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Prices of new houses are rising, and a big part of the reason is literally structural.
Lumber has quadrupled in price in the past year, forcing builders to repeatedly reprice their houses to keep up with the cost of building materials. John Eilermann Jr., chief executive of McBride Homes, estimates that lumber added $26,000 to the price of a typical home built by his company last year.
“In my 35 years in the business I’ve never even seen prices double in such a short time,” Eilermann said. “This is unprecedented.”
He said McBride has been raising house prices once or twice a month, much more frequently than usual. Buyers haven’t balked so far.
Strong demand for both houses and home remodeling is helping drive lumber prices up, but there are supply-side factors too. Imports from Canada are down because of U.S. tariffs and a beetle infestation in British Columbia. Western wildfires have hurt production too.
Much of the supply shortfall, though, can be blamed on COVID-19. In the early weeks of the pandemic, shutdowns and new safety protocols hampered production.
Dustin Jalbert, a lumber analyst at data firm Fastmarkets, thinks the industry also misread the pandemic’s effect on demand.
“Sawmills and panel mills curtailed aggressively last April and May,” he said. “Everyone assumed housing was going to tank, but the drop in demand never happened and they have been playing catch-up ever since.”
Ken Kruse, president of Payne Family Homes, said the price surge has cut into profits. “We’ve been doing our best to keep up with the cost increases, though often between the time we start and complete the house, lumber costs have gone up more than we anticipated,” he explained.
The volatility is even more challenging for smaller companies. “It hurts us when we have already bid the project,” said Cindy Roeser, co-owner of Roeser Home Remodeling in Kirkwood. “When prices go up, we can’t go back to our clients and ask for more. A lot of them have gotten home equity loans to pay for it.”
Lumber has raised the cost of a room addition at least 50% this year, Roeser said, and has kept the firm’s estimators on their toes. “We used to be able to go off of projects we had done in the past, but you can’t do that any more because pricing changes so quickly,” she said.
Zach Mansker, a sales representative at wholesaler Forest Products Supply in Rock Hill, is selling oriented-strand waferboard, a manufactured product used in roofing, to retailers for around $50 a sheet, up from $10 before the pandemic. Almost every wood product, from 2x4 studs to plywood, has at least doubled or tripled.
The increases have been relentless, he said: “There are times when it jumps 10% to 20% in 10 days, and it has happened week after week for a year now.”
From where Mansker sits as a middleman, he sees builders desperate to get product and manufacturers unable to keep up with demand. He thinks higher prices are here to stay.
Jalbert agrees. He thinks prices might ease this fall or winter, but not by much. “I don’t think current levels will last, but prices will remain high going into 2022 and maybe even 2023,” he said.
The only thing that would bring back pre-pandemic lumber prices, Jalbert said, would be a dramatic drop in demand for housing. With mortgage rates low and COVID-weary Americans eager to upgrade their living space, that’s probably not in the cards.


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The Cheesecake Factory intercepted the NFL playoffs conversation by noticing the striking resemblance between their distinctive take-out bag and the pre-game outfit worn by Travis Kelce, the most talked about football player.
A perfectly timed post comparing the player’s turtleneck with the brand bag instantly went viral, turning the Cheesecake Factory into one of the most talked about brands in the post-game coverage and conversation.
Through an always-on social listening strategy, we quickly identified an opportunity to leverage the buzz around what Travis Kelce was wearing before the NFL divisional playoff match between his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills.
The biggest challenge was to quickly produce and approve the idea, guaranteeing it was posted while the conversation around his outfit was still relevant.
The execution involved swift communication by the agency with the Cheesecake Factory CMO and marketing team to quickly develop and post the content.
The post was designed using a pre-existing layout, quickly approved by the marketing team, and then distributed on X and Instagram platforms.
The entire process, from content creation to approval, took less than 4 minutes, highlighting the importance of agility and timeliness.
Headlines swirled around this unexpected social media sensation, capturing the attention of national media giants like USA Today, People Magazine, Yahoo!, Page Six, US Magazine, and Fox, as well as entertainment hubs like Parade, Delish and Perez Hilton. Even NFL star Travis Kelce couldn't resist commenting about the post.
By posting a timely observation on social, in real-time, with $0 investment, The Cheesecake Factory became one of the hottest topics around the NFL playoffs, driving over 2.6 Billion earned media impressions with a $24.7 Million earned media value.

domain: news


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Expecting a Christmas bonus?
- Staff Sacramento Business Journal
Can you expect a little extra holiday cheer in your wallet? Challenger, Gray and Christmas asked 100 human resources executives in November about whether they plan to hand out year-end bonuses, and 72 percent said yes, they did plan to hand out some sort of gift to employees, according to the New Mexico Business Weekly.
That’s up from the 53 percent who said they would give bonuses in 2011.
Among the bonus expectations: 25 percent said their company plans to increase its bonus; 28 percent said employees get a bonus based on company performance while another 17 percent says bonuses are based on employee performance, and 13 percent said the bonus would be non-monetary.
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An apt comparison, for sure. [Twitter]
Has Anyone Used Bing To Find The Nearest Arby's? Whoa.
Trending Stories Right Now
It was easy to get excited about the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute, when it launched last spring. The cordless vacuum is “so good, it’s killing cords altogether,” wrote a Gizmodo colleague. I’ve now been using my Dyson Cyclone V10 for a year, and it might be too good, too powerful. No wonder Dyson redesigned the thing.
Earlier Monday, Reuters reported that Google will be suspending its business operations with Huawei. But for anyone currently in possession of a Huawei phone, there's no need to panic.


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After finishing first place in this week of Overwatch Contenders Pacific, Talon Esports announced they have signed tank player Ji-seok “WWY“...
Another major blow has hit Capcom as Shinsuke Kodama has announced he left the company at the end of February.
In a recent interview with GamesBeat, Nacon Head of Publishing Benoit Clerc confirmed that a new Test Drive Unlimited game is currently in production...
The End of the Sun Team have released a teaser trailer for their upcoming first-person adventure game The End of the Sun. This trailer is promoting...
Mars Games have announced they are developing a 3D MMORPG mobile game centered around the world famous anime Naruto titled Naruto: Slugfest.
Rumors are quickly circulating that the upcoming Overwatch League homestead in Paris could be cancelled. This is due to the French government cancelling...
The latest Famitsu hardware sales numbers have been released and once again the Switch Lite continues to be the top selling console in Japan. this...
Famitsu have released the latest physical game sales chart and Pokemon Sword and Shield have reclaimed the top spot during the week of February 24-March...
Sony Interactive Entertainment


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Regiment, a new herbicide from Valent, will be available to rice producers for 2002. The herbicide is similar to Londax in its mode of action. Regiment controls many troublesome rice weeds including hemp sesbania, jointvetch and rice flatsedge. The herbicide has also demonstrated excellent activity on large escaped barnyardgrass. However, it is weak on sprangletop, fall panicum and broadleaf signalgrass. Regiment tank-mixes well with many rice herbicides. Consult the label for specific tank mixes.
Ron Strahan, Extension Weed Scientist, LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, La.
(This article was published in the winter 2002 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.)


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An influential analyst has rubbished the chances of the Lumia 800 turning things around for Nokia, citing weak sales in the Russian market as evidence that the public are unconvinced.
According to a tweet from Eldar Murtazin, the editor of Mobile Review who has broken a number of Nokia exclusives in the past, retail sales of the Lumia 800 in Russia currently stand at 65 per cent of the Nokia N8 after the same period of availability.
Assuming that’s true, the figures make grim reading for Nokia, especially given that in recent years the Russian market has continued to support its products while other territories have deserted its wares in favour of Android and the iPhone.
Murtazin’s claims come after Orange recently slashed the asking price of the Windows Phone-powered Lumia 800 in the UK. Meanwhile, a Financial Times report last week claimed that UK networks have called for Nokia to slash the cost of its follow-up phone, the Lumia 710, in the wake of subdued demand for the Lumia 800.
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International, Vertically-Integrated Hemp Oil Company Expands
National Retail Distribution with Latest Partnership
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FunctionalRemedies?src=hash" target="_blank"gt;#FunctionalRemedieslt;/agt;–Functional
Remedies, the premier vertically-integrated hemp oil company, has
partnered with Market
Performance Group (MPG), an independent strategy consulting and
sales management services company that specializes in helping consumer
product companies to accelerate growth and profitability by expanding
distribution into major food, drug and mass retail channels.
“MPG has done their homework in the hemp oil/CBD space and understands
the market from all aspects — consumer and retailer needs and the
ever-evolving regulatory environment — which sets them apart,” said
Functional Remedies Chief Revenue Officer Matt Poli. “This partnership
will allow us to accelerate our retailer partnerships and our commitment
to category growth. We look forward to collaborating on the right plan
to educate consumers — key to carrying out our mission of bringing lives
into balance with products that consumers and retailers can trust 100
The CBD and hemp oil industry has little-to-no third-party validators,
leaving mass retailers to develop their own requirements around what
products make it to their shelves. This is in part due to the FDA
leaving gaps in the current regulations surrounding consumer CBD and
hemp oil products.
“We know what retailers are looking for in new products and the types of
hurdles to clear for CBD and hemp oil products,” said MPG Founder &
Managing Partner Marc Greenberger. “Functional Remedies is one of the
few brands that check all the boxes for retailers including vertical
integration, making our jobs easier. We are excited to work with them in
carrying out their consumer mission and lead the category growth of hemp
MPG is one of several distribution partners, including Lhasa
OMS, the largest acupuncture supply distributor in the U.S., who
represent Functional Remedies’ aggressive push into new distribution
channels and preparation for mass retail with major news coming from
CVS, Walgreens and many others announcing their intent to carry CBD and
hemp oil products.
For more information, visit https://functionalremedies.com/.
About Functional Remedies
Functional Remedies produces the only hand-pressed, lipid-infused
hemp oil, derived from the most nutrient-dense hemp plants, and
formulated using a proprietary whole-plant, lipid infusion process. This
results in highly efficacious products that deliver the greatest
possible entourage effect and are far superior to CBD isolate and
concentrate products made with CO2 and chemical extraction processes.
Functional Remedies is unique among hemp oil producers as it is the only
vertically-integrated company with complete control from farm to
cultivation to finished goods. Functional Remedies uses the most
respected independent labs to test and verify their ingredient
specifications and phytonutrient content. For more information on
Functional Remedies and its products, visit https://functionalremedies.com/.


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Health advocates are worried about fast-food chains trying to get in on the food-stamp program. Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut are all lobbying to get involved.
More on the effects of Tropical Storm Irene on farms in upstate New York, New Jersey, and Vermont: Greenmarkets are about to start looking rather bare.
An op-ed calling for the reintroduction of home-ec classes in schools reminds us that the program originally taught the importance of making good, nutritious meals.
A new study suggests that black kids are more than twice as likely as whites to have common food allergies, especially to peanuts.
Marcus Samuelsson is the latest to jump on the pop-up bandwagon. Global Street Food, in the café at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, will coincide with Fashion Week.
Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant is an elaborate meal and performance with musical numbers, showing this month at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn.
Your kids’ school lunch program may start to look different this year. Expect involvement from professional chefs and restaurants.
[Nation’s Restaurant News]


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A few years ago I had observer status at a TV industry event in Florida. At the time, the hot topic in media circles was the impact of the Internet. Back then, media execs could still utter the word “convergence” without embarrassment or irony. Cable companies and publishing giants were getting set to hop in bed with web firms; teeny-tiny producers of online programming were getting millions in VC funding. (For my part, I'd just written a story for this magazine that ran under the headline “How the Internet killed television.”) Ah, those were heady days.
But while there were big moves afoot (BCE, for instance, was just about to buy the CTV network), there was a good deal of skepticism at the Florida resort where the convention in question took place. After one long day of seminars, networking and basking in the Orlando sun, a bunch of Canadian broadcast and telecom execs gathered in the tequila bar. Inevitably, the Internet came up in conversation. The consensus opinion seemed to be that it was “just another distribution channel.”
Looking back on that now, it seems to me to illustrate how it's possible to be right and wrong at the same time–right, because IP really is just another distribution channel, and wrong, because saying that is to underestimate the impact the introduction of a new distribution channel can have.
In fact, the revolution in media has turned out to be more dramatic than any reasonable observer would have thought six years ago. The surge in broadband and wireless have made the Internet not only more popular but more useful. Meanwhile, a profusion of content devices has created unprecedented diversity, customization and volume of media offerings–with important consequences for media companies, as the special editorial package that begins on page 51 reports.
Convergence didn't used to be just a model for media companies. Techies used to talk about it for home electronics–the single device delivering TV and movies and telephone and radio and you name it. But it turns out they were counting on consumers valuing the elegance of simplicity as much as techies do. Fact is, consumers (especially young ones) are quite happy multi-tasking media–on the phone, the TV set, the web and the iPod, and not necessarily one at a time.
This has big ramifications for mass-market businesses. One is that any single distribution of product is likely to make less money than it used to; instead, earnings are scattered across different platforms. The trick for the distributor of either programming or marketing messages is to deliver effectively for the specific media–to know your customer intimately, and, if you want to keep a mass market, to cobble together a lot of different platforms.
This is not an argument against big media–it might even be one against the crowd (led by Carl Icahn, of recent Fairmont fame) that wants to see AOL and Time Warner break up. Convergence might not work, but smart agglomeration–the return of silos, if you will–could. Breaking up AOL Time Warner isn't wrong so much as unnecessary. You don't have to get all the parts working together. You just have to get them working right.


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Yes, you’ve read it right! Mang Inasal, the country’s “Ihaw-Sarap” expert, is bringing a classic favorite just in time for National Burger Day!
For the first time, customers will get to try Mang Inasal’s first-ever charcoal-grilled Chorizo Burger that will be introduced in select stores this August.
“This National Burger Day gets extra special for Mang Inasal as we roll out our newest product — the smokey sweet-sarap, Char-grilled Chorizo Burger – that will surely excite our customers anytime of the day,” said Mang Inasal Business Unit Head Mike V. Castro. “For only ₱69, customers can enjoy a charcoal-grilled Chorizo Burger patty with cheese and a fried egg served on soft buns.” Continue reading Fresh From The Grill: Mang Inasal Launches Its Char-grilled Chorizo Burger


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Travel industry news worldwide
LOUNGE options at Singapore’s Changi Airport are about to get a whole lot grander, with Qantas now planning to open a dedicated First Lounge while also expanding the size of its existing Business Lounge by about 60 per cent, giving the airline a combined capacity to seat more than 800 customers across its facilities.
Details are so far slim, though Qantas has stated construction on the new lounge will begin in April next year and, when completed, it will be able to seat about 240 people. The airline has also confirmed that the lounge will have a strong focus on F&B, with a cocktail bar and an open kitchen with a Singapore-inspired à la carte menu. qantas.com.au


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From articles to hackathons, cybercriminals are resorting to crowdsourcing to find more ways to exploit systems. In this article, we tackle these contests, explore their results, and anticipate their possible impacts on the work of cybersecurity defenders.
Understanding current and future threats to the internet of things (IoT) can help shape how we secure this technology that is increasingly becoming integral to today's world. What insights can be reaped from the cybercrime underground?
Criminal sellers are peddling ready-to-use ATM malware in underground markets for hacking into banks. In this report, we discuss how criminals advertise and even provide instructions on how to pull off a digital heist.
Over 689,000 medical records and 9.3 million health insurance records were recently found being sold in the deep web. What happens to the stolen data, and how much is personal information worth in the online black market?
There's currently a high demand for Netflix and Uber credentials in the Deep Web and underground markets—perhaps even more than stolen credit card details. It's likely caused by its low cost and potential for more profit.
In Operation Onymous, 17 people were arrested and 414 different .onion domains were seized by various law enforcement agencies around the world. Soon after, new marketplaces using I2P and new currencies sprung up. Read more on Deep Web shutdowns.
Why would something as ordinary as a new kind of top-level domain (TLD) name interest anybody today? Is the level of attention it may receive, especially from security industry observers, even warranted? In the case of .bit, we believe it is.


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Each week the MEF team curates mobile stories from around the world. Essential news, the latest market insight & data nuggets, the Global News Round-up offers an instant international mobile content and commerce snapshot.
Global News Stories
The credit card industry processes a massive volume of transactions — about $4 trillion this year in the U.S., according to BI Intelligence estimates. With so much money in play, it’s no wonder that a host of startups are trying to carve out a niche for themselves and offer services to merchants and consumers that will rewrite the value they get from every credit card payment. But the credit card processing industry isn’t going to change over night. These startups are entering into an extremely complex and entrenched space.
Read More… (report)
It’s been rumored for months that Apple will be stepping deeper into health and fitness tracking when it launches its next-generation iOS 8 software for mobile devices. Now a series of in-depth screenshots purportedly from Apple’s “Healthbook” app has hit the web, revealing capabilities to track everything from steps taken and blood pressure to how you’re sleeping at night and if you’re drinking enough water.
Global Mobile Ad Spend Jumped 105% In 2013, On Track For $31.5B In 2014 Led By Google, Says eMarketer
As more people turn away from PCs and turn to smartphones and tablets for their online fix, the market for mobile ads continues to shift, too. Figures out today from research firm eMarketer note that mobile ad revenues surged 105% in 2013 to bring in nearly $18 billion in sales. It predicts that 2014 will see more modest growth, up 75% to $31.5 billion. Crucially, mobile ads are finally breaking through into meaningful shares of overall digital spend, and will account for nearly one-quarter of it this year.
The way we pay for goods and services is changing, as the world migrates from cash and credit cards to apps we run on our smartphones. It’s an evolution made possible by ubiquitous mobile platforms and always-on Internet connections, fueled by upstarts like Square and Stripe, and propelled by industry veterans like MasterCard who don’t want to be left behind. A recent Forbes magazine cover story on the $15 Trillion Gold Rush and the battle for control over the future of electronic payment systems, points to the intense competition and technology arms race among the incumbents and the upstarts.
In hot pursuit of the $16 billion-plus Facebook and WhatsApp merger, China’s Alibaba is leading a massive $280 million round in mobile messaging network Tango, which brings social fun and entertainment to chatting on your smartphone. Alibaba is investing $215 million in the round, while the rest is made up from participation by Tango’s existing investors.
As Asia’s fast-growing smartphone messaging apps are locked in battle to attract new users, any move by one popular service tends to be quickly followed by the others. Take the recent Nokia X smartphone deals. Line, a messaging app that dominates Japan and a few other Asian markets, said last month it would be preloaded on the Nokia X. Tencent Holdings followed suit, saying its WeChat messaging app, the clear market leader in China, would also be preloaded on the Nokia X.
A typical multiscreen user in the UK consumes just under seven hours of screen media on an average day, according to a report from Millward Brown – and it takes them just five hours in real time. That’s due to second screening, with users spending two hours every day using on two different devices simultaneously. However, the report notes, only seven per cent of second-screeners are ‘meshing’ – accessing related content – a figure that’s lower than almost any of the 30 countries surveyed.
With the era of bargain pricing in mobile paid search nearing an end, marketers can expect a tougher time breaking through on smartphone screens unless they have big budgets or can enhance their strategies through contextual relevance, social and voice.
Global News Round-up – These articles are not written by MEF and do not represent any views of individuals, members or the organisation.


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Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally said on Wednesday the No. 2 U.S. automaker was on track to return to profitability in 2009 despite a forecast for weaker industrywide U.S. sales this year.
Mulally, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference, also said he was "cautiously optimistic" about reaching a deal on wages and benefits with the United Auto Workers union.
"The plan is that we will return to profitability in 2009. And with everything that we see today and our projections — even with the lower overall market — we absolutely believe we can achieve that 2009 (target)," he said.
Asked about the UAW talks and whether Ford would reach a deal before the current contract expires on September 14, Mulally said, "I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll reach agreement."
A day earlier, Ford cut its forecast for 2007 industrywide U.S. auto sales, citing weakness in the housing market. General Motors Corp. and Toyota followed on Wednesday with their own forecasts for lower sales this year.
Mulally said he could not say if overall vehicle demand would recover in 2008, but added that Ford was watching a number of factors, including housing, economic growth and credit availability.
"If you look at the housing data, it takes a long time to get through that, sometimes two or three years, but we're going to continue to watch the data and we're going to continue to make production consistent with what that real demand is," he said.
Mulally said he was unsure if Ford's lower forecast for 2007 sales would prompt the company to reduce production over the remainder of the year. He said that decision would come in the next month.
"Around the first week in September is when we will make our decision for the fourth-quarter production," he said. "That's when we'll fine-tune the production decision."
Mulally also said Ford, which is in the middle of a restructuring that includes closing 16 plants and cutting up to 45,000 jobs, was on track to cut $5 billion in operating costs by next year under its turnaround plan, known as the "Way Forward."


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Partho Dasgupta granted bail by Bombay HC
The bail has been reportedly granted after the payment of PR Bond of Rs 2 lakh
Former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta has been granted bail by the Bombay High Court. The bail has been reportedly granted after the payment of PR Bond of Rs 2 lakh.
The former BARC CEO had approached the HC after his bail plea was rejected by a sessions court last month. Justice PD Naik said that Dasgupta is permitted to execute provisional cash bail of Rs 2 lakh for a period of six weeks.
Dasgupta was arrested in the TRP manipulation case back in December 2020. His was the 15th arrest in the TRP scam. He was arrested by Mumbai Police on December 24, 2020, after which, sought bail on the ground that other accused in the case have been granted bail.
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NEW YORK —
Sometimes, the devil is in the deals.
Americans shopped the winter clearance racks in January, resulting in strong sales during the month for retailers. But spending is expected to slow as the deals dry up heading into the spring, and Americans digest rising gas prices and a 2 percent payroll tax hike that started in January.
Noelle Perillo, 34, was certainly lured in by deals last month. She says that she spent a total of $100 in January on deeply discounted holiday ornaments, home items and clothes for her toddler son. But she also says her spending may slow in the months ahead.
“I have what I need, and I am kind of shopped out. I’m set for now,” says Perillo, a freelance public relations consultant who lives in Silver Springs, Md. “I am optimistic that things will improve but when I hear things like gas prices spiking, that’s a concern.”
Overall, 20 retailers reported on Thursday that revenue at stores opened at least a year — an indicator of a store’s health — rose an average of 5.1 percent, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. That’s above the trade group’s 3 percent estimate and the 4.5 percent increase posted in December. It also marks the highest reading since last August when the figure was up 6 percent.
Only a small group of stores that represent about 13 percent of the $2.4 trillion U.S. retail industry report monthly revenue. But the data offers a snapshot of consumer spending, which has been heavily influenced by big discounts during the economic downturn.
Retailers are coming off a ho-hum holiday season in which they had to do a lot of discounting to get shoppers to buy. And January, which marks the end of retailers’ fourth quarter, typically is the time when stores have clearance sales on winter merchandise to make room for spring items.
But once the clearance goods disappeared last month, so did shoppers. Analysts say the absence of big discounts — coupled with gas prices that have risen for the past 20 days and the higher payroll tax — caused sales to taper off in the last week or so of the month. Such pressures also hurt consumer confidence last month, which fell to the lowest reading in 14 months, according to the Conference Board.
Cato Corp., which sells women’s and girls’ clothing, said sales worsened throughout the month because of delays in shoppers’ tax refunds and the hit to their income from higher payroll taxes. As a result, the company, which runs about 1,300 stores in the U.S., said revenue dropped 12 percent in January.
“Sales at the beginning of the month were in line with our year-to-date-trend,” John Cato, CEO of Cato Corp., which sells moderately priced women’s and girls’ clothing, said in a statement. “However sales at the end of the month were significantly worse than trend. We think this was primarily due to the timing of tax refunds and the effect of higher payroll taxes.”
Overall, January was good for most retailers, though.
Macy’s, which runs Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s stores, said revenue rose 11.7 percent in January, nearly doubling the 6.4 percent increase analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected. And the retailer raised its fourth-quarter adjusted earnings forecast due to its strong performance in January.
Even Gap Inc., the owner of the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic chains that has struggled to regain its relevance, said its January revenue rose 8 percent on strength in its North American stores. That’s above the increase of 4 percent Wall Street expected.
Meanwhile, Target Corp., a discounter that sells everything from clothes to home goods to groceries, reported a solid 3.1 percent increase in revenue, helped by strong sales of clearance items. That beat the 1.7 percent estimate from Wall Street.
Despite the strong showing, Gregg Steinhafel, Target’s CEO, said its customers “continue to shop with discipline in the face of a slow economic recovery and new pressures, including recent payroll tax increases.”
As a result, Steinhafel said Target remains “focused on providing unbeatable value combined with a superior guest experience in both our stores and digital channels.”
Going forward, analyst say that retailers may have a tough time luring in shoppers.
“Consumers were shopping and hunting for those clearance items,” said Michael Niemira, chief economist at the ICSC, the trade group. “Despite the strong reading, January may be one of the highest points of the year.”
NEW YORK —
Sometimes, the devil is in the deals.
US stocks drift lower as Ukraine tensions fester
Stocks were directionless in late-afternoon trading Friday as tensions built in Ukraine, where the region of Crimea was preparing for a referendum on whether to split away and become part of Russia.
US employers add 175K jobs despite harsh weather
U.S. employers stepped up hiring in February despite a blast of harsh winter weather, renewing hopes that the economy could accelerate this year.
US rig count up 23 to 1,792
Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by 23 this week to 1,792.
Ukraine oligarchs get key posts in bid for unity
In a surprising move after Russia flexed its military might in the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine’s new leadership has reached out to oligarchs for help — appointing them as governors in eastern regions where loyalties to Moscow are strong.
Chevron pizza ’scandal’ isn’t one in small town
Critics are raging after an energy giant offered pizza coupons to a community near a natural gas well that exploded last month, killing a worker.
Stocks are mixed despite strong US jobs report
Stocks were wavering between small gains and losses early Friday after the government reported a pickup in hiring last month as well as a slight increase in the unemployment rate as more people started looking for work.
2-year extension offered for canceled health plans
Warding off the specter of election-year health insurance cancellations, the Obama administration Wednesday announced a two-year extension for individual policies that don’t meet requirements of the new health care law.
US companies spend heavily on big mergers in 2014
So far, 2014 is looking like the year of the big deal.
Approved! Bank loans to small business on the rise
The email from the bank was unexpected. Laura Benson got an increase in her small business credit line.
Stocks settle down after big swings on Ukraine
Calm returned to the stock market Wednesday after two days of volatile trading.
- More Business Headlines
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UtiliFIT™, the At-Your-Desk Fitness Program and ACAP Health team up to market UtiliFIT
ATLANTA, GEORGIA; DALLAS TEXAS (PRWEB) February 25, 2014
FIX (Fitness Interactive Experience) and ACAP Health announce a marketing partnership to bring UtiliFIT to ACAP’s customers and beyond. UtiliFIT’s office friendly desk based fitness game will be incorporated into ACAP’s menu of healthy services and apps available through ACAP’s sales channels.
UtiliFIT will first be introduced to key ACAP accounts during a 6 month integration period before being available through ACAP’s general sales portal. UtiliFIT’s office based fitness program directly addresses the growing health issues caused by prolonged periods of sitting, which is a significant health risk many white collar employers are only beginning to wrap their heads around.
“UtiliFIT is a health engagement engine designed to fit into peoples’ daily schedules. Its design and behavioral engineering have it outperforming other programs in terms of overall engagement,” says Mike Tinney, CEO and Founder of FIX. “In partnering with ACAP as our first marketing partner we align ourselves with a best in class services firm that puts their customer first .”
“ACAP Health has three primary service initiatives: obesity and diabetes management, targeted nutritional supplementation, and office fitness,” adds Todd Whitthorne, President of ACAP Health. “UtiliFIT is a key ingredient of our approach to work based fitness programs. Prior to their market entry the most sophisticated programs available were walking trackers. Walking is just the beginning. UtiliFIT combines engaging activities with behavioral science. It’s the perfect combination to help build sustainable habits that produce measurable results.”
More information is available at http://www.SittingIsSmoking.com, and http://www.acaphealth.com
About FIX: Fitness Interactive Experience
Founded in 2012 by CEO Mike Tinney, FIX has developed an interactive social media platform designed to make the pursuit of fitness an engaging game. The company’s health activity game, UtiliFIT™ (http://www.utilifit.com), is focused on helping employees reduce sedentary behavior and live healthier, more active lives. UtiliFIT complements any existing Corporate Wellness program, creating a healthier workforce and lowering companies’ healthcare costs.
About ACAP Health Consulting
ACAP Health Consulting is a healthcare consulting firm aligning major healthcare stakeholders including employers, insurers, medical providers, pharmaceutical companies and others with measurable solutions that lower the cost of healthcare benefits. ACAP Health’s ultimate goal is to transform health benefits to proactively connect patients with the medical providers and programs that give them the best chance of getting better — and to do so affordably. http://www.acaphealth.com


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Wall Street has its financial rescue plan in place. Do you have a plan for unloading your toxic debt?
After the recent market turmoil, people just aren't going to start this week by saying, "Oh well, glad that mess is over." The aftershock will continue.
We'll still feel on edge about the possibility of losing a job. Credit markets will take time to adjust, and experts say the process could be slow.
Some economists say the fallout from the financial crisis could drive a U.S. recession well into 2009, so we all need to build a bailout. Here are some strategies for doing so:
Build up your cash
Banks are continuing to be reluctant to offer basic loans to companies - and might be reluctant for a while. As credit remains tight, some businesses could continue to have trouble borrowing and have no choice but to begin cutting workers, said Mark Zandi, chief economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com.
Do what you can to have at least three to six months of cash to cover bills, in case of a job loss.
"Nothing you do financially will help you sleep better at night than knowing you have money tucked away for a rainy day," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.
Keep assets safe
Pay attention to where you put your savings. If you buy a U.S. savings bond now, for example, you cannot cash it in for 12 months.
Some so-called havens have run into trouble. The oldest U.S. money-market fund, Reserve Primary Fund, failed to repay investors in full during this crisis because of losses on debt issued by Lehman Brothers.
On Sept. 19, the U.S. Treasury announced a temporary guarantee program to protect shareholders of money market mutual funds. See finra.org for details. One bailout benefit is that savers already are receiving more FDIC protection. The FDIC insurance limit to protect bank - and credit union - accounts went up temporarily to $250,000, from $100,000.
Freeze your own credit
"In a bad economy, the answer really is not to find more credit to use. It's to make sure you're able to make your payments and find ways to cut back and live within your means," said Eve Pidgeon, a spokeswoman for GreenPath Inc. in Farmington Hills, Mich.
The idea, she said, is to live according to your wage.
Yet you might not want to close all your credit card accounts. Credit could become harder to get, so some experts say you might want to keep accounts open for emergencies.
Cut back on entertainment
Gail Perry-Mason, a Detroit financial author, said people need to lay off premium cable channels, extra services on cell phones, the latest video games or rounds of golf.
"Our household is a for-profit business, not a nonprofit," said Perry-Mason, a Detroit broker and co-author of Girl, Make Your Money Grow! ($12.95, Broadway paperback).
Track every dollar
Gerri Detweiler, credit adviser for Credit.com in San Francisco, said the best thing that consumers can do now is to start tracking their spending for 30 days.
"This will give you a clear idea of where your money is going and put you ahead if you need to seek help from a credit or mortgage counselor, or even a bankruptcy attorney," Detweiler said.
Do not wait for your monthly credit card statements. Call your card companies to monitor your charges and see how close you are to the limit, as well. Credit.com has information on improving a credit score, shopping for a credit card and paying down debt.


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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), a monetary regulatory physique within the United Kingdom, has issued a recent warning to crypto corporations. The regulator issued a mildly worded assertion on Thursday informing crypto corporations to be clear and trustworthy with their prospects when promoting crypto property, making an allowance for custody and prudential concerns and evaluation of dangers associated to monetary crime.
The assertion comes amid confusion about the way forward for a number of high-profile crypto suppliers in Britain. Many cryptocurrency corporations might be pressured to shut down their companies within the U.Ok. in the event that they fail to register with the finance regulator forward of a key deadline subsequent week. From March 31, corporations working crypto companies within the UK have to be registered with the FCA.
Last yr, the monetary watchdog prolonged the deadline permitting corporations on a brief register to proceed buying and selling whereas they search full authorization. The prolonged interval is coming to an finish. Now, with only a few days to go till the brand new deadline elapses, the destiny of corporations on the short-term register — together with $33 billion fintech agency Revolut and Copper.co, a cryptocurrency buying and selling agency that signed former U.Ok. Finance Minister Philip Hammond as an advisor – hangs within the steadiness.
Many trade contributors have expressed frustration relating to the style through which FCA is dealing with the crypto registration.
One lawyer advising crypto corporations on their purposes talked about that the watchdog was typically unresponsive and had been sluggish to approve purposes. The assertion has additionally been quoted by different gamers within the sector.
An FCA spokesperson disclosed that thus far, the regulator has authorised simply 33 crypto corporations’ purposes. Over 80% of the businesses that the watchdog has assessed to date have both withdrawn their purposes or been rejected. And some corporations are nonetheless withdrawing their purposes.
Companies which have had their purposes rejected by the regulator can attraction, however the course of is kind of lengthy and will even undergo the courts’ interventions.
Many quickly rising fintech corporations resembling Copper.co and Revolut could quickly be pressured to wind down their crypto buying and selling actions within the UK and transfer abroad in the event that they don’t make it onto the total register.
Continued Actions on Crypto Activities
The FCA has repeatedly made clear that it’s going to proceed taking motion the place wanted within the UK crypto-asset panorama. Consumers and firms ought to stay alert to dangers related to crypto property because the FCA’s exercise and experience on this space proceed to develop.
In January, the watchdog introduced new measures aimed to clamp down on risk-free crypto promoting. The regulator launched such efforts to defend shoppers from investing in high-risk merchandise the place they’re unaware of the dangers.
As a part of the proposals, corporations promoting and enabling the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies, can be required to situation a warning on every advert that the buyer is placing their funds in danger. Furthermore, any potential promotion or commercial would even have to be authorised by an current FCA-regulated agency as being honest, clear, and never deceptive.
Last week, the regulator opened a seek for somebody to head its crypto division. The monetary watchdog is at the moment searching for to rent an skilled to head its digital property division and construct a brand new crew. The division head is predicted to lead the FCA’s regulatory actions into crypto corporations that could be concerned in frauds and scams.
Image supply: Shutterstock


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CHICAGO — When it comes to goods, laundry and linen services need to know what’s happening with their product. That’s because textiles can far too easily go astray, leading to greater costs for operations.
So, laundry services have taken to using a variety of tracking options, according to a recent American Laundry News Your Views survey.
Almost 90% of respondents say that their operations make use of some type of tracking system for their linens.
The top two types of systems used? Piece count and weight, with both types utilized by nearly 52% of managers taking the survey. The next most used is radio-frequency identification (RFID) at 38%, followed by bar codes (31%) and labels (24%).
When asked why their companies use tracking systems, 75% of managers say it’s for inventory purposes, followed by eliminating waste at 64%. Almost 47% say they use tracking to assess productivity.
Other reasons given by respondents include, “Developing par levels” and “Projected order fill.”
One manager of a laundry/linen service that doesn’t use linen tracking methods says the company doesn’t because, “We’re one resort and we do in-house, so there’s no need.”
Another says it’s because, “We’re a COG laundry.”
When asked, “If you process customer-owned goods (COG), do any of those customers use tracking methods,” nearly 47% say yes, while 23% say no. Just over 3% didn’t know if their customers use linen tracking, and almost 27% of respondents don’t process COG.
For COG laundries whose customers do use tracking, the systems used mirror those of laundry operations with weight (53%) and piece counts (47%) leading the way. These were followed by RFID (33%) and labels (20%).
Unlike the laundry results, no COG customers use bar codes, according to respondents.
One survey taker did say that it has a customer that uses a manual tracking form to keep an eye on its linens.
When asked if, in general, the tracking of goods has increased or decreased over the past five years, almost 65% of respondents say it has increased. Nearly 23% say tracking levels have remained the same, while no survey taker sees a decrease in tracking. Almost 13% are unsure of tracking levels in the industry.
Technology and automation have seen major leaps in the laundry industry, so RFID tracking has been getting a lot of press. However, when asked if the use of RFID has increased or decreased over the past five years, more than 46% of respondents didn’t know.
Another 46% say the use of RFID tracking has increased, while 7% indicate it has remained the same. No survey takers say RFID tracking levels have decreased.
When asked the value for a laundry/linen service to use RFID tracking, 46% of respondents say “very valuable,” followed by “somewhat valuable” at 31%.
Almost 20% if survey takers say laundry use of RFID is “not really valuable,” followed by “not valuable at all” at almost 4% of respondents.
Of those who express a lower impression of RFID value, reasons centered on reliability and usability:
- Errors with readers and RFID chips themselves coupled with lack of ROI when all costs are truly known.
- Customer disagrees with results.
- If a customer calls and says they’re missing something, explaining that your system shows they should have inventory is not a satisfactory answer to them.
- This would be difficult with personal items and small items like washcloths.
- As cost decreases and the reliability rate of the scanning process increases, RFID will become more valuable.
While the Your Views survey presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific. Due to rounding, percentages may not add up to 100%.
Subscribers to American Laundry News e-mails are invited to take the industry survey anonymously online each quarter. All managers and administrators of institutional/OPL, cooperative, commercial and industrial laundries are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define operator opinions and identify industry trends.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].


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Upper West Side Apartments are selling faster and at higher prices than ever before. If you’re a buyer on a timeline, it is important to be aware of this when on the prowl for a new pad.
Inventory is at a serious low. The market has been dry for several years now, but the current supply is lower than it’s been in at least five. Interest rates are on the rise. And, foreign buying power is stronger than ever.
On the Upper West Side, records are certainly being set, and off-market properties are being sold – this is something that rarely happens unless the market is red hot.
While Demi Moore’s San Remo penthouse is on the market for a cool $75 million, even starter apartments are selling for staggering amounts.
Zara Amor of Love Where You Live Realty just recently got her client, the owner of a 275-square-foot Spencer Arms studio, a signed contract at about $1,220 per foot, while most studios in this building (even now) are selling for closer to $1,000 per foot.
Prices above $1,200 per foot on the Upper West Side are typically found in two-bedroom apartments, so figures like this are quite staggering. It is important to note that, unlike most products that can be bought in “bulk” for a discount, in real estate, the price per square foot increases along with the size of the apartment.
Virtually every apartment is getting at least asking price, and as a buyer, you should be ready to expect a bidding war and to exceed asking price when the competition calls for it.
According to REBNY’s first quarter report, the Upper West Side saw the second highest volume of sales, with 532 (just after the Upper East Side). So, while demand is high throughout the city, it’s especially high on the UWS. Comparing the first quarter of 2015 with that of 2014, the average price per square foot has increased by 4% to a whopping $1,429.
With all these factors in mind, this is not the best time for deal-seekers expecting discounts. But, it might be a good time for those who are equally distraught by high rents, or for those who want to take advantage of interest rates while they are still low.
Mike Mishkin is CEO of Love Where You Live Realty in Manhattan


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The general suspicion that something just ain’t right with the economy has become an obvious reality. Hope and optimism that somehow things will muddle along, or improve, are fading. You can see it, feel it, and even smell it.
For example, several new data points were revealed Friday. Each offered further confirmation that the economy’s not progressing. Rather, it’s regressing.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, producer prices dropped 0.4 percent last month and 1.6 percent on an annualized basis. Naturally, wholesale prices go down when the dollar goes up. They also go down when there’s weakening demand.
One would think that a strong dollar would encourage greater demand in the U.S. for imported goods. Yet that’s not what’s happening at all. “For the first time in at least a decade,” reports the Wall Street Journal, “imports fell in both September and October at each of the three busiest U.S. seaports.”
Reduced demand for doodads from China and other exporters likely translates into weaker U.S. retail sales. Currently, this appears to be happening. For according to the Commerce Department, retail sales rose just one tenth of one percent in October. What to make of it?
Gasping for Air
The consumer, if you recall, accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy. Of this, retail sales account for about a third of consumer spending. Services make up the other two thirds.
Slow-moving retail spending may mean there’s higher service spending. From what we gather, nominal dollars spent on services year to date have been at 67.5 percent of total consumption, which is up from 66.6 percent for the same period in 2014. Hence, the mighty consumer could still be driving the economy forward.
The real effect of this spending differential will be unclear until fourth quarter GDP is reported. What is clear is that Wall Street, that forward looking animal, thinks retail’s gasping for air. Walmart shares are down approximately 32 percent year to date. Target, on the other hand, is down just about 4.7 percent. But since mid-July it is down about 15 percent.
Walmart and Target will report third quarter earnings on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Wall Street analysts are expecting a decline in quarterly revenues for both of these stores. So, perhaps, weak revenues are already priced into these stocks. To what extent, we shall soon find out.
Some of the higher end retailers are having a rough go of it too. Macy’s, for example, is down over 41 percent year to date. Nordstrom’s is down over 26 percent so far this year.
The Next Frauds to Come Down the Turnpike
In other words, many retail stocks are already in a bear market; they are down 20 percent or more. Likewise, those that aren’t already in a bear market soon will be. The year-end Black Friday earnings boost may end up being a year-end bust.
“According to a survey done by retail research firm Conlumino,” reports CNN Money, “45 percent of shoppers said they planned to spend less on Black Friday this year than last year. Another 24 percent said they would spend about the same amount while only 18 percent said they would spend more. The remaining 13 percent sat out Black Friday last year and said they would do so again this year.”
Declining wholesale prices and weak holiday demand could portend a deflating economy. Of course, price deflation is not what the Fed wants. The Fed wants price inflation.
Specifically, the Fed wants consistent 2 percent inflation to encourage consumption, grease the economy, and perpetually lighten the burden of debt. Yet, where an economy’s concerned, things hardly work out the way the planners want. Instead of price inflation the Fed may get the opposite. Deflation is what they fear most.
When the economy deflates, a self-reinforcing cycle develops. Prices rapidly decline but so does spending, which accelerates personal, business, and government bankruptcies. As businesses fail the unemployment rate skyrockets.
Following the Great Recession the Fed executed extraordinarily radical monetary policies to levitate prices. These policies, which we are experiencing the ramifications of today, resulted in high asset prices and a stunted economy. Given the nearly $4 trillion in debt monetization that occurred, the Fed will probably up their ante to combat the next deflationary scare.
Negative interest rates, where banks charge you a fee for holding your money, and QE for the people, where the Fed creates money from nothing and sends checks to everyone, are the next likely frauds to come down the turnpike.
Prepare now for the massive pileup that will surely follow.
for Economic Prism


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Google, Facebook and Twitter work with major consumer brands and ad buying agencies on coordinated self-policing amidst calls for stricter regulation
The advertising industry’s biggest players have joined forces with tech giants and major brands in what they called the first coordinated effort to combat dangerous content online.
The Global Alliance for Responsible Media includes sixteen of the world’s biggest advertisers, including Unilever and Procter & Gamble, as well as media buying agencies from the major ad groups, WPP, IPG, Publicis, Omnicom and Dentsu, and platform owners including Google, Twitter and Facebook.
The group aims to “rapidly improve digital safety” as platforms come under pressure from regulators over the spread of content including misinformation and extremist material.
The platforms have been accused of failing to stem the spread of illegal content and that which is aimed at disrupting elections or fuels extremism, with countries including the UK proposing stricter regulations as a solution.
The new self-regulatory body was announced on the second day of the annual Cannes Lions gathering of the advertising industry.
“When industry challenges spill into society, creating division and putting our children at risk, it’s on all of us to act,” Luis Di Como, executive vice president of global media at Unilever, told Reuters.
“Founding this alliance is a great step toward rebuilding trust in our industry and society.”
Di Como said the group would initially focus on content posing an immediate risk to society, such as militant extremism.
The alliance aims to develop a “concrete set” of processes and protocols to protect people and brands online.
In the UK, MPs have called for social media executives to be held personally responsible for the spread of harmful content, and for the formation of a new regulator that would be financed by a levy on tech companies.
Others have called for large online groups to be forcibly broken up.
‘Next step forward’
Facebook said the company was “resolute” in its commitment to provide a safe community and that the alliance was its “next step forward”.
John Montgomery, global vice-president of brand safety at WPP-owned GroupM, told the Financial Times that one of the alliance’s aims was to institute third-party vetting of online platforms for harmful content.
Doing so would provide better “transparency” so that groups could better determine where to place their advertising.
The group’s first meeting is to be held on Wednesday.
Damian Collins, chair of Parliament’s digital, culture, media and sport select committee, said the group’s scope was limited by its focus on advertising.
“(The) damage posed by harmful material that’s posted online (is) clearly something that advertisers are waking up to as a threat to their products and how they promote them online,” he said.
“But digital safety has got to be about protecting all users as individuals, not just as brand consumers.”


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The company is asking for users to share videos detailing their memories and stories of using Xbox Live, similar to the Xbox Anthem video shown during the Xbox One unveiling on May 21. The video featured appearances by members of the original Xbox team — including Bill Gates, Robbie Bach and J. Allard — as well as Steven Spielberg, who will produce the upcoming live-action Halo television series. Members from Forza developer Turn 10 Studios and Halo's 343 Industries also shared their experience with Xbox Live, alongside Crytek founder Cevat Yerli and Remedy Entertainment's Matias Myllyrinne.
Xbox gamers were also featured prominently in the video, such as Eric Neustadter, who received the first gamertag on Xbox Live, members of entertainment company Rooster Teeth, and numerous couples, parents and children who have strengthened their relationships through gaming.
"We love these stories so much we were inspired to build a site to showcase them," wrote Xbox Wire editor Lisa Gurry. "And to ask you to share your story. Xbox has 48 million Xbox Live members with 48 million stories behind each one."
Check out the hub, including a handful of new videos from Xbox gamers and developers, here.


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Apple announced two new iPads, finally ditching the ubiquitous Home button on its standard models and bringing a powerful new chip to the Pro.
The 10th-generation basic tablet joins the Air and mini versions with an all-screen design, just like the iPhone X first launched in 2017.
It measures 10.9 inches and features an A14 chip that Apple says will improve performance speeds and battery life, as well as updated cameras, including a repositioned front-facing camera for better video calling.
It’s now on top when you hold it vertically like an iPhone, and on top when you hold it horizontally like a laptop.
For those who want their iPad to have more of a laptop vibe, a new keyboard with a trackpad will also be released alongside the tablet on October 26th – and it’s available in four colors.
As for the new iPad Pro, it’s equipped with the same M2 chip as some of Apple’s Macs, possibly delivering more power than you’ll ever need in those Netflix binge and Candy Crush sessions.
It also promises to improve the functionality of the Apple Pencil, with a screen capable of detecting the world’s most beautiful writing instrument from 12mm away – allowing you to see a preview of what you want to write or draw before actually committing to it.
UK prices far outstrip US
For those interested in the UK, the devices will cost a penny.
The new standard iPad starts at £499 and the new iPad Pro starts at £899.
That’s a disadvantage compared to the US, where the base model starts at $449 (£397) and the Pro starts at $799 (£707).
What about my old iPad? Is there love?
As is the case with Apple product launches, many of the most exciting features come from software rather than hardware.
The latest version of iPadOS (16) will be released two days before the release of the new iPad and will support all existing iPad Pro, 3rd generation iPad Air and 5th generation iPad and iPad Air and above.
Here’s some of what you can expect:
• Edit or unsend text sent in Messages
• Set up and join photo galleries to share with family and friends
• Share tabs and bookmarks in the Safari web browser
• Improved multitasking, allowing you to resize and overlap application windows just like on the desktop
• Finally, yes, really, the iPad is getting a built-in weather app
One more thing…
In addition to the iPad, a new Apple TV 4K was also announced.
Like the tablet, it comes with a new chip – the A16 – for faster performance.
It also supports more forms of HDR, comes with an upgraded remote with a trackpad, and the voice assistant Siri will be redesigned with a software update.
You’ll be able to ask more questions specific to the TV experience, such as recommendations for what to watch, it recognizes the voices of different users and offers tailored recommendations.
The new Apple TV was released on November 4, with prices starting at £149.
For more on science and technology, explore the future with Sky News at Big Ideas Live 2022.
Learn more and book tickets here


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Today EA attended a Goldman Sachs Conference and dropped more details about when they will announce the release date for The Old Republic. EA’s CFO Eric Brown said that they expect to announce a release date by the end of October, which will usually means they plan on releasing it within three weeks of the date announcement. If they announce the date at the end of October, that means the game may be released on November 22nd, which would be the seventh anniversary of World of Warcraft’s release.
Brown did continue to say that they may delay the game into their March quarter next year. Who knows what factors they’re really looking at when deciding whether or not to delay it. If they’re trying to avoid running into a Blizzard release, they’ll have a big WoW patch at the end of November, a possible Diablo 3 release after that, and then a new expansion in March. What happened to WAR may be scaring EA with TOR, but can you really blame them?


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Across the globe, CEOs and line of business leaders are seeking new ways to adopt business technology that enables digital innovation. However, American organizations are forecast to invest 1.75 times more than European organizations on information technologies (IT) from 2018 through 2022.
According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), China is also set to outpace Europe in key areas of business technology investment.
While European entities will invest more in IT than their Chinese counterparts through 2022, the latter will invest 47 percent more into innovation accelerators.
Digital Business Market Development
"That Europe trails the U.S. in its use of digital technology is often accepted as a given. What's worrisome is the size and potential widening of the gap between the two," says Mark Yates, research manager at IDC. "And, of course, there are companies out there that are able to do more with less or that have not yet pushed their IT systems to their full potential."
And, according to the IDC assessment, there is a great deal that can be done by restructuring the organization and resetting business goals. But so much innovation today depends on the application of cutting-edge technologies, that new spending will almost always be needed to remain competitive.
The most extreme technology example cited in the IDC study is artificial intelligence (AI).
Already used in security, customer service, and e-commerce, AI is being increasingly deployed to improve manufacturing, logistics, staff recruitment and management, and healthcare.
The savvy line of business leaders within forward-looking enterprises consider AI to be crucial for reducing costs, facilitating revenue growth, and improving customer experience. That said, AI is dominated by American organizations, which are expected to invest more than 4.5 times more than those based in Europe from 2018 to 2022.
The largest spending area cited in the study is the Internet of Things (IoT), where total spending is around 16 times higher than for AI, mainly because the immediate benefits are usually more apparent on balance sheets and cash flow statements.
Once again, IDC reports that both U.S.-based and China-based enterprises are forecast to invest more both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP through 2022.
"It's important to recognize that European goods and services are still in high demand," says Marc Dowd, principal client advisor at IDC. "Many European enterprises, especially in Central and Northern Europe, have done an exceptional job of streamlining operations, innovating new business, and maintaining high standards without a lot of cutting-edge technology."
Outlook for Digital Innovation Growth in Europe
However, IDC analysts believe that won't last. Whether deployed via the public cloud or on-premises systems, ERP and CRM solutions are essentially commodities. So too are a lot of IT tools used to ensure quality.
Therefore, the IDC study findings suggest that European firms will need to up their business technology game considerably over the next few years if they wish to stay competitive with global counterparts.


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Textile production in the US is rising with the surge in cotton yarn imports.
As per latest statistics released by OTEXA, cotton yarn imports by the US increased by 96.71 per cent Y-o-Y to $46.80 million during January-March ’22.
Cotton yarn imports by the US have been surging since the yearly slump in 2020.
Of total cotton yarns imported by the US, yarns worth $15.39 million were imported from South Korea registering a 249.74 per cent Y-o-Y growth.
Imports from India grew by 100.49 per cent Y-o-Y to $11.21 million during the period while that from Pakistan surged by 88.61 per cent Y-o-Y to $6.85 million.
Cotton yarn imports by the US valued $105 million in 2018 that declined to $83.19 million in 2019 and further contracted to $76.57 million in 2020. 2021 was the positive year as imports increased to $130.15 million during the year.


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KAPITA is a private sector development company that aims to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through investment, research, incubation/acceleration, and market development programs.
More About KAPITA
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May 17, 2022


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What's Behind the Windows Server 2008 Delay?
Some analysts believe it's tied to Vista SP1
Microsoft published almost no details earlier this week with its announcement that Windows Server 2008's release to manufacturing (RTM) date had slippedfrom late this year into early next. Only vague explanations of needing to meet high quality standards were given, leaving most in the dark. Does the delay mean that Windows 2008 development has hit some kind of snag, and could more delays be coming?
IDC Analyst Al Gillen doesn't think so. Microsoft, he said, "Didn't give a very good explanation about why" there was a delay. Still, he continued, "I'm not so sure it's such a big deal, as long as RTM doesn't extend beyond the launch date."
That date is Feb. 27, 2008, the day that will see the much-hyped "LaunchWave." Now, Windows 2008 is in real danger of not being available for the event, which could be deflating for Microsoft.
"I was surprised, yeah, and frankly a little disappointed" in the announced delay, Gillen said. "We've been waiting for the product a long period of time, and once they [set] the launch date, it appeared [Microsoft] had the launch schedule well under control."
Microsoft, through a spokesman, said that the launch won't be affected by the delay. "This does not affect the joint Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 launch, scheduled for February 27,2008 in Los Angeles, CA. The launch, as well as the launch events taking place around the world, remains on track."
Gillen speculated on a possible reason for the delay, while emphasizing that he had no specific knowledge. He said that as Microsoft goes through the later beta versions -- Windows 2008 is currently in beta 3 testing -- that more customers look at the product and make suggestions for changes.This doesn't happen as much in the earlier stages of testing, Gillen said."If a really important customer or customers say you have to make a change to the OS," Microsoft is likely to listen and implement the change, even at the cost of pushing back a delivery date.
Another analyst surprised by the slippage is Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group. "I wasn't expecting another delay. I expected they were going to roll this" out in the earlier timeframe, Enderle commented.
Enderle, though, believes the timing of the delay is directly tied to another announcement Microsoft made on the same day: that Windows Vista SP1 was expected to RTM early next year.
Vista and Windows 2008 share the same codebase, and it's important that one version of the code not get too far ahead of another version. With the many changes coming in Vista SP1, Microsoft didn't want Vista's code to be too far ahead of Windows 2008's. "From the standpoint of servers, Microsoft would rather have [Windows 2008] at [Vista] SP1 level when it ships,"Enderle said.
Gillen agreed that the need to keep the code at roughly the same level could be a factor. "They can't afford to let the two code bases get too far apart."
Whatever the reason, the continued delays for Windows 2008 -- formerly known as Longhorn Server -- certainly take a toll on Microsoft's reputation, which already suffers from a perception that it can't make publicly-stated deadlines.
And if, for some reason, the RTM date were to slip again, it could be an ominous sign. Enderle does not anticipate another delay because, he said, Windows 2008 is now "Gated on [Vista] SP1's" release, and there is finally an established timeline, if not yet a very specific one, for the service pack.
Said Gillen, "I really would not expect them to delay it again. If they did, it wouldn't bode well in terms of how they would deliver this product."
Keith Ward is the editor in chief of Virtualization & Cloud Review. Follow him on Twitter @VirtReviewKeith.


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Wecyclers is a Lagos-based startup using an incentive-based program to deal with the waste problem in Lagos, the Nigerian megacity where more than 18 million people live.
PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images/file
Turning trash into cash —
Launched by Nigerian entrepreneur Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola a year and a half ago, the company has now some 5,000 households subscribed to its service.
Using a fleet of low-cost cargo bicycles, the startups collects the waste from local people and then sells it on to recycling factories.
Households that subscribe to Wecyclers have waste collected once a week, and the service is free.
Incentives for effort —
In order to encourage people to sort rubbish, the company gives them points which they can redeem for items like blenders, irons or soaps every three months.
Dreams for the future —
At the moment, most rewards come from donations as the company is yet to turn a profit: "We hope that as we grow and add value to the material we sell then we hope to see profits come in - but now, we are not making profits," says Adebiyi-Abiola.
Social responsibility —
Abiola says that her incentive for starting the company has been a desire to improve the living conditions of people in low-income areas.


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Excerpts from this story referencing "lawyer":
"… ep their labor costs low and profit margins high,” Michael Rubin, a lawyer for the workers, contended in a written statement to the Center for P …"
"… By adding Walmart – the warehouse’s only customer – to the lawsuit, lawyers for the workers are seeking to prove that the company pressured Schneider …"
"… orkers. Her views were hardened in the mid-1990s, when, while working as a lawyer with the Asian-Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles, she represent …"
"… ay was calculated. Neither of these rulings touched Walmart directly. But, lawyer Rubin asserts, the retailer “is responsible for the ultimate plight of t …"


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These Beautiful Boutique Hotels That Can Compete With Airbnb Travel
This is one of the most controversial questions for road warriors: hotel or Airbnb? Don’t worry about your answer. Thanks to a new hybrid concept that is taking the hospitality world by storm, it is possible to get the best of both worlds. Meet the charming aparthotel. It’s half apartment, half hotel, but 100% ready for your Instagram feed.
This type of accommodation is generally reminiscent of the ultra-generic, budget extended stay hotel characterized by Homewood Suites or Residence Inn or sterile corporate accommodation. But that’s not it: Boutique apartment hotels cater to project-based travelers who typically book shorter stays at stylish establishments like Hoxton or Soho House.
In properties like this, you’ll get three times the square footage, functional kitchenettes and comfortable living spaces, plus contemporary design, all for the same T&E-approved price as a mid-range hotel. or an Airbnb down the street.
If Airbnb is the biggest threat to most hoteliers – because of its value, perceived authenticity, and scale – apartment owners say otherwise. “Airbnb is the best thing that can happen to us,” says Eric Jafari, who introduced the concept to the UK with his fledgling brand, Locke. Larry Korman, president of American aparthotel brand AKA agrees. “Airbnb opened up this idea that there could be advantages to a residence over a bedroom,” he says.
“Travelers like flexibility,” Korman adds. And investors too. In February, Locke, barely 16 months into its existence and only two hotels to its name, was bought by Brookfield Capital for a purchase price of £ 430million ($ 565million), including real estate assets. and a pipeline. Jafari estimates the company will be worth up to $ 2.5 billion by 2023.
“Over time, large hotel companies will look to this opportunity,” says Steve Kent, professor of commerce at Molloy College in Rockville Center, NY, and founder of the Goldman Sachs hotel investment group. “It is aligned with the interests of consumers and developers, and [hotel operators] are very quick to evolve and embrace what these two constituents desire. “
Compete with Airbnb
“The reality of an Airbnb rarely reflects the images [of the listings]Jafari says of Locke. “There is no gymnasium. Blackout blinds are zero. You show up at 10 a.m. and can’t check in until 3 p.m., but there is nowhere to leave your luggage.
And yet, he says, the apartment hotel industry is seriously under-represented, even in big cities like London. He said that when he started developing his concept in 2010, “you could have quadrupled the number of long-stay hotels and still be under-supplied.”
Fast forward to October 2016, when its inaugural hotel, Leman Locke, opened in east London. Customers could leave their luggage at the receptionist while housekeeping finished packing their Scandinavian-style “Locke Dream Beds” and shiny white kitchenettes. In the lobby, they could plug in laptops and sip coffee at the on-site Hyde Cafe or join the hotel’s 5K Running Club.
For AKA Korman, consistency, privacy and security are the keys to surpassing Airbnb. Its hotels are located in cities from New York to Los Angeles and Washington and cater to the creative class, whether traveling on business or not. “The film and entertainment industry has attracted us since the early 2000s because it wanted a space to bring people back to watching the dailies, as well as privacy and anonymity,” he explains to About the first users of the company. “I’m saying angels are in the details, and that’s where Airbnb has its Achilles heel,” he jokes.
Customers of aparthotels range from families temporarily displaced by a health emergency to those going through separation or renovating their homes. At AKA, they also include Tina Fey and the cast from her Broadway show, who remained in Washington property while working on the Mean Girls transition from film to stage. They have hosted child actors for Disney and Netflix, as well as a handful of basketball players in West Hollywood.
The premise is gaining popularity. The most recent report by hotel data analytics firm STR, released in July 2016, showed that 46.5% of Airbnb customers booked “long-term stays” of seven nights or more. And while only 9% of hotel bookings in the United States were attributed to extended stay brands, those hotels grew 5% over the same period.
Designed for nomads of the world
Jo Layton is the Managing Director of Apartment Service, an alliance of apartment hotel brands that also acts as a reservation agency for 1 million serviced apartments. On a recent call from her head office in Wimbledon, London, she told Bloomberg that the industry has traditionally focused on the B2B market. Historically, 95% of its site’s inventory was exclusively bookable through a special portal for travel managers and corporate agents, which largely serve Fortune 500 companies with multi-month projects and relocation needs. .
Now, she says, apartment hotels are designed for shorter stays of five to 28 nights. “It’s longer than a typical hotel stay but just outside the window of corporate accommodation.” They are also bookable online, just like normal hotels.
Shai Zelering, managing director of hospitality at Brookfield Capital, attributes this to the emergence of the digital nomad. Speaking to Bloomberg from his Washington office, he cites a McKinsey study showing that the global workforce will be 75% millennial within eight years and that 71% of those young employees expect global assignments during their careers. “Companies are starting to view international experiences as an essential part of career and talent development,” he adds.
“Much of the hospitality industry talks about millennials,” adds Locke’s Jafari, “but our demographics are tied by the fact that they are city dwellers, not by their age. Millennial or not, these nomads around the world share the desire to make their own protein smoothies for breakfast and stream Netflix before bed. Room service? Concierge? Coverage service? They can go out the window.
Industry-wide Zelering of Brookfield says, “Hotels have 20-40% margins. Apartment hotels are higher – probably 50-60% margins.
Overhead and labor aren’t the only cost savings. Residential neighborhoods make real estate cheaper. And Professor de Molloy Kent adds that “everything from smaller check-in areas, less conference and meeting space, and restaurants that can be rented contributes to profitability.” Add in multi-week bookings that keep occupancy rates close to 100%, and it’s clear why investors are biting.
Where to find them
Locke Hotels’ pipeline includes 22 projects over the next few years, including locations in Dublin, Paris and Berlin. “The intention is to cover all major European cities and bring the company to $ 2 or $ 2.5 billion [in valuation] – then we’ll look at the US and Australasian markets, ”Jafari explains.
AKA, meanwhile, intends to grow from 12 to 36 properties over the next five years, covering Paris, Rome, Austin, Miami, Chicago and even “cool cities” like Prague and San Sebastian.
Other competitors are multiplying. In Amsterdam, the first Zoku hotel opened with 133 loft-style rooms with modular furniture. Wilde, a design-focused subsidiary of the UK’s largest aparthotel operator, launched in March; his first property is in London, with another soon to be in Edinburgh. Clearly, WeWork has jumped into space with its residency-focused spin-off, WeLive, now in New York and Washington. And Native, a company acquired by Starwood Capital in 2015, now has 15 apartment hotels scattered across London, with upcoming locations in Glasgow and Manchester.
“Locke will never reach Airbnb’s $ 31 billion valuation,” says Zelering of Brookfield. “But that’s not the intention.” The intention, he says, is to meet the very real needs of a whole new segment of the traveler population, before someone else gets ahead of the company.
To pursue @htlifeandstyle for more


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By: Zaki Salleh
Ipoh- The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) of Perak is set to organize the Agro Madani Sale in conjunction with Independence Month at the R&R RTC Gopeng Square starting tomorrow until next Thursday.
Spanning six days to commemorate the celebration of independence, the sale will feature a diverse range of quality fresh commodities at reasonable prices.
According to Noorsham Ramly, the Director of FAMA Perak, the Agro Madani Sale promises substantial savings to the public, particularly the economically disadvantaged segment of the population.
“This program offers savings of up to 10% to 30%, contributing to the economic welfare of consumers.
“The significance lies in the fact that the Agro Madani Sale is a governmental initiative aimed at assisting the targeted groups, especially the less privileged, to shop more economically,” he remarked.
Noorsham highlighted that the distinctive feature of the Agro Madani Sale is FAMA’s provision of the Madani Combo Sale, offering substantial discounts to buyers.
He stated that the Madani Combo includes a basket containing essential items such as a chicken, two types of vegetables, and onions.
“While the market price hovers around RM30 to RM32, it is being offered at only RM15 per basket.
“We can provide such low prices due to our supplies being sourced from suppliers and growers who are strategic partners of FAMA.
“We have prepared 50 baskets of Madani Combo for each sales series,” he disclosed.
The Agro Madani Sale not only extends an opportunity for citizens to make savings but also contributes to fostering a sense of economic solidarity during this patriotic period.


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After the news that Canada’s mislabelled trash was rejected by Philippines recycling facilities, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding what would come next. Despite the initial uproar and potential threats to Canadian-Filipino relations, it seems like the problem is now under control, thanks to Burnaby’s Waste-to-Energy incinerator. Not only does Metro Vancouver believe disposing of the garbage will be no problem, they have also stated that incinerating 1,500 tonnes of trash will produce enough power to supply the equivalent of 16,000 homes in the region for two days.
Alberta’s contentious liquor taxes made news again this week as Calgary-based Big Rock Brewery announced plans to layoff employees as a cost-saving measure. Big Rock has stated it will have to pay more than $21 million in liquor taxes this year, so it seems likely that more cuts will ensue.
Lastly, Sofina Foods Inc. made national news again this week for yet another salmonella outbreak linked to their Compliments brand chicken strips. Since the last outbreak made the news, multiple vendors have not only refrained from pulling the product from its shelves, but have actually been selling them at a highly discounted rate. As much as we love chicken strips, we recommend steering clear of Compliments products.
Here are six articles you might have missed in the world of food news this week.
Big Rock Brewery laying off staff due to Alberta’s beer taxes
Metro Vancouver plans to incinerate trash from Philippines
Earlier this month, we reported that the Canadian government offered to bring back 1,500 tonnes of garbage from the Philippines that was mislabelled as recycling. According to Metro Vancouver, Environment and Climate Change Canada has selected Burnaby’s Waste-to-Energy Facility to dispose of the waste. Incinerating the garbage will reportedly produce enough power to supply the equivalent of enery needs of 16,000 homes in the region for two days.
Find out more at CBC News.
Fast food franchises and immigration consultants taking cash from foreign nationals in exchange for job opportunities
Multiple sources have recently come forward admitting that Canadian service-sector businesses have been accepting payments of up to $20,000 from foreign nationals to provide jobs in Canada. Although this practice is highly illegal, it is also very difficult to trace.
Read more about this shocking story at the Globe and Mail.
Winners of Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards revealed
The 26th annual Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards took place this week featuring products that were introduced into the market in 2018. Among the 24 winners, four recipients also received special awards, including Oggi Foods Inc.’s All-Canadian trophy for its cauliflower pizza crust, Gay Lea Foods' innovation and originality award, and a special lifetime achievement award to the Sobey Family.
Find out more at Newswire.
Compliments brand chicken strips linked to national Salmonella outbreak
Sofina Foods Inc. is back in the news for yet another salmonella-related product recall. Eleven people in seven provinces have fallen ill because of its Compliments brand chicken strips, and while that number may seem relatively low, it is one among hundreds of laboratory-confirmed salmonella cases in the past two years.
Wild pigs spreading across Canada
Some researchers say that the rapid growth of Canada’s wild pig population carries with it a severe risk for the potential to spread disease, devastate crops, and destroy natural vegetation. Wild pigs cover a range of over 777,000 square kilometres in Canada and researchers say that over the last decade, their territory has grown by an average of 88,000 square kilometres per year.
Find the full story at CTV News.


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India's smartphone production and sales are expected to be disrupted if component supplies from Coronavirus hit China continue to hamper for a prolonged period, brokerage firm CLSA said on Thursday.
Reliance Jio Infocomm’s annual operating income is estimated to double in two years to a whopping Rs 52,400 crore by when its mobile user base is slated to swell to 500 million, propelled by a mix of tariff hikes and accelerated market share gains in a sector rapidly evolving into a private duopoly, analysts said.
Brokerage firm CLSA on Thursday said that the new tariffs announced by Reliance Jio are 7-20 per cent lower than the new rates offered by its competitors.
CLSA’s target price on the stock is the highest among 37 brokerages tracking the stock.
CLSA said Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea will likely keep tariffs unchanged and focus more on gaining 4G subscribers.
Bharti Airtel, according to it, was able to raise the highest Arpu (at Rs 129) in the telecom sector despite negligible subscriber churn.
Over the past two years, Airtel’s 4G data traffic share has increased by 17 percentage points (ppt) to 23%, while Jio lost as much as 21 ppt, causing its national data traffic share to shrink to 60%, brokerage CLSA said, analysing data put out by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
Brokerage firm CLSA in its recent study said that the price of 5G spectrum is $ 7 billion per 100 MHz in India which is too high and nearly four times of that in Korea, reported by Business Line.
CLSA said the company missed on revenues and its operating metrics looks weak.
Reducing liabilities holds the key to Vodafone Idea’s ability to expand 4G operations, say analysts.
A report by investment firm CLSA shows that IT majors TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, Infosys and industry body Nasscom were collectively spending up to $2.4 million for lobbying in the US in fiscal year 2015.
The brokerage firm anticipates a 40-billion rupee ($611 million) boost to Reliance’s earnings before interest
Vivo made its position in the top 5 smartphone brands in the state while being the only Chinese brand to make it.
Indian brand Micromax made its spot in the top 30 global smartphone brands recording shipment of 6.6 million in 2017.
As the 4G smartphone base will continue to expand, Jio is expected to have its presence on 155 million 4G smartphones by March 2019.
CLSA said it expects Bharti Airtel to achieve “a 7% CAGR in average revenue user (ARPU) over FY18-21 amid rising data adoption".
Consolidation in India mobile is set to accelerate and this bodes well for top operators, presenting them with an opportunity to outpace the sector growth and improve share and profitability, it said.
"High leverage will limit RCom's ability to buyback spectrum in auctions in 2021. This could drive a sharp drop in its 2G revenue coverage and potentially hit revenue," the brokerage firm said.
The CEO of India’s No 1 phone company also downplayed analysts’ views about early signs of stability, saying the telecom market, on the contrary, had actually “shrunk by 6% in the June quarter” amid the continuing price war unleashed by the new 4G entrant, and that it was too premature to get optimistic with no clarity yet on Jio’s full pricing structure.
The amount received from subscribers is reported as advances from customers in the Jio balance sheet.


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WEST ELLICOTT – A preprepared meal service based in Olean is expanding to the Jamestown area.
Go To Meals owner, Deon Gayton, is expanding his operations by opening a new storefront location at the 707 Fairmount Avenue business plaza.
Fresh and healthy foods will be made at his current Olean store, before being shipped in their delivery van to the Jamestown area.
Meals start at $6.75, with prices decreasing as more quantities are ordered. Gayton says each week offerings change in order to provide a good variety to his customers.
As demand grows, he says his delivery service will expand to Jamestown as well.
“We have a couple of customers that live here and were driving to Olean,” explained Gayton. “We figured that Jamestown was probably three or four times the size of Olean, so there has to be a demand here.”
The young entrepreneur started the business three years ago after finding it hard to purchase healthy ready-to-eat meals while in college.
“That kind of just shifted into a business,” furthered Gayton. “I was hitting the idea around Olean, and people were receptive, we save people so much time and there are hundreds of people that are losing weight, you feel great.”
He hopes to open the new location at the end of May or beginning of June. To learn more, visit gotomealsolean.com.


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Are Entrepreneurs Down in the Dumps?
The Dow Jones industrial average has been setting records, passing the 13,000 mark for the first time last week. But the news from Main Street has not exactly been matching up to that coming out of Wall Street. In fact, three surveys of entrepreneurs released this month showed that small-business owners are more pessimistic about the national economy and the future than they have been in several years.
Consider the March Economic Trends report (www.nfib.com/page/sbet), released in early April by the National Federation of Independent Business. It shows that the percentage of independent business owners citing the current period as a "good time to expand" fell six points to 12%. The net percent of owners who expect the economy to be better in six months than it is today fell five points to 7%.
The annual DAK Group/Columbia Business School study (/www.dakgroup.com/survey/2006SurveySummary.pdf), which surveys 703 privately held companies whose revenues range from $5 to $100 million, reported similar declines. For the first time since 2003, the number of respondents who say they expect to see a boost in their revenues in the next year decreased.
According to this year's survey, the number of respondents expecting revenue to increase in 2007 declined to 83%. (Some 89% said they expected revenue increases in 2006.) And only 71% of respondents said they expect to see revenue growth in their industries, down from 79% in 2006.
Finally, a survey (/www.nsba.biz/docs/surveyfinal.pdf) released last week by the National Small Business Assn. showed that only 29% of small-business owners expect continued national economic expansion in 2007. In 2000, when the group conducted a similar survey, 62% responded positively to the same question. When asked to compare today's economy with that of five years ago, 43% said the economy is in worse shape today (see BusinessWeek.com, 4/24/07, "Changing Concerns for Entrepreneurs").
Why the declining optimism, and why is it coming from entrepreneurs—a notoriously cheery group? The surveys show that trouble getting access to capital and problems caused by the increasing cost of employee health insurance topped the lists of small business woes.
One of the toughest challenges—listed in the NSBA survey by 39% of respondents— was the cost of health insurance. In the group's 1993 survey, 61% of respondents said they offered medical coverage for their employees. By this year, that number had dropped to 41%.
Among the business owners surveyed this year, 71% said they supported health-care reforms that would require universal coverage. The same percentage, however, rejected the notion that employers should be legally required to provide insurance benefits.
Still An Optimistic Breed
Another major concern—which surfaced among 31% of respondents to the NSBA survey— was access to capital, with 67% reporting that they can secure adequate financing. That's a nine-percentage-point drop from the group's 2000 survey, when 76% said they had sufficient access to business financing.
The smallest companies—those with four or fewer employees—reported that they have the greatest struggles to get adequate financing. Those micro-businesses are more likely to lean on credit cards with high interest rates and fees to finance their companies, the survey showed.
The news is not all bad, especially when it comes to entrepreneurs assessing their own chances for business success. More than 80% of NSBA survey respondents said they are optimistic about their companies, with 68% saying they expect gross revenues to increase in the next 12 months, and 65% saying they expect net profits to increase.
The NFIB report showed a three-point rise in the percentage of entrepreneurs planning to make capital outlays. And in the DAK/Columbia study, while the number of respondents who expect their businesses to increase in value in the next year decreased, it was still at 75%—a large majority.
Another bright spot: A first-of-its-kind generational study conducted by American Express (AEXP) showed that a majority of Generation Y and Baby Boomer entrepreneurs are optimistic about the state of the U.S. economy. And large majorities—76% and 90%, respectively—of Gen Yers and Boomers described opening their own companies as "a good idea."


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FCC Stories September 20
FCC Stories August 31
Ahead of a rumored October event, the FCC today revealed certification of two smartphones from Google. The technical reports and E-label do not offer much in the way of new information, but does reveal model numbers for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
Deal: Get Pixelbook at 25% off: $750!
FCC Stories August 17
FCC Stories July 13
Google Fiber set out to disrupt the ISP industry eight years ago, but has since scaled down its ambitions. Among other factors, physically deploying fiber served as a big obstacle to Google’s plans. The FCC is now set to approve a system that could increase high-speed broadband deployment across the United States.
FCC Stories June 21
Wear OS has already seen a number of changes this year from a rebrand to the Android P Developer Preview. Google’s wearable platform is still set for more upgrades with new Qualcomm chipsets coming this fall and the rumor of Made by Google watches. Till then, the FCC today revealed that Fossil’s next generation wearables include NFC.
FCC Stories May 4
A new filing with the FCC this afternoon reveals that Google is updating the second-generation Chromecast launched in 2015 with Bluetooth functionality. Carrying a new FCC ID, it’s currently unclear what Bluetooth will be used for, while one document explicitly states that existing Chromecasts will not receive these capabilities due to regulatory reasons.