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July 23- Cirrus Logic Inc, a supplier of audio chips for the iPhone, forecast current-quarter revenue slightly below the midpoint of analysts' estimates. Cirrus, which gets about three-quarters of its sales from Apple Inc, said it expected second-quarter revenue of between $175 million and $195 million.» Read More
HAVANA, July 23- Chinese President Xi Jinping ended an eight-day trip through Latin America on Wednesday with a visit to eastern Cuba, where both the island's independence struggle against Spain and Fidel Castro's revolution began.
July 23- Tupperware Brands Corp, known for its colorful food containers, cut its full-year sales and profit forecast, citing lower sales in Europe. The company, whose shares fell as much as 11 percent, also reported lower-than-expected sales for the second quarter ended June 28 due to poor demand in Germany.
DETROIT, July 23- General Motors Co on Wednesday announced six recalls covering 717,950 vehicles in the United States for varying reasons, although none were related to ignition switch issues. GM has recalled nearly 15 million vehicles worldwide this year for potentially lethal issues with ignition switches.
The U.S. appliance maker said its sales in China plummeted 80 percent last quarter as retailers in that country, anticipating its pending merger with Hefei Rongshida Sanyo Electric Co and the new line the merged entity will produce, stopped buying Whirlpool-branded products.
*Israel rejects comparisons with Ukrainian disaster. *Israel offers desert airport as alternative. JERUSALEM, July 23- Israel tried on Wednesday to get U.S. and European commercial flights to Tel Aviv restored after some carriers suspended services, insisting its main airport there was safe despite being targeted by Palestinian rockets.
*Apple rallies after results, boosting tech names. NEW YORK, July 23- U.S. stocks were largely higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 hitting another record high after bullish results from tech giants Apple and Microsoft, though technical resistance and conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip kept gains in check.
July 23- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it has approved Gilead Sciences Inc's Zydelig, a drug to treat three types of blood cancer. The FDA approved the use of Zydelig in combination with Roche AG's Rituxan for patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
July 23- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has approved a new brokerage industry rule to ban dispute settlements between securities firms and investors that require investors to agree to erase complaints from brokers' public records.
SHANGHAI/ LANGFANG, China, July 23- Yum Brands Inc's China division severed ties to OSI China after Shanghai police detained five people from that supplier's meat processing factory at the center of a food safety scare that has ensnared several major Western brands.
WASHINGTON— The Senate agreed Wednesday on an $11 billion measure to temporarily fix a multibillion-dollar shortfall in federal highway and transit programs, setting up a vote next week on several alternatives.
*General Dynamics, Northrop beat profit estimates. *General Dynamics reports higher aerospace orders. July 23- U.S. weapons makers General Dynamics Corp and Northrop Grumman Corp raised their 2014 profit forecasts as cost cutting allowed them to improve profitability even as defense spending by the U.S. government remained low.
WASHINGTON— Out of a seemingly hollow recovery from the Great Recession, a more durable if still slow-growing U.S. economy has emerged. That conclusion, one held by a growing number of economists, might surprise many people. After all, in the five years since the recession officially ended, Americans' pay has basically stagnated.
SAN FRANCISCO/ FRANKFURT, July 22- European Union antitrust regulators are preparing to step up investigations of Google Inc's practices on several fronts and are likely to revise certain terms of a settlement involving its search engine that was proposed earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
DETROIT— General Motors issued six more recalls on Wednesday, bringing its annual total to 60 recalls covering almost 30 million vehicles.
MOSCOW, July 23- Russian officials on Wednesday lined up to dismiss the economic impact of Western sanctions imposed for Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis, saying they were "peanuts" compared to what their country had to face during Soviet times.
DETROIT, July 23- General Motors Co on Wednesday announced six recalls covering 717,950 vehicles in the United States for varying reasons. None of the recalls were related to the ignition switch issues that have caused nearly 15 million recalls of GM vehicles worldwide this year.
"EPA goes beyond the plain reading of Clean Air Act Section 111 directing states to achieve questionable emission reduction targets from a limited menu of economically damaging and legally questionable' options'," said Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, the committee's top Republican.
*U.S. crude stocks down 4 mln barrels, Cushing down 1.4- EIA. NEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters)- Oil futures rose on Wednesday, with U.S. crude outpacing Brent, after oil stockpiles in the United States fell more than expected. Brent crude for September delivery was up 9 cents at $107.42 a barrel at 12:59 p.m. EDT ( 1659 GMT), after slipping 35 cents in the previous session.
FRANKFURT, July 23- When Bill Gross eventually retires as chief investment officer of California- based asset manager Pimco, his "Bond King" crown will go with him. Allianz, the German insurer which owns Pimco, wants to ensure that in a post-Gross era the asset manager he co-founded will not be so reliant on the investment decisions of one person.
WASHINGTON, July 23- The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday said it expects the U.S. economy to grow 1.7 percent in 2014, even more slowly than it predicted a month ago, as weakness in the first quarter offsets an expected pick-up in the second half of the year.


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For a change, consumer confidence has improved. The Consumer Confidence Indicator (CCI) is at 8.2 in January 2016 compared with 2.4 in December 2015.
The findings are based on Statistics Finland’s Consumer Survey, for which 1,240 residents of Finland were interviewed between January 4 and 19.
According to the survey, many people expressed an interest in consumer purchases over saving money for the first time in a long time.
In January, residents of the Greater Helsinki area expressed a more optimistic view of the Finnish economy than those living in other parts of the country. Throughout Finland, high-level salaried employees were more optimistic than pensioners, who held a more negative view about future economic development.

domain: news


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NEW YORK -- After a difficult fall season, the sun is once again shining on rainwear.
Manufacturers are reporting sales gains in the high teens for spring and expecting even stronger business for fall, projecting gains of at least 30 percent over last year's results.
They noted that consumers, who have held off purchasing raincoats, are now buying again, with a demand for fashion and newness. Two major fashion trends that are behind the momentum are the utilitarian look, with metallic silver or gold finishes, and the feminine drapy look in microfibers. Other fabrics getting attention include water-repellent silks and velvets.
While long trenchcoats are still important staples, the short swing coat at about 32-38 inches has become a key novelty item. Executives pointed out that the short look is also playing into the casual trend in career dressing.
Deep colors, like raisin, hunter green and plum, have become popular, although lighter colors like pale banana are also doing well. Fake fur trims and gingham linings are also strong.
Jane Lipman, creative director of Drizzle Inc., said the company's spring season was up by about 20 percent. Company officials expect to see even heftier gains of at least 25 percent for fall.
Lipman said there's a big demand for short coats, from 30-inch belted trenchcoats to 36-inch swing coats. One of the firm's bestsellers so far for fall are water-repellent velvet raincoats.
"I think what is really happening in rainwear is that the styles are easier and not necessarily constructed," said Steve Haber, executive vice president of Fleet Street. "We are seeing a lot of fabric interest and colors like greens and khakis have been important as well."
Sarah Morris, fashion director of London Fog Corp., Eldersburg, Md., concurred that the company "did a lot of simple and fluid looks," in microfibers for fall. One of the best looks for fall is a short, classic 35-inch swing coat with a persian lamb collar, she noted. Steve Blatt, president of Searle Blatt Ltd., said short rainwear is selling better than long, with an average length about 32 to 38 inches."For fall, we are adding some bright colors, like some purples and bright greens, but we are also expecting to sell some basic colors," he said. He's planning business to be up by 20 percent.
"We are going forward with gold and silver and a lot of coated waxy finishes," said Patrisha Hyman, owner of Coverups Rainwear, which is also using fake fur trims. She said spring business was up 15 percent.
For fall, a key style is expected to be water-repellent polyester pinstripe trenchcoats.
"We are definitely seeing more fashion now in raincoats," said the fashion director at Herman Kay Coats, who is known professionally only as Bebe. "There is so much going on, especially with fabrications. Spring was good, but we expect fall to be a bonanza season for us."
She said hot colors include raisin, honey, redwood, thyme and forest. Among the key looks are a short, hooded swing coat, hooded anoraks, trenches, and balmacaans with back-button details.
At retail, the broadened interest in fabrics was confirmed by Karen Purtzer, better rainwear buyer for Nordstrom's Washington State stores, which reported that microfibers as well as polyester blends have been important, as raincoat sales this spring push ahead 10 percent so far.
Purtzer said some of spring's best looks include white trenchcoats and silver and other iridescent looks, which she expects will continue for fall. She added that hooded looks will also be important.
"Anything that has a shine or a silver color is selling well," said Benny Lin, fashion director of Macy's East.
As for silhouettes, he noted, "The short trench right above the knee is also an important novelty look."
@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)
As one of the most recognizable models in the world, Christy Turlington Burns has an insider’s view of the fashion industry and the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around it. “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry. The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experiences at some point in our careers,” Turlington told WWD, along with her suggestions for how the modeling world should protect younger women and men. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: Tony Palmieri) #wwdnews
@asics America has tapped a new brand ambassador: famed DJ/record producer @steveaoki. This initiative is intended to set the tone for the new brand identity and philosophy and will include partnerships with influencers and in-store and off-line activations that will continue into next year. This is Asics’ most significant marketing effort in two decades, and is expected to attract younger consumers to the brand. #wwdfashion
24-year-old Jean Prounis is redefining the rules of jewelry. Formerly a studio assistant to Jemima Kirke and a design apprentice at Ghuran, she focuses on handcrafted subtleties and ancient goldsmithing techniques. “There was a really sterile feel in the environment and I wanted to have jewelry with character that shapes how you wear it everyday,” Prounis said. Each piece is hand made in New York, either by Prounis or three other jewelers in the district. #wwdfashion
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews


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With the release Thursday of Hyper-V as a free download to Windows Server 2008 users, Microsoft is drastically undercutting the prices of x86 server virtualization pioneer VMware. But while Microsoft provides good enough capabilities for many use cas...
Microsoft Thursday released its Hyper-V virtualization server, which has been nearly five year in the making and is a major play in the company's march toward services-based computing.
Mobile printing has never been easier. For a busy office, reliable and easy-to-use tools are essential. Samsung's latest smart printers are equipped for wireless printing from mobile devices. Find out more about what is all about.
Lured by the sweet taste of chocolate, IBM hopes to use the cocoa plant as an avenue to improve its business prospects in the emerging economies of Africa.
Cisco offered its vision of where the industry is going and how it will get there to 11,000 customers and other attendees at the CiscoLive! conference this week.
Nearly 80 per cent of businesses have Macs in-house, nearly double the number that said they had users running Mac OS X two years ago, a research firm said Thursday.
MySpace will open up its data portability project broadly on Thursday, after launching it with a handpicked set of partners last month.
As expected ICANN, the nonprofit group that manages the Internet domain name system, unanimously voted to begin the process of relaxing the rules for generic top-level domain names (gTLDs).
Fujitsu Microelectronics has announced a new mobile WiMAX chipset optimized for mobile WiMAX devices such as smart phones and PDAs. The chipset includes a baseband LSI, MB86K22; an RF LSI, MB86K52; and a power management LSI, MB39C316. These three de...
Telstra opened what it is billing as the largest interactive telecommunications store in Australia in Melbourne today.
Preempting Intel's official launch of its latest Centrino 2 mobile processors, PC makers and chip resellers are leaking processor details by letting customers preorder the chip through channels and in laptops.
Mobile carrier Vodafone has launched an aggressive push into the unified communications space with the launch of Vodafone Business One, a partnership with Cisco and BlackBerry to offer unified communications to small and medium businesses.
After an on-air stoush with underworld identity Mick Gatto on his 3AW radio station, famed keeper of the 'Shame' file Derryn Hinch has become the subject of a Facebook group titled "DERRYN HINCH IS A SCUMBAG".
The Ruby programming language, which has become popular as the basis for web 2.0 sites such as Twitter, contains serious security flaws that could allow attackers to take over an organization's web server, according to the Ruby development team.
Telstra (ASX: TLS) and Lonely Planet Publications have teamed up to offer Telstra's 3G and Next G customers access to the Lonely Planet mobile-optimised Web site.
The entire island nation of the Marshall Islands has been left without email access to the outside world following a severe DDoS attack.
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I can’t believe any smartphone could support a 100X zoom. That’s the big announcement from yesterday in a steady stream of big Samsung reveals. I watched all of them light up on the Samsung Mobile feed on Twitter and it was much easier than the alternatives, e.g., finding them on YouTube, hunting around on the launch website, or reading about them on gadget sites.
One thing about social media — it’s all about streamlining.
There’s no better way to find out about the device — not on Facebook (which is more cluttered and has fewer posts about new products) and not on Instagram.
In an epic string of posts, Samsung announced the Galaxy S20 smartphone, the one that supports 100X zoom (called Space Zoom). It’s only available in the S20 Ultra model. In case you’re wondering, that’s enough to zoom in on a squirrel from across a football field (your mileage may vary — I need to test out the phone to make sure.)
Here’s the tweet:
Samsung also announced the Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Buds Plus.
It’s amazing, but what is even more startling to me is how quickly these tweets came pouring out yesterday and now today. The 24 posts in a row at last count — most of them were videos that show off the new features — have caused a stir with followers. So far, 259,163 people have voted on their favorite version of the new S20 — the Ultra is winning by a wide margin of 63.8%. The main S20 tweet above has over 3,000 likes and the Samsung launch event tweet has almost 13,000.
It’s easy to find out about new features. One post explains how the new smartphone supports 1.5TB of storage. Another highlights the 8K video quality (thanks to the 108-megapixel camera). It’s all right there in the tweets.
Just about any company or brand can learn from how Samsung unleashed this boatload of tweets in such a short time, and how people tend to use social media in the real world.
The main lesson — more is more. Samsung Mobile knows people will go to the feed itself and not wait for notifications on their phone. They will search Google for “Samsung twitter” and start clicking away. They will use aggregators like SproutSocial or HootSuite and have their feeds configured to show up in a row (or a column).
When you do a barrage of posts, you are essentially asking people to wade through all of them, even if they move on eventually to another feed. And, it works.
They could have used a different strategy. I know some companies do a more gradual unveiling — say, a handful of posts running throughout the day or the week. Almost all of the Samsung tweets appeared within seconds of each other (they are marked right now as 21 hours old).
Another good lesson? It creates excitement. It’s easy to rely on a scheduler like Buffer to roll out your posts in a predetermined fashion, but Samsung chose to go big.
The new models are certainly feature-packed, but the bigger shock is how well the social media strategy worked. I know all about these devices now. It took me about 10 minutes.


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This expansion will streamline group transportation for users while driving job creation and boosting business for local operators across the city, according to CharterUP's news release.
The company’s on-demand booking platform provides companies, government organizations, schools, sports teams, and private groups with a solution for contracting and managing one-time or recurring bus services for events, group travel, and employee commutes.
CharterUP also provides real-time availability, operator reviews, on-time performance, safety records, vehicle tracking, and instant booking.
CharterUP’s tech-enabled white label mobile app will allow New York City-based companies the ability to monitor in-depth ridership data, live trip tracking, and more, while employees can check available shuttle times, and pickup locations, request rides, and track shuttles in real-time from their personal mobile device.
"CharterUP's launch in New York City marks a significant milestone in our mission to provide reliable, efficient, and cost-effective transportation solutions to businesses and organizations, already well-received by customers like FedEx and WorldStrides,” said Armir Harris, founder/CEO of CharterUP. “With our tech-enabled platform, we are not only streamlining group transportation for users but also driving job creation and boosting business for local operators across the city. We are excited to bring our data-driven approach to New York City and help operators expand their fleets to meet demand."
For local operators, CharterUP’s data-driven approach helps them to better forecast their business while securing more bookings.
"CharterUP’s tech-enabled solutions have revolutionized how we manage our group transportation services," said Martin Wang, operating manager at Fortune Coach Inc. "Since partnering with CharterUP, our business has grown by orders of magnitude. We went from just two buses and roughly 15 trips per month in 2020 to now 18 buses and more than 400 trips a month.”


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September 26, 2022: Malaysian palm oil futures fell much more than 8% on Monday to hit their lowest in 15 months after a primary field analyst warned that selling prices would plunge by extra than 30% by the conclude of this calendar year thanks to sufficient provide and weaker need.
The benchmark palm oil agreement FCPOc3 for December shipping on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Trade experienced dropped 6.77% to 3,483 ringgit ($757.83) a tonne by the midday split.
It fell as much as 8.16% previously in the session, hitting the most affordable given that June 28, 2021.
“Most likely traders are reminded of Dorab Mistry’s opinions on Friday, consequently the bearish sentiment,” stated a palm oil trader in Kuala Lumpur, introducing that cargo surveyor info exhibiting solid exports was not ample to aid prop up charges.
Malaysian palm oil charges will plunge to 2,500 ringgit by the end of December, weighed down by increasing generation, need destruction and a slowdown in big economies, foremost analyst Dorab Mistry explained on Friday.
Exports of Malaysian palm oil products and solutions for Sept. 1-25 rose 20.9% to 1,168,627 tonnes from 966,655 tonnes transported all through Aug. 1-25, cargo surveyor Intertek Tests Solutions said on Sunday.
Indonesia’s palm oil exports are established to soar in the 2nd 50 percent of the 12 months following the scrapping of export levies, but the yearly overall will even now be reduce than last year’s 33.7 million tonnes thanks to before limits, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association explained.
Dalian’s most-active soyoil deal DBYcv1 fell 3.19%, whilst its palm oil contract DCPv1 dropped 6.24%. Soyoil rates on the Chicago Board of Trade BOc2 ended up down 1.38%.
Palm oil is impacted by rate actions in relevant oils as they compete for a share in the international vegetable oils current market.
($1 = 4.5960 ringgit)


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Cincinnati planning commission approves its portion of Xavier project
Cincinnati’s City Planning Commission approved a concept plan and rezoning for the city’s portion of Xavier University’s redevelopment of 20 acres at the corner of Montgomery Road and Dana Avenue.
The rezoning of 1728 and 1764 Dana Ave. from commercial community-auto oriented to planned development district would accommodate about 150,000 square feet of Class A flex office space, the third and final phase of the development. Both the concept plan and the rezoning were approved unanimously.
Phases one and two of the project, located in the city of Norwood, will include approximately 180 units (480 beds) of market rate rental housing, a 57,000-square-foot recreation center, 50,000 square feet of office space, nearly 25,000 square feet of retail, an 11,000-square-foot campus bookstore, and – possibly – a 100-room hotel.
Construction of phase one is contingent on the receipt of federal New Markets Tax Credits and the approval of a final development plan. Work is tentatively scheduled to begin in mid-2013.
The Business Courier reported plans for a mixed-use development on the site were back in the drawing boards in February.
In 2007, the university and Covington-based Corporex Cos. announced plans for a similar, $150 million development on the site called Xavier Square.
In March 2008, the last building on the site, the former Zumbiel Packaging plant, was imploded. Plans for Xavier Square were shelved later that year due to the sour economy.
LeMaster is editor and publisher of building-cincinnati.com, a content partner to the Business Courier.
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XCARTEL PICKS UP YOUNG MODELS
Chatsworth, CA — 4/14/06 — XCartel announces the release of “Young Models”, a new title from Penetration Video and director Jordan.
The DVD is the first entry in what will be an ongoing “pick up” line which follows the sexual adventures of horny guys wielding business cards from “YoungModels.com”. Fanning out across their respective cities, these guys ” and their cameraman sidekicks – scope out young, fresh girls and convince them to pose nude for cash. Once they agree to model, our entrepreneurial studs then go the extra mile and talk the impressionable ingenues into performing a porn scene for the first – and possibly only – time.
“Young Models” features the heretofore unseen teens Megan, Sabrina, Brittany, Kylie and Veronika.
Like other XCartel titles, the DVD is over two hours and features bonus features such as Photo Gallery, Web Access and Pop Shot Recap.
“We couldn’t be happier that Penetration Video is out there finding girls nobody else has filmed and getting them to fuck on camera,” says XCartel’s Alex Ladd. “Everyone likes to see fresh talent, and this movie has it in spades.”
“Young Models” starts shipping on Monday April 17thrd for an April 24th street date.
Email email@example.com for ordering info


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The crypto market has been through a lot in the past year. Prices have crashed, exchanges have been hacked, and ICOs have turned out to be scams. So, when will the market recover?
Checkout this video:
It’s been a tough year for cryptocurrency investors. After Bitcoin hit its all-time high of nearly $20,000 in December 2017, the market has been in a bearish trend, with prices falling sharply throughout 2018. Many people are wondering when the market will bottom out and start to recover. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question.
There are a number of factors that could influence the future direction of the market, including regulatory changes, technological advancements, and global economic conditions. It’s impossible to say definitively when the market will turn around, but there are some signs that it may be starting to stabilize.
If you’re thinking about investing in cryptocurrency, it’s important to do your research and understand the risks involved.Cryptocurrencies are a volatile asset class and prices can fluctuate rapidly. You should only invest an amount that you’re comfortable losing.
What is Causing the Market Crash?
The crypto market has taken a beating in the past few months. Since January, the market has dropped by over 50%. This has caused a lot of investors to lose faith in cryptocurrencies. So, what is causing the market crash?
Lack of Regulation
The cryptocurrency market is in the midst of a crash, with prices plunging across the board. One of the primary causes of this crash is the lack of regulation in the space.
Cryptocurrencies are not subject to any central regulatory authority, meaning that there is no one entity that can dictate their price or usage. This lack of regulation has led to wild swings in prices and widespread speculation, which has in turn made the market volatile and prone to crashes.
In addition, the majority of cryptocurrencies are not backed by any assets or government, making them riskier investments. This lack of backing also means that there is no one to guarantee their value, leading to further price swings.
The current market crash is also being fueled by fears of a Crackdown on cryptocurrencies by governments around the world. While no country has yet moved to ban cryptocurrencies outright, several have taken steps to restrict their use and crack down on exchanges. This has led to a loss of confidence in the space, causing investors to sell off their holdings.
It is unclear when the market will recover from this latest crash. However, it is likely that it will continue to be volatile until there is more regulatory clarity around cryptocurrencies.
Lack of Adoption
There are many reasons cited for the current market crash, but one of the most commonly cited is lack of adoption. Cryptocurrencies, despite all their potential, are still not widely used or accepted. A lot of people still don’t understand how they work, and many more are skeptical of their validity. This lack of adoption means that there is a small pool of users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, which can lead to big swings in prices.
Mt. Gox was a bitcoin exchange based in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Launched in July 2010, by 2013 and into 2014 it was handling over 70% of all bitcoin (BTC) transactions worldwide, as well as nearly half of all trades for other major cryptocurrencies. In February 2014, Mt. Gox suspended trading, closed its website and exchange service, and filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors. In April 2014, the company began liquidation proceedings. Since then, several other online exchanges have been hacked with many millions of dollars worth of bitcoins stolen.
When Will the Market Recover?
The cryptocurrency market is in a bear market. This means that the prices of cryptocurrencies are falling and have been for some time. The last bull market was in December 2017 and since then the prices have been falling. This has caused a lot of people to lose money and has caused some to give up on cryptocurrencies altogether.
The Fundamentals are Strong
The market has been in a slump for a while now, but there are reasons to believe that the market will recover. The fundamentals of the market are still strong, and there is still a lot of interest in cryptocurrencies. Moreover, the recent drop in prices has made cryptocurrencies more affordable, which could attract new investors.
It is difficult to predict when the market will recover, but it is possible that the market could rebound in the near future.
The Market is Oversold
The market is oversold when prices have fallen sharply and rapidly over a short period of time, and buying pressure is insufficient to warrant a sustained recovery. Typically, an oversold market will experience a rebound in prices as buyers step in to take advantage of lower prices.
In order for the market to recover, there needs to be an increase in regulation. This will help to restore investor confidence and bring stability back to the market. Without increased regulation, the market will continue to be volatile and unpredictable, which is not conducive to long-term growth.
It is difficult to predict when the crypto market will recover.
The main reason for this is that the crypto market is still relatively new and uncertain. While there have been some periods of stability, such as from December 2017 to February 2018, overall the market remains volatile.
This means that any number of factors could trigger a recovery or further decline in the market. These factors include progress in blockchain technology, more widespread adoption of cryptocurrency, positive regulation by governments, and more.
Investors who are interested in buying cryptocurrencies should do so with caution and only invest an amount that they are willing to lose. They should also diversify their investments and not put all their eggs in one basket.


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OK, first let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: the recession. We will likely soon be in one. It’s frustrating and sometimes scary to think about. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to the real issue: you.
You are where you are today because of your choices. Sure, recessions, layoffs and stock tumbles have happened before and will happen again. Jobs end. Recessions come and go. Life happens, and it isn’t always easy. But what you must understand if you want to thrive while everyone else around you is floundering is that you have choices, and those choices create your reality.
Mel Robbins, international best-selling author and motivational speaker, calls attention to the recession mindset. “Maybe it’s the words: recession, depression, collapse, layoff. They’re very powerful words,” Robbins says. “Powerfully depressing. And we hear them all day long. They dominate the news.”
But there is some good news. Changing your recession mindset is a matter of choice. “If you have the right mindset, it simply doesn’t matter what the market does,” Robbins says.
Waiting for the nation’s financial health to improve before you focus on your financial health is folly. You determine where you are in life, not the government or the stock market or the boss of a company you don’t own. As Robbins says, “Your mindset controls everything.” You are the one with the power to change your financial health—and now is the time to change it.
What’s the solution?
If you’re ready to turn around that recession mindset and make the choice to prosper, you’ve got to consider your options. Get another job? Find a risk-free investment? Borrow money from family? None of these sound very promising.
The bottom line is that if you want to take control of your income during a recession, you have to take control of your income source. As Jack Welch, business guru and former chairman and CEO of General Electric, said, “Control your own destiny or someone else will.” People who control their income sources are entrepreneurs who, just like you, decided to stop opting out of their financial choices and take control of their destinies.
Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of the Rich Dad Poor Dad book series, said entrepreneurs who break away from typical jobs and create their own sources of income are in the best position to weather an economic storm. They aren’t dependent upon a boss or the economy to determine their annual income—they determine it.
Statistics prove Kiyosaki right. A 2019 report from the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy found that “the median net worth of self-employed families at $380,000 in 2019 was over four times that of families of workers ($90,000).”
Small businesses aren’t only beneficial to their owners—they’re integral to their communities and job markets as well. During a White House event in February 2021, President Biden said, “Small businesses are the engines of our economic progress; they’re the glue and the heart and soul of our communities.”
During another event in April 2022, after the passing of the American Rescue Plan, President Biden expanded on the benefit of small businesses. “Small businesses typically account for more than 40%… of the gross domestic product of the United States. They create two thirds of all new jobs. And they employ nearly half—nearly half of all the private sector workers,” he said. “And today, thanks to the economic strategy, more… small businesses are being created, and small businesses are creating more jobs faster than ever before.”
So why wait to take your shot? Being an entrepreneur, especially at this crucial time in our history, is not only a choice for your prosperity, but a choice for the country’s as well.
But isn’t becoming an entrepreneur right now too risky? No. The truth is that starting a business carries risk no matter when you make the leap. The conditions during a recession may actually make entrepreneurship a safer bet. In fact, according to an article in Republic, “Because startups and other private investments have such long time horizons—five to 10 years on average—they… typically aren’t impacted by the ups and downs of the public markets.”
So let’s take a look at the economic facts—not to dwell on what you already know, but to illustrate how even in the worst financial times there is opportunity for growth.
The U.S. was in a recession from December 2007 to June 2009—the longest since World War II, exceeding the recessions of 1973-1975, 1981-1982 and 1990-1991.
Executives, middle managers, administrative employees and blue-collar workers were all at risk. Even the healthcare industry, often considered a safe zone, trimmed areas of its workforce. And companies that weren’t cutting jobs cut benefits, from retirement funds to healthcare coverage.
Does it really make sense to bet on a traditional job when job security is so clearly a thing of the past? World-renowned economist Paul Zane Pilzer saw a dramatic shift in mentality for many workers. The conventional career structure is being replaced, he said, with a new, entrepreneurial mindset: “The traditional wisdom in the second half of the 20th century was this: Go to school, get a good education and go to work for a large company. The idea of going into business for yourself was most often regarded as risky. Admirable, perhaps, but risky… and maybe a little crazy. Today, it’s completely the other way around.”
If the idea of becoming your own boss and taking control of your income appeals to you, but you’re not sure if it’s the right time, consider some facts:
- If your finances are stable, now is a good time to invest in real estate. If your company is based out of your home, you have plentiful tax benefits, including tax-deferred savings and multiple deductions.
- New web tools make starting a business easier and more financially feasible than ever, and simple design templates allow an entrepreneur to have a web presence in no time. Social media sites provide endless opportunities for marketing, networking and support from other professionals in your industry.
- As your own boss, your income isn’t based on a salary cap or an education requirement; it’s based on your activity level, on how much you’re willing to put into your new business. Plus, the freedom and flexibility to work where you want and when you want are priceless.
Where to start
If you’ve been spending hours figuring out ways to save money, why not spend that time on figuring out ways to earn it instead? There are countless small-business opportunities, depending on your industry, your interests and your investment.
In many ways, it’s become easier to start a small business than it was in the past. According to Bank of America’s 2021 Small Business Report, “62% [of small business owners] have adopted new digital tools/strategies in response to the pandemic,” which included interacting with both customers and employees virtually and utilizing social media. The virtual approach can allow businesses not only to reach more customers, but to expand their search for employees.
Additionally, according to the UPS Store® 2021 Inside Small Business Survey, “majorities of both the general population and small business owners (56% and 67%, respectively) indicate that they’ve made plans within the past year to buy more products or services from small businesses.” Despite economic challenges, consumers are still rallying around small businesses and the services they provide.
Online classes and increased opportunities for networking and learning also benefit new entrepreneurs, allowing them to learn the skills necessary to start—and succeed at—small businesses with greater ease.
Pilzer agrees: “The greatest opportunities today are to go into business for yourself as an entrepreneur.”
“Can you imagine the possibilities for yourself, in your business and your home, if you could become excited by the opportunities created by this recession?” Robbins asks. “How different would your life be? What a game changer.”
But every aspect of life is steadily growing more expensive. 64% of Americans were living paycheck-to-paycheck as of January 2022, according to LendingClub and PYMNTS’ 7th Paycheck-To-Paycheck Report. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki warns of the long-term effects of this kind of lifestyle: “Financial struggle is often directly the result of people working all of their lives for someone else. Many people will have nothing at the end of their working days.”
We’ll all be affected by the recession in one way or another, so finding a reason to start your own business is as easy as turning on the news. But why not turn off the negative messages and start focusing on your positive plan for the future? When you are in control of your income source and your time investment, your money goes further, your attitude is better and your future is more secure.
You’ve always wanted to be your own boss. So what are you waiting for? Stop telling yourself that it’s too late or that you’re underqualified. Stop listening to people who tell you that it’s the wrong time, and instead, pay attention to the experts who say that now is the best time to start a business. With your passion and the willingness to work hard, you can bring your dream to life. Now is the time to take control of your destiny.
This article was published in June 2009 and has been updated. Photo by Vadym Pastukh/Shutterstock
Amy Anderson is the former senior editor of SUCCESS magazine, an Emmy Award-winning writer and founder of Anderson Content Consulting. She helps experts, coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs to discover their truth, write with confidence, and share their stories so they can transform their past into hope for others. Learn more at AmyKAnderson.com and on Facebook.


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Billa, Ranga and Kochadaiyaan are dissatisfied with their respective marriages. Along with their friend Guru, who is about to marry, they resolve to turn bachelors once again and live life to the fullest.
The audio of '555' is set to be launched on April 15.
Baadshah audio to be launched at Nanakramguda
With fan mania spinning out of control, audio launches in the city are often ending in tragic casualties and lathi charges
Rajinikanth starrer Kochadaiyaan's audio launch is set to happen soon.
The audio of Theeya Vela Seiyanum Kumar is being planned to be launched in April.
The audio launch of 'Vallinam' directed by Arivazhagan of 'Eeram' fame was launched recently.
Actor is joined by the Rajkumar brothers, Shivarajkumar, Puneeth and Raghavendra, at the event
Ideal Ice Cream in association with radio Mirchi launched audio book titled `Mirchi tale of ice creams' here. The books were later given to Roman Catherine Blind School, Urva.
Ideal Ice-Cream in association with Radio Mirchi will launch an audio book titled 'Mirchi Tale of Ice-Creams' at Ideal Ice-Creams, City Centre Mall here on May 2. The screening of this audio book is unique and first of its kind. These audio books will be distributed to the representatives of Roman Catherine Blind School, Urwa.
The audio of K V Anand's Ko was launched amidst much fanfare yesterday.The entire team of the film was present and every guest was given a Ko tabloid.
The audio launch of Thoonganagaram was held yesterday at Sathyam Cinemas. Music for the film is by SUndar C Babu.
The audio launch of K V Anand's Ko will be held on January 16th. Harris Jayaraj has scored the music for the film.
The audio launch of Veppam was held today morning. Composer Joshua Sridhar has composed the music for the film.
The audio launch of the Shiva-starrer Pathinaaru was held yesterday. The launch witnessed the celebration of friendship shared by composer Yuvan Shankar Raja and actor Shiva.
The audio of Sasikumar's new film Easan will be launched today evening in Chennai. The guests of honour are directors Anurag Kashyap, Renjith, Trivikram, Yograj Bhat, Bala, Ameer and Rama Narayanan.
Captain Vijayakanth's Virudhagiri will have a big audio launch of his forthcoming Virudhagiri at Chennai Trade Centre on November 22.
Dhanush-Tapsee Pannu starrer Aadukalam, will have its audio launch tomorrow at the Lady Aandal School auditorium in Chennai. Please give your valuable feedback & suggestions regarding Timesmail on Timescape home page and Help Us Enhance the Timesmail Service
Director KS Ravikumar launched the audio of Kotti. The film has Shivan and Bhagyanjali in the lead. Music is by Guru Kalyan. Coming Soon 'Movies NOW' - Hollywood in High Definition with Stunning 1080i HD Picture Quality and Awesome 5.1 Surround Sound
The audio launch of Kotti will be held this evening at Nungambakkam. Guru Kalyan has scored the music for the film. Coming Soon 'Movies NOW' - Hollywood in High Definition with Stunning 1080i HD Picture Quality and Awesome 5.1 Surround Sound
The Vaanam team, comprising Simbu, Anushka, Bharath, Vega, director Krish, musician Yuvan Shankar Raja and producer Ganesh, have left to London for the film's audio launch on October 18.
The audio of Dhanush-Genelia starrer was launched last evening. Some of the prominent celebrities KS Ravikumar,Vivekh,Mahendran,Sneha,RB Choudhry were spotted at the event.The music for the film is by Vijay Antony.
The audio launch of Vaanam will be held in London, on October 15. "Yuvan Shankar Raja, the music director of the film, has churned out some scintillating compositions and I'm sure they will rock the charts,"says the producer of the film Ganesh. Yuvan too tweeted, "We are planning to release the track from Vaanam this month as a single. It's sung by Simbu and will top the charts for sure."


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Hyperledger Project Explores Fighting Counterfeit Drugs with Blockchain
Hyperledger project member Accenture has proposed using blockchain tech to fight the spread of counterfeit drugs.
At a working group meeting of the Hyperledger blockchain project today, a representative for global professional services company Accenture pitched the early phases of a project designed to fight the spread of counterfeit drugs using blockchain technology.
The details came during a meeting of the initiative's working group focused on project requirements.
Accenture's connected devices software lead Primrose Mbanefo, who works with its Internet of Things business development team and helps produce some of the company’s proofs-of-concept, described how more efficient tracking of medicines using immutable data could improve accountability in the pharmaceutical industry.
A key point up for debate at the meeting was the question of defining what exactly constitutes counterfeit activity in the pharmaceutical industry. According to Mbanefo, counterfeiters include both “rogue” manufacturers and established companies around the world that are failing to include the right amounts of active ingredients in medicines – or none at all.
"That would be cleared up if we had a supply chain we could actually trust," she said.
The idea of using distributed time-stamping to differentiate counterfeit drugs is a compelling one, given the success of the trade.
In the United Kingdom, where Mbanefo is based, a counterfeit medicines bust last June resulted in the seizure of 6.2 million doses or medical devices, worth £15.8m. According to the BBC report, a total of £51.6m of counterfeit medical goods around the world were confiscated during that one operation.
The control of the counterfeit drugs problem is just one supply chain-focused use case being looked at by members of the Hyperledger project.
of blockchain in supply chains include tracking the manufacture and assembly of computer components, assessing the quality of milk products shipped and sold and confirming the veracity of food labels.
Photo of pills via Shutterstock
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Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Trending on Rob Black’s Winners & Losers, financial expert Rob Black talks with KRON4’s James Fletcher about stocks, Target, and 2020 movies.
Stocks climb to record: Stocks rose record-highs Wednesday amid optimism of the first phase of a trade deal with the U.S. and China.
Target shares plunge: Target Corp. said its holiday sales were sluggish, rising only 1.4% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31 in stores and online.
Few must-see movies in 2020: From “Birds of Prey” to “A Quiet Place:2” there’s something out there for everyone. Even Disney fans too, with the release of Mulan.
- PHOTOS: The spaces we filled, now filled with space
- States demand ventilators as feds ration limited supply
- Newsfeed Now Coronavirus: ‘Facts Not Fear’ morning update – April 3, 2020
- ‘Lean On Me,’ ‘Lovely Day’ singer Bill Withers dies at 81
- Bus driver who complained about coughing passenger dies from coronavirus days later


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A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against General Motors alleging that the recent recall crisis has tarnished the brand’s reputation enough to degrade the value of all new GM vehicles. Continue Reading...
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Toyota’s Prius hybrid is the target of a new class action lawsuit alleging that the automaker misrepresented its pre-collision warning system in the Prius V. Continue Reading...
A new class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of purchasers of Ford vehicles equipped with the MyFord Touch infotainment system, alleging that vehicles equipped with the systems are plagued with serious defects. News of the filing comes on the same day Ford has admitted its hybrid Fusion and C-Max models do not live… Continue Reading...
Toyota has announced it has reached an agreement to settle outstanding lawsuits in the US related to the automaker’s previous recalls for unintended acceleration. Continue Reading...
The curious case of Heather Peters taking Honda to small claims court may not be over, but the class action suit she opted out of most likely is. A California judge tentatively approved a settlement that would award between $100 and $200 to Honda Civic hybrid owners who joined the suit filed because of inflated… Continue Reading...
In the latest update of what has already been a two-year class action lawsuit against BMW, the law office carrying out the suit is insisting that victory is not enough. The dispute, which centered around faulty high-pressure fuel pumps and waste gates in an estimated 200,000 BMWs with twin turbos, came to an unsuccessful settlement…. Continue Reading...
She’s had it with Honda, and Heather Peters, a former lawyer, hopes her unusual legal approach will garner as much as 10 times the cash reward and potentially serious consequences for the company if others follow her lead. Peters, unlike the hundreds of Civic Hybrid owners who joined class action suits, decided to take Honda… Continue Reading...
Nissan‘s GT-R might now be better-known for its grenading transmission than for its legendary performance. At least that’s true if your life revolves around an internet car forum. Back in 2008, a member of NAGTROC posted that his local Nissan dealer wanted to charge him $20,000 to fix his GT-R’s busted transmission, which broke because… Continue Reading...


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BMW Set To Collaborate With Street Artist Futura 2000 On Latest M2
The latest BMW M2 to hit the streets will come in the form of 405 horsepower, a 3,600-pound curb weight, and an unexpected artistic touch by street artist Futura 2000.
“We are very proud to have secured an internationally renowned artist like FUTURA 2000 for the design of our show car,” the brand said in a press release. “The BMW M2 by FUTURA 2000 exceeds our expectations and is a further step by BMW Individual in its collaboration with world-famous artists.”
Known for his edgy use of colours, concentric shapes and kinetic compositions, New York-based Futura 2000 gives the new M2 a twenty first century upgrade. The internationally acclaimed artist has completely redesigned both the interior and exterior in terms of aesthetics, in attempt to “highlight the rebellious character” of the high-performance vehicle.
The collaboration will set new trends in both the art scene as well as in the field of luxury sports cars, with the first of three hand painted exclusive “BMW M2 by FUTURA 2000” debuted at the Frieze Los Angeles Art Fair earlier this month.
“Art cars in the past have always been based on race cars, and they have always been one-offs,” says Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW. “We are going to do three one-offs. We’ll keep one. Two of them will be most likely auctioned, and then we will do an edition of 500 cars at $69,000.”
While just the three cars will be hand painted by the artist, the 500 “Edition” versions will be available for purchase internationally. The Edition versions will only have their rocker panels, front, and rear bumpers painted, but are still set to be a centrepiece in any contemporary art or car collection.


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While We Were Shopping, the Privacy Legal Risk Environment Shifts Again
2010. What a year for data security and privacy, and the law. Choose whatever story you want: Facebook privacy practices, Google Buzz, Wikileaks data breach, TSA full-body scanning at the airports, FTC Do Not Track, etc. I am having trouble thinking of a week (perhaps even a day) in 2010 where there was not a big privacy or data security story reported at a major media outlet. In fact, it is difficult to come up with an issue in 2010 (except perhaps “the economy” or the healthcare debate) that became more firmly lodged in the public consciousness than privacy and data security.
However, while all the headline grabbing stories were catching the eyes of the average “American Joe,” an excellent series by the Wall Street Journal (“What They Know”; Pulitzer possibilities?) has ended up rocking the privacy legal liability landscape for 2011. While we can argue cause and effect all day long, it appears that the WSJ series has caught the eye of one important group in the American legal world: the plaintiffs' bar.
While we were all thinking about Halloween and Thanksgiving, and trying to avoid the crush of Hanukah, Christmas and New Years, several privacy lawsuits were filed against online behavioral tracking companies and some of their clients. In my view these lawsuits and the activity that arises out of them (regulatory, settlements, judgments and otherwise) will be one of the big data security and privacy stories of 2011.
These cases have the potential to change the privacy and security game in ways that are difficult to anticipate. Could they be the “tipping point” leading to new state or federal regulations? Might they result in a “break-through” case that leads to a flood of litigation? Will they impact the way companies handle personal information and do business? Will consumers think of their privacy in a different light if these suits are frequent or successful?
What follows is a very brief listing of some the key lawsuits from 2010 that InfoLawGroup is aware of and tracking. There may be more that are not on the list (such is pace of change in this space) and if you know of others, please send them to me so I can list them here to serve as a resource for the larger privacy community. Over the course of 2011 (and beyond) InfoLawGroup will be taking a deeper look at these cases and providing updates as they progress through motion practice, trial and settlement.
01.21.11, 02.08.11 & 03.11.11 UPDATE BELOW (Search for dates to find updates)
“Zombie” flash cookie online tracking lawsuits. A series of class action lawsuits have been filed against marketing companies (e.g. Clearspring Technologies, Inc., Quantcast Corporation, and Specific Media, Inc.) for using “flash cookies” to track website visitors as they surf the web. These flash cookies, also known as "zombie cookies," are capable of reinstalling themselves even if purposefully deleted by the user. Several brand name clients of the marketing companies were also named as defendants in the lawsuits. By the end of 2010, some of these lawsuits had settled for millions of dollars. A copy of one of the complaints can be found HERE. It alleges a series of data privacy and security violations, including violations of the CFAA, ECPA, Video Privacy Protection Act and various California laws. 02.08.11 UPDATE: another lawsuit filed in New York. 03.11.11 UPDATE:class action filed in filed against Amazon.com in Washington. More HERE.
HTML5 mobile online tracking lawsuit. A class action lawsuit was filed against Ringleader Digital alleging privacy violations arising out of its use of HTML5’s client-side database storage capabilities to track users of mobile devices as they surfed the Internet. Similar to the flash cookie lawsuits, plaintiffs allege that the HTML5 tracking capabilities returned even if users were able to delete the HTML5 database engaged in the tracking. A copy of the complaint can be found HERE. It alleges a series of data privacy and security violations, including (among others) violations of CFAA and various California laws.
History sniffing online tracking lawsuit. In two separate lawsuits an online advertising company (Interclick) and a pornography website (YouPorn) were sued for engaging in a practice known as “history sniffing.” History sniffing involves obtaining data about a user’s web surfing by secretly accessing the web history data stored by most commonly used browsers. This browsing history data is then used to create profiles about the user’s online behavior and visits to websites across the Internet. The complaint against Interclick can be found HERE. The compliant alleges (among others) violations of the CFAA, ECPA, violations of various New York laws and trespass to chattels.
Deep packet inspection online tracking lawsuit. In December 2010 a Federal District Court in Montana refused to dismiss the CFAA claim against an ISP that had allowed an advertising company to engage in “deep packet inspection.” EPIC describes deep packet inspection in relevant part as follows:
Deep packet inspection is a computer network packet filtering technique that involves the inspection of the contents of packets as they are transmitted across the network. . . Deep Packet Inspection can be used to determine the contents of all unencrypted data transferred over a network. Since most Internet traffic is unencrypted, DPI enables Internet Service Providers to intercept virtually all of their customers' Internet activity, including web surfing data, email, and peer-to-peer downloads.
A copy of the court’s order denying in part and granting in part, the defendant’s motion to dismiss, can be found HERE.
Data aggregation and social media/application privacy lawsuits. Social media giant Facebook, social media application designers (such as Zynga), and a data broker (Rapleaf) were sued for their handling of personal information obtained from Facebook users. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants impermissibly shared the personal information of Facebook users with advertisers and marketing companies, including unique Facebook ID numbers that could be combined with other information to create user profiles. The complaint can be found HERE. It alleges (among others) violations of ECPA, the Stored Communications Act, and various California laws, and breach of contract. 03.11.11 UPDATE: class action filed against Netflix in California.
Apple iPhone/iPad Privacy Lawsuit. Apple was sued in the waning days of 2010 for allegedly allowing application makers for its popular iPad and iPhone to obtain and transmit personal information about users' activities. The complaint alleges that Apple’s iPad and iPhone are encoded with identifying devices that allow advertising networks to track applications users download, monitor their use and sell personal information of users. Also named are several application providers that allegedly provided their users’ personal information to advertisers. A copy of the compliant can be found HERE. It too alleges (among others) violations of the CFAA, ECPA and various California laws. Some believe that claims set forth in this lawsuit could impact Google in the future. 02.08.11 UPDATE: Another class action filed against Apple in California.
01.21.11 UPDATE -- Canadian Class Action Against Google
We have identified a rare beast indeed: a Canadian class action privacy lawsuit against Google (arising out of Google Buzz). More HERE. Will try to get the pleadings... stay tuned.
Based on the foregoing it should be apparent that there has been a significant increase in the volume of privacy lawsuits recently filed and being litigated. In addition, with significant settlements on the books (e.g. Google Buzz for $8.5 million; Facebook Beacon for $9.5 million; Quantcast for $2.4 million) it is likely that privacy-related lawsuits will become more attractive to the plaintiffs' bar.
It also should be noted that many/most of the lawsuits cited above involve online behavioral tracking. Moreover, not only are the social media companies and advertising networks being sued, “brand name” organizations are being brought into these suits if they participated in an advertising network or used a behavioral advertising services. Based on these suits, it appears that privacy-related legal risk and liability potential is at a cross-road, and will likely increase going forward (at least in terms of litigation costs and settlements, and perhaps someday in the form of judgments and adverse case law).
Action Item. At this stage companies that handle personal information, especially those that provide online behavioral advertising services, and those that purchase such services or participate in behavioral advertising, should consider an audit and risk assessment of their policies, processes and activities in order to reduce privacy-related legal risks. In fact, it is likely that some companies are not even aware that they are participating in online advertising networks that track users, or if they are aware they may not understand how their providers collect and use personal information. Preparation on privacy and security issues ahead of time is key in order to reduce risk and increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome should an organization find itself in a lawsuit. Moreover, if a lawsuit arises, understanding the substantive privacy issues that it raises is crucial. Again, we have blinked, and the privacy and security legal landscape looks very different.


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When COVID-19 brought about a lockdown last year, Company owners Alanah Ralph and Leighton Bunyard were unsure what affect this was going to have to their company, Confinement Escape Rooms. Being located in the SkyCity Building, the business depended on a good share of both the domestic and international tourism markets. “Our revenue literally disappeared overnight” says Director Alanah Ralph. “We knew we had to do something, we couldn’t wait to watch all our hard work over the last four years just disappear”. The brother/sister duo then started to look at what they could do, they decided they needed to use the time they had, so during lockdown they developed a “take Home version” of the Confinement Escape Rooms. “We figured if customers couldn’t get to us, then we needed to find a way to get to them”. Working with their accountants, Maisey & Harris, they took advantage of the Regional Business Partner COVID-19 Business Advisory funding delivered via Te Waka, Waikato’s economic development agency, and were able to get access to some good business planning and support. “We had been saying for ages, that we needed to write a business plan, but it was quite simply something that you never get around to” said Leighton Bunyard. “We spent a number of hours, assessing where the company was and where we wanted it to be, then we came up with a plan on how we could get there.”
During this process they heard that Qualmark, New Zealand tourism’s official quality assurance organisation, was also offering COVID-19 assistance in the form of free membership and advisory services. To become a member a thorough assessment of the business operation is carried out by Qualmark. “We decided, what better way to put our business to the test, we figured it would also help us learn further how we can improve it. This process made us relook at our entire operation, our systems, procedures, and all our legal obligations from top to bottom” says Alanah. The company’s efforts paid off and after a full day evaluation the small family owned company was recently awarded with a Bronze award under Qualmark’s Sustainable Tourism Business Award criteria. Through Qualmark’s Tourism Advisory Support service the company has benefited from working with advisory business Cornwall Strategic on more focussed business planning. They are now the only Escape Room Company in NZ with this award.
With the assistance of the Te Waka funding, great business planning, and the recognition of the Qualmark award, Confinement Escape Rooms are now seeing the benefits of their efforts, with two record months in a row. “When we look back at how we were feeling last year, we are thrilled at where we are today. The Business is great and having just opened a branch in Taupo we are excited about what lies ahead. We have introduced a number of new products into the market, namely by creating partnerships with the likes of Woodlands Homestead, we have been able to re-invent ourselves, and have learnt so much during the process. I think if it hadn’t been for the Covid wakeup call, we would never have taken the time to work on the business, we had always worked in it, and sometimes if you are too close to something you really can’t see how you can make so much positive change” says Alanah.
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PRESS RELEASE: 8 July 2021


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TPS Mobile app allows the user to protect their personal telephone numbers such as their mobile and home numbers by adding a new, second...
Showing results 1 to 20 of 104
Concerns about data location, security and privacy risks - as well as software integration problems - mean that 7 out of 10 UK organizations spend less than 10 percent of their IT budgets on cloud services
The world's largest social network is now open for Tor users, for those — including journalists and activists in tough places — who want to access the site even more securely.
This entertaining and original publication explains the implications of sharing personal information in the era of big data analytics, through the medium of the graphic novella.
A proposal to turn unused top level domains into a safe harbour for privacy-focused services has stirred up controversy in its native Norway.
Zack Whittaker hits hard with our top government stories of the week, the judgement of how far reaching US data ownership is across the world. Plus, we have the usual selection of fascinating worldwide government stories, including a dangerous new point-of-sale virus. Double-check your credit card bills, folks.
Seecrypt Mobile is a new software-only communications app which allows registered users to make and receive unlimited, secure voice...
[UPDATED] The company is improving encryption for Outlook.com and OneDrive users and aiming to boost confidence of foreign governments in their integrity.
Kijabi browser is based upon the open source Chromium project and comes free with Kijabi cloud security and privacy services. When...
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has proposed that, within reason, "internet intermediaries" should not be held responsible for any privacy invasions conducted over their services.
Mega chief executive Vikram Kumar says the Kim Dotcom-inspired “privacy company” is poised to start working on its promised secure communications services.
Google's recent move to unite all the privacy policies of its various services into a single offering has been slapped down by the Netherlands' privacy regulator.
The new Terms will go live on Monday, November 11.
ICANN has found more ammunition for its fight to overhaul the existing Whois system, finding that more criminals are using Whois privacy/proxy services than regular users.
nCrypted Cloud adds security and privacy to cloud-based storage services for consumers and enterprises
Boston-based startup nCrypted Cloud recently launched software of the same name, designed to address the security and privacy concerns that have emerged with the use of popular cloud-based storage services.
The datacentre provider is offering NetApp private storage for Amazon Web Services, and hopes it will encourage Australian companies with data privacy fears to adopt cloud services.
Kim Dotcom, whose MegaUpload cyberlocker service was closed down at the instigation of the US government, has launched a new privacy-oriented service from his New Zealand mansion.
A lawyer has warned that proposed EU privacy laws would make Facebook and other ad-supported online services unsustainable if they make it into law.
Controversial change of terms and conditions riles up some users enough for them to quit, while rival services reiterate their stand on respecting privacy.
A new initiative called TOS;DR, set for a formal launch next week, will rate providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Apple and Google according to the fairness and readability of their terms of service and privacy policies
Consumers in Asia, compared with Europe, are less concerned about privacy and will share personal data for free services or better ads.
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Retail politics: Shanghai’s latest expo rebrands China as an import giant
Trade fairs often have an outsized impact in China. For instance, eight years ago WiC published a special edition on the Shanghai Expo. That lavish event was deftly positioned as a celebration of China’s arrival on the global stage.
But in terms of economic influence, the long-running Canton Fair has been much more important, heralding China’s emergence as an export giant. The biannual gathering in Guangzhou is monitored around the world: if orders grow it’s a sign that the outlook for trade is robust.


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Table of Contents
In this article, we discuss 10 best bargain stocks to buy right now. If you want to see more stocks in this selection, click 5 Best Bargain Stocks To Buy Right Now.
Oaktree Capital’s co-founder and hedge fund manager, Howard Marks, announced on June 26 that the market is hot to invest in “bargains” amid the market-wide selloff. He noted that stocks are significantly cheaper as compared to the previous year, and waiting for the market to bottom is not a wise strategy. He pointed towards the cheap valuations, and said that he would purchase more assets if the market dipped further. He is aggressively in favor of bargain hunting in the current stock market.
Similarly, amid concerns of an upcoming recession in the United States, some investors are gravitating towards the star growth stocks of last year that have taken a heavy beating so far in 2022. Growth names tend to be less affected by the overall macro environment, and prominent players in the market that have stumbled amid the broad selloff do have the underlying assets to survive and thrive in uncertain economic conditions.
Saira Malik, chief investment officer at the Chicago-based asset manager Nuveen, recently said that outperformers and top companies in the tech space are positioned to do well, while revealing her bullish stance on Amazon and Salesforce. Some of the most prominent bargain stocks to watch right now include Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), and Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS).
We selected market names that have suffered YTD share price declines of more than 25% as of June 30, but received positive analyst ratings in the past few weeks. In addition to that, the underlying business is significant and the companies have strong fundamentals. We have mentioned the hedge fund sentiment around the holdings as of Q1 2022 as well.
Best Bargain Stocks To Buy Right Now
10. SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 22
YTD Share Price Decline as of June 30: 66.39%
SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI) is a California-based digital personal finance and online banking company. The company facilitates customers with student loans, home loans, personal loans, stock brokerage, wealth management, and credit cards. On June 14, the stock rose 4.72% after its director, Harvey Schwartz, purchased 53,500 common shares. CEO and director Anthony Noto also bought 46,500 shares of the common stock at $5.3664 per unit, for a total transaction of $0.55 million. Overall, SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI) stock has fallen over 66% year to date as of June 30.
On June 16, Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev reiterated a Buy rating on SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI) with a $9 price target. The analyst observed that SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI) defied macro concerns in terms of demand for consumer loans. He thinks that SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI)’s “diversified” revenue channels, “durable” business model, and Galileo’s service offerings should positively contribute to business fundamentals in the long-term.
In Q1 2022, 22 hedge funds reported long positions in SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI), compared to 24 funds in the earlier quarter. Silver Lake Partners is the biggest position holder in the company, with 31.15 million shares worth $294.40 million.
In addition to Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), and Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS), elite hedge funds are monitoring SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI).
Here is what Altron Capital Management has to say about SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI) in its Q4 2021 investor letter:
“We have been building our position in SoFi over the last two quarters but have not yet written about our thesis until now. SoFi is an online financial technology company that started off refinancing student loans. This segment remains a big part of the company’s business, but they have more recently expanded their products to offer an entire suite of financial services including personal banking, investing, and credit. While their collection of products is still evolving and not yet complete, we believe the company is in the early stages of its inflection. The company nearly doubled its member count over the past year and is growing 50%+ despite its loan refinancing business taking a hit due to the COVID-related loan moratorium. Furthermore, the company is close to obtaining a bank charter through its acquisition of Golden Pacific Bancorp, a community bank based in Sacramento. A bank charter would allow SoFi to take in its own customer deposits, lowering its cost of capital and expanding the company’s breadth of financial offerings.
While SoFi is not the only online banking platform out there, we believe it could take a decent share of the financial services market. Banking is a notoriously sticky business, as the inconvenience and hassle of switching banks prevent consumers from jumping to competitors regardless of cost. This is one of the reasons that traditional banks are one of the few businesses to have truly been disrupted by technology. We think SoFi is well on its way to changing that and creating a new paradigm for the future of consumer banking and financial services.
The factors that will ultimately drive consumer adoption of online banking are cost and convenience. In our opinion, SoFi is best positioned to drive consumers away from the legacy banking model. Their one-stop-shop approach for financial services and their lack of a brick-and-mortar branch network to maintain may eventually propel them into becoming one of the larger players in the banking industry in the United States…” (Click here to see the full text)
9. EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 38
YTD Share Price Decline as of June 30: 54.10%
EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) is a Pennsylvania-based software engineering company that specializes in software product development, digital platform engineering, application development, enterprise application platforms, application testing, and application maintenance and support. As of June 30, the stock has plummeted about 54% from its highs YTD.
Wedbush analyst Moshe Katri on June 6 raised the price target on EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) to $400 from $380 and reiterated an Outperform rating on the shares. According to the analyst, the company should keep on benefiting from moderating disruption from the Russian/Ukraine war, notably lower employee relocation and recruitment costs, robust demand trajectory for digital/SMAC based services, and bill rate increases.
EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) was part of 38 hedge fund portfolios in the first quarter of 2022, with collective stakes worth $669 million. Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management held a prominent stake in the company, comprising 326,028 shares worth $96.70 million.
Here is what Harding Loevner Emerging Markets Equity Fund has to say about EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) in its Q1 2022 investor letter:
“The losses in Russia accounted for over 500 bps—roughly half—of our total underperformance. IT services business EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) developed market-listed companies that have significant operations in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus—together cost a further 200 bps in underperformance. By sector, the wipe out of our Russian and Russia-related holdings appeared as severe negative stock selection across IT (NYSE:EPAM).
We continue to hold EPAM in IT. EPAM’s core advantage is its engineering capability that allows it to provide highly complex and valuable services to its customers. While recognizing that its business prospects are uncertain due to the displacement of many of its engineers by the conflict and potential client and staff defections, we believe it will be difficult for its clients to switch providers in the near term notwithstanding their preferences. EPAM should thus have time to adjust its geographic footprint.”
8. Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 56
YTD Share Price Decline as of June 30: 50.12%
Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) is an American social media platform where ideas are shared by putting up images, animated GIFs, and videos. These ideas are saved in the form of pinboards. As of June 30, the stock has stumbled over 50% YTD. On June 10, the company announced the acquisition of the fashion shopping platform, THE YES.
On June 29, Citi analyst Ronald Josey maintained a Neutral rating on Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) with a $24 price target. The analyst observed that Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) appointed Bill Ready, Google’s President of Commerce, Payments, and Next Billion Users, as the CEO. The last CEO, co-founder, and President, Ben Silbermann, will now take up the Executive Chairman role. Since the new CEO is highly experienced in terms of payments and e-commerce, the appointment will result in Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) developing its full-funnel personalized shopping platform, the analyst told investors.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q1 data, 56 hedge funds were bullish on Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS), with combined stakes worth $1.25 billion. Harris Associates is the leading shareholder of the company, with 18.5 million shares worth $456.7 million.
Here is what Oakmark Fund has to say about Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) in its Q1 2022 investor letter:
“We previously had an opportunity to own Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) when the stock sold off during the Covid-19-related downturn, and we were pleased to be able to invest in the company once again at an attractive price during the quarter. Pinterest is an online personal discovery tool that people use to find ideas based on their tastes and interests. Unlike most social media companies, the objectives of users and advertisers are fundamentally aligned on Pinterest. Users find a positive and useful product discovery experience, and advertisers find an audience with high commercial intent and the ability to integrate ads naturally. Although Pinterest had more than 430 million global users as of year-end, the company is still in the early days of monetizing its platform. We believe that its shares trade well below fair value on conventional metrics, such as enterprise value to revenue, as well as when we benchmark its ultimate revenue and margin potential against more mature internet companies.”
7. Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 59
YTD Share Price Decline as of June 30: 41.26%
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) is a California-based company that distributes semiconductor manufacturing products, such as wafer fabrication equipment, transistors, capacitors, and wiring. Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) stock has taken a notable hit so far in 2022, falling 41.26% YTD.
BofA analyst Vivek Arya on June 29 assigned a Buy rating to Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) but lowered the price target on the stock to $540 from $650. According to the analyst, downturns in the semiconductor space are imminent every three to four years, and “we could be due for another one”. However, unit weakness “could be cushioned by richer non-consumer mix, robust pricing, expanding content, and constrained supply,” he pointed out.
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) was part of 59 public hedge fund portfolios at the conclusion of the first quarter of 2022, compared to 62 funds in the preceding quarter. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management held the biggest stake in the company, comprising 1.90 million shares worth over $1 billion.
“Lam Research Corp. designs and manufactures equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductors. Recent supply chain issues have negatively impacted the industry and have resulted in chip shortages. The industry is performing well, exceeding our expectations, and Lam Research’s fundamentals remain strong. The long-term secular drivers of demand and growth in the industry continue to be very powerful. Lam Research is experiencing increasing returns on capital, higher margins, and more stable results.”
6. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 78
YTD Share Price Decline as of June 30: 42.27%
Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is an Idaho-based company that produces computer data storage devices including DRAM, flash memory, and SSDs. On July 1, Evercore ISI analyst C.J. Muse observed that the estimates for Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) are moving significantly lower after the company’s Q3 results and Q4 guidance. The analyst told investors that since Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) has a “very new” CFO, he thinks “there is some excess conservatism in the updated outlook” and he now expects an EPS bottom in February. There will be incremental recovery after that and he projects earnings per share of $6.00 in 2023, the analyst added. He likes the risk/reward for Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) and reiterated his Outperform rating and a long-term price target of $90 on the stock.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q1 data, 78 hedge funds were bullish on Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), compared to 83 funds in the last quarter. Seth Klarman’s Baupost Group is a prominent shareholder of the company, with 3.11 million shares worth $242.3 million.
Like Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), and Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS), Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is on the radar of institutional investors despite significant YTD share price decline.
Here is what Hazelton Capital Partners has to say about Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) in its Q3 2021 investor letter:
“It’s hard to explain how shares of Micron Technology, manufacturer of DRAM and NAND semiconductor chips, can fall during a global chip shortage. In most industries, focusing on demand can give you a clear insight into what lays ahead for a company. Today, the memory and storage chip industry is no different. However, in the past, companies focused on market share led to the reckless build out of chip fabrication plants (FABs), oversupply, falling average selling prices (ASPs) of memory and storage chips, lower margins, and declining cash flows. As the industry consolidated – there are now just 3 major producers of DRAM and 5 on the NAND side – rational behavior among the key players began to take hold as competitors began focusing more on R&D. Currently, chip pricing remains cyclical although less so than in the past and that cyclicality has a long-term upward bias. The ongoing transition to newer and more robust platforms (3D 176-layer NAND & 1-Alpha node DRAM) has provided the memory and storage chip industry with improved supply capacity under its current manufacturing footprint, ultimately pressuring ASPs. Over the past three years, as most of the large platform conversions have already taken place, being able to add more bits per wafer has reached a saturation point. With no major FAB build outs planned in the near-term by competitors Samsung or SK Hynix, constrained supply and flattening cost curves should lead to durable and upward sloping ASPs once the recent volatility from the chip shortage subsides.
Currently Micron Technology trades at just 8x 2022 estimated earnings. MU is expecting growth in both DRAM and NAND not just from the supply of more chips to data centers, artificial intelligence, the auto sector, and mobile devices, but also from greater demand for gigabyte capacity per unit within those segments. With a healthy balance sheet, improving return on invested capital, and expanding cash flows, not only should Micron benefit from improving future earnings but its multiple should also reflect the transition to a flattening cost curve.”
Click to continue reading and see 5 Best Bargain Stocks To Buy Right Now.
Disclosure: None. 10 Best Bargain Stocks To Buy Right Now is originally published on Insider Monkey.


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Sourcefire aiming to grab more channel business
Launch of new global partner programme designed to grow partner transactions
Network security products vendor Sourcefire has whipped the covers off a new multi-tiered marketing and training programme for resellers and distributors.
The Global Security Alliance Channel Programme is designed to strengthen Sourcefire's relationship with partners and create higher margin sales training and marketing activities so that a greater percentage of business is transacted through the channel.
NASDAQ-listed Sourcefire, which made a net profit of US$2.7m on sales of US$27m during the last full quarter for which it published financial results, claims the scheme is being supported by a closer alignment of its field sales team and marketing programmes.
"Over the past six months, we have collaborated with resellers and distributors around the globe to build this programme, designed for our partners, by our partners," stated Chris Peterson, VP of worldwide channels at Sourcefire. "As a result, the Global Security Alliance Channel Programme aligns with their goals."
Key benefits of the new initiative include a deal protection programme, market development funds and rewards programmes that will offer partner sales representatives additional incentives as they grow their pipelines.
The vendor, which has a Middle East office in Dubai and works with UAE distributor Secureway, is also promising to provide partners with various training options, including two new professional services certifications for sales engineers and consultants.
Tom McDonough, president and COO at Sourcefire, suggests the programme will give the company the edge over rivals that have failed to take their channel communities seriously.
"The channel is extremely important throughout the security industry, but our competitors have traditionally undervalued these relationships," he said. "With an ultimate goal to drive 100% of Sourcefire's revenue through the channel, Sourcefire is working closely with our partners to institute programmes that will help them further strengthen customer relationships and loyalty."


text: NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Sony ( SNE) swung to its first annual profit in five years, boosted by a weaker yen, sales of assets and success at the box office. The electronics giant reported profit of $948 million for its fiscal fourth quarter. It reported annual earnings that rose to $434 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, up from a loss of $5.7 billion a year ago. Its annual earnings beat its own forecast for a profit of $404 million, as well as analysts' expectations for a profit of $333 million, according to FactSet. Sony's movie unit reported a 40% increase in operating profit to $484 million for the full year on the success of films like "Skyfall" and "The Amazing Spider-Man," which helped offset the weaker "Total Recall" at the box office. The company continues to see weakness, however, in its device, digital camera and game sectors. Its games unit saw a 12.2% drop in sales to $7.15 billion and a 94% drop in operating profit to $17.2 million on slipping demand on PlayStation-related products. For the current fiscal year, ending in March 2014, Sony said it expects a net profit of $506 million and an operating profit of $2.3 billion. Nokia ( NOK) unveiled a $99 smartphone available in emerging markets. The phone maker announced the Nokia Asha 501, a smartphone with a 3-inch screen, 3.2-megapixel camera and 17 hours of talk time. The company said the phone has 4 gigabytes of memory, which can be expanded to 32 gigabytes. Nokia also revealed the software the phone will run on, which is called the Asha platform. It is a revamped version of older software which, like Nokia's higher-end Lumia smartphone, allows users to swipe from side to side in order to use multiple applications at once. An agreement with Facebook ( FB) and Indian wireless carrier Bharti Airtel will enable Asha users in India and Africa to access the social network without incurring data fees. Nokia plans to begin selling the device for $99 plus taxes and subsidies by June in 90 countries.


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A wine importer has criticized the SAQ for acting at the expense of private import agents affected by COVID-19-related restrictions in its inventory management. The state-owned company’s private import warehouse, which was overcrowded at the end of April, is still in a “critical” situation.
Posted at 7:00 am
Early May, The press revealed that thousands of privately imported products were at risk of being confiscated1 on June 18 for being stored too long at the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) premises. The state-owned company then explained that the ongoing closure of restaurants and bars was the cause of this “extraordinary” situation.
In a May 17 newsletter, the SAQ points out that “unfortunately, stock levels are still very high.”
However, Philip Morisset, founder of the wine import agency Origines, accuses the SAQ of giving preferential treatment to its branches, applying storage times at inconvenient times and multiplying the level of penalties that can be imposed on importers.
Crown Corporation denies, mitigates, or admits to some of these complaints via email. SAQ’s director of sourcing management and merchandising, Josée Dumas, declined several interview requests The press without giving reasons.
According to Mr Morisset, the SAQ “would have favored the collection, transport and processing of products intended for shops upon arrival, to the detriment of private orders, which would have led to a much longer immobilisation of agents”, and this from the summer 2021
“Orders are processed chronologically,” says spokeswoman Clémence Beaulieu Gendron. The SAQ says it “containers that [lui] allow you to set up scheduled promotions, avoid stock shortages and send the most requested products to stores or restaurants.
Explosion in delivery times
Pierre Birlichi, spokesman for Raspipav, an association of around 50 private import agencies, including Origines, says that the state-owned company preferred its branches “particularly because the restaurants were closed”, which he considers “understandable”. “Once the restaurants were open, I heard more about prioritization,” he adds.
But average delivery times have dropped from 4-5 weeks to 8-12 weeks due to “supply chain disruptions,” says Frau.me Beaulieu Gendron.
MM. Birlichi and Morisset both regret these additional delays which have resulted in missing the “marketing windows” of certain products such as Holidays.
Mr Morisset is also angry that Crown Corporation did not suspend its storage hours during the recent closure of bars and restaurants last winter. She had stopped meters earlier during the pandemic to help agents struggling with back-to-back waves of shutdowns to sell.
“The counters started again on September 12, 2020. On the other hand, we have extended the retention period according to the number of weeks that the stricter hygiene measures have lasted, respected from the last days of December 2021 and extended at the beginning of the year 2022”, however, specifies the spokesman.
Triple storage fees
In fact, storage costs have increased dramatically in September 2021, which Mr Morisset strongly denounces. “Fees went from $1.10 to $3.95 at 151e day and from $2.20 to $6.95 at 181e day”, confirms Mme Beaulieu Gendron. But these have not yet been settled, she adds.
“Of course, as the spokesman for an importers’ association, I don’t like that,” says Mr. Birlichi. But he’s “not overly concerned” about the impact of those increases on his members.
The state-owned company was not able to provide the number of cases and products that could still be seized as of June 18 in time for the publication of this text. At the beginning of May, 27,000 cases were on their way to reaching the maximum retention period of 210 days by that date, accounting for deadline breaks.
The storage situation “will be reassessed over the summer,” SAQ said in its May 17 newsletter. “In the event that it is still critical, other measures could be taken. »


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Shares of gaming companies with exposure to Macau began to take a beating last last year, because of investor concerns of a slowdown in China. In fact, gaming revenue surged 42% in 2011.Despite the slowing pace of China’s economic growth, Bank of America analysts Shaun C. Kelley and Matthew A. Cole remain largely positive on Macau.
They expect 14% growth in Macau in 2012, down significantly from last year, but much better than the low-to-mid single digit growth rates for other gaming markets around the world. Singapore’s gaming revenue is expected to grow 13%, while Las Vegas gaming revenues are expected to rise just 4%.
Kelley and Cole point out three key considerations for Macau this year. First, there is room for a positive shift towards the mass market from VIP business:
“Beyond the macro, the story of 2012 is likely to be the mass market in Macau. Last year in our year ahead, we pointed out that the Macau “reality” was quite different from the destination-driven “dream” that Las Vegas (and increasingly Singapore) seem to promise, as Macau remains dominated by the VIP business… However, we see the potential for the growth dynamic to shift materially, and perhaps permanently, beginning in 2012. The tipping point could be the opening of Cotai Central beginning in March.”
Consider this – in Q2 2010 macau VIP revenues jumped 99% year-over-year (YoY), compared with 37% in mass market revenues. In Q3 2011 that had shifted significantly to 52% YoY growth in VIP revenues, compared with 44% in mass market. The mass market growth is being driven by a rise in Chinese household incomes and increased visitation from the mainland, growing 7% on average.
Second, Macau’s gaming industry survived the 2008 – 2009 global financial crisis, which shows how attractive it is to gamers.
And finally, company balance sheets are better than they were in 2008-2009 leaving room for operators to better deal with a new crisis.