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The end of TikTok Shop and other social commerce in Indonesia
- The move by the government of Indonesia is a big blow to TikTok Shop as the video platform giant has been banking on the nation to grow its e-commerce business.
- Social commerce platforms would have a week to comply with the new rule or risk revoking their license.
Three months ago, the CEO of TikTok, from being grilled by US lawmakers, pledged that his ByteDance-owned video-sharing platform would invest billions of dollars in Indonesia and Southeast Asia over the next few years. At a forum in Jakarta in June, Shou Zi Chew revealed that Indonesians make up more than one-third of TikTok’s 325 million Southeast Asian users every month, and more than two million are selling on TikTok Shop.
Unfortunately, TikTok’s e-commerce thrust has been stalled rather abruptly in Indonesia by the local government in an attempt to defend offline merchants, marketplaces, and small enterprises. In an unprecedented ruling that came into force this week, TikTok, or any social media platform, is compelled to split payments from shopping platforms or risk having their licenses revoked.
In short, the Indonesian government only allows social media to facilitate promotions, not transactions. “Social media [and e-commerce] must be separated so that the algorithms are not controlled. The provision will prevent using personal data for business purposes,” Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hassan said. Hassan also told a news conference that social commerce platforms would have a week to comply with the new rule.
So far, TikTok is the only social media company allowing for direct transactions and product promotions on their platforms. For Hasan and a handful of other ministers within the government, including the country’s president, predatory pricing on social media platforms endangers the livelihoods of SMEs struggling to compete.
According to a local media report quoting the Director General of Public Information and Communications of the Ministry of Communications and Informatics, Usman Kansong, Tiktok Indonesia has two permits from his ministry. “There are two permits: social media and e-commerce. “But with Minister of Trade Regulation No. 31 of 2023, Tiktok must separate social media from e-commerce,” he added.
Usman reportedly told reporters that if Tiktok Indonesia separates itself from TikTok Shop and registers the latter as a separate entity, it can be business as usual for the e-commerce platform. TikTok, as envisioned, is unhappy with the new ruling.
It argues that separating social media and e-commerce hampers innovation and hurts millions of merchants and consumers. The company says some rely on its platform to make a living and that all its sellers are Indonesian or have local entities. For TikTok, the fresh restrictions in Indonesia open a new front in the platform’s fight with regulators worldwide.
Concurrently, TikTok has not been on the good books of the US, Europe, and India, mainly on national security concerns. Perhaps, for TikTok in Indonesia, navigating the conflict will be pivotal for the platform as other governments assess closely. For now, TikTok’s goal to grow its e-commerce business is facing its most significant stumbling block yet because of the significance of Indonesia as a market for the company.
By the end of 2022, TikTok Shop had become the fifth-largest e-commerce platform in Indonesia, according to data from Singapore-based venture outfit Momentum Works. Last year, the country represented 42% of TikTok’s US$4.4 billion regional gross merchandise value (GMV).
Bloomberg Intelligence’s analyst, Nathan Naidu, believes TikTok’s possible split of e-commerce and social media operations in Indonesia could impede further conversion of its 125 million local monthly active users (MAU) into shoppers, benefiting Sea’s Shopee, which, like TikTok Shop, relies on beauty and personal care for most of its domestic sales.
“GoTo’s Tokopedia, which had 34 million MAU in August vs. Shopee’s 138 million and Alibaba-owned Lazada’s 37 million, should be better able to defend its GMV share in Indonesia, which drove 90% of the group’s 2022 sales,” Naidu added. Meanwhile, Jianggan Li, CEO of Momentum Works, noted in an e-mail that Shopee has been voicing their support for Indonesian MSME exports yearly.
“Banning TikTok Shop could be operationally messy (and many of our friends say impractical). There are many different permutations of how things can evolve (e.g., a separate e-commerce app or specific programs for MSMEs). Regardless of how the ban proceeds, TikTok’s vast consumer traffic will continue to be harvested for e-commerce, through TikTok Shop or other means, by TikTok or by other parties,” he noted
Li also believes it is not too late for TikTok to engage and turn the tide. He suggests that TikTok needs to adopt a bold and localized approach.
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- Google parent Alphabet eyes HubSpot: A potential acquisition shaping the future of CRM


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The researchers conducted a nationwide survey of 554 full-time working professionals earning above $30K and working in companies with at least 50 employees. They asked a variety of questions about smartphone use during meetings and found:
– 86% think it’s inappropriate to answer phone calls during meetings
– 84% think it’s inappropriate to write texts or emails during meetings
– 66% think it’s inappropriate to write texts or emails even during lunches offsite
– The more money people make the less they approve of smartphone use.
The study also found that millennials are three times more likely than those over 40 to think that smartphone use during meetings is okay, which is ironic considering Millennials are highly dependent upon the opinions of their older colleagues for career advancement… More at The Huffington Post.
Not sure there is much here that will surprise you, but it’s always good to read about how people use their phones and what impact they believe they have on others.
Categories: Tech News

domain: news


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Creightons (CRL:56p), a Peterborough-based manufacturer of beauty and healthcare products, has delivered record annual results and ones that surpassed my expectations when I included the shares, at 44p, in my 2020 Bargain Shares portfolio.
In the 12 months to 31 March 2020, revenues increased by 8.6 per cent to £47.8m, buoyed by a 43 per cent rise in overseas sales to £7.2m and double-digit growth in private label and branded sales. These segments boast higher margins which partly explains why gross margin increased by almost three percentage points to 42.2 per cent. Creightons has also benefited from the economies of scale generated by ongoing sales growth, improvements in productivity and re-sourcing of raw materials. These factors more than offset the impact of increases in raw material costs and the minimum wage.
Moreover, with both gross margin and revenue rising, the operational gearing of the business meant that operating profit increased by almost 30 per cent to £3.8m, outpacing the revenue growth rate more than threefold. Cash generated from operations was well ahead, too, up fivefold to £6.6m, helped in part by £1.4m of positive working capital flows, highlighting the cash generative nature of Creightons’ activities. The bumper cash inflow enabled the directors to purchase the freehold of the company’s site in Peterborough for £4m, make some small acquisitions, and still end the financial year in a small net cash position.
Shareholders are being rewarded with a hike in the full-year pay-out from 0.55p to 0.65p a share at a time when many companies have suspended their dividends. A 20 per cent return on capital employed is eye-catching, too, and there is scope for it to ratchet higher as surplus cash is redeployed on bolt-on acquisitions and new product launches. Recent launches include a new Pure Touch brand of hand sanitisers and hand washes, and a newly developed anti-viral alcohol-free hand cream. Creightons has scarcity value.
Importantly, the outsourcing of warehousing and distribution of finished products to a third-party logistics provider is almost complete and means that Creightons has the infrastructure in place to continue to scale up. It’s well positioned to do so as the directors revealed that trading in the first four months of the new financial year is ahead of last year.
Rated on a trailing price/earnings (PE) ratio of 11, prospects of Creightons continuing to outperform its rivals are still being materially underrated. On a bid-offer spread of 54p to 56p, the shares continue to rate a buy.
Mpac smashes analyst estimates
Mpac (MPAC:300p), a small-cap niche packaging engineering business, servicing the healthcare, pharmaceutical and food and beverage sectors, is successfully navigating its way through the Covid-19 pandemic far better than analysts at Panmure Gordon predicted when I last suggested buying the shares, at 263.5p (‘Deep value plays’, 13 July 2020).
First half order intake only dipped 6 per cent to £30.5m, and the closing order book was up 14 per cent year-on-year to £45.4m. Importantly, there have been no Covid-19 cancellations. That’s an impressive performance and one that highlights ongoing demand in Mpac’s end markets which are growing at a rate of 4 to 6 per cent per year, and the company’s ability to capture the growth, too.
For instance, Mpac offers customers digital solutions for artificial intelligence-enabled equipment and robotics in their production facilities and warehouses. Chief executive Tony Steels pointed out during our results call that one consequence of Covid-19 will be an acceleration of the move to automation as more blue-chip clients reappraise their manufacturing efficiency. Mpac is proactively helping its clients to do so and, with more than 85 per cent of its revenue already generated overseas, is incredibly well placed to benefit from this structural change.
Also, around 75 per cent of Mpac’s business is associated with essential consumer products, another reason why end-market demand is robust. Indeed, analyst Paul Hill at Equity Development points out that the second half has started well, noting “unseasonally strong July bookings, especially in North America and healthcare, with food and beverage not far behind.” The Americas accounted for half of Mpac’s first half revenue, so is an important market.
The other key take was the 28 per cent first half surge in high margin service revenue from £7.6m to £9.7m, and at higher levels of profitability, on the back of improved operational supply chain efficiency. Mpac reported “double-digit revenue growth registered across all regions” in the service segment.
Admittedly, disruptions completing installation of equipment did have an impact which explains why Mpac’s first half underlying operating profit of £2.6m on revenue of £36.8m was down from a record profit of £4.6m reported on revenue of £45.8m in the first half of 2019. However, first half operating profit was 30 per cent higher than Panmure had predicted for the whole of 2020.
In addition, after factoring in this week’s complementary earnings enhancing acquisition of Cleveland, Ohio based Switchback, brokerage Shore Capital has pushed through 11 per cent upgrades and now expects Mpac to deliver second half pre-tax profit of £3.3m and EPS of 15.5p, or 10 per cent more than the 2019 second half result. The earnings risk remains skewed to the upside for 2021, too. On this basis, the shares are rated on a modest cash-adjusted PE ratio of 9 despite the company being a major beneficiary of the accelerated change in manufacturing automation.
So, having included the shares, at 156p, in my 2018 Bargain Shares portfolio, I see scope for further upside. In fact, after taking account of the estimated year-end net cash pile of £10.6m (53p a share) and the actuarial pension deficit of £35m, I raise my fair value to 350p a share. Buy.
Sylvania’s eye-watering cash generation
Sylvania Platinum (SLP:63p), a cash-rich, fast-growing, low-cost South African producer and developer of platinum, palladium and rhodium, has delivered eye-catching annual results. Not even the loss of 10,000 ounces of output due to a temporary government imposed Covid-19 related shutdown failed to de-rail Sylvania. In fact, the company still delivered 69,000 ounces from its dump operations, just 3,000 ounces shy of the previous year’s record.
Moreover, with rhodium and palladium prices up 165 per cent and 47 per cent in a tight market in the 12 months to 30 June 2020, the metals accounting for 12.5 per cent of 25.5 per cent of the overall basket, Sylvania’s basket price surged from $1,277 to $2,015 per ounce, or almost three times higher than Sylvania’s all-in costs of $713 per ounce. In turn, revenue increased by 62 per cent to $114m and cash profit soared by 130 per cent to $69.6m, highlighting the attractive operational gearing to rising metal prices. Cash generation was mightily impressive, too, hence why net funds increased from $21.8m to $55.9m (15.5p a share) after allowing for the repurchase of 5 per cent of the share capital and US$5.2m of capital expenditure.
Even the Covid-19 crisis has had a silver lining. That’s because although rhodium auto-catalyst demand is forecast to fall 113,000 ounces this year due to a predicted 17 per cent fall in global car sales, according to German automotive industry body The Verband der Automobilindustrie, the market has actually tightened because of lost mining output and contraction of recycling volumes. This explains why the rhodium price is only 10 per cent shy of its pre-Covid-19 all-time high, the metal being two to three times more effective than platinum in an auto-catalyst, hence its appeal to car makers.
Shareholders may be disappointed by a mere doubling of the dividend per share to 2 cents (1.6p), but the board plan to declare a ‘windfall metals dividend’ in the 2020/21 financial year which analysts at brokerage Liberum estimate at 3p a share. Liberum forecasts an additional 7.7p a share d on top, the total dividend being covered 1.7 times by forecast EPS of around 18.5p.
The shares have quadrupled since I suggested buying, at 14.5p, in my 2018 Bargain Shares portfolio, and the risk remains to the upside. In fact, rated on a cash-adjusted PE ratio of 2.5 and offering a prospective dividend yield of 18 per cent they offer significant upside to my 100p target price. Buy.
This column was first published at 12pm on Monday, 7 September and republished at 9.45am on Wednesday, 9 September to incorporate the acquisition of Swichback by Mpac and Shore Capital's post acquisition earnings upgrades. Simon Thompson also raised his target price on Mpac from 330p to 350p.
■ Simon Thompson's latest book Successful Stock Picking Strategies and his previous book Stock Picking for Profit can be purchased online at www.ypdbooks.com, or by telephoning YPDBooks on 01904 431 213 to place an order. The books are being sold through no other source and are priced at £16.95 each plus postage and packaging of £3.25 [UK].
Special offer: Both books can be purchased for the special price of £25 plus discounted postage and packaging of only £3.95. The books include case studies of Simon Thompson’s market beating Bargain Share Portfolio companies outlining the investment characteristics that made them successful investments. Simon also highlights many other investment approaches and stock screens he uses to identify small-cap companies with investment potential, too. Details of the content of both books can be viewed on www.ypdbooks.com.
Simon Thompson was named 2019 Small Cap Journalist of the year at the 2019 Small Cap Awards.


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At the same time as car sector exports tumbled 73% in Could 2020 to $230.three million, the business on Monday warned that inordinate delays in clearance for consignments from China could result in a halt within the manufacture of autos within the nation.Import consignments from China are being subjected to ‘100% handbook inspection, leading to clearance delays’ amid persevering with border tensions between India and its northern neighbour.“Inordinate delays in clearance attributable to congestions at ports may finally affect manufacturing of autos in India,” Rajan Wadhera, president, Society of Indian Car Producers, stated. “The business is piecing itself collectively as development is limping again; any additional disruption at this juncture is finest averted.”Deepak Jain, President, Automotive Part Producers Affiliation, identified that a number of the gadgets imported from China are vital elements reminiscent of elements of engines and electronics gadgets for which India is but to develop home competence.He added that the automotive worth chain within the nation is about $118 billion, of which import of auto elements is $four.75 billion or four% of the entire auto business turnover. “The automotive worth chain is a extremely advanced, built-in and interdependent one; non availability of even a single element can, actually, result in stoppage of car manufacturing traces,” he stated.As per knowledge from Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), India, car exports fell 73% to $230.three million in Could 2020 in comparison with a 12 months earlier. “Provide chains broke down attributable to mobility restrictions and a wave of postponement of overseas orders within the sector led to such an enormous drop in exports,” EEPC India Chairman Ravi Sehgal stated. Auto exports to the U.S. nosedived 98% to $1.37 million in Could 2020. Shipments to Mexico — one other necessary marketplace for Indian auto — dropped greater than 65% to $42.50 million final month.
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Nashoba Publishing Online, Posted: 09/12/2014 07:33:11 AM EDT
By: Amelia Pak-Harvey
DEVENS — Two years after announcing its expansion to Devens, the manufacturer Saint Gobain is shutting down its facility at 112 Barnum Road.
Spokesman Bill Seiberlich said the move had to do with a change in market conditions.
The company made sapphire substrate products at its Devens site, Seiberlich said, but there has been a global change in that market.


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On Saturday 8 October 1983, Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr’s highly anticipated Terrahawks was broadcast for the very first time on ITV.
The cult show was Anderson’s first in over a decade to use puppets for its characters and also his last.
Set in the year 2020, the series followed the adventures of the Terrahawks, a taskforce responsible for protecting Earth from invasion by a group of extraterrestrial androids and aliens led by Zelda
As part of the birthday celebrations, Anderson Entertainment has teamed up with award-winning craft beer producer Brew York to create a limited-edition beer for fans to purchase. Just 3,000 cans of the Terrahawks New England pale ale will be available online as well as on tap across Brew York’s venues in York, Leeds and Pocklington.
Brew York Founder and Managing Director Wayne Smith said of the collaboration, “We are excited to be working with Anderson Entertainment to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Terrahawks. I grew up watching the show and have vivid memories (some may say nightmares) of Zelda in particular! It’s great to be able to help celebrate a big anniversary of an iconic TV show and to work with the team at Anderson Entertainment to brew a beer to remind everyone of their childhood.
Brew York was founded in 2016 by friends Wayne Smith and Lee Grabham. The two met at a mutual friend’s stag do and began home-brewing together after sharing their love and passion for craft beer, and Brew York was born not long after.
Brew York was the realisation of a long-lived dream to build a brewery in York’s bustling centre with a popular on-site Tap Room, creating a destination where it felt welcoming and inviting to enjoy the beer right next to the tanks they were brewed in.
It is well known for creating brilliant beers with creative names referencing poular culture and people, such as Juice Forsyth, Rhubarbara Streisand and Dame Judi Quench.


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A neutral statement on monetary policy from the central bank has given the Australian dollar a bounce after earlier being dragged down by weak retail sales data.
At 1700 AEST on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 90.34 US cents, up from 89.84 cents on Monday.
The RBA on Tuesday kept the cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent, as it waits for previous rate cuts to take effect.
Before the rate decision, the Australian dollar was weighed down by data showing retail spending rose 0.1 per cent in July, missing expectations of a 0.4 per cent rise, Easy Forex senior dealer Francisco Solar said.
"The Aussie was on the back foot after retail sales came in weaker than expected but then really all eyes were on the RBA," Mr Solar said.
"There weren't too many variations from previous statements.
"It seems like the markets took it as `well if we don't have any new negatives to focus on, then it's a positive', and they decided to push the Aussie higher.
"So in the absence of bad news, it was actually a good event."
At 1700 AEST, the Australian dollar was at 89.94 Japanese yen, up from Monday's close of 88.80 yen, and at 68.58 euro cents, up from 67.96 euro cents.
Meanwhile, Australian bond futures prices were lower after the market interpreted the RBA statement as being slightly more neutral than expected.
ANZ head of interest rate research Tony Morriss said the RBA statement issued in conjunction with the rate decision had been "taken by the market as exhibiting a slightly more neutral tone rather than an outright easing bias".
Bond prices had rallied ahead of the rate decision, due to the weaker than expected retail sales figures.
At 1630 AEST on Tuesday, the September 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.005 (implying a yield of 3.995 per cent), down from 96.040 (3.960 per cent) on Monday.
The September three-year bond futures contract was at 97.130 (2.870 per cent), down from 97.190 (2.810 per cent).


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As required by the Congress, new You.S. Institution of Transportation and EPA recently closed new power-overall performance conditions getting cars and you may light-responsibility cars that needs the average power discount from 54.5 kilometers each gallon (mpg) to own 2025 design 12 months car. [REF] Much like abilities criteria getting devices, Restaurant standards improve the charges for brand new auto. The latest Obama Administration’s strict requirements will definitely cost users several thousand dollars per the fresh automobile; if your EPA freezes future targets, the latest company is going to save coming the fresh vehicles people doing $step three,eight hundred to possess model 12 months 2025. [REF]
The newest EPA also place brand new conditions on energy (Tier step 3 energy requirements) to reduce sulfur and other tailpipe pollutants of gasoline from 2017, having shorter people necessary to follow by 2020. [REF] Industry quotes this the brand new basic may increase the price of formulating gas of the half a dozen dollars to help you 9 cents for every single gallon. [REF] For it additional expense to People in america, the latest EPA guarantees zero important environmental pros. [REF] Pollutants of half a dozen big heavens emissions that EPA controls has actually dropped 63 percent around the world since 1980. [REF] This type of legislation hit all the people tough, instance those who work in conventional blue collar work, such as for example in the transportation globe. While the companies need sometimes take-in the expenses from laws or was to pass through them collectively to users, large businesses can also be more readily follow brand new legislation, when you’re small enterprises not be able to follow. The poor once more happen an excellent disproportionate burden due to the high will cost you that will be died so you can customers once the a results of reformulated gas. [REF]
Ground-height ozone (not to end up being mistaken for the newest ozone coating) is the primary parts inside smog and something away from half dozen biggest pollutants controlled by the EPA according to the Fresh air Act. National mediocre ozone levels keeps dropped thirty two percent due to the fact 1980. [REF] The newest EPA once again tightened up new ozone important inside ; the newest important happens to be becoming confronted in the D.C. Circuit Courtroom from Is attractive. [REF] This new EPA grabbed this step even with of numerous countries advance america payday loans nevertheless attempting to meet the 1997 and 2008 criteria.
This new ozone fundamental has-been increasingly questionable because it has-been more pricey to meet up tighter standards with reduced margins off concrete advantages. This new EPA has grown to become on the status away from efficiently setting Western economic policy because establishes ecological coverage, watching nearly unfettered power to lay ozone standards and you will, indirectly involved, financial craft and you will land fool around with. [REF] It’s minimal opportunity and improved compliance will set you back, that are passed away to Us americans, affecting poor people the quintessential.
Many section have been in admission of your own important not on account of even more contamination however, on account of way more stringent criteria. Possibly very oppressive was standards having non-reaching places to counterbalance ozone-starting emissions off new otherwise broadening companies that have slices inside emissions someplace else. Offsets turn economic growth on the a no-sum games and you will push resource regarding low-attaining portion by making it more complicated to draw otherwise build the team. [REF] If enhanced regulation doesn’t get to high health benefits, it makes nothing sense so you’re able to consider down financial possibility involved.
The National Category out-of Towns and cities, the brand new Federal Connection regarding Areas, additionally the Federal Organization regarding Local Councils advised brand new EPA in order to delay the fresh standards of the financial and you may administrative burdens toward local government to implement the new transportation-associated conditions by yourself
Unreasonable conditions have also taxed regional and county governing bodies, diverting tips out-of conference the requirements of poor people. [REF] Texas invested $fifty million for the heavens-quality lookup to grow regulating suggestions for appointment the ozone standard. [REF] So you can come in compliance towards 1997 and you will 2008 requirements, the state expected more expensive, presumably machine diesel (the brand new Colorado Reduced Emission Diesel (TxLED) program) to be released in a number of regions, and you will created the Texas Emissions Cures System, costing Texans $step one mil in the way of a unique-car-label fee to pay for retrofitted and you will substitute for motors, trucks, and you can framework gizmos. [REF]


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The addition of a new report type named ad group details reports was announced on Google+ .
This has been done to expand on the campaign details reports they introduced last month but now they have done this on the ad group level.
According to Google, this will help people find more granular information about the features and settings enabled in each of their ad groups.
People have now access to the details such as the number of sitelinks that are active or disapproved, if they have mobile bid adjustments enabled within their ad group details reports. One can sort, filter and even add additional performance columns to these new reports.
You can access these new reports under the Dimensions tab in the AdWords console.Google AdWords Announces New Ad Group Details Reports!,


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RM Auctions announced the addition of Bob Mosier to their team of car specialists.
A pillar of the California collector car scene and the founder of Mosier Restoration Inc, Mosier brings a wealth of experience to RM having spent the past four decades working in the industry and restoring some of the world’s finest automobiles. A credit to his abilities, Mosier restorations have won ‘Most Elegant’ and ‘Best of Show’ awards at Pebble Beach, as well as major awards at the most prestigious concours events in the United States and Europe.
“We are delighted to have the expertise of Bob Mosier on the RM team,” said Rob Myers, founder and CEO of RM Auctions.
“Well known in car circles, Bob is a three-time Pebble Beach ‘Best of Show’ winner and brings with him extensive experience in the classic car industry. His experience at the highest end of collectible automobiles make him a valuable asset to the company and further enhances our auction and restoration services,” added Myers.
Like so many industry veterans, Mosier has been passionate about classic cars since childhood, and began restoring cars full-time with world champion racer Phil Hill when Phil retired from racing. He was the first employee of Hill & Vaughn, which was one of America’s first restoration companies to focus on complete ground-up restorations.
Mosier opened his own business in 1978 and soon won ‘Best of Class’ at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with his first major project, a 1937 Packard 12. It did not take long for collectors to take note of Mosier’s exceptional talents and the rest, they say, is history.
With an intimate knowledge of the collector car market, Mosier also has experience in the auction side of the industry and was instrumental in the historic sale of the Otis Chandler Collection in 2006.
Bob Mosier joins Ian Kelleher and Chris Kidd at RM’s West Coast division in California as a car specialist and is looking forward to servicing new and existing clients. For further information or to discuss consignment opportunities, please call 310-200-2884 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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More ruined E3 surprises!
Another one of Microsoft’s gifts under the E3 tree seems to have been unwrapped a bit early. Creative Assembly’s Halo Wars 2is getting an open beta that will run from June 13 through June 20.
The leak comes via Mondo Xboxwho grabbed screenshots of the beta on the Xbox One storefront days before it was supposed to go live. Surely, this was supposed to be an “And you can play it right now!” moment for Xbox at its Monday morning E3 press conference. That’s spoiled, but at least real-time strategy and Halo fans can look forward to spending a week with the beta.
Also, it’s good to know that Microsoft plans to dedicate part of its show to Halo Wars 2because we haven’t heard much about it in the 10 months since its reveal. It’s not forgotten about; it’s just coming in hot.


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We are living in uncertain times, and this holiday shopping season is no exception. Today’s rapidly changing world means that many companies in the retail industry – from how items get onto shelves, to what and how consumers choose to buy – are having to adjust their plans.
We’ll be keeping an eye on the latest retail news and trends throughout this holiday season, so see below the latest views from our experts and keep checking back for more. From what people are buying to treat themselves to revenge spending, from overcoming logistics challenges to launching new products, understanding what’s happening will help you be more prepared for the rollercoaster of the holidays 2020.
To get ahead, we have taken a dive into the key trends the experts are anticipating this holiday season and have identified the top takeaways for communications. Read more by downloading our report here.
Read on below and for more, get in touch at email@example.com.


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Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite New York City-based coffee junkie? A new upstart called CUPS has one intriguing possibility: A subscription-based monthly service that allows for unlimited beverages from 40 independent coffee shops scattered around the city.
A basic CUPS membership, which provides unlimited coffee and tea, will be available for $45 a month; an "unlimited espresso subscription," which includes mixed drinks like lattes and iced coffees, will set you back $85 a month. Most of the participating coffee retailers are centered in downtown Manhattan, though CUPS' official website promises that "Midtown, Uptown, and Brooklyn are right around the corner."
How is CUPS going to work? Bloomberg Businessweek explains:
To use the app, subscribers pick a coffee shop from a list, choose a drink, and retrieve a code, which the barista then uses to record the transaction. CUPS later reimburses the coffee shop for each beverage, at a discount. If the customer buys more than $45 worth of coffee per month, he comes out ahead; if he spends less, CUPS keeps the change. The coffee shops don't pay anything to participate, so in their worst-case scenario, either no one comes in or they sell a lot of discounted drinks. [Bloomberg Businessweek]
The story also explains that the average American drinks 1.7 cups of coffee per day, which sounds ridiculously low — but maybe an unlimited coffee service is just the thing to help us get those weak numbers up. Scott Meslow
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) maintained Friday that he'll support the Republican presidential nominee, even if that somebody happens to be Donald Trump, The Palm Beach Post reports.
In fact, Rubio might be more impressed with the billionaire business mogul than usual, saying his "performance has improved significantly" recently.
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump was none too thrilled Saturday with the protesters who blocked his way into California's Republican convention the day before:
The "protesters" in California were thugs and criminals. Many are professionals. They should be dealt with strongly by law enforcement!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2016
Leave it to Trump to make an off-color joke about the incident once he made it inside the hotel Friday.
Jimmy Fallon has been singing bits and pieces of Styx's "Too Much Time on My Hands" on The Tonight Show for days. On Friday, he and actor Paul Rudd took the obsession to its natural conclusion, creating a shot-by-shot remake of the '80s music video. The end result is sufficiently goofy. Take a look below. Julie Kliegman
Hundreds of activists stormed Iraq's parliament building Saturday in support of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who had accused Iraqi politicians of corruption, CBS News reports.
The demonstrators climbed over blast walls in Baghdad's Green Zone, which houses most of the country's ministries and foreign embassies, after parliament couldn't reach quorum to hold a session. The protesters broke furniture, chanted, and waved Iraqi flags.
San Francisco Police Chief Gregory Suhr released nine pages of racist and homophobic text messages sent between officers Friday and ordered all officers to undergo anti-bias training, The New York Times reports.
"We have nothing to hide," Suhr said of his 2,000-member force. "These are the actions of a few."
The messages, which disparaged blacks, Latinos, South Asians, and LGBT people, were found as part of an investigation into a rape charge against one of the officers.
The head of an evangelical legal organization has pledged to carry a gun into Target's bathrooms to defend against transgender women. Liberty Counsel President Anita Staver is calling for a boycott of the retail chain after it announced that it will allow patrons to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity, The Huffington Post reports. Staver tweeted the following:
— Anita Staver (@AnitaStaver) April 22, 2016
Staver later claimed she always brings guns into public restrooms.


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Cherry Hill, N.J., Nov. 17, 2021 – TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, announced today that while the holidays are often thought of as “the most wonderful time of the year,” not everyone is excited to break out their holiday decorations just yet. According to TD Bank’s 2021 Merry Money Survey, more than half of Americans (52%) describe the holiday shopping experience as painful. Of this group, 33% actually equate the pain of holiday shopping to a root canal.
TD Bank polled 1,004 U.S. consumers to gauge their shopping, spending, money management habits and overall sentiment during the holiday season. The survey found that while Americans are increasingly responsible with their holiday spending, with 73% creating a budget – up from 66% in 2018 – two-thirds (66%) of consumers say the financial aspect of the holiday season makes them anxious.
There’s no place like home for the holidays
Perry Como was onto something: there really is no place like home for the holidays. In addition to making Americans more budget-conscious, the pandemic also changed how people feel about the holidays. The survey finds that 84% of Americans felt like celebrating the holidays during the pandemic was more about the time spent with loved ones versus spending money on gifts.
While many are excited to resume in-person events this year, 56% of Americans admit they liked having the excuse the pandemic provided of not having to attend holiday gatherings in recent years. This year, most Americans are looking forward to more intimate celebrations, with 83% preferring small family gatherings. In fact, more than half (52%) wish they didn’t have to travel as much during the holidays and another 52% wish they didn’t have as many obligations.
On Dasher, on Dancer, on Fido and Mittens
Americans are also thinking of their four-legged family members this holiday season. Sixty-three percent of Americans plan to buy gifts for their pets this year, especially millennials (76%). In fact, 14% of millennials plan to spend more than $100 on each of their pets, making sure to include their furry friends in their holiday celebrations.
The most stressful time of the year
Feelings of anxiety when budgeting for the holidays are especially prominent among younger shoppers, with 79% of millennials saying that holiday shopping makes them anxious, more so than their Gen X (68%) and Baby Boomer (51%) counterparts.
Previous spending mishaps may be responsible for the stress experienced during the holidays. According to the survey, 69% of Americans say they have previously overspent during the holidays and 41% say they experienced a negative financial situation because of holiday spending. An additional 31% have tapped into emergency savings to pay for holiday expenses.
“As people prepare to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones, perhaps for the first time in-person since the pandemic began, there are still many things weighing on their minds,” says Matt Boss, Head of Consumer Products at TD Bank. “Holiday shopping, travel, hosting and celebrations all have costs associated – and due to supply chain issues, we're seeing cost increases that will make joining in even more of a challenge for some. Doing what’s best for you could mean staying home from travel or scaling back on gift-giving, but it will help make the holiday season more enjoyable. Set your limits – whether financial or personal – and stick to them.”
While the holidays can bring pressure to spend, consumers need to stop and evaluate what makes financial sense for them. There are several steps shoppers can take to ensure they are prepared to shop smartly and avoid overspending:
- Don’t just make a budget – stick to it: Of Americans who create a holiday budget, more than a quarter (27%) don’t stick to it. What’s more, only 31% of consumers strongly agree that they feel confident in their ability to create an effective budget for holiday spending. When creating a budget, shoppers should use the tools and resources they find most helpful. A physical planner or notebook was the most common tool cited for budgeting (41%), while others may find digital tools and applications linked to bank accounts useful for staying on track.
- If you’re using plastic – maximize those rewards: Forty-two percent of Americans cite using a debit card for most of their holiday spending. While shoppers should use the payment method that works best for their financial situation, using rewards-based credit cards can help shoppers earn cash back or points as they spend.
- Start early: Amid supply chain challenges impacting delivery times and store inventory, 63% of Americans say they’ll start their shopping earlier to avoid delays. In fact, 60% say they will shop two months in advance of the holidays. Many consumers start saving early, too – with 63% setting aside money throughout the year for holiday spending by stashing cash in jars, saving gift cards or reward points, or using a separate account.
“Consumers who are spending this year are looking for a deal – 90% of millennials surveyed are planning to shop on Black Friday,” Boss adds. “However, more than a quarter of consumers say these sales are the primary reason they overspend, which signifies the importance of not only creating a holiday budget, but also using tools that track spending and help eliminate impulse purchases, no matter how irresistible the deal.”
Engine surveyed 1,004 Americans 18 years of age and older who celebrate the holidays. The online survey was conducted Oct. 26-28, 2021.
ENGINE is a global, full-service media and marketing services company that empowers clients to outperform in the present and win in the future with its vast range of marketing solutions including insights, creative, media, data and technology. Founded in 2005, ENGINE has global headquarters in New York and 16 offices across North America, the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Find out more at enginegroup.com and follow @engineworldwide.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9.6 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US and www.twitter.com/TDNews_US.
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com/us.


text: Next Generation reports that Sony has admitted there may be a delay in getting the PS3 to market. From the article: "Sony has told the media that the launch of the console will be delayed due to difficulties in finalizing the Blu-ray drive's specs. An unnamed spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan admitted that PlayStation 3 launch could be delayed. SCE said that if final specs were not finalised with the Blu-ray Disc development consortium, the launch of the console could be delayed." I would have rather they come out and admitted this last month, when everyone realized this was the case, instead of denying it and looking unrealistic.


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A free download updates the Tesla Model S to the newest autonomous driving software. The hardware’s already embedded. Turn it on for $2,500.
Volvo also calls for a single US standard for self-driving cars to spur adoption. Will this make states-righters blanch?
The Apple car will happen. Cars are too big for Apple to ignore, and to not control. But by 2019? Don’t bet on it.
Apple wants to rent access to a normally controlled-access Navy base. Trouble is, Acura and Mercedes-Benz already have access to that base.
The improvements will come automatically to existing owners. Elon Musk notes the sun’s glare and dim highway markings remain problematic.
EnLighten shows time until the light turns red, or green. If you won’t make the light, it suggests you start slowing down now to save fuel.
Audi, BMW, Daimler (Mercedes) want the major mapping service in their hands. Not in the clutches of Apple, Google or Uber.
The megacity of 10 million-plus changes how we think about transportation. It’s bigger in Asia than North America but Ford wants to sell cars everywhere, and must adapt
They’re a handful of test vehicles now, but they could be real commercial trucks soon. So far, they stay in one lane, don’t pass, don’t speed, and hand off to the driver at the highway exit.
A lot of people talk about Apple one day buying Tesla, but it turns out Google is the one that actually got close.
Delphi says 99% of the 3,400 miles were covered “fully autonomously.” Many of the self-driving tools are available today for production cars.
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.


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Smartphone and tablet owners multitask while watching TV, survey finds
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Apparently, even TV won’t keep people from their smartphones and tablet computers, a new study found.
According to a Nielsen Co. survey, about 40% of smartphone and tablet owners in the U.S. multitask on the devices daily while watching TV, compared with only 14% of people with e-readers like the Kindle or Nook (no book, it seems, is more interesting than the tube).
About two-thirds of both male and female respondents admitted to checking email, the most common activity occupying people’s time besides the TV.
But much of the other attention devoted to hand-held devices broke down along gender lines: almost half the women browsed social networking sites during programming and commercial breaks, while only about a third of men did. However, 44% of gents checked sports, compared with only 17% of women.
Finally, tablet owners are marginally more engrossed in their devices than smartphones owners. About 42% of people with tablets confessed to simultaneously using it while watching the TV on a daily basis; 40% of smartphones users admitted to doing the same.
-- Shan Li


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Gizmodo has gotten their hands on leaked documents with official screenshots of pricing and plans of the Nexus One. That’s right, the final name of the Google Phone will be Nexus One and it will cost $530 for unlocked ( not so cheap from Google as everybody expected eh? ) and $180 with T-Mobile after subsidy over a 2 year contract.
Here’s the leaked information from the documents via Gizmodo:
• Yeah, it’s $530 unsubsidized. Google’s not going to be selling the phone at cost, like so many people considered. They’re not going to save us from the “making money off of hardware” culture we’ve got right now, so this is basically just another Android handset, albeit a really good one
• If you want it subsidized, you’ll have to sign up for a 2 year mandatory contract and pay $180 for the phone
• There’s only one rate plan: $39.99 Even More + Text + Web for $79.99 total
• Existing customers cannot keep their plan if they want a subsidized phone; they have to change to the one plan, and this only applies to accounts with one single line
• If that doesn’t fly with you, you have to buy the $530 unlocked version—this actually might save you money over two years if you already have a cheap plan
• Family plans, Flexpay, SmartAccess and KidConnect subscribers must buy the phone unlocked and unsubsidized for $530
• You can only buy five Nexus One phones per Google account
• There is language in the agreement of shipping outside the US
• Google will sell it at google.com/phone, which explains what they were doing with that page a few weeks ago
• Google will still call it the Nexus One apparently, and not the Google Phone
• If you cancel your plan before 120 days, you have to pay the subsidy difference between what you paid and the unsubsidized price, so $350 in this case. Or you can return the phone to Google. You also authorize them to charge this directly to your credit card.
Well, now that the price and plans are out, would you buy the nexus one? Apparently, the phone would cost cheaper over the long run if you buy it unlocked, as compared to the T-Mobile plan subsidized cost. If the price doesn’t help you decide, you can check out the video review we posted earlier or the leaked specifications. Remember, the Nexus One is launching on 5th January, possibly during the Google Android Press Conference being held that day. There hasn’t been any mention of an ‘invite only’ availability as per rumors.
I know I’ll be getting a nexus one for sure!


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It's the end of an era.
Twenty-four years after founding Chipotle and growing the original Denver store into a national chain, popularizing the fast-casual segment of fast food in the US, Steve Ells is stepping down as CEO, the company announced on Wednesday. He will stay on as executive chairman and a committee has been formed to look for his replacement.
Ells, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, believed that "fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods" could be used in a fast food setting. This philosophy, as well as the assembly-line, build-your-own menu at Chipotle, has since been adopted by other chains from pizza to Greek food.
After a steady rise (boosted early on by an investment from McDonald's), Chipotle has struggled over the last two years as incidents of food-borne illness linked to the chain continued to arise. Revenue has failed to recover to 2015 levels, despite having hundreds of additional restaurants, according to its latest financial report. Executives called 2016 "the most challenging year in our history."
"I am incredibly proud of Chipotle and our people – and grateful to our loyal customers – and while we are continuing to make progress, it is clear that we need to move faster to make improvements," said Ells in a statement. "Simply put, we need to execute better to ensure our future success."
The company has overhauled its leadership, with former co-CEO Monty Moran stepping down last year.
Ells called bringing in a new CEO "the right thing to do for all our stakeholders" and said it would allow him to "focus on my strengths, which include bringing innovation to the way we source and prepare our food."
Looking ahead, he said, "As we work hard to restore our brand, I believe we can capitalize on opportunities, including in areas such as the digital experience, menu innovation, delivery, catering, and domestic and international expansion, to deliver significant growth."


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MHIA forecasts 12% to 14% growth in new equipment orders in 2010
October 04, 2010 - MMH Editorial
It’s a far cry from 2007, but the materials handling industry is growing once again. Following a 34.3% decline in equipment orders in 2009, the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) is forecasting equipment orders to grow 12% to 14% in 2010 if the current momentum continues.
A variety of factors are driving growth in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution on a global basis, especially an increase in industrial production in the first half of 2010 despite factory utilization rates that remain very low by historical comparison. “Consumer demand has not returned,” Hal Vandiver, executive vice president of business development for MHIA, told Modern this weekend during the association’s fall meeting. “But in the first two quarters, the economy shifted from recession into recovery mode, filling supply chain pipelines, re-establishing inventories and responding to pent up demand.”
“Forecasts are now calling for a combination of reduced GDP, corporate profit, business investment and output growth with industrial utilization remaining below 75% until late 2011,” Vandiver said. “This is largely due to uncertainty. Consumers, investors and business owners need greater confidence in the economy’s ability to sustain positive growth.” For those reasons, Vandiver doesn’t expect a significant return to the kinds of numbers the industry posted in the past until 2007.
In addition to a growth in orders for new equipment, Vandiver forecasts material handling shipments to grow 3% to 4% in 2010 and another 10% to 11% in 2011. Domestic demand, defined as shipments plus imports less exports, will grow by 1% in 2010 and by 10% to 11% in 2011. Exports will be stronger than imports in 2010 and 2011, reflecting stronger industrial growth in emerging markets outside North America.
Click here for more articles on how the economy is affecting the industry.


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Flexa Payments announced; New Transformers live; 10 apps adopt Spend SDK; Amp on Huobi; Grayscale hosts Flexa
The Amp Community Digest for Friday, April 29, 2022
Welcome to a jam-packed edition of the Amp community digest. Read on to learn about Flexa’s newest product release, the launch of 11 new collateral pools, 10 new apps adopting the Spend SDK, Flexa on Grayscale’s deep dive, new exchange listings, and crypto news from around the world.
In case you missed it…
Flexa announces new Flexa Payments product
This week, Flexa announced its biggest product update since launching Flexa in 2018. Flexa Payments is a new way for merchants to simply and instantly accept 99 different digital currencies from any app or wallet. There is a lot of new material to cover so Flexa also provided a handy Q&A to address some of the top questions.
11 new collateral pools go live on Flexa Capacity
As part of the new Flexa Payments product, 11 additional Transformer collateral pools went live for staking. These 11 new transformers, along with the previously enabled Lightning Transformer, enable any wallet to spend via Flexa without any integrations if they already support any of the 12 networks. Currently Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, Celo, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Lightning, Litecoin, Polygon, Solana, Tezos, and Zcash Transformers are live for staking with additional networks anticipated in the future.
New Flexa developer grant recipients
While the new Flexa Payments product makes it easier than ever for any app to spend via Flexa, integrating the Spend SDK is the only way to get the complete suite of Flexa-powered spending features. This week, Flexa announced the first ten apps to adopt the Spend SDK. These ten apps are some of the leading wallets from across the crypto ecosystem and each app will have its own collateral pool on launch.
Amp on Huobi, Wealthsimple and several other exchanges
Amp went live on Huobi on April 1st with the AMP–USDT pair. As one of the largest exchanges in the world, Huobi’s listing of Amp gives more people in Asia and Southeast Asia exposure to Amp! Amp is also live on Wealthsimple, a Canadian online investment firm geared towards making crypto accessible to a retail audience. Across the world, other exchanges including Bitvavo, Bitget Japan, LAToken, and Biconomy Global—who all made Amp available to their customers this month.
Flexa’s collateral pool tracking live on Forta Network
Flexa is live on Forta Network! Forta provides real-time security and operational monitoring across DeFi. Flexa’s Forta agents, built by the team at Nethermind, monitor the Flexa collateral manager for large stake/unstake transactions, withdrawal root updates, and when the collateral manager enters a fallback state. With increasing complexity in DeFi, Forta’s real-time risk monitoring provides an extra layer of monitoring and security.
Grayscale hosts Amp deep dive; Flexa CEO on Untold Stories with Charlie Shrem
Grayscale Investments hosted Flexa CEO Tyler Spalding for a deep dive into Flexa and Amp. A recording of the interview is available on Grayscale’s website. Untold Stories with Charlie Shrem also hosted Tyler on their show earlier this month. Tyler and Charlie discussed the Flexa team’s rich payments industry experience, the fast evolution of the blockchain ecosystem, and how to stay motivated and focused while building products in crypto for the next decade.
Current TVL of Flexa Capacity — $576.7 million
Earn rewards for staking your Amp on the Flexa network toward the apps and network transformers below:
Did you know?
Long-time community member @bubby_io joined Flexa as a Developer Evangelist.
DeFi and payments news
Fed's Powell lists his four qualifications for a US CBDC
Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell lists his four qualifications for a US CBDC at a Bank for International Settlements (BIS) panel. Powell said a US CBDC must preserve privacy, include identity, be intermediated, and be widely accepted as means of payment.
New bill tasks Treasury, not Fed, with digital dollar issuance
Congressman Stephen Lynch introduced the Electronic Currency and Secure Hardware Act (ECASH Act) last month. The bill directs the Treasury to pilot software, hardware, and network tech to establish a peer-to-peer payment system that resembles an electronic form of cash as much as possible.
Banks band together to challenge Visa and Mastercard using Zelle
The Wall Street Journal reports that several large banks are considering launching a payments network to rival Visa and Mastercard using Zelle. Early Warning, the company that runs Zelle and is owned by a syndicate of banks, says that the company doesn’t compete with other payment methods or apps at present.
From the community
Prefer to get your Flexa and Amp updates by video rather than text? @PaulBarronTV covered the latest in his “Massive Crypto Payments Update | Amp & Flexa analysis.”


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Sitex Group has picked up a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Fairfield, where it’s planning a series of upgrades with the building slated to become available in 2022.
Denholtz Properties has refinanced a two-building, 90,000-square-foot industrial portfolio in Fairfield, in a transaction arranged by brokers with JLL.
The Azarian Group has signed four new retail leases in New Jersey, while touting a series of recent openings by five other tenants within its portfolio.
Accordia Realty Ventures has secured a lease expansion at a Fairfield office building, inking a 5,000-square-foot deal with a commercial insurance and group benefits provider.
Woodmont Properties has bolstered its leadership team with the addition of a well-known and longtime development executive in the region.
A backup generator company has leased 3,000 square feet of commercial space in Fairfield, in a newly announced transaction by Lee & Associates New Jersey.
A global IT products and services company has leased more than 100,000 square feet of industrial space in Fairfield, according to a brokerage team with CBRE.
GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. has added a new associate principal in its Fairfield office.
A credit union has taken 3,200 square feet of retail space along Route 46 in Fairfield, under a newly announced transaction by The Goldstein Group.


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Amid panic-buying nationwide, at least two grocery store chains and a large retailer are implementing a strategy to ensure seniors get a chance to stock up.
Whole Foods, Safeway, and Target have announced that their stores will implement new hours to enable seniors and other vulnerable people time alone to shop.
This started today for Whole Foods, which will only allow customers who are 60 or older to shop for the first hour of operation. At Safeway and stores owned by its parent company, customers who are elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised, will have from 7-9am to shop alone on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Also starting today, Target is implementing something similar as it cuts back all store hours to close at 9pm. The first hour of shopping after the stores open on Wednesdays will be reserved for vulnerable populations like the elderly and immunocompromised.
Update: Giant Food has also announced that, as of Friday March 20th, their stores will reserve 6am-7am daily as a shopping hour for individuals who are 60 and older or immunocompromised.
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/two-grocers-and-a-mega-retailer-adjust-hours-to-cater-to-seniors/16608.
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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States. The SEC alleges that Coinbase has been operating illegally without registering with the regulator, depriving investors of essential protections, Your Content has learned.
This legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed by the SEC against Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and its founder Changpeng Zhao.
These cases are part of SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s efforts to establish regulatory authority over the crypto industry and enhance investor safeguards.
In the complaint filed in federal court, the SEC claims that Coinbase has evaded disclosure requirements while making billions of dollars from cryptocurrency transactions since at least 2019.
The lawsuit specifically addresses various aspects of Coinbase’s business, including Coinbase Prime, Coinbase Wallet, and the Coinbase Earn staking service.
The SEC emphasizes that Coinbase was fully aware of its obligations under federal securities laws but chose to disregard them.
The SEC’s actions are aimed at ensuring compliance within the crypto space, preventing fraud and manipulation, and safeguarding the interests of investors.
Coinbase and its parent company, Coinbase Global Inc, have not yet provided a response to the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Coinbase’s stock saw a significant decline of 17.1% in premarket trading following the news.
Regarding the Binance case, the SEC has accused the exchange of various misconduct, such as inflating trading volumes, mishandling customer funds, misleading customers about controls, and failing to comply with regulatory standards.
These lawsuits represent the SEC’s commitment to establishing regulatory oversight and promoting transparency in the cryptocurrency industry, according to U.S. News.


text:
Times Staff Writer
In another sign of Tampa Bay's strong economy, the bay area tied with Orlando for the most hotel sales last year. Each had 26 sales, six more than the runner-up Miami-South Florida area.
The volume of Tampa Bay sales "represents the level of interest and confidence that buyers have in hotels right now,'' said Kent Schwarz, executive vice president for Colliers Hotels. "There really isn't tremendous pressure for most hotel owners to sell unless they can sell at somewhat of a premium and these 26 sellers evidently thought the current price was enticing.''
Tampa Bay has a flurry of hotel activity underway, including a 92-room boutique hotel going up in downtown St. Petersburg and two major hotels announced for downtown Tampa's Water Street area — a 519-room JW Marriott and a 157-room hotel that may carry the Edition flag, a Marriott brand inspired by legendary New York hotelier Ian Schrager.


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14 Oct Hyatt Breach Exposes Customer Credit Card Data
American hotel multinational Hyatt announced last Friday that the credit card information of its customers from 41 sites in 11 countries had been leaked due to an attack on its payment systems.
Investigations into the incident were recently concluded, and it was found that the hack, which was discovered last July, had affected 3 hotels in Hawaii, and 38 all around the world. China in particular, was the most affected.
Hyatt issued a statement on the incident, saying that it has taken additional measures to strengthen its security systems. However, some tech publications took a jab at the company, pointing out that it was practically the same statement they gave when it got hacked last 2015.


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NEW DELHI: The last thing you would associate with electric mobility and green two-wheelers would be a company called Jitendra EV, a small-time establishment based out of Maharashtra. And if that’s not surprising enough, there are other similar ones with not-so impressive names. By way of example there is Kabira Mobility, which is a e-bike seller that assembles its rides in Dharwad, Karnataka as also M2Go, a company headquartered in the Punjabi Bagh locality in Delhi.
These companies are part of a large group of start-ups — and their numbers are growing by the day — that have sprang up across the country over the last couple of years looking to tap into the growing push towards electric mobility in what are the tech’s early days in India.
The game plan is simple: source batteries, controllers, and body parts and stitch them all together (many of the companies proudly call it ‘local manufacturing’ though it’s not much more than just cosmetic, small-time assembly), before selling it under the ‘Make in India’ tag.
The sourcing is done mostly from China (and now even from India) and is akin to what happened in the early days of the mobile phone industry in India. People (some from non-related fields) bought the some times nearly completed parts from China, assembled them here at small establishments, and Hyderabad-based Everve Motors is owned by Reddy Customs, who are high-end car modifiers. Gurugram-based Evolet India is a company run by defence veterans while Coimbatore-based Emote electric is run by young engineers.
Emote is showcasing its more sophisticated model prototype that has gears and can go from 0-60 kms in less than 4 seconds.
Most of these companies have 50 or fewer employees and sales volumes of less than 5,000 bikes annually.
M2Go is a start-up conceptualised by some students of a private university in Delhi who came together for a project. One of the promoters of the university liked the idea and decided to invest through seed funding then passed them off as local products under their own brand names.
While the trick worked for some years, it was not sustainable in the long run without proper R&D for such sellers, who also often lacked proper corporate structure and/or long-term plans. Today, Chinese phone companies rule the roost and have over 75% share of the smartphone market, while many of the Indian ones have perished.
Ask Jitendra Shah, owner of Jitendra EV (who are traditionally auto dealers), on why he decided to have the company under his own name. Pat comes the reply, “If it’s my name that is being used, how can I compromise on quality then.” Amusing but certainly plausible enough logic for him to go for the name.
Kabira Mobility’s scooters and a ‘high-speed’ sports bike will begin commercial sales from March this year and Jaibir Singh, the project head, says the project was completed in the last two years or so.
Many of the products, which cost between Rs 45,000 to Rs 1.1 lakh, offer a mobility range of 60 km to 100 km (under different driving conditions) with a charge time of around 4 hours. Some of them also offer the convenience of portable batteries, weighing about 12 kg, that can even be carried home.
Experts believe that unlike traditional petrol automobile products that need high-tech engineering for designing engines and transmission systems, the heart of e-bike technology is its battery and motor, which is mostly imported from China. The rest of the components are either locally manufactured or are imported as kits to be assembled and sold in the Indian market.
And, while small startups are trying to find their feet in the e-bike segment, the bigger ones such as Bajaj Auto, TVS, Hero Moto-Corp and Honda 2wheelers are yet to show any serious intent with the last two not having launched any EV products yet.


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Beijing: China will end subsidies for electric and mixture vehicles toward the year’s end, specialists have announced saying’s the strength of sales in the sector meant state support was no longer needed.
In an assertion distributed Friday, the Ministry of Finance said buy sponsorships would be decreased by 30% from the start of 2022 preceding being rejected totally before the year’s over.
“Given the development of the business for vehicles with new energy, the business patterns and the smooth change of producers, the appropriations… will end on December 31,” the service said.
“Vehicles enlisted later December 31, 2022 won’t be financed.” Sales of electric and cross breed vehicles have blast in China, with increments of in excess of 100% year-on-year as of late.
The vehicles are set to address 18% of all vehicle deals in 2022, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) assessed a week ago. In 2019, they represented just five percent.
Of the 27.5 million vehicles set to be sold for the current year, as per CAAM, 5,000,000 will be electric and half and halves.
Generally speaking development on the planet’s biggest market for vehicles will probably come in at 3.1 percent for 2021, as per CAAM – – the main year of deals development starting around 2018.
China, the world’s biggest polluter, has laid out goal-oriented objectives for the broad reception of electric and half breed vehicles, and expects to have most of vehicles fueled with clean energy by 2035.


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A while back when Uber started they incorporated something called “Tips Are Included”, which is cute and plausible back before the ridesharing company started slashing prices and raising their commissions.
A year ago a ride from Hollywood to LAX in a taxi would typically cost about $70 and that same ride via Uber would cost about $50. The Uber ride would be in a cleaner car, a bottle of water would be available, charging devices would be there for your dying iPhone, and thanks to the Uber App after the ride was over the fare would be instantly deducted from the passengers’ credit card.
Thus the ride to the airport was cheaper and “better” via Uber and the company could say the tip was included.
A year later that same ride cost a mere $30 with Uber and in a few weeks it will cost even less. The company claims the price cuts will encourage more passengers to use the service which will give the drivers more rides and thus make everyone more money. But the truth is a driver can only make so many trips in an hour – and will more than likely make less money during those hours than they would have a year ago, even if there are more passengers.
Why? Because It still takes time to get to the passenger and time waiting for them to get to the car and then time for the ride to be completed. Meanwhile Uber is smiling like a pig in [mud] because they are making the same (or more) commission than they did on each ride a year ago, they are now charging the drivers for use of the phone used to connect them to passengers, and other nickels and dimes end up in their pockets and not in the drivers.
The tips are included. But they are all tips going to Uber, not the drivers.
Now that the typical ride from Hollywood to LAX is considerably less, it’s time to stop pretending that the driver has this magical tip baked into the fare, because they don’t. Plus, by definition a tip is something the customer determines AFTER the service has been rendered. The cashless Uber model is ideal, and thus should be implemented into the Uber App so that if a passenger experiences a pleasant, clean, fast, enjoyable $27 ride from Hollywood to LAX during rush hour traffic and wants to flow their driver $5 they should be able to do it with a click of a button.
But Uber has not allowed this.
One can only imagine it is because there is no immediate business incentive for them to do it.
But that is short sided. For if they can advertise that they have the lowest rates AND if they can attract and retain educated, intelligent, drivers BECAUSE at the end of the day the drivers are being rewarded financially, then the fleet of Uber drivers will maintain the level of quality it now sees.
Once the profit motive leaves the driver ranks and the only people who can afford to drive relatively new cars around cities are those willing to work for close to minimum wage, the quality will drop and Uber will have shot themselves in the foot with greed.
Now is the time to implement tipping while the quality of drivers is still here and the prices are substantially lower than taxis: who also get tipped.


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"Traditionally, theatres have had a bit of a build-it-and-they-will-come mindset, but fortunately AMC realized that approach will no longer suffice," explains John McGuigan, media director of VML Advertising.
"For decades," McGuigan continues, "moviemakers have understood that commercial success is made or lost on the basis of the buzz created for the crucial launch weekend. What many theatre chains still don't realize is that the same logic applies to the emporia showing the movies as well. People have so many choices now that a new theatre needs to promote itself as a brand and as a special destination. The key to doing that is through a strong grand-opening campaign. It's crucial not only that consumers know there's a movie showing, but that they identify with a theatre as a brand, thinking of it as 'my theatre.'"
To accomplish that task AMC chose Kansas City-based VML Inc., an integrated media company owned by WPP Group, as its agency of record, charged both with creating and coordinating promotions for its rapidly expanding "stadium seating" cineplexes and with ramping up the branding and e-commerce capabilities of its Moviewatcher.com website. The challenge, recalls McGuigan, required a multi-tiered online and offline strategy utilizing direct email, print, TV, radio, and Web advertising. "We found the key to integrating media," says McGuigan, "was to leverage AMC's Moviewatcher.com website loyalty program and its national database of movie fans." The Moviewatcher site offers registered members such perks as online purchase of discounted movie tickets, free concessions, sneak previews of forthcoming movies, and industry news, gossip, and chat.
VML saw the website and its database as a critical component in its strategy of launching new theatres in several major metropolitan areas. For its November 2002 opening campaign for The Parks at Arlington 18 theatre in Arlington, Texas, VML sent email promotions to all Moviewatcher.com members in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, as well as purchasing opt-in email lists from the student population of over 25,000 at the University of Texas-Arlington. In addition the agency distributed fliers and held local events at area high schools and community colleges, publicizing the events by buying spot ads on local radio and TV shows popular with the 18-24 demographic. At each event AMC Moviewatcher.com tables were set up to sign new members up for the loyalty program.
"Nationwide AMC caters to moviegoers of all age groups," McGuigan explains, "but the target market varies from region to region. In Dallas-Ft. Worth we had a very strong base of students as our core market."
The theme of the grand-opening campaign was to catch "Movie Fever." Promotions focused on two benefits: the comfort and luxuriousness of AMC's roomy "stadium seating" and the convenience and rewards of becoming an AMC Moviewatcher.com member.
"We wanted to generate awareness about the theatre," McGuigan recalls, "and to issue a call to action for students to join the loyalty program and purchase advance tickets online." Timing is crucial in building momentum for a grand opening, McGuigan believes. "You need just enough time to build up anticipation and excitement without peaking too soon," he says. "We see two weeks of advance promotion, with the most intense publicity coming over the five days leading up to the opening, as optimal. All of our newspaper, TV, and radio work was unified around the push to generate traffic and sign-ups at the Moviewatcher.com site." To complement the call-to-action promotions, VML also did a Sunday newspaper wrap the week before the opening, providing area newspaper readers with a free AMC bag.
The results of the Arlington opening were certainly impressive. According to VML, more than 8,000 moviegoers showed up the day before the opening to buy tickets in person. Many others also bought advance tickets online. By the time the theatre opened it had already become the third-largest-grossing theatre in the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Once the throngs came in to sample the new theatre, VML redoubled its efforts to capture non-members in its database, featuring special in-theatre promotions for Moviewatcher.com.
Proving that the campaign was not a one-shot fluke, another VML project, the downtown Chicago AMC River East 21, became the largest-grossing theatre in the entire state of Illinois only a few weeks after its November 1, 2002, opening. While VML's integrated media strategy in Chicago followed the same basic outline as the Texas campaign, VML adjusted the media plan slightly to suit the locale.
"In a huge urban downtown market like Chicago," he explains, "we concentrated less on fliers and local events and more on coordinating our email outreach with heavy citywide TV and radio promotions on popular local shows reaching all age segments." While driving consumers to the theatre, the campaign also helped generate tens of thousands of new Moviewatcher.com members, helping to make future emails even more successful.
Though VML's strategy is scalable nationwide, according to McGuigan, knowing each locale intimately is key to national success. "There's no cookie-cutter formula on how we handle each opening," he insists. "VML works very closely for several months ahead of each opening with AMC local market managers. We visit the area and get to know its unique demographic and media mix before we start."
In the Internet-savvy San Francisco Bay area, VML added a stronger online advertising component to accommodate the media habits of young professionals. Focusing on the e-commerce-oriented young professionals, VML supplemented traditional print, radio, and TV promotions with advertising on local news websites and other online cultural and entertainment guides. In targeting its direct email efforts the agency homed in on the 25-44 demo-graphic, particularly those with a history of making regular retail, ticket, restaurant reservation, and other purchases online. The December 2002 opening of the Emeryville Bay Street 16 featured a 24-hour marathon of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Ads were designed both to generate excitement about the opening-day marathon as a big area-wide event and to tout the year-round benefits of Moviewatcher.com membership.
VML sees its first wave of successful launch campaigns as a template for many more in 2003 and beyond. The agency's goal is to sign up 3 million Moviewatcher.com members this year. Once each launch is completed, membership programs become the platform for growth at each location, McGuigan says, allowing the cineplex to form sustainable one-to-one relationships with many of the most avid moviegoers in their region for years to come.
McGuigan believes VML's base in the American heartland gives it an edge over its competitors headquartered on the coasts. "I think an agency like ours which is rooted in Middle America may have a greater sensitivity to local media and its power," he says. "It's really the ability to tune in accurately to regional variations in media that makes the difference between success and failure."


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Always tune in to (adelove.com) for freshest updates.
Smarter Company, a British tech company has introduced what it claims to be the world’s first bean to cup Wi-Fi-enabled coffee machine.
This coffee machine is used to prepare coffee by using free iOS and Android apps. It can also be used to wake up users with a cup of freshly ground coffee. The machine will also let users know when it needs refilling and will even ask you if they want a cup of coffee when they arrive back at their house.
The device is crafted from brushed stainless steel and comes with a two-year guarantee. Smarter’s iKettle has already proved to be a hit and is stocked in Apple stores across Europe.
The Wi-Fi Coffee Machine is due to hit the shops in March 2015 with a price tag of £129.99 (N36,551.26).
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text: On April 3rd, Cred, a popular cryptocurrency analyst on Twitter, explained this in a recent tweet. He said that when Bitcoin is sideways, traders should look to the competition currency. Get more profit. Cred writes: "BTC: rebound into monthly resistance. The conditions in the market – very fast market changes make it difficult to define the risk (for example, where to stop). There is no need to rush to trade. Calm down, enjoy the green, appreciate Look at the competition coins."


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The Supreme Court last week denied a request by businessman Tzachi Merkur for a delay in carrying out an order scrapping the sale of Better Place, the bankrupt electric car operator, to the Success Group, which Merkur controls.
- Better Place sale fizzles as latest buyer misses deadline
- Better Place receivers say potential buyer is deep in debt
- Receivers: Sell Better Place in parts, not as going concern
Better Place, which operates a network of charging stations around the country and has been selling Renault electric cars serviced by the network, was put up for sale several months ago after running into severe financial difficulties.
Following a failed bid by Green EV, which was unable to come up with the necessary financing, Merkur was awarded control of the company. Supreme Court Justice Uri Shoham ruled on Thursday that Merkur's continued possession of Better Place's assets would likely significantly affect their value, interfere with the possibility of selling them to another party and damage Better Place's relationships with its suppliers and customers.
The judge added that this conclusion was reinforced by a report submitted by Better Place's court-appointed receivers, who stated that they had received numerous e-mails claiming that Merkur and companies under his control had significant outstanding debts to employees and suppliers.
Lod District Court Judge Ilan Shiloh voided the sale of Better Place to Merkur on October 3, in response to an urgent request from the receivers who claimed that the buyer had committed a material breach of the purchase agreement by missing the first payment deadline. Merkur was supposed to have paid NIS 1.8 million out of a total purchase price of NIS 11 million by September 30 to proceed with his acquisition of the company.
At Merkur's request, the Supreme Court had issued a stay of execution of the district court order voiding the sale to Success Assets, but Justice Shoham lifted the stay on Thursday, noting that he was not convinced that the evidence supported Success Assets' position. He also ordered Merkur to pay tens of thousands of shekels in legal expenses in connection with the case.


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Food and Drug Administration officials have issued a warning letter to the makers of the inhalable caffeine product AeroShot, saying they have questions about its safety and concerns about how children and adolescents may use it.
AeroShot went on the market in January in Massachusetts and New York.
Consumers put one end of the plastic canister in their mouths and breathe in, releasing a fine powder that dissolves.[dmc-related-post-wp numitems="3" title="Also read"]
The FDA said the Massachusetts company misled consumers by saying the product can be both inhaled and ingested, which is not possible.
The agency said it is also concerned consumers may try to inhale it into their lungs, which may not be safe.
The letter also cited differing statements from the company on the appropriate age for using the product.
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NEW DELHI, Jun 19, 2021, Financial Express. COVID 2.0 turned out to be stronger than the first wave of the pandemic and inflicted more severe damage to the whole nation than the first one. While the waves forced the government to impose stringent restrictions to curb further spread of the virus, both lockdowns, ‘Lockdown 1.0’ and ‘Lockdown 2.0’ differed starkly from each other, Financial Express reported.
As against a nationwide lockdown observed in the first wave, the key difference of Lockdown 2.0 was that it was State-imposed with more localized lockdowns that had varying degrees of severity including night curfews, weekend or complete lockdowns and restrictions on contact-based services. Besides, the duration of 1-1.5 months too was lesser than the lockdown (2-2.5 months) experienced last summer.
Having learnt a few lessons in COVID 1.0, companies are focused on optimizing supply chain, stock-keeping units (SKUs) and product assortments this time around. According to NielsenIQ, assortment optimization strategies have become even more crucial as consumers streamlined their budgets, favored smaller format neighborhood stores and e-commerce channels. With a rise in e-commerce, shoppers are visiting physical stores less often, and when they do, they visit stores with prepared buying lists, thereby spending less time browsing the shelves and thus reduced pantry loading during Lockdown 2.0.
As per NielsenIQs, on an average 1,059 SKUs are launched every month in India. Of these, only 10% of them get sufficient distribution to survive. So, COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 made companies realize the beauty of simplicity as against the hidden cost of complexity. This has resulted in companies proactively aligning their go-to-market strategies with those of consumer preferences.
Another trend that has sustained high growth is consumers’ preference for immunity-building natural and ayurvedic products. Demand for products like Chywanprash, Tulsi, Amla Juice, Turmeric, Ashwagandha and Honey to name a few have seen astronomical rise in demand. Consequently, the leading names in Ayurveda space such as Dabur, Zandu, Baidyanath, Patanjali and Himalaya have seen a strong surge in the demand for their products.
While companies have adopted strategies to optimize their portfolios and ensure product availability on the shelves, Covid 2.0 has damaged household finances across families owing to higher medical treatment expenses and loss of employment. Lower income coupled with higher medical expenses have eaten up savings and increased their overall debt levels (most of it informally funded). Consequently, consumer confidence for discretionary spending has been materially lower than observed in the previous wave.
Discretionary categories like clothing, jewellery, home renovation, luxury products, weddings and others have seen material cuts in spending. Staple and value oriented personal, household care categories too have seen pressure on budgets as is evident from down-trading within the staples categories. Despite down-trading, companies with wider product offerings straddling across the price-value matrix stand to benefit given their brand image, quality of product and affordability.
COVID 2.0 has inflicted severe damage to the hinterlands of the country and with the subsequent lockdown of economic activities; concerns over rural demand cannot be ignored. With a wider and deeper spread of the second wave, the emerging popular view holds that unlike last summer, when rural demand remained resilient despite a wider and stringent lockdown, this year demand may not show a similar resilience. Additionally, rising stress in the household and unorganized sector is also expected to keep discretionary spending under check.
Despite the headwinds, we believe ‘Bharat’ – the backbone of our economy, will bounce back post experiencing a slowdown in the April-May period. This will primarily be on account of 1) a record food production in the fifth consecutive year led by good rainfall last year; 2) forecast of a normal monsoon season this year at 98% of the long period average (LPA) and a weak El-Nino over the next six months, 3) income/ration support announced by Governments and 4) easing of lockdown restrictions to aid mobility ahead of the Kharif sowing season. In conclusion, higher crop volume coupled with remunerative pricing and improved economic activity augurs well for driving overall rural income and thereby a positive impact on consumption demands.
While demand could bounce back in the upcountry markets which is critical for companies, rising raw material prices are a key concern. This has caused management across the staples, durables and other sectors to be in a Catch 22 situation, whether to raise prices of final products or to take a hit on profitability in the near term. This is because prices of raw materials be it agricultural (edible oils, palm oil, tea etc), chemical or crude (PFAD and packaging material), have seen an unprecedented rise between 25-150% during H2FY21 and is expected to continue in Q1FY22 too. Although, over the longer term such high input prices are unlikely to sustain.
While a few companies such as Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Britannia Industries, and Colgate Palmolive, among others opted to raise prices to strike a balance between growth and profitability, a few others like Jyothy Labs, Emami etc have strategized to protect their shares and volumes in these challenging times.
Backed by the experience of two Covid-19 waves by far, we believe the 3rd wave which is likely to emerge in September/October is likely to be less fatal. This is because the most vulnerable segment (people aged above 45 years) which accounted for ~88% of Covid-19 related deaths would get vaccinated by then. Further, inoculation of population between 18-44 years too will pick up speed as supply constraints ease. This will shelter consumption from taking a severe hit and will help companies as well as the customers to sail smoothly through the stormy Covid-19 weather, moving forward.
Against this backdrop, we pick fundamentally strong companies with healthy balance sheets and growing industry opportunities that can be added to the portfolio. Amongst large caps- Britannia Industries, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), Dabur India, and Nestle India while in the mid & small-cap space Relaxo Footwear, Varun Beverages, Mold-Tek Packaging and CCL Products are the interesting ones.