text:
Opinion: Invest in this country as the biggest beneficiary from the U.S.-China trade dispute
Companies are moving supply chains out of China and into Vietnam
Many analysts, myself included, thought there would be a quick resolution to the U.S.-China trade dispute because this was so clearly the right move for both countries.
Boy, were we wrong!
Despite the trade-war damage to both sides — in the form of slower economic growth and a pullback in all-important business investment in the U.S. — it now looks like the trade dispute will drag out.
One big reason: China likes to play the long game. Policy officials think they might see a more amenable president after the 2020 elections who could be easier to deal with than President Donald Trump.
Companies, too, are concluding this is going to be a drawn-out affair. So they’re moving supply chains out of China. This is bad for China. But there’s a good angle here for investors. The economies of other emerging market countries where companies are going are getting pumped. So their stock markets will probably outperform the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
The two emerging market countries seeing the most new investment due to the trade disputes are Vietnam and Bangladesh, says Oliver Bell, who manages the T. Rowe Price Africa & Middle East Fund. Of those two, Bell favors Vietnam, so this should be your focus, too.
How Trump is helping Vietnam
It’s easy to see why Vietnam’s economy and stock market will benefit. While foreign direct investment (FDI) into China has fallen around 34% this year, investment into Vietnam is up sharply, says Bell.
FDI increased 69% in the first five months of the year in dollar terms to reach a four-year high of $16.7 billion, according to Vietnam’s Foreign Investment Agency. The number of new projects was up 39% to 1,400. Most of this is in manufacturing and processing, as opposed to the real estate or retail sectors. “The FDI for Vietnam is huge,” says Bell. “The change is enough to move the needle.”
The spike is mainly due to the U.S.-China trade war, say analysts at Dezan Shira & Associates, which helps business set up shop in Asian countries.
Here are some examples:
• Nike and Adidas make a lot of their sneakers in Vietnam. Competitors Asics and Brooks Sports, a division of Berkshire Hathaway, are joining them by boosting investments in manufacturing in Vietnam.
• Samsung has made smartphones in Vietnam for years. Now, Apple may join its competitor there. Apple is encouraging suppliers to move some production out of China. Two of its main contract manufacturers, Pegatron and Foxconn, are circling Vietnam. This means Apple may soon start making some phones there. Apple already makes wireless headphones in Vietnam, says Bell.
• Consumer-electronics makers Nintendo, Sharp and Kyocera are moving production to Vietnam from China.
While moves like those — and no doubt more to come — make Vietnam look more interesting as a place to invest, the country already had its own attractions, says Bell.
• Ongoing, very big wage growth in Vietnam supports robust consumer-spending growth. This is a significant economic driver. Wages in Vietnam are increasing at 10%-11% compared with 4% inflation, creating 6% real wage growth, says Bell.
• Yet labor costs are still around a third of what they are in China, says Bell. And Vietnam has a large, young labor force. Plus, the country is investing to improve its infrastructure, and it’s reforming laws to make it easier for companies to operate there. All of this suggests Vietnam will continue to be a magnet for manufacturing investment.
In his fund, Bell is playing the growing consumer-strength trend by owning consumer-facing companies, among others. It’s tough for a lot of U.S. investors to own local listings like these, so it makes sense to consider Bell’s fund for exposure. Bell says he is “very much overweight” Vietnam. He’s got around 22% of his fund in Vietnam, compared with 18% exposure for his benchmark, the MSCI Frontier Markets Index. Vietnam’s economy is growing at 6.5% compared with barely 2% in the U.S.
Bell’s fund isn’t a pure play on Vietnam, by any means. It also gives you exposure to high-growth frontier markets in the Middle East and Africa. Bell is particularly bullish on South Africa. He thinks the economy is bottoming, and the stock market is poised to rebound following years of weakness linked to political turmoil.
Big picture, the economies that Bell’s fund has exposure to are growing at 4%-5% a year, he says. Companies in his fund are seeing earnings growth of 20% a year, on average, but they trade at a price-to-earnings ratio around 12 times forward earnings, near the bottom of the historical 10-18 range. Bell’s fund has outperformed its index in five of the past seven years, according to Morningstar.
For more of a pure play on Vietnam, consider the VanEck Vectors Vietnam exchange traded fund.
What about Bangladesh?
Bell has two concerns here, despite the influx of investment money because of the U.S.-China trade dispute.
First, he thinks the currency is overvalued. A fall in the currency would be bad for people who put money into the country, since they’d get less on the way back out. In terms of exports, Bangladesh is more about textiles, whose profit margins are lower than in electronics or apparel. The infrastructure in Bangladesh is not as good as in Vietnam, which could limit the relative amount of FDI going into that country.
To be sure, not all companies are fleeing China. So it’s probably a good idea not to get overly enthusiastic about how any exodus will help places like Vietnam. Tesla, for example, is setting up a plant on the outskirts of Shanghai.
And then there’s the Trump factor. While imports to the U.S. from China are falling, imports from Vietnam are growing rapidly. “Vietnam, after China, has the biggest trade surplus to the U.S.,” says Bell. “You have to wonder how long Mr. Trump turns a blind eye.”
To make matters worse, at least some of that increase has to be Chinese goods stealthily rerouted through Vietnam to dodge tariffs. The risk here is that Trump opens up a tariff war with Vietnam to retaliate. “The FDI story is the key to perpetuating growth,” says Bell.
If that tails off, it would be a big problem for Vietnam, and anyone who invests there.


text:
Tesla reported another big loss for the second quarter. But it burned less cash along the way to ramping up production of its “bet the company” electric sedan, the Model 3.
The $717.5-million loss was larger than analysts had expected, slightly higher than the previous quarter’s $709-million loss and more than double the $336.4 million loss in the same quarter a year earlier. The company reiterated its intentions to achieve profits in the third and fourth quarters and beyond.
Tesla said its operating cash flow improved from negative $784.6 million in the first quarter to a negative $742.7 million in the second.
“Going forward, we believe Tesla can achieve sustained quarterly profits, absent a severe force majeure or economic downturn, while continuing to grow at a rapid pace,” the company said in its quarterly letter to investors.
Investors reacted positively to the report, pushing Tesla shares up as much as 10% in after-hours trading. The stock, which had been sliding recently, closed Wednesday up $2.70, or 0.9%, to $300.84 before the news came out, giving the company a market value of about $51 billion.
One analyst expressed relief that Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk stuck to seemingly achievable goals.
“One of the things I like was the more muted tone,” said Efraim Levy of CFRA Research. “They didn’t stretch goals and make hard targets. They said they’d get to 10,000 a week [production of the Model 3] as soon as possible. A more cautious Elon Musk is a good thing.”
But one short seller said he’ll stick to his bet that the company’s stock is grossly overvalued.
“Tesla is a structurally unprofitable business,” said Mark Spiegel of Stanphyl Capital. “Their expenses are way too high to reach consistent profitability.”
So far this year, the company has lost more than $1.5 billion, while its cash pile has fallen from $3.5 billion to $2.8 billion
The Model 3 has been plagued by production problems caused mainly by Tesla’s overly aggressive approach to automation at its Fremont, Calif., factory.
In a conference call after the earnings release, Musk assured stock analysts that the fixes to the assembly line are proceeding apace.
He also apologized to three analysts for belittling their questions and cutting them off with no answers in the first-quarter conference call in May.
“I want to apologize for being impolite on the prior call.” He said he was sleep deprived, but that’s “no excuse for bad manners.”
The company aims to produce 6,000 Model 3s a week by late this month, and then “increase production over the next few quarters beyond 6,000,” the letter said. “We aim to increase production to 10,000 Model 3s per week as fast as we can.”
That rate, along with the 2,000 Model S and Model X vehicles Tesla has been turning out each week, “should enable Tesla to become sustainably profitable for the first time in our history — and we expect to grow our production rate further in Q3.”
Automobile revenue rose 23% in the second quarter from the previous quarter, to $3.36 billion, mainly from Model 3 sales.
The company produced 52,339 vehicles in the second quarter and delivered 40,708 — leaving 12,631 mostly Model 3s still to find their way to customers. Thousands of Model 3s are being stored in large lots outside Stockton and near Hollywood Burbank Airport. The company said in the letter that its “delivery pattern should smooth out in the next two quarters.”
The key to turning profits will be both added sales and cost-cutting. This year Musk said Tesla will trim back 2018 capital spending from a planned $3.4 billion to $3 billion. In the investment letter, the company reduced that even further, to $2.5 billion.
That means delayed capital spending on upcoming crossover vehicles, pickups and semi trucks previously announced by Musk.
Still, asked whether he is sticking to his earlier ambition to make 1 million vehicles a year by the end of 2020, Musk said, “I think so, yeah … if it isn’t a million, it might be 750 [thousand] … between half a million and a million.”
Musk had said Tesla doesn’t need to raise new debt or equity capital for the rest of the year. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Tesla is searching for a Chinese partner to help finance a planned $5-billion manufacturing complex in China. Tesla is likely to borrow money from Chinese lenders, and China will play a large part in Tesla’s growth, Musk said.
3:10 p.m.: This story was updated with additional detail. The earnings amount was changed to reflect net income attributable to common shareholders.
This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m.

domain: news


text:
The latest industry news, events, movers and shakers.
Articles about Tech Industry
The new Atlas platform will reportedly help marketers more easily reach target audiences.
Peer-to-peer ridesharing platform Lyft has bought Californian transport startup Hitch, in bid to build its shared ride offering Lyft Line and take on Uber in the carpooling stakes.
Suffice to say, Alibaba had a pretty good welcome to Wall Street. Now the real work begins.
News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson has become Google's nemesis in Europe and is lobbying to stem the search giant's abuse of its dominance.
Some analyst expectations simply won't be met just given how high expectations have risen for what is being flaunted as the greatest tech IPO in history.
Nevertheless, Red Hat shares started to tumble by nearly two percent in after hours trading.
Good ideas aren't easy to find but the way Silicon Valley companies operate makes things tougher...
A new program by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network is aimed at helping small businesses make the most of broadband and emerging IT infrastructure.
The Australian government has signed a four-year contract with Acquia to help agencies implement its Drupal-based Government Content Management System, GovCMS, which is set to be available to all government entities by February.
Many Australian small and medium enterprises are deliberately choosing to be late adopters of digital communications technology, despite being acutely aware of its benefits, according to a new study by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Smart air monitors? Smart diapers? If you thought connected devices and wearables were limited to smart watches, you're only on the cusp of the Internet of Things.
Salesforce.com isn't the only cloud giant with a new startup fund this month.
Telstra took a major step in its Digital First strategy today, with the opening of its Sydney digital transformation centre, where the company's digital team will come together with its other business units to design and build new digital tools.
But Yahoo didn't score an all-out victory being that "portions of the documents remain sealed and classified to this day, unknown even to our team."
San Francisco-based firm Coinbase is pushing beyond US borders and is launching itself in over a dozen European countries.


text:
Friday 12th January 2018 saw the grand opening of 'Buy it 34' the town centre Brooke School community shop. This exciting new project will provide work experience opportunities for students at Brooke School,17 students are already undertaking weekly shifts at the shop, job roles include sorting and pricing stock along with serving customers.
The shop sells items hand made by the students, new stock donated by our many business supportersand a mix of quality second hand items.
Initially the shop will be open three days a week (Mon/Wed/Thurs) 9.15-2.15pm but this will be extended over the coming months.
Check out their Facebook page 'Buy it 34' for all the latest on opening times, student activities and newstock.


text:
Apps Fuel Package Store and Supplier Sales
By Lauren Daley
From streaming movies on Netflix to ordering groceries from Peapod, or ordering, well, everything else from Amazon, we’re living in an on-demand age. Consumers are growing increasingly more accustomed to getting what they want, when they want it, with the swipe of a finger or the click of a mouse. It only makes sense that a growing segment of trade and consumers want to order their beer, wine and liquor from their smart phones or laptops, and have it delivered, relatively quickly, to their doorsteps. Third-party online marketing apps and mobile sites can offer just that.
Mobile apps or websites harness technology to give store owners an opportunity to tap into a whole new clientele. Porter21, a Connecticut-based Web start-up that launched in November, provides laptop, desktop, tablet and mobile access for consumers to instantly buy websites beer, wine and spirits from their local liquor stores. The store provides the inventory and delivery; Porter21 provides the online access. The service is only available during the hours that the state’s liquor stores are open.
“Times are changing. People are using technology to get what they want. Companies like Amazon are thriving. We’re helping store owners keep up with the times,” said Porter21 owner and founder Ankit Harpaldas. “We’re giving every store owner a new edge, to expand business past their four walls,” said Harpaldas. “All we’re doing is providing a platform… In some cases, stores have found this so much in their favor that they’ve hired a delivery guy.” Naturally, checking ID’s and following state liquor laws are part of the process.
Here’s how it works: A consumer logs on to porter21.com and makes a minimum purchase of $25, paying no additional fee for using the app or site. The order is redirected to the closest store that Porter21 works with, based on the zip code from which their order was placed. That store receives the order via e-mail, prepares the order, and sends their delivery person out. The transaction is automatically charged to the store. So far, Porter21 serves 18 Connecticut towns.
Harpaldas understands his Connecticut clientele first-hand he said. “I come from a family in the Connecticut alcohol retail business; we owned a lot of stores in the Hartford area growing up, so I know what it means to be a retail liquor store owner in Connecticut,” he explained. “What makes Connecticut unique is we have so many small retail package stores. We have so many [owners and employees who] rely on these stores to put food on the table. They’re too busy to manage an online platform, so I manage that for them.”
Porter21 is just one mobile delivery service — third-party alcohol delivery services are a growing industry across the country, for instance Drizly, Minibar, Thirstie and Drync — but it is the only such service currently in Connecticut.
These services typically make money from a licensing fee that can vary in price from store to store. Ian Griffith, vice president of eCommerce for Beverage Media Group and a provider of retail websites to many Connecticut liquor stores, said, “There’s definitely an opportunity, and there’s a lot of competition with that model right now…I’m interested to see how it works and shakes out, who figures out what the opportunities are for a third-party delivery service.”
Smaller stores who can’t afford the time or resources to build their own apps or sites would greatly benefit from hiring a third-party who can act as their social media and Web presence, he said. Larger stores, meanwhile, would benefit by creating their own app. “There are definitely larger stores building their own apps,” he continued. “They ultimately feel they need their own app to keep their own branding and control of the message.”
“Stores should be interested in improving the shopping experience for their customers. This experience should be consistent across different technologies as well as in person, and many retailers haven’t had to think about these different interactions before,” Griffith said.
He suggested stores that are just getting started online concentrate on their social media outreach, be it through Facebook, Twitter or their own websites. Of course, there’s always good old-fashioned email — but no boiler-plate mass emails.
“Email is still a powerful way to reach a customer. It’s free, but takes time and discipline [to do it right],” he said. “The goal is to send targeted emails to customers who are interested in what you have to say. You need compelling content like, ‘We just heard about this new product from so-and-so, and bought all there is…’ The writing style should match what the experience in the store
Sales Reps to Sales Floor
There are other ways technology can benefit the industry. Wholesalers and supplier sales representatives may want to use Pocket Advantage, a mobile app by a company called Inventiv, Griffith suggested, which also ties in to The Beverage Journal and Beverage Media content services so that reps can build “Instant Sell Sheets” from the same device they use to manage their accounts.
“This used to be laptop software, now it’s an iPad app. The sales rep opens it and sees his or her accounts, can place an order, request samples, do a lot of tasks right from the app,” explained Griffith. “You just tap for sale sheets, tasting notes, ratings…The role of the sales rep is changing, and increasingly the task of taking orders is being separated from the sales role. Sales reps that add value for their accounts and are comfortable with the technology are thriving with these new tools.” And the tools circle back to retailers to use as well.
Since Google is promoting optimized sites over non-mobile sites for searches on mobile devices, stores are now competing with third party app developers for the same customer said Griffith. “Sometimes if they lose this battle they end up fulfilling that customer anyway while paying the app’s fee on top. Where the apps can get an edge is if they’re better at generating compelling content that drives sales; this is not a skills set for most stores. However, I also think stores would do well to play in both spaces so they don’t lose access to the consumer.”
Griffith also said the Beverage Media Group supports the retailer with tools and marketing services that help them with their own messaging. “We also distribute their inventory to marketing services like third party apps, especially when they are free. Finding sources of customers is key, but most important is generating repeat business from existing customers, which is what they should be using the website and email marketing for,” he noted.


text:
The coronavirus pandemic has been a fast-changing and increasingly challenging situation from the very beginning.
Life has been altered dramatically since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK was going into lockdown eight weeks ago.
Children aren't able to get the education they deserve, many of us are unable to go to the jobs we love and, most importantly and tragically of all, thousands of people have lost their lives.
Life will never be the same again. But the tide seems to be turning and the prospect of normality is on the horizon.
As restrictions lift, the retailers of Surrey who've been forced to close will be able to throw open their doors to customers again.
Plenty of businesses are in the process of getting ready to reopen, while some have already been able to do so.
It's so important we support our local businessmen and women, as well as the larger chains we know and love - we don't want empty high streets forever.
Find out how you can get more news from SurreyLive straight to your inbox HERE.
How to find out first what is reopening - and when
But with announcements about shops, restaurants and business reopening in various forms coming thick and fast, there is a lot to take in.
We want to make sure that you don’t miss out on this information, and one of the best ways to stay up to date is by signing up to the SurreyLive daily newsletter.
There’s a little box at the top of this story below the picture, and all you need to do is type your email address here and you’ll be sorted.
Once you're signed up then we'll send you an email once a day with the latest headlines and announcements from across the county.
At SurreyLive we’re committed to shouting about and trumping our much-loved local businesses, as they try and return to a ‘new normal.’
We will be there for our county throughout the coming months, ready to tell as many people as we can about our great businesses as they welcome back their customers in whatever ways they can.
Are you a Surrey-based business that's reopened? Let us know by emailing firstname.lastname@example.org.
Find out how to sign up for our app here.


text:
May 17, 2016
Between 2005 and 2015, Alberta’s international merchandise exports rose 21% to $92.3 billion. By comparison, Alberta exports rose 91% between 2004 and 2014. The much lower 10-year growth rate for 2015 is the result of sharply lower oil and gas prices in 2015.
November 29, 2017
Between 2006 and 2016, Alberta’s international merchandise exports rose 1.5 per cent to $78.9 billion. By comparison, Alberta exports rose 91 per cent between 2004 and 2014. The much lower 10-year growth rate for 2016 is mainly the result of the sharply lower oil and gas prices of 2015 and 2016.
November 1, 2016
Outlines the key components of the Government of Alberta’s Alberta Jobs Plan, which includews: investment in infrastructure; diversification of the province’s economy; support for small- and medium-sized businesses; improvement of access to capital, encouragement of investment and expansion of...


text:
As we head into the final stretch of the year, domestic air cargo results from the major players are mixed.
While the International Air Transport Association finds that cargo activity is on the rise—the total amount of global air freight carried is up through September, year-over-year, 2.4 percent—it also reported that domestic airlines saw a 3.3 percent decline in activity during September, when compared to the same month a year ago. The 2015 figure, however, reflected 0.8 percent growth since the previous month. According to IATA’s analysis, this modest increase could signal “that anticipated improvement in economic performance for the second half of the year may drive stronger air freight demand.” Airports Council International recently reported that, through August, domestic cargo activity was up 1.5 percent when compared to the same period a year ago.
The big cargo news from the third quarter may have come from Delta Air Lines. The airline tallied a 20 percent drop in air cargo revenue during the third quarter. The Wall Street Journal reported that revenue had fallen by 10 percent, year-over-year, during the second quarter. In a call with investors, Ed Bastian, Delta’s president, reportedly said the domestic air cargo side is performing swimmingly, while the international business is hurting. Delta’s domestic cargo business did receive a boost earlier in the year from the West Coast port crisis, but that activity has since dissipated.
But Delta isn’t the only domestic carrier experiencing cargo challenges. For the quarter, American Airlines posted a 5.6 percent increase in cargo ton miles, but a 16.7 percent decline in cargo yield per ton mile. On the year, cargo ton miles are down 0.3 percent when compared to the same period in 2014, and yield is down 11.3 percent. Officials said cargo revenue for the quarter was down $35 million (16.3 percent) on weakness in international and domestic cargo markets; for the first three quarters of 2015, cargo revenue was down 11.6 percent.
Along with its quarterly report, American reiterated its stance on foreign-owned cargo carriers and government-owned subsidies, a fight that boiled over earlier in the year. American gets 33 percent of its operating revenues from international markets.
“In providing international air transportation, we compete with U.S. airlines to provide scheduled passenger and cargo service between the U.S. and various overseas locations, foreign investor-owned airlines and foreign state-owned or state-affiliated airlines, including carriers based in the Middle East, the three largest of which we believe benefit from significant government subsidies,” American said. “In addition, open skies agreements with an increasing number of countries around the world provide international airlines with open access to U.S. markets.”
American also noted that it, and all other domestic airlines, face burdensome governmental regulations and are not engaging with international carriers on a level playing field.
For the third quarter, United Airlines reported a 0.8 percent, year-over-year, decrease in cargo operating revenue, but had seen a 4.1 percent revenue increase across the first three quarters of the year, when compared to the same period in 2014.
During the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, which ran through Aug. 31, FedEx reported $12.3 billion in overall revenue, up from $11.7 billion during the first quarter of fiscal year 2015. For the express segment, revenue during the first quarter was down 4 percent from the same period during fiscal year 2015. FedEx officials said lower fuel surcharges were partly to blame for the decrease in revenue. Package volume, it said, was up 1 percent during the same period, though revenue per package declined 3 percent. Continuing a trend of trading down to slower shipment speeds, revenue for the integrator’s international economy product grew 4 percent, as the international express offering declined 5 percent.
For the quarter ending Sept. 30, UPS saw a 0.4 percent loss in total revenue when compared to the same period in 2014; this loss was mainly attributable to a 7 percent decrease in international package revenue. UPS saw healthy domestic air numbers, recording a 1.6 percent revenue increase in the third quarter and a 6.8 percent increase in deferred revenue. For domestic next-day air, average daily package count was up 4 percent to 1.285 million shipments, and deferred shipments rose 13.2 percent. Domestically, revenue per piece was down for next-day air (-3.9 percent) and deferred (-7.1 percent).
All things considered, these numbers are not all that surprising. The top domestic airlines are still struggling with cargo revenue, but the domestic arms of their businesses are doing better than the international side. As global cargo health slowly improves, that will likely be the story for some time, though the holidays will add a much-needed bump to the system. FedEx and UPS continue to struggle with shippers downshifting on international air freight, but seem to be doing well enough on the domestic side—despite the declining revenue-per-package numbers—to make up, somewhat, for this change in behavior.
Ross, a former American Shipper editor, writes about air transport and freight issues. He can be reached by email at firstname.lastname@example.org.
This column was published in the December 2015 issue of American Shipper.


text:
Super Bowl—for sports fans, it’s time to sit back, relax, maybe have a tailgate party with friends, and enjoy a great football game. For big companies, it's time to dump huge amounts of money just to get a spot during commercial breaks. The automotive industry, in particular, has been one of the top Super Bowl commercial ad buyers since 2011. So you might be wondering, how … [Read more...] about How Much Is a Super Bowl Car Commercial?
Over 112 million people watched as the Seattle Seahwaks demolished the Denver Broncos in last Sunday's Super Bowl, breaking the record for the most watched television event in US history. With such a huge audience, it's no wonder that it has also become an annual showplace for ads. Every year, companies spend millions of dollars to get an ad spot on the Super Bowl. In fact, an … [Read more...] about Ten Most Popular Super Bowl 2014 Car Ads
Last Sunday's Super Bowl, now widely regarded as one of the most lopsided in years may not be worth re-watching, but if you want to check out all the car-related ads for this year, you can watch them all here. Car ads are prominent fixtures of yearly Super Bowl ads, with companies spending millions (a 30-second spot costs $3.5 million) to outdo each other's creativity and … [Read more...] about WATCH: All Automotive Super Bowl Ads of 2014


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Time: 7:30 am - 10:00 am
Place: Sheraton Palo Alto
Silicon Valley likes Quirky ideas, invests $68M
The New York City startup collects product ideas submitted to it online and chooses two to develop each week. Its online crowd helps in the selection process and then pitches in to develop the product.
Among its 250,000 "experts" are product developers from consumer market stalwarts such as Procter & Gamble and Oxo. The finished products have found their way onto mainstream retail shelves such as Target, Staples and Bed Bath & Beyond.
Among more than 200 products launched by Quirky in the past three years are a flexible power strip and electronics cable organizers.
Quirky's sales grew to $7 million in 2011 from $1 million in 2010 and Kaufman projects $20 million in revenue for the current year.
Cromwell Schubarth is the Senior Technology Reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Exclusive: Google campus plan would explode the concept of buildings
- Why has San Jose gone bust during a boom time?
- 3 things Apple is doing to fend off patent fights
- Lennar's massive Fremont development reaching crucial milestone
- Westport bets on Milpitas with $45M campus buy from J&J
- First look at Irvine Co.'s new mixed-use plan by Santa Clara Caltrain
- Can Apple get to a trillion?
- Deadline looms to grab development rights in Mountain View
- YouTube founder Chad Hurley, Mark Cuban Twitter fight over history
- Apple hit with patent suit: Ericsson aims to halt U.S. iPhone sales
Sign up to receive Silicon Valley Business Journal's Morning Edition and Afternoon Edition newsletters and breaking news alerts.


text:
Following an update posted on the GSX website last night, Apple today launched the iPad mini with Retina display on its online store. The launch came as a surprise due to the lack of press releases to pre-announce the launch and product reviews from journalists who received a unit in advance. The launch followed rumors of a “delay” for the iPad mini due to supply constraints for the new Retina display.
As of this morning, the iPad mini with Retina display is available through the Apple online store with shipping times of 5-10 business days for both WiFi and WiFi + Cellular models. In a press release published a few minutes ago, Apple mentioned that it will also be available with Personal Pickup at Apple retail stores (in the United States at least):
iPad mini with Retina display is available to order through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com) to ship or through Personal Pickup at Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and select Apple Authorized Resellers.
From the press release:
The response to iPad Air has been incredible, and we’re excited for customers to experience the new iPad mini with Retina display,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We think customers will love both of these thin, light, powerful new iPads, and we’re working hard to get as many as we can in the hands of our customers.
The iPad mini with Retina is Apple’s new 7.9-inch tablet that comes with a high-resolution display, A7 processor with 64-bit CPU, and all the other features of the larger iPad Air, in a lighter and smaller body.


text:
- No Comments on FTSE 250 tech stock Avast fell 23% last week. What’s the best move now?
- Posted on
Our 6 ‘Best Buys Now’ Shares Edward Sheldon, CFA | Monday, 3rd February, 2020 | More on: AVST Simply click below to discover how you can take advantage of this. FTSE 250 tech stock Avast fell 23% last week. What’s the best move now? Organic billings growth of 10.2% Click here to claim your copy now — and we’ll tell you the name of this Top US Share… free of charge! Enter Your Email Address I would like to receive emails from you about product information and offers from The Fool and its business partners. Each of these emails will provide a link to unsubscribe from future emails. More information about how The Fool collects, stores, and handles personal data is available in its Privacy Statement. “This Stock Could Be Like Buying Amazon in 1997” It’s amazing how quickly investor sentiment can change. The week before last, cybersecurity specialist Avast (LSE: AVST) was one of the best-performing stocks in the FTSE 250 for the year. In the space of just a few weeks, its share price had shot up from around 450p to 550p. And brokers were expecting it to keep rising too, with analysts at Jefferies slapping a price target of 627p on it on 21 January.Last week, however, the FTSE 250 stock came crashing back down to earth. Between Monday and Thursday, it fell from around 550p to just under 400p – a decline of nearly 30%.5G is here – and shares of this ‘sleeping giant’ could be a great way for you to potentially profit!According to one leading industry firm, the 5G boom could create a global industry worth US$12.3 TRILLION out of thin air…And if you click here we’ll show you something that could be key to unlocking 5G’s full potential…So, why did Avast shares experience such a dramatic shift in sentiment? Let’s take a look at what happened.Data privacy issuesThe reason Avast shares fell sharply is that a report emerged mid-week claiming that the cybersecurity company had been selling highly sensitive browsing history data of its users.According to an investigation by Motherboard and PCMag, Avast was tracking data – including Google searches, website visits, and GPS coordinates – through its free antivirus programmes, and this was being sold (after being de-identified) to the likes of Google, Yelp, and Microsoft, through another subsidiary named Jumpshot.Avast claims that it had user consent to collect data. However, users were apparently not aware that their data was being sold on. Another issue is that the investigation found that it was fairly easy to reveal the identities of those whose data had been sold on.Company responseIn response to the report, Avast came out on Wednesday and said that it was reviewing how trends analytics service Jumpshot aligns with its values as a cybersecurity and privacy company. Then on Thursday, the group advised that it had decided to terminate the provision of data to Jumpshot with immediate effect.CEO Ondrej Vlcek said: “Avast has always been committed to doing the right thing for its users and customers, and this is the overarching principle that has guided our decisions in response to recent developments. While we have always acted with integrity, our respect for people’s privacy concerns must take precedence over everything else.”The group reinforced its view that it had always acted in full accordance with privacy regulations and had worked to implement best practices.It said that it expects to incur a one-time exceptional cash cost of between $15m to $25m in the current financial year to cover closure costs, an asset write-down and employee restructuring.Trading updateAvast also took the opportunity to provide a brief trading update. For the year ending 31 December 2019, it expects to report: Looking ahead, it said that it expects to deliver mid-single-digit organic revenue growth in FY2020. What now?Avast has certainly made the right move in terminating the provision of data to Jumpshot, in my view, as data privacy is a big issue these days. Looking at the company’s share price, it seems the market agrees with me, as the stock has rebounded over 10% since Friday.Given that the group is adamant that it always acted in full accordance with privacy regulations, I think the recent pullback may have created a buying opportunity. The forward-looking P/E ratio has fallen to about 17.7, which is an attractive valuation in my opinion given the company’s growth potential. Organic revenue growth of 9.1% I’m sure you’ll agree that’s quite the statement from Motley Fool Co-Founder Tom Gardner.But since our US analyst team first recommended shares in this unique tech stock back in 2016, the value has soared.What’s more, we firmly believe there’s still plenty of upside in its future. In fact, even throughout the current coronavirus crisis, its performance has been beating Wall St expectations.And right now, we’re giving you a chance to discover exactly what has got our analysts all fired up about this niche industry phenomenon, in our FREE special report, A Top US Share From The Motley Fool. Renowned stock-picker Mark Rogers and his analyst team at The Motley Fool UK have named 6 shares that they believe UK investors should consider buying NOW.So if you’re looking for more stock ideas to try and best position your portfolio today, then it might be a good day for you. Because we’re offering a full 33% off your first year of membership to our flagship share-tipping service, backed by our ‘no quibbles’ 30-day subscription fee refund guarantee. Image source: Getty Images. Edward Sheldon owns shares in Alphabet and Microsoft. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Alphabet (C shares) and Microsoft and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $85 calls on Microsoft and short January 2021 $115 calls on Microsoft. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Adjusted EBITDA growth of 7.9% See all posts by Edward Sheldon, CFA


text:
Sainsbury’s has built its reputation on being a wholesome family-run company. But this year will be the first that a family member is not head of the company, following chairman Lord Sainsbury of Turville’s handover to non-executive chairman Sir George Bull.
Sainsbury’s year so far has been characterised by change. Hundreds of its staff face redundancy and the company’s full-year trading figures are expected to show a sales increase of only 1.5 per cent.
On top of this, Sainsbury’s and three competing supermarkets – Asda, Tesco and Safeway – are under investigation by the Competition Commission for alleged profiteering.
In the face of all this Sainsbury’s remains defiant. It has announced that it will continue to expand its US operations and is reviewing its commercial structure.
Sainbury’s has always had the ability to bounce back. Its first store was set up in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury. The store’s cleanliness gave it enough of an the edge over the unsanitary shops in London at that time, to allow the family to open a second store in 1876. By 1914, Sainbury’s had 115 outlets.
But disaster struck during World War Two when sales dropped by 50 per cent and shops were destroyed by German bombs.
Its fortunes changed for the better again in 1950 when Sainbury’s opened its first self-service store in Croydon. It went public in 1973 and bolstered its US interest by acquiring New England-based Shaw’s Supermarkets in 1987.
Sainsbury’s legal department has itself experienced change over the past few years. Head of legal David Thurston says: “The range of work we cover has evolved over the past five or six years.
“We had been very much focused on near market work, the day-to-day practical work. But we are now trying to get much more involved in the strategic issues of the company.”
The number of in-house lawyers has increased slightly over the past two years so Thurston now heads a nine-strong team.
Sainsbury’s legal team also includes a US presence in the form of Sandy Doran, company secretary and vice president responsible for legal affairs, who the company inherited when it took over Shaw’s Supermarkets. She is responsible for heading up much of Sainsbury’s international legal work. For example, she worked closely with Sainsbury’s US firm Sullivan & Cromwell on last year’s £297m acquisition of Boston-based Star Markets.
As to whether Sainsbury’s has an official panel, Thurston says: “We have used Denton Hall as our principal corporate adviser for 50 years. About six or seven years ago we set up a panel to advise on property work to focus on two areas: the development and extension of the stores and the ongoing estates and management side of things.”
It has also recently taken on Linklaters. “The company has said that we are looking to increase internationally so that influenced the choice,” says Thurston.
As well as having two lawyers specialising in employment, Sainsbury’s also relies on Eversheds to provide advice in this area. Its three other specialist legal divisions are trading and marketing, commercial, and retail operational issues, which includes claims, customer litigation and wrongful arrest.
According to Thurston, the nine-lawyer team is capable of coping with Sainsbury’s huge number of staff. He says: “It is not the amount of employees that generates work, it is the amount of business activity.”
But with the threat of redundancy looming over a number of Sainsbury’s staff – though not the legal department – Thurston may well find his theory turned on its head.
“It is conceivable that, as a result of these changes, there may be some individuals who will bring claims against the company which we would handle,” says Thurston.
Head of legal
|FTSE 100 ranking||44|
|Head of legal||David Thurston|
|Reporting to||Nigel Matthews, group secretary|
|Legal function||12 lawyers|
|Main location for lawyers||Blackfriars, London|
|Main law firms||Denton Hall, Linklaters, Eversheds (licensing and employment), Sullivan & Cromwell (US), Addleshaw Booth & Co (property), Lawrence Graham (property), SJ Berwin & Co (property), Cameron McKenna (property)|


text:
Give the gift of Extra Crunch for 25% off
This holiday season, TechCrunch readers can send an Extra Crunch annual membership as a gift to a friend, family member or co-worker for 25% off.
The gifting feature can be found here.
Extra Crunch is our membership program that helps you spot technology trends and opportunities, build better startups and stay connected. It features thousands of articles, including weekly investor surveys, daily private market analysis and expert interviews on fundraising, growth, monetization and other work topics. Learn more about the types of articles in Extra Crunch here...Read all
People want to work for companies that listen and respond with empathy. Organizations that leverage both operational and experience data to personalize employee experiences will stand out in the eyes of current and prospective employees. How can companies do that at scale?
A rising use of AI Disgorgement or the destroying of an AI system is being undertaken by governmental authorities, but the question is whether this is the proper thing to do and whether it is realistically feasible. This includes too for AI-based self-driving car.
Clearview AI, a controversial surveillance tech company, settled a nearly two-year-old lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union and other activist groups in Illinois who alleged the company had violated a state privacy law known as the Biometric Information Privacy Act.
The kidneys are one of the major targets for Covid-19 infection, which corresponds with significant complications. Thanks to a recent study from Duke University we are now closer to understanding how and why SARS-CoV-2 disrupts kidney function by directly infecting podocytes.
Western Digital revealed information on new HDD and SSD offerings. These included products targeted at the data center, client, media and entertainment, consumer and gaming markets. WDC announced the highest capacity HDD to date, an SMR drive with 26TB.


text:
The government is tweaking its foreign direct investment (FDI) policy to facilitate the proposed initial public offering (IPO) of state-run insurance behemoth LIC, after taking views from the finance ministry, department for the promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) secretary Anurag Jain said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, Jain also said his department is giving “final touches” to the long-awaited e-commerce policy and the national retail trade policy. He, however, made it clear that FDI is allowed only in the marketplace model adding, “I do not see any change in view on that.”
“We are working on further simplification of the FDI policy. A very important point for further simplification is required urgently, as we have to do the LIC disinvestment. So, we would be coming out with a revised FDI policy which will facilitate LIC disinvestment,” he said.
Although the extant FDI policy allows up to 74% of foreign investment under the automatic route in insurance, it does not apply to LIC, which is administered through a separate law, the LIC Act.
According to Sebi rules, FPI and FDI are permitted under public offer. However, given that the LIC Act has no provision for foreign investments, there is a need to align various sets of relevant rules to allow foreign investor participation in the proposed IPO of the country’s largest insurer, analysts have said.
The DPIIT is in talks with the department of financial services (DFS) and the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM) for this purpose. “We have had two rounds of discussions at my level and now, we have (DPIIT, DFS and DIPAM) come on the same page. So, we are in the process of drafting those changes in the FDI policy. We will go to the Cabinet (for approval),” Jain said.
The LIC IPO proposal was approved by the Cabinet in July 2021 and the government is planning to launch it in the current quarter.
Jain said the e-commerce policy “is finalised at my level and we have circulated that to other departments”. “Now we will have a higher-level discussion … We will have discussions with departments on that and then we will finalise it … A lot of work has been done,” he said.
Responding to a query on oxygen supply, given the latest surge in Covid-19 cases, Jain said the government is much better prepared this time and “we can meet the demand of up to 19,000 metric tonne”.
Oxygen demand in the country was about 9,000 tonne during the second wave, having risen from the peak requirement of over 3,000 tonne during the first wave.
Control room to help internal trade
Given the evolving Covid-19 situation, the DPIIT has set up a control room to “monitor the status and issues arising (if any) during transportation and delivery of goods and essential commodities due to restrictions (if any) imposed by various state governments/Union territories”. Trade and industry associations have been asked to inform of any difficulty they may face in manufacturing, transportation and distribution of goods or mobilisation of resources so that the DPIIT can take appropriate remedial measure.


text:
FIDO Alliance’s Executive Director and Chief Marketing Office cybersecurity predictions: “In 2022, we predict online merchants and financial services players to start scrutinizing legacy ‘step-up’ authentication methods – such as SMS OTPs and push notifications – and look to new payment and authentication industry innovations that cause less friction. Delegated authentication is one leading example, enabling merchants and wallet providers to combine their own authentication or log-in processes with the EMV 3DS request to approve purchases. This makes the UX for customers super simple, only requiring them to authenticate once to both login and authorise a payment, while offering the highest level of security and meeting 2FA requirements.” Read more.
MORE FIDO in the News
Infosecurity Magazine: November’s M&A News Roundup
On November 3, 1Password announced the acquisition of passwordless authentication...December 2, 2022
Silicon: Cybersecurity: automation, to the delight of attackers?
Automation stands out as one of the major trends in...
Global Security Mag: FIDO Alliance Predictions 2023
Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director and CMO of the FIDO Alliance...


text:
Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE – The biggest potential changes to New Mexico’s liquor laws in decades are headed to the full Senate for consideration after clearing a critical committee Wednesday – just barely.
The legislation, House Bill 255, would allow restaurants to deliver alcoholic drinks in some circumstances and create a new license intended to make it easier for restaurants to sell liquor, in addition to beer and wine.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday revised the bill with a series of amendments and voted 5-4 to send the bill to the Senate floor, where it could be heard later this week.
Reps. Antonio “Moe” Maestas and Dayan Hochman-Vigil – both Albuquerque Democrats and co-sponsors of the measure – said the bill is intended to help restaurants rebound from the damage inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic and public health restrictions.
“We want our restaurants to flourish and want entrepreneurs to develop our restaurant industry,” Maestas said during the hearing.
Some holders of liquor licenses have opposed the bill, arguing it would devalue their investments by increasing the number of restaurants that sell liquor, among other changes.
The House approved the bill 41-27 last month with bipartisan support. But the revised measure will have to go back to the House again if it passes the Senate.
Both chambers have to approve an identical version of the bill by the end of the session March 20 to send it to governor.
“We’re trying to spur economic development in every way we can,” Hochman-Vigil said Wednesday as she urged the senators to support the bill.
The legislation would:
⋄ Allow restaurants to deliver alcoholic drinks with food. Retailers could also apply for permits to deliver alcohol. An earlier version of the bill would have limited retail delivery to smaller stores, but the committee on Wednesday removed the size restriction, a move that would allow big-box stores to deliver, too.
⋄ Establish a new license intended to make it easier for restaurants to sell liquor, not just beer and wine.
⋄ Impose a 2% tax on retailers selling alcoholic drinks to help raise revenue to offset other changes to the liquor tax structure. But the 2% tax would sunset in four years, a change added by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.


text:
Kelly Cutrone, fashion's most important thought leader, has taken a break from mentoring Whitney Port or whatever to continue her one-sided war against Kanye West.
Cutrone, who founded fashion PR firm People's Revolution, had some words for People concerning Kanye's fashion ambitions:
"I'm not into his fashion thing. I think he's fine as a rapper. I think he's a joke as a fashion designer."
I am not Kanye's biggest fan, but no, delusional "insider," you are not allowed to edge him out of the game.
Cutrone gifted the media with some opportune soundbites last Fashion Week, as well, telling NY Daily News in August that "no one who really works in the fashion industry... gives a flying fuck about Kanye West." In a follow-up interview with The Huffington Post, Cutrone added:
"Kanye's really arrogant. Anna Wintour, myself, Gisele Bündchen — we're not making rap records. We're not going like, 'we're the most important things to rap since NWA' .. it's just like, stop it."
Actually, Kelly and Kanye kind of sound like two peas in a pod.
Images via Getty


text:
It looks like we have some details on the new Asus ROG Phone 7, which is expected to replace the Asus ROG Phone 6 launched last July.
A new Asus gaming smartphone with model numbers ASUS_AI2205_A and ASUS_AI2205_B has recently received 3C certification, apparently this is the standard version of the phone for different regions.
The listing states that the phone will ship with 65W fast charging, but unfortunately the listing does not provide other phone specs.
ROG Phone 6 is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile processor, the new phone is expected to be equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
The device also features a 6.78inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2448 x 1080 pixels, we expect a similar display for the new phone.
ROG Phone 6 came with a variety of RAM and storage options, including 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, 12GB RAM and 128GB storage, 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.
The phone has a 12MP front camera for selfies and video calls and a 50MP rear camera, as well as a 13MP ultrawide camera and a 5MP macro camera. We expect the cameras on the new phone to be upgraded. As soon as we get some details about the specifications of the new Asus ROG Phone 7, we will let you know.
Filed Under: Android News, Mobile Phone News
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles contain affiliate links. If you buy something from one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. To learn more.


text:
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust: is this tech fund a better buy?
Despite concerns over rising infection levels, the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (LSE: SMT) share price has held steady over recent weeks. And let’s be clear, the tech-heavy fund has been a clear winner for holders over the last 12 months. Since July 2020, the stock is still up 46%.
Despite this, I’m always on the lookout for alternative investment opportunities that may offer more growth. After all, SMT already had assets of £21bn at the end of June. Here’s another fund I think might be worth considering.
With ‘only’ £3.3bn in assets, the Polar Capital Technology Trust (LSE: PCT) is nowhere near as big as SMT. However, it does have exposure to quite a few of the same stocks. These include online retail giants Amazon and Alibaba, Chinese internet titan Tencent, food delivery firm Delivery Hero and semi-conductor giant ASML. In addition to this, PCT also holds many of the usual suspects: Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet (Google) and Facebook.
As you might expect, PCT’s recent performance has been solid. Its share price is up 17% since July 2020. However, it’s the ascent of the share price over the longer term that shows just how lucrative big tech stocks have been for investors. Since 2016, the stock’s rocketed 238%! That’s a fine result, even though it lags the 357% achieved by the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. This difference may be partly due to the latter’s holding in Tesla, which PCT doesn’t own.
Whether this performance will continue is another thing entirely, of course.
In today’s full-year results, PCT’s chair, Sarah Bates, was understandably bullish on the technology sector going forward. In addition to highlighting the “explosion” in cloud computing, Bates also said that more established companies were now showing evidence of their ability to move into new, exciting areas, such as electric vehicles.
Even so, Bates cautioned that we were in “extraordinary times without much of a road map.” In addition to fresh worries over inflation, she warned that the “valuation gap between ‘growth’ and ‘value’ sectors has become very stretched.”
These are important considerations for holders of any tech fund, in my view. As an investor, I suspect the near-term outlook may indeed be tough, due to those high valuations. As vaccination programmes progress, it’s last year’s biggest losers that will likely be 2021/22’s biggest winners. Think airlines, holiday firms and hospitality companies. The threat of increased regulation shouldn’t be ignored either.
SMT vs PCT
Is one of these trusts better than the other? Based on gains so far, yes. However, past performance is no guide to the future. Moreover, both trusts clearly have a focus on ‘disruptive’ technologies that I’m looking to get exposure to.
Notwithstanding this, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is the clear winner on fees, at just 0.34%. For exposure to some of the world’s most exciting public (and private) companies, that looks great value. PCT charges 0.93%. On the flip side, the forthcoming departure of long-standing co-manager James Anderson may have unsettled some owners.
As a holder of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, I’m happy to stay invested and continue drip-feeding my money in. Despite this, I think PCT may be considered as a suitable alternative, especially if I grow frustrated by the antics of Elon Musk.
I rate both trusts as ‘buys‘ for my own risk-tolerant portfolio.
The post Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust: is this tech fund a better buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
Billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg are already betting big money on the ‘new-age space race’, and for one very good reason…
…because this is an industry that according to Morgan Stanley could be worth $1 TRILLION by 2040.
But the problem is most of their investments are in private companies — meaning they’re largely off-limits for everyday investors.
Fortunately, our team of analysts have identified one little-known company that’s at the cutting-edge of the space industry, and is currently trading at what looks like a VERY reasonable valuation…
That’s why I want to urge you to check out our premium research on this top North American space stock ASAP.
- 3 investment trusts I’d buy for growth
- 2 top UK shares to buy right now
- Space stocks: time to buy?
- Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is the No. 1 HL buy. Time to join?
- My best stocks to buy in a bull market
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Paul Summers owns shares in Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and Tesla. The Motley Fool UK has recommended ASML Holding and has recommended the following options: long January 2022 $1,920 calls on Amazon, long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, short January 2022 $1,940 calls on Amazon, and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.


text:
Parkside is the newest company joining PTH’s community
For Porto Tech Hub, 2022 is going the best way possible with a fresh new company joining our Association.
Parkside, a leading software development & design company that fuses user research, digital design and software development to provide an impeccable skill set, is the newest member thus becoming the 32th company joining our community.
We welcome Parkside to Porto Tech Hub!
Parkside was founded in 2007, in Graz, Austria, the heart of Europe. Since then, Parkside has been helping innovative companies to build, improve and scale digital products and turn legacy platforms into next-generation solutions.


text:
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Monday’s Hometown Hero is Jodi Marciano, who created Stirs, Shakes & Sips, the Harrisburg Bartenders Group recipe book.
In the wake of indoor dining restrictions that started two weeks ago, Marciano created the book to raise money for 17 local bartenders. After only four days of sales, more than $800 has been raised.
The bartenders and customers submitted recipes, which totals 42 cocktail and 13 appetizers for the book.
If you would like to purchase one, the recipe book is available on the Harrisburg Bartenders Group website.
You can also visit the Harrisburg Bartenders Group on Facebook by clicking here.


text:
You are here
The Kroger Co. has agreed to donate produce to Indiana’s Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo to help defray the zoo’s annual food bill, which can reach $300,000.
The program was unveiled Friday as the zoo honored the charitable involvement of Cincinnati-based Kroger and its Scott’s Food and Pharmacy banner, according to local press reports.
Kroger’s Central Division, based in Indianapolis, is implementing a nationwide Perishable Donation Partnership that supports 20 regional food banks and one major food resource organization, the company said. As an extension of that plan, the zoo will receive produce from some area stores — produce that’s fit for human consumption but that isn’t selling or, for some reason, can’t be donated to a food bank.
Much of the food is surplus or products no longer for sale in the store, according to Kroger spokesman John Elliott. Restrictions on what food banks can take in sometimes limit what Kroger can donate, Elliott explained.
A similar pilot program at a zoo in Peoria, Ill., cut food costs 50 percent annually, according to Kroger.
Meanwhile, Kroger Scott’s Zoo Day 2010 last month raised more than $67,000, according to local press reports. Kroger donated 3 percent of sales from 19 Kroger and Scott’s stores, which totaled $50,000. Kroger customers also could donate during a week in May by rounding up their bill or giving cash or change, netting an extra $17,505.
In appreciation of the grocer’s 20-year support of the zoo, the Indiana Family Farm exhibit was dedicated in honor of Kroger and Scott’s.


text:
Starling Bank has opened up its business account to hundreds of thousands more UK small and medium-sized enterprises by inviting companies with more than one person of significant control (PSCs) to sign up.
The move was made in response to high demand and represents Starling’s bid to challenge the dominance of the Big Four lenders, which account for 85% of the market.
Starling’s new multi-PSC account comes 16 months after it launched its mobile business bank account for single-person businesses, which now has almost 60,000 customers.
It follows the award to Starling in April of a £100 million grant from the Capability and Innovation Fund (CIF), a body created to boost competition in SME banking. Starling is using the grant to build a full suite of digital banking products, intelligent forecasting tools, and digitally-enabled relationship management functions as well as lending products.
Companies will be able to apply for an account in minutes and, once approved, instantly make payments to suppliers (including international payments), receive real-time balance updates and spending insights all from their smartphones.
Anne Boden, Founder and CEO of Starling Bank said: “Opening up our business account to SMEs with more than one PSC will give hundreds of thousands more companies access to our features, meaning they can manage their finances conveniently on their smartphone without having to worry about where their nearest bank branch is and when it will be open.
“With funding from the Capability and Innovation Fund, we are reshaping the SME banking market, using technology to help businesses thrive.
“We have a fantastic entrepreneurial spirit in the UK and Starling wants to give SME business owners the best possible banking services to make their life easier and allow them to focus on what counts.”


text:
- No mas: Principal bans Spanish language in intercom announcement
- Hacking software could put ‘zombie drone army’ in user’s hands
- Support for stricter gun laws drops: poll
- 10 whales dead, 41 others stranded in Everglades
- John Boehner faces bipartisan pressure to allow gay-rights vote
- Martin Bashir resigns from MSNBC over ‘ill-judged’ comments about Sarah Palin
- Rep. Duncan Hunter: While Obama prays for Iranian change, U.S. should ready its nukes
- Best company ever? Veteran Beer Co. exists to employ vets, provide quality beer
- Iran official: Sanctions ‘utterly failed’ to stop nuclear program
- ‘Black Santa’ display at IU sparks student outrage
Digital ‘wallets’ proliferate at cellphone show
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Cash, coins and credit cards are so Twentieth Century.
At least, that’s the opinion of the electronics manufacturers, phone companies, banks and credit card issuers that expect cellphones to be the main way consumers pay for purchases in the not-so-distant future.
The trouble is, that vision-of-tomorrow is somewhat blurry, as evidenced at the U.S. cellphone industry trade show held this week in New Orleans. There are a lot of ideas, but little agreement.
The stakes, however, are high.
“Eighty-five percent of the world’s transactions are still made with cash and checks. We have a wonderful opportunity to convert those,” said Gary Flood, MasterCard’s president of global products and solutions, in a keynote speech at the show.
One concept that gets a lot of attention is the “digital wallet” _ a virtual repository for our credit card numbers, receipts, coupons. It’s not much different from a PayPal account, which can be linked to different cards. A lot of companies see the wallet as the key to influence in the world of mobile payments, especially if it sits on a cellphone, not just on a PC. Google introduced its Wallet last year. It’s available on a few phones that can be tapped against certain payment terminals to complete a payment.
Andrew Lorentz, a lawyer at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP who works with the payments industry, said at the show that if he had a dime for every digital wallet that’s been announced, he’d be rich.
“I can have more wallets than cards,” he said.
At the show, MasterCard announced a service that could speed up wallet proliferation even more. The company’s idea is to let any company that wants to set up its own wallet.
“The idea behind this is: How do we get more wallets and more innovation?” said Ed Olebe, MasterCard’s senior vice president of e-commerce development.
Consumers trust their banks, he said, and might want to keep their cards in a bank-branded wallet. Banks, meanwhile, want to extend their relationships with customers, tying them closer. Stores may also want their own wallets, taking the step up from issuing loyalty and credit cards.
MasterCard’s wallet, revealed at the show, will be live this fall and ready for purchases on Barnes & Noble’s website and through the American Airlines phone app. Instead of entering credit card numbers, users on those sites will be able to tap a button, jump to their wallets, pick a card and check out.
A crucial question is what information the wallet issuer will be able to see about a consumer’s transactions. There’s valuable information there that could be used to target marketing offers or for loyalty programs. MasterCard is still working out those details, Olebe said.
“There’s a myriad of laws and rules we have to apply,” he said. “We don’t want to push the envelope on that.”
There’s no guarantee that MasterCard’s wallets will work on phones for tap-to-pay transactions at the register, either. MasterCard is taking a “wait and see” approach to that, Olebe said.
- Apple wins facial recognition patent for iPhone 6
- First Dog Sunny knocks down Ashtyn Gardner; Michelle Obama yanks leash
- Hola: Boehner prepares to push amnesty bill through House
- Inside China: Nuclear submarines capable of widespread attack on U.S.
- MILLER: Obamas EPA closing smelter will not affect ammunition supply
- Kill team: Obama war chiefs widen drone death zones
- U.S. drops 2,000 mice on Guam by parachute to kill snakes
- HURT: Postal Service misses address by a whole continent
- Inside the Ring: China targeting U.S. spy flights
- HARPER: 'Knockout game' not a myth to liberal Sharpton
Independent voices from the The Washington Times Communities
The Constitution: Every issue, every time. No exceptions, no excuses. And how to get from here to there.
A libertarian look at breaking news and political trends by author Tom Mullen.
A stat-head’s outlook, direct from his worn in couch cushion.
Playing Through covers the world of PGA golf, as well as tips your the average golfer to play better.