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Europe’s firms navigate investment challenges amid tightening financial conditions and climate change
According to the new European Investment Bank (EIB) Investment Survey (EIBIS) 2023 released at the World Bank IMF Annual Meetings, European firms are facing challenges amid pressing investment needs and increasingly stringent financial conditions across the region.
Companies have accelerated investments in energy efficiency, with 51% of EU firms investing in this area in the past year, thus responding to the energy price shock. Firms confirmed the crucial role played by internal finance buffers and policy support in sustaining investment levels. At the same time, 64% of firms have experienced losses due to climate change (7 percentage points more than the previous year). Only about half of those firms, however, are taking action to build climate resilience and only 13% are insured for physical risk protection.
Despite the prevailing uncertainties, the 13 000 businesses interviewed by the Bank in mid-2023 reveal that corporate investment has remained resilient across the European Union so far. The share of EU firms that have invested in the past year has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with investment per employee witnessing a further increase. This positive result was driven by firms’ recognition of the urgent need for structural transformation and buffers accumulated in recent years.
EIB Vice-President Ricardo Mourinho Felix said: “The EIBIS 2023 underscores the resilience of European firms in the face of evolving challenges. It is encouraging to see their continued commitment to investment amidst tightening financial conditions. What is also striking about this report is that majority of businesses report that they have been affected by climate change. It is essential for policymakers and stakeholders to recognize the pressing need for targeted support measures to sustain and stimulate investment as well as to help them build climate resilience.”
Supply chains turn to technology to navigate economic volatility and battle for talent
The 28th Annual Third-Party Logistics Study, created by supply chain professor and researcher Dr. C. John Langley of Penn State University, along with NTT DATA and Penske Logistics, examined how supply chains are navigating today’s challenges through the adoption of data-driven approaches and emerging technologies. The study surveyed third-party logistics (3PL) providers and users of 3PL services to understand the current state of 3PLs, how 3PL relationships are evolving, the increasing flow of data and the growing importance of automation.
The key findings of the study suggest that the relations between 3PLs and shippers continue to strengthen and battle for talent is increasing. In addition, data, analytics, and intelligence are increasingly driving supply chain optimization. While this emerging technology adoption is vital for future growth, also improving supply chain resiliency is a priority for both shippers and 3PLs.
“The 3PL sector continues to face a number of externalities, and providers of logistics services are focused on improving logistics effectiveness and reducing overall supply chain costs,” Dr. Langley said. “3PLs and their customers are leveraging their relationships along with technology, data, analytics and supply chain talent to increase agility and enhance success.”
Dr. Langley’s research continues to capture and measure this evolving industry and document the transformation of the third-party logistics sector as new challenges and opportunities emerge.
Redefining retail with AI: Info-Tech Research Group publishes Generative AI Use Case Library
Info-Tech Research Group has published its comprehensive collection of use cases, entitled Generative AI Use Case Library for the Retail and Wholesale Industry. The revolutionary technology of generative artificial intelligence (AI) offers unparalleled opportunities for the retail and wholesale sector, which is under immense pressure to quickly implement robust AI solutions that not only create value for internal stakeholders but also provide customers with an exceptional experience.
However, the situation has left IT leaders grappling with determining the best starting point for their organizations to start the AI journey. To help navigate this challenge, the firm’s new comprehensive resource aims to assist retailers in identifying value-driven generative AI use cases that can truly transform their organizations.
“The new era of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the retail and wholesale sector brings unprecedented opportunities for enterprises, both big and small, to revolutionize customer experiences, drive innovation, enhance operations, and unlock new levels of growth via cost and competitiveness. For the retail and wholesale sector, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Rahul Jaiswal, principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group. “Embedding generative AI into the digital core of an enterprise will change the ability of the enterprise to optimize operations, manage information, generate quicker insights, innovate with new experiences, augment front-line workers, and connect and communicate with customers.”
The broad and diverse nature of AI, highlighted by Info-Tech’s research and use cases, presents both a world of opportunities and challenges in pinpointing its most effective application within an enterprise. Beyond just implementation, the governance of AI presents its own set of difficulties, for which IT leaders must bear the responsibility.
FIDO Alliance study reveals growing demand for password alternatives as AI-fueled phishing attacks rise
The FIDO Alliance published its third annual Online Authentication Barometer, which gathers insights into the state of online authentication in ten countries across the globe.
New to the Barometer this year, FIDO Alliance has begun tracking consumer perception of threats and scams online in a bid to understand anticipated threat levels globally. 54% of people have noticed an increase in suspicious messages and scams online, while 52% believe these have become more sophisticated.
Threats are seen to be active across several channels, but primarily email, SMS messages, social media, and fake phone or voicemails. The increased accessibility of generative AI tools is a likely driver of this rise in scams and phishing threats. Tools like FraudGPT and WormGPT, which have been created and shared on the dark web explicitly for use in cybercrime, have made crafting compelling social engineering attacks far simpler, more sophisticated, and easier to do at scale. Deepfake voice and video are also being used to bolster social engineering attacks, tricking people into thinking they are talking to a known trusted person.
Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director and CMO of the FIDO Alliance, commented: “Phishing is still by far the most used and effective cyberattack technique, which means passwords are vulnerable regardless of their complexity. With highly accessible generative AI tools now offering bad actors the means to make more convincing and scalable attacks, it’s imperative consumers and service providers listen to consumers and start to look at non-phishable and frictionless solutions like passkeys and on-device biometrics more readily available, rather than iterating on ultimately flawed legacy authentication like passwords and OTPs.”


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The Department of Information and Technology (DICT) announced the SIM registration deadline is on April 26, 2023. Unregistered SIMs after the deadline will be automatically deactivated.
SIM card registration started on December 27, 2022, marred with various issues including downed portals and other errors. Despite this, over three million SIM cards across all telcos were registered during the first two days alone.
As of January 11, a total of 17,698,340 SIM cards have been registered. Of that number, Smart reported 8,367,752 SIMs registered, which is 12.31 percent of its 67,995,734 subscribers. Globe reported 7,764,786 SIMs registered, around 8.84 percent of its 87,873,936 subscribers. And finally, DITO Telecommunity reported a total of 1,565,802 SIMs registered, which is 11.95 percent of its 13,108,103 subscribers.
For those who have yet to do so, you can go here for details on how to register your Smart, TNT, Globe, TM, GOMO, and DITO SIM cards.
You might also like You can soon register your SIM cards in telco stores and centers
For complaints and concerns related to SIM registration, you can call DICT’s 24/7 complaint center hotline by calling 1326. You can also contact the DICT through these numbers:
SMART: 0947 714 7105
Globe: 0966 976 5971
DITO: 0991 481 4225

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During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden, a Democrat, made addressing climate change a key part of his platform, and on his campaign website, a key element of his clean energy plan is the promotion of electric vehicles (EV). To help spur adoption of such EVs, Biden pledged to build 500,000 charging stations.
“These investments are a key part of Biden’s commitment to reinvent the American transportation system from the factory line to the electric vehicle charging station,” Biden’s campaign website said.
Shortly after Biden’s election, a new lobbying effort formed to promote 100% adoption of EVs by 2030. The membership of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, known as ZETA, included a wide-range of businesses, from EV makers such as Tesla, to the makers of charging stations, to electric utilities, including Duke Energy.
“Transportation is responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector of the U.S. economy. By embracing EVs, federal policymakers can help drive innovation, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and improve air quality and public health,” said Joe Britton, Executive Director of ZETA, in a statement on the group’s website.
Biden’s goal of building 500,000 stations would be major increase in the current EV infrastructure. According to a database from the Department of Energy, there are more than 95,000 charging outlets at 28,577 stations across the U.S. To support the 18.7 million projected EVs on U.S. highways by 2030, the Edison Electric Institute, which represents U.S.-based investor owned utilities, said the U.S. would need to build about 9.6 million charging ports. Each charging station usually has more than one port.
In a December report, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation said that EV adoption was hampered by limited access to charging stations, which creates “range anxiety” among EV drivers. The report said that efforts to boost charging infrastructure would lead more in the U.S. to buy EVs.
Despite the global Covid-19 pandemic, there’s been growth in EV sales and adoption, especially in areas where regulations are pushing for adoption, speakers at the recent Reuters Events: Future of Renewables conference said.
“In Europe, where there are emission targets for vehicle fleets, we’ve seen increasing EV sales, leading to outstanding growth in the EV space,” said Jose Serras-Pereira, consulting director at international market research firm Frost & Sullivan. “However, the costs for electric vehicles are still a little high.”
As consumer interest in EVs mount, traditional vehicle makers are looking to quickly get into the market. While cost has been a deterrent for some, there are a lot of benefits and cost savings that come with owning an EV, officials at the conference said.
“We need to change the perception that electric vehicles are expensive,” said María Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition. “There’s a lot at stake in the next five yeas for the industry.”
General Motors was unsuccessfully at the forefront of electric vehicles when it introduced an electric vehicle in 1996 “before anyone wanted it,” said Dane Parker, Chief Sustainability Officer, General Motors.
GM will spend $27 billion on EVs between 2020-2025, said Parker, with the goal to offer a wide range of products to the market. General Motors is planning to have 20 EVs across its brands by 2023.
“The investments we’re making are for products that are for everyone,” Parker said. “We’re going to make exciting products that can be charged with renewable energy on grids that are increasingly green.”
Another company with plans to boost its selection of EVs is Volvo, which recently introduced its first all-electric SUV, the XC40 Recharge. The company currently offers several makes of hybrid vehicles.
“Customers are demanding sustainable mobility,” said Martina Buchhauser, Volvo chief procurement officer “During the pandemic, global sales have gone down 9%, but EV sales have doubled in Europe. It’s nice to see that the demand is there.”
Many consumers who are buying EVs do so out of concern for reducing emissions and thereby slowing climate change. To help make these purchases more valuable, customers want to know that their vehicles are being charged through electricity that’s generated by such renewable sources as wind and solar.
“Customers want to have the confidence that their zero-emission vehicle was charged with renewable energy,” Parker said. “We’re working in partnerships with other entities to help be more transparent, so that customers can be confident in the data that shows how their vehicles are charged.”
One key element to facilitate EV charging will be to create a set of standards that can help ensure that drivers can use charging facilities, wherever they find them. It will also be important to implement other infrastructure standards, Parker said, such as building codes for apartments, that can help make customers feel more confident in buying an EV.
“We need to have good standards that allow customer adoption of EVs without fears of impediments to their use,” Parker said.
Electric vehicles may even require new business models to meet the changing technology, Parker said, noting that the most technologically advanced part of an EV — its battery — may soon be advanced enough to outlive the automobile it’s in.
“Perhaps in a new model, the customer doesn’t own the battery,” he said.
EVs are proving to be an exciting new product for consumers, Parker said.
As an example, GM cited a focus group conducted with the Cadillac LYRIQ, an all-electric SUV that the automaker is introducing.
“It has some of our highest satisfaction rates,” he said. “Several of the people that went into it said they wouldn’t buy an electric vehicle, but left saying they would.”
(Edited by Matthew B Hall and Bryan Wilkes)
The post Biden Energy Plan Would Pave Way for More Green Driving Machines appeared first on Zenger News.


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All it took was two telemarketers. By moving two team sales reps who had previously handled inbound orders to a newly created outbound telemarketing department, ñ37 million sporting goods cataloger Eurosport boosted its team apparel and equipment sales nearly 30%.
“We started with one telemarketer last spring, then brought on another one at the end of the summer,” says director of marketing and merchandising analysis Jimmy McIntyre. The two outbound reps call school coaches and athletic club directors. “We try to find out what the process is for getting their business,” McIntyre explains. “Most schools and clubs have a bidding process. So the person in charge of purchasing for the school will let various companies, such as ours, know what he or she is looking for.”
The team portion of Eurosport’s business has increased from less than one-fifth of total sales to nearly a quarter within the past year. Consumer catalog sales make up the rest of Hillsborough, NC-based Eurosport’s revenue. “By going out and contacting the customers, rather than making them wait to get a catalog from us, we’ve seen our team business really grow,” McIntyre says.
Outbound calling, however, is just part of the employees’ new jobs. “We also send them to some coaching and athletic-director trade shows to set up booths for us,” McIntyre says. “They’re not only bringing back some leads from these shows, but they’re doing business there too.”
McIntyre says the cost of setting up the two-person telemarketing department-which “we will expand if it continues to do well”-represents a “slight” investment in phone calls, but little else.
Eurosport chose to focus on building up its team sales, as opposed to individual consumer sales, because of the difference in average order size: The average individual order is in the high double-digits, McIntyre says, while the average team order is four times that amount. But even though the cataloger offers volume discounts for team sales, McIntyre says the profit margins are only slightly lower, because the discounts aren’t that deep, although he would not specify the exact amounts.–PM


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ZEBULON — Businesses in Zebulon are coming together to support each other during the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn.
The Zebulon Business Relief Fund seeks to give aid to small, local businesses facing challenges.
“The chamber supports commerce, which means we keep an eye on what’s going on in the business community,” said Denise Nowell, president and CEO of the chamber.
“As these economic challenges began intensifying around COVID-19, we knew we needed to find creative ways to continue to do that work and support our businesses while they were trying to help navigate this pandemic.”
Nowell said she felt it was important for the chamber to give people a way to rally behind small businesses and provide funding to companies.
Donations to the Zebulon Business Relief Fund provide support to small, medium, large and sole-proprietor businesses in the community, Nowell said.
Those donations are coming from many sources.
Olde Raleigh Distillery is supporting the fund through sales of hand sanitizer, according to owner and master blender Brandon McCraney.
“About two months ago, I started volunteering at another distillery because they had such a huge demand for hand sanitizer,” he said. “I posted a picture on social media, and the community started reaching out. I identified that this was a need in Zebulon.”
McCraney can’t make the hand sanitizer at Olde Raleigh Distillery due to extensive renovations. He began looking for a supplier who produced a gel sanitizer that he could stand behind.
“Finding the right supplier is not easy; it’s like the wild, wild west,” McCraney said. He said the federal government regulates hand sanitizer but doesn’t provide much guidance.
McCraney didn’t want to just sell the hand sanitizer to fill a need, though. He wanted to help his neighbors.
“I wanted to have a broad impact among other small businesses,” McCraney said. McCraney said he saw on social media other business owners express frustration in getting relief funds from the state or federal government.
“One business was turned down four times for funding, and they said within 30 days they’d be closed without help,” McCraney said. “The system is broken.”
He sells hand sanitizer online, in a pop-up tent and at the Zebulon market.
“I gravitate toward places where I can help. I want to make a difference and do my part,” McCraney said. “I want to support my neighbors and friends. I think we’ll be stronger in the long run.”
Old Raleigh Distillery plans to begin distilling in August.
Tar River Tees and Graphics is another business helping its neighbors through the Zebulon Business Relief Fund.
With the purchase of a t-shirt, the business allows people to donate $10 to the relief fund or to a business of their choice.
“That’s one of the things that have been really encouraging,” Nowell said. “Tar River Tees launched maybe two months before this all happened.”
Community members have also reached out to donate to the fund.
“That’s one of the things we’ve enjoyed seeing. It’s not only spurred activity from some of the businesses to support each other, but it’s also spurred our community,” Nowell said. “One of the wonderful byproducts has been this sense of comradery and connectedness. We’ve also seen a lot of kindness, which we love about the community.”
Nowell said she hopes people will consider giving.
“There’s a place for everybody to get involved,” Nowell said.


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International trade has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Not only have consumer habits changed but new medicines and vaccines require new capabilities in logistics to be properly delivered and stored. These changes are forcing the sector to adapt.
Despite the pandemic, one of the most significant events this year in trade was the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA). The EVFTA came into effect on August 1, 2020, paving the way for increased trade between the EU and Vietnam, eliminating almost 99 percent of customs duties between the two countries. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the FTA is expected to help increase Vietnam’s GDP by 4.6 percent and its exports to the EU by 42.7 percent by 2025. While the European Commission has forecast the EU’s GDP to increase by US$29.5 billion by 2035.


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Top 5 Tech of the Week!
Near the end of last year, we wrote about an extremely popular news app Summly and the remarkable growth it had received, which also included £1 million worth of investment as a start-up.
With the app creating such outstanding headlines, which was helped by the fact its founder (Nick D’Aloisio) was only 15 when he set up the business, it was only ever a matter of time before more well established organisations started to take note. Well now it has, as earlier this week it was announced that Yahoo has acquired the business in a deal understood to be worth “dozens of millions” of pounds. Both companies have held the exact amount and details of the deal confidential.
Summly has now shut down and been removed from the App Store whilst the process of being transferred and becoming a Yahoo application is underway. What’s next for Nick D’Aloisio? Well apart from becoming one of the youngest self-made millionaires, along with the deal Yahoo have also employed the young tech whiz kid (now 17 years old).
It’s been a long time waiting but Google has finally announced their competition winners, who will receive the much anticipated Google Glass headsets. When we last spoke about Project Glass it was unclear how many of the products would be handed out to non-developers, however it has now been clarified that 8,000 winners will be given the chance to get there hands on Google’s prize earlier than the rest of the world.
So why the title? Well the good news to the winners was also accompanies by instructions of how to claim there prize, which informed those that they would have to pay $1500 as well as collecting them from either New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Well Don’t get us wrong, we would love to be one of the winners and have chance to fully examine the product, however when someone tells you you’ve won something, you will usually make the assumption that the product will be given to you for free, right?
This comes on the back of some criticism surrounding Google’s latest project, as many people believe security issues not to mention general vision obstructions will hazard the headsets.
A differentiated opinion between two-heavyweight spam fighting groups has cause uproar for many organisations as the whole worlds Internet is severely slowed down. The row erupted after London based Spamhaus (a spam filtering organisation) blocked Dutch orientated Cyberbunker (pretty much an anything goes website). Cyberbunker claim that Spamhaus are abusing their position on the web and have no right to decide what content should be promoted or not.
The incident currently has five national cyber-police on the case after concerns of large web based companies like Netflix feel the strain. Authorities are also worried what effect it may have on the banking system. However even the experts are treading carefully as they do not want to get caught in the middle of a war zone and find all there systems are also on shut down.
The effect of the attack is apparently peaking at 300 Gbps (gigabits per second). This doesn’t mean a lot to many people so it has been put into perspective, for example, when major banks are effected by cyber attacks, they would usually run at 50Gbps. It is thought that the power of the attack could within seconds take down or even temporarily extinct Government systems.
It hadn’t even been released and already critics were on the warpath for BlackBerry making assumptions of the success (or lack of) it would receive following the new launch of the Z10 and new BlackBerry operating system. However, a good dog never dies I guess is the right way to describe the latest quarter for BlackBerry as they announced it had sold 1 million of its new Z10 smartphones, which only went on sale before the quarter finished on March 2nd.
The multi billion pound company, which revolutionised the smartphone, is also thought to have taken customers away from other phone manufacturers, although more details were not given. However we get the inkling that they are drawing away from the heavy competitors.
Although these figures are very impressive, it must be taken into account that it is still early days in terms of the product life cycle and it is too early to see whether the company can win back customers from the current market leaders Apple and Samsung.
Spotify the music streaming site intends to take the world by storm as it is rumoured the brand have plans to push into the VOD service. The move could see them merge into a market, which will dramatically see there profile increased, however will bring on competitors the likes of Netflix, LOVEFiLM and Blinkbox.
The company has announced several changes within the last few months, which have seen the site take away a five-song cap for free users as well as launching a new web based version. However the dramatics of the new change is speculated to bring users streamed TV series as well as the possible enhancement of a Spotify only commissioned series. Netflix has recently announced this and cause major changes within the television industry as YouTube and BBC iPlayer intend to follow suit.
If this is to be the case, it comes as no surprise this will become a heavily financed venture. However this shouldn’t be to much of a worry for Spotify as investments from Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs recently lead to a $3 billion valuation of the company.


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On 24 May 2008, the new Bangalore International Airport on the outskirts of India’s silicon valley commissioned its operations and was thrown open to public. Bangalore was the first greenfield airport ageeement that was signed towards privatisation of airports. The airport is currently celebrating its 15th year of operations.
BIAL, the company operating the airport on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model has launched an engaging promotion at the airport. The theme for the year is Ullasa (joy), Utsaha (excitement) and Utsava (celebration).
Hari Marar, CEO & MD, BIAL said, “Most often it takes a lifetime to build something truly meaningful. But when we share dreams with an entire community of people to achieve that goal, the journey becomes a cherished one. This sums up the journey of BLR Airport in a nutshell. In 2008, we opened the doors of BLR Airport, and the entire airport community strived towards making it one of the best airports in the country and globally. Fast forward 15 years and BLR Airport has grown to become the third busiest airport in India, operating out of two terminals, and flying to 100 destinations. Before the Covid pandemic, we welcomed over 33 million passengers in a year – compared to the 10 million who travelled through in the first year of operations.” on his LinkedIn post.
He continued, “It’s been 15 years since we set out to accomplish becoming the new gateway to India, and we have always put in that extra mile to expand our operations while at the same time striving to deliver seamless experiences to our passengers. This year, as we complete the 15th anniversary of BLR Airport, we are commemorating the occasion with the theme – Ullasa (joy), Utsaha (excitement) and Utsava (celebration). We thank our entire airport community and our stakeholders for helping us build BLR Airport the way it is today, and we also thank our passengers for always trusting us and reposing their faith in us”.
BIAL was the first airport in India back in 2008 to host a retail area spread over 45,000 sft in the passenger terminal building. Shoppers Stop, one of India’s largest Department store chains, was the lead product retail concessionaire at the airport’s domestic departures. Switzerland-based The Nuance Group, now part of the Dufry Group was the initial Duty Free Partner. HMS Host, part of the Autogrill Group was and continues to be the main F&B partner while JC Decaux was and continues to be the Advertising partner.
Shoppers Stop built the Travel Retail opportunity in India from Bangalore International Airport ground up and has created a formidable experience over the past decade and a half for shoppers at airports.
HMS Host has created a wide array of food & beverage options, most suited for Indian passengers as well as for visiting international travellers.
A lot of customised offerings in merchandise planning have been served to consumers by Shoppers Stop at Bangalore airport, something that has been followed by many other international and domestic brands over the years across many other Indian airports. The company also has built a pipeline of interesting product categories for travellers, for self-consumption as well as gifting at the airport.
The airport is said to generate around Rs. 700 Crores in revenues annually from duty free, retail and f&b concessions.
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Terminal 2 at Bangalore Airport on 9 Nov. 2022. With the second runway operational and with the new terminal building, the airport is expected to handle over 50 mn passengers pa by 2028, from the current status or 31 mn passengers in FY 2022-23. This also makes the airport a formidable place for a retail opportunity of over Rs. 1,000 Cr annually.


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Statement from Nicole Gibson on Ontario imposing provincewide “emergency brake”
Posted 1 year ago on · Permalink
April 1, 2021 – The following statement is being issued on behalf of Nicole Gibson, Executive Director of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade regarding Ontario imposing a provincewide “emergency brake”:
“As the number of cases continue to rise and our local hospitals reach capacity, we understand the Ontario Government’s need to respond. The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade would like to thank our front-line workers and ask that we all do, what we can, to support them.
Today brings difficult news for local businesses. For many businesses, they are learning that their ability to reopen has been further delayed. For other businesses, they are learning that their partial reopening must be walked back. And all businesses are having to again invest time and money into understanding new and short-notice regulation.
We all wish to do what is right and every business owner wants to keep their staff and customers safe. However, the reality is that the local businesses have suffered and continue to suffer a very real financial and mental toll.
During this shutdown, we encourage the community to support businesses and not-for-profits in any way they can. This could include getting takeout from a local restaurant, buying from small retailers, posting positive reviews, and promoting local business via social media.
While we are optimistic about the vaccine rollout, there are still challenging times ahead. The Board of Trade will continue to advocate for risk-based closures, in particular as restaurants, personal services, and gyms continue to bare the brunt of restrictions. We also continue to advocate for proper and clear guidance and support for business owners, that make it easy for businesses to understand what is ahead, what is required, and what supports are available.
We encourage local businesses in need of support and information to continue to reach out to the Board of Trade. We are here to help.”
For more information, please contact:
Samantha Paterson, Policy & Communications Specialist, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade


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In fact, if you look at the growth of the US market, you will see that it has grown to a huge extent because people are increasingly aware of this fact. Just look at the statistics. According to a recent study by Brandwatch, Americans spend almost 20% of their time watching TV. They spend an average of 8 minutes watching TV per day, with 8% of people spending more than 25 minutes.
It’s true, although I still think there are some misconceptions. Even if you do the math, it’s still shocking how the US market has grown so fast. For example, in 2008, the US market was only 18 million people. In 2011 it was 20 million people. If you added those two numbers together, you get more than $75 billion in US dollars.
While it may seem like we’re the only ones doing it, it is true that the US is the most spenders on TV. We spend more than twice as much as any other country, and we spend 4 times the amount of time watching TV as compared to any other country. But there is more to it.
In terms of total spend, the US is spending more money on advertising then any other country in the world. But it is also spending twice as much time watching TV as compared to any other country. There is, however, more to spending money on TV.
The truth is that the US does spend more time watching TV than any other country. And that spending is only one part of the story. There are other factors that affect the amount of time spent watching TV. In this case it is the lack of free TV.
The United States is no longer the only nation that has a long history of television ownership. In the 1930s, before television became a mass-market phenomenon, the US was the only nation that didn’t have a national public or cable TV. In 1936, Congress changed this, passing the Public Broadcasting Act which allowed local television stations to broadcast American programs for free. This was a huge win for the US because it meant that the majority of the nation had access to American shows.
Even though Americans have access to TV, its still a very popular form of entertainment. Many Americans still feel they have to have some sort of television addiction just to get through their day. It doesn’t make sense to me that we have to watch TV for entertainment, but when you have a cultural addiction, people will do what they have to to get through the day.
I believe this was a win for the US because it meant we had access to a large number of shows from America. One of the reasons I don’t watch a lot of network television is because they tend to focus on the same shows over and over again. Sure, I have an excuse for that, but I think it’s a cultural thing. A lot of the shows I watch on DVD are American shows.
I think this was a win for America because it meant TV companies were forced to make more of their shows available to a wider audience, which should in turn mean more people were watching. I think this should also have helped the UK because it was a great opportunity for companies like Fox and NBC to start their own series. In the US, shows like The Simpsons or The Big Bang Theory would have been cancelled.
Also, I think this is part of why brands like Coca-Cola use intrinsic marketing a lot. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad, but its a way for them to market themselves. They aren’t trying to get people to buy their own Coke, they are trying to get people to buy a Coke that is related to them. I think that’s a smart move.


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Economic growth boosts Brazil's textile and clothing industry
By Textiles Intelligence | 17 January 2012
Brazil's fast growing economy and the population's buoyant spending have resulted in a large increase in textile and clothing consumption per head in the country - and a knock-on boost to production, new research shows.
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IXONIA, Wis. — In our Two Americas report, we show you why your grocery prices will only get higher.
Farmers we spoke to in Southeast Wisconsin say they are paying about 40 percent more per acre to grow and harvest more corn alone.
Sixth generation farmer Kyle Zwieg says his Ixonia farm is being hit with price hikes from four different directions: the cost of fuel, worker shortages, and the most worrying - shortages of herbicides and fertilizer.
This is not just tough on his 1,400 acre farm. You should also brace for price hikes at your grocery store.
We asked Zwieg how much more it may cost us. He answered: "30 percent increase is probably not out of the question."
The most costly is the fertilizer. "We've seen bottom line costs up to triple depending upon the product, so that's the hardest one to swallow," said Zwieg.
Along with supply chain issues, it is made worse with the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. "It just affects availability of products because some of the eastern producers of fertilizer isn't flowing to market as it should," said Zwieg.
Not to mention the fuel hikes for all of us. "Larger equipment tanks are requiring 120 gallons to 150 gallons on certain days to operate," explains Zwieg.
Herbicides for weed control are also caught in supply chain backlogs in Asia. Hiring here at home is nearly impossible for Zwieg.
All of this has a trickle down effect, as corn production could affect anything from the price of beef to even ethanol production.
Zwieg says it could take months for a consumer to see the price increases. "They're operating on old costs for a while until those materials are used up and they have to buy new food costs," he said.
Zwieg believes consumer price inflation could last for about eight months.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Director for Wisconsin, Julie Lassa, tells us they are closely monitoring for price gougers. "Which obviously hurts all consumers," Lassa said. "We do want to make sure that you have a level playing field and that consumers including farmers are not being hurt by it."
For Zwieg, he is doing everything in his power to ensure his family farm is strong enough for a seventh generation and beyond.
Hear from Port Washington apple farmer Ed Callahan about the long process for a farmer to switch to become a fully certified organic farmer.


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Carl Pei has confirmed that the upcoming Phone 2 will be available in the United States later this year. The 2023 flagship was described by the CEO and co-founder as “more premium” than the Nothing Phone 1, which Engadget deemed “an impressive debut” in our evaluation.
In an interview with Inverse, Pei shared a few details. First, he claims that the Ear 1 earbuds’ launch in the United States was a gauge of demand there. Pei stated, “We’re really excited about the US market because it’s a big country.” If you look at the sales of our earbuds, about a third come from the United States. We also risk losing a third of the market share by not launching our phone in the United States. Nothing’s top priority for this year, according to Pei, is the Phone 2’s US launch.
Pei asserts that the US market is ripe for innovation because of declining smartphone sales. From a business perspective, Apple and Samsung shouldn’t go very niche and try something new because doing so might turn off existing customers. Smaller businesses like ours can try something new in this situation. It simply does not make sense for them to do it, not because we are smarter or incapable. However, despite the fact that stagnation may have played a role, supply-chain issues, inflation, and an unpredictable economy have likely been the primary contributors to the decline.
Pei claims that the primary reason Nothing did not launch the Phone 1 in the United States was bureaucracy. It takes a lot of resources for American carriers to insist that Android manufacturers adhere to various adaptations and preinstalled apps. However, the company’s demonstrated capacity to move volume and rapid expansion have given it leverage. He stated, “When you make a smartphone for the US, you need to work with the carriers on certification and adapting some of their features into your OS,” he said. “We didn’t have the resources for that before, and now we do.” Nothing’s workforce has increased from 200 in 2021 to 400 today.
Although Pei doesn’t spill many secrets about the Phone 2, he hints at a higher-end design than its predecessor. “We’re developing a smartphone that’s more premium than the Nothing Phone 1, and software will be a big focus area for us.” However, he stresses that the Phone 1 was also a flagship handset. “Mobile chipsets have really improved over the last seven to nine years. That’s why I want to avoid calling the Phone 2 a flagship because that would mean that the Phone 1 was not a flagship. Within our own portfolio of smartphones, the Phone 1 was very much a flagship in terms of the amount of care we put into the product. That’s why I used the word ‘premium’ [to describe the Phone 2] instead, which signifies that it’s a more premium step up, but it’s still a flagship just like the Phone 1.”


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There’s a new watering hole in the Saint John area. Foghorn Brewing Company just opened its doors as Rothesay’s newest – and first – craft brewery.
Featuring everything we’ve come to love about craft breweries, Foghorn Brewing is no exception – there’s a roll-up garage door, industrial vibe and the malty smell of fermenting grains. Located in a newly constructed building conveniently also housing a Crossfit gym (so you can have a couple pints and then work it off, or vice versa), the bar is the first thing you see when you step through the doors – that and a working antique payphone donated by owner Steve Russell’s aunt.
There’s seating for approximately 25 on bright red chairs around wooden tables. Red lanterns and festive string lighting make Foghorn an inviting place to pull up a chair.
And then there’s the beer. Brewmaster and co-owner Andrew Estabrooks has worked his magic on five brews in preparation for Foghorn’s opening, three of which will be brewery staples. On tap is a British Golden Ale, a piney IPA in the spirit of Red Racer and a Dry Irish Stout, known affectionately at the brewery as Brian. And just because they had lots of time to brew while waiting out the bureaucratic process, there’ll also be a Session IPA and a Winter Warmer made with Crosby’s molasses. They also plan to use one tap to feature a local cider and another for a craft brew collaboration.
As Brewmaster, Estabrooks has worked with and consulted for numerous breweries, Picaroons, TrailWay, Graystone and Petit-Sault to name a few. He’s got the brewing chops to make Foghorn a major contender on the increasingly crowded craft brewing scene. But it’s not always easy coming up with fresh ideas in an exploding industry.
“Filling the niche is definitely a game that’s played. For consumers and for ourselves as well. You tend to brew ones that you’d want to take home and drink” says Estabrooks.
On why he decided to open a brewery in Rothesay, Russell says he never thought of opening a business anywhere else. Born and raised in the area, Russell says they’ve had tremendous support from the local community. “And on top of it, the business case was sound. There was a niche going unfilled here…I thought Rothesay deserved its own craft brewery“. He also points out that locally made products is what consumers want. “They want to be able to shake the hand of the person that made it“.
That doesn’t mean it’s been easy. Since putting pen to paper on a business plan nearly three years ago, Russell admits it’s been a slow and challenging process. But overall he’s thrilled with the finished product and anxious to start selling beer.
Foghorn is hoping to use local ingredients as much as possible, for convenience as much as conscience. The majority of their hops comes from local growers, except for specialty types they ship in. And Russell says they’d like to collaborate with other local businesses in the future. So keep an eye out for something yummy featuring Foghorn’s neighbour, Java Moose.
When asked if they have any plans to expand into bottling or canning, both Estabrooks and Russell are hesitant. They appreciate being able to control the product from start to finish, insuring the quality, and putting the extra effort into getting the products directly to the customers. Says Estabrooks, “It’s way easier to lose customers than it is to gain them back“.
Foghorn Brewing Company products will be available at 47 Clark Road in Rothesay starting Friday, November 18th at 10:00am and on tap at several bars and restaurants in the Greater Saint John Area.


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For the very first time considering the fact that the get started of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Samsung will be holding a hybrid on the web/offline Unpacked function for saying a important new telephone. The impending Galaxy Z Flip 4, Z Fold 4, and Watch 5 reservations are open up appropriate now, even though the Unpacked ceremony on August 10 will not be completely a digital affair, Samsung announced
Alternatively, the corporation will also hold demonstrations and festivities in a number of crucial places like London and New York:
This year’s method embraces a new age of Unpacked. It requires the finest of on and offline situations and can make them even better. Introducing new immersive and experiential celebration areas that will allow for people all over the world to get hands-on and discover our items in a entertaining, innovative, participating and immersive setting.
The experience will choose more than spaces in the hearts of London’s Piccadilly Circus and New York’s Meatpacking District — two neighborhoods that match the electrical power and pleasure of Samsung’s upcoming bulletins. These situations will unite Galaxy supporters, journalists, associates, and Samsung staff from all in excess of the world and permit them to take a look at the newest Samsung merchandise and innovations like by no means prior to.
Useless to say, there will also be the usual on the net expertise celebration with a keynote adopted by virtual journeys to distinctive presentation rooms to discover the new gear. Tune in at 10am Eastern Time on August 10 to experience the unveiling of Samsung’s 2022 foldable mobile phone crop.
Reserve your Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, or Galaxy Watch 5 in advance of Samsung’s August Unpacked function
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 preorders will possible start promptly following the August 10 Unpacked celebration and operate until eventually Friday, August 26, when Samsung will launch its 2022 foldables crop, if historical past is any indicator. You can reserve your spot and reservations bonuses appropriate now, however:
- Preorder period of time: August 10-August 26, 2022
- Galaxy Z Fold 4 release day: August 26, 2022
- Galaxy Z Flip 4 release date: August 26, 2022
- Galaxy View 5 launch date: August 15 2022


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The Nintendo Switch console is still one of the newest major video game console on the market, but it is already proving to be one of the most popular ever with over 35 million units sold since it launched two years ago on March 3, 2017.
MMO developers have been slow to cash in on the Switch’s ongoing success, but lately there have been a handful of games popping up to fill the hole for multiplayer RPGs on the Nintendo Switch Game Store. Listed below are the best MMOs and multiplayer online RPGs you can play on the Nintendo Switch.
The yearly list of the 100 best selling games on Steam for 2018 as measured by gross revenue has been posted and as usual, a handful MMORPGs have been included. They are the games that made the most revenue on the platform this year. The list is categorized into tiers of Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
Likely due to the Summerset expansion in June and Murkmire/Wolfhunter content, The Elder Scrolls Online climbed from last year’s Gold tier ranking to this year’s Platinum tier, the highest level on the list. ESO is joined by Warframe in the Platinum tier.
Warframe is expanding to yet another console! During this year’s Nintendo Direct presentation, Digital Extremes announced that the sci-fi MMO shooter will be available for digital download on Nintendo Switch starting November 20th.


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Rexnord Corp (NYSE:RXN) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.86.
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on RXN shares. Zacks Investment Research downgraded First Merchants from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Bank of America set a $80.00 target price on Colgate-Palmolive and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th.
In other Rexnord news, General Counsel Patricia M. Whaley sold 1,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total value of $32,574.82. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 66,336 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,762,547.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael Troutman sold 11,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.51, for a total value of $349,545.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,372,952.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 331,976 shares of company stock worth $9,269,388. Corporate insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.
Shares of RXN traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $28.24. 477,169 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 479,254. The stock has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.26, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.57. Rexnord has a 52-week low of $21.38 and a 52-week high of $32.11. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.75. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.
Rexnord (NYSE:RXN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $537.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $543.89 million. Rexnord had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 1.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Rexnord will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Rexnord Company Profile
Rexnord Corp. engages in the manufacture of engineered power transmission, aerospace, and other precision motion technology products. It operates through the Process and Motion Control, and Water Management segments. The Process and Motion Control segment designs, manufactures and markets engineered mechanical components such as gears, couplings, industrial, aerospace bearings, and seals which are used within complex systems.
Further Reading: Cost of Capital
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text: General Motors Co. /zigman2/quotes/205226835/composite GM -3.03% said Tuesday it expects to deliver the first 20,00 face masks on April 8 to front line workers. The auto maker said in response to the face-mask shortage as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was able to produce the first sample mask just under seven days--six days, 23 hours and 30 minutes--after it launched on March 20 a "rapid-response" project to produce masks at scale. "Because we wanted to move fast, the team set an incredibly aggressive goal: To have the production line up and running tests within a week," said GM Vice President Peter Thom. GM expects to be able to produce 50,000 masks a day once the production line is running at full speed. The company used the Class 8-equivalent facility in Warren, Michigan, and collaborated with JR Automation in Holland, Michigan and Esys Automation in Auburn Hills to design and build the machinery. GM's stock, which fell 0.9% in premarket trading, has lost 41.8% over the past three months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average /zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtime DJIA -0.57% has declined 21.8%.


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July 30, 2020
The current public health and economic crises are disrupting lives throughout our community with access to food more challenging than ever for those in need and trips to the grocery store fraught with fears of exposure. Access to food is a right, and we need local agriculture now more than ever. Grow Pittsburgh’s mission is to teach people how to grow food and promote the benefits that gardens bring to our neighborhoods.
Today, we are seeing two major short and longer term challenges that the COVID-19 outbreak is presenting to our community. First, food insecurity is heightened among the most vulnerable populations in Pittsburgh. Relief efforts are focused on non-perishable foods that are essential but often don’t provide the nutritional content that fresh fruits and vegetables provide. Second, local urban and regional farmers have lost a reliable source of income in sales to restaurants. These small businesses and community members are scrambling to remain in business by adjusting their planting schedules to focus on direct-to-consumer sales, but they are in need of support to secure this outlet.
Grow Pittsburgh, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers Cooperative, Operation Better Block, The Oasis Project, and the Sankofa Village Community Garden, has worked to address both of these challenges by setting up a weekly farm stand in the neighborhood of Homewood. This farm stand provides produce grown directly in the Homewood neighborhood to community members while accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Food Bucks and Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program checks. The local urban farmers and farm stand workers are able to receive reliable income to support their farm operations while supplying food to their community. Additional produce that is more difficult to grow at scale in an urban setting, like corn, is bought directly from regional farmers to supplement the offerings and further support the regional food system.
While this is one solution, among many, that will be necessary for the resiliency of our community during this difficult time, we have initially seen great success and are eager to scale this model and support other communities in starting similar pop-up farmer’s markets.
We believe that growing our own food can be a vehicle towards meaningful change in our social, economic, environmental, health and educational world and continue to put people at the center of this work.


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- The Nasdaq index reached a record high this week, closing above 7,000
- The Nasdaq is often used as gauge of tech sector strength
- Indexes of various kinds, including the Dow and S&P 500, are currently in record territory
It’s a new year, and the stock market continues to roar ahead.
An index called the Nasdaq reached a milestone this week, closing above 7,000 points for the first time in its history.
The Nasdaq is among the most important stock indexes in the U.S., along with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and the Russell 2000, which measures the stocks of smaller companies.
Over the past year, numerous stock indexes have reached record highs. The reasons for the increases include an economic recovery that continues to gain steam in the U.S. and abroad, low inflation and low interest rates, and strong employment numbers.
The stocks of five companies accounted for most of the 1,000 point increase for the Nasdaq over the last eight months, according to reports. Those companies include Amazon, Apple and Facebook.
Companies contributing biggest point gains to the Nasdaq since April, 2017:
Source: Wall Street Journal
What is the Nasdaq anyway?
The Nasdaq is an index with a high concentration of technology stocks. It consists of the stocks of more than 3,200 companies. In addition to Amazon, Apple, and Facebook, other well-known tech names include Google’s parent company Alphabet, computer network router maker Cisco Systems, and computer software and services giant IBM.
The Nasdaq is different from indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (the Dow, or DJIA) and the S&P 500. The Dow, one of the oldest indexes in the U.S. created in 1896, is composed of 30 of the largest and most successful companies in the world, including names such as financial company American Express, machinery manufacturer Caterpillar and consumer goods company Procter & Gamble.
Fun fact: The “industrial” part of the DJIA is a holdover from the era when most of the companies that made up the index were manufacturers. These companies have been replaced over time with businesses that don’t necessarily make things in factories. (The only remaining original company is General Electric.)
Similarly, the S&P 500 index, as its name implies, is made up of the 500 largest companies in the U.S., including names such as insurance company Allstate, home construction and refurbishing company Home Depot, and Walmart, the largest retailer in the world. The Russell 2000 consists of smaller companies, including 1-800 Flowers, recreational products company Johnson Outdoors, and the drug-maker Sucampo Pharmaceuticals.
Sometimes big companies can appear in multiple indexes simultaneously. For example, Apple and Microsoft are both in the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.
Here’s something else to keep in mind: While the Nasdaq is known as a technology index–it became extremely popular in the Dotcom era of the 1990s–the number of tech companies in it has decreased over time, and now only make up 45% of the index, according to the Wall Street Journal.
So while most people associate technology stocks with the Nasdaq, the index also holds the stock of biotech and pharmaceutical companies, as well as business services, insurance, and telecommunications companies, among others.
The Nasdaq is an index with a high concentration of technology stocks
Nasdaq composite increases since January, 2017:
Source: Wall Street Journal
How does an index work?
In short, an index is a grouping of company stocks that measures changes in the broader stock market, or a sector of the stock market.
Generally speaking, each company in an index is assigned a weight in a mathematical calculation that creates the final index number. That weight can be based on the stock share price, as it is with the Dow. It can also be based on market cap, a reflection of a company’s value, which is how the S&P is calculated. Some indexes might also combine both to assign the weight. As individual share prices or market caps move up and down, those changes affect the total point value of the index.
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Typically exchanges like the Dow or S&P are taken as a gauge of the entire stock market. The Nasdaq is frequently used to measure change in an important sector of the stock market, which is technology.
The difference between indexes and exchanges
It’s important to keep in mind that indexes are not the same thing as exchanges. Exchanges are the actual places where stocks are bought and sold. One of the most famous exchanges, called the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is headquartered on Wall Street, in New York.
The Nasdaq, located in Midtown Manhattan, is also an exchange where traders buy and sell the stocks that make up the Nasdaq index. The index is a purely electronic exchange. The NYSE combines an electronic exchange with live people who help execute stock trades.
A good year for other indexes too
This has been a record-breaking 12 months for numerous indexes. The Dow also closed in on the 25,000 mark as of January 4, 2018, after gaining more than 5,000 points in a single year.
Similarly, The S&P 500 also had a big year, achieving four 100-point increases since the start of 2017, according to Bloomberg. It is at 2,724, as of January 4, 2018.


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The Mississippi gulf coast shrimp industry is closely watching a number of proposed bills in Congress that could have a big impact when it comes to imports. MPB's Evelina Burnett reports, Mississippi shrimpers caught 8.8 million pounds of shrimp in 2013, but the majority of shrimp Americans eat comes from overseas.
Golden Gulf Coast Packing Company owner Richard Gollott has been in the shrimp business for more than 30 years. During that time, shrimp consumption in the U.S. has doubled – but most of the shrimp we eat is now imported from abroad, mostly southeast Asia. These imports have brought prices down but, Gollott says, it's also made life difficult for American shrimpers.
"It's a double-edged sword," Gollott says. "Yes, a lot more people are consuming shrimp, but being on the other end, where I see people losing their houses and their cars and their life - that's not good. It needs to be a level playing field, that way everyone can make it."
The shrimp industry has argued some foreign governments are unfairly subsidizing shrimp imports. David Veal with the American Shrimp Processors Association says a bill introduced last month, called Leveling the Playing Field, would improve the ability of the commerce department and international trade commission to make sure U.S. industries are treated fairly.
"This problem is not a problem just for the shrimp industry," he says. "It's a problem for the steel industry, and the American tire industry, the American honey industry - and dozens of industries where imports are devastating an American industry for one reason or another. Not that we mind competing with a foreign business - it's competing with a foreign government that's the problem."
A separate bill introduced in Congress last week would require that one-fifth of all imported shrimp be inspected. Currently, less than 2 percent is tested.


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Allergan says revenue from aesthetics unit may double by 2025
(September 14 23:56) Reuters.com Business
Allergan Plc said revenue from its medical aesthetics business could double by 2025, even as it faces increasing competition for its blockbuster wrinkle treatment, Botox.
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Interserve finance chief resigns weeks after rescue deal
Britain's troubled outsourcer Interserve Group Ltd said on Wednesday its finance chief Mark Whiteling had resigned after being in the post since Oct. 2017.
(02:30) Reuters.com Business
Tesla's Musk says considering building factory in Germany
Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said on Wednesday he was considering building a factory in Germany, responding to a user's suggestion on Twitter.
(02:32) Reuters.com Business
Wall Street edges lower in mixed earnings day
The S&P 500 was down slightly on Wednesday, taking a pause after the previous session's record close as investors digested a mixed batch of earnings reports and declining energy stocks ...
(03:11) Reuters.com Business
Anadarko confirms Occidental's $57 billion bid
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U.S. judge suspends Blackstone's lawsuit against Italian media group: sources
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Adding to Ghosn woes, Nissan set to slash outlook: report
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(April 24 09:06) Reuters.com Business
Explainer: Securing the 5G future - what's the issue?
Britain's plan to allow Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies a restricted role in its next generation mobile networks is part of a heated international debate over the security risks so-called ...
(April 24 20:35) Reuters.com Business
Big brands dive into esports to court youth market: Nielsen
From snack companies to carmakers, a wide range of brands is trying to reach one of the hottest demographic groups around: esports fans.
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Softbank Group in talks to buy 5% stake in Wirecard: Bloomberg
Japan's SoftBank Group Corp is looking to acquire a 5 percent stake in German payments company Wirecard AG, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
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Posted Thu Feb 4, 2010 at 10:00 AM PST by Mike Attebery
Vizio has certainly come a long way in the last few years. They established themselves early on as a good alternative for entry level sets, but they’re increasingly popular, even when compared to more established companies. William Wang says it has everything to do with quality.
“Most people think the way to make inexpensive TVs is to use inexpensive parts,” says William Wang, CEO of Vizio. “These days that's not the best approach.”
In an interview with Nikkei Electronics Asia, Wang stressed that even though the company makes some of the most economically priced televisions on the market, that doesn’t mean they make cheap TVs. He says that the main way the company keeps prices down is to establish strong relationships with other firms.
“We outsource TV design, manufacture and other matters to AmTRAN Technology Co., Ltd. and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., both of Taiwan,” he said. “For sales, our tie-ups with companies like Costco Wholesale Corp. are essential.”
He says that regardless of the quality and price of the televisions Vizio offers, if the company were to use the same high-cost system of manufacturing and distribution as larger companies, it just wouldn’t work.
In closing, Wang said that one of his goals with Vizio over the next few years is to create smart TVs that are capable of much more than regular televisions, but to keep them simple enough that anyone can use them.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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Japanese Casino Law and the Tourism Industry: Boosting Japan’s Competitive Edge
In 2018, Japan enacted landmark legislation to legalize integrated resorts (IRs) or casinos, marking a significant shift in the country’s stance on gambling. This move has the potential to transform Japan’s tourism industry and boost its competitive edge in the global market.
The Rise of Integrated Resorts
Integrated resorts, commonly known as IRs, are large-scale casino complexes that offer a wide range of entertainment options, including hotels, convention centers, shopping malls, and theaters. These resorts have been successful in attracting tourists from around the world, particularly in destinations like Las Vegas and Macau.
Japan recognized the potential economic benefits of IRs and decided to tap into this lucrative market. The Japanese government passed the Integrated Resort Promotion Act in 2018, paving the way for the development of IRs in the country.
The legalization of IRs is expected to have a significant impact on Japan’s tourism industry. The introduction of casinos will attract a new segment of tourists who are interested in gambling and entertainment. This influx of visitors will not only boost tourism numbers but also contribute to the local economy.
According to estimates, the introduction of IRs could attract an additional 10 million tourists annually, generating billions of dollars in revenue. This revenue can be used to develop infrastructure, improve public services, and create job opportunities for the local population.
Japan has always been a popular tourist destination known for its rich culture, stunning landscapes, and advanced technology. However, neighboring countries such as China and South Korea have emerged as strong competitors in the tourism industry.
The legalization of IRs gives Japan a competitive edge by offering a unique entertainment experience that sets it apart from its rivals. Tourists who are interested in gambling and entertainment will now have a reason to choose Japan over other destinations.
Moreover, the development of IRs will also attract international investors and businesses, leading to the creation of new partnerships and collaborations. This will further enhance Japan’s competitive position in the global market.
Regulation and Responsible Gambling
While the legalization of IRs presents numerous opportunities, it also raises concerns about gambling addiction and social issues. The Japanese government has taken steps to address these concerns by implementing strict regulations and promoting responsible gambling practices.
Under the Integrated Resort Promotion Act, the government has established a regulatory framework to ensure the fair operation of IRs. This includes measures to prevent money laundering, protect vulnerable individuals, and promote responsible gambling.
Additionally, the government has set up a system to provide support and treatment for individuals struggling with gambling addiction. This proactive approach demonstrates Japan’s commitment to maintaining a balance between economic growth and social responsibility.
The legalization of integrated resorts in Japan has the potential to revolutionize the country’s tourism industry. By attracting a new segment of tourists and offering a unique entertainment experience, Japan can enhance its competitive edge in the global market.
However, it is crucial for the government to ensure that the development of IRs is carried out responsibly, with strict regulations in place to address social concerns. By striking a balance between economic growth and social responsibility, Japan can maximize the benefits of integrated resorts while minimizing potential risks.
Overall, the Japanese casino law has opened up new possibilities for the tourism industry, positioning Japan as a top destination for entertainment and leisure. With careful planning and responsible implementation, Japan can leverage this opportunity to strengthen its competitive edge and drive economic growth.
The post Japanese Casino Law and the Tourism Industry: Boosting Japan’s Competitive Edge appeared first on Techk Times.


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(LATIMES) — Upset by more store openings on Thanksgiving Day, shoppers and retail employees are stepping up efforts to get big chains to back off.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has long been considered the start of the holiday shopping season, with retailers offering big discounts and early-morning deals to attract hordes of shoppers.
But opening times have been drifting earlier. Chains such as Wal-Mart and Sears have announced plans for Black Friday events this year starting as early as 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Frustrated workers and customers say they are unhappy about cutting their family Thanksgiving dinners short.
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More than 20 petitions on Change.org urge stores to open later.


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Turkey’s rebar exports increase by 34.7% in H1 2021
In June this year, Turkey’s rebar exports amounted to 681,787 metric tons, up 1.1 percent compared to May and increasing by 42.4 percent year on year, according to the preliminary data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).
The revenue generated by these exports totaled $433.47 million, increasing by 3.0 percent compared to May and up 122.8 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in the January-June period of this year, Turkey’s rebar exports amounted to 3.65 million metric tons, up 34.7 percent year on year, while the revenue generated by these exports totaled $2.11 billion, increasing by 83.0 percent compared to the same period of 2020.
In the given period, Turkey’s largest rebar export destination was Israel which received 502,697 metric tons, up 36.88 percent year on year. Israel was followed by Singapore with 489,865 metric tons and Yemen with 489,865 metric tons.
Among the Arab countries importing rebar in this period were Yemen with 489,865 metric tons and Iraq with 104,282 metric tons.


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Jordan’s Furniture announced that it opened its fifth location in Warwick, RI with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. The 115,000 square foot store joins Macy’s, Target, and JC Penney as anchor tenants at the Warwick Mall and is now open. Over 100 guests including vendors, local dignitaries, local organizations, and press enjoyed comments from Jordan’s President/CEO Eliot Tatelman, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, and Warwick Mall Co-Managing Partner Aram Garabedian. The Guests also had a private viewing of the new state-of-the-art entertainment show within the store called SPLASH.
“We are excited about the prospect of a new store in the Rhode Island Market. Our concept of providing exceptional value, unparalleled selection and our famous Underprice Guarantee will now provide Rhode Islander’s with a new fresh alternative when shopping for quality furniture and mattresses.” says Eliot Tatelman, President, CEO. Tatelman continues,” one of the most exciting elements of our store, is SPLASH, a state-of-the-art show that combines the magic of laser, light, water and music. It is a free attraction that is going to be nothing like anyone has ever seen before. Not even in Vegas!”
The new Jordan’s Furniture location includes 2 levels of showrooms, as well as The Furniture Factory Outlet, Jordan’s SleepLab and Splash. The company hired approximately 85 employees for the new location.
About Jordan's Furniture: Jordan’s Furniture is known nationally for incorporating beautiful showrooms, exemplary customer service and unique entertainment. The combination creates an entire customer experience. Other Jordan’s Furniture locations include items such as a 500 seat IMAX 3D theatre, a city made of jellybeans, an indoor trapeze school, a Las Vegas-style water show, a 48 seat motion-simulation theatre, a one-of-a-kind laser light show, a Mardi Gras show, delicious ice cream, and much more. With an employee base over 1200 strong, Jordan’s has one of the highest furniture sales per square foot in the country. The stores are located in Reading, MA, Natick, MA, Avon, MA, Nashua, NH, and now Warwick, RI. An 800,000 square-foot warehouse is located in Taunton, MA and serves as the primary distribution center and corporate office.
Furniture World Magazine-Business solutions for furniture retailers


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- Hollis Jordan appealed to well-wishers to help him buy a new car for his mother after the Jeep he bought her was stolen on Saturday, October 16
- Jordan bought the stolen car for his ageing mother, Peggy, back in June 2020 to ease her transport
- Jordan said he is hopeful that good people can take pity on them and help bring light to a dark situation
A Detroit R&B singer Hollis Jordan has organised fundraising to help him raise money to buy a new car for his mother, Peggy.
According to fox2detroit.com, Jordan said he had bought the Jeep for her so she could get to her doctors' appointments.
Just two weeks prior to the car theft, Peggy installed a camera in the vehicle after some minor items were stolen. But this time, the thief's whole face was caught on video.
Help mom replace her Jeep
Jordan initiated an appeal fund in hopes that someone with a kind heart can see the hurt that this incident has caused his family and help get a new car for his mother.
"It’s crazy how hard you can work to earn what you want in life and a thief comes along and just takes it from you. I’m not one to let people get away with wronging me and my family, I am going to make sure this guy is apprehended we don’t do that type of stuff over here. My mom is in need of a new vehicle if in any way you can help her we would greatly appreciate it," he wrote.
Robbers steal Balenciaga bags worth KSh 6.5 million
In a separate article previously reported by TUKO.co.ke, six robbers were reported to have stolen designer Balenciaga purses at a store in Manhattan, New York worth more than KSh 6.5 million.
The criminals reportedly stole 30 bags and during the heist, one is reported to have warned people in the store to avoid getting into trouble as he gestured like he was reaching for something in his pocket.
The robbers then ran out of the store and police received reports of one acting like he had a gun at the same time they were escaping.
Reports indicate that the cheapest bag from the loot goes for KSh 200,000 and the most expensive bag stolen is priced at KSh 251,000.
Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through email@example.com or WhatsApp: 0732482690.


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Nvidia neglected to disclose that cryptocurrency mining accounted for a “substantial portion” of revenue increase from gaming processor sales. According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nvidia Firm has agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle civil accusations that the technology corporation failed to adequately disclose the impact of crypto mining on its gaming business.
In a statement and charging order, the SEC stated that Nvidia failed to disclose that crypto mining constituted a “substantial portion” of their revenue gain from gaming processor sales in back-to-back quarters in fiscal 2018.
The corporation agreed to pay a $5.5 million civil penalty while failing to confirm or deny the SEC’s findings (roughly Rs. 42 crores). Nvidia’s Santa Clara, California, the spokesperson declined to comment.
Read This:-Sony and Theta are set to launch 3D NFTs
According to the SEC, Nvidia’s processors gained popularity in 2018 for crypto mining, which is the practice of obtaining crypto rewards in return for validating transactions on distributed ledgers. According to the regulator, Nvidia was aware of the material but did not discuss it with investors.
According to the SEC, these omissions misled investors and analysts who wanted to know how crypto mining might affect Nvidia’s business.


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AUSTRALIA: Contaminated Kraft Foods peanut butter implicated in elderly man's death
Melbourne Coroners' Court heard yesterday how salmonella contaminated peanut butter produced by Kraft Foods led to the death of an elderly man.
Seventy-two year old Victor Robinson was admitted to hospital in April 1996 suffering from pneumonia and sickness; he died four weeks later and an autopsy revealed salmonella pathogens in his lungs. High-profile microbiologist Dr Beverly-Anne Biggs explained to yesterday's court hearing that she believed he would not have died if he had not consumed the product.
She is quoted in the Herald Sun newspaper as telling the court: "The significant factor in why the patient died is the salmonella."
The peanut butter consumed by Robinson was from a contaminated batch of peanuts produced at the Kingaroy plant of the Australian Peanut Company (APC). The products led to a nationwide salmonella scare and a class action bought by more than 500 people against Kraft, which produces ten brands of peanut butter and purchased its peanuts from the APC.
Lawyers working on behalf of Kraft and APC have conceded that salmonella contamination occurred, but the companies deny that the poisoning was the cause of Robinson's death.
Melbourne Coroner Jacinta Heffey is due to announce her findings at a later date.
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Jollibee Foods has announced its plans to open 100 more Tim Ho Wan restaurants in China over the next four years.
The announcement, which took place on Wednesday, also included details on the company’s investment of USD 60 million into its dim sum chain, Tim Ho Wan. The investment will help the company’s expansion into mainland China, a hostile country for the restaurant industry during the pandemic.
The company currently owns 11 existing Tim Ho Wan restaurants in China, which are concentrated mostly in Shanghai. The expansion is aligned with Mr. Caktiong’s desire to grow Jollibee Food’s non-Philippine portfolio to approximately 50 percent of its revenue and profit.
Currently, Jollibee Food earns approximately 45 percent of its revenue from locations outside the Philippines. According to the company’s CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong the company is targeting the Philippines, China, and the US as its “three major growth centers,” so that “see these three pillar markets contribute equally”.
As economies reopen, Jollibee has seen its business rebound. The company aims to become one of the world’s largest quick-service restaurant chains, joining McDonald’s and Yum Brands. However, this aim has been hindered by Xi Jinping’s zero-COVID strategy, which relies on lockdowns and extensive testing to combat outbreaks and has been slowing China’s economic recovery.


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Coin Center, a newly created research and advocacy center, will focus on public policy issues faced by the virtual currency.
More malicious software has been created in the past 2 years than in the previous 10 years combined.
Association for Computing Machinery bestows its award on Shafi Goldwasser and Silvio Micali for pioneering technology in Internet security.
Bid on a piece of WWII spy history with an unprecedented collection of cipher machines and accessories up for sale at Christie's auction house through Dec. 3.
Computer scientists no longer need have Nobel envy -- at least financially. A Google cash infusion quadrupled the size of the top computer science prize.
Supercookies could take a bigger bite out of your privacy than you think, say researchers. Here's what they're worried about.
To stop terrorists and other criminals, cell phones should have encryption backdoors to enable US government surveillance, argues FBI Director James Comey.
The venture capitalist has been tweeting up a storm, sharing his thoughts on everything from startups to activist shareholders. In an exclusive interview, Andreessen offers his take on the Apple Watch, bitcoin and dot-com blunders.
So-called Internet safety software ComputerCop, often given to families for free by their local police departments, puts children and personal data at risk, a new report alleges.
While Blackphone sales are off to a lukewarm start, our hands-on with the privacy-obsessed smartphone finds that it simplifies staying secure on the go.


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On June 17 , Nigeria is expected to join other members of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to migrate from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT). A digital television service provider, StarTimes, says it has prepared for the switchover. But there fears that this country may miss the global timeline because of tardy preparation, LUCAS AJANAKU reports.
Sometime in 2005, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva, announced to its 193 members consisting of 70 private members, that June 17, this year is the final switch off date from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT).
TechTarget, an online search networking platform, defines DTT “as digital television (DTV) broadcast entirely over earthbound circuits. A satellite is not used for any part of the link between the broadcaster and the end user. DTT provides a clearer picture and superior sound quality when compared to analogue TV, with less interference. DTT offers far more channels, thus providing the viewer with a greater variety of programmes to choose from. DTTV can be viewed on personal computers. Using a split-screen format, a computer user can surf the Web while watching TV.”
According to ITU, digital television allows for better picture and sound quality, as well as more choice of channels and programmes.
Former ITU Secretary General, Dr Hamadoun Toure, said the migration exercise will lead to freeing up of about one-third of frequencies which can then be used for the provision of other services.
Over the past years, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has been giving assurances that the country will meet the June deadline.
Its Director General, Emeka Mba said after the ITU deadline, there would be no more international support for analogue spectrum as any operator still operating on the platform would have been technically edged out.
He said in pursuit of meeting the ITU deadline, the Federal Government has finalised and harmonised discussions over the transmission network parameters with all Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member states.
According to him, specifications for the set-top-box and Digital Television Receivers (DTR) had also been finalised with other countries in the sub-region to ensure a seamless transition.
According to him, broadcasters would be responsible for content while a Signal Distributor or Carrier would be saddled with Transmission of the signals to viewers.
Aside the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the NBC chief said the Federal Government would licence two other signal carriers for optimum benefit for viewers across the country, adding that the Federal Government has begun the process of licensing the second Signal Distributor.
Mr. Mba said the focus of the NBC now is ensuring more broadcasting services are created such that the current gaps in the industry are effectively addressed.
He said: “Our focus at the NBC is promoting more broadcasting services to fill current gaps in content and services such as themed channels, special interest channels, educational and children’s channels, regional channels as well as new HD services.”
But an Executive Director, Pinnacle Communications, Mr. Dipo Onifade, has said it is wishful thinking that Nigeria will be there. Pinnacle is a leading broadcasting firm that won a bid to distribute signals to homes in the DTT programme.
He said the June digital switch-over was a hoax, designed to hoodwink the government and give it the impression that it was working.
According to him, it will be impossible for the country to distribute 26 million set-top-boxes to households with less than 40 days to go, adding that there is a pending legal action before the law court which could also hamper the country’s switch-over plan before the deadline date.
Onifade insisted that the NBC was not prepared for DTT as more than 95 per cent of television boxes in Nigeria are analogue while 26 million households are yet to get the set-top-boxes, accusing that the NBC conniving with a South African-based firm to shut out indigenous firms from participating in the process.
He said every household may be compelled to pay over N6,000 to secure the set-top-boxes to enjoy the dividends of the digital migration.
“We are talking about digital switchover. Nigeria is nowhere near being ready to switchover. This takes time. About 95 per cent of television boxes in Nigeria are analogue. How are you going to distribute 26 million boxes to households in Nigeria before the deadline? These issues have not been ironed out. So, we are not ready to migrate yet,” he said.
But despite the pall of doubts hanging over digital migration, StarTimes said it has put its house in order for the programme.
“Creativity and innovation are keys to success. Having adopted these keys, StarTimes, foremost digital TV service provider, reassures its existing and potential subscribers of its determination to offer more innovative and affordable sought-after channels across its bouquets in line with its vision,” the firm explained.
It added that having broken the barrier hindering Nigerians from owning a Pay TV, StarTimes links several homes across social status to digital television (DTV), which is a global phenomenon, with its four-television bouquet fully loaded, sought-after channels. Now, StarTimes makes digital TV affordable and enjoyable for Nigerians, including those who are yet to get a decoder. Getting a decoder and recharging regularly has been made very easy and convenient.
Its Public Relations Manager, StarTimes, NTA Star-TV Network, Mr. Israel Bolaji, said DTV is for all; and as such, it should be affordable to all Nigerians. He said: “The increase in the number of relevant channels on the bouquet was done in a bid to continue to satisfy Nigerians. We are working hard and smart to prepare Nigerians towards digital migration by offering our customers affordable bundle that makes a convenient switch over from analogue to digital television and promote inspirational television experience that creates values.”
He explained that the company introduced new channels to break the barrier and offer more affordable and efficient services to both existing and potential subscribers, adding that DTV is not meant for the high and mighty in the society but for all; and as such, affordable service should not be a barrier for all Nigerians. “The increase in the number of relevant channels on our bouquets was done in a bid to continue to satisfy Nigerians. We work smart to improve the quality and quantity of our services and also wet the appetite of Nigerians towards digital migration with our priceless bundle. We are determined to ensure no Nigerian home is left behind in the DTV migration expected to happen by middle of next month,” he said.
The firm also launched StarTimes Light, a new stylish and compact DVB-T2 decoder which Bolaji said is smaller, lighter and handy set-top-box designed to suit the fashionable, classy and trendy lifestyle of subscribers without paying anything extra. “It is fully DVB-T2 and DVB-T compliant with digital picture quality, simple remote control and friendly user interface. It also comes with automatic software upgrade, allows users edit favourite channels and enjoy parental control,” he added.
With an array of interesting channels for sports, music, movies, news, kids and teens’ entertainment, documentary, religion and gadget, Bolaji said: “ StarTimes is set to support Nigerians towards digital migration by offering them valuable family entertainment at an affordable rate that makes a convenient switch over from analogue to digital television and promote inspirational television experience that creates values.”
He said the channels are aimed at offering the company’s countless subscribers more robust and improved DTV experience as the country approaches the full DTV switch-over. He said: “With this help of StarTimes, Nigerians now enjoy a refreshing digital television experience with N600 subscription on Nova, N1,200 for Basic, Classic for N2,400 and Unique goes for N3,600 every month. With focus on ensuring that DTV becomes affordable and enjoyable to all, StarTimes decoder now goes for N990 with N2,400 minimum subscription.”
Apart from the affordable bouquets, the indigenous service provider also recorded a milestone recently when it signed an exclusive deal with iROKOtv, an online movie platform in France. StarTimes formed a formidable partnership with the company to offer its over 4.6 million subscribers two new sought-after channels, which are iROKO PLAY and iROKO PLUS, on the leading African Pay TV platform in 14 countries across the globe.
He said its subscribers now have the choice of viewing several entertaining and educating channels like iROKO PLAY, which is available on the StarTimes Classic Bouquet, with classic Nollywood movies from 2007 onwards, with a brand new exclusive movie added to the schedule each month or iROKO PLUS that is on the StarTimes Unique Bouquet offering premium Nollywood movies from 2011 till date, with the addition of an exclusive brand new movie every week. Others are AMC Series, Star Zone, Child Smile, Star Kungfu, Star Dadin Kowa, CCTV News, Star Music, IQRAA and TBN, and Star Sport Focus.
He said the Star Sport Focus, an exclusive sports news bulletin channel, can be viewed on both StarTimes (channel 250) and on StarSat (channel 240). This new channel is available on all StarTimes and StarSat bouquets. The channel offers subscribers a dynamic fast-paced overview of sports as a whole, and brings to viewers a 90-minutes sports news content block daily and content for magazine shows. Viewers can also watch the best action of top leagues in Africa, La Liga, Bundesliga and many more on Goalissimo.
It promotes African Sports via Sports News Africa and shows exciting news and information on wrestling, Bundesliga, Top football leagues and other favourite sports actions. Viewers can follow choice legendary sports stars from Africa and all over the world on the new channel.
Bolaji emphasised that StarTimes provides door-to-door services, which unveils the originality and selfless service of the brand as its major concern is not just to provide digital television experience. “We show care and give needed support to our customers; our door to door after sales duties includes: outdoor antennal installation to subscribers on purchase of the decoder, product usage, technical assistance and other services required to be delivered,” he said.