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Google has banned South Korean developers from updating their apps containing links to third-party payment methods under the threat of delisting. This move, however, would breach the so-called “Anti-Google law.”
The new rules apply to mobile apps, which contain links to third-party payment services and websites. Developers used this practice known as “outlinking” to bypass Google’s fees and offer users an option to make purchases outside the Play Store.
According to The Wall Street Journal, developers from South Korea can no longer update apps containing such links starting this month. If they don’t follow the rules, Google might remove these products from the store by June 1.
Following the news, the Korea Communications Commission stated that forcing developers to use a specific payment method and making it impossible to offer alternative options would breach the country’s app-payment law.
In August 2021, South Korea passed the so-called “Anti-Google law” to prevent platform holders from dictating payment terms and end their domination in the market. Despite Apple’s and Google’s concerns, the country obligated the companies to allow third-party payment methods outside their storefronts, where they charge commissions of up to 30% on every transaction.
Both Apple and Google eventually promised to comply with the law. Google, however, noted that it would still charge fees, reducing them only by 4% for third-party payment methods.
On April 5, the Korea Communications Commission said that it can conduct preliminary status inspections if Google sticks with its decision to delist apps practicing outlinking. As a result, the company might face a fine of up to 2% of its revenue in South Korea.


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WELCOME TO The small business REPORT
Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
PRnewswire | May 10, 2023
The Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at FIU and its Director, Brian Van Hook, was presented with the 2023 National Small Business Week 'SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award' by the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Administrator, Isabella Casillas Guzman on Monday, May 1st, at the Administration's national kick-off event at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, D.C.
During NSBW, the SBA recognizes the contributions of outstanding entrepren...
Gravie | August 26, 2021
Gravie announced today a partnership with Decisely – an HR platform offering a suite of services for small and medium-sized businesses to manage critical HR functions from recruitment to retirement, and everything in between. Gravie's flagship solution, Comfort, will be a preferred health plan for delivery service providers and freight partners across the country that serve a U.S. Big Five e-commerce company. Through Decisely, more than 120,000 employees will have access to Comfort.
Small Business Advice
Simply Business, LLC | September 27, 2022
Simply Business, LLC., a Boston-based digital insurance agency focused on small businesses, today announced the launch of a partnership with biBERK Business Insurance, a Berkshire Hathaway company, to offer workers' compensation products online to small business owners in the United States.Through this new partnership, small business owners can receive a biBERK workers' compensation quote through the Simply Business website. They also have the option to digitally bind policies and speak ...
Next Insurance | December 14, 2020
Next Insurance, the main digital insurtech company changing small business insurance, today reported that it has finished the acquisition of Juniper Labs, an imaginative supplier of elective open information and endorsing innovation zeroed in on small businesses. Together, Next Insurance and Juniper Labs will keep on creating improved AI abilities and apparatuses to reinforce the omni-channel client experience. This is Next Insurance's first securing and follows the end of its $250 million S...
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Kerala: If you were fast food lover then there is big blow for you. In a first-of-its-kind move in the country, Kerala has introduced a ‘fat tax’ on the consumption of junk food items like pizzas and burgers sold through branded restaurants. In his budget speech, the state's Finance Minister said a fat tax of 14.5% would be imposed on branded restaurants selling food like pizzas, burgers, tacos, doughnuts, sandwiches, pasta, burger patty and bread-filling.
Fast-food chains like McDonalds, Dominos, Pizza Hut, Subway among others are likely to see a hit on their sales as they would be forced to up the prices and pass on the burden to consumers. The newly-elected LDF government in the state has imposed 14.5 percent tax on branded resturrants and resturant chians selling fast food.
Two studies conducted earlier in the state pointed towards rising obesity levels amongst children in the state. A 2010 study, which was conducted by VMS Bellary found that among high school students of Thiruvananthapuram’s city corporation, 12 percent were overweight while 6.3 percnt were obese.
The state government has also imposed 5 percent tax on packaged wheat products, packaged basmati rice and coconut oil. Disposable plastic glasses are also set to be costlier with a steep 20 percent tax imposed.


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June 16, 2021
A Neiman Marcus selling associate using the Connect remote-selling platform. Image courtesy of Neiman Marcus Group
By Luxury Daily News Service
U.S. retail company Neiman Marcus Group is expanding its digital investments with its acquisition of Stylyze, Inc., a cloud-based software platform.
Share your thoughts. Click here


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Homebase and Argos owner Home Retail sees sales rise
Argos and Homebase owner Home Retail has said it expects annual profits to be slightly ahead of market forecasts of £107m to £111m.
It follows strong sales growth in the last eight weeks of the year to 1 March.
Sales at Argos rose 5.2% to £526m at stores open more than a year, against market expectations of 1.8%.
Sales at DIY chain Homebase surged 9.3% to £203m - nearly three times City forecasts for a 3.4% increase.
Annual sales at Argos rose 3% to £4bn, while at Homebase, sales rose to £1.4bn - a 4.1% increase.
The sales figures mark the end of a successful first year in Home Retail's online-focused turnaround strategy after several years of falling profits.
Home Retail's plan aims to transform Argos, which brings in 70% of the group's revenue, from a catalogue firm to a digitally-led business.
It has also begun targeting higher sales from tablet computers and mobiles and is hoping to cash in on its easy in-store collection service.
Last year, Argos announced a "click and collect" deal with eBay, which would allow customers to buy goods on the online auction website and collect them from 150 Argos stores across the UK.
Home Retail's plan is to push Argos sales up 15% to £4.5bn by 2018. Homebase stores are also being revamped.
In January, the firm said it expected to achieve annual profits of £90m to £109m.
The sales improvement at Argos was driven by strong demand for electrical products, such as TVs and games consoles. Homebase sales were lifted by growing sales of "big ticket" items, including kitchens.
Internet sales for the full year represented 44% of total Argos sales, up from 42% a year earlier.
The group cautioned that it expected to increase provisions to compensate customers, following a review of the sale of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) to £25m. It would not say what the total amount was, but added that the charge would be an exceptional item.
Shares in Home Retail, which in January named Argos boss John Walden as its new chief executive, rose 2% to 209.75p this morning and are up 58% on a year ago, valuing the business at about £1.7bn.
Terry Duddy, chief executive of Home Retail Group, said the positive sales performance concluded a good year for both Argos and Homebase.
But he added that despite signs of improving economic conditions, the group continued to plan for a "subdued consumer environment", while recognising that "digital technology, together with changes in consumer behaviour", had fundamentally changed the face of retailing.


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November 13, 2001 in
Fresh from SEGA's official website, we now know the release date for Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on the Gamecube for the US.
According to the site, the game will hit store shelves in January 2002, which is a month after its release in Japan. That should be enough time to get all the localisation ready, from voices to extras, right?
Time to get excited!
View full story
Nov 13 2001


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Bitcoin is the currency of the Internet: a distributed, worldwide, decentralized digital money.ClearPoll, Blockchain Based Public Opinion Polls Platform Launches Pre-ICO.However, While the Citi group believes that the use of Digital Currency is certain, it has an unclear assumption about the future of Bitcoin.Citi Group has released a Bitcoin price analysis regarding the Silk Road auction.I got a call from my Bank manager saying that my account has been flagged as I have bought Bitcoin and they will be closing my accounts.
Citi, Nasdaq team up for blockchain payment system By. technology first developed to transfer ownership of the virtual currency bitcoin between.Upload your images and your bitcoin purchase will be processed and delivered within 2 hours.This is one of the main reasons why cryptocurrencies are still struggling to outgrow and replace the conventional money transactions.The financial services sector goes back and forth on bitcoin.You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications.Sell bitcoin with cash deposits at most banks in the USA: Bank of America, PNC, SunTrust, TD Bank, Wells Fargo, Chase, Credit Union, Suntrust, PNC, Regions, CITIBANK.
Citi: Bitcoin is an Opportunity for Banks, Not a Threat
Buy bitcoin with Citibank Cash Deposit safely, easily and instantly at Paxful.CitiBank bank announces that Bitcoin should not be seen as a threat within the banking world since this represents a great opportunity for these and for the financial.Bitcoin is an interesting experiment that is no threat to the banking system.
Once one of these systems begins coming online regulators will be forced to take notice and this means everything, from dogecoins to bitcoins to Citicoins, will eventually become regulated.
Citibank: State-Backed Cryptocurrency Key to BlockchainState-backed cryptocurrencies are key to the adoption of blockchain technology, according to an executive at investment banking group Citi.Here at NewsBTC, we are dedicated to enlightening people all around the world about bitcoin and other cryprocurrencies.A new research report by banking giant Citi asserts that it does not view bitcoin and other digital.
Citi Group Executive Calls For ‘State-Backed
How Banks Are Leveraging Bitcoin and Blockchain Technologies
Citibank is currently one of the biggest banks in the world,.
How I missed the point of bitcoin | American BankerNewsBTC is a news service that covers bitcoin news, technical analysis and forecasts for bitcoin and other altcoins.Citibank is positive about the potential benefits to be taken from this new financial technology.
Bitcoin News on Twitter: "Citi Strategy Chief: Bitcoin'sAs Kenneth Moore, the head of Citigroup Innovations Lab, claims, Citibank wants to keep up to date with the latest technologies in the business and of course, make use of their full potential.
Xapo — a bitcoin services company based in Palo Alto that is in the midst of relocating its headquarters and operations to Switzerland — announced yesterday (May.Big banks are watching cryptocurrencies very carefully, so it was bound to happen: Citigroup has made its own blockchain-based digital currency called.
Citibank Is Developing Citicoin, a Bitcoin-InspiredIt is worth noting that bitcoin is probably opening more people.
International Business Times revealed that the global bank Citi is developing.FinTech or Financial technology Media - FTReporter.com. All financial and technology news, news about cryptocurrencies, blockchain related news, fintech events.
Citi, Nasdaq team up for blockchain payment systemCitibank testing cryptocurrency as a digital payment. although members in the Indian Bitcoin community were.
MUFG Coin, SETLcoin, BK Coin, Citicoin, eCM… Who’s Next in
So far, numerous other banks are testing and exploring how to apply blockchain to their services.Even a non-account holder will have the opportunity to send and receive encrypted digital currency.
Citibank warns bitcoin poses threat to credit, debit card
Bitcoin ATMs - Bitcoin ATM Chicago // Red Leaf Chicago
Buy and sell bitcoin locally - Bitlio.com
Citi Experimenting With Bitcoin Technology For The LastThis past Tuesday, the International Business Times published an article where it revealed the Citibank group intentions.The short history of Bitcoin and the blockchain proves that a.
Blockchain: Money Conference – Blockchain and BitcoinPrediction Markets Begin to Attract New Types of Investors Advisory Panel For Blockchain Launches In Germany IBM: Blockchain Good For Governent Services.Citi Introduces Global Digital Wallet, First Launch in Singapore, Australia and Mexico.Many major Wall Street banks are trying to understand bitcoin, the virtual currency that has gained interest in the last few years, and how it could change.
Most popular cryptocurrencies 2017 | Bitcoin farm fire | Localbitcoins nz | Buy bitcoins instantly online | Where to get bitcoin address | Bitcoin mining hardware chart | Unconfirmed transaction blockchain.info | Bitcoin mining electricity cost | Can i mine bitcoin on my mac |


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Already known performance division of Fiat Group, Abarth also showed a novelty at this Geneva Motor Show: the 695 Biposto. According to the company itself, it is the fastest model Abarth has produced, at least among those legalized for the street.
Opel revealed on Thursday (20) the production version of Adam Rocks. The model is displayed to the public during the Geneva Motor Show, scheduled to open March 6 and is treated by the brand as "urban mini-crossover".
The arrival of the new generation of the Toyota Corolla to the Brazilian market is getting closer. The reader FOUR WHEELS Vinicius Pinheiro sent us this picture: A flagrant sedan running through the city of Curitiba (Paran?) on February 2.
Renault stopped production of the Fluence ZE , which was manufactured in Bursa, Turkey. Introduced in 2010, the electric version of Renault Fluence turned out to be a big failure for the French automaker, since apparently only 3,500 units of the model were sold.


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French Motorcycles Market registered a positive trend (+11,1%) in August with total registrations at 25.477. However, market recovery slows, leading the YTD outcome at 198.625 units (-9.8%). Indeed, forecasts for the full year 2020 slightly worsens (-6.5%).
Two-wheeler sales in August
During the eighth month of the 2020 French motorcycles market showed again a double-digit growth. Indeed, in August sales went up 11.1% with total registrations at 25.477 units sold.
Despite the latest months positive results, the market recovery is not as strong as in other major European countries like Italy. Accordingly, France’s economy is experiencing a slow recovery with expectation of a rise in the jobless rate.
The outcome Year to Date August displays a trend down 9.8% with 198.625 registrations.
Analysing categories’ performances, we report the negative YTD trends of Motorbike +50 (-3.3%) and of Mopeds (-10.5%), while Scooters +50 is positively performing (+7.7%).
As far as by CC class, electric vehicles performance YTD is losing in double-digit, down 23.9%.
Brand-wise, Yamaha sold 26.209 units YTD (+1%), followed by Honda with 20.742 (-14.5%) and Piaggio 18.449 (+4.1%). Behind BMW with 12.107 (-4%), Kawasaki with 11.040 (-12.2%), Peugeot – slipping in sixth position – with 10.903 (-22%) and SYM with 7.127 (+9.7%).
Motorcycles Market Trend
The recent years positive pathway was still place in france at the end of February. Year to Date February sales were 40.463, up 9.8%.
Unfortunately the risk correlated to the development of Covid19 in the country has been underestimated by the government and first measures had been taken only in Mid-March a bit lately to avoid a vast contagious spread over the country.
Motorcycles plants and dealership have been shutdown from the last week of March to the first week of May.
In March sales fell down above expectations with 14.179 sales (-52.2%) ending the first quarter with 54.650 units, down 17.8%.
Unfortunately sales in April, with all plants and dealers closed, were only 5.340 units (-82.6%).
In May sales have been encouraging and a much better than expected reaching 26.619 units with only 15.3% of lost from the correspondent month last year.
June sales were 43.196, up a robust 31.5% ending the first half 2020 with 129.873 units, down 20.0%.
Sales keep growing in July, closing at plus 21,2% with 43.344 units.
Market Outlook 2020-2025
The reactiveness of French government to Covid19 economic impact was outstanding and the country is working with huge sustain in the “new normality”. The demand for a more individual mobility and the increased offer of more performing electric scooter are positively affecting the recovery within our industry. However, in the automotive industry, the Government is focused on sustaining the car sector, in which it is heavy involved.
In the Beyond Covid19 project, we are revising on monthly basis and sharing with our Clients the 2020-2025 motorcycles market outlook. Since August 2020 we noticed a slowdown in French motorcycles’ sales performance, leading to full year 2020 projection at 276.000 units, down 6.5% from the previous year.
The 2021 will allow the market to be back at pre-covid level, despite the effects of stage 5 emission level (due in January 2021), while consumer’s demand will change the mix within the market, accelerating trends in place before the virus and showing new trends.
In 2019, Peugeot was outstanding in a fast growing market
Since years French market is the largest in Europe. In the 2019 France was ahead of Italy, Spain, Germany and Turkey while at Global level the market is only the 20th, ahead of Italy and behind Peru (19th), Nigeria (18th) and Japan (17th).
In the period 2017-2018 the market was affected by the introduction of new European limits for emissions, which has been the main reason for the last year decline is in the new European emission regulation, the stage euro 4, introduced in January 2018, forcing the manufacturer to register with the end of December all euro 3 models is stock. The effect for a bulk of self-registrations in the Q4 2017 which pushed the year at the best level of this decade, 285.027 units, heavily penalizing the first half 2018 figures, with 2018 figures declining at 266.656 (-6.4%).
According to data released by the French Minister of Transportations, in the 2019 the demand for two-wheeler vehicles was outstanding with sales boomed 15.7% at 308.422, the highest level since 2012.
The 50cc scooter segment reported the strongest increase, up 24.9% and represents today the 28.2% of the market, while scooter over 50cc segment increased 5.9% and Motorcycles segment 11.7%, representing the 41.7% of the total.
Looking at the mode versions, the fastest growing segment is the Supermoto (+115%) followed by the Touring (+20.5%) and the Street (+16.6%).
The electric vehicles segment is fast growing and in the 2019 hit the all time record with 16.962 units, up 35%, representing the 5.5% mix on total market.


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The rise of e-books has caught many small publishers off guard — they've had to learn how the technology works, acquire digital rights, create a new marketing strategy and even scan in older titles, all without knowing how successful e-books will eventually become.
At the Minnesota Historical Society Press and Borealis Books, the process happened faster than for most publishers its size because of funds from the state's Legacy Amendment.
The Historical Society's publishing arm, which distributes a couple dozen new titles each year, received $52,692 in the last two years to publish 125 e-books, which represent more than a quarter of all the books it has in print. Another $18,000 from the Legacy's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund went to the publisher in the current fiscal year to provide e-book versions of new titles the publisher deems fit for the e-book market.
Read a list of the 10 top-selling e-books published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press with help from Legacy Amendment money.
E-books currently make up only 3 percent of total sales for the publisher, said Pamela McClanahan, director of Minnesota Historical Society Press and Borealis Books. McClanahan is confident that percentage will grow, but no one really knows how fast.
"It's a big risk, and that's hard in a financially tight time," she said, noting that many small publishers have been operating "close to the bone."
McClanahan said the publisher has tried to use the Legacy money to give some of its older titles new life as e-books, including a series of best-selling novels by Vilhelm Moberg about Swedish immigrants that were first published in the '50s and '60s. All four of the novels are among the top-selling e-books for the publisher so far, with "The Emigrants" at the top of the list selling 530 e-books through April.
More than half of the e-books the Minnesota Historical Society Press has published in the last two years are so-called "backlist" titles, most of which had to be scanned into a computer.
Optical character recognition software was then used to turn images of the pages into text, so it could be altered or edited. One of the most time consuming parts of the process is going back to check every word to make sure it matches the original text, said Daniel Leary, design and production manager for the press.
The press has relied on volunteers for much of that work, which has allowed editors to publish more e-books and experiment with two iPad apps. Leary said the time consuming process of proofreading and acquiring the digital rights to photos published in the print version of a book have been priorities — especially after seeing some of the other e-books on the market that were riddled with errors and had blank spaces where publishers had failed to acquire rights to images.
"We've seen a lot of dodgy products out there," Leary said.
While e-books help publishers save some on printing, shipping and warehousing costs, some smaller publishers have struggled with the startup costs of offering their titles as e-books, said Matt Mullin, community relations manager for Digital Book World, an online e-book publishing community.
And perhaps an even bigger challenge will be marketing their books, Mullin said.
"It's entirely possible for a small publisher's books to be completely lost in the ether," he said. "If you have a book that was published 10 years ago, how are people going to discover it? How are people going to buy it?"
But Mullin said publishers who refuse to embrace e-books will have "an increasingly tough time in the future as shelf space disappears."
McClanahan acknowledged it's been a big change for the Minnesota Historical Society Press to go from mostly marketing to booksellers to marketing e-books directly to consumers. But she said an important part of the publisher's audience includes the demographic embracing e-books — the 50-plus crowd.
FINDING E-BOOK READERS
Though marketing and distributing e-books might be a challenge for small publishers, there's also opportunity, said Ben Barnhart, editor for the Minneapolis-based Milkweed Editions.
"With a print edition of a book, a publisher who has more money may leverage that to make sure the book is in every store in the country, whereas a smaller publisher couldn't afford to do that," said Barnhart, who serves as president of the Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable. "With e-books, they're accessible everywhere, equitably."
Barnhart said most Minnesota publishers are entering the e-book market with their new titles, but he said fewer have tried publishing e-books from their backlists, making the Minnesota Historical Society Press stand out.
Barnhart predicts e-book sales will continue to grow. "We've really hit a sweet spot in having a lot of the devices as well as a lot of content," he said.
But how long it will take for people will adopt e-books en masse is still an open question, Leary said. He said iPads are still a luxury item that many readers can't afford. And there's still a lot of readers who haven't accepted the concept of e-books, he said.
"It's a confusing time right now because we expect digital content to come to us for free, like most Internet content does," Leary said.
To encourage more downloads, the press made its first iPhone/iPad app — for a book called "Dad's View of the Twin Cities" — available for free. It's been downloaded 1,200 times. Historical Society officials will watch carefully how people respond to the publisher's second iPad app: a children's book by Kevin Kling and Chris Monroe complete with animations and sounds. The "Big Little Brother" app will be released in November for $9.99.
While they're expensive to develop, offering apps is the next logical step for publishers to make, Barnhart said. Apps can include features such as author interviews, additional author footnotes, video or animation, especially in the case of children's books, he said.
"It allows a developer and publisher the opportunity to change and re-conceive how the book exists and how the reader encounters it," Barnhart said. "It's also an opportunity to continually refresh and add content to a book. We've never had an option to do that before."
(Minnesota Public Radio received $2.6 million in Legacy arts funding during the last two-year state budget cycle.)


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Eurozone growth beats expectations, as inflation hits a 13-year high
The ECB sees inflation pressures as temporary and is unlikely to raise interest rates.
The eurozone economy has outperformed consensus estimates as it grew by 2.2% quarter-on-quarter in Q3, matching the previous quarter. This leaves the level of economic activity just 0.5% below its pre-pandemic peak, meaning that the recovery in GDP should be complete this quarter (Q4).
Whilst the aggregate eurozone GDP figures surprised to the upside, the results within the major member states were more mixed.
France provided the biggest upside surprise, growing by 3% compared to consensus expectations of 2.1% growth, and 1.3% growth from Q2 (revised up from 1.1%). This was thanks to a strong rise in household consumption, which was helped by the further easing of pandemic-related restrictions and an improvement in consumer confidence.
Elsewhere, Austria also beat expectations with 3.3% growth, down from 4% in the previous quarter. Italy provided the other significant upside surprise, growing by 2.6% in Q3, only slightly down from 2.7% from the previous quarter.
In contrast, Germany disappointed the consensus as it grew by 1.8%, down from Q2 growth of 1.9% (revised up from 1.6%). Although 1.8% quarterly growth is still high by historic standards, it is clear that supply bottlenecks have hampered the recovery in Germany’s manufacturing sectors. The level of German GDP is still 1.5% below its pre-pandemic peak, compared to France which is just 0.1% below.
A concern for Germany is that it may have missed its chance to take advantage of the strong recovery in global demand for goods. For months, new orders have outpaced output, causing a major backlog, depleted inventories and long delivery times. Companies appear to have responded by raising their prices, though part of this will have also been driven by the higher cost of raw materials.
In the latest data from business surveys, it appears that demand is now fading, reducing the potential upside for German manufacturers. This may be partly due to weakness externally, especially in China and Asia, but it may also be due to a loss in competitiveness, which is more concerning.
Spain saw activity accelerate from 1.1% growth in Q2 to 2% in Q3, but this was below consensus estimates of 2.7%. Though some tourism returned during the quarter, it appears that delays in lifting restrictions may have contributed to the disappointment. Spanish GDP remains 6.6% below its pre-pandemic peak, highlighting the challenge ahead to return to normality.
Energy costs push inflation to a 13-year high
Meanwhile, flash inflation figures released today show headline eurozone inflation reached 4.1% y/y – the highest rate of inflation since July 2008. Energy inflation reached 23.5% y/y, contributing 2.1 percentage points to the headline rate. This was caused by the recovery in wholesale oil and gas prices which fell sharply last year during the height of the pandemic.
Worryingly, energy inflation is likely to rise further, and persist for longer as oil prices have risen further. More significantly, there has been a major spike up in wholesale gas prices.
Core inflation, excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco rose from 1.9% to 2.1%. While much lower than the headline rate, it is still high by historic standards. However, about a quarter of this is cause by the reversal of the German VAT cut from 2020 at the start of this year. The distortion will drop out of the annual comparison in January 2022.
Challenges ahead will keep monetary policy loose
Overall, the latest growth figures are broadly positive and point to an ongoing recovery, particularly in services sectors which were badly impacted by the pandemic. However, there are growing concerns that external demand for goods is fading, especially in response to rising prices which are mostly caused by supply bottlenecks.
Meanwhile, inflation is expected to rise further, potentially denting consumer confidence, and reducing the contribution from household spending, which is expected to be the biggest driver of growth in 2022.
For the European Central Bank (ECB), the message following the October meeting was loud and clear that the governing council sees good progress being made in the recovery, but that there is further to go. The ECB kept all policy unchanged and provided a cautious but optimistic message on the outlook.
The ECB warned of higher inflation on the horizon, but it sees most of the factors driving prices as temporary. They are mostly caused by temporary distortions (German VAT) and external factors (wholesale energy) which should dissipate by the end of next year.
The ECB is set to end the portion of its quantitative easing programme related to the pandemic by the end of March next year. But it is expected to keep some other purchases going beyond March and it is clearly not ready to raise interest rates anytime soon.
The views and opinions contained herein are those of Schroders’ investment teams and/or Economics Group, and do not necessarily represent Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.’s house views. These views are subject to change. This information is intended to be for information purposes only and it is not intended as promotional material in any respect.


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The Container Store will roll out post-purchase order tracking and notification solutions from Narvar beginning this summer. The retailer also plans to introduce a self-service online returns process later in 2021.
“Part of our mission is to help reduce stress in an increasingly chaotic world,” said Satish Malhotra, CEO of The Container Store in a statement. “By embracing Narvar’s technology and expertise as a partner, we can now streamline our digital experience while working to provide our customers with more personalized and customized interactions.”
The Narvar platform helps retailers simplify the post-purchase experience for consumers with branded order tracking, proactive updates and online returns management. By extending the brand experience through the critical period of anticipation — between when a consumer clicks the “buy” button and when they receive their package — retailers are able to build stronger customer relationships that drive trust, repeat visits and brand loyalty.
Consumers are increasingly demanding transparency and convenience in their shopping experience. Research from Narvar showed that 83% of those surveyed expect regular communications about their package status, and 76% of new customers said the returns experience is a critical factor in deciding whether they will shop with a retailer again.


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USA – -(Ammoland.com)- The North American Virtual Sportshow is the first of its kind. It’s a consumer show that was developed in a virtual, online world to give all outdoor enthusiasts the excitement of attending a Sportshow, but without all the travel expense.
Convenient access to wonderful new products and outdoor sports opportunities is what the North American Virtual Sport Show is all about.
David Gray, Sportshow president, said, “ As the North American Virtual Sportshow expanded to serve the hunting and shooting sports, we heard many good things about Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) and the mission it performs for our deserving veterans. We believe in what HAVA is doing and it is an honor for the Sportshow team to announce our support of HAVA. We are excited to have this opportunity to say to our Veterans, “thank you for your service to our country.”
“This is an outstanding show of support by the North American Virtual Sportshow for America’s disabled veterans as they work to develop confidence in the future,” said HAVA Chairman Tom Taylor. As HAVA continues serving disabled veterans on behalf of the sporting and outdoor industry, we are honored that more and more like-minded people are supporting our work to get these great Americans back outdoors to hunt and fish. We look forward to growing the internet auction by the Sportshow into an annual fundraiser for HAVA and having this effort play a large role in support of our mission for years to come.”
David went on to announce, “The world’s first digital sport show is planning the first digital internet auction for the benefit of HAVA. This digital auction will take place January 19 through 29, 2015. We will be announcing auction details on our website www.nasportshow.com the first of January. You will be able to access and join the auction on the Sportshow website, through the HAVA booth in the virtual Sportshow, or by registering on your smart phone. This virtual internet auction will present an opportunity for everyone to support HAVA and show appreciation for the service of our veterans.
The auction will be a fun event and all the proceeds are going to support and grow the HAVA mission.
HAVA is a 501(c)3 organization formed by companies in the shooting and outdoor industry with the purpose of raising awareness and further assisting disabled veterans with their healing process through guided hunts, shooting events and other outdoor sports activities. The sustaining sponsor companies are Smith & Wesson, NSSF, Mossberg, Academi, ATK/Federal, Barrett, Crimson Trace, Diamondback, FMG Publications, Glock, Hornady, Leupold & Stevens, Proof Research, Ruger, Surefire, Sig Sauer, Taurus, XS Sights, and Yamaha Outdoors among numerous contributing companies. Those who would like to learn more about the HAVA organization can do so at www.honoredveterans.org.


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Philippines Branch Office is located @ BTTC Centre in Manila
Longrich Bioscience Philippines Co. Announced pre-market opening on May 1, 2013.
At the beginning of 2013, Jiangsu Longrich Bioscience Co,. Ltd set a global annual business development plan in order to accelerate steady and rapid development of Longrich international business expansion. With a long term market survey and preparation, Longrich Bioscience Philippines Co. finally announces the market is ready to enroll distributors and place orders on May 1 2013.
Longrich’s ultimate goal is to become a global company, it has already registered trademarks in 183 countries and regions, and has already established branch offices in Malaysia, Taiwan, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Russia, Ukraine and other countries and regions. Longrich products are already being sold in more than 50 countries and regions in the world including America, Europe, South East Asia, Middle East and Africa. Longrich is planning to set up more branch offices, which will cover 20 countries or regions at the end of 2013, making Longrich branded products to become a world well-known brand.
Another exciting news is Longrich Indonesia and Thailand branch offices are in the final stages of renovation, and the expected pre-market opening date will be announced later in July.
The Blueprint of Philippines Branch Office (Entrance)
The Blueprint of Philippines Branch Office (Reception Room)
The Blueprint of Philippines Branch Office (Staff Office)
The Blueprint of Philippines Branch Office (Meeting Room)


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The celebrated story of the Trojan horse involves the ancient Greeks tricking their way into Troy by leaving a giant wooden horse on its shores. Inside the giant structure was an army of attackers, but the Trojans were fooled into believing it was a gift from the gods. This is how the famous saying “beware of Greeks bearing gifts” became immortalized.
African American and other minority communities have seen many such “gifts” in recent years. A decade ago, for example, we were told that a la carte television – buying cable channels individually – would allow consumers to save a bundle.
But then the Government Accountability Office and countless other studies found that the proposal would actually drive costs up and that it would be the death knell for minority-focused networks such as TV One, BET, Univision and Revolt TV. Minority networks thrive when distributors include them in popular packages, just like boutiques thrive at malls with large anchor stores.
Now comes a new proposal supported by Big Tech – Google, Amazon, TiVo, and others – to impose a new federal mandate on the television industry called “AllVid” that would, once again, supposedly save money and increase consumer choice.
Another Trojan horse? It certainly seems so. And this time from companies with dismal track records of hiring and promoting people of color.
In simple terms, AllVid regulations would require existing television distributors like cable and satellite companies to hand over their programming to competitors like Google who would then repackage and resell it themselves. The AllVid companies wouldn’t have to do the hard work of negotiating for programming rights like every other distributor has to; they would just free-ride on rights negotiated by their competitors.
Even worse, the AllVid companies wouldn’t have to respect most of the licensing terms and conditions on which small and minority networks depend. They could drop those networks, add new layers of advertising, and disregard agreements on vital terms like program schedules, channel placement, and advertising rights.
But the destructive impact of AllVid doesn’t end there. Under such a federal mandate, AllVid companies could place adult programming next to children’s programming, offer pirated copies of shows and movies alongside legitimate programming, ignore the rules that protect the privacy of your television viewing habits, flout rules limiting aggressive marketing to children, and even potentially block or limit emergency broadcast messages.
Meanwhile Big Tech would do what it does with everything it touches – sell the data about your individualized television viewing habits to advertisers. Big Tech would be like Big Rambo in our television ecosystem, sucking out profits from smaller networks and destroying the fountain of creativity in television and video that our viewers adore.
Alfred Liggins, the CEO of the wildly successful African American TV One network, summed up the problems with AllVid best, arguing in a recent column that it is “a sweetheart deal” for Big Tech, allowing them “to poach the programming rights negotiated by pay-TV companies and others.” The result, he says, would be to dry up revenue that small and minority-focused networks depend upon to fund new programming and “cause the ‘Golden Age of TV’ that everyone celebrates today to collapse.”
Big Tech says the AllVid mandate is needed for the simple and narrow goal of spurring competition in set-top television boxes used by satellite, telco and cable providers. But that is a red herring argument because the apps revolution is making telco, satellite and cable TV programming widely available on smartphones, tablets and smart TVs.
These apps are already available on hundreds of millions of devices, and innovative set-top box alternatives like Roku and Apple TV are giving consumers more options than ever before. Streamers with original programming like Netflix are also more popular than ever, boasting more subscribers than any other video provider.
Big Tech may have a powerful lobby in Washington, but that’s not a good reason for the federal government to pass massive new regulations on a vibrant marketplace that has produced so many video choices and new video devices.
And if the FCC even begins to consider rules in this area, it should observe the Hippocratic oath and first do no harm to small and minority programmers, to the creators of television programming, or to a television ecosystem that is thriving for consumers.
Pugh, a Democrat, is the majority leader of the Maryland Senate and president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.


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Today, Lexus released a tightly cropped image of a concept that will debut at the Detroit auto show in January. The company calls the car a “design concept,” but won’t elaborate much beyond that. We’re told that the vehicle was designed at Lexus’s Calty design studio in California and previews the luxury brand’s new styling direction.
Another unknown is what—if anything—the concept directly previews; we can’t tell if it’s a sports car or a sedan. Lexus, for its part, is staying mum on details, so we’ll have to wait until January to see what the concept is all about. For now, we like what (little) we see.
UPDATE 12/19, 1:45 p.m.:
Lexus has now released a shot of the concept’s interior, and the rakish roofline reveals that it will indeed be a coupe. Styling-wise, all we can say about the interior vibe is “wow.” Keep in mind that the concept is very much a show car, but if the basic look were to someday make it to a production Lexus, we’d be okay with that. Besides the wild quilting on the leather-wrapped center console, the cabin also appears to lack a formal B-pillar. What we said after Lexus released the first teaser image of the Detroit-bound concept bears repeating: we like what we see.


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Skilljar (www.skilljar.com), a Seattle-based online courseware platform, announced today that instructors using its course platform are now accepting payments in Bitcoin.
Skilljar is used by online education instructors to deliver classes directly from their own websites, with topics ranging from yoga to computer programming.
Bitcoin Comes to Online Courseware
Instructors on Skilljar’s platform are automatically enabled for Bitcoin payments, in addition to accepting credit, debit, and PayPal. Bitcoin payments are converted to fiat currency at time of purchase, so instructors are protected from currency fluctuation risks.
“We’re really excited to accept Bitcoin for our Food Startup Branding classes,” said Danielle Gould, CEO and founder of Food+Tech Connect. “Because our goal is to decentralize and democratize learning, it’s important for us to align ourselves with innovative technologies that share our ethos. Skilljar’s platform has made it very easy.”
“The decision to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment was simple,” said Sandi Lin, CEO and co-founder of Skilljar. “It was driven by instructor requests, ease of integration, and the international nature of our business. Since we already use Stripe for payment processing, their beta program with Bitcoin made it easy to integrate while also leveraging our existing payments infrastructure.”
Skilljar Investors See Promise in Bitcoin
Skilljar’s interest in Bitcoin extends beyond the executive chambers.
Will O’Brien, CEO of leading Bitcoin security firm BitGo and also an angel investor in Skilljar, said, “Skilljar is the easiest way to deliver online courses, and by adding Bitcoin as a payment method, the company has dramatically increased its addressable market and is furthering innovation in online education.”
Skilljar was founded in 2013 by three former Amazon colleagues. The company incubated at TechStars Seattle 2013 and subsequently raised $1.1 million in financing.


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Texas Instruments officials reduced the tech company’s forecast for the end of the year after its latest financial results reflected slowing demand “across most markets.”
The Dallas-based company said its revenue for the third quarter increased by 4 percent compared to the same period last year, but its forecast for the final three months of 2018 reportedly predicted its worst fourth quarter in five years.
The company is considered an important indicator for the chip sector because it helps power electronics ranging from smartphones to cars. Numerous factors could affect industry demand, but Bloomberg reported that analysts feared the initial impact of the ongoing U.S. trade war with China, the world’s largest market for semiconductors.
The swoon in demand, the report added, could signal the end of a spending spree brought on by advances in cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
“We are heading into a softer market,” TI CFO Rafael Lizardi said on a conference call, according to Reuters.
The company reported third-quarter revenue of $4.2 billion and operating profit of $1.9 billion and projected fourth quarter earnings of $1.14 to $1.34 per share. Officials said they don’t know how the trade dispute is affecting electronics demand but noted its products are not directly subject to tariffs.


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Alcohol Bill to boost profits of retailers
Sir, – The call by members of the medical profession (Letters, July 8th) for the implementation of minimum pricing of alcohol overlooks the key flaws in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. The Bill transfers to the retailers of alcohol the revenues from increasing the price of alcohol. The Oireachtas Library and Research service estimated in 2015 that the measure is worth €78.3 million a year to alcohol retailers.
It is illogical to seek to reduce alcohol consumption by increasing the profits of those who sell alcohol. Climate-change scientists by contrast have not proposed that the revenues from carbon tax should be paid over to fossil-fuel industries. This indicates their more advanced understanding of social cost than shown by their medical colleagues.
The Alcohol Bill’s boost to the profits of alcohol retailers was examined by your correspondent Mark Paul (News, November 17th, 2017). I proposed then (Letters, November 21st, 2017) that the legislation be examined by the Irish Government Economic Evaluation Service (IGEES) and that the Comptroller & Auditor General should examine the loss to the Exchequer from excise tax foregone by the income transfer from the exchequer to alcohol retailers. Independent research by these eminent bodies would be a valuable contribution to a debate heretofore dominated by lobbyists. – Yours, etc,
Trinity College Dublin,


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When Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp bought comedy website CollegeHumor in 2006, the deal included an asset the billionaire had little use for at the time: Vimeo.
The video-sharing site, which predates YouTube, is now the fulcrum of Diller’s plan to join the crowded online-TV market. Vimeo will soon introduce an on-demand video service akin to Netfix and Hulu, and is lining up TV shows and staff it hopes will convince people to cough up a monthly fee for yet another TV subscription.
“We’re going to spend real money on programming for the first time ever, and put real marketing money behind it,’’ IAC chief executive officer Joey Levin said in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Levin, a former investment banker, has been flying to Los Angeles to meet with executives, production companies and record labels. Vimeo, which has been known primarily as a site offering tools to filmmakers, will commission more original series like “High Maintenance,’’ the popular web series about a weed delivery man that Time Warner Inc.’s HBO later picked up. Vimeo will also acquire and license shows that have already aired elsewhere.
Vimeo may not spend as much to nab content and talent as Netflix, Amazon or Hulu, but its shows also won’t be confused with the user-generated content seen on YouTube or Snapchat.
The company is after edgy, risky and provocative programming. That could include documentaries, action sports, comedy or drama — but not traditional romantic comedies or superhero fare. Levin declined to provide Vimeo’s expected budget.
“Our content will be the kind that gets your heart rate going,’’ he said. The shows should elicit some physiological response: a squirm or a laugh. “We’ll look at what our audience watches, and organize that data to help us program.’’
Levin took over Vimeo last year after the departure of Kerry Trainor, who helped expand the site’s main money-maker: charging filmmakers and companies to use its video-sharing, marketing and analytics tools. While that may be a solid business, it’s still small. IAC’s entire video division, which also includes production company Electus, accounted for $60 million in sales in the most recent quarter.
Levin and Diller think Vimeo could be bigger, and even more valuable. The company is sitting on assets — 741,000 active filmmakers, 20 million people watching videos every month and 100 million videos — that it could use to grab a piece of the changing TV business.
The IAC executives believe TV is in the early stages of a revolution. And as the traditional cable bundle frays and viewers move online, they want to position Vimeo to reap some of the rewards. Such a shift in thinking isn’t new for IAC: the company acquired and then spun off the websites Expedia, Lending Tree and Match because it believed the business of travel booking, finance and dating would migrate online. They were right.
But IAC faces much more intense competition. Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube is the most popular video site in the world, while Netflix, Amazon and Hulu rule the paid market, having amassed millions of subscribers. There’s also an ever-growing crop of new online options for the TV watcher: AT&T Inc.’s DirecTV Now, Dish Network Corp.’s Sling TV, Time Warner’s HBO Now and Verizon’s go90, to name a few.
Vimeo’s advantage, Levin said, is that millions of people already have a positive association with the site, and thousands of filmmakers already use it as well.
“That Vimeo creator base has been and will be an enormous asset for us in terms of the creation of content,’’ Levin said. “Everyone else is already shopping at Vimeo to find the next talent. We ought to be doing it ourselves and doing it better.’’


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In her inaugural address at the Singapore FinTech Festival, Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), called upon the public sector to remain proactive in readiness for implementing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and associated payment platforms.
Georgieva conveyed her positive outlook on the global implementation of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) but emphasized that we have yet to arrive at our destination, and considerable uncertainty remains.
She stated, ‘The widespread adoption of CBDCs is still a distant prospect. However, approximately 60 percent of countries explore them in various ways.’
Georgieva contends that Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) have the potential to supplant physical cash, providing robustness in developed economies while enhancing financial accessibility in underserved communities. She believes CBDCs can seamlessly coexist with “private money” as a secure and cost-effective alternative.
Georgieva underscored the significance of technological infrastructure in CBDC initiatives, emphasizing the need for robust personal data protection and exploring the potential role of artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing national digital currencies.
Navigating the Digital Currency Landscape: IMF’s CBDCs Handbook Unveiled
She particularly stressed the importance of facilitating cross-border payment capabilities. If CBDCs are implemented, they should be designed to streamline cross-border payments, a process currently characterized by high costs, sluggish transactions, and limited accessibility. Initiating this effort today is crucial to avoid the need for corrective measures in the future.
The leader of the IMF introduced the organization’s virtual handbook on CBDC and highlighted the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) involvement in digital currency experiments within the public sector.
The IMF has actively analyzed essential regulations for cryptocurrencies. On Sept 29, it put forth a crypto-risk assessment matrix aimed at helping countries identify indicators and triggers of potential risks within the sector.
Oct saw the unanimous adoption of the IMF’s Synthesis Paper—co-authored with the Financial Stability Board—by the finance ministers and governors of G20 central banks.
Related Reading | Hong Kong Mulls Accepting Bitcoin To Buy Residency
The author’s views are for reference only and shall not constitute any investment advice. Please ensure you fully understand and assess the products and associated risks before purchasing.


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PlayStation reveals 2016 plans: VR, No Man's Sky, Gran Turismo Sport
Sony unveiled a slate of new games and fresh details about its PlayStation VR headset at its Paris Games Week press conference.
It also used the event to intensify the hype around several of its first-party titles, most notably Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and new titles Detroit: Become Human (based on the famous Kara tech demo by Quantic Dream) and universe explorer No Man's Sky -- which finally has a release date.
Here are all the key announcements and trailers from the show:
Sony made a number of announcements regarding VR at Paris Games Week:
Sony said 200 developers are working on PlayStation VR
Crytek said it is making a new VR game powered by CryEngine VR, *Robinson: The Journey.*This prehistoric exploration game sees a player lost in a dinosaur-filled world, wandering between brachiosaurs and hiding from a T-rex. It looks spectacular and atmospheric, though we saw little of it on stage.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood ("a roller coaster with a twist") would be exclusively developed for the headset, giving PS VR users a horrible and terrifying experience, for fun.
Battlezone: the 80s arcade remake was shown at E3, but developers Rebellion showed it off more extensively in a new trailer, which gave a glimpse at new arenas and locations in which the action will take place the VR tank-buster.
Tekken 7 will come to PlayStation VR
Movies are going to be an element of PS VR too -- Sony showed a trailer for a 360-degree VR 'The Walk' experience allowing viewers to take their own journey across the World Trade Center on a wire, literally walking in wire artist Philippe Petit's footsteps.
Sony also announced it will have eight playable VR games at Paris Games Week -- WIRED will be itching to try those we haven't already seen -- including the intriguing Rigs mulitplayer shooter, which was a hit at E3.
Gran Turismo Sport
Finally one of the world's most loved and influential driving games, Gran Turismo, is coming to PlayStation 4. The game will feature the enhanced graphics and physics made possible by the more powerful console, GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi said. The game will be more realistic as a result. But the vision is bigger, Yamauchi said -- wanting players to find new ways to play driving games including two FIA-backed championships running throughout the year. "One is the nation's cup, in which a player will race representing their home country," he said. "The other is the Manufacturers Fan Cup [which will see players race for their favourite brands]." The series champions will be awarded their prizes alongside real racing drivers, at the FIA Ceremony. The game wants to help manufacturers explore new technologies and types of racing, focusing on "the future of motorsports for the next 100 years".
GT Sportwill be released in beta form in early 2016.
Yamauchi added that the game will be compatible with PlayStation VR, allowing players to feel like they are really driving some of the world's most powerful cars.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
A focus on the PS4 exclusive's multiplayer options -- which is released 18 March 2016, Sony announced -- saw Naughty Dog reveal how the game will take co-op and competitive multiplayer "to a whole new level".
The game, which will be playable on the show floor at Paris Games Week, looks like it will turn every player's experience into the focus of a narrative-style adventure, casting each team as the 'heroes' versus their villainous opponents (and vice versa). Special abilities will also be part of the game, with teleportation one of the special moves shown off in the new gameplay trailer.
Detroit: Become Human
Based on a remarkable 2012 short film 'Kara' by Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain) -- a tech demo about a robot built in a factory that has since been seen 27 million times -- this game tells the story about what happens to the machines outside of the factory.
Not much is known about the game -- only a cinematic trailer was shown at Paris Games Week -- but the setting and narrative strength is obvious.
Media Molecule's (Tearaway) new title is the enigmatic and beautiful Dreams, a drawing, sculpting and creative exploration game. The concept, MM said, is to allow you to pull at, touch and mold your world around you. Your 'imp' is your helpful in-game assistant, allowing you to manipulate objects, possess characters and alter your landscape within different user-generated 'dreams'. Each of these dreams can be completely different, becoming a platform game or racer, or something totally unique.
The gameplay demo showed MM possess a bear in a red dress, build a creepy forest in seconds, explore a mysterious cabin and be led through a storybook chapel populated by flying books and secret switches. It looks like a stunning new canvas on which patient players will be able to create whole new worlds. Definitely one to watch in 2016.
The huge open-world prehistoric action game WiLDwas announced by Rayman creator Michael Ancel at Gamescom 2014. The game is still apparently early in development, but Ancel's new studio White Sheep showed the game off in much more detail at Paris Games Week. The game allows you to ride wild bears, possess eagles, and explore a vast "seamless" landscape at your own pace.
In the demo, presented onstage by Ancel, a player sneaked into a dangerous shaman's camp using a rabbit, and then called down a flock of ravens to attack the angry worshippers. He then used the distraction to enter the camp atop a bear, and reach a sacred sanctuary in order to summon a divinity -- and save a clan member from a snakebite. It looks genuinely fresh and inventive -- though still largely mysterious.
No Man's Sky
A new trailer for the huge universe exploration game was unveiled which showed off new types of planets, structures and larger aliens than seen before. The game will be released June 2016, Hello Games announced.
Horizon Zero Dawn
The E3-announced action adventure game set on Earth 1,000 years into the future was shown off in a new gameplay demo which games insights into how the stone-age humans versus robot dinosaurs game will work in practice. Descried as an action-RPG on stage, the action shown took place in the same setting and with the same characters as unveiled at E3, but gave more details into how its extensive crafting features will work.
Sony's troubled but technically impressive social driving sim Driveclubwill be getting a new motorbikes mode which will allow players to drive dozens of the world's most powerful cycles, "bringing the best superbikes on the planet to the world of Driveclub". The game -- either as a standalone or an expansion pack -- is available immediately.
"A new type of music rhythm game" which features spacecraft barreling along neon-coloured tracks, that its trailer said would also allow you to design your own levels. Available in 2016 it looks something like Guitar HeromeetsWipeout.
This new game from Housemarque was unveiled with an intriguing trailer, featuring alien enemies seemingly made of shattering rubies and gemstones, and a robotic protagonist with a shape-shifting weaponised arm and a jetpack.
Gravity Rush 2
The PS Vita exclusive (though not for long) Gravity Rush was an under-appreciated but at its core an original and fun high-concept action brawler. The sequel for PS4 adds new 'styles' of gravity, letting you increase or decrease your 'weight' at will, as well as new multiplayer and tag-team option.
Sony also announced:
A new trailer for Star Wars: Battlefrontfeaturing battles on the ice world of Hoth (as seen in the recent multiplayer beta) as well as the forest moon Endor and Tatooine.
A new trailer for Street Fighter V, a PS4 exclusive due in 2016.
Another fighting game, Tekken 7 will be coming to PS4 (though not as an exclusive). There was also a trailer revealing that the new game's story lies in the game's earliest history.
A new trailer for the cartoonish, colourful shooter Battlebornwas unveiled, with the news that the 2016 beta would arrive first on PS4.
The Minecraft-like exploratory adventure title Boundlesswas unveiled in a new trailer which showed off its bright, alien words afresh.
Absent from the press conference stage -- despite the new trailer -- was the staggeringly ambitious space exploration game No Man's Sky, which by some estimates will feature as many as 18 quintillion explorable worlds and star systems. It had been rumoured that the game's makers Hello Games would appear at Sony's event, or even that the game might be given a surprise overnight release, but that proved not to be the case.
In the past Paris Games Week has not been an intense event for news, coming as it does right in the middle of the busiest release window for the industry's most-hyped titles. But this year Sony decided to move its traditional summer press conference at Gamescom to later in the calendar, leaving Microsoft to more or less clean up in Cologne, but giving Playstation the ability to space out its news more evenly outside of the glare of June's E3 conference in LA.


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At a macro level, economic conditions around the globe ended 2018 on an upbeat note. Global consumer confidence was at its highest level in 14 years, but 39 of the 64 countries included in the global Consumer Confidence Index reported declines in consumer sentiment.
In a new gender-focused study, we looked at consumer confidence, economic sentiment and spending intentions by gender over the past five years to understand how the needs and wants of female consumers have evolved.
While online has been growing as a channel in several developed markets in recent years, it’s broadening in scope, and is fast becoming a popular shopping destination for consumers around the world, particularly those looking to purchase premium products, as these platforms are able to attract shoppers and generate sales by providing exclusive product ranges and compelling deals.
In this webinar, we explore the regions where consumers have experienced the biggest improvement in their financial situations since 2016. We also discuss consumers’ changing spending behavior on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories over the past five years.
Globally, 58%of global consumers feel they are better off financially than they were five years ago, but there is also a sizeable proportion of consumers who feel that they are only in survival mode, with sentiment differing considerably by region and country.
As companies look to break into new markets, they must understand that each market demands its own approach. In burgeoning sustainability markets, however, natural and organic are paving the way for more detailed and specific claims.
As manufacturers and retailers seek to capitalize on the opportunity of e-commerce, they need to understand consumers’ online usage, behaviour and habits, as well as what’s driving e-commerce adoption.
Looking for a better lifestyle, consumers are searching for options that are healthier for them and for their homes. The good news is that companies can be benevolent and bankable if they understand the intricacies of these forces and react accordingly.
A new era of sustainability is rising and it’s touching every corner of the world. Consumers in markets big and small are increasingly motivated to be more environmentally conscious and are exercising their power and voice through the products they buy. But why do these shifts feel so urgent?
While they often don’t receive the same level of attention as men’s sports, a new Nielsen Sports research project highlights untapped potential and new commercial opportunities for rights holders, brands and media.
With rising consumer uptake across e-commerce categories, online FMCG growth is accelerating across the globe. In fact, we estimate that online FMCG growth will accelerate four times faster growth than offline sales in the next five years.
This report looks at the changing FMCG e-commerce landscape in eight markets (Colombia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates), influenced by 10 key drivers, along with deep insights for each of these markets.
Consumers in China and around the world are displaying burgeoning demand for convenient solutions that can help simplify their lives, with busy lifestyles and rising connectivity playing an increasingly pivotal role in buying decisions, according to a new report by global measurement and data analytics company, Nielsen.
Shortcuts and automation are top of mind as consumer chase ways to overcome everyday obstacles to effortless living. For FMCG companies, the task at hand involves adapting and enhancing their solutions to do more than keep pace—they’ll need to stay ahead of the pace.
Convenience isn’t just about store formats, products or packaging. And it means more than the latest technologies or new engagement strategies. Rather, it’s about every encounter, interaction and action that can help fulfill consumers’ growing demand for efficiency.
Following China’s continued focus on the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R), key high-growth markets are showing significant opportunity for Chinese brands looking to expand their operations overseas. More specifically, Indonesia, The Philippines, Egypt and Turkey, are showing favorable conditions for investment. With Indonesia’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) consumption growing 11% between 2016 and 2017, and Turkey’s GDP surging 7.4% in 2017, these markets have enormous potential.
If you can’t see it, it must not be there, right? In the FMCG market, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. That’s because every category has a certain concentration of brands that aren’t top of mind for many, but they have the ability to shift the overall landscape if conditions are right.
Backed by rising consumer confidence and optimism, many of the world’s economies are experiencing degrees of positive momentum. In some cases, that momentum is strong; in others, it’s subtle, but still worth noting.
Thanks to globalization and connectivity, consumers around the world have access to a wider array of products than ever. So how much weight does the “made in” moniker carry when it comes to purchase motivation?
Backed by improving global consumer confidence, many regions are seeing improved conditions for businesses and the fast-moving consumer goods industry. Here, we’ll look at trends in a few select countries.
In contrast to the ongoing market challenges facing global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers and retailers, consumers are in better spirits than they were at the end of 2016. In fact, global consumer confidence has risen three index points since the close of last year.
Compared to their counterparts in other markets, Hong Kong consumers are relatively less likely to engage in online shopping, simply because of the close proximity and convenience of nearby physical stores. A growing reliance on the internet and mobile tech, however, are opening the doors to change.
With global sponsorship spend forecast to reach over $62 billion in 2017 and global media rights spend expected to hit $45 billion, the top-line metrics remain positive. This report detail what we regard as the 10 major commercial trends in sports.
Global consumer confidence increased modestly in 2016, a time of great political and economic change around the world, rising three points between the first and fourth quarters to 101. Confidence scores finished the year more strongly than they began in every region except Africa/Middle East.
The premium sector is growing globally, and as it turns out, it isn’t ritzy categories like diamonds and champagne that are topping the charts. Rather, global consumers are most often willing to trade up for everyday consumables.
Around the world, consumers are looking for a taste of the good life. And it’s not just those who are wealthy. Sales of products in the “premium” tier are growing at a rapid pace. In fact, the growth of the premium sector in many markets is outpacing total growth for many fast-moving consumer goods categories.
This study identifies the attributes consumers are looking for in premium product offerings, and reveals the underlying sentiment behind the reasons for purchase. We explore what “premium” means to consumers, and we identify the categories for which they’re most willing to pay a higher price.
Consumers are faced with a dizzying array of retailers vying for their attention, and a retail loyalty program can be a determining factor for where they decide to shop. In fact, 72% of global respondents agree that, all other factors equal, they’ll buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without.
When it comes to the most-valued loyalty-program benefits, monetary incentives top the list in every region. However, creating meaningful differentiation requires offering more than generic deals, and thinking beyond monetary perks can help brands stand out.
Global consumers, by and large, have more shopping choices at their disposal than ever before. For retailers, differentiating your brand in such a crowded space is critical. A retail loyalty program can be an effective way to create competitive advantage by reducing customers’ likelihood to switch stores.
Done well, loyalty programs can help drive more frequent visits and heavier purchasing. More than seven in 10 global respondents (72%) agree that, all other factors equal, they’ll buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without.
While the third quarter of 2016 saw considerable economic diversity across the markets measured by Nielsen’s Global Survey, consumer confidence in the U.S. remained on solid footing with a score of 106, despite a decline of seven points from the second quarter.
Third-quarter 2016 global consumer confidence remained stable at 99, up one point from the second quarter and unchanged from third-quarter 2015. Country-level scores, however, varied dramatically throughout the regions, reflecting considerable economic diversity around the world.
Third-quarter global consumer confidence increased one point from the second quarter to 99. Country-level scores, however, varied dramatically throughout the regions, reflecting considerable economic diversity around the world.
Among global respondents, 74% say they appreciate the freedom of being connected anywhere, anytime, and 70% strongly or somewhat agree that their mobile device has made their life better. This constant connectivity has not only changed the way we keep in touch, but also the way we shop, bank and pay for goods and services.
Grabbing a bite to eat outside of the house is a weekly occurrence for almost half of global respondents, but are we stopping to savor our entrees or eating grub on the go? As it turns out, we’re doing quite a bit of both.
While today’s consumers certainly scrutinize the foods that fill their pantries, they aren’t just eating at home. In fact, eating out isn’t just for special occasions; it’s a way of life for nearly half of global respondents.
The ins-and-outs of what a healthy diet looks like may vary somewhat around the world, but simplicity resonates globally. While there is some variation across regions, the story stays the same: Artificial is out, many of us avoid food with long lists of ingredients and consumers are intent on removing the bad and adding the good.
In addition to representing their countries and competing for medals, para-sports athletes participating in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games this month will be challenging stereotypes, increasing inclusion and breaking down social barriers—something these competitors have been doing since the first Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy in 1960.
As a consumer group, Millennials are just starting to flex their spending power, which will grow significantly in the coming years. While they’re years from fully establishing themselves, they’re already having a marked impact on the global consumer landscape.
Nearly two-thirds of global respondents say they follow a diet that limits or prohibits consumption of some foods or ingredients. Taking a closer look, a majority of global respondents say that when it comes to ingredient trends, a back-to-basics mind-set, focused on simple ingredients and fewer artificial or processed foods, is a priority.
Consumers around the world are increasingly focused on clean eating and the benefits of eating more healthfully, with 70% of global respondents saying they actively make dietary choices to help prevent health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.
Global consumer confidence held steady in the second quarter of 2016 at 98, an index score that was flat from the first quarter and two points higher than a year earlier. North America was the only region to sustain growth momentum in the second quarter, demonstrating a three-point increase in confidence to 111.
Global consumer confidence remained stable in the first quarter and below the optimism baseline score of 100, edging up one index point to 98. The score reflected mixed confidence levels reported in every region.
As the world collaborates on the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, good data are critical to the world’s ability to set goals, generate plans and measure our collective progress.
In modern retail, the use of promotions has slowly escalated to become a now-standard practice that has resulted in a shared reliance among retailers and manufacturers, but decent returns are increasingly hard to generate. So knowing which categories are more or less sensitive to pricing changes is essential for driving growth.
A core element in increasing share of wallet is understanding and responding to local consumer needs. It makes sense then, that differentiation from your competition could be an important way to build a competitive advantage. So what are consumers looking for?
Modern retail has long been guided by a powerful premise: the bigger, the better. Retailers, consumers and suppliers all benefited from economies of scale, but over the past 10 to 15 years, the retail store model has evolved. So how can retailers stay ahead in the rapidly changing landscape?
Though global consumer confidence remained stable in the first quarter, there was notable variation on a country-by-country basis, and many markets noted a growing recessionary sentiment. In fact, six in 10 global respondents believed their nation’s economy was in recession in the first quarter.
Global consumer confidence remained stable in the first quarter and below the optimism baseline score of 100, edging up one index point to 98. The score reflected mixed confidence levels reported in every region.
When asked to pick the attributes they seek when purchasing all-purpose cleaners, 40% around the world say they want environmentally friendly benefits and nearly as many (36%) say they don’t want harsh chemicals.
When it comes to choosing specific products, do consumers prefer global brands or local ones? The answer depends primarily on the category, and there is a surprising amount of agreement across regions.
When it comes to cleaning products, it should come as little surprise that efficacy tops the list of most important attributes that consumers around the world seek out when selecting household cleaners.
As multinational companies continue to expand into new markets, often providing access to a greater range of products for local consumers, are local companies getting lost in the shuffle? Not necessarily so. In fact, many local companies are thriving.
Many consumers appear to have strong preferences about the origin of the products they buy, but how important is this attribute really when they consider a purchase? How does it stack up against other selection factors?
No matter where you live or who you are, dirt and grime are inescapable facts of life. As such, we all need to clean—and we spend a significant amount of time keeping our homes and clothes clean and fresh.
Benjamin Franklin said the only things certain in life are death and taxes. Perhaps we should add dirt to the list. So who’s doing the cleaning, what solutions do they use and how often are they freshening up their homes and clothes?
VOD services are undoubtedly transforming the way audiences consume video, so it’s important to tune in to what’s driving engagement around the world. Our recent online global survey found that while several strong motivating factors will support continued growth, there are a few barriers to be mindful of, too.
VOD is fast becoming a part of daily viewing habits for many around the world, regardless of age. In fact, among the 65% of global respondents who watch any type of VOD programming, more than four-in-10 say they watch at least once a day.
Not long ago, “watching TV” meant sitting in front of the screen in your living room, waiting for a favorite program to come on at a set time. Today, VOD programming options put the viewer in control of what they watch, when they watch and how they watch.
VOD programming allows consumers to watch what they watch, when they watch and how they watch. And today, nearly two-thirds of global respondents (65%) in a Nielsen online survey in 61 countries say they watch some form of VOD programming, which includes long- and short-form content.
Once we’ve covered our essential living expenses, how do we spend the money left over? Whether we stash our spare cash for retirement, invest it to try and make more, or purchase new products, strategies differ around the world.
What keeps you up at night? There’s probably more than just one thing: From anxieties about rising utility bills to worries about our personal health, to concerns about the well-being of our family, there’s a lot to think about.
What makes a strong corporate reputation? While few brands would argue the need for effective management, quality products and a strong social responsibility platform, many are overlooking one of their greatest assets when it comes to reputation management: their employees.
More than half (55%) of respondents around the world believed they were in recession in the fourth quarter of 2015, a modest increase from the start of that year (53%)—and a level that often exceeds official economic definitions.
Online shopping is growing around the world, but is this affecting how people are shopping in physical stores? Consumers aren’t simply “showrooming”—browsing in store and then going online in search of the lowest-cost option. They’re also “webrooming”—researching online and buying in stores.
Global consumer confidence ended 2015 on a subdued note as the index declined two points from the third quarter to 97. Compared to first-quarter 2015, confidence in the fourth quarter remained flat in Asia-Pacific at 107, while Europe edged up four points to 81. All other regions ended the year less confident than they started.
Global consumer confidence ended 2015 on a subdued note as the index declined two points from the third quarter to 97—the same score as the start of the year. Europe was the only region to show consistent confidence improvements throughout the year across all three indicators (job prospects, personal finances and intentions to buy).
As connected commerce continues to gain momentum globally, it’s increasingly important that retailers make online shopping as simple as a routine trip to the store, even if they’re browsing from the other side of the globe—and offering the right method of payment is critical.
While connected commerce is still largely a domestic affair, cross-border ecommerce is a growing phenomenon. Shoppers are increasingly looking outside their country’s borders, as more than half of online respondents in the study who made an online purchase in the past six months say they bought from an overseas retailer.
To find out how much attitudes about finances differ by age, we asked Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, Baby Boomer and Silent Generation respondents about their saving strategies and debt decisions. It turns out that no matter the age, most of us need sound financial advice.
We asked Millennials, Generation Xers and Baby Boomers around the world to tell us how satisfied they are with everything about their jobs. Across a sample of respondents from 60 countries who said they are currently employed, satisfaction levels highlight workplace trends worth paying attention to.
To better understand how younger respondents view the importance of dietary considerations, we asked six Millennials from different parts of the globe to explain how their eating habits differ from those of their parents.
Our outlook on life is often shared with others who have similar traits—and age is no exception. But many of today’s consumers are bucking yesterday’s preconceived generational notions. In fact, many older people are embracing a more technology-driven world, and sizeable numbers of younger people are turning to more traditional values.
Depending on our age, our approach to something as simple as getting up-to-date news or eating out can be drastically different. But today’s consumers are bucking yesterday’s preconceived generational notions.
U.S. consumer confidence jumped 18 index points in the third quarter of 2015 to a score of 119 after a six-point decline in the previous quarter. The score marked the biggest quarterly increase and the highest index for the country in Nielsen’s 10-year consumer confidence history.
Our perception about personal finances is one factor that contributes to our confidence in the economy, which can impact our willingness to spend and save. Mirroring the rise in global consumer confidence in the third quarter, immediate spending intentions also increased, rising to 43%, up from a low of 30% in 2008 during the Great Recession.
Despite the fact that Millennials are coming of age in one of the most difficult economic climates in the past 100 years, a recent Nielsen global online study found that they continue to be most willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings—almost three-out-of-four respondents in the latest findings, up from approximately half in 2014.
Global consumer confidence increased three index points in the third quarter to 99. Optimistic sentiment for job prospects, personal finances and spending intentions increased in nearly half of all measured markets, but uneven growth continues around the world as confidence stabilizes or grows in many advanced economies and declines in many emerging markets.
Global consumer confidence increased three index points in the third quarter to 99, the highest level since 2006, and optimistic sentiment for job prospects, personal finances and spending intentions increased in nearly half of all measured markets.
As concerns about the environment and corporate sustainability continue to build momentum around the world, understanding the connection between sentiment and purchasing actions has never been more important. Have companies risen to meet consumer expectations?
In a world of choice, social responsibility is increasingly a factor for purchasing one product over another. In fact, 66% of respondents say they’re willing to pay more for products and services that come from companies who are committed to positive social and environmental impact.


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While mobs of booksellers and others thronged BEA booths Thursday afternoon, about 100 booksellers focused their attention on representatives from four indies— Bookpeople, Literati, Parnassus Books, and Tattered Cover—who have led the way in integrating social media into their stores' business models.
While the four booksellers emphasized using social media to promote the store and engage with the community in an irreverent and fun way, finding the right balance is of supreme importance, as what is posted online reflects upon the store.
Mike Gustafson, the owner of Literati in Ann Arbor, Mich., who opened his store two years ago, was the first speaker and his remarks set the tone for the panel. Gustafson emphasized that the best way for a "business that sells stories is to reach customers through storytelling."
Gustafson said he uses social media to tell stories about the store and its staff as a way for the community to become familiar with both. He mixes comments about store news and events with personal anecdotes, such as one about his wife and store co-owner being commended by the police for preventing a mugging that almost took place outside Literati.
"I wanted people to know that she might be a bookseller by day, but she's a bad-ass crime-fighting ninja by night," he joked.
Gustafson also uses social media to engage his customers. "People love to see creativity run amuck," he said, explaining that he posts notes that are left by customers typing on the vintage typewriter inside the store, photos of customers wearing store apparel in exotic places, and photos of a stuffed teddy bear that had been abandoned in the store doing such things as "washing dishes or typing on the typewriter."
Austin, Texas' Bookpeople is a community fixture in a city that is struggling to "keep weird," and Julie Wernerbach, the store's marketing director, said that social media is a tool that is used to both introduce customers to the store and to provide "a window into the book world."
The Tattered Cover also uses social media to promote the store and the 550 events is does annually. Heather Duncan, Tattered Cover's director of marketing, noted it's important to actively engage with the customer, and the store works hard to intersperse "things we find interesting" with event promotions meant to pull people into the store.
Laura Philpott, who maintains social media for Nahsville's Parnassus Books, agreed with the other speakers, noting that social media is about building community. Social media, Philpott said, is a way to "extend our store hours" and "extend our store footprint."
While it's difficult to gauge how effective social media outreach is, except anecdotally, Philpott noted that since Parnassus started aggressively using social media to reach out to customers and to potential customers, online sales were up 9% in 2014 and up more than 16% during the holiday season.


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Burger King Worldwide Inc. swung to a loss in the third quarter as the fast-food chain's expenses more than doubled, driven in part by its $11 billion acquisition of Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons Inc.
On Tuesday, Burger King said it expects the deal to close in late 2014 or early 2015.
Announced in August, the deal has faced criticism due to its structure as a so-called tax inversion, as it will move Miami-based Burger King's headquarters to lower-tax Canada. It is also structured to shield Burger King holders from capital-gains taxes.
A key rationale for the deal is the potential to leverage Burger King's expertise in global development to boost Tim Hortons' international growth, the companies said, adding that they plan to operate the two as stand-alone brands.
Meanwhile, the company has focused on a refranchising effort to lower costs, and introduced menu items that have helped increase sales, including its Satisfries--lower-fat, lower-calorie french fries--and its "Big King" burger.
Although Burger King offered a sandwich it called Big King for a limited time in 1997, it didn't have a middle bun--but now it does, just like bigger rival McDonald's Corp.'s Big Mac.
In the latest quarter, global same-store sales increased 2.4%, including 3.6% growth in the U.S. and Canada and a 4.1% increase in Asia Pacific.
Overall, Burger King swung to a loss of $23.5 million in its September quarter, or 7 cents a share, compared with a profit of $68.2 million, or 19 cents a share, a year earlier.
Total operating costs and expenses more than doubled to $278 million from the year-ago period.
The company recognized $141.8 million in expenses related to foreign currency swaps for the Tim Hortons deal. Earnings in the quarter also included a $26.9 million tax expense, compared with a $27.1 million tax benefit in the prior-year period.
Adjusted earnings were 27 cents a share, up from 23 cents a year earlier.
Revenue inched up 1.4% to $278.9 million.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected per-share earnings of 27 cents and revenue of $281.8 million.
Write to Chelsey Dulaney at Chelsey.Dulaney@wsj.com
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