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Pub group Marston's new focus cooks up a tasty pre-tax profit of £31.3m
Cheers: Marstons reported a full-year pre-tax profit of £31.3m against a loss of £59.2m last year
Marston's concentration on pub grub has paid off as the brewer returned to profit this year.
It reported a full-year pre-tax profit of £31.3million against a loss of £59.2million last year.
The pub group opened 25 new pub restaurants in the year to October 3 and has been selling premises that don't fit its food-focused plan.
The Midlands-based group sold 117 pubs for £70million and plans to build 20 new ones in the next year.
Chief executive Ralph Findlay said: 'The three-year transformation of our pub portfolio … is now largely complete.
Whilst new-build, food-led pubs remain our core growth driver, we have evolved our strategy to capitalise upon other opportunities for expansion.'
Russ Mould, AJ Bell investment director, said: 'The rise of the gastropub has changed its fortunes.'
Beer volumes in the period rose 15 per cent after it bought Daniel Thwaites brewing division for £25.1million in March.
The final dividend was 4.5p a share, amounting to £25.8million. Shares rose 9.5p to 169p.
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Brand names and identities are changing all the time — and it’s not just restricted to those companies who want to overhaul their public image.
The process of rebranding is no less than walking on a thin layer of ice where one small mistake can lead to an imminent downfall. From logo changes over the years to brand name revamps, the industry has seen it all.
Gary Vaynerchuk once said sales are the bedrock of business. As a business grows and ventures into new markets, its target audience also diversifies. With incessant changes in consumer behaviour over time, at the end of the day, the process of rebranding becomes an act of selling a bundle of new ideas to consumers.
To read more, click here.

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The age of big data extends far beyond the plant floor, connected cars, and smart homes. Harnessing lessons learned from industrial applications, researchers from ETH Zurich recently unveiled edible, biodegradable microsensors for monitoring the freshness of your food.
Balancing the use of high-quality, fresh food and avoiding wasteful behaviors has become an important challenge for the food processing, distribution, and retail industries. In an effort to meet this challenge, these 16-micrometer thick sensors, which are six times thinner a human hair, obtain food storage temperatures in helping determine freshness. These wireless transmissions can be received at any time once the sensor is applied – from transport through delivery.
The edible sensor is composed of magnesium, silicon nitride, and a compostable polymer based on corn and potato starch. In addition to being harmless if ingested, the composition of the sensor also makes it extremely malleable, meaning it can be bent, stretched or manipulated in any number of ways without hindering its functionality.
While currently difficult and expensive to produce, expanded applications for microsensors, such as monitoring food freshness, could help develop their overall use. Finding new ways to put these sensors to work will help drive functional advances and bring their down their costs. Future uses could include applications to monitor gas pressures, and levels of exposure to heat or light.


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Facebook has claimed there is no evidence "so far" that hackers accessed any third-party apps or websites as a result of the huge data breach.
The tech giant revealed last week that hackers stole so-called access tokens to accounts of at least 50 million users. A further 40 million users may also be affected by the attack.
Facebook's vice president of product management Guy Rosen wrote in a blog post on Tuesday that the access tokens had been reset for 90 million affected users.
"We have now analysed our logs for all third-party apps installed or logged in during the attack we discovered last week," Mr Rosen wrote.
"That investigation has so far found no evidence that the attackers accessed any apps using Facebook Login. Any developer using our official Facebook SDKs – and all those that have regularly checked the validity of their users' access tokens – were automatically protected when we reset people's access tokens."
In order to minimise the risks of the security vulnerability, Facebook logged all affected users out as a precaution.
Unfortunately, Mr Rosen admitted that not all Facebook developers use the firm's developer tools, so a tool is being built "to enable developers to manually identify the users of their apps who may have been affected, so that they can log them out."
Following the data breach, hacked Facebook accounts appeared for sale on the dark web, though it was not clear from the vendor's description whether they relate to the hack.
The hacked accounts were selling for between $3 and $12 each, with security experts warning that cyber criminals could use the data to commit identity theft or blackmail users with compromising information.
In a post to Facebook last week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: "We face constant attacks from people who want to take over accounts or steal information around the world... The reality is we need to continue developing new tools to prevent this from happening in the first place."
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As Shoptalk reported last month, a new record store has opened in the north end. Sure it sounds unlikely, but we assure you it’s true. Obsolete Records
(2454 Agricola Street) is having it grand opening Saturday, May 22. The event will kick off at noon and will feature performances from Julie Doiron, Jon McKiel
and more local artists to be announced. There’ll be album giveaways and food, so, come check out Obsolete's amazing selection of vinyl and CDs, enjoy live performances, and even win some records.
May 19, 2:35pm.
The starting time for the opening has been changed to 11am on Saturday.


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Despite Google not announcing it at I/O 2013, it’s been clear that Android 4.3 has been under development, leaving many of us wondering just when Google might hope to finally make it official. While most of the 4.3 evidence has come from the likes of server logs, today we get a first-hand look at the software in action, with a number of images appearing to show Android 4.3 running on a Nexus 4.
Supposedly snapped at a Thai mobile expo, these shots show Android 4.3 build JWR45B in action, prepared just a little earlier this month. We don’t get anything close to an exhaustive look at the phone, limiting what changes we can spot, but there’s definitely some new stuff going on with the phone’s camera app. Instead of controls appearing in a ring when you tap-to-focus, they’re now grouped around the shutter button.
Problem is, none of this puts us any closer to nailing-down Google’s Android 4.3 launch plans. Is what we heard about a June launch, alongside the white Nexus 4 accurate? Will we have to wait until some in the second half of the year? For now, the ball’s in Google’s court.
Update: Now with video!
Source: XDA-Developers forum


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Farrall’s Group Key to the organisation’s recent rebranding as Farrall’s Group was a desire to create a striking and professional livery with a modern lease of life. A new main icon was introduced – a combination of the F & G from Farrall’s Group – which looks to highlight the company’s ability to work as a team. The existing colour palate of red and amber was retained but with more depth and flare than in previous designs. Farrall’s also introduced […]
Fagan & Whalley and Farrall’s Transport have revealed the new livery for their 4PL joint-venture FF&W.
Andrew Palmer, MD at Motor Transport Award-winning Suttons Group, is to retire at the end of April. John Sutton, who currently manages the group’s international division, will take on Palmer’s responsibilities as group MD from 1 May. Palmer (pictured second from right with Christine Bond of Mexichem Fluor) will step down from his full-time executive role on 30 April, but will join parent company Thomas Cradley Holdings’ (TCH) board as non-executive director in May. TCH chairman Michael Sutton said: “The […]
Potter Group Logistics unveiled its new livery today (1 January) and has also changed its name to Potter Logistics. The refreshed image, which has retained its signature yellow colour, will be featured on its signs, uniforms, website and marketing materials, as well as 20 new trucks and trailers which will be added to its fleet tomorrow (2 January). It has developed the new identity in consultation with the Potter family, adding the statement ‘handled with care’. MD Matthew Lamb said: […]


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Looking forward several years, there will be three important factors that will determine the economic and investment outlook. They are decoupling, deflation and demand. The decoupling concept is based on the question, “Can the United States economy expand at about 3% if the rest of the world is in recession or experiencing diminished growth?” The deflation concept is supported by the decline in the price of oil and other commodities, plus the willingness or necessity of the unemployed throughout the world to take a job at almost any level of compensation. Less discussed, but possibly most important, is whether sufficient demand for goods and services exists throughout the world to produce at least modest growth and enough jobs in the major industrialized countries. Right now, various estimates for world real GDP growth this year are just under 3%, but deflation could bring nominal growth lower.
The decoupling idea has gotten off to a slow start. As a result of both the decline in the price of oil and the strength of the dollar, strategists have reduced their estimates for growth for the overall U.S. economy to something approaching 2%, and analysts have reduced their estimates of operating earnings for the Standard and Poor’s 500 to about $120 from $125. 2014 earnings were $118. Energy accounts for approximately 12% of the index weighting and only 6% of the estimated earnings, but oil and energy service company earnings estimates are being reduced by analysts everywhere. A downward adjustment in earnings expectations also seems warranted because the strength of the dollar is increasing costs and reducing translated profits for American companies operating abroad.
The fourth quarter real growth of 2014 was reported at 2.6%, disappointing most analysts. Inventory building accounted for .8%, and a good part of that was probably involuntary. Housing and capital spending were weak, and government spending and trade actually detracted from growth. Wage growth was also less than expected. The January employment report, however, provided some encouragement. Non-farm payrolls increased by 257,000, bringing the three-month increase to the highest in 17 years. Average hourly earnings were up 2.2% over the past year and, with more jobs being created, wage growth should improve. January showed an increase of .5%. The unemployment rate rose from 5.5% to 5.7% as the participation rate notched up, but an increase in the number of people entering the work force is a positive for the economy. Recent data on initial unemployment claims and job openings were both favorable.
Geopolitical conditions have fostered the mood of uncertainty. Russian-sponsored troops have moved aggressively in Ukraine, but now there is a fragile cease-fire that freezes the territorial lines and gives President Putin much of what he wants. While Kurdish troops took back an important city from ISIS, the threat of Islamic extremists remains serious in the region. A new king is in place in Saudi Arabia, creating some uncertainty on future oil production there. The March 24 deadline for an agreement with Iran to pull back from its nuclear weapons development program is approaching, but progress has been uneven. The country is resisting inspection of its facilities, and Congress is considering increasing sanctions. The European Central Bank has announced a program of quantitative easing, which begins this month, yet it is not clear if it will be enough to keep the continent out of a deflationary recession. Leaders from the new Greek government have compromised with their creditors on a four-month extension of the current aid program. The Syriza government had no choice, because capital flows out of the banks were threatening the financial system and the country faced the prospect of not being able to pay civil employees or pensions.
The mix of these positive and negative events has disheartened investors. Sentiment in the U.S. has moved from optimistic to neutral, on its way to settling into a state of caution that will provide a foundation for a better market later in the year if the fundamental framework turns positive, as I expect, in spite of the economic problems abroad. Equities perform better when investors are nervous, not euphoric. While the market has been volatile, it has risen 2.6% year-to-date. At current prices, the valuation of the S&P 500 is about 17 times based on trailing (12-month) earnings, a long way from the bubble points of past cycles of 25 to 30 times. There are, however, other measures of valuation that are more disturbing. Robert Shiller of Yale uses the cyclically adjusted price earnings ratio, which looks back a decade. It is now at 27.5, comparable to 1929 and 2000 levels. Gavekal Dragonomics looks at the aggregate stock market value compared to U.S. gross domestic product. At the current 155%, it is comparable to the 2007 level, but U.S. companies operate more globally than they did back then. I remain optimistic that 2015 will be a positive year for U.S. equities.
The second major concern is deflation. In the U.S., the GDP deflator was negative .1% at year-end. In Europe, the Consumer Price Index was down .6%. The deflation fear is likely to be supported by data for the next few months. Even in China, recent signs of deflation have brought on calls for monetary easing. In my view, this is largely because of the sharp decline in the price of oil, which, at its low, was down more than 50% over the past year. While this may help consumers, it is a major factor fostering the widespread talk of deflation. There are some signs, including the sharp drop in the rig count, that the price of oil may be bottoming, although the evidence is not conclusive. If that happens, the deflation argument could be neutralized. With storage capacity full, however, the possibility of a further oil price decline is feared. Excess production has to be sold somewhere.
The problem with deflation is that it encourages consumers to defer spending in anticipation of lower prices at a future date. With central banks around the world in a generally accommodating position, you would think inflation concerns would be on everyone’s mind. I understand that the data do not support the inflation view, but a modest increase in the price of oil could turn the deflation thesis around. The January U.S. employment report showing an increase in average hourly earnings adds to the case that deflation is not likely to occur in the U.S. this year. I have observed that inflation through the ages is largely influenced by house prices and wage rates, and both should be headed somewhat higher in 2015.
The situation in Europe is somewhat worse. The Ukraine conflict and the concern about Russian expansionism have made many consumers cautious. The terrorist attacks in France have darkened the mood there. While Greece is only a small part of the European Union, the possibility of default and withdrawal is a negative for the Continent. Also, Europe has an unemployment rate double that of the U.S., with youth unemployment twice the overall level, which has deflationary implications. While I do not think deflation will be a problem in the United States or China for long, it may continue in Europe. In general, I do not expect it to be a major factor in the world economy this year. Interest rates will remain low and money supply is expanding almost everywhere, which should reduce deflationary expectations.
The concept of demand is more elusive. You would expect the combination of monetary expansion coupled with population growth to increase the demand for goods and services. The middle class in poorer regions of the world, such as India and China, is expanding rapidly. The problem is that the supply of manufactured products is also increasing, and world income does not seem to be growing fast enough to absorb all these goods at the same or increasing prices. The issue of inequality may also be at play here. Those in the higher brackets spend a smaller proportion of their income on goods and services than those in the middle or lower quintiles. In 1980, the top 1% of United States earners accounted for about 8% of total income. In 2010, the figure was 19%.
The year 1980 was seminal for the supply/demand equation. Two factors came into prominence that endure to this day and will persist. The first is globalization beginning with the rise of China after the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976. Two years later, Deng Xiaoping’s implementation of reforms led to the country’s industrial expansion. Russia’s abandonment of the command economy followed a decade later, and India opened up as well. At first, we viewed these changes as providing three billion new customers for our products, but these countries became competitors as well, producing quality products at attractive prices.
The second factor was technology, which enabled products to be manufactured and services provided by fewer workers. Robots began to appear in factories, and many service workers found themselves displaced by technology. What’s more, the new jobs created in technology required a level of quantitative skill higher than that possessed by those who did not continue their education beyond high school. The combination of more efficient manufacturing; fewer jobs created by the new, Internet-related industries; and a growing world population helps explain our current slow wage improvement and job creation problems. It is unlikely that this condition can be turned around by monetary policy alone. Fiscal stimulus will be necessary. Economic growth in the future may be accompanied by meager job creation, and wages may increase only modestly. The supply of goods and services will continue to expand. The challenge is whether future buying power will be sufficient to produce jobs at reasonable wages for the growing population, but this is a longer-term problem.
Over the near term, the question is: How bad is the fundamental framework of the world economy? Some of the recent concern in the U.S. may be related to the 3.4% December decline in durable goods orders. Capital spending and housing were supposed to be two positives for the economy in 2015. Recent data from the National Association of Independent Businesses was encouraging with respect to small business hiring and capital expenditures. However, some of this will be offset by a slowdown in capital spending in the energy sector. As for housing, the increase in employment among the 16–34 age group, where most family formations occur, is a positive sign that has been reflected in recent data on housing starts, now running at an annual rate of over one million. Single-family starts were the fastest in seven years. Home prices were up and mortgage rates were down, factors which should sustain housing’s momentum. Family formations soared in the fourth quarter, boding well for housing and durable goods spending.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama said that the average family could save $750 on gasoline in 2015 compared with last year. December retail sales were down almost 1%, indicating that the expected boost in retail sales has yet to appear. Perhaps consumers are catching up on unpaid bills and other debts, but at some point consumer spending, the single largest component of the U.S. economy, should improve. Based on past oil price declines, consumer spending only improves after a lag, and right now the focus is more on services or “experiences” than goods. The rise in the University of Michigan Confidence Index indicates that consumers are feeling more positive about the outlook and may be willing to step up their spending.
Also, the news out of Europe isn’t all bad. Spanish GDP for the recent quarter was reported at 2.8% and retail sales were improving. French consumer spending also increased. Economic expectations were improving in Germany while exports were strong as a result of the decline in the euro, and consumer confidence was rising in Italy. All of this has been happening prior to the start of the European Central Bank’s monetary stimulus program. China may be slowing, but it is still growing faster than most emerging markets, and it is the world’s second largest economy. Their debt to GDP ratio enables them to implement some further stimulus. Better economic data are even coming out of Japan, where exports are up sharply. There may be some evidence of recoupling, rather than decoupling, in that Europe and Japan are showing signs of strength.
I also believe the geopolitical situation will become more stable during the year. I think U.S. GDP will increase close to 3%, and, taking into account that the valuation framework is favorable, the S&P 500 will have another positive year. I do not believe deflation is a serious near-term problem and concern about it will diminish over the coming months. My big worry is whether supply will overwhelm demand in the years ahead. Right now, I’m not too concerned about decoupling and deflation. Assessing all of this economic data, I cannot help but wonder whether the world economic outlook is as bad as the consensus view.


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YouTube has announced further restrictions on the use of the site beyond the existing rules for striking channel owners off when videos deemed unsuitable are uploaded, in a clear indication that all the steps it has taken over the last 10 months to sanitise the platform have not had the desired effect.
The algorithm used by YouTube to recommend videos related to one that a user is viewing appears to often lead to conspiracy theories, partisan viewpoints and misleading clips, even though the viewer has not shown any interest in that kind of content.
Tech stocks in the US took a hit as the rest of the market nosedived on Tuesday, with Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Alphabet, Cisco and Sony being among the notable names affected.
Telstra had a badly run down copper distribution phone system.NBN has a large chunk of their network on an antiquated[…]
Just sell the whole thing to Telstra already. It can't get any worse.
I have no words to describe this development.Are they out of their minds?!In what universe would you choose to run[…]
There is a 25/5 speed tier, which used to be the default that all the ISPs were using, but then[…]
I would have thought that any secrecy agreement that Snowden signed when he was employed by the NSA and CIA[…]


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Hydrogen wants to keep combustion engines alive. And everything that opposes it, including hydrogen
jump to Electric car This, for many people, is the only way. And there are those who believe that this technology will not prevail, despite the fact that the European Union has already approved the ban on the sale of combustion engine vehicles, because a future Euro 7 regulation will put little electrified propellers on Cables.
Along the way, we read that the EU will keep them for synthetic fuels, when they have to meet requirements that seem complicated today. And with this proposal, which is supported in Germany or Italy, comes a few others.
For example, the use of hydrogen. This piqued the interest of Hyundai, but also of Stelantis, who showed us their fuel cell vans. At the moment, refueling is expensive and above all, what is the transport complicate its extension, But there is another way. A path in which the combustion engine and hydrogen travel side by side. Whether this road ends at Nani’s House or the Wolf’s Cave, only time will tell.
part of a strategy
Toyota, which is already immersed in hydrogen vehicles with its Toyota Mirai, is exploring new ways to use it. In June, we learned that Yamaha would also join them in their search for a V8 combustion engine that could be powered by hydrogen.
Over the years, Toyota has been one of the companies that has made the most of electrification. Your Toyota Prius is the best example of this. A strategy strongly rejected even by the most fervent sports car fans, who repeatedly criticized the Japanese firm for “making washing machines” or “making tools with wheels”.
For several years, Toyota has wanted to change its image. The launch of their Toyota GT86, a reinvention of the current Toyota GR86, Toyota GR Supra or Toyota GR Yaris, from the recent World Rally Championship. And its advances in hydrogen combustion engines are no coincidence.
Yamaha, which has been exploring this path for five years, and Toyota are studying the feasibility of a powerful The 5.0-liter V8 develops 450 hp. with Which looks like a bygone era. And not just as a metaphor, one of the great inducements used to champion the development of these engines is precisely this: their sound.
“Everyone who came to test the prototype was a little skeptical, but they finally had a big smile on their face. Looking at it, I began to believe that the unique characteristics of the hydrogen engine really had great potential. . . My colleague Carlos Prego echoed the words of Takeshi Yamada, a member of the Japanese firm’s technical research and development center team.
dispel many doubts
The intrinsic motivation he now has at Toyota must continue to fuel him with new results. And although the project is taking its first steps, it seems difficult for us to see hydrogen heat engine Like something more than a propeller designed by and for the greatest lovers of sporty driving and its sensations.
In its tests, Toyota also placed its CEO, Aikido Toyoda, To drive one of the Toyota Corollas Competition with those who test these propellants. The Fuji 24 Hours was the perfect setting to test this new line of development.
And the results don’t look so good. Liquid hydrogen is used to power the cylinders of these cars, but despite this carry 180 liters On top of that, the Corolla had to stop to refuel every 10 laps. Or, what amounts to the same thing, every 40 or 45 kilometers. In fact, during the race, it stood still, just refueling, for a full four hours. In all, he needed 35 pit stops to complete the entire race.
Although liquid hydrogen combustion engines sound like the propellers that sports car enthusiasts love, they help keep some mechanical masterpieces alive. But unfortunately, they are very ineffective.
Guile García Alfonsín, engineer and automotive expert, explains in a Twitter thread that to bring hydrogen to a liquid state, a big energy expenditure And in addition, this type of propellant is about four times less efficient than a fuel cell.
With current technology, the efficiency of a hydrogen fuel cell in an existing vehicle is around 50-60%.
The combustion efficiency of the same hydrogen in an internal combustion engine is less than 35%.
— Guille G. Alfonsin (@GuilleAlfonsin) October 24, 2021
They have this complex… at least in Europe
In addition to their efficiency, hydrogen thermal engines have another problem: they continue to emit polluting emissions. That is, they face the same problem as engines running on synthetic fuel.
With its operation, this type of thrusters continue to emit NOx And they are not exempt from the fact that part of the oil used in lubrication leaks into the combustion chamber, producing CO and PMx (particulate matter in suspension). Fine particles (PMx 2.5) are of particular concern to the European Union, which is also looking for solutions to regulate the triggering of braking.
Toyota, on the other hand, says it wants to go carbon neutral by 2050, so either these engines are going too far or, conversely, their industry isn’t happening. In Europe, of course, the decisions that have been made capture any technology that is not an electric vehicle and, while possible, selling a combustion engine in a new car after 2035 seems too complicated. East.
However, it should not be forgotten that, EuropeThe automotive industry neither begins nor ends. In fact, even European commissioners have encouraged European companies to continue developing combustion engines for foreign markets. It remains to be seen in what position the rest of the market is positioned, even if China has found a mine to exploit with an electric vehicle.
In Japan, the commitment to hydrogen is frozen, but one wonders why the fuel cell, much more efficient than these thermal engines and with the expulsion of water vapor through the exhaust pipe, could lead to this new path opened up by Toyota. Not everything is there to dominate. , For example, from Honda itself, they consider the strategy to be bad.
success or number of these engines Powered by hydrogen, time will tell, but, again, it looks like it will be used, if so, again for specific, real-life hypotheses.


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Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Google Challenges Apple, Amazon with Music and Movies
In a missive aimed at Apple's ecosystem, Google debuted Music Beta at the Google I/O conference. Users of Android devices can upload music to Google's Music Beta and then stream it to PCs and mobile devices, and even listen offline. Android users can also rent movies. Apple is expected to debut a music service soon, while Amazon.com already has one.
This time, the rumors were true. Google Relevant Products/Services debuted a music service at the Google I/O conference Relevant Products/Services. And more than music -- movies -- as it cranks up the competition against Apple's ecosystem.
Dubbed Music Beta by Google, the new service lets Android smartphone Relevant Products/Services users upload their music collection to the cloud Relevant Products/Services for streaming. The music can stream to a mobile Relevant Products/Services device Relevant Products/Services or a PC.
"With the new service, your music and playlists are automatically kept in sync, so if you create a new playlist on your phone, it's instantly available on your computer Relevant Products/Services or tablet Relevant Products/Services," Hugo Barra, Android product management director, wrote in a blog post. "You can use a feature called Instant Mix to create a playlist of songs that go well together."
Barra said Android users can also listen to music offline. Music Beta by Google automatically stores a listener's most recently played music on his or her Android device. Users can choose to make specific albums or playlists available when they are not connected.
The service is launching in beta for U.S. users and is available by invitation. Google could run into trouble, though. That's because rumor has it that the search giant hasn't inked deals with record labels to stream music.
"Google reportedly was having trouble negotiating licenses with the record labels, so it has gone ahead and decided to launch its delayed music service," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. "It will likely allow for uploading and storage Relevant Products/Services of music and streaming to connected devices, including Android handsets. But there doesn't appear to be a music store connected to this at this point. That could change if Google is later able to secure Relevant Products/Services the licenses from the major labels."
Google didn't stop with an Apple onslaught. The company also added movies for rent to the Android market. Android device users can choose to rent from thousands of movies, starting at $1.99. Users can also rent a movie on a home computer and make it available for viewing on an Android tablet or phone.
Apple has yet to respond with a cloud-based music service, but analysts expect an announcement soon. Amazon.com was the first to market with a service that lets consumers store music in the cloud. In late March, Amazon announced a cloud-based streaming-music locker.
Amazon Cloud Drive, Amazon Cloud Player for Web, and Amazon Cloud Player for Android let customers store and play music on Android devices. Amazon kicked the competition up a notch when it made an adjustment to its service that makes it possible for iPhone and iPad Relevant Products/Services users to tap into the Cloud Player service.
Even while the big boys duke it out in music, smaller competitors continue to emerge. On Tuesday, Exvo Music announced a cloud music service with a social twist. Unlimited storage on Exvo Music is free so long as users invite their friends. The service automatically sorts files into songs, albums and artists in alphabetical order, and even searches for matching cover art when users upload a new song.


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The Parisian Macao Professionals Rally to Celebrate Upcoming Beginning Play Dragon Link Pokies Online
The Parisian Macao Professionals Rally free online aristocrat pokies to Celebrate Upcoming Beginning
Making use of Parisian Macao coming closer to its huge opening, gambling user Sands China conducted two rallies for staff members at Macau’s most recent built-in casino vacation resort. The $3-billion resort and casino resort is slated to open up gates on September 13, less than 30 days after Wynn holiday resorts slice the bow of Wynn Palace, its Macau that is first land.
More than 6,000 employees that will be operating from the Parisian Macao accumulated together on Tuesday and Wednesday to celebrate best online pokies for australian players the upcoming starting, analyze each other, and showcase their uniforms off. Of all of the 6,000 staff members, about 3,700 are transported from Sands China’s different properties that are macau-based.
The gambling driver stated inside a statement from these days that every people which happen to be is used in the new vacation resort posses undergone special training guides in order to feel introduced on the Parisian Macao’s supplying. As its name proposes, The Parisian Macao is motivated by the City that is legendary of.
Of the two people’ rallies used in the last 2 days, Sands Asia President Dr. Wilfred Wong stated his team will never were able to render experience that is unique their consumers, whether it had not been because of its downline.
As mentioned above, The Parisian Macao, the most recent inclusion to Sands China’s luxury resort and real cash pokies online casino homes across Macau, will debut on September 13 with 3,000 hotel rooms and rooms, a convention and fulfilling center, several as well as beverage choice, an exclusively water park, the Shoppes at Parisian retail center, along with a 1,200-seat movie theater, among many facilities. All facilities during the involved were created to be able to reminisce of Paris. A half-scale reproduction of the legendary Eiffel Tower will enhance the atmosphere that is all-French the house.
Since it has started to become obvious before this times, The Parisian Macao is likely to be founded best online pokies australia reviews by way of a utter of 410 live-dealer video gaming dining tables. Of those, 310 have already been relocated from other Sands China attributes. The remaining 100 will soon be ones that are new given by Macau’s national. Sands China asserted that it’s been allowed to add 50 most tables that are new two tranches. Easily put, 25 devices that are new go in the casino on January 1, 2017. The residual 25 is going to be set up a season later on. Of all australian regulated online pokies of the games dining tables the vacation resort will getting unwrapped with, 49 is likely to be meant for VIP gaming people.
Aside from the games dining tables, the casino will additionally showcase up to 1,600 slot machine games on its mass-market floors.
Caesars to Release Skill-Based Games at Land-Based Gambling Enterprises
Big casino operator Caesars activities Corp. revealed that using a agreement that is multi-year creator of skill-based casino material and relevant merchandise Gamblit Gaming, the gambling enterprises is the basic to highlight the game development studio’s skill-based gaming opportunities.
Caesars said on a Wednesday declaration it would locate Gamblit video gaming’s Tristation and design G video gaming opportunities to their south best paying online pokies California properties. Most opportunities can be installed throughout the driver’s casinos around Nevada, provided it gets the mandatory regulatory affirmation. Gamblit games goods will even be rolling away across other industries from inside the several months to come.
Harrah’s Rincon is the property that is first possess skill-based video gaming jobs put in at their properties. Each of the stated positions will include a plethora of motifs and various skill-based video lightning link pokies online free games, all aimed at attracting the younger generation of casino professionals.
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It's now a few weeks since Google announced Accelerated Mobile Pages. When the project was unveiled, there were just 30 or so partners on board and no indication of when AMP would be made available to everyone. Now Google has revealed that the acceleration program will start to roll out early next year.
There are now, according to Google, thousands of publishers who have expressed interest in AMP. With many of these representing a large number of newspapers, TV and radio stations, the range of content is looking promising. As this is Google, a focus on ads should be expected, and now Outbrain, AOL, OpenX, DoubleClick, and AdSense are adopting the AMP spec.
By adopting Google's framework, these ad partners will work together to improve the overall ad experience for web users with a focus on performance. Analytics are something that advertisers are extremely interested in, but it's also data that bloggers and admins need access to.
With a changing ecosystem, the fear may be that data would not be available in the same way, or with the same level of detail. To ensure that people are provided with the information they need, Google has confirmation from comScore, Adobe Analytics, Parse.ly and Chartbeat that they will provide AMP analytics.
In a blog post, Google's David Besbris and Richard Gingras write:


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A former Starbucks barista in Hillsboro has sued the coffee giant, saying it discriminated against her based on her Wiccan religion.
In a complaint filed Jan. 8 in U.S. District Court in Portland, Alicia Hedum said a manager at Starbucks’ Hillsboro Landing cafe asked her to remove her Wiccan cross several times, even though other employees, including the manager, wore Christian crosses.
Hedum accused Starbucks of retaliating by refusing to promote or transfer her, reducing her hours and scrutinizing her “minor tardiness.”
A Starbucks spokesman said she was unaware of the lawsuit.
Wicca, a nature-based religion often described as a form of witchcraft, has been the subject of other employment discrimination cases. A Wiccan member of the Industrial Workers of the World union complained last year to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that a New York City Starbucks discriminated against her based on religion.
Hedum worked for Starbucks in Cornelius and Hillsboro from March 2004 until her Aug. 29, 2005, dismissal. Hedum’s suit also accused the retailer of retaliation, wrongful discharge and workers’ compensation discrimination.
Hedum’s attorney, Craig Crispin, did not make her available for comment.


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NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh government today said it has inked a pact with Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) under which the auto major would introduce its electric vehicles in Amravati, the state's upcoming capital city.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was today inked in Amravati in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Minister for IT Nara Lokesh and TKM Managing Director Akito Tachibana.
"We look forward to this association to introduce Toyota's world-class electrified vehicles in Amravati. We will try ten latest electric vehicles which will be delivered between May and December 2018," Lokesh said in a statement.
Andhra Pradesh government is keen to be a hub for electric vehicle ecosystem and is working on bringing in a comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) policy as well as setting up the required charging infrastructure, he added.
"We would like to acknowledge the proactive support and cooperation extended by government of Andhra Pradesh in executing the feasibility study on introduction of Toyota's electrified vehicles Prius PHEV and small EV commuter," Tachibana said.
Based on allegations, Mahindra said it had initiated an inquiry using a top consulting firm on the process of tooling purchases in its Automotive CDMM function. Following this, it indicated violations of the Code of Conduct by Rajneesh Vashishth-Vice President AD CDMM.
Videos of Epluto scooters on fire have gone viral on social media raising concerns over the safety aspect of EVs in general. If not nipped in the bud, it can potentially undermine India's nascent electric mobility revolution.


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HONG KONG, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong recorded a surplus of 94.3 billion HK dollars (about 12.15 billion U.S. dollars) in its balance of payments account in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with the previous quarter's 37.9 billion HK dollars, the city's Census & Statistics Department said Thursday.
For 2012 as a whole, the balance of payments surplus stood at 188.9 billion HK dollars, compared with a surplus of 86.8 billion HK dollars in 2011.
A current-account surplus of 9.6 billion HK dollars was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with a surplus of 18.3 billion HK dollars a year earlier.X The department attributed the drop to an increase in the visible trade deficit and an increase in the net outflow of secondary income, partly offset by an increase in the invisible trade surplus and an increase in the net inflow of primary income.
With imports of goods increasing faster than exports of goods, the visible trade deficit increased from 10.4 billion HK dollars in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 31.6 billion HK dollars in the same quarter of 2012. The invisible trade surplus increased from 33.1 billion HK dollars to 41.4 billion HK dollars, as exports of services increased while imports of services decreased.
Overall, a combined visible and invisible trade surplus of 9.8 billion HK dollars was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to 22.7 billion HK dollars for the same quarter of 2011. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.762 HK dollars)
China's financial might takes shape
Top 10 Chinese cities with highest urbanization quality
Chinese investment in Africa: Digging deeper
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Nation may limit gold to 2% of foreign reserves
Lu Zhaoxi named Alibaba's new CEO


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Cover Photo – Hurghada – Reuters
CAIRO - 11 October 2017: Among the hundreds of promotional videos for the most touristic locations all over the world created by the well-known British agency Thomas Cook, Egypt is one of the most promoted countries.
Thomas Cook posted an Oct. 1 video on Facebook promoting tourism in Egypt by featuring the marvelous places it offers to visitors. The video shows Hurghada as an alternative tourist center over Sharm El-Sheikh, as the U.K. has not lifted the direct flight ban to the latter since late 2015.
The video shows the beauty of the Red Sea with its coral reefs and crystal clear water where around 1,200 aquatic species dwell.
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Lower and later liquor license fees among latest Arlington Heights relief measures
Arlington Heights will extend some additional financial relief to local businesses -- particularly restaurants -- amid the ongoing pandemic and resulting second ban on indoor dining.
The plan includes additional rebates on liquor license fees for most license holders and deferral of due dates, as well as allowing later repayments for emergency small business loans.
"We know from our contacts in the restaurant community, and just our own observations, that with the forced closure of indoor dining, and with the elimination of outdoor dining due to the weather, cash flow is an issue for many of our restaurants," Village Manager Randy Recklaus said.
The village board last week unanimously approved Recklaus' set of COVID-19 business relief recommendations, which he called "a first step," pending possible federal and state relief measures. And, Recklaus said, his staff will be soliciting additional input from local businesses about ways to help.
The initiative calls for slashing annual liquor license fees by an additional 25% -- on top of a 25% cut the board approved in May -- for all license holders except packaged liquor stores. In some cases, Recklaus said, those retailers are doing better than during a typical year.
The village will also extend the due date for new 2021 liquor license fees for all businesses from April 30, 2021, to June 30, 2021.
"Sometimes that's a large bill to pay," Recklaus said. "We know that some of our businesses kind of make up or save that money during the holiday season when they do a little better, and that's been taken away from them. So we want to provide a little bit of leniency and say those payments can be due in June instead of April."
Last May, the village modified a small business zero-interest loan program, increasing the maximum individual loan amount of $5,000 to $10,000, with a three-year payback period set to begin at the start of the new year. But officials agreed this week to defer the loan payment due date to June 1.
In total, the latest relief measures will cost the village $75,000, and will be funded through general fund reserves in the 2020 budget, Recklaus said.


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Australian equity-based crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd has announced the close of its second deal - a $50,000 raise towards fashion technology start-up Fame & Partners.
The news is another demonstration of the possibilities equity crowdfunding presents in Australia. 15 investors participated in the equity crowdfunding platform powered by Artesian Venture Partners.
Crowdfunding - a process allowing for a large amount of individual investors to make small investments in companies - has taken off worldwide but is just finding its feet in Australia.
Investment group The Sydney Angels conducted due diligence and invested the majority of the round, while investors in the 'crowd’ used VentureCrowd to invest a further $50,000.
Fame & Partners makes dresses for special events on demand using a proprietary algorithm that determines what's trending, along with a vertically integrated supply chain. Shoppers are able to customise the dress to suit their taste and body shape.
The start-up's founder and chief executive Nyree Corby said she would will be using the funding to expand into the US market and invest further into the company's technology-enabled supply chain.
“We are a team that loves fashion and technology. The mish mash of the two means that millions of girls are inspiring other girls, every day, with style inspiration; we love that this sharing is shaping a culture of girls that want an individual look. This also happens to provide us with an incredibly rich data source to understand what they want.
“What’s unique about Fame & Partners, is combining this algorithmic insight into a real time, heavily optimised, tech-enabled and on demand supply chain; this allows us to respond to fashion trends fast and our customers to tweak dress features and colour, to make it theirs.
“As a team that admires innovation, it was only a natural fit for us to work with VentureCrowd as a funding source. We were thrilled on that basis to offer access to this deal to a wider range of people than a traditional funding route may have.”
“Historically, investors have only received access to deals like this by being very close to the entrepreneur or founding team," he said.
“VentureCrowd provided exclusive access for smaller investment amounts in this deal to sophisticated investors. Crowdfunding creative works or prototypes through the likes of Kickstarter or Indiegogo are relatively common, but there are still a lot of people that don’t realise you can invest in a high growth startup and actually receive equity in the business.
“We’re thrilled that Australian entrepreneurs are realising the benefits of equity-based crowdfunding to help launch and grow their startups, and the public are able to receive equity in exciting new businesses.”
Investors can invest as little as $1,000 with no maximum on the VentureCrowd platform.
Meanwhile the federal government has opened discussion on developing a regulatory model for crowdsourced equity funding in Australia, releasing a discussion paper earlier this month.
The paper looks at different methods for creating a regulatory framework for a new funding model that would allow small investments from a large number of investors into a company.
Artesian's Mr Heasley said Australia was struggling to match more established crowdfunding markets.
"The Financial System Inquiry report is yet another voice of support behind introducing equity–based crowdfunding in Australia," Mr Heasley said.
"It's correct in recognising that crowdfunding will incentivise innovation and competition in the financial system, while noting the measures needed to protect retail investors.
"Australia is falling behind the United States, New Zealand, Canada, the UK and others in being slow to adopt equity crowdfunding, which has the potential to more than double the amount of early-stage investment in Australian companies."
VentureCrowd went live in December 2013, armed with a funding model that seeks to partner with a broad range of key participants in the local market, including accelerators, incubators, universities, digital agencies and corporate venturing programs.
Posted from : http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/12/16/technology/equity-crowdfunding-gathers-more-fame-and-partners


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Papa Murphy’s is appointing Mekanism as its new creative AOR to oversee strategy and integrated creative campaigns across TV, social, radio and local market activations out of the agency’s Seattle office.
Managing director Lisa Zakroff and creative director Hart Rusen will lead the account out of Seattle, which was originally opened to service the Alaska Airlines business in 2016.
Mekanism’s in-house social media agency Epic Signal and in-house production company Sister will also assist on the account.
Seattle-based agency Wongdoody served as the incumbent agency that launched Papa’s Murphy’s first national campaign last year.
It is unclear whether Mekanism will continue to retain the brand’s Love At 425 Degree tagline.
“We selected Mekanism because their unique creative ideas are designed to appeal to both our younger target audience and our current customers,” stated Diana Douglas, vice president, field marketing and creative services, Papa Murphy’s International. “They were able to capture the soul of the Papa Murphy’s brand while modernizing our voice, showcase the importance of storytelling across today’s digital-heavy media landscape.”
Papa Murphy’s ad budget was $30 million in the U.S. last year, up from $28 million in 2016, according to Kantar Media.
Unlike other pizza operators, Papa Murphy’s doesn’t have ovens. Instead, it serves take and bake pizzas. The chain currently operates more than 1,500 franchised and corporate-owned fresh pizza stores in 39 states, Canada and United Arab Emirates.
from Media Post: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/317393/mekanism-bakes-up-papa-murphys-business.html


text: New Delhi, Dec 20 (ANI): The Miss Transqueen India pageant crowned Shaine Soni as its winner for the year 2020 at an event in Delhi on December 19. Fashion designer by profession, Soni will now represent India at the Miss International Queen pageant that is set to take place in Thailand next year. Shaine Soni is a renowned name in the fashion industry. After winning the pageant, she said that she will take this opportunity to work for the empowerment and betterment of transwomen. This marks the fourth year of the Miss Transqueen pageant which celebrates the spirit of the LGBTQ+ community.


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EMC has apparently stared down NetApp and won the bidding war over de-duplication and backup vendor Data Domain. But NetApp will walk away from the failed negotiations with a cool $US57 million.
NetApp Wednesday announced it will not raise its $US1.9 billion offer to purchase Data Domain and has terminated the merger agreement, resulting in payment of a termination fee.
EMC and NetApp have been fighting over Data Domain for more than a month, with the price rising from $US1.5 billion to $US2.1 billion - the latter number offered by EMC this week.
Data Domain stockholders had been scheduled to vote on the merger agreement with NetApp on Aug. 14. Instead, it appears Data Domain and EMC will likely strike a merger agreement.
EMC's $US2.1 billion offer for Data Domain was all cash, compared to NetApp's cash-and-stock offer.
Data Domain previously rejected a $US1.8 billion offer from EMC, noting that it would have to pay NetApp the $US57 million termination fee if it did not go through with the acquisition.
EMC criticized the companies for requiring such a termination fee. But NetApp announced Wednesday that it did receive the $US57 million break-up fee from Data Domain.
Data Domain's de-duplication technology, which can dramatically reduce ever-growing storage requirements, is highly covered by both EMC and NetApp.
"While NetApp's acquisition of Data Domain would have produced benefits for customers and employees and complemented NetApp's existing growth trajectory, we remain highly confident in our already compelling strategic plan, market opportunities, and competitive strengths," NetApp CEO Dan Warmenhoven said in a press release. "NetApp applies a disciplined approach to acquisitions, one focused intently on creating long-term value for our stockholders. We therefore cannot justify engaging in an increasingly expensive and dilutive bidding war that would diminish the deal's strategic and financial benefits."


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Moët hennessy louis vuitton news and archive
LVMH introduces blockchain to prevent luxury counterfeits
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton is working to solve the global problem of counterfeited luxury goods. The luxury group has launched AURA, the first international blockchain made to help consumers trace the and authenticity of luxury goods. The AURA platform was developed through Microsoft and blockchain software company ConsenSys. Multiple LVMH...
21 May 2019


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Today ACCESS, a provider of advanced IT solutions, has announced that its product portfolio has been deployed by Reliance Jio Infocomm to power its multiscreen service, which currently reaches over 100 million subscribers across India.
India is one of the most prolific content provider in the whole world and has one of the highest rates of local consumption. It currently has 1 billion mobile devices currently in use and a significant portion of them will become smartphone users over the next five years, driving content consumption across the region. With this in mind, mobile operators and multiscreen service providers need to ensure that content is delivered seamlessly and securely across all devices.
In order to address this issue, Reliance Jio Infocomm has deployed ACCESS Twine for secure multiscreen management, which enables its customers to play and share content saved in their Jio Drive cloud service with friends and family as well as securely access Jio’s content catalogue from set-top boxes, and Android, iOS, Mac- and Windows-powered devices from any location. In addition to ACCESS Twine™, Reliance Jio Infocomm has deployed ACCESS’ NetFront Browser family, which enables the seamless delivery of content across all screens
ACCESS has specialised in software solutions for the connected world, and has embedded its software in over 1.5 billion devices ranging from Nintendo and Sony game consoles to Toshiba connected TVs, Intel chipsets and even Daimler and Jaguar Land Rover cars.


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LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Couponing just got real at Quill.com, an online business and medical product marketplace for small- and medium-sized businesses. Acting on customer feedback, Quill is happy to announce the launch of their Coupon Clipboard, a new site tool that makes it effortless for customers to apply even more coupons to their orders during checkout.
“This enhancement is a direct result of our dedication to making every experience on Quill.com as simple as possible,” said Sergio Pereira, president of Quill.com. “Our customers are busy enough as it is. Finding and keeping track of coupons is not something they have a lot of time for.”
The Quill.com Coupon Clipboard is a new function that gives shoppers the ability to save up to ten coupons from the Coupon Center and other locations on the site. When checking out, customers can apply up to five of those coupons, making it easier than ever to apply even more coupons to their order.
In conjunction with the launch of the Coupon Clipboard, Quill has enhanced its Coupon Center, which houses and organizes all available coupons, including dollars off, QuillCASH offers, and free gifts from companies like Mrs. Fields, The Popcorn Factory and Rachael Ray.
The enhanced Coupon Center now includes longer-lasting coupons with a wider range of order minimums and fewer product restrictions. These changes, paired with the ability to apply more coupons, provide many more opportunities for savings and free gifts.
“Early feedback from market research and testing of the Coupon Clipboard has been very positive,” said Pereira. “We’ve also seen that many of our customers actually have fun trying to see which coupon combinations save them the most money.”
Quill.com provides busy professionals every product they need to run their small- and medium-size businesses. Delivering an expansive assortment of products like technology, cleaning & breakroom supplies, business furniture, medical supplies, safety products and general office supplies, its singular focus is on meeting the needs of our customers. Founded in 1956, Quill.com is headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, and employs more than 500 people and operates 15 state-of-the-art distribution centers. In 1998, Quill.com proudly became part of Staples, Inc. For more information, please visit www.quill.com/about, or follow us at www.facebook.com/quill or at www.twitter.com/quillcom.


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Intel snaps-up startup Vertex.AI
Intel will absorb Vertex.AI's PlaidML tech into its Artificial Intelligence Products Group
Intel has bought AI startup Vertex.AI, absorbing the firm's PlaidML as an open source project run by the company's Artificial Intelligence Products Group.
As part of its ownership of the technology, Intel will transition PlaidML to the Apache 2.0 license, opening up opportunities for more people to access Vertex.AI's deep learning platform. It will also add some extra features to the PlaidML platform, including flexible deep learning for edge computing.
"Intel has acquired Vertex.AI, a Seattle-based startup focused on deep learning compilation tools and associated technology," the company said in a statement. "The seven-person Vertex.AI team joined the Movidius team in Intel's Artificial Intelligence Products Group. With this acquisition, Intel gained an experienced team and IP to further enable flexible deep learning at the edge."
Neither Intel nor Vertex.AI has revealed how much the deal's worth or how much it will be investing in the new purchase, although a message on the AI firm's homepage says Intel is looking for more staff to join its AI team, including data scientists, researchers and hardware, software engineers and project managers t help boost its AI operation.
Intel is putting a lot of money and effort behind its AI division, with Naveen Rao, the company's SVP for AI revealing it wants to cover the entire spectrum of AI possibilities, including Xeon for the data centre, Movidius for embedded vision, MobileEye for automotive, and Altera FPGAs for edge and datacenter inference. He recognises that a one-size-fits-all approach isn't effective and there must be different strings of the company's strategy to address the market.
The company sold an estimated $1 billion's worth of AI tech in 2017, but it thinks by 2022, that should top $10 billion.
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday that one of its suppliers subcontracted work to Tazreen Fashions, the Bangladesh garment factory that was the site of a deadly fire killing more than 100 people.
"A supplier subcontracted work to this factory without authorization and in direct violation of our policies. Today, we have terminated the relationship with that supplier. The fact that this occurred is extremely troubling to us, and we will continue to work across the apparel industry to improve fire safety education and training in Bangladesh," the world's largest retailer said. RELATED STORY: Mourning, Protests in Bangladesh Even as Second Fire Breaks Out >>
Issa Rae stopped by WWD's NYC headquarters to talk about season two of "Insecure," which premieres this Sunday on HBO. Click link in bio for all the details. #wwdeye (📷: @jgreenery; Styled by @mayteallende)
A Stella McCartney sketch of a custom dress made from protein-based silk in partnership with biotech lab Bolt Threads. The dress will be displayed at The Museum of Modern Art's upcoming design exhibition, "Items: Is Fashion Modern?"


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For the past three decades, there have been no shortages of next-big-thing investment trends to captivate the attention of Wall Street and investors. Everything from the advent of the internet to game-changing applications such as genome mapping has changed the course of innovation.
At the moment, there's no next-big-thing investment trend hotter than artificial intelligence (AI).
AI involves using software and systems to oversee tasks that would generally be handled by humans. What makes AI such a game changer is machine learning, which allows these systems to "learn" over time and become more efficient at their tasks. AI has applications in virtually every sector and industry, which is likely why the researchers at PwC believe it can add up to $15.7 trillion to global gross domestic product by 2030.
Nvidia is the face of the artificial intelligence revolution
Though there are dozens of publicly traded companies that can benefit from the AI revolution, none has been a hotter commodity for investors than semiconductor stock Nvidia(NASDAQ: NVDA).
The company has rapidly become the infrastructure backbone of the AI movement. Its A100 and H100 graphics processing units (GPUs) allow for split-second decisions to be made by AI systems in high-compute data centers. In July, analysts at Citigroup opined that Nvidia could account for "at least 90%" of AI-accelerated data-center GPU share.
It's an especially exciting time for Nvidia, given that its production of A100 and H100 chips should meaningfully grow in the current calendar year (Nvidia's fiscal year ends in late January). Specifically, a sizable ramp up in chip-on-wafer-on-substrate capacity by chip-fab giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing should help Nvidia meet more of its customers' demands in fiscal 2025.
The proof is in the pudding that Nvidia has been the AI stock to own. Shares have surged a whopping 367% and added well over $1.3 trillion in market value since the start of 2023. Nvidia's sales are expected to climb from a reported $27 billion in fiscal 2023 to an estimated $93.7 billion by the end of fiscal 2025.
Yet despite this jaw-dropping ascent, all I see are a growing number of reasons Nvidia will disappoint investors. Though the company's stock has proven me wrong thus far, here are seven reasons to sell Wall Street's hottest artificial intelligence stock.
1. Nvidia is about to become its own worst enemy
Perhaps one of the most logical reasons to sell shares of Nvidia is the irony that increasing output of its A100 and H100 chips will almost certainly weigh on its gross margin.
During the first half of Nvidia's fiscal 2024, the company's cost of revenue declined as data center sales soared. What this tells investors is that the entirety of Nvidia's data center gains were derived from a substantial increase in pricing power predicated by AI-focused GPU scarcity. Even by the end of the company's fiscal third quarter, the cost of revenue had risen only modestly on a year-over-year basis.
With Nvidia now able to meet more of its customers' demands, the price of its A100 and H100 chips will fall. Although revenue is undoubtedly headed higher, we've likely seen a peak in the company's gross margin.
2. External competition is heating up
This probably goes without saying, but Nvidia's overwhelming success in high-compute data centers will encourage aggressive competition from businesses itching to get their piece of the pie.
In June, Advanced Micro Devices(NASDAQ: AMD) introduced its MI300X AI-GPU, which will be a direct competitor to Nvidia. AMD CEO Lisa Su views these AI-accelerating chips as a more than $150 billion addressable opportunity by 2027. Though AMD launched the MI300X last year, it'll really begin ramping up production in 2024.
Likewise, Intel(NASDAQ: INTC) plans to go head-to-head with Nvidia. This past December, Intel introduced its Gaudi3 generative AI software chip, which is expected to ship sometime this year. Gaudi3 will be a direct competitor to Nvidia's H100 chip. In other words, Nvidia's days as the lone wolf in AI-accelerated data centers are over.
3. Internal competition is ramping up, too
Perhaps what's even more worrisome than external competition is that many of Nvidia's biggest customers have ambitions of developing AI-accelerated chips of their own.
For example, social media companyMeta Platforms(NASDAQ: META) is one of Nvidia's largest customers by total revenue. Meta, which has its sights set on becoming a key player in virtual and augmented reality, intends to deploy a second-generation version of an in-house AI-GPU chip into its data centers this year. In-house developed infrastructure is designed to lessen Meta's reliance on Nvidia over time.
Similarly, Microsoft(NASDAQ: MSFT), which is Nvidia's largest customer by total revenue, unveiled its own custom AI chip for large language models (LLMs) last year. Microsoft's Azure Maia AI chip will compete directly with Nvidia's H100 GPUs targeted at generative AI software. Like Meta, Microsoft's in-house-developed AI chips are being launched in 2024.
4. Regulatory restrictions put a ceiling on Nvidia's growth potential
A fourth reason to sell shares of Nvidia is the increasing pressure the company is facing from U.S. regulators.
In response to initially announced export restrictions of AI-driven GPUs to China, Nvidia developed slower versions of its top chips. The company's goal with its A800 and H800 chips was to capture billions of dollars in preorder demand from China, which is a key market for the company's success.
In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a second round of export curbs that would restrict the specifically developed A800 and H800 chips to China. Although Nvidia isn't the only chip developer impacted by these export restrictions, they could ultimately cost the hottest name in AI billions of dollars in potential sales each quarter.
5. Insiders aren't buying -- why should you?
Another reason to steer clear of Nvidia or bid its stock adieu is that executives and board members have done nothing but sell their shares for more than three years.
To be fair, there are a lot of reasons for insiders to sell stock, and some of them are completely benign. For example, options have to be exercised within a defined time frame, otherwise they expire. Executives and directors may receive a significant portion of their compensation in stock and stock options. Shares may be regularly sold to have capital handy to cover their federal tax bills.
But there's only one reason insiders buy stock: They believe shares are undervalued. No insider has purchased shares of Nvidia stock since Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress added a mere 200 shares in December 2020. If insiders won't buy, why should you?
6. History isn't on its side
Nvidia and the artificial intelligence movement are also squaring off against history, which is thus far undefeated.
As I pointed out earlier, there have been an assortment of next-big-thing trends that have garnered plenty of attention on Wall Street over the past 30 years. Unfortunately, every single one of these trends endured an early-stage bubble. This is to say that the uptake or acceptance of new innovations or technologies didn't match investors' lofty expectations.
While many of these next-big-thing trends worked out well for select businesses over the long run, the short term can be bumpy. AI is unlikely to be an exception to what's seemingly the rule.
7. It's priced for perfection in an imperfect industry
Last but not least, Nvidia is priced for perfection in an industry that's full of unknowns.
Based on Wall Street's cash-flow consensus for fiscal 2024 (the company has yet to release its fourth-quarter operating results), Nvidia is valued at a jaw-dropping 63X cash flow. It's also trading at 90X trailing-12-month cash flow. It's almost hard to believe that Nvidia was regularly valued at less than 20X cash flow as recently as 2014, 2015, and 2018.
Given the factors described above, I'd expect gross margin erosion to take shape in fiscal 2025 and for increasing external and internal competition to lower Nvidia's sales ceiling and taper its growth rate.
There are considerably smarter ways to take advantage of the AI revolution than buying or holding Nvidia stock.
Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now?
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The latest statistics from the UK Gambling Commission released at the end of last year contained with them some figures for betting shop closures that might yet be a sign of things to come for UK bookmakers.
The total number of shops as of the end of September 2017 stood at 8,502, down 304 from March this year and 412 outlets down from the same time last year.
Half of the total is accounted for by Ladbrokes Coral which, according to the Commission statistics has shed 255 shops since March. The company said in its mid-November trading statement that 96 outlets had been shuttered in the past three-month period.
There would appear to be some minor overlap with Betfred over the period. Ladbrokes Coral sold a parcel of 359 shops as part of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) mandated offloading in October last year. In the six months to September this year, Betfred added 34 shops to end the period with 1,671 outlets.
Still, the industry-wide 4.6 percent fall comes ahead of any predicted negative effect from whatever stakes limit for FOBTs is finally decided upon under the auspices of the triennial review and would seem to point to further falls in the years ahead.
As Paul Leyland, partner at gambling consultancy Regulus, pointed out, this is a “material shift” ahead of the review and fears remain that an even bigger shop closure figure could be in the offing should the worst happen with stake sizes.
All this is against a general backdrop of changes in retail behaviour in the UK which suggest the move to online shopping is becoming ever more pronounced. In early December, for instance, Thomas Cook said it was closing 50 stores in the UK due to the increasing shift to online, a phenomenon that UK betting is only too aware of.
Yet, there are reasons to believe that it is too early to pronounce on the death of the betting shop in the UK. Partly, this is down to culture. As one commentator in the FT said recently about those that are still loyal to cash, it is the favoured means of transaction among the very rich, the very poor, the criminal and the merely old-fashioned. Betting shop habitués are highly represented among at least three of those.
As much as we know that the major shop estates of Ladbrokes Coral, William Hill and Betfred have long tails, it is hard to quantify just how many of these would be tipped into loss-making territory by any change in the stakes and prizes regime.
It is telling, for instance, that the ‘contingent value right’ at the heart of the recent GVC takeover of Ladbrokes Coral presents a wide disparity of outcomes depending on what level of stake is finally handed down.
In truth, no one yet knows what the impact of a lower stake limit will have on either individual estates or on the UK picture as a whole. Despite the warnings from the industry of job losses in the thousands and shop closures blighting every high street, it is likely that for a period a phony war will take place that will see the larger operators holding out in multiple locations to see who blinks first.
This is one effect of the recent clustering seen in many high streets; the assumption on the part of the bookmakers is that the custom from the first shop to close will disperse to rival shops in the locality. No one wants to be that first shop and everyone wants to be the last man standing. It is a Mexican stand-off that could last a long while.
But there is one sub-sector which might not be quiet so able to stand its ground while the shakeout takes place. The independent sector has long been complaining that both industry trends and the regulatory backdrop is putting their collective presence on the high street under threat and the evidence of the Commission statistics would appear to back that up.
Since March 2015 the total of other shops in the Commission data has fallen by 195 or 15 percent to 1,089 as of the end of September. Taking Paddy Power Betfair’s 357 shops out of that equation, the percentage fall is a very steep 20 percent.
As one analyst put it, the independents are “much less able to withstand” negative shocks and without the online backup, will be particularly vulnerable to further pain caused by the triennial review.
With costs rising and major competitors willing to hold out even in unprofitable locales in the hope of reaping any omni-channel benefit to be wrung from the high street, the independent sector is facing a potentially existential squeeze. Time – and luck – might be running out and the some of the political decisions due to be made early this year will play a huge part of the future.
The future of the Retail Betting industry will be discussed and debated at the upcoming ‘Betting on Football 2018 Conference’ (#bofcon2018 – 20-23 March – London – Stamford Bridge). Click on the below banner for more information…


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While everyone is talking about Tumblr’s acquisition as a one-man show at $1.1 billion, Yahoo! paid $3.5 billion for Geocities back in 1999 with only 19 million uniques compared to Tumblr’s 300 million uniques, so, in some sense, Tumblr is a good deal. While this latest acquisition seems like a big one, it’s also symbolic of what internet traffic is worth now in scale and shows that social blogging networks are not just traffic platforms, but strategic internet real estate. Tumblr, where anyone can blog and share others’ blogs, has also become mainstream, so is everyone blogging now? Is that the future of consumerism?
Besides obvious social sharing, this week’s theme in Social Commerce is sharing both content and legal liability, and here’s why: everything can be shared now, from a picture memory to car rides to assistants. Where are all the new rules for this landscape?
ZipCar, CarShare, and GetAround are just a few examples of car sharing, but then there’s “ride sharing” services like Lyft, Uber, RelayRides, SideCar, etc., and when you don’t even have time to borrow a car, there’s always Zirtual, TaskRabbit, Exec and other programs to help you find someone to do an errand for you.
As for birthdays, now you don’t even need to borrow a car or an assistant — a virtual gift can be sent via Facebook gifts, which has been steadily growing as the program builds around holidays like Mother’s Day and suggestions (remember Facebook Credits?)
Sharing the costs of bills in groups is easier now too with Paypal and Square and other apps for splitting costs. Some are even arguing that Bitcoin is the ultimate collective currency. So what’s going to happen to all the existing rules and legal liabilities that are in place, especially when everything is shared? How will responsibility be shared when a virtual assistant makes a mistake or a car accident happens during a car share experience? And what about sharing incorrect information that could easily be re-blogged and retweeted in real time?
Traffic is Cheap
Geocities sold to Yahoo! in 1999 with a fraction of the users as Tumblr. Sharing is more important, but cheaper than ever, so it seems that true consumerism is actually shifting to be more efficient and trade-based to maximize products and time. Maybe the biggest trend here is actually that consumers are consuming less and becoming producers more, so in the end, who really is the buyer? All of us? Is the future in collective social purchasing? No matter how social, the future of how things are “consumed” is starting to look more like communism, but instead of a nation state in control, we might be looking at platforms as the state.
Sharing is Caring
In true consumerism, the means of production and demand are on the individual level within a “free market,” whereas communism is more regulated and part of a planned economy, but when social commerce and sharing go sour, it’s the state that will have to step in to remedy the situation. So if all our apps keep helping the hyper-sharing that social commerce has to offer, we may be looking at the worst of both worlds, or a new method of consumerism all together. Digital socialism? Socialized consumerism? With Google, Facebook and Yahoo! on huge acquisition sprees, there’s no doubt that the future lies somewhere between the landgrab of platforms and trends of how people are sharing with one another. Let’s see if Bitcoin really becomes the medium. That could be interesting for online commerce. Anyone remember the debate around Facebook as the new government?
Image by america365.


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The US balance of merchandise trade grew larger in January as exports declined and imports rose. In nominal terms, the trade balance went from -$1.21 trillion per year in December to -$1.29 trillion per year in January. In real, 2012-price terms, the balance went from -$1.34 trillion per year in December to -$1.42 trillion per year in December.
As you can see in the accompanying chart, the decline in exports was within the range of fluctuation seen in recent months. After a nice rebound in late-2020, US exports in real terms have since been holding essentially flat, though a 13% increase in export prices has propped up the nominal export data. Meanwhile, after a similar late-2020 bounce, imports had been growing steadily through most of 2021, before they rose more sharply over November through January.
The recent import bulge reflects a gradual easing of congestion at US ports, especially those in the Los Angeles area. The much-discussed surge in consumer spending on goods early last year depleted US merchants’ inventories, and merchants, US importers, and foreign exporters have been scrambling in recent months to catch up.
With consumer demand for merchandise roughly flat for the last 10 months and imports up sharply recently, US merchants’ inventories have been recovering rapidly. As remarked in previous posts, inventories contributed 5 percentage points of the 7.0% reported growth in 4Q21 real GDP.
Now, inventory investment indeed adds to GDP, but imports subtract from it, so you would think the related import and inventory surges would be largely offsetting. However, in real world data, it doesn’t always work that way. Possibly due to the vagaries of seasonal adjustment, 4Q21 GDP data showed a huge add from inventories, but only a substantial drag from foreign trade.
In 1Q22, the story is likely to be reversed, with trade showing a huge drag and inventories also imparting a drag on GDP. (A less frenetic rate of inventory growth in 1Q22 than in 4Q21 translates into a drag on GDP growth.) So, as strong as 4Q21 GDP looked, 1Q22 is likely to look just as weak, possibly even negative. “True” growth in the economy is likely somewhere in between these extremes in the reported data.
Finally, of course, these data reflect conditions well before the onset of the Ukrainian crisis. Geopolitical concerns will make their own mark on the foreign trade data starting in March, to be released in two months. In case, you are wondering, the data released today show US trade with Russia comprising 0.3% of US exports and 0.9% of US imports. Readily available data do not show detail on trade with Ukraine.


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News By Tag
News By Place
2010 Volkswagen GTI on the iPhone
Real Racing GTI is a free app for the Apple iPhone that has been downloaded over 4.3 million times since it's been released
By: VW NJ
Real Racing GTI is a free app for the Apple iPhone that has been downloaded over 4.3 million times since it's been released. The game also includes specs and features for the new Volkswagen GTI, and using the phone's GPS capability one could easily find a local dealer and check out the car.
Compared to the 2009 model, VW claims an increase in sales leads and test drives of over 80%.
A video summary of the Real Racing GTI campaign has been released by AKQA, a marketing agency that develops mobile phone applications.
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We are Bernardsville VW, your Volkswagen Dealership NJ, bordering Morris and Somerset Counties. Visit us at http://blog.vw-


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Wu-Tang Clan x Clarks Originals
The shoe that Wu-Tang made famous has partnered with the Clan again. Clarks Originals has unveiled a new capsule in collaboration with Wu Wear. The collection features three new renditions of their classic desert boot in a low top silhouette. Each release was designed as an ode to some of the most classic Wu songs during their golden years. We helped the British shoe brand unveil a major outdoor advertising campaign to announce the launch of the collection. The bold artwork featured on a series of our 4 sheet takeover sites and 48 sheets across London.


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'Twilight' actress Ashley Greene says it's ''very cool'' to appear on a giant billboard in New York for DKNY.
The 'Twilight' actress is the new face of the brand and says it was amazing to see her campaign be unveiled in New York's Times Square yesterday (22.12.11).
She told WWD: "This is very cool. There are a lot of firsts for me here today. It's my first photo op in Times Square, my first time on one of these buses and my first billboard for DKNY Jeans. It's an exciting day.
"The campaign shots turned out great. They're such talented photographers and really captured the essence of New York."
Ashley is also an ambassador for Mark cosmetics and said she's happy that the two brands she works with are so complementary.
She said: "They pair together nicely. They reach the same demographic - young and carefree. And they both provide a positive message of empowerment for women."
The full DKNY advertising campaign featuring Ashley will be out beginning in early January.


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Netflix stock (NASDAQ:NFLX) currently trades at $409 per share, about 41% below its pre-inflation shock high of about $692 seen on November 17, 2021. The stock could have considerable potential for gains if its recovers to these levels. Netflix stock was trading at a low of about $167 in mid-June 2022, just before the Fed started increasing rates. The stock has gained about 144% from these levels. In comparison, the S&P 500 gained about 13% during this period. In recent quarters, Netflix has benefited from stronger than expected per subscriber revenues, which have been driven by price increases. Netflix’s move to launch an ad-supported plan and its move to cut down on password sharing also appears to have resonated with investors.
Returning to the pre-inflation shock level means that Netflix stock will have to gain about 69% if the stock recovers from $409 currently to its pre-shock highs of $692. While it’s possible that the stock may recover to those levels, we presently estimate Netflix valuation to be around $363 per share, about 9% below the current market price. This is because the recent uncertainty in the financial sector has made investors concerned about a potential recession. Netflix’s business may see an adverse impact if the U.S. economy were to go into recession, with consumer spending cooling.
Our detailed analysis of Netflix upside post-inflation shock captures trends in the company’s stock during the turbulent market conditions seen over 2022 and compares these trends to the stock’s performance during the 2008 recession.
- Will Netflix Stock Return To Pre-Inflation Shock Highs Of Over $650?
- The Big Password Sharing Crackdown Will Bolster Netflix’s Q2 Results
- With Growth Slowing, Is Netflix Stock Still A Buy?
- What To Expect From Netflix’s Q1 Earnings?
- Netflix Q4 Subscriber Numbers Were Strong, What’s Next For The Stock?
- What To Expect From Netflix’s Q4 Results?
2022 Inflation Shock
Timeline of Inflation Shock So Far:
- 2020 – early 2021: Increase in money supply to cushion the impact of lockdowns led to high demand for goods; producers were unable to match up.
- Early 2021: Shipping snarls and worker shortages from the coronavirus pandemic continue to hurt the supply
- April 2021: Inflation rates cross 4% and increase rapidly
- Early 2022: Energy and food prices spike due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Fed begins its rate hike process
- June 2022: Inflation levels peak at 9% – the highest level in 40 years. S&P 500 index declines more than 20% from peak levels.
- July – September 2022: Fed hikes interest rates aggressively – resulting in an initial recovery in the S&P 500 followed by another sharp decline
- Since October 2022: Fed continues rate hike process; improving market sentiments help S&P500 recoup some of its losses.
In contrast, here’s how NFLX stock and the broader market performed during the 2007/2008 crisis.
Timeline of 2007-08 Crisis
- 10/1/2007: Approximate pre-crisis peak in S&P 500 index
- 9/1/2008 – 10/1/2008: Accelerated market decline corresponding to Lehman bankruptcy filing (9/15/08)
- 3/1/2009: Approximate bottoming out of S&P 500 index
- 12/31/2009: Initial recovery to levels before accelerated decline (around 9/1/2008)
Netflix and S&P 500 Performance During 2007-08 Crisis
NFLX stock rose from nearly $3 in October 2007 to $5.20 in March 2009 (as the markets bottomed out), implying that the stock gained about 70%, defying the market sell-off. It rose further to around $7.90 in early 2010, rising roughly 52% between March 2009 and January 2010. The S&P 500 Index saw a decline of 51%, falling from levels of 1,540 in September 2007 to 757 in March 2009. It then rallied 48% between March 2009 and January 2010 to reach 1,124.
Netflix Fundamentals Over Recent Years
Netflix revenues have risen from around $15.8 billion in 2018 to about $31.60 billion in 2022, as the company’s subscriber base and average revenues per subscriber expanded, driven by the company’s sizable investment into content and its international expansion. Net income has also picked up, rising to about $4.5 billion in 2022 from about $1.2 billion in 2018, as net margins picked up with cost absorption improving with the company’s higher subscriber base.
With the Fed’s efforts to tame runaway inflation rates helping market sentiment, Netflix (NFLX) stock has the potential for gains once fears of a potential recession are allayed.
What if you’re looking for a more balanced portfolio instead? Here’s a high-quality portfolio that’s beaten the market consistently since 2016.
|S&P 500 Return||3%||12%||92%|
|Trefis Multi-Strategy Portfolio||5%||15%||261%|
 Month-to-date and year-to-date as of 6/9/2023
 Cumulative total returns since the end of 2016


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Kinder Morgan Soars on Buyout Bid
Kinder Morgan (KMI) shares soared Tuesday after the company received a proposal from a group of investors led by chairman and CEO Richard Kinder to acquire all outstanding stock of Kinder Morgan at $100 per share cash.
Shares of Wal-Mart (WMT) were down Tuesday after the retailer said it expects U.S. May same-store sales to increase about 2.3%.
KLA-Tencor (KLAC) and ADE (ADEX) amend the terms of their merger agreement to change the consideration that ADE stockholders will receive from KLA-Tencor common stock to $32.50 per share cash.
Aware (AWRE) announces that PMC-Sierra is licensing Aware's StratiPHY2+ technology for its newly announced ADSL2+ residential gateway solutions.
Millicom International Cellular (MICC) says it is in advanced discussions and due diligence with a potential purchaser of the entire share capital of Millicom. It says no agreement has been reached at this time.
Tribune (TRB)'s board okays the purchase of up to 53 million shares in a modified "Dutch Auction" tender offer, as well as an additional 10 million shares from its principal shareholder following the completion of its tender. It will also buy up to an additional 12 million shares through the open market.
Innovex (INVX) cuts $44 million to $46 million third quarter revenue guidance to between $38 million and $40 million. It says its two largest disk drive customers and its largest FPD customer are executing mergers, while its merger-related product line and inventory rationalization may be impacting near term demand.
TAT Technologies (TATTF) posts 21 cents vs. 13 cents first quarter EPS on a 96% revenue rise.
Smith & Wesson Holding (SWB) reaches agreement with the North Department of Correction for 5,700 of the company's new Military & Police Series of advanced-polymer pistols.
Vical (VICL) inks a partnership deal with AnGes MG for development of Allovectin-7 cancer immunotherapeutic. AnGes MG is to provide up to $100 million in ongoing clinical trial funding.


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Headquarters in Germany
Europe: Poor working & housing conditions at meat packing plants responsible for COVID-19 outbreak among workforce, report alleges
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of workers at meat processing plants across Europe have become infected with the virus. A new report by the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) identifies poor...
- This is a non response from the following companies: Westfleisch
Germany: Cabinet proposes new regulations to better protect meatpacking workers following COVID-19 outbreaks at slaughterhouses
Westfleisch, a meat processing plant in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) was forced to close after more than 150 out of 200 tested employees were positive for COVID-19, the majority of whom were from Romania and Bulgaria. The case follows a...


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AAA Backs Investment Expert Who Says Now is the Time to Invest in Wine Submitted by: Straight Line Public Relations 2012-12-31 00:01:58
AAA is endorsing comments from Schroders senior adviser Alan Brown, who claims that some of the finest wine labels are currently experiencing a period of depressed values and this is the time to snap them up.
(OPENPRESS) Boston, MA - Alternative Asset Analysis is endorsing comments from Schroders senior adviser Alan Brown, who claims that some of the finest wine labels are currently experiencing a period of depressed values and this is the time to snap them up.
AAA explains that although the wine investment sector has come under fire recently, after 30 per cent was knocked off some top labels' values, this has left them more affordable. The alternative investment advocacy group, alongside Alan Brown, claims that taking a long term view of wine investment is the best way to make it work for you.
Mr Brown explained that the drop in the wine prices has reflected the drop in stock prices recorded last year. "Wine prices usually follow the equity markets though there may be some disconnect and differences at times," he explained.
AAA's analysis partner Anthony Johnson, added that the popularity of alternative investments such as wine, art, antiques and precious metals have increased since the credit crunch hit. He explained, "After the economic collapse, investors started to look for a way of diversifying their portfolios against risk, and this is where alternative investments come in."
"Investing in something you love, like a hobby such as wine, means you will remain interested in the product you are investing in and are more likely to respond to the market in the best way."
Brown himself has a collection of over 3,000 bottles and he claims that money is still to be made from investing in the right wines and just keeping hold of them over time. He claims that cases of wine can lose value here an there but will often regain those values if investor take long-view.
AAA advocates investing in alternatives to diversify portfolios against risk and recommends forestry as an ethical and profitable option.