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Geo Energy (GERL SP): Riding the super cycle
- BUY Entry – 0.51 Target – 0.56 Stop Loss – 0.48
- Valuable coal. GERL owns four coal mining concessions in Indonesia. The group reported a JORC VALMIN valuation of US$726mn for its coal reserves (as at 31 August 2021), and had cash of US$191mn (as at end-Dec 2021). This compares favourably against its current market capitalisation of around US$543mn (S$733mn).
- A great year…The group reported its highest coal volume sales of 11.4mn tonnes in 2021, which generated sales of US$642mn (+109% YoY) and net profit of US$179mn. This was mainly on the back of higher coal prices as ICI4 rose and averaged US$65.85 in 2021.
- …and an even greater year ahead. Indonesia’s coal miners are expected to benefit from the tight supply amid the disruptions to Russian supply due to sanctions. The ICI4, Indonesia’s coal benchmark for 4,200 GAR coal is once again trading above US$100 per tonne. (see coal price chart below)
- Juicy dividends and cheap valuations. GERL will be paying out a final dividend of 5.0 Sing cents, which is pending approval at the upcoming AGM. This brings total full-year 2021 dividends to 9.0 Sing cents, or US$93.5mn. GERL currently trades at only 3x FY2021 P/E.
SGX IHS McCloskey Indonesian 4200kc GAR FOB Thermal Coal Futures
OxPay Financial Ltd (OPFL SP): From losses to profits
- RE-ITERATE BUY Entry – 0.175 Target – 0.200 Stop Loss – 0.160
- The turnaround. OxPay announced adjusted net profit of S$3.2mn in FY21 VS FY20’s net loss of S$1.9mn, driven by a surge in revenue of 53.2% YoY in FY21. Gross profit margin jumped to 62% in FY21, from 32% in FY20, mainly due to an increase in remittance activities from its merchants.
- Riding on the BNPL trend. OxPay recently entered into multiple partnerships in the “Buy Now Pay Later” (BNPL) space, such as with IOU Pay and PaySlowSlow. Pursuant to the partnership with IOU Pay, OxPay will be able to add the BNPL option into its online e-invoicing, Quickpay and web payment acceptance platform in Malaysia, thereby catering to the growing consumer demand for deferred payment choices. OxPay has also collaborated with BNPL brand PaySlowSlow in Singapore and will provide the brand with payment gateway and merchant acquiring services. PaySlowSlow Singapore targets to roll out BNPL services in 1Q22, with 500 merchants and monthly gross transaction value of approximately S$1.0mn, which is expected to translate into additional processing volume for OxPay.
- Reinforcing foothold in the F&B and retail space. Capitalising on its specialty in the F&B and retail space, OxPay has also acquired up to 20% stake in AppPOS, a network of over 300 F&B and retail merchants. AppsPOS has more than 1mn users on its mobile apps/website in Asia, facilitating over S$300mn worth of Gross Merchant Value annually.
- Neobanking in UK and European markets. OxPay announced earlier this year that it has partnered with TranSwap, a global banking-as-a-service platform with multiple central bank licenses across the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia. TranSwap will integrate its neobank technology stack in OxPay’s current platform. With this partnership, OxPay will offer neobanking products such as the issuance of local and global virtual name bank accounts to clients for collection, payment and conversion of currencies, as well as global cross-border payment and issuance of cards.
- Summary. Despite being a fintech company, OxPay managed to turnaround its losses from the previous year and generated adjusted net profits in FY21. The company has low levels of debt, a negative net gearing ratio and the business is free from large capex commitments, inventory and operates on a straightforward revenue model.
- While we have a technical buy TP of S$0.200, we have a fundamental outperform rating and TP of S$0.30 based on 18x P/E (Previously 25x) to FY22F EPS of S$0.017. Read our fundamental report here.
Xtep International Holdings Ltd (1368 HK): Exercise more after reopening
- BUY Entry 11.8 – Target – 13.5 Stop Loss – 11.0
- Xtep International Holdings Limited engages in the design, development, manufacture, sale, and marketing and brand management of sports footwear, apparel, and accessories. The company sells its products primarily under the XTEP brand, as well as Palladium, K-Swiss, Saucony, and Merrell brand names. It is also involved in the trading of sportswear products.
- Outstanding FY21 earnings. The company announced its FY21 annual results last week. FY21 is the highest record year for the company. Revenue 22.5% YoY to RMB10bn. Gross profit jumped by 30.6% YoY to RMB4.2bn. Profit attributable to ordinary equity holders jumped by 77.0% YoY to RMB908.3mn. Gross profit margin increased by 2.6 ppts to 41.7%. Net profit margin increased by 2.8 ppts to 9.1%.
- A solid customer base is established. The Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 2021/22 have helped domestic sportswear brands to gain more market shares from International brands such as Nike and Adidas. Once the customer base is established, the company is expected to have stable growth due to brand loyalty and user stickiness.
- Lockdowns are actually a buying opportunity. China is experiencing a surge in COVID cases and ensuing lockdowns of cities. However, this will generate pent-up demand for outdoor activities afterwards. In November, there will be another international sports event tantamount to the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Sportswear companies are expected to enjoy another shopping spree in both the near term and mid-term.
- Updated market consensus of the EPS growth in FY22/23 is 24.3%/24.4% YoY respectively, which translates to 22.1x/17.8x forward PE. Current PER is 27.5x. Bloomberg consensus average 12-month target price is HK$14.91.
Xinte Energy Co., Ltd. (1799 HK): Substitution effect in play
- RE-ITERATE BUY Entry – 16.8 Target – 18.5 Stop Loss – 15.5
- Xinte Energy Co., Ltd. is an investment holding company principally engaged in the provision of solar energy and wind power solutions. The Company operates through seven segments. Polysilicon Production segment is engaged in the production and sales of polysilicon. Engineering and Construction Contracting (ECC) segment is engaged in the provision of ECC services for solar energy plants and wind power plants. Inverter Manufacturing segment is engaged in the manufacture of inverters. Sales of Electricity segment is engaged in the generation and sales of electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) Wafer and Module Manufacturing segment is engaged in the manufacture and sales of PV wafers and modules. Build-Own-Operate (BOO) segment is engaged in the building and operation of solar energy plants and wind power plants. Others segment is engaged in related trading businesses and the provision of design and logistics services.
- High oil prices are tailwins for renewable energy. The Russia-Ukraine conflict results in unprecedented sanctions on Russia which is a main crude oil exporter. The unexpected widening supply gap of 4mn bbl/d boosted oil prices to 2014 highs. Europe and the US are rushing to secure alternative sources of supply and ramp up domestic oil output amidst the looming energy crisis. Meanwhile, the situation will also accelerate the deployment of renewable energy supply, especially solar. Photovoltaic sector is expected to revive after months of correction. The concerns over potential sanctions on China photovoltaic companies should be relieved as the US priorities reining in inflation by increasing energy supplies at the moment.
- Positive FY21 earnings alert. Net profit attributable to shareholders of the company is expected to be no less than RMB5.0bn compared to RMB0.7bn in FY20. The increase in the Group’s profit is mainly due to the increase in sales volume of polysilicon products, the significant increase in the sales price of polysilicon products, as well as the increase in the scale and power generation volume of the group’s self-operated wind power and photovoltaic power plants.
- Updated market consensus of the EPS growth in FY22/23 is 8.6%/-18.6% YoY respectively, which translates to 3.4x/4.2x forward PE. Current PER is 8.7x. FY22F/23F dividend yield is 5.1%/3.1%. Bloomberg consensus average 12-month target price is HK$20.94.
Top Sector Gainers
|Elon Musk breaks out the dance moves as he opens new Tesla factory in Germany
Tesla (TSLA US)
|Alibaba’s upscaled buyback may be a sign of things to come
Alibaba (BABA US)
|10-year Treasury yield hits the highest since 2019 after Powell’s remarks
Bank of America (BAC US)
Top Sector Losers
|With Inflation Surging, Biden Targets Ocean Shipping
Zim Integrated Shipping (ZIM US)
|Some Coal Prices Started to Fall, Coke Market with Stable Expectations
Peabody Energy (BTU US)
|US, UK reach agreement to ease steel, aluminum tariffs
Aluminum Corporation of China (ACH US)
- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA US) shares rose 11% after the company increased its share buyback program to $25 billion from $15 billion, effective for a two-year period through March 2024. Alibaba also appointed Weijian Shan, executive chairman of Hong Kong-headquartered investment group PAG, to its board as an independent director.
- Tesla Inc (TSLA US) shares rose 7.9% yesterday after the company announced that it will on Tuesday (Mar 22) deliver to customers the first 30 Model Y cars made at its 5 billion euro Gruenheide plant, the biggest investment in a German car factory in recent history. At full capacity, the plant will produce 500,000 cars annually – more than the 450,000 battery-electric vehicles that German rival Volkswagen sold globally in 2021. It will also generate 50 gigawatt hours of battery power, surpassing all other plants in Germany.
- Datadog Inc (DDOG US) shares rose 6.1% yesterday after investment firm BTIG initiated coverage of the stock with a buy rating. BTIG said in a note to clients that Datadog is set up for near- and long-term success.
- Alphabet Inc (GOOG US) shares rose 2.8% yesterday after Google’s parent company spun off Sandbox AQ, a quantum computing start-up that includes former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as investor and chairman of the board.
- Nike Inc (NKE US) shares rose 2.2% yesterday after the company reported a beat on the top and bottom lines in the third quarter. The retailer reported earnings of 87 cents per share on revenues of $10.87 billion, topping analysts’ estimates of 71 cents per share on revenues of $10.59 billion. Nike delayed giving its outlook for the year.
- OIO Holdings Ltd (OIO SP) shares rose 13.9% yesterday, in tandem with the recovery in crypto prices. Ether jumped as much as 4.8% on Tuesday in Asia, touching its highest level since Feb 17, as anticipation builds for the biggest software upgrade in Ethereum’s eight-year history. Called the Merge and expected within months, it will change how transactions on Ethereum are ordered, helping the network consume less electricity and run more efficiently. Developers have been promising the upgrade for years.
- Place Holdings Ltd (THEPLACE SP) shares rose 13.4% yesterday. Recently. The company signed a MOU to Acquire 51% of IP Rights Associated with Property Landmark, THE PLACE, and Iconic Attraction, Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen, in Beijing. Both the IP Rights and Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen are income-generative businesses and they are expected to strengthen the financial performance of the Group. There are also various opportunities to leverage on the IP Rights and technological features of Shimao Tianjie Sky Screen to develop new business propositions related to the digital economy (such as gamification, NFTs, Metaverse) and create new revenue streams.
- First Resources Ltd (FR SP), Golden Agri-Resources Ltd (GGR SP) and Wilmar International Holding Ltd (WIL SP) shares rose 5%, 5.3% and 2.8% respectively yesterday. Malaysian palm oil futures edged higher towards the MYR 6,000 region in late March, bouncing off their worst weekly drop since 1986 as threats of a Russian oil embargo lifted crude prices and boosted the appeal of the tropical oil. Last week, Indonesia surprised markets and removed its export restrictions on palm oil products. The world’s top producer has raised its export levy instead of asking producers to sell 30% of their planned exports to the domestic market, marking a new bid to stabilise domestic prices
Top Sector Gainers
|With Inflation Surging, Biden Targets Ocean Shipping
Nongfu Spring Co Ltd (9633 HK)
|Coronavirus: Hong Kong residents stuck abroad rush to book flights home, while others worry about ‘fast-changing policies’ after move to ease travel restrictions
Nagacorp Ltd. (3918 HK)
|Automobile Retailing, Maintenance & Repair
|Volkswagen forms Chinese ties to secure EV battery materials
Tan Chong International Ltd. (693 HK)
Top Sector Losers
|Sequoia China and IDG Co-funds Footwear Brand Miracle Miles’ USD 100 Mn Series A
Xtep International Holdings Limited (1368 HK)
|‘Red flags’ as some China property developers say they can’t release earnings on time
Hysan Development Co Ltd (14 HK)
|Travel & Tourism
|Chinese recovery teams sift debris of crashed China Eastern jet
Trip.com Group Ltd (9961 HK)
- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988 HK) shares rose 11.2% yesterday after the company raised its share buyback programme to $25 billion, the largest ever repurchase plan by the e-commerce giant. This is the second time Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has expanded its buyback programme in a year. It had hiked the programme from $10 billion to $15 billion last August. Meanwhile, tech stocks continued to rally, such as JD.com Inc (9618 HK) which gained 6.2% yesterday, after Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said that Beijing will roll out more measures to boost the economy as well as favourable policy steps for capital markets.
- Li Ning Co. Ltd. (2331 HK) and Xtep International Holdings Ltd (1368 HK) shares rose 8.8% and 9.1% respectively yesterday, after Shenwan Hongyuan, Orient Securities and other institutions continued to be optimistic about the growth space of high-quality national sports brands under the rise of domestic products. In addition, from January to February, the retail sales of clothing increased 4.8% YoY, and the online retail sales of clothing increased 3.9% YoY. Bank of China International said that retail sales in March are expected to fluctuate, but the recovery trend of clothing retail demand in the medium and long term will not change.
- Trip.com Group Ltd (9961 HK) shares rose 8.6% yesterday after Hong Kong announced the easing of travel rules in an apparent shift from zero-Covid policy. Hong Kong will lift a ban on flights from nine countries and reduce hotel quarantine alongside a “roadmap” towards eased restrictions that suggest a departure from the territory’s zero-Covid policy, its leader has announced. Lam also announced social restrictions on gathering limits, mask-wearing, and business and venue operations would begin easing in three phases from 20 April.
Trading Dashboard Update: No additions or deletions to trading dashboard.
(Click to enlarge image)


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» Napolcom Result 2013
Napolcom Result 2013
Napolcom Result 2013 on Technology News and Updates AdmaTechnology.com at Thursday, April 24, 2014
The news about BlackBerry 10 smartphone presence in the cheaper version of the more widely heard.
This time, the phone will be called the BlackBerry R10 predicted that re-emerged in cyberspace, but with different colors.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Monday [...]
Many Japanese game lovers prefer to search for information about the price of PlayStation 4 (PS4), rather than the design of the console and software support.
The poll Famitsu, Japan’s leading game magazine, mentions 1064 respondents finding out [...]
The good news for you smartphone users had Windows Phone OS. Angry Birds can now be downloaded for free.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Thursday (2/5), Angry Birds has changed the status of being free is the original version, that is Angry Birds first.
Hewlett Packard (HP) as one of the printer manufacturers claim the new printer, the HP Officejet Pro X Series X476 and X451 Color MFP, the fastest printer in the world.
Recorded in the Guinness World Records, the printer is capable of printing 70 pages [...]
The design is minimalist.
Leaked photo of the latest BlackBerry smart phone cellular seemed talkative use touch screen technology, rated following the design of the iPhone from Apple.
The photos leaked to tech site Vietnam, Tinhte.vn it, believed to [...]
You are one of the fans of the game Plants Vs Zombies? If yes, then this time there is interesting info for you.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Wednesday (8/5), the latest version, Plants Vs Zombies 2: It’s About Time, is reportedly ready to slide in July [...]
Apple reportedly ready to release a mini-version of the course will also be priced cheaper than its flagship smartphone, the iPhone.
Quoted from Techradar, Saturday (2/23), according to the report, the presence of the iPhone Mini will happen this summer.
BlackBerry, the big names who are drowning and trying to get up. Research In Motion (RIM) is ready with a new platform that can be trusted to restore the glory of the BlackBerry.
BlackBerry 10 to be slid January 30, 2013 could be the answer. Just how [...]
The sound that tells you if there is a comment, leave, and other messages.
Facebook reportedly tested a sound alert system to notify the owner of the account when there is a friend who wrote, leave a message, comments, and so on.
Unpublished experiment [...]
Apple is reportedly preparing a new MacBook Pro is equipped with Intel’s Haswell and will be introduced at the WWDC 2013, 10-14 June 2013 in the U.S..
Never heard about Intel Haswell? This is the latest generation of Intel processors, which will [...]
Forget for a moment about advanced products. During the next week, AdmaTechnology will discuss more about the person behind the successful world of IT companies in his career.
The first person to be examined is Steve Ballmer. Are there some of you who’ve [...]

domain: news


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TAI'AN CITY, Shandong, China, Jan. 14 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China Biologic Products, Inc. (Pink sheets: CBPO) ("China Biologic" or the "Company"), one of the leading manufacturers of plasma-based pharmaceutical products in the People's Republic of China ("China" or the "PRC"), today announced that it was granted a RMB1.5 million (approximately US$0.2 million) award by the Shandong Provincial Government for use in the improvement of its plasma production facilities in accordance with Shandong's "Double Hundred Project" initiative.
The Double Hundred Project initiative was launched in January 2006 by Shandong Province, in response to China's Eleventh Five-year Development Plan. Through the Double Hundred Project, Shandong set up a special fund to develop what it identified as one hundred key products and one hundred key technology innovation centers in the province. The project provides, among other things, policy and financial support as well as quantitative government assessment to develop the chosen one hundred key products into eventually becoming, within five years, among China's top three products in terms of production capacity in their respective industries. Recognition of a product by the project also results in brand recognition for a manufacturer within Shandong Province and throughout China.
The Company's grant award was preceded by the Company's formal acceptance into the Double Hundred Project by the Shandong Economic and Trade Committee on December 21, 2007.
"We consider this award from the government as a strong endorsement of our continuous efforts in research and development and of our achievements in upgrading our production facilities to develop more technologically advanced plasma based products," said Mr. Stanley Wong, CEO of China Biologic. "We expect that support from the project will provide us with a competitive edge for our manufacturing technology and our products."
About China Biologic Products
|SOURCE China Biologic Products, Inc.|
Copyright©2008 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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Leveraged Commentary and Data’s (LCD) credit data, news, and research are now on PitchBook.
Learn more »
Digvijay Lamba Overview
Digvijay Lamba General Information
Mr. Digvijay Lamba serves as Chief Technology Officer at Alteryx. Previously, he was the Senior Director at Walmart Labs. Prior to Walmart Labs, he was the Chief Architect at Kosmix, a search engine company that went on to be acquired by Walmart. He has a BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. With more than 20 years of technical leadership experience in data and machine learning, DV has demonstrated real-world technical prowess in cloud-native, analytic technologies, and the broader cloud ecosystem. He has also been a founder and investor in the startup ecosystem for many years. DV joined Alteryx in 2021 through the company's acquisition of Lore IO, a no-code analytics company, where he served as the founder and CEO. DV was also part of the founding team at Walmart Labs, and he served as chief architect at Kosmix, which Walmart acquired. With a deep understanding of and experience in data analytics and data science platforms, DV is helping Alteryx deliver on its mission of helping every knowledge worker uncover insights in their data. He served as Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Lore IO.


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That’s what Minnesota’s Mall of America did, not by finding a service that sells such information, but by investing in a massive and complex Wi-Fi network, designed and deployed by AmpThink using Cisco gear. And the service is free for Mall visitors. While being an attractive guest feature, the service simultaneously provides the Mall with enough data to fill digital warehouses with information about what people do both online and in the real world while on the property.
According to Janette Smrcka, IT director for Mall of America, though the Mall is only at the start of its data analysis program, it is already seeing interesting results that will likely help the Mall better connect with its visitors and, in all likelihood, improve business results for Mall tenants. A recent month-long sampling of customer behavior data gave the Mall a tremendous amount of insight on how activities such as promotions and events affect visitor behavior, information the Mall wouldn’t have had without its Wi-Fi network.
“We’re just at the beginning of being able to use all of this valuable data and translate it into actionable information,” said Smrcka in an interview at Mall of America, located in Bloomington, nine miles south of Minneapolis.
Almost a Super Bowl of data every week
How much data are we talking about? In the world of stadium networks, the most recent Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. set a single-day record with 26 terabytes of wireless data used – 15.9 TB on cellular networks and 10.1 TB on the stadium Wi-Fi. At Mall of America, from the launch of their Wi-Fi network during Thanksgiving weekend last year until May 2016, nearly 320,000 unique Mall visitors connected to the network, using a total of 486 TB of traffic – almost a Super Bowl of data per week.While the Mall might not match the single-day crush of a Super Bowl, the steady stream of visitors (Mall officials estimate that the six million square-foot facility sees an average of 109,000 visitors on weekdays and 160,000 on weekends) produces some staggering numbers. According to a recent public presentation about the network, Mall of America claimed that one month of Wi-Fi usage on its network equaled a full year of Wi-Fi activity on an NBA-sized stadium network.
According to Smrcka, the Mall knew it needed Wi-Fi connectivity as a table stakes amenity, but it was mindful of fitting performance to price, while achieving return on investment justification in the process.
“We knew we needed something but the challenge was the cost,” Smrcka said. “We knew we couldn’t charge for the service.” Smrcka also said the Mall has seen other malls try and fail with initial Wi-Fi deployments due to subpar service, prompting guest disdain.
“We’ve seen some of our peers put Wi-Fi in, and not do it very well, and get lots of complaints,” Smrcka said. “It’s like airport Wi-Fi. Sure it’s there, but just try using it.”
With AmpThink, Mall of America found a partner who knew the need for high-quality deployments. The design and install company has been behind the Wi-Fi networks at several Super Bowls, as well as recent networks built in stadiums like Kyle Field at Texas A&M and US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.However, this massive Wi-Fi network, along with the unique challenges of implementing it at the Mall, also needed the elusive component of return on investment.
Not easy to build inside a mall
On a recent early morning tour of the Mall, AmpThink president Bill Anderson showed Mobile Sports Report some of the challenges inherent to one of the world’s biggest shopping venues. For starters, there was the need for custom enclosures that fit with the facility’s overall aesthetics as well as cutting through double firewalls (the real kind of firewalls, not the software kind) to keep safety codes intact.
To cover one of the Mall’s more unique spaces, the 7-acre theme park in the center of the facility, AmpThink had to design and build enclosures that look like big lollipops. This “Wi-Fi ball on a stick” design fit the park’s design aesthetics while providing coverage in and around the various rides and amusement spaces. AmpThink also figured out how to fit a Wi-Fi AP inside digital sign kiosks, so the kiosks could connect to the network and therefore the Cisco StadiumVision system for digital display management. In many places, the APs included beacons inside, setting up the network for device proximity capabilities.
From an RF perspective, Anderson said one of the toughest challenges was keeping interference to a minimum between APs on different floors of the multi-level mall. Another large challenge was simply the logistics of construction, with separate scheduling needed for the many hundreds of Mall tenants.“We own the space above their ceilings, and would need to get in the stores to run cable through,” said Smrcka. Coordinating construction was a challenge at times, like when teenage clerks didn’t relay scheduling messages to their store managers, further complicated by the need to have security officers present to keep an eye on inventory.
Anderson said that AmpThink deployment teams also needed to make sure they cleaned up after putting in APs, as any drywall dust found on store facades could result in complaints from store owners. Despite the extra hurdles, deployment of the network, composed of more than 600 APs, started in July of last year and launched just before Thanksgiving. Then the data started pouring in. Now, what to do with all that information?
Putting students to work
To help figure out how to best use the stream of information coming its way, the Mall conducted a study of its data in a partnership with graduate students at the Carlson Analytics Lab at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. By mapping visitor behavior using Wi-Fi and beacon activity – tracking where shoppers arrived, where they walked and how long they spent in different areas of the Mall – Mall of America and the student researchers were able to uncover interesting stats on things like in-mall promotions, events and store appeal.According to the Mall’s presentation at the recent SEAT Conference in Las Vegas, one analysis showed that if visitors were offered free admission to the amusement park, they actually spent 40 percent of their time at the Mall somewhere other than the amusement park — a sign that free amusement park entry could spur more shopping. The analysis also showed that during events at the Mall – according to the Mall, it hosts more than 400 special events a year – visitors stayed at the Mall on average 1.4 times longer than visitors who did not attend an event. The Mall also found out that 39 percent of event attendees visited the Mall’s food courts, compared to 25 percent of non-event visitors.
During its presentation, the Mall also showed screenshots of interactive “heat maps” showing exactly where visitors entered, where they walked, and how long they stayed. This information was gathered by the Wi-Fi AP beacons, which allowed for accurate device location tracking. With such information at their fingertips, the Mall sees a future where the network helps initiate new features for assisted shopping and custom experiences for visitors without resorting to historic feedback systems like surveys or focus groups.
Data driving the future
“This data is golden when it comes to describing shopper behavior,” said Smrcka, who also talked about the deployment at the SEAT Conference in Las Vegas. Shopper surveys, she said, have proven to sometimes not be reliable, and “who has the time to sit in a focus group for hours?”This information enhances other Mall guest behavior and experience initiatives. “We already have a social media command team watching geo-located social media posts,” Smrcka said. They also employ a text messaging system, which visitors use to send messages to customized numbers to communicate if a bathroom needs servicing, set a reminder for their parking spot, or to find out where the closest gelato stand is.
And while Mall of America, like other bricks and mortar retailers, competes every day against online shopping, Smrcka said there are plenty of people who still want to see and feel the goods they are purchasing. Mall of America plans to use their Wi-Fi network’s data to make the guest experience even better and study the feasibility of possible future services like personal shopping, valet parking, curbside pickup and home delivery.
Moreover, Smrcka and her team can better segment and target its visitors and their entertainment, dining and shopping needs.
“What we’re able to do [from analytics] is still changing from month to month,” Smrcka said. “But the data really empowers a team like ours.”


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Investors should not have unrealistic expectations regarding the pace at which U.S. inflation subsides in 2023, analysts argue, ahead of Thursday’s consumer price index report for December which may test the mild rally in stocks in the new year and may determine the size of the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate rise in February.
The December CPI reading from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks changes in the prices paid by consumers for goods and services, is expected to show a 6.5% rise from a year earlier, slowing from a 7.1% year-over-year rise seen in the previous month, according to a survey of economists by Dow Jones. The core price measure that strips out volatile food and fuel costs, is expected to rise 0.3% from November, or 5.7% year over year.
The December CPI will be particularly important for influencing the Fed’s decision in its upcoming meeting which concludes February 1, said economists at Pimco. They expect the inflation and labor market data will have moderated sufficiently will push the central bank to pause rate hikes before their May meeting.
“After hiking 50 basis points at the December meeting, we expect the Fed moves to a 25bp hiking pace in early February, and ultimately pause around 5%,” wrote Pimco’s economists Tiffany Wilding and Allison Boxer, in a Tuesday note.
However, since the Fed’s December meeting, officials have relentlessly signaled the central bank will need to raise interest rates above 5% in order to get inflation to the 2% target, with no interest rate cuts expected this year. Fed funds futures traders now see a 78% likelihood of a 25 basis point hike at its February meeting, and a 68% chance of another in March, which would bring the terminal rate to merely 4.75-5% by mid-year, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
MarketWatch Live: U.S. stock futures nudge higher as inflation data looms
After two lower-than-expected CPI readings, which have given the market hope that inflation will melt away quickly, the December reading for inflation is essential to keep alive the market’s hopes for falling inflation, Michael J. Kramer, founder of Mott Capital Management said in a Monday note.
“Inflation swaps currently see inflation falling below 2.5% by the summer of 2023, which seems hopeful,” Kramer said. “This week’s CPI reading will be essential in maintaining that view and could prove disastrous if CPI comes in hotter than expected, veering market-based inflation expectations off course.”
The stock market is looking for an “around 5%” increase in December’s core inflation, said Rhys Williams, chief strategist at Spouting Rock Asset Management. “If you get a number in the low four [percent], the stock-market rally will continue. The market is very hyper-focused on data points.”
U.S. stocks had a positive start to 2023 with hopes that cooling inflation and a potential recession may persuade the central bank to ease off the pace at which it is raising its policy interest rate.
Williams thinks inflation is coming down but it will not hit the central bank’s 2% mark by summer 2023.
“I think at some point the markets will realize, ‘oh we can’t get to 2%,” and then the markets probably do sell off on that. I think maybe in short term [the stocks go] up and then in the second quarter, they go back down as people realize that 2% is not realistic,” Williams told MarketWatch via phone.
U.S. stock indexes opened higher on Wednesday. The S&P 500
was up 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average
gained 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite


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Phish at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Commerce City on August 30, 2019
Phish will follow their extensive 2019 summer tour taking into consideration a seven-date slip manage that will kick off later than a doing at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Commerce City on August 30, 2019.
On August 30, 2019, the Phish will produce a result their Commerce City take effect at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, new York previously 2003, after which they’ll hit the Peterson concern middle in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania December 4th. The tour wraps like three nights at Charleston, South Carolina’s North Charleston Coliseum, December 6th through 8th.
Phish announced their fall rule as they prepare for their annual three-night, summer-closing stand at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, August 30th through September 1st. The manage caps off a huge summer for Phish, during which they headlined Bonnaroo and Boston’s Fenway Park.
Vip tickets and premium seat tickets for Phish Commerce City tour on sale!
DATE:August 30, 2019
LOCATION:Commerce City, CO, US
VENUE:Dick's Sporting Goods Park
ADDRESS:6000 Victory WayBUY TICKETS


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Wireless music appears to be the latest frontier being tackled by tech's big names. Over the past several months Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) have each launched their contribution to the field and Google (GOOG) is the latest company to throw its hat in the ring. The company unveiled Google Music during the middle of November, offering uploads of songs from three of the four top music companies. Sony Music Entertainment (SNE), Vivendi SA’s Universal Music (VIV) and EMI Music have all established deals with Google so that members of the new cloud platform will be able to upload and access songs anywhere.
The uploads, which cost $1, comparable to Apple’s iTunes song price of 99 cents, are integrated within Google’s social networking platform, allowing users to share the songs to friends for up to one free listen. The sales of the songs could help drum up greater interaction with the Google + platform and give the Android another feature to compete with Apple’s iPhone, but the fact remains that Google is coming a little bit late to the cloud computing field.
Apple may have only just launched its iTunes Match several weeks ago, but the original iTunes was a pioneer in digital music downloads. As a result Apple appears to have a better understanding of the “need it now” sentiment that people look for when they listen to music. NPR said Apple’s iTunes Match beat out Google Music only by a “wisp,” but with an interface many are familiar with and a long history in the business of selling music, Apple is simply more seasoned in creating projects in this realm that people are attracted to. Among the other benefits to Apple’s Match is a “scan and match,” feature that permits users to skip the process of uploading songs into the cloud by automatically transferring over songs it recognizes.
Google seems as though it’s perpetually trailing Apple in terms of its mobility updates. Even the Android smartphone, which has been well received, debuted well after the iPhone and seems to continually look to Apple for innovations. The same appears to be the case with Google Music, which seemed to use the iTunes structure as the measuring stick. In addition to the competition from Apple, Google also faces pressure from competitors like Amazon and Spotify. Spotify, which already has 10 million active users in 12 countries, is especially threatening in terms of snatching up market share, as it allows users to listen to a massive selection of songs, anywhere at any time, free of charge. The free of charge aspect is the major appeal that Google Music has over its key cloud competitors, Apple and Amazon, as both of those companies charge $15 to inhabit the cloud. Google on the other hand will allow users to store as many as 20,000 tracks for free and will instead gain revenue by taking a 30 percent share of each track sold.
Beyond attempting to convince customers to give into its plodding, bulky file uploads with the free cloud, Google has added several other features in an attempt to make it more appealing both to users and to artists. During its product launch, the company listed a number of well-known artists who would be launching their music exclusively with Google Music before it was available anywhere else. Google is also looking to attract independent artists to its platform through its Artists Hub, which allows unsigned musicians to create a profile for a one-time fee of $25. Through the payment, an artist will be entitled to download an unlimited number of songs, upload and control photos and set costs for their music. This element may help attract the enthusiasts of underground music that Google fails to entice with the exclusive right to the new Pearl Jam record.
Whether people will embrace Google Music after the long years they have spent with iTunes, or the recently popularized Spotify, will remain to be seen. The fact that it is free to the user, however, may be Google’s greatest tool against those who came before it.
DISCLOSURE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of equities.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. To read our full disclosure, please go to: http://www.equities.com/disclaimer


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When it comes to sprucing up your accessories this summer, you can’t go wrong with Michael Kors. The all-American designer is a trusted name in sleek sophistication, and right now you can score some major savings on his signature purses, watches, shoes and more. With a handful of fan-favorites currently slashed to under $100, now’s the time to stock up on some new pieces.
The once-hot fashion brand sank to its lowest sales levels in eight quarters last year and lost ground to Coach (COH), which has been taking advantage of consumers’ shifting appetite for less ostentatious designer bags. Increasingly, shoppers are opting for next-level aspirational brands like Bottega Veneta and Miu Miu, which are more subtle in their declarations of wealth than Vuitton monograms or opulent Gucci designs.
Kors, which had been expanding into clothing, recently announced plans to scale back its retail footprint in order to focus on higher-margin products like shoes and handbags. It also launched its first men’s line, aiming to capture a younger, more fashionable clientele. Nevertheless, sales of its high-profile Mercer and Hamilton handbags continue to slump, and Kors’ comparable North American store sales fell 8.5% in the third quarter — worse than expected.
CEO John Idol blamed the slump on declining demand for smaller handbags, which were a hot trend earlier this year but haven’t panned out. He said that Kors is improving the quality of its products to sell more at full price and reduce reliance on discounts.
While it’s still not clear whether the handbag craze is over, one thing is for sure: It has become a prime target for counterfeiters. Some sellers use surface dying to create a pattern in the leather, while others stitch the “MK” logo onto the bag in a different color. To avoid getting ripped off, check out this cheat sheet that includes tips on how to spot fakes from the real deal.
If you’re looking to save even more, make sure to sign up for KORSVIP and score free shipping and returns on every purchase. You’ll also get private styling appointments, birthday rewards and early access to special promotions. And if you’re on the hunt for more bargains, here are some other Michael Kors sales to shop while supplies last. michael kors handbag sales


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Decanter.com, a previously prestigious wine news site, reported the entire lot of Les Forts de Latour 2009, a second wine from Chateau Latour, was purchased by the North Korean government at En Primeur Bordeaux 2009, an annual wines future event, as an April Fool's prank.
Decanter went into exhaustive detail on how Kim Jong-il, North Korea's communist dictator, personally ordered the wine after sending a team to taste at En Primeur Bordeaux 2009 week.
Citing the government-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as a source Decanter relayed that Jong-il heard the positive reports about the 2009 vintage and "was pleased by reports of the wine's purity of fruit, and balance".
And, both the "General Secretary and Dear Leader Kim Jong-il" announced Les Forts de Latour 2009 is to "become the official wine of state banquets in the People's Democratic Republic of North Korea," reported KCNA. The bottles will also bear a personalized label requested by Jong-il.
A representative with Chateau Latour confirmed to Relaxnews, "this is absolutely false, untrue."Reuse content


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Casas en Detroit en promedio 5000 euros
En Seseña les vende Paco el Pocero cuchitriles a 200.000 euros. Vayansen a Detroit, donde una casa, con dos plantas, jardín y fondo, garaje, de todo valen en promedio 6.000 dólares, menos de 5.000 euros. Hay viviendas en Detroit a 1.000 euros pero en ese barrio hay que cargar pistola.
Ya que a los españoles os gusta tanto especular con el ladrillo, volando a Detroit, «ta barata, poneme dos» le decís al de la inmobiliaria.
Metro Detroit home sales rose by 12.6% in May as compared with last year, yet home prices continued their fall — an indication that the market hasn’t hit bottom yet. Overall, 5,955 homes were sold in May, compared with 5,288 sold in May 2008, according to Realcomp, a Farmington Hills-based multiple listing service. The median sales price for homes sold in May was $50,000, a 44.3% drop from $89,700 in May 2008. Foreclosures continue to drag down prices.
In May, foreclosure sales accounted for 60% of all homes sold. And the median price of foreclosed sales in the metro area was $26,400 compared with a median sales price of $110,000 on non-foreclosed homes. In the city of Detroit, the median sales price in May was $6,000, down 29.4% from May 2008. Realcomp, which compiles data from closed sales reported by its Realtor members, said the inventory of homes offered for sale fell 24.9% in May to 50,181 compared with 66,811 a year ago. ,


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Sly plays safe in Trinity sell-off
Short on ideas, struggling newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror is shrinking again. But who wants to buy the titles it has put on the auction block in the Midlands and London?
Chief executive Sly Bailey is confident there will be 'a high level of interest'. However, the threat of the internet and tumbling advertising revenues means local newspapers, for so long the crux of communities up and down the country, have lost some of their lustre.
And by failing to flush out an acceptable offer for the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People, Trinity demonstrated the market for trophy publishing assets is not what it once was.
Secretive conference organiser Marcus Evans offered £610m while investment bank NM Rothschild was carrying out an asset review for the group. Despite plunging circulations, analysts value them at nearer to £700m. Believing he would need to make a significant investment to turn the titles around, Evans offered much less.
Asked if she was a willing seller of the Mirror at a higher price, Bailey said: 'That is a hypothetical question. We are here for our shareholders.'
Those investors were underwhelmed by the sell-off plans, sending the shares down 25¼p to 472½p - a two-month low. Many had hoped for a break-up of the nationals from the regionals.
Trinity could raise £600m by offloading the Racing Post and 137 titles including the Birmingham Post and Uxbridge Informer in regions where it is subscale. Collectively, they made £27m of underlying profits in the first half of the year. Some £350m could be returned to shareholders.
Finding buyers may be tough. The Birmingham titles in particular are suffering. And even DMGT, the parent company of the Daily Mail, withdrew its regional publishing arm Northcliffe from sale in February after the bids it received were too low.
A confident Bailey said: 'This is less about any cyclicality in advertising market and more about the structure of these assets.'
As well as its nationals, Trinity will concentrate its efforts in Scotland, the north of England and Wales, where its mastheads include the Daily Record, Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Western Mail and associated websites. Bailey has already sold the group's Northern Irish division, including the Belfast News Letter, and a small exhibitions arm.
One analyst said: 'I don't think it removes the question marks at all. They have probably bought themselves nine months.'
The Mirror is losing the tabloid battle, with circulation down another 7.3pc to 1.55m in ber. ber. Groupwide, advertising income fell 9.6pc in the last 11 months. And it must address the worry that younger people are less likely to buy a copy of a local paper than their parents. Instead, they are hunting for jobs or houses using specialist websites like Rightmove.
Media agency GroupM reckons regional newspaper advertising will fall 7% to £2.4bn this year, while the amount spent on the internet will soar 39% to £1.6bn. Of course, some of that will be picked up by traditional publishers which have been buying up websites, but roughly £900m will go to search engine giant Google.
Tim Bowdler, chief executive of Johnston Press, which owns the Scotsman and Yorkshire Post, admits times are tough. But he believes the industry can adapt.
He said: 'Local press will continue to be the main means by which advertisers will reach local communities. The mix is changing, but print is going to be central to that. Other channels will compliment it.'
Bailey agrees. After four years at the helm of almost constant cost cutting, she will squeeze another £20m of savings from the group by 2008. Part of that will come from better computer systems and yet more job losses as the group's websites operate more closely with the newspapers.
For the time being, though, it is difficult to know when the headlines will start improving for Trinity Mirror.
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- Two men face charges in Cape prostitution sting (5/28/17)
- Former coroner convicted of felony theft now faces prison in misdemeanor case (5/23/17)2
- Police: Woman arrested after meth found hidden in pants (5/26/17)4
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- New features at Cape Splash geared for kids; revenue has exceeded costs by more than $200K (5/24/17)1
Dissolution of a great nation
When I was growing up America was No. 1 in everything. Our manufacturing, spearheaded by General Motors, dominated this country and the world. As Dr. Meek of Econ 101 related to our class, "No one in the world has the capital and capital investment the U.S. has."
Now, some 45 years later, we are a mere shadow of our former selves. No one could have brought us to this sad state except Americans themselves. Our leaders in Washington have sold us out to free trade and globalism, and the American people have embraced the idea that to buy foreign produced goods is avant garde, and to buy American is not cool.
Our government, instead of encouraging Americans to buy American-made products and structuring trade in such a way that would assure our position of dominance as to production and accumulation and retention of capital, is forcing our greatest corporations, our titans of industry, to restructure and downsize, while at the same time encouraging and paving the way for more foreign investments in the United States. Foreign firms and investors now own over $17 trillion of American assets. When America attains Third World status, then we will have a long time to regret what we are doing now.
ALBERT ZIMMER, Patton, Mo.


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Retail sales in November and December grew squarely in line with Bain’s forecast. Sales rose 3.8% over the holiday season, with sales of health and personal care products and furniture and home products growing most rapidly. E-commerce sales posted 16% to 19% growth. In this issue we recap the results from the holiday season and share the most important trends that retailers should embrace in 2017.
Wrapping up the holidays
Preliminary estimates indicate that retail sales grew 3.8% this holiday season over last year (see Figure 1), slightly below the five-year average of 3.9% and in line with Bain’s forecast of 3.5% to 3.9%. Although overall growth was strong, there was significant variation across categories and retailers with a wide range of results. Several retailers reported sales growth in the mid- to high single-digits, while several others actually saw sales fall over the holiday season. E-commerce—with considerable strength in mobile sales—continued to outperform stores. Core retail sales were tempered by an ongoing shift in spending to noncore retail sectors (cars and gas stations, for example).
Although retailers had hoped to reduce promotional activity this year, most reports point to big increases in both the breadth and the depth of discounting. For example, Dynamic Action suggests the number of receipts with items purchased on promotion jumped 79% in November and more than doubled the first week of December compared with the same period in 2015. Of 21 major retailers tracked by Nomura Instinet, 9 offered deeper discounts on Super Saturday (the Saturday before Christmas) this year.
As more and more purchases are made using multiple channels—a sweater discovered in a television commercial, comparison-shopped online, ordered on a mobile phone and picked up at a store, for example—the accounting for in-store sales vs. e-commerce sales blurs. Conventional metrics classify items that are ordered online as e-commerce sales, even if those items are collected from a physical store. And items that are purchased in a store are classified as store sales, even if those items were researched online or shipped to another location.
Data just released by the US Census Bureau indicates that in-store sales grew by 2.3% this holiday season, slightly above last year’s 2.1%. Keep in mind, however, that this rate is an estimate and may well be revised. Over the past five years, holiday growth numbers have varied by 50 to 200 basis points from initial estimates (see Exhibit 1). Within the core retail sector, holiday sales were strongest in the health and personal care and the furniture and home categories (see Figure 2). While department stores and mass merchants saw slower growth this holiday season, discounters like T.J.Maxx, Ross Stores and Burlington reported strong third-quarter sales growth compared with the same period last year. Grocery prices, which have suffered from deflation throughout 2016, continued to fall in November and December.
The Census Bureau does not release an advance estimate for e-commerce holiday sales, and third-party estimates for e-commerce range widely—from 11% to 20% (see Figure 3). ComScore, a frequently cited reference point, reports a 16% to 19% increase in digital sales this holiday season, compared with 13% growth last year. We partnered with credit card transaction analytics firm TXN Solutions to examine a basket of 17 large retailers and saw a shift of more than 100 basis points toward online sales from last year’s holiday period to this year’s (see Figure 4).
It’s important to remember that estimates understate the influence of e-commerce. As part of Bain’s Shopping Experience Pulse, a survey we conducted in partnership with Research Now, we asked customers if they browsed or did research on Amazon.com before making a purchase at a different retailer. We learned that 35% of shoppers who made a purchase in a store did go to Amazon first, typically comparing prices before buying.
E-commerce sales overall were strong; within those numbers, sales through mobile devices grew considerably faster than sales through personal computers. Based on data from Adobe, mobile sales grew 36% and accounted for an estimated 21% of online sales in November and December. A big reason for this growth? App downloads and use. Although most online touchpoints happen on mobile-optimized websites, consumers spend more time using retailers’ apps, and conversion rates on those apps are higher than on the mobile-optimized web. In partnership with app analytics firm Apptopia, we found that retailers’ mobile app engagement, as measured by unique monthly users, spiked as much as 35% this holiday season (see Figure 5). In fact, several retailers offered mobile-exclusive holiday-themed promotions. For example, Target’s Cartwheel app offered a 50% discount on a different toy each day from November 1 through December 24.
Among e-commerce winners, Amazon topped the list. Bain’s Shopping Experience Pulse survey shows that Amazon’s customers continued to report a higher satisfaction rating than customers who shopped in physical stores or even on the websites of retailers with physical stores—with an Amazon Net Promoter Score® of 51 compared with 25 and 40, respectively.1 In terms of shoppers who bought items in stores, there was a clear drop in satisfaction from the first half to the second half of December—the Net Promoter Score falling from 36 to 25. For those who were dissatisfied with their experience at physical stores, two issues were mentioned more frequently in the second half of December than in the first half: customer service and product offerings (specifically a “limited selection” or the store “didn’t have what I wanted”). Customer satisfaction with Amazon and physical stores’ websites remained flat over the same period.
10 opportunities for the new year
There are countless trend forecasts at this time of year. Most focus on whiz-bang technologies that sound cool but won’t be profitable for years. Preparing dinner on a 3-D printer may be feasible someday (as The Jetsons predicted more than 50 years ago); but for most retailers, diverting resources to speculation over the long term isn’t practical. The greatest challenge facing retail executives isn’t finding technologies in which they could invest; it’s deciding where to focus their investments for profitable growth now. Here we want to highlight trends that have the highest cost of delay (see Figure 6). In other words, three years from now, which trends would retailers most regret not pursuing aggressively in 2017?
Artificial intelligence: Harnessing machine learning in retail
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer programs and machines that are capable of learning, solving problems and making decisions. These programs and machines don’t rely on programmers to refine algorithms. Instead, by recognizing patterns in massive data sets, they create their own decision rules. AI is no longer a Silicon Valley pipe dream; it’s a real and actionable asset for retailers, helping improve both the customer’s experience and the retailer’s operations. For example, AI voice-recognition technology is the backbone of several new home assistants, including Google Home and Amazon’s Echo, which sold out over the holidays. Macy’s is piloting Macy’s On-Call, a mobile web tool powered by IBM’s Watson technology, which helps customers find products and more easily navigate stores. AI is also boosting the performance of tools and technologies that have historically been awkward and frustrating. Image-recognition error rates have dropped more than 20% in the past four years; Microsoft’s AI technology recently outperformed human speech-recognition abilities; and for certain languages, the Google Neural Machine Translation system is approaching human-level accuracy. Clearly it’s time to explore AI.
In-store automation: Improving productivity with robots, sensors and cameras
The automation of basic tasks and services isn’t new, but the rapid drop in the cost of key technologies is making the economics of implementing these solutions far more appealing. Some examples: SoftBank Robotics has created Pepper, a robot that uses facial recognition and language processing to serve customers in retail environments ranging from Nissan showrooms to Nescafé shops. At the Amazon Go pilot store, sensors and cameras mean customers can simply walk out with their purchases—no checkout needed. And Hointer is turning apparel and grocery stores into “Microwarehouses” where customers can choose from goods on display and then pick up their choices at designated stations or have them delivered the same day. Among the benefits: more selection in less space, clutter-free stores that customers find aesthetically pleasing and more time for sales associates to focus on customer service. What we’re seeing is new ways of thinking, shifting the conversation from “Does this technology work?” to “Which aspects of my business are most ripe for automation?”
Cybersecurity: Protecting customers and their trust
Cybersecurity is the use of software and services to protect a company’s computer systems and customers from the theft of data or damage to data, software or hardware. The more people shift to digital technologies, the more criminals are looking for ways to capitalize on that shift. Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated, threatening one of retailers’ most valued assets: customer trust. Retailers account for only 6% of all data breaches; but because these breaches often involve customers’ personal information, they tend to make headlines. Target’s data breach in 2013 put millions of customers on edge and cost the company significant time, energy and money to regain their trust. Eddie Bauer is among a number of retailers that recently fell victim to attacks that compromised customers’ credit card data. Last winter, scammers went phishing using fake emails from Macy’s. The bait: links for shoppers to claim a monthly prize. In 2017 and beyond, cybersecurity will be an increasingly important part of doing business. Earlier this month, Amazon Web Services purchased a cybersecurity firm to further protect the data it hosts on its cloud servers.
Black swan events: Preparing for the unexpected
Black swan events vary significantly, and sometimes disastrously, from expectations. Recently we’ve seen bathroom signs inspire boycotts, labor laws swiftly reversed and terrorist attacks spark new safety protocols. On the positive side, we’ve also seen a video of a laughing mom trying on a mask from Kohl’s go viral overnight. In short order, the company sold out of Chewbacca masks. In today’s connected world, surprising events shared through the megaphone of social media often catch retailers off guard. Success requires executives to consider a broad range of scenarios, developing plans to minimize the effects of negative events and maximize the benefits of positive opportunities. The process not only shortens response times; it also helps teams react more effectively when a black swan event does occur.
Health and wellness: Making good choices easier
Many consumers say they care about health and wellness; a growing number are even willing to pay more for it. From 2006 to 2016, annual sales of organic packaged foods grew more than 10 times the sales of packaged foods as a whole. That growth happened despite relatively high costs: Organic foods are almost 50% more expensive on average. However, as Panera’s cofounder and CEO Ronald Shaich has said, “The consumer wants food that is both good for them and is simply good.” Companies are responding to consumers’ preference for good and good-for-you foods by making existing and new products healthier. Sephora has a dedicated section on its website for natural makeup that lists what consumers won’t find in the products (for example, parabens, sulfates and phthalates); and Target and Walmart have both pledged to provide safer chemicals in beauty, household cleaning and baby products. Additionally, the urge to monitor and track everything continues to gain momentum: Fitbits are ubiquitous, and Orangetheory and other new fitness concepts are making tough workouts more fun and popular. The overall trend toward health and wellness will continue, and being responsive to the latest consumer preferences is essential.
Born-digital consumers: Expecting convenience and connectedness
Consumers who were “born digital” grew up using the Internet and mobile technology. They never needed an Internet for Dummies book, and they expect digital convenience and connectedness in a way that earlier generations do not. Compared with baby boomers, millennials are more than twice as likely to shop online in a given week and nearly eight times as likely to shop on their mobile phones. Moreover, nearly 25% of millennials expect to get a response within 10 minutes of reaching out to customer service via social media, and 30% expect an equally speedy response when they text an inquiry. Major companies are catching on. Starbucks is upgrading its mobile-ordering capability to include voice ordering and a recommendations engine. Apple is transitioning its stores to community hubs where people can learn new skills—for example, teachers can learn how to integrate Apple devices into their classrooms. And brands like J.Crew, Kate Spade and Tory Burch are using Instagram’s shoppable tags as a new sales channel to reach this audience. The born-digital generation is also impacting retailers’ operations. An example: The start-up Shyft allows store employees to trade shifts through a mobile app, increasing employees’ flexibility and freeing up shift managers’ time.
Sharing, renting and borrowing: Enjoying services and experiences without the cost of ownership
The sharing economy—the constellation of companies that allow consumers and retailers to access goods and services on a temporary, as-needed basis—is creating flexible and capital-light options without ownership. It’s changing the way we live. We can rent someone’s home on Airbnb instead of buying a vacation condo. We can rent a snazzy outfit from Rent the Runway instead of buying expensive clothing from a store. And these business models aren’t just benefiting customers. Retailers are partnering with these sharing-economy services too, in part to meet consumers’ changing expectations. For example, instead of signing long-term leases, more and more retailers are opening temporary pop-up shops; and some malls are even reserving space for them. Nordstrom has taken advantage of new opportunities by utilizing UberRUSH to provide same-day delivery in certain cities.
Insurgent innovation: Becoming a start-up with scale
Retailers are grappling with a barrage of Internet-age competitors taking advantage of lower barriers to entry to target high-value segments. Using digital marketing and shared services, they are selling online directly to consumers, and they are focusing on high-margin, high-value product categories. Anastasia leveraged the lower cost of marketing via social media influencers to grow its beauty brand. Ollie Pet Food, a start-up that makes humanquality food for pets, has used digital tools to better understand its customers’ pets, customizing diets for them based on a proprietary algorithm. Many companies with similar aspirations have cropped up across the retail spectrum—from casual wear (Everlane, Stitch Fix) to footwear (Thursday Boot Company) and even mattresses (Casper, Saatva). And the trend is international: Three Squirrels sells hundreds of millions of dollars worth of nuts directly to consumers in China using Alibaba’s and WeChat’s platforms. Each of these innovative companies may use a different business model—subscription, direct sales, partnerships. But all of them have adopted Jeff Bezos’s mantra: “Your margin is my opportunity.” What can retailers do to compete? They need to combine the mindset of an insurgent start-up with the clout of a scale powerhouse.
Partnerships: Accessing new capabilities fast
By reaching beyond corporate borders, retailers can import ideas from a wide array of world-class experts to improve the speed, increase the effectiveness and lower the cost of innovation. Partnerships allow retailers to capitalize on the laws of comparative advantage, refocusing their own innovation resources on their core competencies. Target launched a retail innovation accelerator and invested in a number of start-ups to improve its operations and provide personalized customer service. Neiman Marcus has partnered with The RealReal, a luxury consignment e-commerce retailer. Shoppers can bring used luxury goods into Neiman’s stores to sell in exchange for store credit. Sephora recently partnered RangeMe, a small-brand marketplace for merchants, making it easier for retailers’ buyers to find new products from a broader selection of suppliers on a streamlined mobile platform. McDonald’s has partnered with Inkling, a content platform company, to migrate its 1,500-page operations manual and its coaching videos to an interactive multimedia employee-training platform. Partnerships can be made with both technology firms (for example, BMW’s alliance with Google to help customers envision what a car model would look like in the real world) and key influencers (Adidas’s partnership with Kanye West or H&M’s with Balmain). These alliances are a relatively low risk and low cost way to access innovation that would be far more expensive (or impossible) to develop in-house.
Augmented reality: Adding a digital lens to the physical world
Augmented reality (AR) is a live view of the physical world—through a smartphone camera, for instance—that is augmented by digital elements like computer-generated graphics or videos (think of Pokémon Go and, filters on Snapchat). Whimsy aside, retailers are increasingly turning to AR to enhance shoppers’ experiences and their own operations. For example, Wayfair’s remote digital mockup shows how furniture will look in your house. Sephora’s color matching helps pick the perfect lipstick to complement an outfit. By allowing customers to virtually try out products before buying, retailers can decrease the costs associated with returns (particularly for expensive or frequently returned items) and may even increase customer conversion. Operationally, retailers can look to AR to visualize store designs, which should help them make better real estate decisions, keep build-out expenses down, improve visual merchandising and more. Although AR risks becoming a gimmick, it can also remove customers’ pain points, create wow moments and reduce the cost of trial.
Embracing trends with Agile innovation
Retail markets are more and more dynamic … and harder to navigate. Retailers that can adapt quickly have a competitive advantage.
Developing Agile ways of working is an excellent way to be sure that your organization has the ability to adapt and innovate. What is Agile? It’s a well-developed holistic system engineered to overcome more than a dozen common barriers to successful innovation. In the tech industry, where it started, Agile methods have more than tripled average success rates, from 11% to 39%. But Agile isn’t just for technology companies or IT departments. This holiday season, Mondelez International used Agile ways of working to develop a promotion that let customers gift a festive tin of white fudge–covered Oreos directly to family and friends using just the recipient’s email address or cell phone number. The limited-run promotion was developed by a 15-person team in 45 days. Mission Bell Winery has introduced Agile in many parts of its organization. A recent Agile sprint in the distribution unit focused on how to increase product workflows through the warehouse, particularly with constant disruptions for special requests. Within three months, the distribution team’s ability to solve those requests improved tenfold, while overall productivity increased as well.
From implementing new cybersecurity protocols to expanding AI applications to acting on all of the trends impacting retailers in 2017, Agile can help companies act quickly and so reduce the cost of delay. You can learn more about Bain’s latest thinking on Agile at www.bain.com/agile.
• • •
This is the last issue of this season’s holiday newsletters. We hope you’ve enjoyed our discussions of consumer trends, Amazon, digital innovation, the value of stores and trends and opportunities for the new year. The full series can be found at www.bain.com/holiday. We also recently released our Fall–Winter 2016 Luxury Retail Report, which analyzes recent developments in the global luxury goods industry. You can read the report at www.bain.com/luxury.
We look forward to keeping in touch with you over the course of the year. And we will be back later this year to share our 2017 holiday outlook. As always, we welcome your questions and perspectives.
About Our Research Partners
Apptopia provides app store downloads, usage, revenue and software development kit data for mobile apps and publishers. Apptopia was founded on the belief that the mobile app community requires transparency to make way for innovation and industry advancements. Mobile publishers, developers, service providers and investors use Apptopia to understand and monitor competitors, to inform business strategies and to identify emerging consumer interests and trends. For more information, please visit www.apptopia.com.
Research Now Group, Inc., is a global leader in digital data collection to power analytics and insights. Founded in 1999, the company was a pioneer in originating online data sampling. The company provides research data solutions for its 3,000 market research, consulting, media and corporate clients through access to more than 11 million deeply profiled business professionals and consumers. Research Now currently operates in over 40 countries from more than 20 offices around the globe, with locations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information, visit www.researchnow.com.
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1The Net Promoter Score® is derived by asking consumers, “On a scale of zero to 10, how likely would you be to recommend this company (or this product) to friends and colleagues?” Ratings of 9 or 10 indicate promoters; 7 and 8, passives; and zero through 6, detractors. The score is simply the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. Net Promoter®, Net Promoter System®, Net Promoter Score® and NPS® are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld and Satmetrix Systems, Inc.


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NEW YORK — Wolf Spring, a pet nutrition startup founded in May 2019, launched its first pet product on Aug. 25, a vitamin-enhanced water supplement for dogs of all ages.
The products are 100% natural and plant-based. Formulas were developed by a team of veterinarians and animal nutrition experts. They are manufactured in the United States. The product delivers vitamins and can also be a source of added hydration to a dog diet.
According to the company, it has sold more than 6,000 bottles of its Wolf Spring water supplement over the last four months. The company has posted 50% to 70% growth month-over-month since the soft launch of its water supplements in May, and plans to hold a seed funding round in the fourth quarter of this year.
Early investors in Wolf Spring include senior angel investors from top-tier consumer funds, the company stated.
“The pet industry has historically been recession-proof and continues to show strong resilience to the pandemic. With dog adoptions skyrocketing and pet owners spending more time with their dogs, people are focusing on their pet’s health more than ever before. Wolf Spring is here to help owners take better care of their dogs everyday, one drop at a time,” said Xavier Delestrade, co-founder of Wolf Spring.
Company founders Etienne Legangneux and Delestrade combined their previous CPG knowledge to develop Wolf Spring. Legangneux previously worked in the pet industry as a venture capitalist for Verlinvest, an early investor in Chewy.com. Delestrade was a top-level executive at DogBuddy.com, which was acquired by Rover.com in 2018.
“In this new category, we hope to offer functional beverages to dogs for every need including, weight management, sport, calming and more,” Legangneux said.
Wolf Spring water supplements for dogs are available to buy at www.wolfspring.dog and on Amazon. The product was ranked No. 1 in Amazon Launchpad Pets’ new releases section shortly after it was launched, according to the company.
Read more about new pet food and treat products.


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An awkward end to Microsoft’s 14-year CES keynote run
- Skip Ferderber, contributing writer
LAS VEGAS – A bit of news, a few awkward moments and too few applause lines – that about sums up the keynote address Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivered at CES Monday night, closing out a 14-year run of opening addresses by the largest software company in the world.
The keynote – actually a sit-down, on-stage conversation between Ballmer and “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest – contained little hard news for a packed house of journalists, Microsoft employees and lucky CES attendees at the Venetian Hotel’s Palazzo Ballroom. (See video highlights here.)
Expectations were low. Several reports, one going back to Dec. 21, had predicted that the event essentially would be a review of the company’s major current consumer efforts in mobile phones, Windows 8 and the Xbox. They were essentially right.
But this was probably Microsoft’s last waltz at CES, a curtain call for a company that probably had as much to do with the show’s global prominence as any other single entity, and few wanted to miss it.
A few newsworthy items
• In mobile phones, Ballmer confirmed what already had been widely reported: the Nokia Lumia 900, a Windows Mobile phone with a 4.3-inch AOLED screen and 4G LTE wireless network capability, would be sold by AT&T in the next few months. The HTC Titan 2 4G LTE phone with a 16-megapixel camera would debut Monday (Jan. 9) also on AT&T. On Wednesday (1/11), T-Mobile would start selling the Nokia 710 as well as the HTC Titan 2.
The Lumia 800 phone, a different model from the 900, will be sold exclusively in Microsoft retail stores, he added. No date was immediately available.
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Female Business Owners and BMEs Get “Plugged in” to Stimulate Economic Growth in London
As part of an ongoing campaign structured to connect small business owners to the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and inform their diversity in business strategy, the National Black Women’s Network (NBWN) is teaming up with the ICAEW and City Hall for the first time to create the Female and BME Business Led Forum.
This forum is the first in a series of quarterly events that aims to bring together business leaders and owners; public and private sector; industry experts and professionals and stakeholders all looking to agree solutions to support SMEs contribute to London’s economy on Monday 24th November 2014 at the City Hall, London SE1 between 6pm – 8.30pm.
The NBWN and ICAEW will bring together a wide range of business owners, financial experts and retail banks to share their expert knowledge, increase understanding and examine how Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) can beat the financial, start up, development and growth barriers they face in trying to begin, maintain and grow a small business (one to nine employees).In addition to this, attendees will have access to strategic financial information to help them raise capital for start-up and growth.
Our carefully selected speakers at the Female and BME Business led Forum include Sonia Brown MBE founder of the National Black Women’s Network; Let’s Talk Business Networking Forum and Sistatalk the UK’s leading online forum for women looking to connect with leading companies, decision makers and industry peers. Caroline Dinenage who currently sits on the BIS Select Committee and is PPS to Nicky Morgan (for her women’s brief); Sharron Gunn, Executive Director, Commercial, ICAEW who was responsible for launching a successful jobs website, an international leadership development programme, and a range of other support services. One of which helps members on a career break – women in particular – return to the accountancy profession. Irene Graham, Executive Director for Business Finance and Strategy, BBA who the overall policy work across SME and corporate businesses, including key industrial sectors and she sits on the board of the UK Business Angel Association. Michael Eboda, CEO Powerful Media Limited which specialises in high-end, niche publications, such as The Powerlist, which profiles 100 of Britain’s most influential black people and Future Leaders. Angela Morris, owner of AM Total Business Solutions Ltd which supports SMEs with business strategy, networking and accessing government start-up loans.
Aimed at micro businesses, SME’s, solopreneurs, homeworkers, coaches, consultants and leaders of social enterprises the female and BME Business led forum will not only be a platform to raise issues around priorities set by LEPs; it will provide a hands on and practical approach to gaining the knowledge, experience, skills and the capital they need to growth their business. Some of the key issues which will be explored and discussed on the day include;
- The contribution and impact of women and diverse businesses on London’s economy
- Access to financial expertise and intelligence to overcome common financial barriers
- Knowledge sharing practice from industry experts and entrepreneurs to develop skills, create jobs and support business growth
You have to admit the Female and BME Business led Forum offers the perfect environment for those serious about accelerating their success.
All are welcome to attend this free informative and exciting event for female and BME small business owners, please visit https://femaleandbmeforum.eventbrite.co.uk for further information and tickets.


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UK industry optimistic about value based pricing proposals
This article was originally published in SRA
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said on 14 March it was optimistic that a new value based pricing system in the UK is a chance to right old wrongs, but it warns the devil is in the detail1.
You may also be interested in...
A Dutch parallel registration and reimbursement pilot has brought benefits including more participation from healthcare professionals, and also forces company divisions to be less streamlined.
The UK’s withdrawal from the EU could upset the Unitary Patent Court project.
International reference pricing has created narrow price corridors that can limit access to medicines and vaccines in lower income countries. The issue will start to impact higher income EU markets if US plans to introduce IRP come to fruition.


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A DIGGER factory is in line for a major jobs boost.
JCB – the world’s third largest manufacturer of construction equipment – yesterday announced plans for a new £31m engine development project.
It will create around 350 jobs at its factories with JCB’s Wrexham Industrial Estate factory set to get a “substantial amount.”
The programme is set to get underway after the company was awarded £4.5m towards the cost from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF).
The new engine means almost 50 new advanced engineering jobs are available immediately at JCB Power Systems, with recruitment already underway.
But the majority of jobs wont come on line until between 2016-2021.
JCB chief executive Alan Blake said: “The new JCB engine will give our products a huge competitive edge across global markets.
“That rise in demand will result in the creation of an additional 300 positions at our UK factories.”


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How to whip up a look for the bridal fashion bazaar of New York’s fabulous Upper East Side! Subscribe now to our new e-paper for more inspiration
The week’s news and more from The Week on the Red Carpet
Image: Catherine Sayers/AP
The glamorous fashion world of New York’s Upper East Side will be alive with colour this week as top designers like Vera Wang, Zac Posen and Monique Lhuillier present their Spring/Summer 2020 collections in this city’s biggest fashion event.
Backstage and on the catwalk, the most exciting thing will be the many new show-stopping wedding gowns with the grand finale to be seen at the July Oscars of Hollywood.
We are the most involved of all the editorial editors on This Beautiful Mess! Watch out for our show each Wednesday from 10:30am GMT, by downloading our free e-paper here. And we also enjoy a pleasant, well-deserved treat every Thursday. Enjoy the Week on the Red Carpet…
Check out This Beautiful Mess e-paper here


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Intel has settled a lawsuit with the New York Attorney General that alleged it violated US and state antitrust laws, with the chip giant making a token payment of $6.5 million to cover legal costs.
Intel has settled a lawsuit with the New York Attorney General that alleged it violated US and state antitrust laws.
The chip giant paid out $6.5 million to settle the charges, which were originally filed in November 2009. The settlement also follows a court ruling in December 2011 which significantly reduced the scope of the Attorney General's lawsuit, which explains the relatively small payment involved. The payment is intended to cover some of the costs of litigation rather than act as a penalty for wrong-doing, a fact that Intel will be very pleased with.
The settlement also included conditions where Intel was recognised as not admitting any guilt for the alleged violations of law. Intel is also not required to make any changes to its business, which makes this settlement little more than a token victory, if even that, for the Attorney General.
“Following recent court rulings in Intel’s favor that significantly and appropriately narrowed the scope of this case, we were able to reach an agreement with New York to bring to an end what remained of the case,” said Doug Melamed, SVP and general counsel at Intel. “We have always said that Intel’s business practices are lawful, pro-competitive and beneficial to consumers, and we are pleased this matter has been resolved.”
The original complaint centred around allegations that Intel had obtained exclusive or near-exclusive agreements from large computer makers in exchange for billions of dollars of payments and retaliation threats to rival companies. Bribery and coercion of original equipment manufacturers in order to destroy competition with AMD was also part of the accusations.
Intel claimed that the Attorney General's complaint was grounded on “rhetoric and politics” rather than fact and law, and this latest settlement certainly supports its assertion that it did nothing wrong.


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Oman Air: Small player, big dreams
Content to remain in the shadows – at least for the moment – Oman Air has shown that it means business. Though its cargo department has contributed nine percent of the carrier’s total turnover, there are enough indications that cargo volumes are set to grow. But the question remains, whether the carrier’s plans for cargo growth face speed breakers now that CEO Paul Gregorowitsch has resigned. Sharang G finds out more.
November 15, 2017
By PLA Editor
Oman Air could be seriously
toying wiThthe idea of
inducting freighters, or at
least that is what Oman Air CEO Paul
Gregorowitsch made clear during a
recent interview wiThCargoforwarder
when he confirmed that the airline
was indeed looking at freighters.
The freighters were an option, said
Gregorowitsch, and even mentioned
that the carrier remained undecided
about which model to opt for: B777
freighters or an Airbus aircraft.
The Dutch CEO had his reasons.
The environment has been conducive
for the growThof air cargo: Oman Air
lifted 159,618 tons of airfreight last
year. Gregorowitsch acknowledged that
freight formed an important part of
Oman Air’s revenues. Though only nine
percent of the carrier’s total turnover
came from the air cargo business, there
were indications that in addition to the
European and Indian markets – where
the former CEO claimed “we are very
strong” – the new Muscat –Guangzhou
service would attract high volumes of
freight, sending the total volume closer
to the 200,000 ton-mark by December,
if the present trends continue.
New gateway to the
Sultanate of Oman
Oman Air’s cargo wing can also
look forward to the state-of-the-art
cargo terminal that is being readied
for operations scheduled to begin mid-
2018. WiThthe soon to be completed
state-of-the-art cargo handling facility
at its hub at the Muscat International
Airport, and a 100 percent cloud-based
cargo platform, Oman Air Cargo has
been offering access to over 150 online
and offline destinations across the globe.


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Baby Peregrine Falcon Flies Into Grand Junction Fly Fishing Shop
A Grand Junction fly fishing shop had an interesting start to their day. The first thing they did was rescue a baby peregrine falcon that flew into their shop.
Ned and Jeff at Western Anglers Fly Shop opened their door this morning and five or ten minutes later, they had their first customer come in. But their first customer wasn't a person, it was a baby peregrine falcon.
Jeff told us that the falcon flew into the shop through the front door, flew back and forth through the shop, and eventually landed on his desk. They could tell it was getting tired and once it stood still they knew that it was a baby peregrine falcon based on its markings.
Thankfully Western Anglers has tons of rubber fishing nets, which both Jeff and Ned were using to try to catch the falcon. They told us that the first time they've ever seen a bird or any animal in their shop.
Watch as Ned nets the baby peregrine falcon, gently takes it out and puts it on a trash can outside below. It seems like they handled the falcon just like a fish, nice and gentle. The baby falcon immediately flew off and perched in a nearby tree in the ally behind the shop. After a while, the falcon took off to find another great deal.
Jeff says that the baby peregrine Falcon probably came in because it probably wanted to check out all the new Western Anglers shirts and hats. Jeff said or maybe it wanted to sign up for the 8th Carpoclalypse event. The baby falcon new the event is coming up soon, on June 27th, and that it could win the contest, which is measured by total inches.
The guys at Western Anglers Fly Shop said that this was a cool way to start the day especially with everything going on. It just goes to show, you really never know who's going to fly by.


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Collection of Clothes in the National Tajik Style Presented in Germany
3 weeks ago tngadmin Comments Off on Collection of Clothes in the National Tajik Style Presented in Germany
DUSHANBE, 15.03.2023 (NIAT Khovar) – On March 11, on the eve of the international holiday of Navruz and in connection with declaring 2022-2026 — the Years of Industrial Development, at the initiative of the Embassy of Tajikistan to Germany, a collection of clothes in the national style of the Tajik designer Nafisa Imronova was shown at the «Fashionshow Ottostadt macht Mode» exhibition in the city of Magderburg.
Tajik Ambassador to Germany Imomoudin Sattorov talked about the history of the Tajik atlas, adras and chakan.
He also stressed that the art of Tajik embroidery Chakan was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2018.
Source: National information agency of Tajikistan


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Company today announced partnership with MMTC-PAMP to enable consumers buy gold.
New Delhi: Alibaba-backed Paytm expects its platform to facilitate 4 billion transactions this fiscal, enthused by the strong uptake of digital payments in the country.
The Noida-based company, which runs a mobile wallet and e-commerce portal, had registered 1.5 billion transactions on its platform last year.
"We have seen significant growth and this year too, we expect to see a manifold growth to 4.5 billion. A significant part of this growth is coming from tier II and beyond cities," Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma told reporters here.
He added that cities like Jaipur, Sonipat, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Durgapur were among the fastest growing for the company. At the end of March 2017, Paytm had 218 million mobile wallet users.
Paytm has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the government move to scrap old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in November last year.
The company today announced partnership with MMTC-PAMP to enable consumers buy 'digital gold' for as low as Re 1 using their Paytm accounts.
Consumers, once they buy about 1 gram of gold in their account, can also ask for the coin to be delivered to their doorstep.


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Today is a pretty interesting day in the domain world, a new TLD, .在线 (which translates to .ONLINE) launched and in under an hour had over 50,000 registrations. This beat .GURU (one of the top-selling new gTLDs) literally in its first hour. So what does this mean?
Right now very little, but a year from now it could mean a whole lot. Like most things in life you can’t judge a book by its cover. A great first day is nothing compared to a great first year. That being said, it could be a sign of what’s to come, especially considering that another IDN, .中文网 (.CHINESE) also had very impressive numbers.
What I think we’re starting to see is a more global Internet and very clearly a world that still sees a lot of value in domain names. While it’s still early I do think we should all be paying very careful attention to how the market might be changing. Marketplaces like 4.cn have seen strong growth over the last year and should be good barometers to understand how these new wave of domains do in the resale market.
However the real question is what will be built on these TLDs. Only time will tell but there’s no denying that the global Internet is getting bigger by the day, and I for one am a big fan of that!


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Issue Date: Vol. 51, No. 6, June 2011, Posted On: 5/25/2011
Nevada Internet Poker Bill Passes Assembly; Senate OK Likely
Nevada Internet gambling bill, Internet casino, Internet gambling, online wagering, online poker, amusement business, PokerStars, Full Tilt, Absolute Poker, Barney Frank
CARSON CITY, NV -- Nevada's state Assembly unanimously passed an Internet gambling bill on May 18 that directs state regulators to establish a licensing process for online poker operations.
The state Senate is expected to pass the bill quickly, said Business Week. | SEE STORY
Nevada's Internet poker-licensing procedures will be conditional upon prior federal legalization of online gambling, but will be activated on the same day that Congress legalizes online gambling, supporters said.
It's unclear when the federal government might legalize online wagering -- but many political and financial observers have predicted that eventually it will occur.
The U.S. Justice Department shut down stateside operations of the three leading online poker sites as of April 15. However, a federal bill to legalize and regulate online gambling -- originally sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) -- has been reintroduced with bipartisan backing. | SEE STORY


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- The iOS 14 update will work on all the iPhones that can run iOS 13, a new leak claims.
- If the iOS 14 rumor is accurate, the 2015 iPhone 6s will be the oldest iPhones to run Apple’s latest operating system.
- Providing five years of software support to smartphones is a crucial iOS feature that Google can’t even dream of matching.
Apple’s new software innovations should be unveiled in a few weeks, during an online-only WWDC 2020 keynote presentation. That’s assuming the protests against police brutality won’t force Apple to postpone an event that was already delayed by the coronavirus health crisis. Google and Sony postponed their Android 11 and PS5 announcements that were scheduled for this week in light of the George Floyd protests.
The iPhone maker will unveil software novelties across all its platforms, including iOS (and iPadOS), macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. But, as always with these events, it’s the iPhone operating system updates that will be the stars of the show. iOS 14 leaks have already revealed some of the highlights of the new OS update. All of that seems to be genuine information, as someone got their hands on an iPhone running an internal version of the unreleased OS. A new report appears to confirm that iOS 14 will help Apple secure a huge advantage over Android, one that Google can hardly dream of.
We heard all the way back in January that iOS 14 will run on all the devices that can run iOS 13, which might not necessarily sound like surprising news to iPhone users who are used to getting all the latest software updates that Apple puts forward.
But what that practically meant was that every iPhone launched since 2015 will get iOS 14, including the iPhone 6s series that arrived that year. The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be five years old in September, but they’ll still be treated to Apple’s latest mobile OS release.
That’s something that doesn’t happen on Android because Google doesn’t have the same control over its own OS. Not even Pixel phones get that much support, which could be a key detail for anyone looking to use a flagship device for more than just a couple of years. In fact, some smartphone makers can barely ensure two years of fast Android updates for flagships, let alone mid-range handsets.
That’s one of the reasons why the brand new iPhone SE model is such a nightmare for Google. The $399 phone has the same hardware as the iPhone 11 series, which means it’ll probably get software updates for several years, well beyond what you can expect for a mid-range phone like the upcoming Pixel 4a.
This brings us to the latest iOS 14 rumor from Israeli blog The Verifier that says all iPhones running iOS 13 will be upgraded to iOS 14. The news comes from evidence found in iOS 14 code and from a “trusted source” involved in the development process.
The report focuses on the iPhone, but if it’s accurate, then it probably means that all iPads that can run iOS 13 will also get the update.
Apple will likely release the first iOS 14 beta soon after the virtual press conference, and the first public beta shouldn’t be too far off after that.