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A popular TikTok creator named Mikayla Nogueira has been trending on the app for a while now and viewers are eager to find out more about her. As a young makeup artist, Mikayla’s videos are constantly going viral and gaining masses of attention in response to her great beauty advice!
In this article, we explore all things Mikayla Nogueira, including her age, interest in beauty, net worth and so much more! Keep reading to discover why this content creator is so well-admired on all of her social media platforms!
Who is Mikayla Nogueira on TikTok?
Mikayla Nogueira is a 22-year-old makeup artist and content creator from the USA.
The artist was born on 15th June 1998, making her a Leo.
On TikTok as @mikaylanogueira, Mikayla currently has over four million followers along with over 200 million likes in total.
Her content consists of makeup tutorials, product reactions, fashion videos, the latest trends and much more.
Over on her personal Instagram (@mikaylanogueira), Mikayla has over 80,000 followers and often uploads content including images of herself and friends.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, she attended Bowman Elementary School from where she completed her early education.
She then graduated from Bryant University, Smithfield, Rhode Island.
When asked to tell the story of her job timeline, Mikayla responded with a video explaining that she got her first job when she was 16-years-old, in retail.
Since then she had many previous jobs, varying from fast food environments, career coaching, writing consulting and being a secretary.
During her time in college, Mikayla then got a job at Ulta Beauty and worked there for two years.
Although the creator previously planned on going into the radio industry and worked at a radio station while in college, she then blew up on the internet and decided otherwise.
Despite not having introduced him to her online audience, Mikayla has confirmed that she does in fact have a boyfriend who makes her extremely happy.
Mikayla is a huge advocate for body positivity following a video whereby she flaunted her bikini body and gained tons of amazing feedback.
Keep reading to find out all about Mikayla’s interest in beauty!
Mikayla Nogueira interest in beauty
With a huge interest in the beauty industry ever since a young age, Mikayla then began getting involved with makeup and fashion herself, before blowing up online.
Mikayla’s earliest available upload on TikTok was posted in March 2020 and featured a trending audio and transformation.
On her Instagram account dedicated to beauty (@mikaylajmakeup), she has over 800,000 followers and often uploads beauty and fashion content.
Mikayla explained in a response video that she has been practising as a makeup artist from age-15 until now, throughout her various working roles.
Despite having many job roles in the past, the creator expressed that her current MUA and online creator role is definitely her favourite of all.
Having recently won the emerging Makeup Artist of the Year, Mikayla sure knows her stuff!
Within her Linktree link, seven different discount codes can be found which save you money when buying from the various retailers.
What are you waiting for? Go ahead and treat yourself to some new beauty products!
Mikayla Nogueira fame and net worth
Having built a huge online audience in such a short space of time, supporters are wondering just how this may have financially benefitted Mikayla…
A website named TheWikiFeed reported in January 2021 that Mikayla Nogueira is a TikTok star with a net worth of two million dollars.
Her TikTok supporters have even begun a new trend surrounding Mikayla’s heavy influence on their beauty shopping habits.
The popular hashtag named #mikaylamademebuyit currently has over 700,000 views as supporters flaunt their products inspired by Mikayla.
A makeup artist named @j9homiemakeup took to TikTok to display the many products Mikayla has influenced her to purchase.
What has Mikayla made you buy? ?♀
Go ahead and check out Mikayla Nogueira on her various social media platforms to find out more about the viral MUA and content creator!
The article you have shared here very good. This is really interesting information for me. Thanks for sharing!


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ARLINGTON, Va., — In a press release, the U.S. Dairy Export Council confirmed rumors about the former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack will be joining the U.S. Dairy Export Council as President and CEO.
Starting on February 1st, Vilsack will join the organization to provide strategic leadership and oversight of USDEC’s global promotional and research activities, regulatory affairs and trade policy initiatives. Vilsack will also work with industry leaders as well as be he organizations primary spokesperson and ambassador.
Vilsack said, ” Growing the global market for U.S. dairy products is essential to the future of the dairy industry and America’s dairy farmers. I’ve spent my career in public service as a tireless advocate for farmers and American agriculture and can think of no better way to continue this service than by leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council,”
Vilsack will succeed Tom Suber, who served as president of the USDEC since it’s founding in 1995. Suber retired at the end of 2016.

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After receiving a ban last month from using any US made products for the next seven years ZTE, China’s second biggest telecom equipment maker, says it is stopping operations. This according to Reuters.
The ban came after ZTE has already paid a $900 million fine, fired several employees for violating trade embargoes, but failed to discipline or slap a note approximately 50 employees files. Really, that’s all they would have had to have done.
As ZTE requires parts from Qualcomm and Intel (both US companies,) for roughly a third of the components used, their only options are to scramble for other non-US suppliers.
ZTE has requested a suspension of the ban, however in the meantime it has suspended sales in it’s online stores and shut down main business operations as there’s nothing legally they can probably sell.
What’s more interesting is ZTE owners may not be able to receive any future updates for Android through official channels as, well, they’re banned from touching it, and may also be banned from warranty support.
Over the past month about 12% of the phones in the US suddenly became untouchable.[Reuters]


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Chinese video platform Bilibili is getting ready for a secondary listing in Hong Kong which could raise more than $2 billion, a source close to the matter told CNBC.
The company announced changing roles as it reported that revenue in the fourth quarter soared 44% to $125.56 billion
China has so far failed to meet its committed purchases of U.S. goods under the “phase one” trade deal that it struck with the Trump administration.
- Jeff Bezos to Step Down as Amazon CEO; Andy Jassy to Take Over 1
- China failed to buy agreed amounts of U.S. goods under ‘phase one’ trade deal 2
- Signal and Telegram downloads surge after WhatsApp says it will share data with Facebook 3
- Elon Musk Overtakes Amazon's Jeff Bezos as World's Wealthiest Person 4
- Congress Certifies Biden Victory; Trump Says There Will Be 'Orderly Transition' 5
- 'It's insurrection' Biden says, as Trump supporters storm U.S. Capitol 6
Elon Musk has overtaken Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest person, driven by a meteoric rise in the value of Tesla the electric-car maker he runs.
Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory early on Thursday and President Donald Trump at long last acknowledged his election loss, saying "there will be an orderly transition on January 20th."
Hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to overturn his election defeat, forcing Congress to postpone a session that would have certified President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
The New York Stock Exchange said it no longer plans to delist three Chinese telecommunications giants: China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom.
Internet shutdowns cost India $2.8 billion, putting the South Asian nation at the top of a list of 21 countries that curbed citizens’ web access in 2020.
The United Kingdom and European Union have agreed on a trade deal ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline.
Singapore has confirmed its first COVID-19 case carrying the potentially more contagious strain of the virus circulating in the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an $892 billion coronavirus aid package on Monday aimed at throwing a lifeline to the nation’s pandemic-battered economy, clearing the way for Senate approval.
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday named Katherine Tai, a trade lawyer with a history of taking on China, as his incoming administration’s pick for the United States’ top trade representative.
The move will allow Joby to use Uber’s app to offer air taxi rides when the company’s aircraft eventually enters service, which could be as soon as 2023.
DoorDash on Tuesday sold shares in its initial public offering at $102 apiece to raise $3.36 billion in what will be one of the biggest U.S. stock market debuts of 2020.
President Moon Jae-in has said Korea would look into joining the eleven-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).


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Laxmi Saa was the survivor of an acid attack and showed great courage. Not only this but she was quite popular among the media. The victim was in a way rewarded for her hard work as she became the face of the women fashion outfits of Viva N Diva.
Talking to the media Laxmi Saa said the following, ”This opportunity to represent an apparel brand was a platform for me to set an example for women like me to be confident and have courage despite their physical appearances.”
Laxmi was attacked for rejecting a marriage proposal of a 31 year old when she was 15 and has been actively working so that this does not happen again. Talking about the incident she said ”It felt cold first. Then I felt an intense burning. Then the liquid melted my skin.”
“This was also a platform for me to send a clear message to criminals that women will not lose courage even after they are attacked with acid to destroy their physical beauty,” further she said. The brand wanted to give a message that beauty was not only related to physical appearance.
Talking about the matter Laxmi said “The problem is not just in being a victim but also your victimisation by the society. We are treated as if we are good for nothing and as if our lives are a waste.”
Co-founder Rupesh Jhawar added “To my eyes that are used to seeing fashion models with flawless skins dolled up in front of the cameras everyday, this view was both disturbing and inspiring. For a moment I had seen beauty in a very different way and we wanted to capture it – remove any speck of being a victim from those eyes and give them a stage, an employment, a platform, a medium to flaunt it with style.”
Laxmi has working tireless to ensure that open sale of acid is banned and who so ever commits the crime endured by her should be given just punishment and is not roaming around freely.


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Gold Jewellery news
So 24-carat gold jewellery consumption possibly is some element of misuse of the system and the impact on India’s exports of jewellery because of this 24-carat jewellery export ban is going to be nothing almost.
On June 2, the GST Council fixed a GST rate of 3 per cent on silver, gold jewellery and processed diamonds, which is higher than the industry estimate
Demand for Indian artisans, who are skilled in handcrafted jewellery, has also increased. Many artisans who lost their jobs due to demonetisation are showing interest to relocate to the UAE.
Sanjay Shah, Managing Director of Nine Diamonds and a Member of MDMA said that post demonetisation, gold and diamond business suffered a setback and hence this movement was initiated.
Currently, only purchases above Rs 2 lakh require know-your-customer-compliance in the gold market.
India's drive to bring transparency to bullion trading, along with the rise of branded gold jewellery, could help major retailers raise their share of the world's second-biggest gold market
Organised retailers have introduced sophisticated advertising and sales campaigns, effective inventory management systems and domestic and international brands, and have raised standards within the industry.
More importantly, artisans in gold trade, who were asked to return home as orders dried up, are slowly returning to work.
If implemented, a buyer of gold jewellery will end up paying around 6 percentage more by way of tax as at present the total tax comes to around 12.5%.
Diamond is mostly liked by the affluent consumers who are also averse of global trends.
The decision comes at a time when jewellers are finding it difficult to offload their inventory that piled up following a 42-day strike.
The remaining Middle Eastern markets saw double-digit losses, beset as they were by a mix of ongoing geo-political issues, low oil prices and weak tourism revenues.
Slowdown in global markets continues to impact exports of cut and polished diamonds from India.
In the last 45 days, Amazon has increased the selection of precious jewellery three times, introducing regional jewellers on the Amazon.in platform. These included Senco, Joyalukkas, Malabar Gold, Waman Hari Pethe, PN Gadgil, Kirtilal Jewellers and Nikaar Jewellers.
The gold monetisation and sovereign gold bond schemes launched by PM Modi will provide people an opportunity to hold gold in a safer and more lucrative form.
Though sales picked up this week with the onset of the festival season, demand was lower than usual, retailers said.


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Havana, May 4 (RHC-PL)-- Two million foreign tourists have arrived in Cuba in the first four months of 2017, a record number and a 15% increase, recorded 39 days earlier than last year.
The statistics were provided by Tourism Minister, Manuel Marrero, when opening the 37th International Tourism Fair, FITCuba 2017, taking place in Holguin, an attractive and growing destination in eastern Cuba.
Canada continues to be the island's first tourist market contributing 34% of total arrivals. However, during the first quarter of 2017, the USA made a significant contribution, with Canada and the USA contributing 45% of all travelers. Europe comes next with 33% of arrivals and Latin America, 16%.
Today, 68 airlines fly to the island from 70 cities around the world. As many as 25 cruise vessels are docking in Cuban ports, and shortly 8 more will join adding 265 ports of call and over 170,000 passengers.
The cruise ships are making ports of call in Havana, Cienfuegos, Casilda, Punta Francés, María la Gorda and Santiago de Cuba. Companies are interested in adding new destinations and terminals.
The Minister pointed out that surveys done during the first three months of the year indicate that 95% of foreign tourists expressed satisfaction, 86% said to be pleased with quality-price ration, 96% recommended the Cuban destination and 41% have returned.
- Mass protests in Puerto Rico in demand of Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation
- Race for Nelson Mandela in Havana
- RHC's Arts Roundup
- Cuba reaffirms its commitment to peace and the Non-Aligned Movement
- RHC's Mailbag Show
- Golden children
- Max: 19729
- yesterday: 3632
- today: 2868
- online: 102
- total: 6155139


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HANOI (BERNAMA) – Vietnam exported 3.9 million tonnes of rice, earning USD1.9 billion, in the first seven months of this year, according to the Department of Agro Processing and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Export volume fell 1.4 per cent but increased by 10.9 per cent in value over the same period last year, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.
The department also said that in the first half of this year, the Philippines ranked first in Vietnam’s rice export market with nearly 37 per cent of total rice exports.
Vietnam exported 1.4 million tonnes of rice to the Philippines, raking in USD635 million, up 13.3 per cent and 30.5 per cent, respectively, over the same period last year.
Other markets with strong growth in rice exports included Senegal (up 19.6 times), Indonesia (2.8 times) and China (nearly 90 per cent).
Vietnam’s average rice export price in the first six months hit USD487.6 per tonne, 13 per cent higher than the same period in 2019.


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Metcash records strong profit
Grocery wholesaler Metcash says strong sales and the acquisition of a grocery business were responsible for their large half year profit.
TranscriptALI MOORE: To the retail sector and grocery wholesaler Metcash has shrugged off competition from the major supermarket chains to more than double its profits for the half year. Chief executive Andrew Reitzer says strong sales and last year’s acquisition of Foodlands grocery business boosted profit to $66.1 million. The country's third largest food retailer supplies the IGA chain of supermarkets.
ANDREW REITZER: We've got a very, very strong business and we believe it is our job in life to be the champion of the independent retailer, whether they are grocery retailers, liquor retailers or combined.
ALI MOORE: That said earnings before tax fell at the liquor business and Mr Reitzer expects the division to remain troubled for the next three years because of competition. Metcash shares rose more than 1 per cent to $4.39.


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The automotive sector is in the early stages of reinventing itself, with incredible changes being driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and the increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs). At the same time, innovative companies such as Didi, Uber, and Grab have fundamentally changed how people get from A to B, and transformed our collective views on personal mobility. The development of electric and autonomous vehicles (EV/AV), when combined with the growth of the ridesharing sector, has resulted in both competition and partnerships between traditional automotive companies and technology companies. The two sides are now forced to coexist as “frenemies”, as they co-develop products and services together in the race to “Transportation 2.0” global leadership. And while they must collaborate, the competition between the two sides is only getting more intense.
It could take another 20 years before we see a critical mass of people shift to driverless cars. But the anticipation of that day is such that, within the last five years, hundreds of EV startups have popped up – particularly in China – all looking to build alternatives to the traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Carmakers are also betting on an electric future, by launching their own products, these EVs will be the bridge to autonomous vehicles (AVs).
The Chinese government has decided to firmly support their country’s move towards EV/AVs and has already taken a leadership role globally. Once automotive and technology companies learn to trust each other, they’ll be able to work together to monetize opportunities resulting from the data provided by these EV/AVs.
Elsewhere, alongside increasing investment and growing interest from consumers, the outlook for the industry as a whole looks increasingly positive. The Chinese government has created an optimal environment for the development, production, and sales of EVs in China. Over the last few years, Beijing has prioritized tackling pollution, securing energy independence, and achieving technology dominance. Combined, these three initiatives have created an environment for promoting the mass adoption of EVs in China. Investment by the government, both at the national and local levels, as well as subsidies in the form of land and tax abatements and through rebates on EV purchases, has also helped EVs take a huge step forward while incentivizing Chinese entrepreneurs to launch their own EV startups. Many entrepreneurs have done just that, with the Wall Street Journal estimating that there are currently 487 EV carmakers in China.
There’s an argument that the coal-powered electricity that is used to power EVs in China means that these cars are no better for the environment than the ICE cars they’ll be replacing. That’s partly true, but as solar and wind power becomes a larger share of energy creation, energy storage capabilities continue to increase, and smart grids become more commonplace, the use of coal for effectively powering EVs will shrink, and they will clearly become a better alternative for the environment.
But can the Chinese EV startups that emerge from the pack plot out a roadmap to success? Sales of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), which comprise EVs + plug-in hybrids, are forecast to rise nearly threefold in China by 2020, from 777,000 in 2017 to more than two million. This will have a multiplier effect by reducing costs across the board for EV parts, specifically for batteries – the most expensive part of an EV. These domestic trends will bring the price of EVs down globally, which is why Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasts that EV sales will reach 11 million globally by 2025 and 30 million by 2030.
This is another big reason why investment has poured into the EV segment and created so many EV startups. However, most of them are in the early stages of development, and many won’t even make it to prototyping as funding typically gravitates towards the companies with the best management teams. If we assume that only 10% of all EV startups will survive the next five years – a generous assumption – that would mean about 50 EV companies will have carved out a piece of the EV pie in China.
EVs are just beginning to go on sale en masse, but, by 2019, many different manufacturers, including the traditional German, American, and Japanese carmakers, will have each launched multiple EVs. These new models will be affordable to a large part of the market, and, by 2025, people all over the world will have plenty of options at different price points.
China’s Autonomous Policy Edge
Although some current vehicles can park themselves and even drive on highways autonomously, the wide adoption of AVs and Level 5 Autonomous Driving – no steering wheel, gas, or brake pedal – is still quite a long way off due to regulatory, insurance, and infrastructure issues. Insurance companies are still studying where liability should lie in the case of car accidents caused by AVs. In the US, individual states will have the right to regulate AVs, creating a complexity that’s not found in other countries. Given its streamlined, top-down policymaking, it is likely that China will be at the forefront of determining how to deal with AVs and the risks associated with them once they hit the road in large numbers.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies that are developing the software to literally “drive” AVs have been collecting data to feed their AI systems for quite some time already. AVs are not yet a safer alternative to human driving, but autonomous driving can still be a differentiator for many EV companies. Developing AV hardware and software is where most of the technology companies want to carve out their piece of the pie, and both carmakers and tech companies want to make AVs a key component of future ride hailing and ridesharing services they themselves will roll out. There is a lot at stake: Goldman Sachs predicts the global ride hailing market alone will be worth US $285 billion by 2030. If the Ubers and Didis of the world don’t have to pay someone to drive their vehicle, they get to keep more of that customer’s money for themselves.
Cut From a Different Cloth
As someone who has worked for both technology companies and automotive companies, I can tell you that they think totally differently. For instance, from a financial investment standpoint, tech companies think in terms of operating expenses. Since many don’t have a physical product, or outsource manufacturing when they do, every expense incurred for them in support of the new products or software is recognized in the same period in which it has been incurred. Meanwhile, car companies typically think in terms of capital investments. Investing in a brand new assembly plant can easily cost over US $1 billion, which needs to be amortized over a number of periods, normally 60-120 months.
Another example is the difference in the length of the product lifecycle, which for many tech companies is usually between 9-15 months. For an automaker it can be up to five years, meaning that they need to be much more cautious when making decisions, since their capital could be tied up for a far longer time in comparison.
It could be a current automaker and tech partnership, or a brand-new startup that ultimately develops the products and services that are convenient, feature a terrific user experience, and at price points that attract the average consumer. But, until then, the learning curve will remain very steep. However, there are certain ways that the traditional car firms and the newer tech companies can collaborate in order to move the needle – a necessity as currently neither is able to bring to market a complete hardware and software solution at the level of Transportation 2.0.
Advice from the author
- You’re still moving too slowly. These technology companies need you – for now. Once they’ve determined you no longer add value to what they’re trying to accomplish, you will be replaced by a cheaper, easier-to-manage commodity.
- Take the time to learn more about the other side; how they do what they do; and how you can use their tools, smarts, and speed to help you build something dynamic that is going to dominate the market. Otherwise, they will leave you behind.
- The time for thoughtful, time consuming evaluation and analysis ended last year. Match the tech companies’ ability to analyze data, speed in decision-making, and execution or be prepared to have them eat your lunch.
- Electric vehicles are not the same as bikes or scooters that can be strewn messily across cities, whether it’s China, Europe, or the US. There are much higher stakes involved – including people’s lives. Not all problems can be solved by using a math equation.
- The systems integration skills of automakers are some of the best in all of business. Just because they can’t make it as pretty or user friendly as you can, doesn’t mean they don’t have anything valuable to provide.
- A Ford F150 uses about 150 million lines of code, close to double that of Mac OSX Tiger, so don’t write the car guys off as technological dinosaurs just yet!
This article was originally published in the pilot of the upcoming AmCham China Quarterly, an executive-targeted periodical focused on policy, business, and technology, driven by C-suite perspectives and insights. The AmCham China Quarterly is set to launch early 2019 – to subscribe or contribute to the Quarterly, contact our editor: email@example.com
For More T&I insights, information, news, and events, click here to follow the T&I Initiative on LinkedIn.


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Since the autumn of the Terra (LUNA) algorithmic-stablecoin in mid-2022, many customers within the crypto house have developed a weariness in direction of that individual asset class. The marketplace for algorithmic stablecoins has dropped 10 instances what it was at its all-time excessive previous to the Terra incident.
Nonetheless, this has not stopped builders on the Cardano community pushed ahead with the launch of the ecosystem’s overcollateralized stablecoin. Djed (DJED) launched on the Cardano mainnet on Jan 31. and is pegged to USD and backed by Cardano’s native coin ADA (ADA). It makes use of the SHEN token as its reserve coin.
In keeping with the announcement the brand new token just lately accomplished a profitable safety audit and was beneath improvement for over a 12 months. DJED is a product of Coti, a decentralized monetary (DeFi) options developer on the Cardano blockchain, as a way for brand spanking new DeFi and cost alternatives.
Cointelegraph reached out to the builders for additional feedback on the launch.
Previous to the launch of the brand new Cardano stablecoin, the thought of bringing one other algorithmic stablecoin into existence precipitated tremors among the many on-line crypto group.
Associated: Buterin: Easy methods to create algo stablecoins that don’t flip into Ponzis or collapse
This is without doubt one of the newest in a sequence of latest updates popping out of the Cardano community, which included an announcement from co-founder Charles Hoskinson on Jan.12 that the ecosystem will increase through custom-built sidechains.
On Jan. 23, because of an anomaly, 50% of Cardano nodes disconnected and needed to restart, which precipitated a community outage. This was just one week previous to the launch of the brand new algo stablecoin.
At the start of 2023, Bloomberg reported that the danger evaluation agency Moody’s Company is growing a scoring system for stablecoins, which can embody an preliminary evaluation for as much as 20 digital belongings.


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New data shows many Americans may be unwittingly shortening the lifespan of lawnmowers, and other equipment because they remain ill equipped for newer fuel options at the gas pump.
The April survey, conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, polled over 4,000 Americans ages 18 and older. It found consumers continue to choose gasoline on price, and do not pay much attention to pump warning labels.
“The way we fuel in this country is whatever is at the pump — since the beginning of time — can go in the car, the bass boat, the generator, the chainsaw and the mower,” said OPEI CEO and President Kris Kiser. “It was always safe, especially for your non-road products. You buy the cheapest gas, put in the can.
“But that’s going to change now.”
On May 29 the Environmental Protection Agency announced targets for its Renewable Fuel Standard, which calls for increases in blends over the next several years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on the same day it would invest $100 million to install new blender pumps at fuel stations across the U.S.
“There is this paradigm shift,” Kiser said. “There is no education at all with the exception of that little attention label that is in very fine print telling consumers what they can and can’t use the fuel on. It is not adequate.”
Retail pumps distributing fuel with greater than 10 percent ethanol are required to post a label reading “Attention: Use only in 2001 or newer passenger vehicles or in flex fuel vehicles.”
The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations shows fuel containing greater than 10 percent ethanol can damage or destroy outdoor power and small-engine equipment. By Federal law, it is illegal to use those higher ethanol fuel blends in outdoor power equipment.
OPEI survey results show 63 percent of people choose the least expensive option possible, and less than half check for warning labels at all. An OPEI press release said the industry trying educate consumers though means like the website lookbeforeyoupump.com but “the EPA could — and should — do more,” Kiser said.
The Kansan checked multiple pumps around Newton on Tuesday. Only the pumps at Casey’s General Store, 1815 W First Street, had any ethanol notification as the station does offer 10 percent ethanol blend.
“10 percent is fine,” Kiser said.
He said greater challenges would come when more ethanol is added in the future. More than current motors can handle.
Don Ward at S & D Small Engine Repair, 617 N Meridian, Newton, sees benefits in ethanol.
“It burns cleaner,” Ward said. “And it is a lot better for someone sitting behind exhaust especially."
Ward did note the disadvantages though too. Higher blends attract water.
“The water causes a crystal to form inside the carburetor that plugs up even the brass jets,” he said.
Kevin League at Bumper to Bumper, 335 N Meridian, noted that he had seen the lifespan of more seasonal and sporadic use equipment decrease in recent years.
“What we used to do every winter was make sure everything was full, so it didn’t get moisture in it,” League said. “What we found out this spring is that we had a lot of stuff that didn’t run very well.”
Kiser said it is more important now to empty small engines completely after use to avoid separation between fuel and water in the tank.
That is exactly what League said they have begun doing at Bumper to Bumper.
Ward said he would welcome even more ethanol and higher blends if engines could handle it.
Kiser said the power equipment industry would welcome that change.
“My guys are consumer products companies: Toro, Kawasaki and on and on,” Kiser said. “We can run them on anything. We would love to design and build a new product for a new fuel and sell a bunch more stuff. All we care about is the product performing reliably and safely by matching the fuel to the products, which are built by law.”


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The cyber bookstore may be a glowing beacon of the online revolution or just a freak of commerce. Either way, it's definitely not a role model for everybody.When Jeffrey Bezos sat down in 1994 to make up a list of 20 things that might sell well online, the idea of selling anything on the Net was still pretty radical. Not anymore. Analysts now routinely churn out thick reports on the potential of Internet retail ("e-tail" to the cognoscenti), variously forecast to be a $6 billion, $12 billion, or $35 billion market by the year 2000.
Those reports almost without exception cite online bookseller Amazon.com -- which Bezos launched in July 1995 -- as living proof that Internet retailing works. "Amazon has become the default name when you think of buying on the Net," says Keith Benjamin, an Internet analyst with BancAmerica Robertson Stephens in San Francisco. "They're the poster child of Internet commerce."
Amazon's name recognition in part reflects the site's popularity -- it has more than 1.5 million customers, making it the Web's busiest retail location, according to Media Metrix (music retailer Columbia House Online was second). But while Amazon has proved it's possible to sell books on the Internet, this doesn't necessarily vindicate the Web as a retail outlet. Says CIBC Oppenheimer analyst Henry Blodget, "You have to be careful about implying that Amazon's success proves you can sell just about anything online."
Is Amazon the paradigm for e-tail's promise? Or is it the exception that proves the rule: The Internet isn't the place to sell most retail products? While we're asking, what else can Amazon tell us about the future of online selling?
Amazon's rise to some extent reflects elements of its business model. For starters, the firm got to its market first; none of the big booksellers were giving much thought to the Net in 1994. Bezos also spent heavily on traditional advertising to establish a brand.
In theory, firms selling other products can mimic that model. But will their products sell as well as books, which offer superb opportunities to exploit the Web's peculiar advantages? For instance, compared to the limited selection in an actual bookstore, Amazon can list a huge catalog of titles, and it's easy to search among them online.
The Amazon site also exploits the Net's potential to build what analysts call a "community" around a product. Example: Amazon publishes customer reviews as well as those by staffers and outside reviewers. "The depth of potential discussion is an issue with the success of a site," says Marc Usem, an Internet analyst with Salomon Smith Barney.
Amazon's ability to maintain records of customer preferences and then act on that information gives it yet another advantage as an online retailer. Books lend themselves particularly well to an Internet-selling tool known as "collaborative filtering": Amazon and other Web vendors ask you to name some of your favorite products -- in Amazon's case, the books, authors, or genres you like best -- and then the retailers' software program tells you what other people with similar tastes liked so you can add to your shopping list.
Meanwhile, the almost infinite array of topics makes it easy to sell Amazon's product through other sites -- a practice called "syndicated selling." Bezos has lined up alliances and exclusive agreements with 28,000 sites, including Yahoo, America Online, and the @Home Network. Thus, consumers who visit, say, StarChefs.com to check out recipes from celebrity chefs can click a button that lets them order cookbooks from Amazon.
Finally, it helps that books are quasi commodities -- there's no need to try them on before you buy -- and that they're small-ticket, impulse items that are easy to ship. Established distribution channels mean that Amazon can maintain a low inventory, ordering only the books customers request. Result: Morgan Stanley reports that the firm's inventory turned over 42 times last year versus only 2.1 times for Barnes & Noble.
That said, books are not the only products well suited to Internet commerce. "Amazon.com has executed particularly well on an opportunity," says Nicole Vanderbilt, director of digital commerce with Jupiter Communications in New York. "But similar opportunities exist for other products."
A recent 71-page Goldman Sachs report on Internet retailing lists books third among 21 products ranked for their potential as online successes. Computer hardware is first; software second. But music, electronics, and office products also earn high scores, and nine other categories, from cars to specialty apparel, have online prospects that earn them a moderately favorable rating.
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Australian food manufacturer SPC has announced a joint venture with natural ingredients business, Döhler of Germany, that aims to support SPC’s global expansion plans and allow Döhler to expand its operation in Australia and the Asia Pacific.
Döhler, a global producer of technology-driven natural ingredients and systems, will work with SPC to form Gourmet Ingredients Pty Ltd, which will market and sell natural ingredients products around the world through Döhler’s extensive sales and distribution channels.
“The synergy of our two different companies ensures that we are
bringing our expertise together to deliver products that global customers want to create food products of the future,” SPC chair, Hussein Rifai, said.
“Consumer palettes have become much more sophisticated over time and they expect consistency, high quality, natural and nutritional culinary experience. For today’s consumer, food is now an adventure, and an experience.”
In July 2019, Coca-Cola Amatil completed the sale of SPC to Shepparton Partners Collective for A$40 million. Director for Doehler Australia, Peter Gates, said the company recognised the innovation and change that the new leadership has brought to SPC.
“This partnership will provide us with the opportunity to work together to develop some very unique integrated solutions for the global market. With SPC’s expertise in supply processing and manufacturing and Doehler’s experience in creating innovative ingredients systems, the joint venture is the perfect marriage to promote and create Australian grown agriculture raw materials intellectual property that can be sold to the world,” Gates said.
SPC CEO Robert Giles said the joint venture will help SPC innovate and expand its offering.
“Döhler was a natural fit for us. They have worked with some of the world’s biggest brands including those borne from smaller countries like Australia. Their customers are who’s who in the global food industry. Together we will be able to deliver to global consumers technology driven natural ingredients solutions,” he said.
The joint venture is good news for Australian manufacturing as it will mean greater support for local industry, the ability to develop and market intellectual property globally, and to innovate beyond core produce.
SPC hopes to establish the business as a successful global agribusiness, which supports growers and the local community.
“There is no better way to ensure food manufacturing security than to follow our business strategy which is to become a global player in food production. With the right support and partners like Döhler, if you think globally, you can take our Australian innovation to the world,” Rifai explained.


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Are you looking for the Official website for TSTV , ok note that Tstv Official Site is Www.tstvafrica.com , please to avoid been scammed note that you can only connect with them by visiting their website and their website is quite easy to use.
This is to inform the public that TStv Support center and TStv _ Nigeria twitter handles are not the official twitter accounts of TStv Africa and do not represent TStv Africa.
The public is hereby informed to disregard any posts from the said twitter handles.
Kindly visit our website for information on our social media handles.
Read People’s Review online .
That’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for, to break the chains of monopoly just like in telecommun
Please if I buy your decoder in Lagos State, will it work in Owerri?
Do you have dealers in Owerri or are you planning to have some?
Lets see what you are able to bring to Nigerian, Surely.. Nigeria is a big market .. Hoping you can save us from the huddle ,nonchalan
PRESS RELEASE BETWEEN TSTV AND ABS
Telcom Satellites TV to Launch a New DTH Platform with
ABS-3A at 3°W in Nigeria
Bermuda and Hong Kong, 14 June 2017 – ABS and Telcom Satellites TV (TSTV) signed a multi-transponder agreement to deliver a Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcast service into Nigeria on ABS-3A.
The new platform is scheduled to be launched on 25th July 2017 and will be distributed on ABS-3A satellite, Africa beam which is located at the prime video neighborhood of 3°W. The service will air over 100 TV channels, and the number is expected to grow to 150 soon after. Audiences will be able to enjoy unbeatable innovations, local and foreign content and the best of entertainment programmes.
“TSTV is providing a ground breaking option from a dominated marketplace.” said Bright Echefu, the Managing Director/CEO of TSTV. “We are excited to partner with ABS in delivering an array of high quality programming. Our vision is to provide premium video experience to Nigerians at affordable prices. Our services will enable the viewers to experience HD and SD video and internet surfing at the same time. We are the first indigenous local operator in the region to launch such a premium platform with a variety of services to Nigerians, who have been so far paying exorbitant prices to foreign operators.”
“The addition of the Nigeria DTH platform from TSTV has undoubtedly strengthened ABS’ presence in Africa,” said Tom Choi, CEO of ABS. “TSTV has the right content and premium product to satisfy the growing demand of Nigeria. We hope ABS-3A can assist them to take Nollywood to great heights. ABS has strategically located its newly launched satellites at prime video neighborhoods at 3°W, 75°E and 159°E. We have successfully developed DTH platforms across Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, South Asia and Russia/CIS. Our goal is to bring quality and affordable entertainment to a wider population.”
The ABS-3A satellite is a new pillar for high profile broadcast contribution in Africa, MENA, Europe, and the Americas. Its wide Ku-band Africa beam has extended new possibilities for video distribution across the region. The orbital slot of our beam at 3°W gives an advantage to Nigeria due to its high elevation angle and clear line of sight across the country.
ABS is one of the fastest growing global satellite operators in the world. ABS offers a complete range of tailored solutions including broadcasting, data and telecommunication services to broadcasters, service providers, enterprises and government organizations.
ABS operates a fleet of satellites: ABS-2, ABS-2A, ABS-3, ABS-3A, ABS-4/Mobisat-1, ABS-6, and ABS-7. The satellite fleet covers over 93% of the world’s population across the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, CIS and Russia.
Headquartered in Bermuda, ABS has offices in the United States, UAE, South Africa and Asia. ABS is majority owned by funds managed by the European Private Equity firm Permira.


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India’s homegrown automobile giant Tata Motors has announced a price hike of its commercial vehicle range. The price increase is in the range of 2-2.5%, and will come into effect from 1 April 2022 across the range, as per the individual model and variant of vehicles.
Tata Motors said the increase in the prices of commodities including steel, aluminum and other metals, in addition to higher costs of several raw materials, has led to the impending price hike of commercial vehicles.
In a public statement to the media, Tata Motors spokesperson has said that while the company has initiated actions for absorbing a significant portion of the increased costs at various levels of manufacturing, “the steep rise in overall input costs makes it imperative to pass on some residual proportion via a minimized price hike.”
The company had also increased the price of commercial vehicles at the beginning of this year.
According to a top company official, Tata Motors is also planning to invest ₹15,000 crore in the EV segment in the upcoming five years.
The auto giant being a leader in EV segment with offerings like Nexon, is also planning to develop around 10 more new offerings in the segment, President for Passenger Vehicles Business of Tata Motors Shailesh Chandra said.
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CHICAGO — ProMat 2023 is well underway, and the announcements have been coming fas and furious.
The massive trade show, running this week for the first time since 2019, features 1,000 of the top supply chain and logistics companies pitching their latest and greatest solutions to tens of thousands of guests.
As you can imagine, the 500,000-square-foot show floor is jam-packed with firms across industries like robotics, automation, manufacturing, assembly, delivery, fulfillment and information technology — each with their own eye-catching display.
The crowded floor at ProMat 2023 in Chicago features the latest supply chain and logistics technologies. (Photo: MHI)
Unsurprisingly, a host of companies have used the show as an opportunity to share their newest innovations with the world. From Agility Robotics to Zebra Technologies, it seems that just about everybody has news.
Having trouble keeping track of it all? Here’s a breakdown of the biggest announcements from the first two days of the industry’s biggest show:
Warehouse robots dominate the news …
The clear winner so far at ProMat has been the warehouse robotics industry, which has seemingly taken over the event.
With technologies like autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and stationary robotic arms beginning to catch on, warehouse robotics firms are now clamoring to gain that crucial early market share.
One of the largest announcements this week was the U.S. launch of CoEvolution and its multi-robot orchestration platform. The firm, based in Hangzhou, China, is unique in that it does not supply its own robots. Rather, it allows warehouses to deploy bots from any number of different vendors using a global warehouse control system (WCS) and robotic control system (RCS).
Previously, operators would need to integrate their softwares, like their warehouse management system or customer relationship management system, with each individual vendor’s WCS and RCS. But CoEvolution integrates vendors’ systems into its own WCS and RCS, allowing it to manage robots of all shapes, sizes and functions under one umbrella.
Wilmington, Mass.-based Locus Robotics did something similar for its network with the launch of LocusOne. While the solution does not orchestrate robots across vendors, it repurposes the firm’s three AMRs — Origin, Vector and Max — to allow them to handle a variety of new tasks.
LocusOne also features a new software, LocusView, which assigns each bot a mix of tasks in order to optimize efficiency. Those may range from picking and packing to replenishment and even pallet building.
Another massive announcement came from PackSize, which is working with Walmart to automate its packaging process. A new machine, the Ultra 5, has already been deployed at one of the retailer’s four next-generation fulfillment centers, capable of producing up to 600 boxes per hour.
But the key to PackSize’s offering is its right-sized packaging model. The firm creates custom boxes that minimize empty space, which will allow Walmart to fit more packages on each truck — as many as 33% more. Plus, those orders can be packed, labeled and ready to ship within half an hour, PackSize said.
Meanwhile, e-commerce solutions firm Radial announced the opening of a second Indianapolis fulfillment center … and it’s calling on warehouse robotics provider Geek+ to automate it. The 600,000-square-foot facility will feature around 200 Geek+ P800 AMRs, which are designed to automate goods-to-person (G2P) workflows, bringing the shelf to the picker instead of the reverse.
And the robotics firm made a major announcement of its own. In the past year, Geek+ robots picked more than 10 billion items worldwide, an astonishing number that only figures to rise. The bots have collectively traveled farther than the distance between the Earth and the sun, saving 140,000 tons of carbon emissions in the process.
Another milestone came from French firm Exotec, which announced the production of its 5,000th robot just three months after hitting 4,000. Together, they’ve saved warehouse workers more than 16 million miles of walking — the equivalent of going to the moon and back 33 times. The company also highlighted the growth of its North America business, which could represent as much as 40% of its global business within two years.
Elsewhere, several companies announced new robot models. Tompkins Robotics, for example, rolled out PickPal, a series of pick assist AMRs. Currently available in two models — the larger of which can carry up to 220 pounds — the product line is part of the firm’s robots-as-a-service (RaaS) model and will soon expand, the company said.
Another firm, Canada’s Otto Motors, introduced its midsized Otto 600 AMR, building on its portfolio of robotic solutions. The new design is capable of maneuvering payloads of up to 1,300 pounds through tight or demanding environments and around people and objects. Otto also rolled out a software update to improve traffic control, facility configuration and interoperability with other solutions.
Also hailing from outside the U.S., Swiss robotics firm Swisslog unveiled its next generation CarryPick system, which includes faster automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to boost efficiency. Like Geek+, CarryPick enables a G2P workflow — now, its bots can move shelves to pickers faster.
Other firms introduced new updates to their existing robots. One of the more eye-catching upgrades came from Agility Robotics, which announced the new-and-improved model of Digit, its multipurpose robot that looks and moves (kind of) like a human. The bot could be seen on the show floor carrying totes, using its “hands” to pick and put them away.
Meanwhile, Seegrid added interoperability for its two Palion AMRs, the Lift and Tow Tractor. With the update, the two bots can now work together to load and unload carts without a human in sight. Palion Lift can carry up to 3,500 pounds, while the Tow Tractor can pull up to 10,000 pounds.
… but don’t forget about other kinds of warehouse automation
That’s a lot of warehouse robotics news, but other companies came to play too. Among them are a slew of warehouse software providers looking to optimize what those robots — and the humans who work alongside them — can do.
For one, Synergy, the firm behind WMS software SnapFulfil, introduced SnapControl. A multiagent automation platform that orchestrates all devices and robots in a warehouse in one place, SnapControl automates task allocation and workflows for all kinds of devices, from AMRs to robotic put walls, picking the best robot for each task.
Like CoEvolution’s solution, SnapControl is geared toward operators who work with multiple vendors and models. It’s able to integrate either locally or in the cloud with any WMS, order management system (OMS) or front-end e-commerce system, allowing for deployment in weeks.
Elsewhere, a pair of supply chain titans, Zebra Technologies and SAP, collaborated on Picking Plus. An API for SAP’s Extended Warehouse Management cloud, the offering will send data from Zebra’s scanners directly to SAP’s cloud-based database, reducing repetitive tasks and errors in data entry.
The API is part of Zebra’s Enterprise Browser, an open-source application that connects customers to operating systems like Windows, Android and now SAP. The app runs on almost all Zebra mobile computers.
Another pair of announcements came from supply chain management software company Tecsys, which rolled out a digital twinning solution and a new OMS. The former, a Digital Twin 3D Heat Map, creates virtual models of real-world facilities to help operators identify inefficiencies.
The new OMS, meanwhile, is now decoupled at the front end and back end. That gives brands added flexibility to optimize their tech stack for different use cases, such as marketplace selling and in-store fulfillment.
Rounding out the major warehouse software announcements is Kaleris. The firm announced three new tools for the yard — a driver pre-check-in app, a gate kiosk and a suite of visibility tools — geared toward boosting efficiency outside the warehouse walls. Combined, the three solutions can speed time through the yard.
Forklifts get a lift
Perhaps the most surprising winner of ProMat 2023 has been the forklift industry, which historically has been responsible for a sizable chunk of warehouse accidents, injuries and emissions. But now the industry seems to be experiencing a makeover.
Watch: How do you improve your warehouse safety?
Fittingly, Yale’s rebrand to Yale Lift Truck Technologies and the expanded availability of its Yale reliant safety system are two of the most noteworthy announcements so far. At ProMat, the forklift manufacturer demonstrated several of its models to the public for the first time, highlighting features, like a shock-absorbent platform, that are designed to improve safety.
Yale also showed off its Reliant solution, a suite of detection technologies that’s now available on an additional 13 lift truck models. In addition to automatically braking whenever an obstacle is detected, the system also provides warnings — in the form of a buzz or other notification — to workers in the path of a vehicle.
Not to be outdone, Yale’s rival The Raymond Corporation showcased five new electric forklift models, each suited to a different use case. The Raymond 8530 rider stacker, for example, is ideal for low-level order picking and vertical pallet handling, while the 8630 tow tractor is built for high-capacity, high-volume transport.
And speaking of electric forklifts … Plug Power came out with an expanded solution to electrify fleets with 100 forklifts or fewer. The offering, GenKey, aims to boost hydrogen fuel cell adoption by providing sourcing, delivery and storage of green hydrogen, a lower-cost and lower-emission alternative to traditional hydrogen fueling.
Keep eye out for more ProMat announcements
As of Tuesday afternoon, the announcements above represent some of the biggest so far at ProMat. Warehouse robotics companies were clearly the most prolific, but plenty of other warehouse firms, from software providers to forklift manufacturers, also had much to talk about.
And the show is still rolling. With another day and change remaining, there will be more news to come. Check back with FreightWaves for the latest updates from one of the largest gatherings of supply chain and logistics professionals in the world.
Click for more FreightWaves articles by Jack Daleo.
Yale rebrands to Yale Lift Truck Technologies, demos technology at ProMat
CoEvolution introduces multi-robot orchestration platform to US at ProMat 2023
Nimble Robotics raises $65M in pursuit of fully autonomous fulfillment network


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STUTTGART – They are almost perfect. Kinetically speaking.
We call this model “influencers”. They can’t sing or song-write yet.. They move their lips, they jump up and down, on a smartphone app -musical.ly! The people love it!
The creator, Oliver S., pacifies: This is only the beginning! They learn so fast! We created them look 14. So we can fit a lot of clothes on them. The beta version, Lisa and Lena, got 6.1 million followers on Instagram, and 2.5 million views a day on Youtube, in just 4 months!
Not everyone is pleased, though. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, a PC watchdog, calls the mass fabrication of white, blond German Mädchen problematic. “It is offensive to people of color,” a spokeswoman said. “Stop it.”


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Test Finds Michigan Cannabis Contaminated With Mold and Yeast
According to the latest test results, Michigan’s legal cannabis market is contaminated with mold and yeast.
However, Robin Schneider, the executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, does not share this “opinion.”
In fact, Schneider claims that there are no indications whatsoever that the cannabis within the system has indeed been contaminated. Moreover, the association disagrees with the latest lab findings, stating that they were conducted without regulatory oversight. Hence, they are “not a matter of public safety but of scientific debate.”
Still, let us remind you that cannabis contamination is a serious health issue; it’s especially dangerous if taken by a patient with an already-compromised immune system.
Ben Rosman, the head of the Michigan Coalition of Independent Cannabis Testing Laboratories and the owner of PSI Labs, was the one that announced that there were, in fact, tons of contaminated cannabis products on the shelves.
According to Rosman, the whole ordeal with the moldy cannabis arose when the state decided to invalidate one of the testing methods used for finding contaminants — hence why state tests could not find any traces of mold in said products.
And as a result of these false negatives, a lot of the contaminated products went under the radar, Rosman claims.
Only last year, the state banned the sale of certain products from Detroit and Kalamazoo dispensaries due to contamination.
The Marijuana Regulatory Agency is yet to provide a general public statement, apart from the commentary that there would be no product recalls anytime soon. Nevertheless, the agency encouraged consumers to report any suspicious reactions of cannabis-based products to both them and the place of purchase.


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Symantec fires CEO as stock plunges
Number of the day
That's how much Symantec's stock has dropped in the past year as the security software maker struggles to adapt to the shift from PCs to tablets and smartphones. The Mountain View company added to its woes on Thursday when CEO Steve Bennett was fired after less than two years on the job. Bennett restructured Symantec's sales force in an effort to restart growth.
"Our concern is that a treatment will not cure patients if they cannot afford it."
Reps. Henry Waxman of Los Angeles, Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey and Diana DeGette of Colorado, in a letter to Gilead Sciences, in which the Democratic lawmakers asked the company to explain how it set its $84,000 price for Sovaldi, its hepatitis C treatment. They also asked CEO John Martin to say what is being done to make sure the medicine gets to low-income patients. The Foster City company has been asked to brief Congress by April 3.
Walgreens reports quarterly earnings Tuesday, and Wall Street expects net income to rise by 5 percent to $793 million and for sales to also gain 5 percent to $19.6 billion. Shares of the drugstore chain have climbed 13 percent this year amid signs of improving customer traffic and investor optimism that a tighter supply chain will deliver higher profits.


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- LEF advocates for efforts to reduce the use of plastic that may end up in Lake Erie.
- LEF recently received a contribution from Absolut Vodka and Malibu Rum after a successful campaign to reduce the number of plastic straws used by restaurants and bars on Put in Bay this past summer.
For more information referencing plastics in the lake see the link below
You’re literally drinking plastic.
When you drink water, beverages made with water, eat fish, or consume food processed with water, you’re almost certainly ingesting tiny particles of plastic along with it. These fragments are known as microplastics.
Microplastic particles can accumulate PCBs, styrene, and other chemicals that are linked to harmful health effects, including cancer, a weakened immune system, reproductive problems and developmental delays in children.
Over time, Lake Erie’s waves can break these plastics down into progressively smaller pieces, becoming “microplastics”- which never go away. Because microplastics are so tiny, they can make their way past water treatment facilities and into our water supply – the source of water used in food processing, bottling water, beer and other beverages.
Lake Erie Foundation encourages consumers to skip single use plastics such as water bottles, straws, and plastic grocery bags. Pledging to switch to reusable bottles, bags and containers; and to “skip the straw” are steps you can take today to help save Lake Erie – the source of drinking water for 11 million people.


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Even before By Chloe touched down in Boston’s waterfront, the buzz was already real. Oversize bowls of crunchy vegan delights, whole coconuts (branded with the restaurant's logo) and dairy-free mac and cheese made with smoky bits of shiitake “bacon” had long tempted local Instagram “likers” who were hours away from indulging in the New York fast casual.
But now, By Chloe starts their Boston domination, with a brand new location at 107 Seaport Boulevard, and Fenway spot on the way. With them, they bring an arsenal of photographic “moments,” as co-founder/Instagrammer-in-chief Samantha Wasser likes to say. The new location mirrors those in New York and Los Angeles. White swings sit by the front window, while bright textiled banquettes line booths along the walls. The white Moroccan tables are clean, simplistic, and each feature colorful pops from small green and purple potted plants — perfect quick-fix accents for an Instagram flatlay.
And, of course, it’s all strategic. Wasser says the importance of Instagram was ingrained in the brand from its 2015 launch, and is executed within every facet of the space. “We even change the bathroom and hallway wallpapers in all of our locations, so we create little social media moments there,” she adds. “We make sure every aspect lends itself nicely to photos.”
Their account, @EatByChloe, currently lists upward 64,500 followers, but their hashtag #ByChloe boasts more than 17,000 posts of their food and restaurants from users. (With some outlying stragglers, namely ones named Chloe.) Wasser shares some of her Instagram knowledge, and explains why social media newbies shouldn’t be afraid to go off-brand.
Create a vibe, not an advertisement
Instead of just showcasing menu items, which is so on the nose, Wasser thought: “How do we create an original voice that’s fun, instead of: Here’s our quinoa taco salad, ten different ways.”
She decided to post mood boards featuring playful food and fashion vignettes. The 29-year-old collects the pop art photos from Pinterest and lays them out in a grid. As a bonus, Wasser kicks back to the artists and photographers whose work she features, bringing their voices into the account with hopes her followers will share.


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HONG KONG — Trading in shares of Joyce Boutique Holdings Ltd. was suspended Thursday pending announcement of a proposed privatization plan, according to documents filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The move came one day after the Ma family revealed their resignations from the company, effective Monday. The action, by Wheelock & Co. chairman Peter Woo, who controls 52 percent of the company (compared with the Ma family's holding of 23 percent), has been directly linked to lackluster sales at the luxury retailer.
Joyce's net profit for the year to March dropped 31.1 percent to 51 million Hong Kong dollars, or $6.5 million, from 74 million Hong Kong dollars, or $9.5 million, last year. Sales grew 4.6 percent to 790.4 million Hong Kong dollars, or $101.5 million. The company has attributed its financial difficulties to rising rents and the strong euro.
Shares of Joyce Boutique Holdings had risen 13.8 percent earlier in the year but dropped to 37 Hong Kong cents, or 5 cents, before trading was suspended.
In 1999 Woo took then loss-making Lane Crawford private in a similar move. At the time, Lane Crawford reported an operating loss of 54.5 million Hong Kong dollars, or $7 million, for the first half of the year.
From overseeing America’s fastest-growing speciality retailers to codifying cool, WWD talked to the women who are leading the way for the future of beauty. Check out our Instagram Stories to see how these women built today and are creating tomorrow. (📸: @hannah_khymych) #wwdbeauty
For @laperlalingerie's spring 2018 show, the brand chose to host their event at @thevenetianmacao. With Chinese megastars @bingbing_fan and @hubing in attendance, La Perla debuted a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired collection. The show marked the start of Sands Macao Fashion Week, which runs from October 19 to 24 — the city’s first such event. Pictured here are models backstage with glimmering eyes. #wwdfashion (📷: Cheuk-Yin To)
Trending for spring 2018: top stitch design. Gone are the days of stitch just for seams — designers are using the once-minimal detail to create strong decorative elements. (📷: Paola Testa; Styled by @andrew_shang) #wwdfashion
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)


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PORT LOUIS, Mauritius — Africa may be known for its world-class marathon runners, but officials and executives who are assessing the continent’s chance of creating a sustainable garment industry by 2005 — when quotas are to be dropped virtually worldwide on textiles and apparel — said they feel like they’re running a sprint to industrialization.
The nations of sub-Saharan Africa have seen clear economic growth since the African Growth & Opportunity Act took effect in the fall of 2000. For the first 11 months of 2002, the region’s apparel and textile shipments to the U.S. were up 15.4 percent to $1.03 billion, at a time when overall imports were up only 1.2 percent. African and U.S. officials estimate that 100,000 to 200,000 new apparel and textile jobs have been created in the 18 countries that have qualified for AGOA benefits. A total of 38 nations are eligible.
The greatest growth has come in the lesser-developed countries of the region, including Lesotho, Kenya and Swaziland, largely as a result of a provision in the law that allows those nations to import fabrics from elsewhere in the world — in practice, Asia —?and still enjoy the trade perks.
Surprisingly to many from the U.S., that so-called LDC provision, which is due to expire in September 2004, was the subject of fierce debate at the second AGOA Forum held Jan. 13-17 in Mauritius. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said on the final day of the conference that the U.S. would consider extending the LDC provision.
President Bush has also said he will ask Congress to extend the rest of the AGOA program past its current deadline of 2008.
The LDC provision’s proponents, primarily but not solely from the least-developed nations, argue that Africa’s current supply of fabric is inadequate to meet demand. So far, about 84 percent of the region’s AGOA-qualified apparel exports have been made of fabric from third countries. About half of the region’s exports qualify for duty- and quota-free benefits.
“We are facing a very difficult period after 2004. We don’t have the capacity to produce our fabrics at the moment,” said Mpho Malie, the minister of trade for Lesotho, which has become the leading exporter of garments from the region and now has about 45,000 garment workers, up from 19,000 before AGOA took effect. “That puts us in a predicament.”
Similarly, Ulhas Kahmat, a principal of the Kenyan Apparel Manufacturers & Exporters Association, said, “I don’t know that we have enough fabric that will meet the requirements at a cost that is competitive.”
Kenyan officials estimated that 25,000 new apparel jobs have been created in their country as a result of AGOA and that the total economic impact of the program has been 150,000 jobs —?reasoning that people employed in the apparel industry help sustain businesses such as service providers and retailers.
Kahmat said allowing the third-party fabric provision to expire in 2004 “would be a human tragedy.” The provision’s opponents largely agree that the region’s supply of fabric needs to be strengthened if African apparel makers are to remain competitive in 2005, when the nations of the World Trade Organization will drop quotas. But they reasoned that the provision is discouraging investment in textiles.
“The LDC arrangement should not be extended because it will limit the growth of the textile industry,” said Salim Ismail, president and director general of Cotonniere di Antsirabe, an affiliate of Socota Group, a major textile producer with operations in Mauritius and Madagascar, both islands off the east African coast that are part of AGOA.
If Africa does not develop a strong textile industry by 2005, opponents of the measure said, AGOA’s effect will have been to offer African nations —?some of the poorest countries in the world — a brief taste of economic development that will be yanked cruelly away by market forces, making them feel all the hungrier.
“Time is running out for Africa,” said François Woo, managing director of the Compagnie Mauricienne de Textile Ltd., a garment producer with 5,000 employees in Phoenix, Mauritius, and $100 million in exports. He added that Africa needs to develop a strong textile industry to be competitive in 2005, adding, “if we don’t do it today, there will never be a textile industry in Africa.”
He said his company is in the midst of building a $53 million spinning plant that will have the capacity to produce 11 million pounds of yarn a year. It is scheduled to be complete by December.
Woo and others noted that the textile industry is the weak link in Africa’s value chain. The continent has plenty of agriculture and produces a significant amount of cotton, but exports much of it in its raw state. It’s also developing a skilled labor base in cutting and sewing using imported fabrics. By producing its own fabric from the cotton it grows, Africa could keep a lot more of the potential earnings of its cotton crop and labor than it does currently, sources reasoned.
Rod Birkins, director of sourcing at Plano, Tex.-based J.C. Penney Co. Inc., said building up a textile industry would allow greater economic development because “the number of jobs that are created are not just at the industry level,” but also in farming, transportation and other support areas.
“Africa has the capacity to produce all the cotton it needs, all the yarn it needs, hence all the fabric it needs,” said Woo of Compagnie Mauricienne de Textile. “We cannot make an industry in CMT [cut, make and trim, the labor component of a garment] Any person will tell you that CMT is all but dead. Vertical production is what is in demand.”
Ike Howard, director of sourcing with Atlanta-based Russell Athletic, bluntly said of the effect of the LDC provision: “It’s like turning the Africa Growth & Opportunity Act into the Asia Growth & Opportunity Act. You can’t have a justifiable sourcing model until you have raw materials present. The third-country fabric provision is the single-biggest obstacle to developing the [textile] industry.”
One reason the development of the region’s textile industry has lagged that of its apparel sector is the source of the investment into those businesses. In both Kenya and Lesotho, for instance, many of the apparel plants to have opened over the past two years were built by Asian investors.
Lesotho’s Malie said only two of his nation’s 50 garment plants are owned by local investors. He estimated that 95 percent of the capacity is owned by Taiwanese capital. Similarly, about $60 million in new investment has flowed into Kenya since AGOA passed, primarily from Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Taiwan, according to Margaret Chemenigiela, Kenya’s permanent secretary at the Ministry of Trade & Industry.
In many cases, Africa’s new factories have been built by companies or investors with extensive textile investments in the Far East that are limited in how much they can ship to the U.S. market by quotas. Those companies have opened African operations to take advantage of the third-country fabric provision and sell more of the textiles they produce in Asia to the U.S.
The concern among many observers, both Africans and Americans, is what will happen to those investments in 2005. Once quota limits are removed, there will be no reason to ship Asian fabrics to African garment factories, then to the U.S.
The relatively high mobility of apparel factories — the sewing and cutting machines can be packed up and shipped to another country with relative ease — has some African officials worried about a flow of manufacturing jobs out of the region following the Dec. 31, 2004 end of quotas.
Alec Erwin, minister of trade and economy for South Africa, said that makes it more urgent that the region develop textile manufacturing and a sustainable industry.
“We as Africans must understand that. Our priority is to move our economy toward capacity and invest,” he said. “If we do not do that well, what will happen is that footloose investment that was here because of AGOA will go to the next place.”
Textile mills are generally regarded as much harder to move quickly, in part because of the amount of infrastructure needed to sustain one, and also due to the large size of the equipment.
One of the main topics of discussion among the African government officials attending the forum was the need for direct foreign investment. But Erwin and others noted that Africans should also invest more of their own money into the continent’s industry.
“It’s important for African business people to start to invest,” said Erwin, partly because they would be less inclined to pull factories out in 2005.
Justin Chenyata, chief executive officer of Loita Capital, a South African investment firm, noted that there is significant investment within Africa already. The capitalization of the Johannesburg stock exchange, he said, is around $650 billion.
One of the problems, he said, is that many Africans tend to invest their money abroad, particularly in the U.S. — that’s essentially the opposite direction of investment flow many African officials are seeking.
“The most challenging perspective is trying to focus people away from Treasury bills,” he said.
Lesotho’s Malie added that his country is also trying to encourage its business people to diversify their investments beyond the service sector and into industry.
Rep. Bill Thomas (R., Calif.), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the purpose of AGOA was to develop a sustainable industry. “We didn’t want to see people use it to exploit the African labor base,” he said.
Still, it would be unfair to describe all the Asian investment in Africa as exploitative. For one thing, foreign investors typically bring much needed experience in running an apparel factory and training workers.
“It’s not a bad thing because they understand the world market,” said Mike Destombes, managing director of the textile mill Traclo International (Pty) Ltd., of South Africa. “They have a lot of knowledge and they bring value.”
Luigi Malvestio is a director of Lesotho Fancy Garments Group, a maker of knitted garments owned by investors from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China that employs about 2,400 Africans and about 100 expatriate Asian managers.
Malvestio said the foreign capital allows training and expansion — the company is in the midst of beefing up its fabric capacity with the goal of being vertical by 2004.
Still, he said, “I want to reduce the number of expats and increase locals” on staff. For one thing, he noted, foreign workers — common in Mauritius, but less so on the continent —?can be more expensive than locals, since the employers typically have to provide food and housing, in addition to wages.
Also, he added: “One of our concerns it to create jobs in this area, not more in China.”
Some Asian-owned factories are managed by people who regard themselves as in for the long haul. Hong Kong-based Esquel Enterprises Ltd. operates two factories in Mauritius: Textile Industries Ltd. and Leisure Garments Ltd. Cheung Long, director of strategic planning for Esquel, which has total sales of about $500 million and plants in 10 countries, including China, said his company has made the strategic decision to keep its production base broad.
Echoing a common view among sourcing managers, he said that 2005 “is still an uncertainty,” adding “it may be that it’s going to be quota free for China, but we’re presuming there is going to be quota on China.”
His company has been investing to upgrade the technology and efficiency of its Mauritius plants to keep up with the island’s rising costs. About 30 years ago, Mauritius began to shift its economic emphasis from sugar farming to textiles and clothing. Today, the island is developing into more of a tourist center and employment is high — so much so that about one-third of Esquel’s 6,450 workers on Mauritius come from China.
“The fact that we have to import workers says a lot about the changes in Mauritius’ economy,” said Alan Cheng, general manager of Leisure Garments.
The strong industrial bases in Mauritius and South Africa, combined with the developing pool of garment workers in the LDCs, leave many observers to think the best course for Africa will be for the more-developed nations to transition into textile manufacturing and allow their poorer neighbors to focus on garments.
That’s a strategy that makes sense to Jayem Cuttaree, Mauritius’ minister of trade and industry, who said: “When you look at textiles exports from Africa, you have to look at the region and not the country. One of the objectives of AGOA is regional cooperation…in some parts of Africa, we have been importing fabrics, cutting them here, sewing them and exporting them to the U.S. We think that the value-add on these products, as far as the region is concerned, is not good enough.
“We have to add more value to the products we export. This is why in Mauritius, for example, we are establishing a strategy to move very strongly into spinning mills because we believe there is so much cotton on the continent, good-quality cotton, which is being exported at very low prices. We believe, for the textile and apparel industry in Africa to be competitive, we have to work in partnership on a regional basis.”
Still, many industry executives said while the possibility of the third-country fabric provisions being extended remains, there’s little reason to invest in new textile capacity.
“Some people expect the mills to jump up in anticipation [of growing demand], but it doesn’t happen that way in business,” said Augustyn Meintes, financial director of Cape Town-based South Africa Fine Worsteds. “I’m sure as demand continues expanding, there will be more mills. But there are some that see the [possibility of extending the third-country fabric allowances to] LDCs as a threat and we are waiting to see what happens. That needs to be settled.”


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December consumer prices rose 0.3% vs. November and 2.1% vs. a year earlier, the most since June 2014, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Industrial production climbed 0.8% last month, the Federal Reserve reported.
The consumer price index and industrial production data are part of a wave of economic reports today that should offer a snapshot of the economy just two days before the inauguration of Donald Trump, who has promised big corporate tax cuts and infrastructure spending. The data also may indicate if the Federal Reserve will stick with its plan to raise interest rates three times this year.
Consumer Price Index
Core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy rose 0.2%. Economists had expected 0.3% CPI monthly rise with a 0.2% core CPI gain. It was the fifth straight monthly rise in overall consumer prices, led by higher gasoline and energy prices.
Overall inflation is picking up, in large part due to much-easier comparisons for energy prices vs. a year earlier. But underlying price pressures do seem to be building. Core inflation nudged up to 2.2% in December.
The Fed has a 2% core inflation target, though its favorite price gauge — the core PCE deflator — is holding below a 2% gain, with a 1.4% rise in November.
Industrial production rose 0.8%, topping forecasts for a 0.6% gain. But November's 0.4% drop was revised to a 0.7% decline. Also, the overall output gain reflecting a winter-related 6.6% surge in utility production. Manufacturing output rose just 0.2%, a little less than expected.
General Electric (GE) reports earnings on Friday, with GE struggling in recent quarters to deliver underlying growth in industrial orders and sales. Meanwhile, December auto sales were stronger than expected, especially General Motors (GM). GM reported a 10% gain vs. a year earlier, then last week raised its 2017 earnings forecast.
The National Association of Home Builders' Housing Market Index in January was 67, down 2 points from December's 69, which was downwardly revised but still an 11-year high. Economists expected a reading of 69. January's reading is still well above 50, signaling optimism. Homebuilders are bullish on the incoming Trump administration, hoping for less construction red tape and generally stronger economic growth overcoming a rise in mortgage rates.
At 2 p.m. ET, the Federal Reserve will release its anecdotal report of economic conditions across the country in December and early January.
Fed Chief Janet Yellen
At 3 p.m. ET, Fed chief Janet Yellen will deliver a speech titled "The Goals of Monetary Policy and How We Pursue Them" at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Other Fed officials have signaled a general support for slow but steady interest rate hikes, adding that Trump's fiscal stimulus could spur faster moves.


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There is still time to register for the world’s largest car wash show which takes place in about two months. The International Car Wash Show will host its annual event in Nashville, Tennessee this year from May 9 through May 11. To register, visit the event’s homepage.
Registration for the event begins May 8, the Sunday before the week of events kicks off. Each morning, education seminars will take place beginning at 8 a.m. Events will also include receptions and networking hours for industry leaders.
There will be more than 300 exhibitors at this year’s event, more than 35 educational sessions and more than 10,000 car wash locations represented. According to the association’s website, attendees can expect 16 hours of face time with the vendors and exhibitors. About 6,000 industry professionals are expected to attend.
Members can get a pass for all three days of the event for just $299 compared to $399 for non members. There’s still time to become a member of the organization, too, to receive that discount. One-day passes and passes for the trade show only are also available.
There are a number of local hotels to book in time for the event. Check out the list the association provides on its website and be sure to make your reservations by mid April.


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Washington, DC (July 15 , 2021). Today, the United States Business Association of E-Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce announced the “E-Commerce Navigator Program” to help American small and diverse-owned..
Klaiyi Hair is offering a range of human hair wigs and hair bundles at attractive discounts as part of their Klaiyi back to school sale promotion. Klaiyi Hair Mall has...
So, you’ve finally brought your vision to life and have created an incredible product that you are head-over-heels in love with. You have spent countless hours and long nights brainstorming..
Klaiyi Hair is offering a range of human hair wigs and hair bundles at attractive discounts as part of their Klaiyi back to school sale promotion. Klaiyi Hair Mall has..
Vietnam Pangasius (Basa) Market 2021-2026: Size, Business Growth, Share, Key Players, Revenue, and ForecastJul 30, 2021
According to the latest report by IMARC Group, titled “Vietnam Pangasius (Basa) Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026”, the Vietnam Pangasius market size reached a volume of 1.24 Million Tons..
Choline is a recently discovered water-soluble essential nutrient which is classified as neither vitamin nor mineral. Rising awareness regarding healthy lifestyles and essential nutrients intake have been encouraging the demand..


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Image source: Getty Images.
Summer is coming to an end, and leaves will be starting to turn as temperatures fall. But nothing can cool our zeal for finding great stocks.So we asked five Motley Fool contributors to each pick a stock they believe investors would do well to buy in the month of September. Read on to see which companies they chose and why.
A great way to "school" the market
Steve Symington: As college students around the country head back to school, I think investors would be wise to pick up shares of online education platform specialist 2U Inc. (NASDAQ: TWOU).
I had the pleasure of interviewing 2U CEO Chip Paucek shortly after the company went public in 2014, and I was impressed at the time with his insistence on focusing on the "long-term correlation between [2U's] financial success and the university students' outcome."Unlike the massive open online courses with which many people are already familiar -- and which tend to reinforce the preconceived notion that online education is inferior to its bricks-and-mortar counterpart -- 2U's courses are much more intimate, with an average class size of 12 people, and with most programs requiring some sort of physical component to complete the degree.
Incidentally, shares of 2U have nearly tripled since I first spoke to Paucek, as the company continues to roll out new programs. As of last quarter's call, 2U had announced just eight of the 21 new programs it expects to launch in 2017 and 2018, with the list most recently expanding in April to include a hybrid Juris Doctor degree with Syracuse University College of Law.
2U's revenue jumped 39% year over year last quarter to $49.1 million. And that translated to an adjusted net loss of $4.4 million, or $0.09 per share, narrowed from a net loss of $5.8 million, or $0.14 per share, in the year-ago period. Both the top and bottom lines significantly exceeded 2U's stated guidance.
In the end, as long as 2U continues to successfully roll out new programs and remains on its steady path to profitability, I think more market-trouncing returns are in store for patient long-term investors willing to watch its growth story continue to unfold. Now looks like a good time to buy.
Hot growth, even with the market having cooled on it
Jason Hall: Starbucks(NASDAQ: SBUX)shares are down about 10% from their peak in late 2015, but this is more a product of Mr. Market having lost his appetite for the company than a lack of execution by the global coffee giant. When Starbucks last reported earnings in July, profits were up 20%, and revenue climbed 7%. The catch? Starbucks' top-line revenue growth actually masked a stronger performance, since the company sold a big chunk of its European stores to a licensee in the quarter. Sales in North America were up 7%, China/Asia Pacific revenue increased a strong 18%, and channel development, the segment that deals with Starbucks products sold outside of Starbucks stores, increased 9%.
And there's still huge growth ahead. Asia generates less than 15% of revenue, for instance, and channel development makes up less than 9% -- and these are two of the fastest-growing (and most profitable) segments of the company today.
Bottom line: Starbucks remains an excellent business with wonderful growth prospects, and it's selling at a better value point right now than it was only a few months ago. It definitely belongs on the list of top stocks to buy this month.
Jump in on a longtime winner
Dan Caplinger: Tobacco giant Altria Group (NYSE: MO) isn't the highest-growth prospect on this list, but it has a track record of past success that every other pick would be happy to aspire to. Over the past half-century, Altria has generated roughly 20% average annual returns, with a combination of dividend growth, price appreciation, and smart investments panning out well for long-term shareholders.
What makes buying Altria particularly timely now is that the company just announced the latest in its long string of dividend increases. As of its next quarterly payment, Altria will pay its investors $0.61 per share, which is up 8% from the company's previous dividend. Going forward, that will give Altria a dividend yield of 3.7%. Moreover, the increase marks the 50th time it has made a dividend hike since 1969, and when you ignore the impact that spinoffs have had on how much it pays, the latest boost marks the 47th straight year in which Altria has increased its dividend.
Altria has been able to increase its earnings and dividend even in the face of declining smoking rates because of its pricing power. Moreover, with efforts to go beyond traditional cigarettes and its investment in beer maker SABMiller, Altria is setting the stage for new growth that could propel the stock even higher.
A 6% dividend yield you can depend on
Tyler Crowe:Despite several quarters in a row that proved it isn't in the same boat as other energy companies, shares of pipeline and logistics company Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD) are still trading down more than 30% since oil and gas prices started to slide in the middle of 2014. In a market where investors are starving for a decent yield, shares of Enterprise Products Partners have a dividend yield just north of 6%. While it has been a good time to buy shares of Enterprise throughout this downturn in the energy market, September is really shaping up to be a time to buy.
Throughout this two-year slide where oil prices have lost more than half their value, Enterprise's operational profits have remained pretty much steady the entire time. The company has been able to achieve this because more than 80% of the company's profits come from fixed service fees that insulate it from the ups and downs of commodity prices. More importantly, though, is that the company has spent $14 billion on capital spending and acquisitions since the beginning of the market downturn to bolster its position as a top natural gas liquids infrastructure and logistics company. Even after all of that spending, though, the company's balance sheet remains in decent shape
It would seem that a couple of years of smart investments and a steady business model that has held up during the downturn would have sent shares of Enterprise higher by now, but they haven't. That's fine -- it just gives investors a longer window to build a position in this company.
Buying into buying
Todd Campbell:Instead of buying one stock this month, investors might want to try theConsumer Discretionary Select SPDR ETF(NYSEMKT: XLY) on for size. This exchange-traded fund invests in retail stocks, and while the summer doldrums led to lackluster returns in August, this basket historically starts to come back to life when the kids return to school and investors start thinking about the holiday spending season.
Average returns for the Consumer Discretionary Select SPDR ETFhave exceeded 1% in September, October, November, and December over the past decade, and while the past doesn't guarantee the future, it wouldn't shock me if wage and job growth support solid performance this holiday season, too. In the past year, employers created 550,000 new professional and business services jobs, 477,000 healthcare jobs, and 162,000 new jobs in finance. Overall, wages have improved by 2.6%.
And a good holiday spending season isn't the only reason to like this ETF, which is up only 3% so far this year, but 125% over the past five years. TheConsumer Discretionary Select SPDR ETF's biggest holdings areAmazon,Home Depot, andComcast,but buyers get exposure to plenty of other top consumer discretionary stocks, too. For example,the list of89 companies owned by the ETF includes stalwartsMcDonald's,Starbucks, andNike.
With this ETF down a bit in August, now could be the perfect time to think ahead and stash a little of this ETF in portfolios.
A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.
Dan Caplinger owns shares of SBUX. Jason Hall owns shares of AMZN and SBUX. Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. Todd Campbell has no position in any stocks mentioned. Tyler Crowe owns shares of EPD. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends AMZN, NKE, and SBUX. The Motley Fool recommends TWOU, EPD, and HD.
Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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A bigger increase in the rate of business investment in structures and a smaller trade gap accounted for the upward revisions to fourth-quarter growth.
Corporate spending on buildings increased at a revised 16.7% annual rate in the fourth quarter, the most in more than a year, after a previously reported 5.8% pace.
A revision to the trade gap showed a smaller difference between exports and imports. The deficit shrank to $384.7 billion from $395.2 billion in the previous three months. The narrowing contributed 0.33 percentage point to growth, compared with a previous estimate of 0.24 point.
While the expansion slowed last quarter, Fed officials have said they see signs the economy is poised for a pickup in 2013. Data on the labor market, consumer spending and business investment suggest “a return to moderate economic growth following a pause late last year,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a March 20 statement.
The central bank last week repeated that it would hold its benchmark interest rate near zero as long as joblessness stayed above 6.5% and the outlook for inflation was below 2.5%. It also said it would keep up its bond buying at a pace of $85 billion a month to bolster the expansion.
Consumer spending, about 70% of the economy, climbed at a 1.8% rate last quarter, revised from a previously estimated 2.1%, today’s figures showed.
Business spending on equipment and software climbed at a 11.8% pace after dropping at a 2.6% rate in the previous quarter. It added 0.82 percentage point to growth.
Residential investment, a bright spot for the U.S. expansion, rose at a revised 17.6% pace from October through December following a 13.5% rate in the third quarter.
Inventories subtracted 1.52 percentage points from fourth- quarter growth compared with a previously reported 1.55 percentage points. Stockpiles were rebuilt at a $13.3 billion annual pace after a $60.3 billion rate in the third quarter.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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One quiet pool at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa now requires guests to scan their MagicBands in order to gain entry.
Disney is slowly making progress on plans to place gates around all resort pools at Walt Disney World. The latest pool to receive the barriers is the Congress Park quiet pool at Saratoga Springs Resort.
Back in September 2013, Disney confirmed plans to eventually gate all swimming facilities and enforce operating hours for resort feature pools. Many resort pools have been gradually surrounded by fences during construction or refurbishment. Among the Disney Vacation Club resort pools currently gated are those at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, the pools at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, Bay Cove Pool at Bay Lake Tower and Stormalong Bay at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort. Fencing was also recently erected around the feature pool at Disney's BoardWalk Villas.
Resort quiet pools are not staffed and will remain available to guests 24 hours per day. However, the facilities are only accessible by current resort guests, requiring that MagicBands be scanned prior to entry.