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Customers to be notified proactively of unlocked status, get devices unlocked for free
The CTIA has announced today it has come to an agreement with the FCC regarding cellphone unlocking. The five largest carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular — have signed-on with a deal that increases the transparency and improves the process of unlocking phones in the country.
The full list of six steps towards more consumer-friendly unlocking, which is quite extensive and can be found after the break, will be adopted by each of the five largest carriers and begin to be implemented within three months. The basic idea behind the guidelines follows right in line with what the FCC proposed the CTIA consider just one month ago, including clear policies posted on the carrier's unlocking process, responding to unlock requests within two days and unlocking devices without a fee.
The big sticking point between the wireless group and governing body was the proactive notification of customers that their devices are ready to be unlocked at the end of their contracts, which seems to now be included in the guidelines.
- Disclosure. Each carrier will post on its website its clear, concise, and readily accessible policy on postpaid and prepaid mobile wireless device unlocking.
- Postpaid Unlocking Policy. Carriers, upon request, will unlock mobile wireless devices or provide the necessary information to unlock their devices for their customers and former customers in good standing and individual owners of eligible devices after the fulfillment of the applicable postpaid service contract, device financing plan or payment of an applicable early termination fee.
- Prepaid Unlocking Policy. Carriers, upon request, will unlock prepaid mobile wireless devices no later than one year after initial activation, consistent with reasonable time, payment or usage requirements.
- Notice. Carriers that lock devices will clearly notify customers that their devices are eligible for unlocking at the time when their devices are eligible for unlocking or automatically unlock devices remotely when devices are eligible for unlocking, without additional fee. Carriers reserve the right to charge non-customers/non-former-customers a reasonable fee for unlocking requests. Notice to prepaid customers may occur at point of sale, at the time of eligibility, or through a clear and concise statement of the policy on the carrier’s website
- Response Time. Within two business days after receiving a request, carriers will unlock eligible mobile wireless devices or initiate a request to the OEM to unlock the eligible device, or provide an explanation of why the device does not qualify for unlocking, or why the carrier reasonably needs additional time to process the request.
- Deployed Personnel Unlocking Policy. Carriers will unlock mobile wireless devices for deployed military personnel who are customers in good standing upon provision of deployment papers.
Reading through the list of guidelines ourselves it seems like a pretty solid set of rules, and ones that are roughly followed by most of the carriers already. The full list of six guidelines will be completely implemented in the next 12 months, but interestingly the carriers must implement at least three of the six guidelines within the next three months. Carriers seem to have the choice of which three to go ahead with early, but it's interesting to see a staged rollout.
The CTIA, for better or worse, reminds customers that a guarantee of unlocking does not guarantee interoperability between networks. Just because AT&T will let you unlock your Galaxy S4 doesn't mean you'll now be able to walk into a Sprint store and activate it. The opacity of different frequencies and technologies in use amongst the five big carriers in the U.S. is confusing, to say the least, and continues to be an issue even after this agreement.
Source: CTIA; (2)
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As we had expected, mutual funds have witnessed a massive outflow of Rs1,365 crore in April. But the problem is not just with the fund industry, or investor behaviour, but with the so-called equity cult itself
Just a week back, we had a CEO of a fund house who estimated that the outflow from equity mutual funds for April would be close to Rs1,500 crore. ‘Equity funds may have suffered large-scale erosion in April’. The official figure we now know is Rs1,365 crore. This huge exit from equity schemes is normally blamed by the regulators and the market players completely on investor behaviour. In fact, this is very likely an excuse they are using for not coming up with a well-thought policy to sustain fund inflows.
Equity mutual funds enjoyed rising inflows from December 2010 to February 2011, with collections peaking at Rs2,495 crore in February. It was after this that the decline started. In March, net inflows were just Rs454 crore, which was mainly due to ELSS schemes which collected Rs578 crore, whereas pure equity saw redemptions amounting to Rs124 crore. April has seen the highest outflow since October 2010. But, whether we can expect to see money return to equity schemes anytime soon is still in doubt.
The real problem is that fund mobilisation by mutual funds from the investing public is weak. Investors still prefer bank fixed deposits and categories other than the stock market in spite of the fact that the market has gone up by more than 20 times. Ever since the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) put a ban on entry load, equity funds have suffered redemptions.
Distributors have found fund-selling unviable and have been moving out of the business. The penetration of mutual funds is so poor that brokers have little incentive to sell mutual funds. The only option for them, to earn some income, has been to make investors churn their portfolios. This earns them a 1% exit load and while it has been an incentive for brokers to make investors churn more frequently, it is a loss for investors. Along with this, the low incentive to sell mutual funds has led many distributors to sell ULIPs, which is terrible for investors. As it turns out, the regulation by SEBI has done more harm than good.
The regulator needs to address the issue of distributor fees, to make AMCs adopt a better pricing system where the commissions are clear and no other payments to distributors allowed. For such a course correction, SEBI and the mutual fund industry, through the Association of Mutual Funds India (AMFI), have to sit together. So far, AMFI has done a lousy job of putting across the industry’s views, which is one of the main reasons that SEBI took the decision without consulting it.
Recently, SEBI created an alternative: fund sales through stockbrokers. But this hasn’t really got going. The cost of running a large countrywide brokerage business is exorbitant, and fixed. Broking companies have to bear the cost of a large back-office staff, compliance, technology and high capital cost of property (or rent). Then there are costs to acquire new clients. All this eats up into the profits they can muster. Research is another item for which they pay heavily. Unfortunately these reports are guided by companies and investment banks and are rarely based on fundamental calculations.
The other serious issue is that of poor retail participation. Volumes in the cash market have declined to historic lows. In April, the daily average cash market turnover dropped to 11% of the overall volume, compared to 18% in the month a year ago. Official studies have shown a decline in the investor population, during a decade which has been the best period for the markets. This is also because of the fundamental problem with the way the market functions.
So, investors are happy to put their money in bank fixed deposits. Data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows that 50% of the household savings goes into bank deposits. In 1990, the percentage of savings in shares, debentures and investment in UTI was 14%, and this went down to 13% in 2007-08, even while the market has climbed by 20 times in this period.
There has been no shortage of products and manpower to sell these products either. As we have mentioned in previous articles, there is a multitude of investment products to choose from—over 3,000 actively-traded stocks and 230 diversified equity mutual funds, apart from insurance products, pension schemes, PMS and other financial products. To take these to investors, there are over 20,000 independent financial advisors, not to forget the banks, financial planners and a sea of insurance agents.
The issue here is that financial products have been sold like consumer durables. But consumer products are standardised, while financial products are not. The way they are being sold is equally important. This is why financial products are tightly regulated the world over. Had financial institutions and intermediaries sold these products like they should have, and the regulators had done their duty, the last decade would have brought in larger investor participation. Due to the poor performance of financial products and the hidden costs, and scores of complaints regarding mis-selling, investors have developed an aversion to the stock market and any other equity-linked product or investment product. Even the minor rules and amendments introduced by the regulators from time to time have not benefited investors.
Financial products need to be closely regulated. When it comes to protecting investors and eradicating mis-selling, regulators have fallen short. There has, so far, not been any strict punishment for such serious offences. They’ve taken half-thought out steps, hoping these will work wonders, but have in fact ended up choking the business. They have not seriously pursued investor protection, promoting fair business practices and punishment that would force a fundamental change across the industry.
If the regulators don’t act quickly, it would be a long wait before mutual funds see a sustainable trend of inflows.
Out of the total $4.4 billion, the total value of outbound deals wherein Indian companies acquired businesses overseas in April was $1.91 billion through 21 deals and the total value of inbound deals was $2.28 billion (17 deals)
New Delhi: Foreign companies and their subsidiaries continued to remain bullish on Indian businesses, as inbound transactions worth $2.28 billion were announced in the month of April, taking the total merger and acquisition (M&A) deal value to a whopping $4.4 billion (around Rs19,800 crore), reports PTI.
According to global consultancy firm Grant Thornton, as many as 64 M&A deals worth $4.4 billion were announced in the month of April.
Out of the total $4.4 billion, the total value of outbound deals wherein Indian companies acquired businesses outside India in April was $1.91 billion through 21 deals and the total value of inbound deals was $2.28 billion (17 deals), the report added.
“We are seeing a flood of cross border deals in the market and they comprise almost 95% of the total value of M&A deals for April and 88% for the period January to April 2011. Inbound deals have picked up significantly over outbound,” Harish HV, partner, India Leadership Team at Grant Thornton India said.
The fears of the global recession have gone and corporates are back to looking for deals on a global platform, he added.
Domestic transactions have taken a back seat, as the total value of domestic deals in April this year was $0.21 billion via 26 deals as compared to $1.03 billion through 60 deals.
A sector-wise analysis shows that oil & gas was the most targeted sector accounting for 43% of the total deal value driven by Vedanta’s 11% stake acquisition in Cairn India from Petronas for $1.5 billion.
The other major deals include Genpact’s acquisition of Headstrong Corporation for $550 million, Essar Energy’s acquisition of Royal Dutch Shell’s Stanlow refinery in northwest England for $350 million and the Aditya Birla-Domsjo Fabriker buyout for $340 million.
The top five M&A deals accounted for 69% of the total M&A deal values, Grant Thornton said.
In the private equity segment, the deal values in the month of April amounted to $0.73 billion through (38 deals) as compared to $0.83 billion via 35 deals in the corresponding month last year.
“Private equity (PE) is growing in a steady manner and has touched a three-year high of $2.6 billion with an increase in deal numbers. PEs are looking at spreading themselves quite well by increasing number of transactions and hence average deal sizes have come down,” Mr Harish said.
Jyothy Laboratories had earlier acquired 14.9% stake in Henkel India from the Indian promoter Tamilnadu Petroproducts in March 2011
The board of directors of Jyothy Laboratories (JLL) has approved the buy-out of 50.97% stake in Henkel India (HIL) from Henkel AG & Co KGaA (Henkel AG). JLL had earlier acquired 14.9% stake in HIL from the Indian promoter Tamilnadu Petroproducts in March 2011.
In a deal structured by MAPE Advisory Group, JLL proposes to acquire 59,360,203 equity shares, constituting 50.97% of Henkel India at a price of Rs20/share aggregating Rs118.7 crore.
JLL will refinance the existing debt of HIL as also buy out the redeemable cumulative preference shares in HIL held by Henkel AG. The aggregate debt owed by Henkel India to its lenders is approximately Rs454 crore. JLL will purchase 68 million preference shares in HIL from Henkel AG for Rs43.9 crore, subject to regulatory approvals. The per share equity consideration payable to Henkel AG is subject to customary closing adjustments based on the debt and cash position in HIL.
Further, JLL and Henkel AG have agreed that Henkel AG shall have an option to acquire up to 26% of the equity share capital of Jyothy Laboratories through primary and/or secondary transactions, after five years, subject to the terms and conditions to be mutually agreed.
This acquisition will trigger the mandatory 20% open offer to the public shareholders of HIL as per applicable SEBI regulations. MAPE Advisory Group will be the manager for the public offer.
Both JLL and HIL have strong synergies in various business segments, as both are present in home care, fabric care, dish wash, personal care and household cleaning segments and the acquisition will elevate JLL to amongst the top five FMCG players in India. With its array of well-known brands like Ujala, Exo and Maxo, JLL enjoys a dominant position in all its categories. With this acquisition, JLL will add to its stable internationally renowned brands like Henko, Pril, Fa & Mr White and popular Indian brands like Margo, Chek & Neem.
MP Ramachandran, chairman & managing director, JLL said: “This is a historic and much anticipated move from Jyothy Labs which will help us in strengthening our position in urban India. It will also give us access to any new product launches of Henkel AG & Co KGaA in the future.”
Shares of JLL were trading at around Rs221.90 on the Bombay Stock Exchange in the late afternoon, 0.07% down from the previous close.

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A hacker attack has triggered a large-scale crash of Maersk Group's IT systems, the company tells ShippingWatch. It remains unknown how the group's customers will be impacted. APM Terminals has also been struck in ports in the US and Netherlands.
Maersk customers such as Jysk and DSV are currently trying to get clarification concerning the situation following Tuesday's cyber attack. If worst comes to worse, they could look toward other carriers, they tell ShippingWatch.
Companies can once again book Maersk's vessels to transport their cargo, informs the Danish shipping giant. And APM Terminals' container terminals are operational again although there could be delays, says Maersk Group in its latest update about the massive cyber attack Tuesday.
The hacker attack on Tuesday against the Maersk Group constitutes a massive test of the group's security procedures, analyst Lars Jensen of Seaintelligence Consulting tells ShippingWatch. The problems are now accumulating.
According to Alphaliner, there does not seem to be much factual evidence to support the claims that the container merger between Japan's three biggest carriers will disrupt competition in South Africa.
The Maersk family's brokerage firm maintains its forecast for an improved result compared to a weak 2016, CEO Anders Hald tells ShippingWatch. Though there is solid activity in buying and selling, it is still happening at very low prices, he says.
Chinese leasing companies have stormed into shipping and offshore accounting for 15 percent of new loans in 2016, according to new figures. ShippingWatch has met two of the new bankers which the maritime industry should start getting used to. "It's strictly commercial," they say.
Green Ship of the Future has now appointed its management team for the next two years, with senior executives from MAN Diesel & Turbo and DFDS filling the top positions in the network that consists of 48 stakeholders in the maritime sector.


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05 November 2023, 12:20
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov together with the heads of delegations of the participating countries of the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai familiarized with the national pavilions presented there.
Within the framework of the national pavilion Kazakhstan will present to a wide range of visitors its investment, trade and industrial opportunities through companies and projects in the spheres of agriculture, tourism, logistics, exports and innovations.
The guests of honor, including heads of government from Australia, China, Cuba and Serbia, were introduced to the republic's export potential in grain, oil and fat and other food products, promising investment projects, a network of railway routes and key tourist attractions.
"Today, 21 protocols on the export of Kazakh agricultural and food products have been signed between our country and the PRC, which allowed to significantly increase the supply of agro-industrial complex goods to China. At the same time, Kazakhstan can expand the volume of exports of environmentally friendly agricultural products to the Chinese market. The export potential for vegetable oils and meal alone is $300 million," Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev said during the presentation of the national pavilion.
Kazakhstani producers of livestock products, particularly beef, mutton and poultry meat, have great opportunities, he said.
Trade logistics is also successfully developing between Kazakhstan and China. Today, a route network has been created, which covers railroads, roads and aviation. For example, the transit road corridor "Western Europe - Western China" allows to deliver cargoes to Europe in 10-12 days.
Kazakhstan is currently making serious efforts to become a transportation and logistics hub of international importance. Since 2014, a logistics terminal, created jointly with Chinese partners, has been operating in the port of Lianyungangan. In May 2023, construction of a Kazakh terminal in the dry port of Xi'an began.
In Kazakhstan in the next three years it is planned to build 1300 km of new railroad tracks, open the 3rd railway checkpoint on the border with China and build new dry ports "Bakhty" and "Kalzhat". That is, Kazakhstan is actively creating favorable conditions for the transportation of goods in the direction of Europe and the Middle East.
In addition, the heads of delegations were introduced to the activities of Kazakh Invest and Kazakh Export, the International Center for Cross-Border Cooperation "Khorgos", the International Financial Center "Astana", Astana Hub Technopark, etc.
Within the framework of the commercial pavilion "From Agribusiness to Innovations", more than 30 Kazakhstani enterprises are participating in the exhibition, including producers of food, flour-milling, dairy and alcoholic products, confectionery and pasta products, honey, salt, combined additives for farm animals, etc. Among them are such companies as "Bayan Sulu", "Mareven Food Tien-Shan", "Mibeko", "Almaty Product", "Sultan Marketing", "Eurasia Invest", "Ust-Kamenogorsk Butter Plant", "DEP", "Bakhus" and others.
"Mareven Food Tien-Shan" produces more than 47 thousand tons of finished products per year, including instant noodles, pasta, mashed potatoes, seasonings, drinks and snacks.
Domestic food products are popular both domestically and in Central Asia as a whole, company spokesman Miras Kilybayev said. At the same time, the Chinese market is of strategic interest to the company.
"We are pleased to take part in such a large-scale event. We have all the resources to successfully develop trade relations with China: a short logistical shoulder, a decent range of products of the highest quality and a willingness to invest in infrastructure," he said.
"Eurasia Invest" presents its products - camel and mare milk powder - at the exhibition for the sixth consecutive year. Meruert Rakhimberdiyeva, the company's representative, noted that thanks to the Expo, the company has found permanent partners in China.
"Camel milk is quite successfully sold in China. Chinese consumers have high requirements to the quality of products. German drying technology allows us to preserve all the useful properties of milk and ensure the quality of the product," she said.
During the visit to Kazakhstan commercial stand the heads of delegations familiarized in detail with products and offers of domestic enterprises.
It should be noted that over the past 5 years, 133 companies from Kazakhstan participated in the China International Import Expo, thanks to which favorable export contracts worth more than $260 million were concluded.
For reference: China International Import Expo is held annually from November 5 to 10 on the initiative of President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. The main goals of the exhibition are to intensify trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as to open the Chinese market for foreign goods and services. Experts call it a kind of "window" to China. This year, 69 countries and 3,000 companies are represented at the exhibition.#Alikhan Smailov #The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan #Agroindustrial complex #Trade and economic cooperation


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Yesterday, it was reported that Proton’s partner in Pakistan, Al-Haj Automotive, was in the process of introducing a range of Proton vehicles, including the Saga facelift, which is currently being tested and will be the first Proton model to be introduced in that market.
Now, CarSpiritPK reports that the Saga that will be sold in Pakistan will feature a different, downsized engine in order to secure improved tax benefits. The car will still feature a 1.3 litre engine, but this will have a displacement of 1,299 cc to bring the car into a lower tax structure, which will make the car cheaper to sell.
The Saga’s existing S4PH 1.3 litre VVT mill has a 1,332 cc displacement, so this could well be a cylinder resleeve job to meet the capacity requirements, or it could be an entirely fresh engine altogether, coming from Geely. That’s because the Chinese automaker has a 1,299 cc four-pot called the 4G13 (no, it’s not a Mitsubishi, despite the familiar model code), available in both turbocharged and normally-aspirated forms.
In its NA guise, the Geely unit offers 87 hp and 120 Nm, which isn’t far from the S4PH’s 95 PS and 120 Nm. Either way, a Hyundai-sourced four-speed automatic and a five-speed manual will remain the partnering transmission choices. The report adds that development of the new 1,299 cc unit is expected to be completed by May this year, following which mass production will begin.
The X70 is another Proton model that has been earmarked for Pakistan, and will apparently be sold there from 2021 with a 174 hp and 255 Nm 1.5 litre turbo engine used by other Geely and Volvo models, and not the 181 hp/300 Nm 1.8 litre turbo unit in our CKD X70, again to secure tax benefits. Like our X70, the partnering transmission will be a seven-speed dual-clutch unit, which replaces the previous conventional six-speed auto.
In March last yar, Proton announced that it would be setting up a local assembly plant in Pakistan, which will be owned and operated by Al-Haj. The factory in Karachi is being built with an initial investment of US$30 million (RM126 million), and is expected to commence operations before the end of this year. As part of the agreement, Al-Haj will be the sole distributor for Proton vehicles in Pakistan.
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The lack of in-person connection due to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed social media platforms to see significant growth through 2020. Notably, the live audio platform Clubhouse has seen rapid adoption in recent times, following which both Twitter and Facebook are building a rival. It looks like Instagram also wants to do something for its users, which is why they announced a new feature today called ‘Live Rooms’.
‘Live Rooms’, according to Instagram, is a much-requested feature, and it will allow up to four people to broadcast live together at the same time. This is quite a departure from Instagram’s live feature that only allowed users to live stream with one other person. Instagram hopes this will open up more creative opportunities in terms of live broadcast formats.
Being able to go live with more people will potentially attract more viewers. We can already see this feature being widely used by people across the globe to start a talk show or a podcast, among many other creative collaborations. Instagram noted that it’ll also allow fans to buy badges to support the hosts, thereby helping them to make more money. It appears that some other interactive features like Shopping and Live Fundraisers will also be integrated into Live Rooms.
How to start an Instagram Live Room
In order to start a Live Room, you will have to swipe left and select the live camera option. You will then have to add a title to the room and tap the Room icon to add guests. This will populate a list of people who have already requested to go live with you, and you will simply be able to search for other guests to add.
For safety reasons, Instagram will not let any person that’s been blocked by any of the Live Room participants join the livestream. Also, any guests who have previously had their live access revoked for violating Instagram’s Community Guidelines won’t be able to join any Live Rooms.
Instagram’s Live Room seems like a direct competition to Clubhouse, however, Live Room requires people to be on-camera. But Instagram Live Room is widely available to all the across globe on both Android and iOS, which makes it instantly more accessible than Clubhouse which is currently available only on iOS, that too on an invite-only basis.


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On the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings several weeks ago, US President Donald J. Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the conclusion of a much-anticipated new trade agreement. This deal, described by the two countries and commentators as an interim agreement, provides for a limited number of tariff concessions—mostly agriculture products for US exports and a range of industrial and agriculture products for Japanese exports—and a framework of agreed commitments on digital trade issues. The agreement attracted significant attention—after all, it is now the default outcome after the Trump administration abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which included a much broader and deeper set of commitments between the United States and Japan. And while several analysts highlighted questions about whether it might comply with standards set out in the World Trade Organization (WTO), their comments were generally drowned out by analysis of the benefits to US farmers, implications for trade in autos, and a Trump trade win in the context of the 2020 US presidential election.
In fact, a more central question—and challenge—might be what this agreement means for the future of the multilateral trading system. The WTO has been taking multiple hits since the arrival of the Trump administration, including dismissive comments by the US president about how the WTO has served US interests and the current crisis over the continued viability of the Appellate Body. However, now there is a new threat that is potentially more existential, even if it plays out in a slow-drip fashion. If the United States were to complete additional tariff-cutting deals with such limited scope and other countries were to follow this model in their bilateral trade negotiations, the WTO might confront a gradual erosion of one its central tenets—most favored nation, or “MFN,” treatment.
The multilateral trading system, put into place in 1947 and now embodied in the WTO since 1995, is built on a foundation of equal treatment among member countries. The origins of MFN in trade go back centuries, and the principle is underpinned by compelling economic and political considerations. From an economic standpoint, MFN promotes uninhibited trade that can lead to optimum efficiency outcomes. In theory, the global economy will grow more, to the benefit of all, than would be the case with strictly bilateral, preferential trade relationships. From a political standpoint, MFN, as institutionalized multilaterally with the creation of the post-World War II trading system, promotes mutual trust and shared commitment among all members who abide by the rules of the system.
Under WTO rules, there can be only very limited exceptions to MFN. One form is through waivers, which require a consensus of all members and is generally limited to unique exceptions, such as US legislation that provides benefits to sub-Saharan African nations and to Nepal since it suffered a devastating earthquake. A second form is through programs that are designed to benefit all developing countries (so-called Generalized System of Preferences or “GSP.”) A third form is for bilateral or regional free trade agreements (FTAs) and customs unions. Customs unions are relatively few in number, such as that which is part of the European Union. FTAs, however, have become much more common over the last two decades and have aroused concerns that their proliferation is a threat to multilateralism in trade.
What keeps the overall quantity of FTA exceptions to the WTO’s MFN rules in check is the requirement, set forth in Article XXIV of the WTO’s core agreement on trade in goods, that an FTA cover “substantially all trade” between countries that are part of that agreement. While this requirement means that a qualifying agreement must provide tariff-free trade for virtually all trade between these countries, which in itself erodes MFN treatment globally, it makes it much more difficult for countries to negotiate and conclude such comprehensive agreements.
If now the United States and others following in its footsteps begin to negotiate agreements that cut tariffs between them on a significantly smaller scope of products, these agreements that are exceptions to the rule could become much easier to conclude. This scenario might eventually lead to an MFN system shot through with exceptions to this core principle of multilateralism on trade. With so many holes—large and small—to its original blanket coverage of equal treatment among all, it is highly probable that someday there will be virtually no such equality under the system that remains.
Some may argue that MFN will still exist in application of trade rules beyond tariffs, such as regulatory measures that affect trade, but once the restraint that has applied for tariffs no longer exists, what compunction might countries have to maintain it beyond tariffs? Others may argue good riddance—the existing system has not allowed for reciprocity in trade, and it is time for reciprocity to be the new core principle in global trade relationships. Generally, however, economic stakeholders—producers, exporters, and importers in all countries—prefer limited deviations from the norm in national tariff schedules. The greater the complexity of a tariff schedule, the greater the confusion and instability experienced by companies, large and small, in all countries.
The central point here is that the multilateral trading system is facing threats across multiple fronts, and it is essential that its defenders fully understand the magnitude of such threats and find ways to overcome them if the system is to continue to be relevant to global trade for the foreseeable future. There are any number of ways to fight back—pursuing dispute settlement challenges against measures and agreements that violate its rules; finding new approaches for negotiating new rules, as many have already sought to do since the demise of the ill-fated Doha Round of negotiations; ensuring that bad examples are called out and efforts are made to dissuade others from following them. However, hand-wringing and hollow public statements that bemoan the situation will not be effective in altering the reckless course that some WTO members have been following. Those who wish to protect and extend the multilateral trading system will need to be bold in responding with action and creative in generating ideas to update it. Otherwise, they will be forced to simply adapt to a world in which the multilateral trading system slowly erodes away and eventually goes the way of the dodo.
Mark Linscott is a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. He served as the assistant US trade representative (USTR) for South and Central Asian Affairs from December 2016 to December 2018. He previously served as the assistant US Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs from 2012 to 2016 with responsibility for coordinating US trade policies in the WTO.
New Atlanticist Oct 2, 2019
WTO tariff ruling could deepen transatlantic trade fight
By David A. Wemer
“Engaging in serious negotiations to solve the problem on both sides is much more sensible than going for immediate tariffs and triggering a tit-for tat,” Antonio de Lecea said.
New Atlanticist Oct 3, 2019
In search of the elusive US-India trade deal
By Mark Linscott
There was no more auspicious a moment for creating an historic precedent on trade between the two countries—as limited as it was likely to be. We can only hope that the momentum for a deal has not entirely slipped away
New Atlanticist Jun 14, 2019
What is wrong with the WTO?
By David A. Wemer
The World Trade Organization (WTO), the largest multilateral trade organization and the foundation of the global trading system, has increasingly drawn the ire of the United States and other countries that view the organization as outdated and complacent as other countries skirt the rules to get ahead.


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The Daily Item
MIFFLINBURG — Readers can now get instant access to free eBooks with one click onto any device — including tablets, eReaders, smartphones, and laptops — using OverDrive Read™ part of The Next Generation Experience.
OverDrive Read™ is a new browser-based technology that requires no software or downloading and allows readers to go from one device to another without ever losing their place. Available titles can be downloaded to a device or users can choose to begin reading right away in the web browser.
Along with OverDrive Read™ The Next Generation Experience also features One-Step Checkout™, new responsive design compatible with both mobile and desktop devices, and new discovery tools providing better search options.
Sarah Biallas, UCLS AmeriCorps member, is offering a program on the new OverDrive features at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 at the Herr Memorial Library. This program is free and open to all library patrons.
For more information or to register for this program, call the library at 966-0831 or visit the circulation desk at 500 Market St., Mifflinburg.


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M&S continues tech push with world's first Retail Data Academy
Marks & Spencer is working with Decoded, a tech company, to teach over 1,000 employees data science skills in its latest bid to transform itself into a digital first retailer.
The plan is to create the world’s first Data Academy in retail, with an 18 month in-work programme teaching participants how to harness the most cutting-edge data analytics tools such as “R” and “Python” and adopt technologies such as machine learning.
Employees from every function of retail, from store managers and visual merchandisers to finance and buying, will be invited to enrol in the programme, which will be fully funded by Government’s Apprenticeship Levy.
Additionally, senior executives will embark on a data leadership programme to help them “get hands-on” with new technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence with the aim of leading digital transformation across the business.
The initiative is part of several partnerships Marks & Spencer has announced in recent weeks as part of its tech push, including a partnership with Microsoft to test AI-driven technologies in the retail environment and a joint venture with Founders Factory to support retail tech start-ups.
Steve Rowe, chief executive said: “This is our biggest digital investment in our people to date and the creation of the M&S Data Academy will upskill colleagues and provide them with an in-depth level of digital literacy as well as a Data Analytics qualification.
“Transformation of our business is key to survival and a huge part of this lies with our colleagues. We need to change their digital behaviours, mindsets and our culture to make the business fit for the digital age and our partnership with Decoded will enable us to do this.”
The British retailer is in a race to transform itself into a tech-driven company after seeing its pre/tax profit fall by 5.4% in the year to 31 March 2018 with flat revenues of £10.7 billion.
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Looking on the Bright Side
When Huntington National Bank acquired Sky Bank, Huntington felt it was time for customers to see its growing enterprise in a new light. By switching to a more efficient lighting design, the bank not only created a more inviting atmosphere, it also slashed its energy expenses by more than 60%.
Huntington Bancshares, parent company of Huntington National Bank (a $55 billion regional bank holding company located in Youngstown, Ohio), acquired Sky Financial Group in 2006—a move that made Huntington National the 24th largest domestically controlled bank in the country. The bank viewed the merger as the perfect opportunity to embark on a new lighting strategy. Rick Bunyoff, Huntington’s facilities services’ regional manager, had a few requirements in mind.
“We are always looking for ways to reduce our energy spend, and we wanted to work with a vendor/partner that has our best interest in mind,” he said.
Bunyoff turned to Youngstown, Ohio-based HVAC, roofing and energy-management firm Roth Bros. The company conducted a detailed analysis of the bank’s energy consumption and related costs. While heating and air conditioning were high-energy-consumption areas, lighting held a bigger opportunity.
“The bank always used the most efficient lighting available, however companies are not always conscious of what their actual lighting costs are,” said Tom Froelich Jr., executive VP of Roth Bros. “We help companies analyze how they spend money at their facilities, and then we implement strategies that reduce energy spends.”
Huntington’s goals for the new lighting included improving light levels and reducing kilowatts across branches.
“We were also attracted to potential tax credits available under EPACT [The Energy Policy Act of 2005],” Bunyoff said. (This energy legislation, which went into effect in 2005, offers qualifying companies that proactively use energy-saving solutions a tax deduction of $0.60 per square foot.)
To meet the goals, Roth began transitioning the bank branches away from traditional light switches and energy-draining T12 fluorescent lamps to smaller, more efficient T5 fluorescents. It also installed dual light switches, and motion detectors that control banks of lights in conference rooms, bathrooms and utility rooms.
By the end of the first quarter, Huntington’s new lighting solutions began delivering results. Besides “giving our branches a new, attractive look,” Bunyoff said, the changes helped the bank slash its electrical usage by 64%.
To date, the bank has reduced its T12 fixture count by 700 fixtures across 48 branches. This transition will support an $85,000 annual energy savings, and provide more light using fewer fixtures, according to Froelich.
The dual controls will save the company up to 50% in energy consumption, “by reducing the amount of lights used in a room,” he added. These remediations also earned the company a $100,000 tax deduction for 2007 based on the EPACT requirements.
This figure could rise even higher next year as the government contemplates a new EPACT bill that will raise tax credits to $0.75 per square foot.
“If the new law passes, Roth will re-certify all the [remediated] locations so we can receive the additional tax credit,” Bunyoff said.
To date, the new lighting design has been rolled out in about 50% of one of the bank’s five operating markets.
“We will continue to install the lighting [solutions] in the remainder of our facilities,” Bunyoff reported. “We are also considering other Roth services, including their roofing management and HVAC preventative-maintenance programs.”
The bank is also exploring the benefits of Roth’s building-controls program. The program would let Roth remotely control Huntington’s indoor and outdoor lighting and HVAC.
Wal-Mart to sell earth-friendly CDs
SANTA MONICA, Calif. As part of Wal-Mart’s “Earth Month” the company is selling more than 20 Universal Music Group titles that come with special earth-friendly inserts. The inserts are made with special seed paper and, according to the companies, can actually bloom into wildflowers.
The inserts, in addition to being good for the environment, also offer consumers three free digital downloads from Universal Music. Universal also said that a number of its new CDs will be packaged in third-party certified, renewable recycled board and recyclable paper.
ODP urges rejection of Levan nominees
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. Office Depot is continuing to urge its shareholders to reject dissident nominees and elect the company’s nominees to its board of directors at its annual shareholders meeting this April.
In a proxy statement sent to investors, Office Depot said that Alan Levan’s proposed nominees would do little to help improve shareholder value. According to the statement, Levan’s company, Levitt Corp. has seen its share price fall about 93% over the past three years and that its subsidiary, Levitt and Sons, is in bankruptcy. Office Depot also noted that BankAtlantic, of which Levan is chairman and ceo and one of his nominees, is president of real estate, construction and development, share price has dropped approximately 75% over the past three years.
Office Depot also cited news reports that commented on Levan’s failing business ventures, as well as others that said that his nominees are not qualified to serve on Office Depot’s board of directors.
The company pointed out nominee Mark Begelman’s experience with Mars Music, a company he founded in 1997 that went bankrupt in 2002. According to Office Depot, many news reports attributed this failure to a flawed business strategy.
According to Office Depot, when Levan’s other nominee, Martin Hanaka served as chairman of Sports Authority from 1998 to 2003, the company saw its price fall by about 13%.
Office Depot stressed that its directors best understand the company and are well-suited to help the company grow.
“We strongly believe that removing two of the most experienced retailing executives from our board, including our current ceo who is driving the implementation of our strategic turnaround plan, would be highly disruptive, could delay the implementation of internal and external initiatives and could damage prospects for a successful turnaround,” Office Depot said in the proxy statement.


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New Delhi [India], May 1 (ANI/IMC): PingPong India, a pioneer in cross-border payments has bagged this year's Times Business Award. The award was given to the company for excellence in cross-border payment solutions and helping Indian companies establish themselves abroad.
Chetna Sharma, Head, India Marketing, PingPong, said, "We're pleased to be recognized for our excellence in providing cross-border payment solutions. PingPong plays a significant role in providing cutting-edge technology riding on innovation to Indian companies to extend their reach to global markets. We'll strive to work even harder to fulfil our commitment to our steadfast clientele who have been resolute in their unwavering support for us."
The cross-border payments market has always been fraught with pain points and inefficiencies from both cost and time perspectives. This leads to expensive transaction fees and complex, lengthy payment-processing methods and, sometimes, even rejection of authentic payments with added protective barriers to safeguard an institution against illegal transactions. These payments are categorized into wholesale cross-border payments and retail cross-border payments.
PingPong is one of the largest payment and digital trade solution providers, serving more than one million global customers. Its product suite includes e-commerce payments, B2B trade payments, acquiring services, card issuing, FX management, supply chain finance, VAT tax services, enterprise solutions, business intelligence software to name a few.
Today, PingPong has accommodated business flows from over 200 countries/regions. The company claims that their tested and proven global infrastructure has processed over $90 billion in transaction volume and connects over 100 international e-commerce marketplaces and ecosystem partners, as well as over 100 international financial institutions.
This story has been provided by IMC (iMEQ communications). ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/ IMC)


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Hulu gets more bad news this week. The online television service is being sued by Rovi Corp for alleged patent infringement. Rovi claims that Hulu has infringed on three patents related to program guides and search; they are looking to be compensated for their lost revenue.
The complaint, Rovi Corp. V. Hulu LLC, was filed via federal court in Wilmington, Delaware yesterday. Rovi is specifically suing in regards to US patent number(s) 6,396,546; 7,103,906 ; and 7,769,775. According to the company, the patent infringement “presents significant and ongoing damages to Rovi’s business.”
According to Reuters, Rovi was formed when Macrovision Corp. absorbed Gemstar-TV guide a few years ago. Among other things they provide guidance systems for TVs and other entertainment devices. The company is also a big part of Blockbuster’s On Demand and Best Buy’s CinemaNow services. Rovi claims more than a thousand program guide patents and says it licenses its products to big companies like as Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, Comcast, Sony and more.
GigOM believes that threatening litigation is part of the way Rovi enters into discussions for licensing their intellectual property. In the past, Rovi has sued both Toshiba and Virgin media. This year Toshiba agreed to license and use Rovi’s interactive programming guide; however, Virgin manged to shimmy out of the trap due to the patents being invalid. In the beginning of this year the aggressive patent defender sued Amazon’s IMDb over five program guide patents.
Hulu hasn’t commented on the matter. Earlier this week Fox decided to restrict access to their content online, making non-Hulu Plus members wait a week to watch recently aired episodes. Hulu has also recently been put up for sale by its many owners, and though there are good number of potential buyers, no one has made a definite commitment to buy yet.
- The best live TV streaming services: Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and more
- Sonos files second lawsuit against Google over patent infringement
- Apple vs. Qualcomm: Everything you need to know
- Apple found guilty of infringing WiLan patents, must pay $145 million
- Google forms group of major players to reduce patent disputes


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[From Reuters UK
Europe's biggest software maker SAP says it is withdrawing from its database business, selling the commercial rights to its SAPDB software product to Swedish database developer MySQL AB.
MySQL would take over the rights for SAPDB and distribute the database software worldwide under its own name from the fourth quarter of 2003, an SAP spokesman said, confirming a report by Handelsblatt.
Neither partner wished to comment on financial details.
The article continues at


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Yahoo on Thursday launched Axis, a new mobile browser and plug-in.
It lets users begin a search on a desktop and continue on iPhones and iPads, or vice versa. It also offers a faster, smarter search with instant answers and visual previews.
Axis is offered both as a standalone mobile browser for iOS devices and as a plug-in for desktop browsers running HTML5.
However, the launch wasn’t without hiccups. Yahoo’s terms of service (TOS) weren’t issued simultaneously with Axis, and Australian blogger Nik Cubrilovic pointed out what he said was a security problem with the plug-in for the Google Chrome browser. Yahoo had to disable the plug-in for Chrome.
“Within three hours of pulling it down, a new one was up there with a fix,” Ethan Batraski, Yahoo’s director, product management, search innovation, told TechNewsWorld. “We’ve issued a new plug-in.” All other plug-ins have been tested and found secure.
The TOS issue has also been fixed, Batraski said.
The Center of All Things Online
Axis lets users preview and interact with visual search results without leaving the page they’re on. An instant answer feature shows results as users type in common searches such as requests for movie times and sports scores.
Axis also creates a personalized home page that includes users’ most recently visited sites, bookmarks and other things. This stays with the user across desktops and iOS devices.
Owners of iPhones and iPads can swipe to move from one search result to the next. They also get a combined search box and address bar, as well as a sharing feature that lets them post pages they are viewing to Twitter or Pinterest.
“All of the search information seems to be stored server-side using your Yahoo account,” Mike Kaply, the founder of Kaply Consulting, told TechNewsWorld. “So when you resume a search, you’re just going back to the URL and search terms that were stored on the servers.”
Leveraging the Multiple-Screen Phenomenon
“I think [Yahoo] actually gets Bill Gates’ multiple screen vision of nearly a decade ago better than anyone else at the moment,” Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld. “Creating a common experience which usurps the existing browsers is an excellent idea.”
Browsers and mobile apps could be a promising new revenue source for Yahoo. However, Yahoo should offer versions for Android and Windows Phone, Kaply Consulting’s Kaply suggested. “More platforms are better when you are trying to increase adoption.”
Yahoo will release versions for Android and Windows Phone by the end of the year, the company’s Batraski said.
Problems With Axis
The Chrome extension flaw found by Cubrilovic was overblown, Kaply Consulting’s Kaply said. “There’s a bigger issue in both the Firefox and Chrome extensions — they don’t work properly on any HTTPS websites.” These extensions “give the user mixed content warnings because [they are] injecting HTTP content into an HTTPS webpage.”
HTTPS, or Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure, is used to encrypt online communications.
Separately, the Axis iPad app was “very usable and a really interesting way to search,” but Kaply found that it seemed to filter out and reorder results. Axis appears “to have some algorithm on the back end that’s deciding what’s more important in the context of Axis versus regular Yahoo,” Kaply said. Yahoo “should be more explicit” about why there’s a difference in search results between the two.
What’s in a Name?
The choice of the name “Axis” may raise some questions. That word had bad connotations in World War II and again in 2002 when then-president George W. Bush used the term “axis of evil” in his State of the Union Address to encompass Iran, Iraq and North Korea as sponsors of terrorism.
“We named [the browser] ‘Axis’ because we want it to be the focal point of your online experience and for your data to be constantly with you,” Yahoo’s Batraski said.
“The only thing all people will agree on with regard to a new name is that the guy who came up with it is an idiot,” Enderle said. “I think Yahoo is safe with this name.”


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(Chicago, IL) — August 23, 2011. Mayor Rahm Emanuel today had the City of Chicago file a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County seeking damages from the City of Kankakee, Village of Channahon and three brokers over a sales tax kickback scheme that is diverting sales tax revenue from Chicago.
“Companies are gaming the system and cheating Chicago’s taxpayers,” said Emanuel. “I have to be the voice for the taxpayers and I will not tolerate this.”
Chicago’s suit alleges that Kankakee and Channahon have attracted a large number of corporations and an enormous amount of revenue by offering Illinois retailers kickbacks of sales tax revenue if they purport to process their retail sales through brokers set up in those municipalities.
The brokers “accept” sales in Kankakee and Channahon on behalf of the retailers. Although this practice was prohibited by the Illinois legislature in 2004 but both municipalities continue to enter into such arrangements.
This practice is so profitable that Kankakee and Channahon now lead the state in annual retail sales per capita at $78,000 and $62,000 respectively—tenfold the per capita sales of Chicago and roughly double the per capita sales of municipalities that are home to major retail shopping malls.
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The market for cryptocurrency is a volatile one and it was no different in the days leading up to Christmas. As the festive season opened, bitcoin’s price had been fluctuating around $13 000; however, as we move into 2019 its value has settled at about $4 200. The question many investors are asking now is whether or not this dip will cause future problems for bitcoin?
The “bitcoin price 2009 to 2020” is a market that has seen ups and downs. The cryptocurrency’s value has been fluctuating since its inception in 2009. Investors have been examining the value of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as they grow in popularity.
Markets Update: Bitcoin Price Holds Steady as Investors Assess Its Worth
Facts to remember:
The Price of Bitcoin Remains Linked to Stocks, But It Outperforms Them
This year, inflation in the United States might reach double digits.
Mercados al da is a daily overview of the news that affects the bitcoin economy. It is sent to a list of subscribers ahead of time and then published every Monday on LogitechGamingSoftware. Subscribe to the list here if you wish to get the information ahead of time.
According to analyst Scott Melker’s newsletter issued on Wednesday, April 20, and remarked by LogitechGamingSoftware, bitcoin’s potential worth would be above its price in the middle of a three-week downturn, with bitcoin pricing hovering about $39,000. According to Melker, deflationary status, the characteristic of digital gold, and being a store of wealth are among the reasons why bitcoin’s worth surpasses its price.
Bitcoin has outperformed key Wall Street companies despite the BTC price decrease so far this year, as we write here. Companies like Shopify and Netflix have seen the steepest price cuts, with discounts of up to 60%. The Nasdaq index has dropped 19.55 percent so far this year, while bitcoin has dropped 16.5 percent in the same time frame.
What factors are driving bitcoin’s price?
LogitechGamingSoftware examines the variables that may be impacting the price of bitcoin, which has dropped 16.2 percent in the previous three weeks and is now trading at $39,817 at the time of writing this article. Given the substantial connection between both asset classes and the anticipated of new interest rate hikes by the Fed, the most important factor that impacts not just bitcoin but most market shares is the expected of new interest rate increases by the Fed. These hikes, as is well known, make credit more costly and restrict economic activity, with the goal of lowering inflation.
Is bitcoin a “boring” currency? This might be a favorable omen.
The reserves-to-flow (S2F) model (blue) and the demand curve (red) are contrasted in an analysis by Jurrien Timmer, director of Global Macro at Fidelity, as reported by LogitechGamingSoftware (pink). Bitcoin is following the demand curve more closely, which will be the main driver for bitcoin in the future. Both curves will cross in early 2023, and if they coincide, the price of bitcoin will reach USD 110,000 at that time. By 2025, the price would be near to a million dollars, which would be a considerably more ambitious target.
Fidelity compares and contrasts two bitcoin pricing models: reserve-to-flow and demand-based. Fidelity is the source of this information.
This week’s featured chart
The number of BTC inventories on exchanges has decreased significantly. Glassnode is the source of this information.
We’ve already discussed how the declining supply of BTC on exchanges is a positive indication. The fact that there is a zone of prolonged drop in stated supply causes a surge in the price of bitcoin is shown in this graph. The period between the price low in mid-March 2020 and the all-time high in mid-April 2021 is highlighted in the graph. During this time, the price steadily increased.
The ensuing supply surge is obviously linked to a drop in the price of BTC, which peaked on July 21, 2021. Glassnode is pointing to a fresh supply fall zone that has yet to see a definite bullish breach. Price escalation is expected if BTC continues to depart exchanges, according to previous statistics.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) acknowledges the printing of inorganic money.
Kristalina Georgieva, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), indicated in an interview with CNBC that she feels the IMF is not paying enough attention to the unintended repercussions of its choices. This is in connection to the United States’ and other nations’ money printing, which peaked in 2020. Georgieva said that producing banknotes does not address all issues. She acknowledged that there had been insufficient contemplation on the repercussions of the monetary expansion and suggested that the potential impact had been better communicated.
Bitcoin is seeing higher lows and a fresh bottom.
As reported in this medium, a research by LogitechGamingSoftware revealed on Thursday the 21st that a new floor for the price of bitcoin was created in recent days, over USD 39,000. It hit a low of $38,600 twelve days ago, extending a downward trend that began on January 22 and has been sustained since then. The fact that it has already remained above or extremely near to the $40,000 mark for almost a week demonstrates investors’ commitment to keep their BTC.
Inflation in the United States is expected to reach double digits in 2022.
If the present pattern of rising inflation in the United States continues, inflation might reach 10% by the middle of the year. In the first quarter, the consumer price index (CPI) grew at a four-decade high. This indicator increased by 8.5 percent in March compared to March 2021, implying a 13.73 percent gain in the first quarter. If the 0.5 percent monthly rise continues, inflation in 2022 will be 12.54 percent, three times the Fed’s prediction for this year.
The “Bitcoin Price History by Year” is a chart that shows the price of Bitcoin over time. The chart displays the value of Bitcoin in US dollars, and also includes a graph that shows how many Bitcoins were mined from January 2009 to December 2017. Reference: bitcoin price history by year.
- bitcoin price history chart
- bitcoin price 2009 to 2018
- bitcoin value
- bitcoin lowest price
- when did bitcoin start


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Last updated on September 6th, 2012 at 11:45 am
The Dannon Co.’s first-ever Super Bowl yogurt commercial will feature Dannon Oikos® Greek yogurt and actor John Stamos.
The ad will run during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVI and also will be released on the Dannon Oikos Facebook and YouTube pages as part of a fully integrated marketing campaign.
Stamos appeared in the previous Dannon Oikos’ TV commercial, the first for the brand, which debuted in August 2011.
“Greek yogurt now accounts for more than one quarter of the entire U.S. yogurt market. Americans continue to crave Greek yogurt and demand continues to grow as we see a shift in the way that Americans enjoy yogurt. We make what is possibly the best tasting yogurt in the world with Dannon Oikos and now is the perfect time to highlight this delicious and nutritious snack in our Super Bowl ad,” said Sergio Fuster, SVP of marketing for The Dannon Co. “We are preparing some very memorable advertising that emphasizes just how good it is, and we’ve invested in production capacity to meet anticipated increased demand.”
In the photo at top: The Dannon Co.’s first-ever Super Bowl yogurt commercial will feature Dannon Oikos® Greek yogurt and actor John Stamos, right.


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Taipei, Taiwan's exports were down from a year earlier for a fifth consecutive month in March, hurt by ongoing trade fiction between the United States and China and more sluggish global growth, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Monday.
Exports fell 4.4 percent in March from a year earlier to US$28.68 billion, while imports were up 6.6 percent from a year earlier to US$25.56 billion, according to MOF data.
The resulting trade surplus for the month was nearly cut in half to US$3.12 billion, down US$2.89 billion from a year earlier, the figures showed.
For the first quarter, exports were down 4.2 percent from a year earlier to US$76.36 billion, while imports slid 0.8 percent to US$67.41 billion.
As a result, a trade surplus of US$8.95 billion was recorded for the quarter, down US$2.8 billion from a year earlier, the MOF data showed.
The ministry said in a statement that it was not surprised by the decline in exports because of prevailing uncertainty in the global market caused by the U.S.China trade war and forecasts of weaker global growth.
Because of those factors, it has predicted negative export growth for the first half of the year, the MOF said.
By sector, exports of information, communication and audiovideo products grew by 23.1 percent to US$3.58 billion in March compared with the same month of last year, according to the data.
However, exports of electronic components fell 13.3 percent to US$9.14 billion, exports of base metals and articles of base metal declined 7.5 percent to US$2.60 billion; machinery exports slid 3.2 percent to US$2.35 billion; and exports of plastics and rubber items fell 3.8 percent to US$2.13 billion, the data showed.
China and Hong Kong remained the biggest buyers of Taiwanese goods in March, but exports to those markets fell 14.8 percent from a year earlier to US$11.44 billion. They were also down 11.2 percent in the first quarter to US$29.21 billion.
Exports to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations declined 9.9 percent to US$4.52 billion in March, and were down 12.5 percent in the first quarter to US$12.37 billion.
But exports to the United States rose 25.6 percent in March yearonyear to US$3.93 billion and were up 20.4 percent to US$10.71 billion in the first quarter.
Exports to Europe increased 0.9 percent to US$2.72 billion for the month but were down 1.0 percent for the first quarter to US$7.48 billion, while exports to Japan were up 4.1 percent in March to US$2.08 billion and also rose 4.9 percent in the first quarter to US$5.78 billion, the MOF data showed.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel


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The Samsung Galaxy M55 5G is likely under development, with a release scheduled for 2024. The phone is expected to be launched globally and in India, the latter was confirmed after the phone appeared at BIS. While we’re waiting for that to happen, the team at 91mobiles have exclusively spotted the Galaxy M55 on FCC and Dekra certificates. They reveal some key details of the phone.
Information about Samsung Galaxy M55 according to FCC and Dekra certificates
- The Samsung Galaxy M55 Dekra certificate shows that the phone will come with a 4855 mAh battery (it can be sold as a 5000 mAh battery) and will have the model number HQ-6887NAS.
- The TUV SUD certificate shows that the phone will support 45W charging (20V DC; 2.25A).
- The FCC listing shows that the phone will come with 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, all of which are expected connectivity options.
- The FCC certificate does not currently show the full design of the phone.
- According to TUV SUD, the included adapter will have model numbers EP-TA845 and EP-TA845 001.
- The Samsung Galaxy M55 also received a Nemko certificate, but it only lists the model number SM-M556E/DS. DS at the end can mean two SIM cards.
- Apart from this information, the listings do not reveal any hardware characteristics of the phone.
Geekbench has revealed that the Samsung Galaxy M55 5G will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC, which offers a maximum clock speed of 2.40 GHz. The chipset will be paired with 8 GB of RAM, but there may be other options at launch. The phone will run One UI software based on Android 14.


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Recognizing his inability to “no longer meet my duties and expectations,” legendary executive Steve Jobs has stepped down from his position as CEO of Apple.
Due to his medical problems, Jobs’ day-to-day duties were already handed to COO and acting CEO Tim Cook. He will now officially take the role of CEO.
Jobs isn’t stepping away completely though; he remains involved in the company’s doings as chairman of the board.
“Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Genentech chairman Art Levinson in a statement on behalf of Apple’s board of directors.
“Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Steve will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration.”
Apple is currently believed to be working on the iPhone 5 which, according to latest reports, is expected in mid-November.


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By now we’ve all heard the robots are coming.
Pieces of autonomous technology can already be found in cars today and some analysts predict we could see semi-autonomous trucks on the road within a few years.
But if you ask any mover, moving household goods is not the same as shipping pallets of toilet paper or delivering Amazon Prime boxes.
Moving a person’s home is a hands-on process requiring more than a robot being able to cruise down the highway and pull up to a loading dock.
The moving industry presents its own set of unique challenges and driverless trucks will affect moving companies in ways regular freight companies won’t be.
Even though we’re likely decades away from fully autonomous vehicles going mainstream, it’s always interesting to think about what the future may hold.
Here are a few predictions (and other ramblings) on how robot trucks will reshape the moving industry.
No more driver shortage
Yeah, this one is pretty obvious.
The current driver shortage is a huge headache for anyone in trucking and especially moving companies.
Long-haul drivers are the hardest type to find.
The long periods away from family and difficult truck-stop to truck-stop lifestyle make interstate driving very unappealing.
Add lifting furniture and stressed customers on top and you can see why moving companies struggle to find good drivers.
It makes sense the industry will replace long-haul drivers as quickly as the technology allows. And it’s likely autonomous vehicles will first be used on highways where the driving environment is more controlled and predictable.
Local or last mile drivers, on the other hand, are a different story.
Parking at a customer’s home presents a unique set of challenges that robots won’t be capable of performing for quite some time.
Sure, IBM’s Watson can school us all in Jeopardy. But when’s the last time Watson parked 80 feet of truck without touching a customer’s lawn?
Local delivery will take a long time to automate, but the elimination of long-distance drivers will still have a major effect on the industry particularly when it comes to costs.
The cost of interstate moves will go down
It’s estimated self-driving trucks will reduce shipping costs by nearly 75%.
While a large portion of that savings stems from reduced labor costs (drivers are expensive), increased efficiency will also bring costs lower.
Currently, drivers who are paid by the mile drive at the speed limit or faster to make the most of their time.
Driverless trucks will maintain an optimal fuel-efficient speed of 45 mph and be able to draft behind one another in long convoys increasing fuel economy.
Vehicle communication will improve truck routing and decrease traffic reducing fuel consumption by up to 10%.
The 11-hour driving restriction on truckers will no longer apply and trucks will run 24/7 meaning companies can ship twice as much with the same fleet.
This all begs the question, just how much can we expect to see move costs go down?
As mentioned earlier, local moves aren’t likely to be affected. Until robots are carrying couches into homes, local costs will mostly stay the same.
But long distance moves will have a major drop in hauling costs which will translate into lower quotes for customers.
If cost reduction estimates are correct, van lines currently paying roughly $2 per mile to ship cross country will see per mile costs drop to $0.50.
On a 2,500-mile shipment, that’s $3,750 in savings.
While not all of that money will get passed onto customers, a good chunk of it will.
But lower hauling costs aren’t the only benefit of driverless trucks.
Overall move quality and customer satisfaction will improve
No, customers won’t just magically be happy now because their quotes are lower (although, that won’t hurt).
Let’s think about how driverless trucks will affect the most frequent customer complaints.
Long and inaccurate delivery spreads have inspired many an angry Yelper.
Now imagine loading a trailer, hitching it to a robot tractor and immediately being able to ship it 3,000 miles non-stop.
No bathroom breaks, drive hour limits or stops to sleep.
With electrical grids and new road technologies, trucks may not even need to stop to charge.
Customers will have their items shipped cross country faster and more accurately than ever before.
And because there’s no longer a driver shortage, companies can put all their energy into recruiting and training the best local crews.
Some of the savings on hauling cost will free up margin to pay moving labor higher wages.
Moves will be packed by better trained and happier loaders and programmed robot drivers will be sure to operate the truck to minimize the chance of damage.
All of this reducing claims and making for a better overall moving experience.
The moving industry as we know it will change
The transition to autonomous trucks won’t be easy for an already cash-strapped moving industry.
As Tim Mento, VP of Corporate Development at AVL Group Inc, pointed out, “the industry will face significant barriers to entry with large upfront costs. If a standard rig costs $150k today, my bet is that driverless trucks are going to debut at a 30-50% premium.”
The moving industry is not known for trailblazing innovation and high upfront costs may mean only the largest providers will be able to take advantage of driverless tech (at least initially).
It could also make sense for van lines to partner with larger freight companies to take advantage of their infrastructure.
The savings from autonomous trucks will also be less significant early on as the technological and legislative kinks get worked out which could further delay adoption.
But the future is notoriously hard to predict.
While most of these guesses will inevitably be wrong, there is no doubt technology is going to bring major change to the business of moving over the next few decades.
How do you think driverless tech will affect the industry?
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We’ve seen renders and we’ve see patent leaks on the PlayStation 5. We didn’t expect to see much from it until 2020 at least but now, pictures of actual PS5 dev kits have started to surface online and it looks surprisingly accurate to the initial leak.
Shared by Twitter user @Alcoholikaust, the two PS5 dev kits are primarily black and silver in color and also feature a V-shaped top which is apparently for improved air ventilation. We also see a controller plugged into one of the dev kits, but it just seems to be a standard DualShock 4. The
PS5 is planned to launch with the DualShock 5, but units of this new controller may not be in the hands of developers just yet which is why they’re utilizing the PS4 controller for now. As for who the developer is that has the PS5 dev kits in question, that is unknown at the moment.
As has been mentioned countless times before, it’s worth noting that just because the PS5 dev kit looks like this doesn’t mean that the PS5 itself, which is set to launch next year, will look even remotely the same. Dev kits often look nothing at all like their actual console counterparts.
If you look in the image above, you can even see PS4 dev kits in the top right corner and it looks nothing like the PS4 that you probably have in your entertainment center. Normally, they’re large electronic equipment with the same, or roughly the same, internals as the actual console.
The PlayStation 5 is expected to release in Holiday 2020. We’re expected to hear more about it next year.
Source : https://pokde.net/gaming/sony/ps5/actual-ps5-dev-kits-have-started-surfacing-online/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss


text: Introducing the Nike Flyknit Lunar 3. The combination of Nike’s lunarlon and flyknit has been an attention grabber for quite some time, as the ultra lightweight response of the cushioned bottom when paired with the breathable and surprisingly structured flyknit is often too much to pass up on. The latest Flyknit Lunar 3 takes the conventions a step further thanks to a tighter knit in the heel for stability while the flyknit transitions to a more breathable construction at the toebox for added ventilation. The shoe will be dropping February 12th, 2015 in what appears to be a six colorway run exclusively for women. Hit the click for more official photos and let us know if you’re feeling the latest Flyknit and Lunarlon combo in the comments section.


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Revealed: Australia’s most complained about telco
OPTUS has fallen out of favour with customers, as a report released today shows a major spike in complaints
The annual report showed Optus Group, which includes Virgin, was the worst out of all Australian telcos, with a staggering 35 per cent increase in customer complaints from last financial year.
The Ombudsman received 40,665 complaints about Optus Group compared to 30,120 in the 2016-17 financial year.
Ombudsman Judi Jones said she couldn't find a standout issue that drove the complaints, describing the rise as "across the board".
"We've been working with Optus over the course of the year and they have received data from us regularly and have been working hard to address customer complaints," Ms Jones said.
Which is the worst Telco?
This poll ended on 17 October 2019.
This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.
Almost 18,000 complaints were related to mobile phone services, whereas 9500 complaints were about Optus Group's internet services.
Customer issues ranged from connection troubles, to missed appointments or services delivered relating to the National Broadband Network.
Optus wasn't the only telco to receive a bad report card, with almost 168,000 complaints lodged with the Ombudsman recording a 6.2 per cent increase overall from last financial year.
Customer complaints about mobile, landline and internet services have been increasing steadily since 2015-16, showing that Australian customers are seriously unhappy with the majority of their providers.
More than half (58.4 per cent) of consumers still face issues with their mobile phones and internet services.
The Ombudsman received about 85,500 customer complaints about Telstra in the last financial year, a year-on-year increase of 7.7 per cent.
Ms Jones said Telstra attracted the largest proportion of complaints by "they're a much larger provider than other telcos".
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) chief Teresa Corbin said she was disappointed by this year's results and that customers deserved better than a 6.2 per cent increase to the Ombudsman.
"Although the last quarter has shown improvement, this is the third year in a row that the complaint numbers have climbed," Ms Corbin said.
"Customer service continues to be an ongoing issue for Australia's telco providers."
Ms Corbin called on telcos to reduce time frames and increase first contact resolution with their clients.
But it isn't all bad news.
The report found that overall customer complaints have dropped by 17.8 per cent in the most recent quarter, between April and June.
Ms Corbin attributed this to recent changes in the NBN sector from July 1 this year.
"We believe that the government directed introduction of the Australian Communications and Media Authority's new complaint handling standard and record keeping rules for NBN services contributed to this trend," Ms Corbin said.
The long-awaited NBN rollout across the country has been riddled with customer complaints since its commencement and has just reached the halfway mark of it's nationwide instalment.
While the NBN's delivery has prompted complaints from homes and businesses, the report found that in the last financial year, more than 4 million premises were activated on the network.
This saw more than 14,500 complaints lodged with the Ombudsman relating to the connection issues.
Of these complaints, roughly five per cent were sent through to the NBN to resolve immediately.
NBN co-chief customer officer Brad Whitcomb said the NBN rollout is one of the "biggest and most complex transformations in Australia's history".
"Over the past year in particular, we focused our efforts to improve those aspects of the customer experience within our control, keeping the consumer at the forefront of our decisions," Mr Whitcomb said.
Despite this, Ms Corbin said the results demonstrate a "clear need for improved customer service and consumer protections" across the telco industry.
Internet provider MyRepublic saw a 101 per cent improvement in customer complaints but Ms Jones attributed the "distorted figure" to it's recent entry to the market.
"MyRepublic is a new retailer so they're in the top list but their percentage increase was off a very small base," she said.
Vodafone, Dodo and TPG also experienced slight improvements in customer complaints.
Ms Jones said she was encouraged with the most recent figures, and hoped they proved to be a turning point for the industry.
"Declining complaints across all landline, mobile and internet services are a positive indicator of recent industry, government and regulator efforts to address the disruption to telecommunications products and services of the past few years," Ms Jones said.
"We all want to get to the same point, a positive consumer experience where expectations are more likely to be met."
TYPES OF COMPLAINTS:
- 51,328 complaints about mobile phone services
- 46,703 complaints about internet services
- 18,736 complaints about landline phone services
- 1,189 complaints about property
The ten phone and internet service providers accounted for a whopping 93.4 per cent of all complaints in the last financial year.
TOP FOUR UNPOPULAR TELCOS:
- Optus Group, including Virgin, received 40,665 complaints (up 35 per cent)
- Telstra received 82,528 complaints (up 7.7 per cent)
- MyRepublic received 1,816 complaints (up 101.6 per cent)
- Primus received 1,918 complaints (up 0.1 per cent)
MOST IMPROVED TELCOS:
- Vodafone received 9,752 complaints (down 8.7 per cent)
- iiNet received 7,719 complaints (down 24.1 per cent)
- TPG received 6,248 complaints (down 10.7 per cent)
- Dodo received 3,120 complaints (down 5.7 per cent)
- M2 Commander received 1,565 complaints (down 8.2 per cent)
- Southern Phone received 1,484 complaints (down 28.2 per cent)


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Yet another cyber attack has affected millions of people, this time the customer’s of Carphone Warehouse, one of the UK’s largest high store chain. After the attack which left millions of customer unable to access their online banking accounts in last week’s RBS heck, yet another attack has this time affected millions of customer’s details accessed in hack on Carphone Warehouse’s customers. The company, which is part of the Dixons Carphone group, announced on Saturday that a highly sophisticated cyber attack had occurred, potentially compromising millions of customer’s details; including names, addresses, date of birth information and bank details.
It is not known who is responsible for the attack but a full investigation is being conducted by a firm who specialises in cyber breaches in companies. But the number of customers affected is said to reach 2.4million, with over 90,000 customers’ credit card details also possibly in the hands of the hackers. The company has reassured customers that those details are stored in an encrypted manner so they should be safe. To assist in the investigation, Scotland Yard have been notified, as well the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Unfortunately, it isn’t just the Carphone Warehouse website that was attacked, the hack extends to several websites in which Carphone Warehouse provide services for, including OneStopPhoneShop.co.uk, e2save.com and Mobiles.co.uk. TalkTalk, the mobile phone company, is also under Carphone Warehouse so those customer details are also potentially contained in the hacked data. Even though PC World and Currys are under the same company, a spokesperson for the company has claimed that this customer details are completely safe as they are stored on separate systems.
Cyber attacks are growing more and more frequent, with several high level attacks having taken place in just the past 12 months. The cost that these hacks cause have reached in excess of £34billion a year, where data breaches affect not just the customer’s but a company’s reputation as well. If you are concerned about your privacy, then there are additional steps to ensure you remain safe online. By signing up to Le VPN, you can make sure your internet connection is secure and encrypted, preventing anyone from accessing or viewing your online details. Le VPN can also allow you to change your IP address in order to remain anonymous as well as unlocking websites that are region restricted.
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Renault has confirmed it is revamping its engines to reduce emissions.
Key points:Renault has confirmed plans to change the way it operates its enginesRenault is looking to develop a new generation of plug-in hybridsRenault and BMW have been working on plug-ins for more than a decade, with the two companies jointly developing the electric Audi Q7.
The electric plug-In hybrid is now being developed by BMW and Audi, but the technology is not yet ready for production.
The move follows the announcement in May that Renault was entering a joint venture with Nissan on the development of electric plug ins.
Renault says it will be looking to bring plug- In hybrids to market by 2021.
But the development is far from complete.
The Renault-Nissan joint venture is expected to see a range of models, including a plug-IN electric vehicle.
The new Renault engine will also be fitted with new technology to improve the vehicle’s range and energy efficiency, the company has confirmed.
Renaults new engine will be developed by a joint development team with BMW and Nissan, it says.
Renal is also set to introduce the Renault-Renault hybrid to the public.
However, Renault is not the only car maker to look at plug- in hybrids.
Toyota has also introduced a range-extended version of its Prius hybrid.
A similar range-exceeding hybrid vehicle is also being developed in China by an investment group.
Renault also has a long history of plug in hybrids, having developed the Renault Clio in 2003.
The company was bought by Toyota in 2007 and has since been involved in developing a range extender car called the Clio X.


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Professional Community for Car Dealers, Marketing, Advertising and Sales Leaders
Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, unveiled results of its latest survey showing that 82% of drivers across the U.S. would consider getting a used car or truck lease that was three years old. Swapalease.com is studying the consumer appetite for used leasing and presented an online survey in front of 2,500 drivers across the country during November, 2014.
One of the benefits of a used lease would include a lower monthly payment, and approximately a third of…
Added by John Sternal on January 8, 2015 at 1:45pm — No Comments
Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports lease credit approvals during November continued to increase, fueling even more end-of-year momentum for lease applications and vehicle exchange rates. November saw an approvals rate of 84.2%, the second-highest monthly lease approvals rate during 2014 (August saw 85.7%).
The monthly approvals rate was driven by early holiday lease campaigns and offers, with a rising number of lessees exchanging vehicles from brands…
Added by John Sternal on December 17, 2014 at 8:07am — No Comments
Conventional wisdom among many end-of-year car shoppers is to choose the outgoing model year in order to save a few dollars. However, an analysis by nationwide car lease marketplace, Swapalease.com, shows consumers can often get a better lease deal if they opt for the incoming model year, even in December when end-of-year negotiating heats up.
For example, consumers can lease a 2015 Toyota Camry for $293.71 per month, compared to a new 2014 model priced at $319.22. A 2015 Chevrolet…
Added by John Sternal on December 15, 2014 at 11:23am — No Comments
Just how successful are the “December To Remember” campaigns? Swapalease.com analyzed vehicle search and consideration patterns from the 2013 holiday season to gauge which luxury brands see a rise in consumer consideration during the holiday season. Lexus saw the biggest increase in search and consideration patterns, but only by a slim margin.
Swapalease.com is the nation’s largest online lease marketplace, processing tens of thousands of lease exchanges each year for today’s most…
Added by John Sternal on December 4, 2014 at 4:22pm — No Comments
Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports lease credit approvals during October rebounded to a rate of 74.1%, compared with 64.5% in September. Roughly three out of every four lease applicants were approved in October, an important indicator given the continued popularity of car and truck leases.
Year to date, Swapalease.com has recorded a lease credit approval rate of 68.6%, just shy of the 70% rate that is considered normal in the marketplace. Over the…
Added by John Sternal on November 18, 2014 at 5:59am — No Comments
Under Tesla's new program, lessees have the option to return their Model S within the first three months if they are unsatisfied. Scot Hall from Swapalease.com believes many will take advantage of an early out, but not within the first three months of vehicle possession. Tesla is playing a slight role in this decision, disqualifying drivers from immediately leasing another Tesla if they do return in the three-month window.
However, a closer look at luxury lease exchange trends on…
Added by John Sternal on November 13, 2014 at 11:08am — No Comments
Wantalease.com, the nation’s first online car lease marketplace for new car lease deals, shows 16 popular cars and trucks in November offered for less than $200 per month, with a variety of models between small and mid-sized cars, SUVs and pickup trucks. According to Wantalease.com, it’s the largest variety of makes and models at this price point during 2014.
Headlining the November lease deals is the Chevrolet Cruze LT, listed at $119 per month with less than $1,000 down. The Cruze…
Added by John Sternal on November 12, 2014 at 6:16am — No Comments
It's been well documented that car shoppers have fewer EV/hybrids in mind given today's gas prices. Now comes word that drivers of these fuel-efficient vehicles are also looking to walk away in an effort to upsize, too. Below are two stories trending in the automotive world with personal financial consequences.
Walking Away From A Gas-Sipper
Electric (EV) and hybrid vehicle…
Added by John Sternal on November 6, 2014 at 12:07pm — No Comments
There’s been a lot of discussion recently on the role leasing has been playing on used car prices, with particular emphasis on the rising number of lease returns expected this year and in years to…Continue
Swapalease.com is more than just an advocate of lease transfer. The company is also a strong advocate of leasing. Therefore, Swapalease.com is challenging many of the points made by Consumer Reports in a recent lease versus loan comparison column, “Buying vs. leasing basics for cars”, published earlier this month.
“It was disappointing to see the details of the…Continue
Added by John Sternal on October 31, 2014 at 9:32am — No Comments
Fair or not, some constituents are unhappy with what their elected officials are paying to drive. In the majority of cases, these cars are leased. Some opponents are even using the price of the car lease in attack ads. Politicians have…Continue
Added by John Sternal on October 20, 2014 at 2:34pm — No Comments
Selling a car online is now mainstream. But you can easily screw up your chances for success, usually with the photos you select.
“Especially when car shopping, price and car design have always been the two biggest hot buttons that will dictate the success of a car sale,” said Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com. “Photos that showcase the car’s design and features are even more important in a peer-to-peer sales environment such as the Swapalease.com…
Wantalease.com, the nation’s first online car lease marketplace for new car lease deals, shows a growing number of car and truck lease deals offered for less than $150 per month. What's more, a few cars are even offered for less than $120 per month. The deals arrive as leasing continues to grow in popularity for consumers and dealerships.
The Chevrolet Cruze LT and the Ford Focus SE are both offered at $119 monthly in their current October Wantalease.com lease deals, highlighting…
Added by John Sternal on October 14, 2014 at 7:18am — No Comments
Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports lease credit approvals during the month of September were down at 64.5%, falling after reaching into the low 80% range during July and August. The approvals rate is an important indicator of how successful car shoppers are at getting approved for a car lease.
The approvals rate has witnessed noticeable turbulence in recent months, with SubPrime car shoppers the likely culprit. Year-to-date approvals are at 67.8%…
Added by John Sternal on October 9, 2014 at 9:35am — No Comments
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a new rule that would allow it to oversee companies that finance car loans and leases. The new rule is designed to address…Continue
In the world of online matchmaking, women express their inner feelings through their online ads more so than men. In the world of online “car matchmaking”, not so much. An analysis of gender-specific online “car ads” by national car leasing marketplace, Swapalease.com, finds that men are more expressive when it comes to details of the cars they’re trying to pair up with others.
The nationwide online marketplace helps match people wanting out of their car lease with others around…
Added by John Sternal on September 30, 2014 at 10:30am — No Comments
Wantalease.com, the nation’s first online car lease marketplace for new car lease deals, reports domestic auto leases are seeing the largest price drops during September. Seven of the top ten popular lease vehicles with the biggest price drops in September are from Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford and Buick, with prices discounted as much as 46% from the previous month.
Wantalease.com is the nation’s first online destination for new car lease deals, and it is a sister marketplace to…
Added by John Sternal on September 24, 2014 at 1:49pm — No Comments
Can you actually profit off your lease? You can, but it would likely need to be a truck. Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest online car lease marketplace, believes lessees in certain trucks still hold a positive equity position with a few months left in the term. In fact, the company believes it is a large reason why demand has increased for truck leases with less than eight months on the contract.
Compact SUVs and all Pickup trucks have held strong pricing positions through the…
Added by John Sternal on September 16, 2014 at 6:57am — No Comments
Is it time the auto industry got serious about a used lease program that mirrors the effectiveness of the CPO programs? Scot Hall, EVP at Swapalease.com, who has been talking about the need for a used lease program, especially based on recent trends in the auto industry:
Added by John Sternal on September 9, 2014 at 9:10am — No Comments
When it comes to lease programs, should U.S. Auto dealers take a page out of the Canadian dealer model? National car lease marketplace, Swapalease.com, works with customers in both countries and observed key differences in how lease programs are structured, with particular emphasis on the transfer of ownership elements between individuals:
Added by John Sternal on September 3, 2014 at 8:06am — No Comments


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Support proposed plastic bag law: Letter
I support the proposed law currently in the Dutchess County Legislature that seeks to limit consumption and encourage reusable shopping bags via a 10-cent surcharge on carryout disposable bags. For the sake of human health and pollution prevention, Dutchess County needs to pass this law.
On Oct. 19, Ulster County passed a single-use plastic bag ban which will greatly reduce the amount of plastic waste across Ulster County. Countries such as Ireland and Denmark have also passed plastic bag bans.
Plastic in our water supply and oceans is incredibly damaging to all life on Earth. Plastic bags kill approximately 100,000 marine mammals and one million seabirds each year. Toxins in plastics are directly linked to cancers, birth defects, immune system problems, and childhood developmental issues. We need to do something now on the local level to stop using consumer plastic bags.
Back in the "good old days,” people used reusable bags such as fabric and straw totes and other carry-able containers for store-bought items. Now we have these sturdy reusable bags in all colors and forms that we can carry around in our trunks or in our pocketbooks. For low-income residents, we can problem solve to make sure this is not a burden on them somehow.
Please voice your support for a plastic bag law at the next Dutchess County Legislature meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 at 22 Market St., Poughkeepsie, sixth floor.
We can do this, Dutchess County!
Town of Poughkeepsie