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Five Ways Cars are Changing
Cars are changing. Technology is evolving, solving problems, and posing questions. Climate change is a pressing issue and automakers are responding to this problem. The automotive industry is becoming something different than it has ever been before. Soon cars won’t resemble what they used to be. Whether you are excited about these changes or have nostalgia for the yesteryear of automobiles, there is no stopping the turning tide of technology and its impact on automobiles. Below are five ways that cars are changing.
When electric cars first hit markets, they were inaccessible and expensive. There weren’t many of them. Chargers weren’t available. Now Tesla chargers are everywhere. The cost of an electric vehicle has also gone down. They are no longer obscenely expensive. Now they are just about as affordable as the average gas-fueled vehicle. Soon, electric cars will likely replace the traditional automobile entirely. There will always be people who have nostalgia for the old muscle cars and other powerful machines like them, but for now the trend is going electric.
Remote Test Drives
One of the ways that cars are getting safer is that there is the ability to remotely test drive models. This means that carmakers can test their new cars without putting anyone in harm’s way. A test driver can control the vehicle in the office and avoid putting themselves in danger. Enabling the driver to push the limits, the company can then take this data and analyze it to make safer cars. Volvo has always been known for safe automobiles, but now they are taking it a step further by investing in new safety features and remote test driving.
New Safety Features
New safety features are popping up all the time. Between image capture alerting the driver when they are getting close to another car and lane-assist alerting them to stay in their lane, there is no end to the amount of safety features available in modern cars. There is even drowsiness protection that detects when the driver is getting sleepy. It’s incredible. While some of these features veer into oversight, the technologies carmakers are using to make their cars safer will undoubtedly result in less accidents and deaths.
Using a computer with image capture and GPS, cars are capable of automation. Automation is when a machine can perform a function without human interference. Cars can now change lanes, exit the highways, keep speed, and swerve out of the way when a car nears them. Automation and self-driving are different, but automation technologies will enable the possibility of self-driving. With these advancements, the roads will get safer and more efficient. Once most of the cars on the road are automated, traffic will improve, and accidents will decrease.
With all these advancements making cars safer, car insurance is changing. When you buy a car like a Tesla, the parts may be very expensive, increasing the cost of your insurance. But as they get safer, there will be less accidents and overall, the insurance business will be forced to reckon with this truth. Perhaps when the roads are much safer, there won’t be need for insurance at all. All of this will continue to change as time goes on. Will insurance be necessary? Will they come up with a new way to charge people money? Whatever happens, the insurance industry will have to come to terms with the changes in the automotive industry.
There is no stopping the evolution of technology. It continues to change and advance. These changes will not stop impacting the car industry. Whether you like it or not, automobiles will evolve with the times. They will get more technological, more advanced, safer, quieter, and automated. One day soon we could live in a world where no one drives, there are no accidents, and traffic is optimized.
The way we live is always in flux. Our lifestyle is too lavish, and the environment suffers because of it. We will all need to change our lifestyles. Electric cars can help, but their batteries are also bad for the environment. Technology will help us solve these problems, and one area that is ripe for change is transportation. Cars are becoming something else; they are evolving.


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文章来源：未知 文章作者：meng 发布时间：2010-01-27 06:41 字体： [大 中 小] 进入论坛
Internet giant Yahoo has posted a 3m (￡95m) net profit in the fourth quarter of 2009, but has seen sales continue to fall.
Yahoo says 2009 was a "transformative" year for the business
The profit figure compares with a 3m loss in the same period in 2008, but revenue税收，收益 fell 4% to .7bn.
Yahoo struggled during the global downturn低迷时期，衰退 as advertisers广告商 trimmed削减，整理 their budgets. The firm cut more than 2,000 jobs to try to reduce costs.
Shares in Yahoo rose 1% in after-hours trading in New York to .17?.
"The fourth quarter marked a strong finish to 2009, which was a transformative变化的，有改革能力的 year for Yahoo," said chief Carol Bartz.
"Our business has positive 动力，势头 and we feel good as we head into 2010."
For the whole of 2009, Yahoo made a ￡598m profit, up 43% on the previous year.
文章来源：未知 文章作者：meng 发布时间：2010-01-27 06:49 字体： [大 中 小] 进入论坛
Sweden's Saab is being sold to Dutch luxury carmaker Spyker, General Motors (GM) has confirmed.
Saab has not made a profit since 2001
GM has been trying to sell Saab since January 2009. Earlier this month, it said it would start to shut down the firm while still looking for a buyer.
But GM said wind-down逐渐减少 activities would be immediately suspended暂停, " the close of the transaction".
Spyker sold 43 cars in 2008, when it posted a loss of m (￡21m). It has yet to make a profit in six years.
Spyker has agreed to pay m in cash for Saab, John Smith, GM vice-president for planning公司计划，统筹性规划 and alliances, told reporters.
Under the deal, GM would also get 6m worth of preferred shares in Saab.
The Swedish government has also agreed to guarantee a 400 million-euro (￡349m; 3m) loan Saab had requested from the European Investment Bank, which was seen as key to the sale.
"Now the deal between Spyker and GM has been finalised, so the government has today taken the decision to give loan guarantees to Saab Automobile," Enterprise Minister Maud Olofsson said.
Saab lost 3bn kronor克朗 (￡255m; 2m) in 2008, and has not made a profit since 2001.
US group GM rejected an earlier offer from Spyker for Saab in December.
Shares in Spyker were earlier suspended on the Amsterdam stock exchange, with the Dutch financial market regulator saying the move was "pending待定，悬而不决 [a] press release" from the company.
Its shares were 2.8% higher before the suspension, after having risen more than 60% on Monday.
"Today's announcement is great news for Saab employees, 交易商，经销商 and suppliers, great news for millions of Saab customers and fans worldwide, and great news for GM," said GM's John Smith.
"General Motors, Spyker Cars, and the Swedish government worked very hard and creatively for a deal that would secure a sustainable future for this unique and iconic图形的，形象的 brand, and we're all happy for the positive outcome," he said.

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KD says he didn't "want to start over" at UA or Adidas.
In the Summer of 2014, Kevin Durant was considering making a move from Nike to another brand such as Adidas or Under Armour. Under Armour, based in Durant's hometown of Maryland, even reportedly offered to give KD $285 million as well as a community center in his mother’s name.
The Swoosh ultimately gave Durant a 10-year $300 million contract, which "was more than enough" to prevent him from taking UA's offer. In a recent interview with ESPN's Darren Rovell, Durant touched on his sneaker free agency from three and a half years ago and explained why he decided not to leave Nike.
You might be part of what was one of the biggest endorsement battles in the history of sports when, in the summer of 2014, you were a sneaker free agent. Nike ultimately beat out Under Armour with a 10-year, $300 million offer. What was that like?
"That process was just too much mentally because I love Nike so much. I knew I had a supreme skill that needed to be compensated for, and I knew I played my way into having these negotiations. But I didn't want to start over at Under Armour or Adidas. I knew where I wanted to be, and $300 million was more than enough. I'm now on my 11th Nike shoe."
Durant's 11th signature shoe, the Nike KD 11, will reportedly make it's retail debut on June 18th in a black and grey colorway.
You can check out Rovell's full discussion with Durant in the post embedded below.


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Nelson County businesses find a way to hold outdoor fall events
NELSON COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Music venues all around the country are continuing to have to find creative ways to get customers out of the house, and a couple of businesses in Nelson County are doing just that.
“When that first guitar strum came out over the speakers yesterday you just saw, everybody that’s in the industry, you just saw their ears kind of perked up,” CEO of Devil’s Backbone Hayes Humphries said.
“It’s wonderful that we’ve been able to do the full foliage festival again this year, our response has been amazing,” Brand Manager of Bold Rock Lindsay Dorrier III said.
Bold Rock and Devil’s Backbone are two staples of the Nelson County’s Route 151, and they’re also two staples of the Nelson County Music Scene. Now, they’re finding creative ways to get people out of the house safely in a pandemic-stricken world.
“It’s basically a regular concert, you can go crazy dance in your box , do whatever you want, we just try to keep everybody contained into their space so that the social distance is maintained,” Humphries said.
“So we feel very blessed that we’ve been able to continue with business but by the same token, it’s taking a lot in order to get to this point,” Dorrier III said.
Capacity limits, social distancing requirements, and mask mandates are among some of the changes for concerts and festivals this fall. Both venues say, so far, compliance hasn’t been too much of an issue.
“Our customers seem to be abiding by the rules which we’re thankful for,” Dorrier III said.
“That makes me proud, you know, people trust what we’re doing, which is a big deal right now,” Humphries said.
Devil’s Backbone has been able to pull off a “walk-in concert.”
“It is a brand new type of event it’s a socially distanced concert,” Humphries said. “We’ve been seeing a lot of people doing driving shows that sort of thing but we really want people to be able to get out of their cars and enjoy the beautiful scenery around here.”
Bold Rock was able to organize their annual fall foliage festival abiding by all social distancing guidelines.
“I think definitely a little bit of a case of cabin fever, even in the summer months because everyone has been not been able to do the same things that they enjoy so, it’s meaningful to be able to have some sense of normalcy, albeit ensuring that safe environment,” Dorrier III said.
They say that it’s just another way businesses along Route 151 are coming together to overcome a challenging year.
“We’re not competitors as much as we are partners and creating a great experience for everyone that visits, so we like to make sure that we’re all working as a team to provide that experience,” Dorrier III said.
Copyright 2020 WHSV. All rights reserved.


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Bitcoin hardware wallet usb stick – are there different types of bitcoins
Crypto news today bitcoin cameron Winklevoss President and co-founder of cryptocurrency firm Gemini on Twitter, with the Securities and Exchange Commission intimating that they would rather digest the recent batch of bitcoin futures offerings first. First, which cryptocurrency will explode like bitcoin acquiring the most powerful hardware. This CopyPortfolio is currently up just under 20% in 2022, bitcoin market news such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) running CGminer or EasyMiner. Crypto news today bitcoin obviously, and joining a mining pool would certainly help. Bitcoin greed index live both cryptos are decentralized and ether is no more complex than bitcoin in that regard from a regulatory perspective.”, the more challenging it is to gather it together and do your calculations,” said Phillips of the AICPA. Which cryptocurrency will explode like bitcoin though founded in China, if you don’t have one. Bitcoin greed index live in the case of Swapzone, you can start by getting the Crypto starter pack. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, bitcoin greed index live you may be new to the entire cryptocurrency concept and for that we recommend you learn a few things.
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Faraday Future barely broke down on its $1 billion electric vehicle factory in Nevada, yet it is now reportedly in negotiation to acquire lands in Vallejo, California, in order to build another production facility. As if we needed more links between the electric vehicle startup and Tesla, it looks like both companies are now aiming to each have factories in the Bay Area (Vallejo for FF and Fremont for Tesla) and Nevada (North Las Vegas for FF and Sparks for Tesla) – something unusual for car companies.
The Vallejo Times-Herald reported on a meeting scheduled for later this month to discuss the sale of 157 acres on North Mare Island.
“A special Vallejo City Council meeting is set for May 31 to consider an exclusive negotiating agreement with the firm, they said.
The project would be the first new automobile manufacturing facility built from the ground up in California in decades, and would bring hundreds of millions of dollars of new investment and a long-sought major employer to the former U.S. Naval base, city officials said.”
The company would demolish the buildings currently located on the land (seen below) and it would start from the ground up.
Faraday acquired 900 acres in Las Vegas versus the 157 acres it is eyeing in Vallejo – leading us to believe it would be a much smaller facility than the high volume factory in Nevada, but the company is referring to the project as a production plant with offices.
It already has offices in Southern California for its leadership, engineers and designers, but a facility in the Bay Area would allow the company to tap into the engineering talent in the region. Just over 2 years since its inception, FF already employs more than 760 people in the United States and 200 more worldwide.
We should know more about the company’s plans for the Vallejo location after the meeting next week. In the meantime, Faraday Future released the construction schedule for the Nevada plant for the next month:
Recent articles on Faraday Future:
- Tesla’s James Chen joins competitor Faraday Future
- Q&A with Faraday Future’s Principal Engineer of Brake and Chassis Controls
- Sneak peek into Faraday Future’s test mule program [Video]
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Why Is The Luxury Tax Of 12% Being Levied On Sanitary Napkins?
12 July 2017
Sex is a choice. Periods are not.
The Goods & Service Tax (GST) which is welcomed in our country on the first day of July 2017, has its impact on various industries in India. The tax reform with the principle of “one nation, one tax, one market” has turned many people high and at the same time has turned many people low.
The GST on sanitary pads and disability aids has become a point of contention with political parties, activists and citizens accusing the government of neglecting the needs of women and the disabled. (Reports Justice News.)
Menstruation is not a woman’s burden. And this fact has to be accepted by the bill setters. Our country’s Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley can see raised brows of women in India for levying 12% GST on sanitary products.
The case of sanitary napkins has become particularly contentious. All women demand that the women’s sanitary products should be made tax free. The government made Sindoor and bangles a tax-free commodity and treated sanitary napkins as a taxable item that too in the second slab of 12%.
I don’t understand what our government is trying to convey. On one hand making kumkum, sindoor, bindi and bangles as tax-free and imposing 12% GST on a basic commodity like Sanitary Napkins that women are biologically necessitated to use worldwide!
AN official in the federal indirect tax body, the GST Council, said on condition of anonymity that the issue was discussed in detail before finalising a tax of 12% on the product.
Here, I would mention that are the GST Council members unaware of the fact that women bleed every month? Excuse me! Apologies. But as a civilised citizen of the nation, I disagree on this step of 12% tax rate on Sanitary products.
While Sanitary Napkins are under 12% slab, condoms are in the 0% slab. Doesn’t it show a bias in favour of population control and against women’s hygiene? This is not an either-or issue. Condoms are primarily about birth control, yes, but they have implications for women’s hygiene as well.
There has been a list of Women’s Organisation standing in opposition to imposing GST on sanitary pads.
Shalini Thackery, the first daughter-in-law from a politically powerful family, expresses her agitation against GST. She quoted that women’s menstruation are those four days that give life to humanity. She is rigorously against imposing the tax in such a basic commodity.
“The overall conditioning needs to change and India should stop behaving like Ostriches,” said Ratna Pathak Shah, the famous Indian actress and director.
One of the Twitter users commented, “The only explanation for sanitary napkins being taxed at 12% under GST is that the GST Council has ‘only’ men on it and men don’t get periods.”
Why is the luxury tax of 12% being levied on sanitary napkins? Only rick women bleed? It’s high time we should know it’s an essential and necessary commodity, not a luxury.
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One of the major concerns the social media platform-based technology company is that they are losing a substantial amount of the user base in this quarter. This is the first time ever that the company has reported a decline in the user base that to an every devastating level of 3 million people. Apart from this everything is not going well for the Snapchat the daily user of its App has also shrunk to a drastic level.
It was not too late ago just two years back when Snapchat was growing rapidly and added 21 million users in the same quarter, everything was going very well for the Snapchat before the initial public offering made by it, Facebook tried to acquire the company but Snapchat refused that offer, leading to which Facebook was under threat of losing its customer base to this growing tech company. However, to counter this Facebook immediately responded by building Snapchat like features that are Stories into its App.
Apart from this, the rise of similar social media app Instagram has affected more to Snapchat than the Facebook, as users are spending much more time on Instagram and the features provided by the Insta is much more sophisticated and easier to use among the users. After that, the company has taken some serious measures to roll out new changes for the users but failed to attract the customer base. Most recently the CEO of the Snapchat made a comment on the user of the Snapchat, in which he says that Snapchat is not for the poor countries. This has started a serious troll for the company and even leading to the trend in social media of boycotting Snapchat app. There were viral videos going on the internet of people actually showing how they uninstalling the Snapchat from their phones after the comment made by the CEO of Snapchat. This was the breaking point of Snapchat where the company started to loose the customer share.


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Instacart seeks to dominate online grocery delivery
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Instacart, a San Francisco-based grocery delivery service that’s taking orders and seemingly kicking butt, has already made ordering groceries online easier — now it’s making it cheaper, too.
As an addition to its multi-store selection of stuff, Instacart now offers consumer a variety of national-brand grocery items at prices much lower than what can be found in stores.
While Instacart founder Apoorva Mehta would not explain exactly where these groceries come from, he guaranteed they are cheaper. “You can just go on and compare the price yourself,” he said.
The service adds yet another value proposition to the company’s growing appeal.
Unlike other delivery services, Instacart offers shoppers the option of buying groceries from Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and other shops online with delivery scheduled in short one or two-hour time window. It does this by employing personal shoppers to do the pickup and delivery of groceries, while it sits back and takes a cut.
Mehta said the company has been growing steadily within the seven months since its launch, with sales increasing at an average rate of 30 percent month over month.
The 10-person company now employs about 200 shoppers as independent contractors, some of which make up to $30 an hour, Mehta said
But now with Amazon, Wal-Mart and other retail giants entering the same-day delivery grocery scheme, Instacart will have kick things into high gear. It seems that everyone want to take a bite out of the online grocery market.
But Mehta said he isn’t worried about the entrance of enormous competitors. That’s because his company holds three things over other retailers — a wider selection of groceries, instant delivery and greater access to stuff.
Renée Frojo covers hospitality, restaurants, retail and nonprofits for the San Francisco Business Times.
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We already got to know of Microsoft’s decision to spin off Mix Radio and Xpress
Three major Windows Phone apps have seen updates. Native Music app for Windows Phone 8.1
Nokia launched Nokia X family with Android core with a promise of 75% existing
Great news for Asha 5XX device owners!! If you still don't have popular Nokia MixRadio
It is raining important app updates today! Nokia has updated MixRadio with some cool new
Since yesterday, my Lumia 925 has received many app updates and it becomes really
Lots of Windows phone apps related news!!
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Aussie freight and logistics software company WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) announced its will acquire the UK’s DataFreight for $3.6 million upfront and earn-outs of $1.4 million.
DataFreight is a software company operating in the UK. It provides integrated logistics solutions across UK customs, consultancy for customs compliance and freight forwarding.
WiseTech said DataFreight will integrate with its flagship CargoWise One product and provide customs management solutions.
In the company’s public filing, WiseTech’s CEO, Richard White, was quick to reassure investors about potential complications arising from the UK’s ‘Brexit’.
“Regardless of whether the outcome is a hard or soft border for Brexit, WiseTech is uniquely placed to facilitate trade and deliver cross-border compliance for logistics providers in the UK and Europe,” White said, adding. “With DataFreight, we will continue to expand our lead in cross-border capability geographically, further strengthening our local market capacity to move swiftly ahead of UK and EU regulatory evolution.”
“In any event, with our powerful global development capacity, we are well positioned to address the changes to come.”
Over the past year, WiseTech has been on an acquisition spree. In just the past three months, it announced it would buy the USA’s intermodal trucking TMS provider Trinium and Spain’s Taric.
“…this acquisition is in line with WiseTech Global’s clearly stated strategy of accelerating long-term organic growth through targeted, valuable acquisitions,” WiseTech said.
Since listing on the ASX in 2016, WiseTech shares have risen from $4 to over $17, according to Google Finance.
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The Supreme Court of Victoria ruled today Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) is entitled to use the Bega trademark on products outside the scope of the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund (ASX: FSF) licence without the fund’s consent.
The ruling means, in practical terms, that Bega may use the Bega trademark on its products such as peanut butter and Vegemite, while Fonterra’s licence on the trademark will continue on natural and processed cheddar cheese, string cheese, and butter.
Bega’s counterclaim, which alleged multiple breaches of the licence agreement by Fonterra, was dismissed.
Response by both parties
In a statement released to the ASX, Bega said it was “pleased that its right to use its brand on [peanut butter and Vegemite] has been confirmed by the court.”
René Dedoncker, managing director of Fonterra Australia, gave the following statement to Motley Fool Australia in response.
“We’re pleased with the decision that Fonterra will retain exclusive licence for the Bega cheese brand for cheese and butter. We will continue to invest in the Bega brand because we believe in it.”
“Although we’re disappointed with the decision on the trademark claim, we are confident that we can work together with Bega Cheese Limited to continue to grow the value of the brand.”
“We will review the judgement in the coming days and consider our options.”
Background to the case
In 2002, Bega Cheese and Fonterra came to an agreement for Fonterra to licence the Bega trademark until 2026 – including blocks and slices of cheese, and Stringers.
According to the ABC, the deal was going well until Bega Cheese announced in 2017 it was buying a suite of Kraft products from Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ: MDLZ). Subsequently, the Australian dairy manufacturer replaced the Kraft logo on these products with its own Bega logo.
During initial proceedings, Fonterra alleged Bega were “diluting the distinctiveness of the [Bega] brand” and would cause “significant damage to the existing reputation of the Bega trademarks.”
Fonterra and Bega share price snapshots
Bega Cheese hit a 52-week high yesterday and this momentum has carried on into today. At the time of writing, the Bega Cheese share price was up on yesterday by 9 cents to $6.24.
Fonterra’s share price has also risen today, up by 4 cents to $4.67. This rise has come off the back of a narrowed earnings guidance.
It is not yet clear whether today’s court ruling will have any impact on each company’s share price.


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The East African Business Council (EABC) is urging for lowering and harmonization of COVID-19 related charges in the East African Community, in a bid to ease the cost of doing business and boost intra-EAC trade.
This is set to support businesses to be more resilient and rebound amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, Covid-19 tests are priced differently in each Partner State EAC Partner States, while containment measures are varied. For instance; Tanzania and Burundi are now charging a standard rate of $100 for both nationals and foreigners while the other Partner States’ charges vary.
“The EAC Secretariat should fast track regional coordination and harmonization of measures on COVID-19 for economic resilience and growth of the EAC bloc,” said Dr. Mathuki, CEO EABC.
Dr. Mathuki also called for the establishment of a common quarantine period in the region and fast-tracking of the waiting time for Covid-19 test results.
The lack of harmonization of Covid-19 testing rates in accredited laboratories and uncoordinated waiting time for the test results is disrupting cross-border trade.
COVID-19 related Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) continue to hinder cross-border trade due to different measures on COVID-19 in the region.
As of October 2020, the World Bank predicted growth in Sub-Saharan Africa to fall to -3.3 percent in 2020, driven by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Different preventive and restrictive measures undertaken by EAC Partner States to control the spread of COVID-19 have significantly slowed down trade, movement of persons and integration. The trickle-down effects of these measures have also been felt across affiliated industries and the rest of the economy.
Dr. Mathuki noted that reduction and harmonization of COVID-19 related NTBs will also enable businesses to tap into the opportunities availed by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“AfCFTA prioritizes addressing challenges in trade policy, productive capacity, hard and soft infrastructure, trade information and market integration which are critical for doing business in the continent,” he said


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Thanksgiving brain teaser: Can you find a pumpkin among the turkeys?
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A seek and find graphic artist challenges his followers in honor of Thanksgiving.
Gergely Dudás from Budapest, Hungary recently shared his brain teaser titled "Can you find a PUMPKIN among the turkeys?" with Fox News Digital.
"We don't have Thanksgiving here in Europe, but I think it's a very beautiful tradition that brings families and friends together and reminds us to be thankful for the good things in life," Dudás told Fox News Digital.
THANKSGIVING QUIZ!: HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THESE SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT YEARLY HOLIDAYS?
An orange pumpkin is hiding in a seemingly endless number of turkeys.
In the past, Dudás has created other seek-and-find brain teasers to honor current events, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and annual celebrations like Halloween and the back-to-school season.
READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP
STUDENT'S VIRAL BRAIN TEASER WHICH REVEALS THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO BOOK "EMPTY" STUNK TIKTOK
Dudás is the author of many search books and the author of the cartoon "Where's the panda?". More recently he has developed a new graphic novel series for aspiring readers called Fox & Rabbit.
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To see the solution to Dudás' riddle, visit thedudolf.blogspot.com.
This is 'a serious problem': State Farm and Progressive are now refusing to cover certain cars made by big South Korean auto firms — here are the models and why they're too risky to insure
There's a Bombshell New Audio Clip That Shows the Trump Team Strategizing Exactly How They're Going to Push Election Fraud Lies
7 Breathtaking Photos of Alex Morgan in Guana Island
Indiana man dies recording TikTok video after falling off 70-foot Puerto Rico sea cliff, family says
Texans’ DeMeco Ryans says rookie Brian Cushing made him want to be a coach
No one should be surprised that Mason Rudolph won’t come back to the Steelers


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Sales for the top three luxury auto brands fell in August, but No. 3 Lexus made up significant ground on its main German rivals by holding its sales loss to a much narrower margin.
With the effects of Hurricane Harvey crimping sales industrywide, U.S. sales of luxury vehicles fell 3.8 percent in August from the year-earlier month to 171,307 units. That was a steeper decline than the 1.8 percent drop in total U.S. light-vehicles sales last month.
Sales slid by even larger margins for the top two brands. Mercedes-Benz's sales, excluding the Sprinter and Metris commercial vehicles, slumped 11 percent to 25,373. BMW's fell 7.7 percent to 23,553.
No. 3 Lexus narrowed the gap by holding its own August decline to 0.4 percent and selling the most luxury vehicles -- 30,801 -- of any brand in the month.
Through the first eight months of 2017, Mercedes, with luxury sales of 213,242, still has a lead of 18,638 over BMW. BMW and Lexus are now much closer, with BMW hanging on to a 1,141-vehicle edge over Lexus.
"Customers took advantage of our Golden Opportunity Sales Event, and we were pleased to see Lexus sedans gain momentum for the month of August, most notably the ES," Jeff Bracken, Lexus general manager, said in a statement. "We also saw a sales increase for the NX and GX luxury utility vehicles. As the new 2018 models begin to roll in, we expect strong sales as we head toward the end of the year."


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Every Monday, except the last 2, I recap 9 social media news items from the previous week that struck me as important, insightfull or surprising. They are articles I believe we should all have noticed on our radar so this post is my way of sharing these.
Cliff explains why businesses need to consider getting into podcasting and the opportunities podcasting offers. He tells you how to share your expertise on podcasts to bring in more business.
More than half of marketers say that the chief meaning of a Facebook “like” is to signal that the user enjoys the content in question, and 41% said that “liking” a brand indicates a desire to communicate with that brand, according to a study by CMO Council and Lithium. Meanwhile, one-third of marketers said that a “like” means customers are seeking incentives or rewards for engagement, and 27% said customers were seeking exclusive events or discounts.
Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” videos have racked up 181 million views, winning the company 440,000 YouTube subscribers and 85,000 Facebook “likes.” To figure out how social buzz converts into sales, the company uses Google Analytics to track social referrals, and tracks coupon codes to understand its social conversion rates. “It’s not complicated, but it works for us,” says Nate Hirst, a marketing analyst for the company.
Online marketers need to focus on finding ways to build meaningful engagement, Edelman Digital executive Michael Brito says. That means prioritizing authenticity and trust, and avoiding marketing methods that involve paying for endorsements or social actions. “Buying followers is useless. Brands will see zero business value by manufacturing a community,” Brito says.
7- Brands: It’s not Enough to be Liked
Social media has opened countless new avenues for promotion of all kinds. As a result of blogs, Twitter, Facebook and more, it’s as if we all have access to a bullhorn, and thus, the ability to promote ourselves whenever and to whomever we choose.
Within your company, surely you’ve grappled with the use, disuse and even misuse of social media. But have you thought about using it for employee recognition? Communicate your staff appreciation by employing social media as a positive acknowledgement tool. It’s a highly visible and yet low-cost way to show your support.


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- The Magazine
“I’m thrilled with it,” Chuck King says about the new Baltimore Eagle. “I’m thrilled it’s bringing joy and happiness to a community that was underserved.”
King, his husband Greg, and business partner Bob Gasser transformed, upgraded, and expanded the former Eagle, which closed four years ago after the death of its owner. It soft-opened in January and, over the past few months, King has discovered that it wasn’t just the leather community, or even the broader Baltimore LGBTQ community, that has been underserved in the Eagle’s absence.
“It’s really evolved into a very eclectic mix of people,” he says. “We constantly see straight people, gay people, transgender people, all colors, all genders and backgrounds and nationalities. It’s become its own little community center of sorts. Of course, we still have that foundation of being a leather bar, and everyone seems to respect that.”
There’s a little something for everyone in the new space, whether it’s catching a game in the downstairs Tavern, drinking and cruising in the dimly lit leather/fetish “Code” space in back, or dancing and watching drag upstairs in Nest Nightclub. There’s also a fully stocked leather goods shop, Eagle Leathers, including a fetish-oriented gallery featuring a rotating crop of visual art for sale. And just three weeks ago, the Baltimore Eagle opened a kitchen that serves gastropub-style fare from noon to midnight, seven days a week.
This weekend, the complex celebrates its official Grand Opening. In addition to drink specials, the Eagle will throw dance parties in the Nest, featuring several nationally known DJs, including Drew G on Friday night and DJ Escape on Saturday. All weekend long the bar will offer special t-shirts, pens and other memorabilia, as well as hold a free contest for prizes including tickets to BHT’s Pride Night at Kings Dominion, tickets to the Lady Gaga’s November concert at the Verizon Center (including dinner, transportation and an after-party), and a trip for two on Southwest Airlines to Fort Lauderdale, with a three-night stay at Inn Leather.
What won’t be ready in time for the Grand Opening, however, is the new patio space. “The patio is underway,” King says. “We’ll really celebrate the opening of that on Pride weekend.” Also still to come: Eagle Wine & Spirits, a packaged goods store that boasts a separate entry. Finally, the Nest will debut a Bearlesque event in June, as well as a more traditional burlesque show.
Ultimately, King hopes the new Baltimore Eagle continues to grow as a place for the neighborhood to congregate. “We want everyone to come here and just be themselves and celebrate their own individuality.”
The Baltimore Eagle’s Grand Opening Weekend is Friday, May 5, through Sunday, May 7, at the Baltimore Eagle, 2022 N. Charles St. Call 410-200-9858 or visit thebaltimoreeagle.com.
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Years ago, in order to gain more users and engagement for their own app, Instagram stopped the support to Twitter where you could cross share your Instagram photos easily to Twitter. Twitter CEO and Co-Founder, Jack Dorsey, was reportedly also a big fan of the social media sharing website when it first released. At one point, he had even advised Twitter to buy Instagram but the Mark Zuckerberg led Facebook swooped in in 2012.
The official account of Twitter announced the new feature which is out live for the iOS users in the world. The feature lets you share your tweets directly to your Instagram story through a pop up option on your screen when you press share. The company tweeted, “Pls stop posting screenshots of tweets on IG stories, now you can share tweets directly on iOS.”
The benefits of the feature include saving storage space on your smartphone as now it has eliminated the need of taking screenshots to share on your story. Also, it saves you the effort of taking a screenshot, which we all know we are too lazy to do.
The way this works is absolutely simple. All you have to do is click on the tap on the share button on any tweet and once you do that, an option containing Instagram stories will pop up. Click on that and Twitter will ask you permission to launch the Instagram App, allow it and you can share your tweet to your story in a flash.
You can also share this tweet directly to your followers on DM or your groups on Instagram if you don’t wish to post it on your story. This could be a really handy feature in the future as you don’t want to end up piling up your photos app with unwanted screenshots. Twitter has introduced what is, in my opinion, a game-changing feature and we could see the feature introduced for other apps as well in the coming future. If you didn’t already know, the same feature already exists on Snapchat and you can share your tweet to your snapchat story.
Twitter had started testing this feature at the end of 2020 and 6 months later, they had brought out the feature only for iOS users initially.


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Travers Smith LLP has advised Nest on its investment into a HarbourVest Partners fund, its second move into private equity this year.
All our latest news and press releases.
Travers Smith is advising O.C.S. Group on the proposed sale of its Facilities Services business to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Travers Smith LLP is advising O.C.S. Group Limited on the proposed sale of its facilities services business to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a leading global investment firm, under which funds managed by CD&R will acquire the entire share capital of OCS Group International Limited, the facilities services division ("OCS FS") of O.C.S.
Travers Smith LLP has advised Storeshield Limited, a subsidiary of the BOC Group, on the sale of Gist to Marks & Spencer. Gist is a contract logistics business with approximately 5,800 employees across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Travers Smith launches social mobility group and booklet as part of its new campaign – Understanding Social Mobility
Travers Smith is delighted to introduce its new diversity & inclusion campaign, Understanding Social Mobility – a series of activities aimed at ensuring careers in law, and in City law firms, are accessible to all, regardless of background or personal circumstances.
Travers Smith LLP is delighted to announce that it will be increasing its trainee intake to a maximum of 40 trainees per year. Numbers will increase in line with the September 2023 and March 2024 trainee intakes.
Travers Smith has advised longstanding client Inflexion on its investment in SteriPack Group, a market-leading global contract manufacturer serving the medical device, pharmaceutical and diagnostic markets.
Travers Smith LLP has advised longstanding client Livingbridge on its acquisition of the CitNOW Group ("CitNOW"), a global provider of front-office software to the automotive retail industry, from Tenzing Private Equity and other management shareholders. Tenzing will reinvest materially alongside Livingbridge.
Travers Smith LLP has advised Quilvest Capital Partners (Quilvest) and management shareholders on the sale of Phaidon International (Phaidon) to a global investor consortium led by private equity firm Further Global.


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American gadget manufacturer Apple Inc. in July-September reduced net income to $ 12.67 billion, or $ 0.73 per share, compared to $ 13.68 billion, or $ 0.76 per share, for the same period in 2019.
Stock analysts forecast a rate of $ 0.71 per share. Apple’s quarterly revenue grew 1% year on year to $ 64.7 billion.
This record value for the third quarter was achieved due to the growth of sales of Macs, as well as iPad and digital services of the company during the coronavirus epidemic.
Apple’s revenue increased despite a decline in iPhone sales due to the postponement of the launch of the new line of gadgets to October, which traditionally falls in September.
Apple’s revenue from Mac sales soared by 29% to a record $ 9.032 billion, service revenue from the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud increased 16% to $ 14.55 billion, which is also a record.
Sales of iPad increased by 46% to $ 6.8 billion, mobile devices and accessories – by 21% to $ 7.88 billion. At the same time, sales of iPhone sales fell by 21% to $ 26.44 billion.
Apple has announced that it will hold a presentation of new products next week – the third since the beginning of 2020. According to the company’s website, the event will be broadcast from the head office in California on Tuesday, November 10. The company announces the event with the words “One More Thing”. This phrase, […]
Shares of Amazon, which rose by 73.8% since the beginning of the year (more than the growth of Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook), fell 2% after closing trading on Thursday, when the company released a report for the 3rd quarter, which ended September 30. Amazon set a new revenue record, e-commerce increased sales by 57% […]
According to trading data, securities of the microblogging service Twitter Inc. after the close of the main trading session in the US fell in price by more than 17%, also according to financial statements, in the red were the shares of US technology giants Amazon, Apple and Facebook, only Alphabet reporting pleased investors. Thus, shares […]
South Korean company Samsung Electronics in the third quarter of this year took first place in the global smartphone market. This was reported on Friday by KBS, citing data from the international research company Counterpoint Research. According to this data, during this period, Samsung controlled 22% of the world market. In second place is the […]
Apple has intensified work on its own search service, which will become a competitor to Google, writes the Financial Times, citing interlocutors in the mobile industry. One of the signs of this, the interlocutors called the fact that after updating the iOS operating system, Apple began to show its own search results and provide direct […]
In the last week of October, investors expect a lot of news, as more than one-third of the components of the S&P 500 index, or 186 companies, must report financial results for the third quarter. The information field is even richer given the election race in the United States, the situation with the pandemic and […]
Created by Bill Gates, Microsoft third time topped the annual ranking of the 100 most responsible US corporations. This was announced by Forbes on Wednesday, October 14. Also in the top five of the updated list, in addition to Microsoft, included only technological giants – NVIDIA, Apple, Intel Alphabet. “Forbes compiled the rating together with […]
According to one of the leading US companies – financial information provider Bloomberg L.P., McDonald’s Corporation already has a large share of potential buyers (80%) of Chinese fast food restaurants. The future owner of the assets turned out a syndicate Citic and Carlyle Group companies, which will buy a controlling stake shares of McDonald’s business […]Next
Chinese e-commerce company JD.com Inc announced on Saturday that it will be the first platform in the country to accept China’s digital currency. The Central Bank of China will hold its second digital yuan lottery among citizens of Suzhou, near Shanghai on Friday. The total amount of playable digital yuan is 20 million ($ 3.06 […]Next
The U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly report on Thursday showed that the number of initial applications for unemployment benefits in the country rose to 1.106 million in the week ended August 15, which is worse than the forecast of economists at 925 thousand and worse than the previous week, when the figure of 971 thousand […]Next
The eleventh object of the state enterprise Ukrspirt Zalozetsky distillery was sold for UAH 80 million. This was reported by the State Property Fund on Wednesday, December 2. It is noted that six participants competed in transparent bidding, as a result of which the starting price increased two and a half times – from UAH […]Next
Shares of AT&T, which have lost 27.6% of value since the beginning of the year, rose up to 5.8% on Thursday after the publication of better-than-expected Wall Street analysts, earnings for the 3rd quarter, which ended on September 30. AT&T reported earnings per share of $ 0.76, which is 19% below last year’s value, but […]Next
The resumption of the number of tourists in New York is possible after the vaccination process begins in 2021, said the head of the New York Department of Tourism Fred Dixon. This was reported by CNN with reference to the forecast of the New York Department of Tourism. “Given the uncertainty of the prospects for […]Next
The court satisfied the claim of the state-owned PrivatBank to Agroterminal and decided to collect UAH 1 billion in debt from it as a guarantor of Boryvazh. This is stated in the decision of the Commercial Court of Odessa region. According to court materials, PrivatBank terminated the loan agreement due to the debtor’s breach of […]Next
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has decided to revoke the banking license and eliminate the Soyuz bank. It is reported by the National Bank press service. The liquidation of the bank will be held under the compact procedure due to violations in the sphere of financial monitoring legislation, – noted in the NBU. “The […]Next
Apple has given to CEO Tim Cook two options which can be converted into approximately 1 million shares of the company under certain conditions. This follows from the documents submitted by the corporation in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the USA. The first option is 333,987 shares with the restrictions, which the head […]Next
Recently, a federal court of the USA has received several class lawsuits where the world’s most popular social networking site Facebook is a defendant. The plaintiffs in the case are large investors of Facebook. The global network Facebook is accused by investors that it has not notified them of the risks and concerns that relate […]Next
Chinese yuan in the next ten years could become the third global reserve currency after the dollar and euro. Such conclusion was reached by analysts of Morgan Stanley, writes CNBC. The growth of investment in the Chinese economy is called to be the reason for the increase in demand for the yuan. Currently, it accounts […]Next
The fall of the hryvnia will not happen again in the event of a full lockdown, as in March, assured the director of the open markets department of the National Bank Oleksiy Lupin. “We do not expect a repeat of the March events in the foreign exchange market, because in March it was something new, […]Next
French entrepreneur plans to open the first Ukrainian truffle farm in Kharkiv region. Edouard Henon,the owner of the oldest in Bordeaux truffle plantation, plans to organise a truffle farm in the territory of the regional Kharkiv park landscape .He is sure that all conditions, necessary for the cultivation of a delicacy, are in the Kharkiv […]Next
This year the company Nestle has established a venture fund package for $ 260 million, but it is just a part of a wider initiative of $ 2.1 billion for abandonment of primary plastic. Two years ago, Nestle that will make all its packaging suitable for recycling or re-use and intends to reduce the use […]Next
From confidence to clarity, there are a number of reasons holding you back from success. Previously LDaily wrote about how important it is to improve the professional value – “To be successful in business means to have a high” social currency “, take into account the things that you need to pay attention to at […]Next


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The Wall Street Journal: Disneyland offers sneak peek for a price: $50 an hour
LOS ANGELES — After raising some ticket prices for its theme parks by more than 20% over the past five years, Walt Disney Co. will set a new benchmark this week when it offers die-hard fans the chance to attend a six-hour preview of a new attraction at Disneyland — for $ 299.
Even for fans used to high prices, the $ 50-an-hour sneak peek at Pixar Pier on Friday, a day before the attraction officially opens, breaks new ground. “Being able to go into the stores a day early is a main draw,” said Chandler Churchill, an 18-year-old recent high-school graduate from nearby Irvine, Calif., who plans to attend the preview.
The steep price stems in part from a perennial tension Disney DIS, -1.64% faces at its theme parks, where public demand is so strong that its two domestic locations, in particular, can fill to capacity during certain times of year. In response, Disney is considering new approaches to pricing amid upgrades at Disneyland in Southern California and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., that are expected to attract even more people.
Raising prices — currently around $ 100 on average days and more than $ 120 during “peak” times around holidays — could mitigate tourist appetite and increase Disney’s profits. The company, however, is wary of appearing to gouge customers, according to theme-park executives and analysts, and going against founder Walt Disney’s vision of affordable family entertainment.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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COVID 19 has created so much destruction and loss of lives that it’s now very tough for people to get back their lives on the wheels. Be it migrant labour crisis, student’s online classes or female dealing with feminine hygiene each set of the society has it’s own miserable story to narrate.
However, the pandemic has created havoc like situation for women. Say it handling house old and work simultaneously or dealing with the disruption of menstrual cycles is now a daily life routine for them. Another aspect of the story is women are finding it hard to purchase sanitary pads and maintain menstrual hygiene.
In this huge distress crisis, some women had attended a few of the workshops where they were taught how to make an emergency sanitary napkin. The WASH project by NGO Humans for Humanity conducts workshops to help women deal with period related problems. The founder of the NGO Anurag says “We also provide workshops on making pads at home. Our volunteers along with research scholars and gynaecologists, discuss the personal hygiene and several ways to use and dispose of the napkins, and other women-centric issues.”
Divya who lives in Kusumpur Pahari, a slum area in Delhi says “During the time of pandemic everyone is making pads at home. This fulfils the need for pads and gets us some money as well.” Another woman Pushpa Bhau Khokane from Belaj in Maharashtra feels empowered as she says “There isn’t any shop to buy pads here. When we produce them, we help other women and also earn something.”
Deep Bajaj who is an entrepreneur has already distributed over 1,300 biodegradable pads in Delhi’s Mukandpur after a collaboration with KHUSHII an NGO”, Deep says.
Maya Vishwakarma, famously known as the pad woman of India, has been widely working in areas of rural Madhya Pradesh for breaking the stigma around periods. She says “I was providing pads to the tribal women in the Narsinghpur district. Then, we distributed 1,000 – 1,500 grocery kits that included sanitary pads, among migrant women, too.”


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Who's responsible for when attackers take customer information?
A Linux developer group in Spain has kicked the "secure boot" controversy upward to the European Commission.
The attack peaked at 300 Gbps.
Julian Waits, the CEO of GFI's new spinoff ThreatTrack, discusses how his company intends to stand out in the growing federal and large-enterprise security space, especially in the new era of international cyber-attacks.
GFI Software earlier this month spun off its security business into a new company called ThreatTrack, whose core assets came from the 2010 acquisition of Sunbelt Software.
A Mail security update for Windows 8 and Windows RT systems was released today.
And one security expert unravels the tangled web of related attacks.
According to a Microsoft document, mainstream support for Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8 will end July 8, 2014.
Microsoft will start rolling out Windows 7 Service Pack 1 automatically via Windows Update to its customers, starting tomorrow.
The Pwn2Own contest has already taken down Microsoft's latest Internet browser.
Microsoft's monthly security update arrived today with seven bulletins that address 20 flaws across a myriad of products.
This month will bring us four "critical" and three "important" bulletins.
Apple would like to remind you that attackers like infect Android customers with malware.
Microsoft's free Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) may not operate correctly for some apps.


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Mazda yesterday staged a ceremony marking the beginning of assembly of the all-new Mazda2 subcompact for export globally, making Thailand one of its three "new small car" production bases in the world after its homeland Japan and Mexico.
The Mazda2 is the first model to be produced under Phase 2 of the Thailand’s eco-car scheme, which offers incentives and tax breaks for a minimum investment of Bt6.5 billion.
The 1.5-litre diesel version has been approved, while the 1.3-litre petrol version is being considered as an additional model. Mazda has invested Bt12.6 billion for the model, of which Bt9.7 billion was for an assembly line at the AutoAlliance (Thailand) plant in Rayong, which is a joint venture of Mazda Motor Corporation and Ford Motor Company.
The remaining Bt2.9 billion was for a factory for engine assembly and engine-components production.
Production capacity is 158,000 units per year for the Mazda2 – 120,000 completely built up and 38,000 completely knocked down – and 50,000 units per year for the Mazda3 and any other models.
Besides Mazda passenger cars, the AAT plant churns out the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 pickup trucks for both domestic and global markets.
According to the requirements for Phase 2, which are stricter than for Phase 1, vehicles must show average fuel economy of 23.5 kilometres per litre, down from 20, carbon-dioxide emissions of no more than 100 grams per kilometre, down from 120, and international crash safety levels.
Industry Minister Chakramon Pasukavanich said the Phase 2 programme had helped Thailand become a production and export hub not only for pickups but also for passenger cars.
“Last year Thailand was ranked ninth in the world for auto production, and Thai-made vehicles are now being exported to countries with very high standards such as Japan and Germany,” he said. Yuji Nakamine, director and senior managing executive officer of Mazda Motor Corp, said Mazda was ramping up its presence in Thailand. Next year, a new factory will start producing transmissions in January for AAT and overseas assembly plants, while the engine plant will start up in the fourth quarter.
“Production capacity at AAT has been raised dramatically, and this means a lot to Mazda. We are planning to increase sales both in Thailand and overseas markets,” he said.
“Thailand will become a very strong manufacturing base for Mazda in the future.
“The local production of the Mazda2 will elevate the technical standards of the Thai automobile industry through collaboration with a lot of local parts suppliers.
“Since the Mazda2 is a highly competitive global model, it will make a big contribution to the growth of the local automobile industry as an export model,” Nakamine said.
The Thai-made Mazda2 will premiere on the world market in Australia, with a public launch this month. Production and export figures have not been finalised. They will be revealed during the Mazda2’s soft launch at the Thailand International Motor Expo this month.


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Refiling to change “estimates” to “expectations” in third bullet headline on Nvidia
By Stephen Culp
NEW YORK, May 25 (Reuters) – Wall Street closed higher Wednesday, boosted after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy meeting showed policymakers unanimously felt the U.S. economy was very strong as they grappled with reining in inflation without triggering a recession.
The minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee’s May meeting, which culminated in a 50-basis-point hike in the Fed funds target rate – the biggest jump in 22 years – showed most of the committee’s members judged that further such rate hikes would “likely be appropriate” at its upcoming June and July meetings. nL2N2WW1W8
“The uniformity of opinion is a good thing,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird in Louisville, Kentucky. “There’s a lack of uncertainty of what needs to be done in the near-term.”
“By the time (the Fed) gets to September, they will have plenty of economic data to make their move from there, so they continue to maintain optionality,” Mayfield added.
All three major U.S. stock indexes gyrated earlier in the day amid increasing jitters stemming from business and consumer surveys, economic data and corporate earnings reports suggesting a cooling American economy – even as the Fed prepares to toss a bucket of cold water on it to tackle decades-high inflation.
Fears that overly aggressive interest rate hikes by the Fed could tip the economy into recession despite evidence that inflation peaked in March has fueled those concerns.
“There’s some credence to the idea that inflation is doing (the Fed’s) job for them,” Mayfield said. “There’s already a cooling occurring, and financial conditions have tightened over the last month because of dollar strength and equity market weakness.”
On Thursday, the Commerce Department is due to release its second take on first-quarter GDP, which analysts expect to slow a slightly shallower contraction than the 1.4% quarterly annualized drop originally reported.
The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report will follow on Friday, which will provide further clues regarding consumer spending and whether inflation peaked in March, as other indicators have suggested.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 191.66 points, or 0.6%, to 32,120.28, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 37.25 points, or 0.95%, to 3,978.73 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 170.29 points, or 1.51%, to 11,434.74.
Nine of the 11 major sectors in the S&P 500 rose, with consumer discretionary stocks .SPLRCD leading the pack with a gain of 2.8%.
Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O and Tesla Inc TSLA.O provided the strongest lift to the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, rising 2.6% and 4.9%, respectively.
Department store operator Nordstrom Inc JWN.N surged 14.0% on the heels of its upbeat annual profit and revenue forecasts. nL3N2XG364
Fast-food chain Wendy’s Co WEN.O jumped 9.8% after a regulatory filing revealed that shareholder Nelson Peltz was considering a potential takeover bid for the company. nL3N2XG3F0
Shares of Nvidia Corp NVDA.O fell more than 8% in after-hours trading after the company’s second quarter revenue forecast missed expectations. nL3N2XH3AM
Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 3.56-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.22-to-1 ratio favored advancers.
The S&P 500 posted three new 52-week highs and 32 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 23 new highs and 255 new lows.
Volume on U.S. exchanges was 11.19 billion shares, compared with the 13.27 billion-share average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.
(Reporting by Stephen Culp; additional reporting by Anisha Sircar and Devik Jain in Bengaluru; editing by Jonathan Oatis)


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W H Smith’s book sales fell 7% in the first six months of its financial year, but the retailer said it has seen some “encouraging results” for its new high street book offer for customers.
Sales and profit at W H Smith’s High Street arm were down in the period, with profit falling 6% to £50m, while like-for-like sales were down 4%.The company said the results were “as expected” following a challenging books market over Christmas.
As usual W H Smith’s Travel arm performed better, with Trading profit up 5% to £41m, while revenue was up 3% on a like-for-like basis, driven by investment and ongoing growth in passenger numbers.
Overall, group profit decreased by 1% on the prior year to £91m.
Stripping out the books category specifically, sales were down 7% in the period, although gross margin was up in comparison to last year. The chain put the decline down to a “challenging” Christmas period with no new book trend following the success of colour therapy and spoof humour books for the preceding two Christmas periods.
“Our approach to the books business is to focus on areas of market growth, build on our relative strengths and drive the overall net profitability of the category,” the retailer said.
Earlier this year the chain unveiled a new books strategy designed to “futureproof” sales for the next decade, which on Thursday (12the April) the company said was “seeing some encouraging results”.
However, it added: “We continue to look at how we can improve the efficiency of our books operating model, both in store and across our distribution and supply network, and expect to deliver further cost efficiencies in this area going forward.”
In Travel, the firm’s standalone book store format was making “good progress”, with the next such store to open in London Bridge in May, as previously reported by The Bookseller. In addition, the company continues to strengthen its recommendation credentials with in store promotions and book clubs which are “key” for customers in both Travel and High Street, it said.
Stephen Clarke, group chief executive, added: “These results are only possible through the hard work of all of our teams across the business and I am very grateful for their hard work and support.
“While there is some uncertainty in the broader economic environment, we have made a good start to the second half of the financial year, increased the interim dividend by 10% and are confident in the outcome for the full year.”


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GAIKI Inc, a California based cloud gaming company recently partnered with Samsung; one of the leading television manufacturers, to introduce the concept of cloud gaming to smart TVs.
Samsung Cloud gaming would enable millions of gamers across the globe to benefit from this amazing new service which would allow games to be played directly through the Samsung Smart TVs. Players will not be requiring any extra hardware to enjoy the service. Once connected to the internet Samsung Cloud gaming would use Gaikai”s cloud streaming to display the games available and the players can start playing without waiting for downloads, setting up consoles etc. It would be just like pick and play!
Samsung will utilize Gaikai’s open cloud platform to launch game titles directly from the Samsung Smart Hub environment featured in high-end 2012 Smart TVs, beginning with the Samsung 7000 series and up 2012 LED Smart TVs.
Back in January 2012 , LG also partnered with GAIKI (The company’s cloud platform will be a part of LG’s game portal service within)
Gaikai has recently with other retailers and game publishers – including Best Buy, Capcom, Ubisoft, Walmart, and Electronic Arts – by offering the ability to stream games directly to Internet users. By adding a small amount of code to a website, a retailer or publisher can offer streaming game demos to interested consumers, who can then purchase the game on the same page.
Earlier the Cloud gaming service has launched the beta version of its app, allowing users of the world”s biggest social network to play console-quality videogames, in their browsers, without leaving the website.
The app, available now at the source link below, contains an initial seven games: Saints Row: The Third, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, Magicka, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings, Orcs Must Die, and Farming Simulator 2011.
Gaikai CEO said: “People don”t want to leave Facebook to play games – Zynga”s phenomenal success is proof of that. Most videogame publishers are now seeking to grow their digital customer base, and unlike movie and music services like Netflix and Spotify, Gaikai gives game publishers relationships with customers.
Both LG and Samsung are launching TVs with dual-core processors which can power high definition games graphics like those found on the latest smartphones and tablets.
However, The service has been criticised for offering an inferior experience to owning a dedicated games console because the graphics are rendered at a lower resolution and the game is running at lower frames per second. Players have also complained of lag which is crucial in genres such as first person shooters. The delayed response time is only a mater of milliseconds, but still puts users at a disadvantage.
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We’ll have more from DSC’s visit to Oreca next week but for now here’s an intriguing piece of news.
Amongst the work underway in a busy assembly shop was a brand new Oreca 05 Coupe, the third car in the production run destined for “an existing Oreca customer.”
A wee bit of detective work soon established that the car is set to be the second 05 acquired by Paul Ip’s KCMG outfit.
More interestingly still the car is set to be delivered in the weeks before the Le Mans 24 Hours where the team have a second entry, currently second in the reserve list behind the Riley Technologies GTE Am Viper.
Beyond a potential Le Mans outing the car is set to contest an as yet unannounced programme of selected races in the FIA WEC.
The team’s lead car, entered for the full FIA WEC meanwhile is set to be a big fan favourite with a stunning electric blue livery.


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This morning, US indexes remain mixed in anticipation of a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. He is testifying before a Senate Banking Committee hearing since 10 am ET.
Congress is expected to question Powell on how the Fed plans to deal with inflation. According to prepared remarks released Monday, Powell is stressing that the Fed will “use our tools to support the economy and a strong labor market and to prevent higher inflation from becoming entrenched"
Jerome Powell is also voicing his support for the poorest households hit by inflation. "We are strongly committed to achieving our statutory goals of maximum employment and price stability,"
The Fed chair said he expected that the Fed would raise interest rates this year and end its asset purchases, but that no decision was made yet about the timing.
Investors will be closely assessing his every word to get some more clues about the Fed’s monetary policy and the timing of interest rates.
The United States offered yesterday a choppy stock market session full of volatility, thanks to bipolar technology stocks. Fortunately for investors, the pendulum swung from a sharp decline to a symbolic rise and not the other way around. Specifically, the Nasdaq 100 lost up to 2.7% during the session but closed with a gain of 0.14%. In this context, the 0.14% decline in the S&P500 and the 0.45% decline in the Dow Jones are almost anecdotal. In the game of hindsight, the theory of cheap buybacks holds true, as the return of the buying flow coincided with the approach of the "contraction zone" on the Nasdaq. This does not mean that the index will necessarily deliver a rebound, although the Nasdaq is up 0.2% as I write this, but it is an important marker for investors.
Today's economic highlights:
No major indicators today, but a hearing of Jerome Powell by the Senate.
The dollar is trading at EUR 0.8827, while the ounce of gold is up to USD 1805. In the oil market, North Sea Brent crude is trading at USD 81.6 per barrel, while U.S. light crude WTI is at USD 78.95 The T-Bond has a stable 10-year yield of 1.76%. Bitcoin is regaining some color at USD 41604.
Apple - South Korea's telecom regulator said Tuesday that Apple has submitted a proposal to allow third-party payments on the App Store, its app store, in line with a new law that prohibits major platforms from imposing their payment systems on developers.
* Tesla - The U.S. automaker sold 70,847 vehicles produced in China in December, the highest monthly pace since its Shanghai plant opened in 2019, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) released Tuesday show. The stock rises 1.5 percent to $1,074 in pre-market trading.
* Intel- The U.S. semiconductor manufacturer, which last month banned its suppliers from sourcing from Xinjiang, removed in its annual letter to its partners any reference to this Chinese region where Beijing is accused of carrying out a policy of repression and violating the rights of the Muslim minority of Uyghurs. In other news, Intel chose David Zinsner, the current finance boss at Micron Technology, as the group's new CFO on Monday evening, effective January 17. Intel shares jumped 5% in after-hours trading, while Micron fell 1.5%.
* Amazon - The online retailer's stock gained 1% in pre-market trading after Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the stock from $4,000 to $4,200. The intermediary noted an improvement in the supply chain situation.
* IBM - The U.S. computer giant is down 2.4% in premarket trading after UBS lowered its recommendation on the stock to "sell" from "neutral".
* Merck & Co - The company said Monday that its oral treatment for COVID-19 should be effective against the Omicron variant and other strains of Sars-CoV-2.
* Rivian Automotive - The automaker said Monday it will produce 1,015 electric vehicles in 2021, a figure in line with its lowered guidance announced last month. In other news, the group announced the departure of its deputy CEO, Rod Copes.
* Abercrombie & Fitch - The American ready-to-wear chain announced on Monday that it expected its fourth quarter sales to increase by 4%-6%. The stock jumped 7% in after-hours trading.
* Illumina - The life sciences company announced Monday that it has signed four healthcare partnerships and said it expects this year's sales to beat Wall Street expectations on strong demand for its genetic sequencing products.
* KKR - Qonto, a specialist in corporate financial management, announced on Tuesday that it had raised funds led by KKR, among others, bringing its valuation to 4.4 billion euros. In addition, the chairman of Telecom Italia (TIM) TLIT.MI, a telecom operator that the U.S. fund KKR wants to buy, will convene the board of directors of the group on January 21 to appoint a new managing director, according to a source familiar with the matter.
- Ambarella: BofA Securities raises PT for Ambarella to $140 from $119, maintains Underperform rating
- AMD: KeyBanc Capital Markets upgrades to overweight from sector weight. PT up 17% to $155
- American Air: Morgan Stanley upgrades to equal-weight from underweight. PT up 12% to $21
- Aveva: Jefferies remains Hold with a price target reduced from GBp 3,700 to GBp 3,300.
- Computacenter: Jefferies resumes Buy rating on the stock, targeting GBp 4100.
- Danaher: Bernstein starts at outperform with $365 price target
- Darktrace: Jefferies remains Buy with a price target reduced from GBp 1030 to GBp 800.
- Great Portland: Berenberg downgrades from buy to hold with a target of GBp 750
- Intel Corporation: BofA Securities raises price target for intel to $55 from $50, maintains underperform rating
- Las Vegas Sands: J.P. Morgan upgrades to overweight from neutral. PT up 32% to $48
- L3Harris: Wolfe Research upgrades to outperform from peerperform. PT up 19% to $266
- Micro Focus: Jefferies upgrades from hold to buy with a GBp 600 target.
- Northern Trust: Keefe Bruyette & Woods lifts to outperform from market perform, price target to $152 from $130
- Northrop Grumman: Cut to Peerperform at Wolfe
- Tesla: Morgan Stanley adjusts price target to $1,300 from $1,200, reiterates overweight rating
- The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation: Keefe Bruyette & Woods downgrades to market perform from outperform
- The Home Depot: Evercore ISI lowers price target to $435 from $445, maintains outperform rating
- United Health: Edward Jones initiates coverage with buy rating
- Workspace: Berenberg upgrades from sell to hold with a target of GBp 850.
- Wynn Resorts: Citigroup downgrades Wynn Resorts to Neutral from Buy


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Americans cut back on their credit card use in July for the second straight month, suggesting many remain cautious in the face of high unemployment and slow growth.
The Federal Reserve says total borrowing dipped $3.3 billion in July from June to a seasonally adjusted $2.705 trillion. A drop in credit card debt offset a small rise in a measure of auto and student loans.
The Fed also says Americans have borrowed much more than previously estimated after it revised consumer borrowing data back to December 2010. June’s figure was increased to $2.708 trillion, or $130 billion higher than initially thought. It’s also well above pre-recession borrowing levels.
Consumers have been using credit cards much less since the 2008 credit crisis. But student loans have increased dramatically during that time.
More breaking news
- Average US rate on 30-year mortgage slips to 3.84 percent
- Regents revolt, criticize state testing program
- CVS paying $10.4B in cash for drug distributor Omnicare
- Lumber Liquidators CEO quits, catching company off guard
- Protesters deliver petition as McDonald’s shareholders meet
- After boycott spreads, state may back down on field tests
- Civic group explores lawsuit in Maine Maid Inn fight
- On-call shifts come under scrutiny
- Online retailer Blue Nile picks LI for first-ever store
- State of affairs


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‘OutDaughtered’ Fans Are Getting Annoyed By Paid Posts on Danielle Busby’s Instagram
Raising six kids isn’t cheap. So you can hardly blame Adam and Danielle Busby for looking for different ways to increase their income. But when Danielle shared a post on Instagram promoting frozen pizza, some OutDaughtered fans let her know that they were disappointed to see her shilling products on social media.
Danielle posted an ad for Red Baron frozen pizza
The mom of six (including five quintuplets) took to Instagram to promote Red Baron frozen pizza to her 1.1 million followers.
“Y’all saw how much my girls love their pizza on last night’s #OutDaughtered! 🤣 Reminder to self: Stock up on “Mamarella” (aka mozzarealla) @redbaronpizza for Halloween weekend so everyone is satisfied and ready to trick-or-treat!” she wrote, adding the hashtags #PizzaParentWin and #ad.
The post was accompanied by a cute photo of the quints and oldest Busby daughter Blayke sitting around the kitchen table enjoying their pizza.
Danielle has talked in the past about the struggles of managing a house filled with six kids and making sure everyone gets fed.
“The most difficult part of having a large family is just the logistics of doing anything and everything. It takes some thought to do everything from cooking dinner to getting out of the house,” she told Country Living. Given that she’s definitely got her hands full, a post promoting an easy meal solution like frozen pizza seems pretty on-brand for her.
Some ‘OutDaughtered’ fans were annoyed by the post
While some fans seemed charmed by the photo of the Busby girls enjoying their pizza, others were annoyed by what one called a “shameless plug.”
“They use their poor kids to earn money,” wrote one person.
“Working that money train,” commented one.
“Everything is an #ad anymore!!” added another peeved fan.
“Why does everyone cave!!! Keep the post about your darling family and skip the paid for product post,” read another comment.
Several people commented that they were also noticing product placements in episodes of OutDaughtered for everything from Aldi to Xfinity. “I love watching the girls but it’s so staged now. Does everything have to be about $$ with y’all?” asked one person.
Some people didn’t have an issue with the ad
While a few people seemed annoyed with the ads on Instagram and within the family’s TLC show, others pointed out that the Busbys were simply being smart and taking advantage of different opportunities to earn money.
“With 6 kids to raise, I would be doing what I could too,” replied one follower.
“Get that money 💰 girl 👏🏼👏🏼” added another.
Sponsored posts on Instagram aren’t the only way the Busbys are making money. In addition to their TV show, for which they earn an estimated $25,000 to $40,000 per episode, Danielle has a fitness clothing line and Adam works full-time. Until recently, he was a key account manager with Intrinsic Solutions/Sprint Safety, but he recently left that position for a new role as a partner at a health and wellness company in Dallas.
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ALMOST a third of Somerset firms which took part in a county-wide business survey expected to make redundancies in the next three months, while half expected turnover to worsen in the next year and three quarters had no plans to recruit.
But on the flip side, around 60% of businesses expected their workforce to remain the same in the next three months, a quarter said their cashflow had stayed the same and, surprisingly, almost 20% said they intended to upscale their companies in the coming months.
The findings are from the second quarter of the British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), which is organised in Somerset by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce with support from Barclays.
It is the largest private sector survey of business sentiment in the UK and the local results feed into the national survey which are closely watched by key policymakers, including the Treasury and the Bank of England. It is the first QES since lockdown and the global Coronavirus pandemic.
In Somerset, a record number of responses were received from across all sectors, with questions looking at a range of issues, including export sales and orders, employment prospects, investment, recruitment difficulties, cash flow, confidence and price pressures.
Locally, some 70% of companies reported a drop in UK sales and advanced orders, over the last three months 65% of firms reported a drop in cashflow and a quarter expected to downsize post COVID-19.
A separate survey found that in Somerset, up to the end of June, some 27% of the working age population had been furloughed, compared to a national figure of 24%.
Stephen Henagulph, Chief Executive of Somerset Chamber of Commerce, said: “There has been an unprecedented, almost overnight, contraction in the economy and the slump in cashflow is particularly worrying as that impacts directly on business activity and staff retention.
“We hope this is the low point for the economy as lockdown restrictions begin to ease but it’s essential we have these hard facts and figures to continue doing all we can to support the business community and to lobby on their behalf.
“These results are crucial to enable the key policymakers to make informed decisions and to fully understand the economic climate in Somerset and across the UK during these challenging times.”
Nationally, the survey found that UK economic conditions had deteriorated at an unprecedented rate across the UK and the number of businesses reporting increased domestic and export sales was now lower than in the worst quarter of the last recession in 2008-09.
Of the 14 key service indicators in the QES, 11 fell to their lowest level in the survey’s 31-year history, including sales, orders and cashflow. Some 7,700 firms took part across the UK, representing around 580,000 employees.
Graham Austin, Head of SME, South West, Barclays, said: “These figures clearly demonstrate what we are hearing from our clients, that small and medium-sized businesses up and down the country including Somerset are struggling with the impacts of coronavirus.
“Barclays is continuing to work hard to provide SMEs with the support they need to weather the immediate impact of the crisis and operate in the ‘new normal’. Public confidence after lockdown is difficult to predict so it’s important for us to help businesses survive this period and deal with new challenges that lie ahead.”
Results of the national survey can be found on Somerset Chamber’s website at www.somerset-chamber.co.uk.


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A cigar handmade in Honduras was selected as the Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficionado Magazine.
The Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill scored a 96 out of a 100 to claim the honor for 2011. The magazine tested more than 700 cigars in choosing its Cigar of the Year.
“It’s no small feat to rise to the top of a collection of more than 700 cigars,” Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, said in a news release. “This Alec Bradley is an amazing cigar. We congratulate Alan Rubin, owner of Alec Bradley on his great accomplishment.”
The cigar, made by hand in Honduras, retails for $10.25. The magazine noted that some of the cigars it tested retail for twice as much as the Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill.


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Almost 17,900 new book titles were published in the Czech Republic in 2013, an increase of around 600 on the previous year, the Czech News Agency reported on Thursday. The figures coincide with the opening of the Czech Republic’s flagship annual book fair, Book World, in Prague on Thursday. New titles peaked in the Czech Republic in 2011 with almost 19,000 being published. Since then the sector has been hit by the imposition of a higher rate of Value Added Tax rate on books and increased costs. The current centre-left coalition government has promised to put books back into a lower VAT band.
The kebab squad
New style brainstorming marathon comes up with ideas for Prague metro system
Migrants biggest factor in rise in Czech population
Prague Jewish community celebrates new Torah scrolls
Ignoring refugee plight “tragedy and crime”, says Ai Weiwei ahead of opening of huge new work in Prague


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Sycamore set to take $1B out of StaplesMarch 25, 2019
In the private equity industry, dividend recapitalizations have drawn increased media scrutiny as many companies with heavy debt loads have had to file for bankruptcy. But the tactic, which involves a firm adding new debt onto a portfolio company to give itself, shareholders and/or limited partners an early payout, is still being utilized.
Retail-focused Sycamore Partners is planning to cash in on its investment in Staples through a $1 billion dividend recap, according to Bloomberg, pushing the office supplies company's total debt to more than $5.3 billion, or about 4.7x adjusted EBITDA net of cash. Sycamore took Staples private for $6.9 billion in 2017, putting a reported $1.6 billion of its own money into the deal. With the dividend recap, the firm already stands to make back nearly two-thirds of that original investment—independent of a full exit in the future.
It's unclear if the move will have any impact on Staples' operations. But Bloomberg, citing a source, reported that Sycamore could look to exit the company over the next year, with an initial public offering the most likely option.
Adding debt before an exit could come with its own set of issues, as some PE-backed companies with substantial debt have struggled on or around the public markets. Apollo Global Management-backed ADT, which had more than $10 billion in debt when it went public in January 2018, has seen its stock price drop some 50% in the ensuing 14 months. Last week, Blackstone postponed a planned IPO for healthcare benefits manager Alight—with some analysts raising concerns over the business's long-term debt of $3.4 billion.
Looking back, dividend recaps have had varied effects on PE-backed retailers, with some going mostly unnoticed and others potentially contributing to an eventual bankruptcy. TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners executed a pair of dividend recaps that totaled more than $1.1 billion in the near decade they owned Petco, and they were then able to sell the business for a reported $2.7 billion profit to CVC Capital Partners and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in 2016. To that end, CVC and Leonard Green acquired BJ's Wholesale for some $2.8 billion in 2011, then pulled out $1.8 billion before it raised around $650 million in a successful IPO last June. Both companies seem to have since fared well.
For others that went through dividend recaps, things ended quite poorly. A recent example came when Golden Gate Capital and Blum Capital bought discount retailer Payless through a leveraged buyout in 2012 and paid themselves more than $350 million in dividends. The company ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2017, with Alden Global Capital taking majority control of operations while 400 stores closed. Still struggling to combat competition from online sales and too much debt, Payless subsequently posted -$63 million in EBITDA in 2018. Then this past February, the company filed for bankruptcy again, with creditors including Alden choosing to close the company's 2,500 North American locations as some 16,000 people lost their jobs.
Related read: 5 PE-backed retail deals that didn't end in disaster
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Bangalore-headquartered Razorpay, one of many handful of Indian fintech startups that has demonstrated accelerated progress lately, has joined the coveted unicorn membership after elevating $100 million in a brand new financing spherical, the funds processing startup stated on Monday.
The brand new financing spherical, a Sequence D, was co-led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, and Sequoia India, the six-year-old Indian startup stated. The brand new spherical valued the startup at “a little bit greater than $1 billion,” co-founder and chief government Harshil Mathur advised PJDM in an interview.
Present traders Ribbit Capital, Tiger World, Y Combinator, and Matrix Companions additionally participated within the spherical, which brings Razorpay’s whole to-date increase to $206.5 billion.
Razorpay accepts, processes, and disburses cash on-line for small companies and enterprises. In recent times, Razorpay has expanded its choices to offer loans to companies and in addition launched a neo-banking platform to issue corporate credit cards, amongst different merchandise.
Mathur and Shashank Kumar (pictured above), who met one another at IIT Roorkee, began Razorpay in 2014. They started to discover alternatives round funds processing enterprise after realizing simply how tough it was for small companies resembling younger startups to simply accept cash on-line lower than a decade in the past. There have been only a few fee processing companies in India then and startups wanted to supply a long-list of paperwork.
The early crew of about 11 individuals at Razorpay shared a single residence because the co-founders rushed to fulfill with over 100 bankers to persuade banks to work with them. The conversations had been sluggish and caught in a impasse for therefore lengthy that the co-founders felt helpless explaining the identical problem to traders quite a few occasions, they recalled in an interview final 12 months.
To say issues have modified for Razorpay could be an understatement. It’s turn out to be the most important funds supplier for enterprise in India, stated Mathur. Razorpay accepts a wide-range of fee choices together with bank cards, debit playing cards, cellular wallets, and UPI.
“Razorpay has established itself as a transparent chief, with its robust deal with buyer expertise and product innovation,” stated Choo Yong Cheen, Chief Funding Officer for Non-public Fairness at GIC, in an announcement. “GIC has a protracted monitor file of partnering with main fintech firms globally and is delighted to associate with Razorpay in its journey to rework funds and banking.”
A few of Razorpay’s purchasers embody finances lodging decacorn Oyo, e-commerce large Tokopedia, high meals supply startups Zomato and Swiggy, on-line studying platform Byju’s, ride-hailing large Gojek, provide chain platform Zilingo, caller ID service Truecaller, journey ticketing companies Yatra and Goibibo, and telecom large Airtel.
The startup expects to course of about $25 billion for practically 10 million of its prospects this 12 months, stated Mathur.
He attributed a number of the progress to the coronavirus pandemic, which he stated has accelerated the digital adoption amongst many companies.
On the neo-banking and capital facet, Mathur stated, Razorpay expects RazorpayX and Razorpay Capital to account for about 35% of the startup’s income by the tip of March subsequent 12 months.
Mathur stated the startup’s fee processing service continues to be its quickest rising enterprise and doesn’t want a lot capital to develop, so the startup shall be deploying the contemporary funds to develop its neo-banking choices to incorporate vendor fee, and expense and tax administration and different options.
The startup, which goals to work with over 50 million companies by 2025, may additionally purchase just a few companies because it explores alternatives round inorganic growth within the neo-banking class, stated Mathur.
“We are going to proceed to make an impactful contribution to the expansion of the trade, assist adoption within the under-served markets and drive new practices and a brand new pondering for the trade to observe. And this funding suits completely with our progress technique,” he stated.
#Indias #Razorpay #unicorn #million #funding #PJDM