptional £3m charge this year, mainly reflecting job cuts. It said that in a full year this should produce cost savings of £4m.
It is just under two months since Chime reported a 36% fall in full year profits from £14.3m to £9.1m before tax. At that time it predicted another year of growth 'if the second-half recovery occurs'.
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The 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus could have some minor design updates compared to the iPhone 14 Plus, according to renders that were shared today by 9to5Mac. The images are said to be based on CAD drawings of the devices that were provided to Apple's supply chain for device manufacturing, and they follow leaks that we've previously seen for both the standard iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro.
iPhone 14 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus, image via 9to5Mac
Like the iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Plus will feature a Dynamic Island instead of a notch, with Apple bringing the Dynamic Island design to the entire iPhone lineup in 2023. It will also include a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, another change that Apple is making to all iPhone 15 devices.
The images indicate that in addition to a Dynamic Island, the iPhone 15 Plus will have slightly slimmer bezels, and there may be minor tweaks to the size and thickness of the device. 9to5Mac says that the iPhone 15 Plus CAD design features "slightly rounded edges" for a smoother transition from the front of the device to the back and a slightly thicker camera bump.
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 14 Plus
Apple's iPhone 15 Plus is expected to be identical in design and feature set to the iPhone 15, and it will continue to include a dual-lens camera with Wide and Ultra Wide lenses. The main difference between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is expected to be battery size, as the iPhone 15 Plus is 6.7 inches and the iPhone 15 is 6.1 inches.
Other iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus rumored features include the same A16 chip that's in the iPhone 14 Pro models, a Qualcomm X70 modem, and blue and pink color options. More on what's expected for the iPhone 15 can be found in our dedicated roundup.
We also have a roundup of features expected for the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which will include a faster A17 chip, a titanium chassis, a more curved design, and camera improvements, among other additions.
Apple changed the strategy for iOS 17 later in its development process to add several new features, suggesting that the update may be more significant than previously thought, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
In January, Gurman said that iOS 17 could be a less significant update than iPhone updates in previous years due to the company's intense focus on its long-awaited mixed-reality...
Following nearly six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 is expected to be released to the public as soon as this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Below, we have recapped eight new features and...
Some Apple employees are concerned about the usefulness and price point of the company's upcoming mixed-reality headset, The New York Times reports.
Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane Initial enthusiasm around the device at the company has apparently become skepticism, according to eight current and former Apple employees speaking to The New York Times. The change of tone...
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID.
iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple showcased its mixed-reality headset to the company's top 100 executives in the Steve Jobs Theater last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the "momentous gathering" is a "key milestone" ahead of the headset's public announcement planned for June. The event was intended to rally Apple's top members of...
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware.
iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...
Apple today released tvOS 16.4, the fourth major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, tvOS 16.4 comes two months following the release of tvOS 16.3.
The tvOS 16.4 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System > Software Update....
Apple on March 27 released iOS 16.4, delivering 21 new emoji characters, support for Safari web push notifications, the return of the page-turning animation in the Books app, updates for the Podcasts app, and more.
Top Rated Comments
Apple needs to consider bringing back iPhone Mini. It should contain iPhone 15 Plus features. It will sell very well.
15 Plus, 16 mini, 18 Plus, 20 mini…(replace your niche iPhone every four years and if necessary replace the battery in between). The costs for Apple would be reduced and this might push some users to the Pro models if waiting four years for the next Gen Plus or mini is too long so Apple wins there as well. Apple could also forget about the Plus model and update the mini every two years similar to the SE.
Drop the Pro moniker or apply it to all three models and be done with it. At present there is too much overlap.


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Tate & Lyle has reported a 6% fall in profit before tax for the first half of the year, according to the latest figures.
The results saw profit before tax decrease to £158m, down £10m from £168m. Adjusted profit before tax fell by 3% from £178m to £173m.
Operating profit was reported as £176m in the six months to 30 September, down from £186m the previous year. The interim dividend per share was up 5.4% from 7.4p to 7.8p
Speciality food ingredients sales were reported at £112m, a like-for-like growth of 10% from £108m. Net debt was reduced by £143m to £336m, previously at £479m in March.
Javed Ahmed, chief executive, said that overall results were “held back” by a soft beverage season in the US. He added, however, that the business “performed solidly” in the first half of the year, with good sales growth in speciality food ingredients.
“We continue to be pleased with the progress we are making in delivering our long-term strategy,” he said. “As well as broadening the geographic mix of the business, we are increasingly leveraging the investments we have made to strengthen our global innovation capabilities and to collaborate more closely with our customers.”


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Because of the decision to ease up on rental vehicles, which has been in effect since the beginning of the year, there are fewer nine-month-old cars to recycle than normal.
That reduction in supply has accentuated demand, which has improved considerably over last month, according to Glass’s Market Intelligence Service.
In the early summer, dealers were not optimistic about retail sales prospects and reduced their buying to match the forecasts. This meant that when retail demand improved there was an immediate need to source stock.
Throughout August and September, dealers made more frequent forays into the market. Initially fearful that customer enthusiasm might be temporary, just enough cars were bought to meet immediate needs. But customer demand was more sustained than predicted, which acted as a catalyst for lively wholesale trading.
As well as manufacturers’ rental supply reductions, new car sales were down 6% so far this year, meaning fewer part exchanges have been offered. New retail sales are down 10%, depriving dealers of both part exchanges and prime stock.
Auctions have felt the effect of the sales downturn. Total part exchanges came to a low ebb at the end of August and trade supply dropped accordingly. That was the turning point – by the end of the first week in September dealers were putting more cars through auction with unwanted part exchanges and the following week saw the arrival of ex-fleet cars. The indication was that these cars were absorbed into the wider market without difficulty.


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Microsoft Just Revved Up Its Outlook Android App With Third Party Add-Ins
Microsoft just revved up its Outlook Android app making it more productive and fun for users. In a recent announcement, the tech giant announced that it has updated the software to now support a variety of third party add-in apps.
Verified Business Accounts Now Offered By Whatsapp
WhatsApp is fine-tuning its chat services to make it more attractive for businesses. The company has started a new pilot program for verified business accounts, which seems to hint that it may be targeting the customer support segment of its business users with a new app that is reported to be still under development.
Optimism of U.S. Small Business Owners Highest In Ten years
Since the start of the Trump administration, there has been a noted increase in optimism among small business owners regarding their future prospects. In fact, data from both Gallup and the US Chamber of Commerce confirm that U.S. small businesses haven’t been this upbeat about the current situation in almost a decade.
Social Media Is Changing Customer Service Practices
Social media has become more than just a networking platform. They’ve become an ecosystem where friends, family, consumers, and brands interact with one another at lightning speed. In this age of hyper connectivity, brands are slowly realizing the potential of social media when it comes to providing customer service.
Tips To Generate More Sales Using Whatsapp
Since launching in 2009, WhatsApp has become one of the most popular ways for people to communicate with each other across the globe. Today, the mobile app’s active user base is second only to its parent company, Facebook, with over 1.2 billion people using it to send messages and share data every month.
Building Your Brand Using Instagram
As proven by their 700 million monthly active users, Instagram is a popular social media platform for millennials. Because of their massive growth, wide reach, and strong influence over consumers, it is hard for any brand to ignore their power. However, launching a company on Instagram may not be as easy. If you are not that familiar with how it works, you might struggle to get a loyal following established. Consider the following tips to help you build your brand on Instagram.
Tips To Effectively Promote Your Business With Video Marketing
From search engine optimization, the next evolution of online marketing is video. While mobile phones and social media are invaluable, they have created a generation with a relatively short attention span. A one-minute clip can explain a topic more than a three-page thesis can.
Twitter Introduces New Chatbot Feature for Businesses
Twitter has introduced a new chatbot feature for companies to promote their brands, and they are hoping that these businesses and their customers stay on the platform for their real-time interactions.
Twitter Stock Boosted By Biz Stone’s Return
Twitter’s prodigal son has returned after six years, and shareholders are sitting up and taking notice.
Salesforce CRM To Be Challenged By Microsoft and LinkedIn
Since Microsoft’s $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn three days after Christmas 2016, little has been heard from what would be Microsoft Dynamic’s bold upgrade to the CRM industry. But the picture has become much more clear since Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently gave Reuters the details of upgrades to its sales software that integrates data from LinkedIn.
SMBs Can Win in 2017 with Social Media
B2B research and reviews firm Clutch has released some interesting data-driven findings from their Social Media for Small Business: 2017 Survey. The firm surveyed 350 small business owners/managers across the United States to determine digital marketing habits and goals for 2017. Respondents included 40% of companies with 10 or fewer employees, 27% with 11-50 employees, 25% with 51-250 employees, and 8% with 251-500 employees. The survey found that:
New Photos of Samsung Galaxy S8 Before Launch
In what is expected to be the one of several more leaked reveals in the coming days, hot new photos of the Samsung Galaxy 8 were posted a few hours ago that clearly show the device at almost every angle.
1.7 Billion Bad Ads Removed From Google In 2016
Google more than doubled the amount of ads it took down in 2016 from its platform compared to 2015, removing over 1.7 billion “bad” ads. Why take down so many ads? “Ultimately, bad ads pose a threat to users, Google’s partners, and the sustainability of the open web itself,” said Scott Spencer, Google’s Director of Product Management for Sustainable Ads.
Restaurants Crave Instagram for Marketing
According to a post on the Instagram Business blog the number one driver of visits to restaurants is the act of craving. In advertising this simply means making people hungry for what your are selling. Restaurants love Instagram because of its visualness, its frequent use of video in posts and probably most importantly, its primarily consumed on a mobile device.
New Snapchat Updates Could Impact Your Social Media Marketing Plans
Snapchat announced a major redesign of their popular app on Thursday. The new changes aim to make the the app less confusing to use and better for content discovery. The update, which is first being rolled out to some Android users will soon be available to all users.


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No one's favorite burger is a Big Mac, so why is McDonald's the biggest fast-food chain on the planet?
I know Pokemon Haven't been good in decades but that's a slander too big for the history of this franchise!
"It's because Pokemon is a juggernaut that has found a rhythm, a system, a formula that works"
You just said exactly why this comparison doesn't work
Pokemon is the Nintendo and Apple of the industry.
McDonald's is overpriced garbage with okay fries.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Woolshops Shopping Centre will host its second town crier competition tomorrow alongside Halifax town crier, Les Cutts.
Criers from across the UK will compete to be crowned Woolshops Champion Town Crier 2016.
The criers will participate in two rounds and will be judged on several characteristics such as confidence and volume.
Samantha Crowden, Deputy Centre Manager said: “The day promises to be exciting with folk dancers, street food, a vintage pop up café as well as the Town Crier competition.”
Judges of the competition include Paul Blakey MBE and Chris Clifford, former CSO at Woolshops.
Mr Cutts, Town Crier for Halifax said: “We recieved such a fantastic response last year and I am delighted to be heading to Woolshops to host the second competition.”
Mr Cutts has been the Halifax Town Crier since 2001. He also holds the titles of Bellman of the Borough of Calderdale, is the crier to the Town Council of Hebden Royd and is the North Eastern representative of the Loyal Company of Town Crier’s.
The competition will be held from 11am to 3pm.


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Yamaha Thailand has officially confirmed that the MT15 will be unveiled on December 1, 2015 at the 37th Bangkok International Motor Show. They have released a teaser video which leaks out new exciting details about the upcoming street monster.
The head lamp of the bike gets an LED treatment and has a characteristic MT look, however, it also reminds us of the Z800, a wee bit! The good thing is it endows the bike with a purposeful look and an aggressive face! The bike’s all-digital instrumentation console has also been revealed, which is pretty much beginning to be the norm these days. There is also a possibility that the bike may be christened as MT Slaz going by the video, possibly in some markets!
Together with this, just before the launch, Iwanbanaran has shared the motorcycle in its best look yet without any camouflage in at least two colors – red and blue. And there are definitely Duke kind of edges and overall looks. Even the short pointed tail has resemblance with the KTMs!
The biggest addition has been the front suspension where the MT15 gets upside down front forks! Expect the bike to be powered by the same 149.8 cc liquid cooled, fuel injected, single cylinder mill found on the R15. The output figures are not known yet but will be in the same ballpark of 17 PS and 15 Nm.
This small capacity Yamaha is definitely for the emerging markets like Thailand (where it has been confirmed) and Indonesia (where it has been spotted testing).
Here in India, there is a fairly decent gap between the R15 and the FZ/Fazer which is where we expect it to be placed. But when is Yamaha planning to launch it up is not known yet!


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Chinese industrial companies’ profits rose for a fourth month last month, adding to signs the country’s economic rebound is gaining momentum.
Net income increased 17.3 percent from a year earlier to 895 billion yuan (US$144 billion), China’s National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday, after a 22.8 percent jump in November last year. Earnings for the full year rose 5.3 percent.
Industrial profits may rise by an average 30 percent this year as the world’s second-biggest economy recovers from a seven-quarter slowdown, businesses start restocking and export demand improves, Standard Chartered PLC forecasts.
Annual industrial profits increased 25.4 percent to 5.56 trillion yuan last year, while sales for the full year rose 11 percent to 91.6 trillion yuan, the bureau said.
Among 41 industry categories covered in the report, 29 saw profits increase, 11 reported declines, and oil refining and nuclear-fuel processing recorded losses.
Earnings of power-generating and supply companies surged 69.1 percent last year as coal prices fell, while the vehicle industry’s profit rose 5.6 percent, the bureau’s data showed.
“This broadly confirms the picture we’re getting from other data that industrial and economic growth is picking up again and the pressure on output prices is diminishing,” said Louis Kuijs, chief China economist at Royal Bank of Scotland PLC in Hong Kong.
“Because of quite weak numbers in the first half of 2102, the profit numbers are likely to show strong year-on-year growth in the coming months,” he added.
China’s economic expansion will be above 8 percent this year the chairman of the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, Lou Jiwei (樓繼偉), said at a forum in Beijing on Saturday.
GDP increased 7.8 percent last year, the least since 1999, according to government data.


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How Andhra Pradesh's prohibition is impacting alcohol consumption in the state
Updated : December 04, 2019 06:49 AM IST
YS Jaganmohan Reddy took oath as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on May 30, and following up on his poll promise made an announcement to put a ban on consumption of alcohol in the state.
The government has cancelled the licenses of all the 798 bars in the state and passed the orders to cut the number of bars by 40 percent when a new bar license will be issued with effect from January 2020.
The state is levying additional retail excise tax from Rs 10 to Rs 250 per bottle, making it expensive for retail buyers.
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Suzuki South Africa achieved record sales in May, becoming the country’s biggest passenger vehicle brand, said the company.
The carmaker saw a record sales jump of 630 vehicles in the past month, leading to a new overall sales record of 4,331 units sold.
This firmly establishes Suzuki as the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in South Africa.
While Toyota and VW had greater total sales in May, a portion of these reported sales accounted for light commercial vehicles, and VW’s figures also encompass sales for Audi.
Excluding LCVs, Toyota sold 3,998 passenger vehicles last month, while VW sold 3,939 units, after subtracting Audi’s sales from the total figure.
At 4,331 units sold, Suzuki became South Africa’s best-selling passenger car brand this May.
Suzuki’s growth and popularity with South African motorists can largely be attributed to its large selection of affordable entry-level vehicles.
Of the 4,331 total, Suzuki sold 3,100 of its cars in retail through dealerships, breaking through the 3,000 unit milestone, and a further 1,229 units were sold to the government, rental, and sales fleets.
Furthermore, Naamsa’s monthly vehicle sales report also revealed that the Suzuki Swift was South Africa’s best-selling vehicle in May at 1,764 vehicles finding new owners.
Since opening its doors to the local market for the first time in 2008, Suzuki South Africa has expanded and now has 81 dealerships across the country.
Suzuki’s latest model, the new Baleno, is set to release in the first week of June, promising a more powerful engine, a new look, and an updated set of standard features for a starting price of R225,900.
“We hope to set a new standard for the compact hatchback market and welcome even more people to the Suzuki family,” said the company.


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9to5Mac has got their hands on what is the actual component of the iPhone 6’s display setup and they come in two sizes as the earlier leaks suggested. The leaked images show a ruler being held across the display panel that prove that the iPhone 6 will come in two models, one being the competitor for bigger Android Phones.
The display is considerably bigger that normal iPhone 5s, measures in at 14 centimetres, which is roughly 5.5 inches. We also have to consider that the display will fit in to a bigger frame, increasing the overall size of the handset. This is a surprise to all of us because an Android-sized iPhone was expected only to be a rumour. This was something that Steve Jobs was strictly against, a ‘monstrous’ ‘hummer-sized’ device.
Samsung ushered in a trend with its Note range and currently still the ‘king of the block’ when it comes to the phablet category. Earlier leaks of the iPhone 6 had showed only the 4.7 inch model with rumours of bigger device. As the launch nears, we are now beginning to see more evidence of the larger 5.5 inch iPhone, which according to many in Apple’s supply chain, will be launched after the 4.7 inch model.
Will you make the switch, now that Apple is finally moving to bigger screens? Let us know in the comments below.


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The State of AMD and Nvidia Companies During Crypto Fever
The demand for equipment for cryptocurrency mining seriously affected the work of AMD and Nvidia. So, the value of their shares increased by 30% only over the past month.
AMD shares rose due to mining
As you know, in 2017, a massive purchase of graphics processors for the mining of digital currencies began. This event affected the demand for equipment and, accordingly, for the earnings of manufacturing companies. Analysts are concerned about the immediate drop in stock prices. In the event that mininh of the cryptocurrency by GPU becomes unprofitable, the shares of companies will immediately fall.
An analyst from Bernstein, Stacy Ragon, made an interesting statement about this:
“Given AMD’s GPUs have been preferred for mining, and GPU supply in general to gamers was constrained industry-wide, we believe it is plausible that much of AMD’s GPU ramp has benefitted miners, rather than gamers, over this period.”
An analyst at Morgan Stanley, Joseph Moore also repeats Raskon's thoughts and remains concerned that the company is subject to a cryptocurrency fever. Moore believes that the cryptocurrency sector "compensates for slow and steady progress" in the microprocessor market, but ultimately, "raises the bar" for companies.
Nvidia didn't decide to follow the trends of the GPU
According to the report of GadgetNow, Nvidia CEO Jen Hsun Huang announced that the company doesn't plan to release new models of GPUs in the near future.
The Taiwanese OEM partner in this case stated:
“This is quite notable news as Nvidia usually exerts massive influence over its partners and can be quite ruthless with allocations of new GPUs if partners step out of line. The fact that this partner returned these GPUs says a lot about the current state of supply in the channel.”
Recall that previously reported that the corporation AMD earned 1.65 billion US dollars in the first quarter of 2018 and said that 10% of all products sold had to miners.


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The firs sketches with the upcoming Audi Prologue Concept have recently leaked out as the model in question will be shown during the 2014th edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show.
In case you were wondering what the Audi Prologue Concept is, we will remind you that this used to be known as the A9 Concept and it made quite a fuzz when it was first announced, a few weeks back. The model in question is now being placed into the spotlights probably one last time ahead of its public debut, which will take place at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, thanks to a couple of leaked sketches.
The Audi Prologue Concept has been designed by the company’s styling center in Ingolstadt, under the guidance of Marc Lichte, the carmaker’s new chief designer, and it stands at 5,1 meters in length, 1,95 meters in width and 1,39 meters in height, riding on the MLB Evo platform. The one-off vehicle is getting some LED distinctive headlights, a rear end similar to the one of the A7 and several other tweaks. Rumor has it that this will give birth to a future flagship model which might be launched sometime in 2017, as the A9.
Source: Auto Bild


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We are expecting to see three new iPhones at Apple’s press event next week, one will be the new iPhone XR2 which could launch as the iPhone 11R.
The new entry level iPhone will apparently come with the model number iPhone 12,1 and a handset with that model number has just appeared on Geekbench.
The listing shows the devices running iOS 13.1 which is currently in beta and it also show the handset with 4GB of RAM, the current iPhone XR comes with 3GB of RAM.
Those are all the details we have on the device from the benchmarks, we previously heard that it would come with a larger battery than the current device.
We are also expecting this new iPhone to come with at least dual cameras on the back, we have heard rumors of possibly three rear cameras, although they may be reserved for the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.
Apple are holding a press event next Tuesday the 10th of September where they will be making their new range of iPhones official.
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(CNN) – American companies doing everything within their power to pay the U.S. government less money is a time-honored tradition.
The latest trend all the corporations are doing is something called inversion.
Companies listed on the American stock exchanges are packing up, leaving the U.S., and building their new headquarters in tax havens scattered across the globe.
It's already caught on with companies like Garmin, Michael Kors, Carnival, and Nielsen.
Drug maker Pfizer had a deal to invert fall through earlier this year.
And now Walgreens is thinking of heading for foreign shores.
The loophole is becoming so popular in Wall Street boardrooms, that Congress's joint committee on taxation says the government is set to lose $19.5 billion in tax revenues over the next 10 years.
Inversion is the topic of FOrtune Magazine's latest cover story: "Positively un-American tax dodges."
Assistant managing editor of Fortune magazine Leigh Gallagher has more.


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Conservatives cranky about cup quotes
March 27, 2005
Apparently some conservatives are complaining about the quotes printed on Starbucks cups, according to this article at Starbucks Gossip.
Some customers have complained to Starbucks’ Web site, labeling the campaign “offensive” and the company a proponent of “the destruction of family values and virtues.”
lol.. I may have 99 problems with Starbucks, but a cup ain’t one of ’em.