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Just because the meat of earnings season is behind, that doesn’t mean the fun is over…
Not by a long shot!
In fact, we have some major companies reporting this week, including Nvidia after the close on Tuesday along with HP, and some other retail names like Nordstrom and Guess, among others.
But first, we saw some January monthly, $18 strike calls in YPF, an Argentine oil company. We also saw an order recently in GGAL, another Argentinian name — stocks we hardly if ever see hit the News Flow Scanner.
The country just had some elections, and the president who favored smaller government and less regulation won, and it has been a boon for these stocks.
We also saw a $533,000 short bet in PDD, a Chinese ADR name. These puts are out of the money and PDD reports earnings on Nov. 27.
The stock was up over 3% today, and it’s up well over 50% the past month. This trader could of course be hedging a long position, or looking for a retracement back down after the big run higher.
For earnings plays, Best Buy spent most of the day just barely in the red, down about 0.5% to just under $68 a share.
Markets are seeing a nice rally Monday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, so party on!
Monday’s Top Order Flow:
- PDD Dec23 Strike: 105 Puts premium: $533,260 ASK BEARISH
Trade Date: November 20, 2023 Trade Time: 12:33 pm
- BBY Dec23 1st Strike: 70 Calls premium: $198,200 ASK BULLISH
Trade Date: November 20, 2023 Trade Time: 9:58 am
- YPF Jan24 Strike: 18 Calls premium: $202,115 ASK BULLISH Trade Date: November 20, 2023 Trade Time: 12:09 pm
Note: If no date is listed after the month, it’s the monthly expiration (third Friday).
Lance Ippolito Trading Team
Lance doesn’t want the CCP spying on him, so you’ll never find him on TikTok. Same goes for other social media sites, which are filled with impersonators, scammers and crypto bros.
You can only find him on his personal YouTube Channel — smash that Subscribe button! https://www.youtube.com/@LanceIppolito
And in his private Telegram channel: https://t.me/+-gVwEIwGJhplMTgx
*This is for informational and educational purposes only. There is inherent risk in trading, so trade at your own risk.
Hey, trader! It’s your Unusual Options Professor… Lance Ippolito!
And I just wanted to tell you to get ready…
Because at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 22, we’re bringing back my awesome “Unusual Options Secrets” training class.
The last time we hosted this particular training event was November of last year…
And no joke… it was one of the BEST events we had in 2022.
A ton of people showed up and walked away with so much value — I literally gave away all my best stuff.
I showed everyone…
- How to read and track unusual options activity using a free online scanner.
- How unusual options can give you the THREE most important elements of any trade.
- And I discussed the power of out-of-the-money options…
And since last November, you have been asking to do it again…


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Tiger Brands gets Mrs Ball's
UNILEVER South Africa and Tiger Brands announced this week that they have concluded an agreement in terms of which Unilever will dispose of the Mrs Ball's Chutney brand to Tiger Brands Limited.
The transaction is subject to Competition Commission approval.
Dickon Hall, the current manufacturing partner for the Mrs Ball's retail products and a wholly owned subsidiary of Libstar (Pty) Ltd, will serve as Tiger's manufacturing partner for the business.
In the event of approval by the competition authorities, the purchase price will be R475m excluding inventories.
Turnover for the brand last year was R189m.

domain: news


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Hot-hatch enthusiasts are basically foaming at the mouth for Ford’s latest Focus RS — and with 350 horsepower on tap, all-wheel drive, and a dedicated drift mode, they very well should be. But this caught my eye: In a new press release today, Ford says that the RS will be equipped with a new feature called “stall recovery.” It’s exactly what it sounds like — if you stall the engine, the engine automatically restarts itself. More primitive cars require a protracted, embarrassing process of sitting at a green light while you desperately grab for the ignition switch, cussing your own poor clutch skills.
Stall recovery is interesting for a few reasons. One, it’s perhaps a tacit acknowledgement that people simply don’t have much experience driving manual-transmission cars anymore, and the RS is only available with a manual. It’s also a continuation of an ongoing trend of MT babysitting: Cars like the Chevy Stingray have been offering automatic rev matching on manuals for a while now, which blips the throttle for you for smoother downshifts. (Back in the day, you had to do this yourself by touching the gas pedal like a heathen.)
Ford says that the RS is the latest car unveiled “as part of a new golden age of Ford Performance,” but it’s also clear that this is not the golden age of knowing how to drive stick. Good thing this car is looking out for you.


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The web is buzzing with rumors and ideas on what Apple’s next big idea may be. Combine an opinion piece by TheNextWeb.com that Apple may be considering a FaceTime and iMessage-like audio messaging service and some news floated by MacRumors that Apple has just open-sourced its proprietary audio codec.
Put simply, the pieces are in place for high-quality, free phone calls on your iPhone.
Both articles are worth a read. What if Apple is not only the next Sony, but also the next AT&T?


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On 9 October, the world’s postal companies celebrate World Post Day. For the fifth time in a row, Swiss Post has taken top spot and been named the “world’s best postal service”. The Universal Postal Union announced this in its annual study. Every year, it analyses how well postal companies are internationally networked, among other things. Below, Swiss Post takes a closer look at postal items leaving Switzerland by air, and highlights the importance of international cooperation and how postal companies around the world make an important contribution to air traffic safety.
Articles for Policy
“We want to continue to finance the public service and investments from our own resources in the future”
At 255 million francs, Swiss Post’s Group profit was down 149 million francs year-on-year. For Alex Glanzmann, Head of Finance at Swiss Post, the need for action is obvious and fundamental decisions need to be made about the future.
Whether it’s a parcel from Asia or that letter from overseas: thanks to the Universal Postal Union the world’s international postal services are like a well-oiled machine. But the organization that pulls the strings behind the scenes is largely unknown. And it, too, is part of the reason today is World Post Day, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.


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Every few months, it seems a rumor crops up about plans from Mazda to revive the rotary engine. Last November, its CEO said the only way another one could happen is if the project was profitable, and then a month later the automaker showed off the Mazda2 RE Range Extender with a 330cc Wankel engine mounted in the rear. Now, Australian auto site Motoring reports that the PHEV may actually make production in the next-gen Mazda2 sometime after it’s initial launch.
Martin Benders, managing director of Mazda in Australia, spoke to Motoring about the company’s future with hybrids and basically reiterated what the CEO said last year. The Japanese automaker only plans to offer electrified powertrains in places where they can sell in sufficient numbers to be profitable, like Japan.
Mazda has been playing with the rotary range-extender idea for years. In the RE prototype, the engine was exclusively used to charge the lithium-ion batteries when they were running low, and a 100-horsepower electric motor provided all of the propulsion. It gave the little hatch an estimated range of about 250 miles. The company reportedly took inspiration from its Skyactiv engines to make the Wankel have lower friction and a lighter weight.
The next-generation Mazda2 is rumored to debut during the Paris Motor Show wearing Mazda’s Kodo design language. While the hybrid supposedly won’t be part of the initial launch lineup, the internal combustion powertrain lineup will consist of gas and diesel versions of Mazda’s 1.5-liter Skyactiv four-cylinder. However, the new diesel version is not likely to be available in the US.
Will the Mazda2 be offered as a PHEV with a rotary engine range extender? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jul 2014 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


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Many consumers and businesses avoid using cash in order to limit the transmission of COVID-19
The Bank of Canada encourages retailers to keep accepting cash so that Canadians have access to the goods and services they need. According to the statement, refusing cash purchases will put a burden on businesses that depend on cash, thus have limited payment options.
At the same time, the Bank says citizens can use payment methods that are most comfortable for them.
The Bank of Canada adds that risks posed from handling cash aren’t bigger than those posed by touching other common surfaces. The most important thing to do is to follow the public health guidelines on COVID-19 and wash hands often.
Since Canada issues polymer banknotes, it becomes possible to clean them with a bit of soap and water as they are resistant to moisture.
The Bank is also cooperating with financial institutions thus ensuring that there’s no disruption to the cash supply during the pandemic.


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SPAIN is clamping down on the advertising of unregulated cryptocurrency investments.
Concerns about investors being ripped-off by bogus claims have prompted a new rule that obliges all crypto advertisements in the country to carry a warning from February 17.
The CNMV, the government agency that regulates securities markets in Spain says that the following disclaimer has to be published in adverts: “Investments in crypto-assets are not regulated. They may not be appropriate for retail investors and the full amount invested may be lost.”
Adverts will also have to be ‘clear, fair, and balanced and non-misleading’ according to the CNMV.
The measure is part of a package designed to regulate the sector in Spain and is seen as ground-breaking in Europe.
The rules require digital asset service providers, including social media influencers who are paid to promote crypto, to notify the CNMV about advertising content and to issue the disclaimer about the risks of investing.
Crypto service providers looking to reach 100,000 or more people will have to submit details of adverts at least ten days ahead of publication for approval.
Two popular crypto exchanges, Houbi and Bybit, had warnings issued about them last summer because they were operating without a licence.
The CNMV even took to Twitter in November to rebuke Spanish footballer, Andres Iniesta, who used the social media platform to say he used the exchange firm, Binance.
- Courts in Spain flooded with cases following spike in cryptocurrency scams
- 7 Tips in Investing in Cryptocurrency and Additional Ways to Earn Money
- Luxury cars seized as major European cryptocurrency fraudster is arrested in Valencia area of Spain


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In 2013, Amazon secured a US$600 million contract with the CIA, which poses a potential conflict of interest involving the Bezos-owned The Washington Post and his newspaper's coverage of the CIA. Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, said, "It's a serious potential conflict of interest for a major newspaper like The Washington Post to have a contractual relationship with the government and the most secret part of the government." This was later followed by a US$10 billion contract with the Department of Defence.
Cheap TVs - As previously mentioned, both Amazon and Best Buy are going to have some really cheap TVs for Black Friday this year. Amazon will have more off-brand models, while Best Buy will feature premium brands. Expect Amazon to feature another off-brand 32-inch TV for $69.99 and I expect Best Buy will offer a 50-Inch 4K TV for $169.99 and 55-inch 4K TV for $219.99 - both from decent brands.


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Fans looking forward to Remedy’s long-awaited Alan Wake will soon be treated to a brand-new promotional trailer for the game – but only if they happen to live in Finland.
The trailer will be screened in advance of the new Max Payne movie, first during a special preview showing on October 15 and then again on the movie’s official opening weekend, which begins October 17. Max Payne, of course, is the predecessor to Alan Wake and the game that put Remedy Entertainment on the map, and if you’re wondering why Finland of all places was chosen to premiere the trailer, the answer is simple: It’s Remedy’s home country.
Very little has been heard about Alan Wake in the years since its 2005 announcement, although Remedy CFO Mika Reini recently posted a message in the Alan Wake forums assuring gamers that work was progressing. The game is currently scheduled for release in 2008, although no firm date has yet been set and I’ll be amazed if it actually happens.
Fortunately, gamers in the rest of the world won’t have to wait long to see the latest Alan Wake action for themselves: Remedy has promised to release the trailer online “shortly” after its theatrical debut.
Source: Crispy Gamer


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Arrow Electronics has announced the appointment of Harriet Green to Vice President of Global Strategy and Business Development. This will be in addition to her responsibility within Arrow for Arrow Altech Distribution, headquartered in Jet Park, Johannesburg
Effective immediately, Harriet Green will report directly to Fran Scricco, President and CEO of Arrow Electronics. She will also receive a chair on Arrow's Executive Committee. In her new role, Green will focus on the company's future strategic direction, driving new business initiatives and ventures, and communicating that direction to suppliers, customers, employees and shareholders.
This appointment recognises that such critical major initiatives cut across traditional organisational boundaries and need high level commitment and attention to realise the full potential of the organisation, both now and in the future. Green will continue with her responsibility for Arrow Altech and visit and support the operations there.
Harriet Green is well known across the electronics industry and brings a blend of strategic vision, truly global experience and proven business leadership skills to her role. She has successfully pioneered several new positions for Arrow including Arrow's first Pan-European staff executive, as Europe's Vice President of Marketing in 1994. She then formed Arrow's Northern European business platform as Managing Director of that region and led the company's first joint venture in Africa. For the past 20 months, as President of Arrow CMS, Green has effectively steered the North American contract manufacturing business through challenging periods of dramatic growth, integration and industry downturn.
Read more...Electronics news digest 25 March 2020
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From collecting data in sub-zero Antarctica to rapid circuit prototyping on the International Space Station this South African company is reinventing the way we approach IoT while inspiring students to follow STEM careers.
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According to BBC, there are over half a million pieces of debris floating around the Earth’s orbit. Most debris within the atmosphere are lost parts from space crafts, disused rocket stages or waste from ...
Read more...IPC revises five standards 26 February 2020
IPC announced the release of five newly revised standards covering several areas of the supply chain: · IPC/WHMA-A-620D, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies.
· IPC-2223E, ...
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ProTek Devices has introduced a new steering diode transient voltage suppressor (TVS) array for circuit protection across popular consumer electronic display interfaces. The new PUSB403 device is ideal ...


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Missouri carrier Wil-Trans has bought assets of refrigerated carrier Jim Palmer Trucking and plans to refurbish that company’s fleet with new trucks, the company said.
Wil-Trans, which is based in Stratford, Mo., has about 185 trucks of its own, and Palmer’s fleet has about 175 trucks, said Darrel Wilson, CEO of Wil-Trans.
“We feel like the Jim Palmer name has some value in the driver market,” Wilson told Transport Topics. He did not disclose the purchase price.
Jim Palmer Trucking, based in Missoula, Mont., emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 before it was bought by Chicago businessmen.
Wil-Trans and Jim Palmer both use company drivers, and Wilson said his company plans to replace Palmer’s fleet with 2015 Freightliner Cascadia trucks. Wil-Trans is getting about 7.6 miles per gallon from its own Cascadias, he said.


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Praise Yeezus! Kim Kardashian shares a snap of hubby Kanye West giving Dave Chappelle his brand new sneakers right off his feet
Fans all over New York flocked to their local sneaker shops to pick up his first signature shoe with Adidas.
And Kanye West certainly seemed to be in a giving mood as he gave his Yeezy Boost high-top sneaker to legendary comedian Dave Chappelle.
The 37-year-old rapper's wife Kim Kardashian documented the nice gesture as she shared a photo of the exchange on her Instagram on Saturday evening.
Giving mood: Kim Kardashian shared a snap on her Instagram account of husband Kanye West giving comedian Dave Chappelle a pair of his signature shoes right off his feet on Saturday
She captioned the photo to her 26.4million followers: 'Kanye gave Dave the shoes off his feet #Yeezys.'
In the snap the 41-year-old comedian could be seen looking down and admiring the footwear as he sported the newly released shoes.
The All Of The Lights rapper sat on a couch with a blank expression on his face as he shrugged his shoulders while showing off his black socks.
Three's a crowd! The 34-year-old reality star also posted a picture of herself posing along with Kanye, Justin Bieber and the 41-year-old funnyman
'With good people': The 20-year-old boyfriend singer also got in the act as he was flanked by Kanye and Dave in a snap he posted onto the picture-sharing social network
It certainly seemed to be a fun night out as Kim also posted a picture of her with the former Chappelle's Show star and Justin Bieber.
The 34-year-old reality star donned a daring black ensemble consisting of a sheer paneling as she stood next to the 20-year-old Boyfriend singer.
It was quite a busy day for the Wests as they attended Alexander Wang's New York Fashion Week presentation with 18-month-old daughter North.
Calm down: Kim and her 34-year-old rapper husband attended the Alexander Wang runway show as part of New York Fashion week as their 18-month-old daughter North cried during the event
Tough times: Kanye tried comforting his adorable child as she squirmed and bawled during the high fashion event
Much like Kanye's Adidas unveiling on Thursday, North squirmed and bawled during the high fashion event as Kanye did his best to console her.
They also attended Robert Geller's show as they were pictured tapping away on their cell phones during the fashion event without their adorable Nori.
Preoccupied: Later on in the evening, Kim and Kanye attended the Robert Geller show as they were both spotted tapping away on their mobiles
As the Yeezus hitmaker's highly-anticipated sneaker was released in the Big Apple earlier in the day, Kim shared yet another picture of Kanye surprising sneaker fans during the release.
The rapper's new shoes the Yeezy 750 Boosts - also known as Yeezy 3s - were launched during the Valentine's Day holiday as Kanye only made his loyal followers happier when he personally brought the shoes out to them.
In the snap, two fans looked shocked as Kanye himself walked out at the Adidas store with the footware retailing at $350.
'Why I love him': Earlier in the day Kim also posted a picture of surprising sneaker fans in New York with his new Yeezy Boost Adidas sneakers as they launched on Saturday
The Through The Wire rapper's dedication to his fans was not just a big deal to the lucky followers chosen for special treatment, but also to his wife.
Kim gushed as she posted the sweet photo with the message: 'My valentine went to @adidas this morning to surprise a few fans with new pairs of #yeezyboost! One of the many reasons why I love him.'
As there is a lot of hype revolving around his collaboration with Adidas, the Yeezy Boost will open up to a worldwide release later this month on Saturday, February 28.
Keeping warm with the Kardashians: The family had a busy day as they were spotted out and about between attending events on Valentine's Day, as Kanye showed off his brand new $350 shoes once again
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The 2016 Tennessee FFA Convention will be held on March 20-23, 2016 in Gatlinburg, TN.
More information to come.
Online registration at www.tnffa.org/convreg.
Advisors should have a Tennessee FFA Personal Liability/Medical Release/Publicity Release Form for every student participating in a Tennessee FFA event once a year. A copy of the release form can be found under Permissions in Tennessee FFA online downloads folder.
Live streaming (and archived previous sessions) from the convention main hall.


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The Elder Scrolls Online – The Confrontation Cinematic Trailer
The Elder Scrolls Online shakes out its next cinematic trailer as it announces it will become subscriptionless as it heads to console.
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text: Provincial Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal said on Tuesday that delivery of imported sugar to the districts of Punjab has started and it would be sold at Rs90 per kg at retail shops, model and Sahulat bazaars. The government was giving subsidies of Rs24 per kg on imported sugar, the minister disclosed in a media statement issued. Mian Aslam Iqbal said that a quota of imported sugar has been allotted for each district including Lahore 27,248 metric tonnes (mt), Rawalpindi 13,238 mt and Faisalabad 8,052 mt. To ensure sale of imported sugar at fixed rates, he added that monitoring committees were formed at district level. He mentioned that people were getting essential commodities at cheaper prices in 277 sahulat bazaars across the province. A special discount of 10 to 20 percent is being given on all kinds of items in 32 model bazaars of the province during the Ashra-e-Shaan Rehmat-ul-Ulameen.


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Starfield has been the most eagerly awaited release from Bethesda Game Studios. Its departure from the studio’s usual settings, the extended development time, and multiple delays have generated significant excitement among gamers.
After five years of eager anticipation, Starfield fans can now celebrate, as the game’s development has reached its culmination. Bethesda has recently confirmed that the game has gone gold. It marks a crucial milestone in the game’s development and release process.
Why is it important?
This statement indicates that the game is more likely to meet its launch dates without experiencing additional delays. It refers to a significant step toward players finally getting their hands on the long-awaited game.
In this announcement, Bethesda also revealed the pre-loading dates for the game. The pre-loading of Starfield on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC began on August 17th, while Steam users can start pre-loading on August 30th. It allows enthusiasts to start downloading the game’s data onto their devices in advance, ensuring a seamless dive into the experience as soon as the game becomes available.
Starfield’s confirmed release date is September 6th, 2023, with the early access period starting on September 1st. Players interested in experiencing the game early can purchase the Premium Edition for $99.99. Alternatively, users with a Game Pass subscription can access the Premium upgrade for $34.99 without purchasing the full game.
In addition to this announcement, Bethesda also held a Q&A session on Discord, revealing various other details about the game. The lead quest designer, Will Shen, disclosed that the game offers various housing options in different cities, some of which require purchase, while others will be rewarded upon completing certain quests.


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Moet Hennessy is acquiring a 50% stake in rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z’s Champagne brand in an effort to up its cool factor and expand distribution.
Terms of the deal, which was announced Monday, weren’t released.
Armand de Brignac, known familiarly as Ace of Spades because of its distinctive label, is produced in France's Champagne region by a father and son who are 12th and 13th generation wine growers.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, gave the brand a boost in 2006 when he featured one of their bottles in a music video after a public fallout with Cristal, a rival brand. Carter accused Cristal of racism after an executive for the brand mused in an interview about whether partnering with a rapper would harm its image.
In 2014, Carter bought Armand de Brignac for an undisclosed sum. The brand sold more than 500,000 bottles worldwide in 2019.
Moet Hennessy President and CEO Philippe Schaus said Armand de Brignac breaks barriers and reflects contemporary ideas of luxury, even as it supports historic Champagne-making traditions.
“We are incredibly proud to be partnering with them,” Schaus said.
Carter said the partnership will help Armand de Brignac grow and flourish, noting Moet Hennessy’s track record of developing luxury brands like Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot. Moet Hennessy is the wine and spirits division of luxury goods company LVMH.
“It is a partnership that has felt familiar the entire time,” Carter said.
Carter is one of several celebrities to profit from a partnership with an alcohol brand.
Actor George Clooney co-founded Casamigos, a tequila brand, in 2013. It was purchased by beverage giant Diageo in 2017 for $700 million. Last year, Diageo also scooped up Aviation American Gin, a brand co-owned by actor Ryan Reynolds, for $610 million.
Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently released a tequila brand called Teramana. Singer John Legend has his own wine label, LVE. And in 2018, singer Bob Dylan launched the Heaven’s Door whiskey brand.


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As Andrea Chatten of Unravel CEBPC prepares to double the number of her employees, and release the fourth in her series of children’s books, we asked how she plucked up the courage to walk away from a 25-year teaching career to pioneer the first business of its kind in the country – and how she’s handling the rollercoaster of success she’s been on ever since.
In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March, Pam Bowman tells us why Sheffield is the best place for creatives to live, work and study.
Sheffield City Region is set to partner the world’s largest aerospace company, Boeing, in a multi-million pound investment, bringing new jobs and providing the region’s businesses with new supply chain opportunities, subject to contract agreement.
A London-based translation firm has become the latest company to choose Sheffield as the place to expand its business.
Sheffield has released a new report exploring the real picture of life in the city. The report looks at how Sheffield is changing over time, and how we compare to other major cities in the UK.
Thinking of setting up your own business? Here are six reasons why Sheffield is the place to do it.
Internationally renowned McLaren Automotive’s is to open a research and production facility in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) on the Sheffield–Rotherham border. The move, which is seen as a significant investment in the UK and in AMID, will create 200 jobs, boosting the local economy by £100 million over the next 10 years.
I would encourage anyone thinking of carving a niche in the retail sector to book onto the Retail Insights workshop at Business Sheffield on 21 February. In the meantime, check out my top tips for those looking to set up or grow in Sheffield’s thriving retail sector. Because you might have a brilliant idea – but getting it to market can be a whole different ball game.
Creative Sheffield, Sheffield City Council’s economic development agency, and Sheffield Digital will be attending Prolific North Live this month to showcase Sheffield’s fast-growing digital sector.


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As an industry, e-commerce has experienced unprecedented growth since the onset of the pandemic, accounting for 20.4% of global retail sales by the end of 2022. The strength of the e-commerce sector is based on the technology, which is why Integrate.io is growing rapidly to help meet this demand by supporting e-commerce companies in the proper use of their data.
Integrate.io is pleased to announce the latest investments in its growth with the addition of three new senior executives to help put the data warehouse at the heart of the success of every e-commerce business.
Hannon Brett, Vice President of Marketing
Hannon Brett is a seasoned SaaS B2B leader, serial founder, and successful branding and GTM expert. His considerable experience comes at just the right time to create a comprehensive marketing department, redefine the brand, and lead Integrate.io into its next season of market leadership.
David Romoff, Vice President of Sales
David Romoff has been a respected sales leader in the technology world for over a decade. He passionately applies his deep understanding of solution selling and customer-centric practices to technology products. His prodigious relationship-building skills will enable Integrate.io’s solutions to find their way into e-commerce businesses around the world.
Michelle Rabenaldt, Vice President of Customer Success
Michelle Rabenaldt has a proven track record of driving customer success for high-growth B2B SaaS and cloud businesses. She is a strong believer in customer-centric business practices. Perfectly aligning with Integrate.io’s own values, it will strategically facilitate exceptional customer service experiences for all customers and users.
A word from CEO Donald Tobin
CEO Donal Tobin explains, “Integrate.io’s technology is a well-kept secret among some of the most successful e-commerce companies out there. Our data unification approach to evolving the e-commerce data stack is unique and we are excited to push the next generation of data integration.
Our work has the potential to transform the trajectory of all businesses in the e-commerce world. To that end, we are continually growing our own ecosystem, adding top talent from every discipline, while ensuring that we maintain our excellent reputation and unrivaled products and support as we grow. I am very happy to welcome these leaders to our team.
Unified eCommerce – Evolution of the eCommerce Data Stack
The Integrate.io platform is the next step in easy-to-use, comprehensive low-code data tools from a single login. This supports smarter customer engagement and more data-driven Go-to-Market strategies. The platform instantly helps mid-size e-commerce businesses that sell in multiple markets punch above their weight with simple, seamless data connections and sophisticated capabilities to improve data team results and GTM success. .


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A partnership between Sage and Deloitte is allowing Sage customers to have access to real-time data driven financial and operations services delivered to them via cloud-based technology.
Doist, the company behind Todoist, has grown from 1 to 40 employees in a short amount of time. That kind of growth can be traced to the company's ability to embrace a remote work environment. The staff of the company is scattered around the globe.
Amazon, the online shopping giant, is making its MySQL-compatible database engine called Amazon Aurora, available to other businesses in a few select regions. Amazon Aurora provides functionality compatible with more expensive commercial database technology, but at more affordable price.
Some Android phones running an older version of the mobile operating system may be at serious risk of a security hack. The problem is caused by the Stagefright media pack installed on the phones. Here's more on the issue and on what is being done.
Activities on the job-seeking site Elance are coming to an end. Soon, new registrations will all be forced to Upwork and all Elance activity will eventually move to that site next year.
Is your business relies on WiFi connections, it's likely that you've been disappointed in its performance. Luckily, there are ways to improve your WiFi connection speeds -- and some could be done in just a few seconds at no cost.
Windows 10 is here! The Start menu is back. Cortana is now fully integrated with the system and Microsoft has decided to start anew with Web browsing (au revoir, Internet Explorer), introducing the Edge browser.
Be ware of telemarketing companies claiming they can help you achieve better ranking in the search engines. A flurry of such calls have again gone out to small business owners. But what can such companies really offer?
OnePlus has just introduced its new OnePlus 2 smartphone. The device aims to match up against the heavyweights in the top-tier smartphone market but is, again, available by invite-only.
A deal between Verizon and independent digital content network Vice Media Inc. demonstrates the growing importance of the mobile video market. The telecom and the digital content producer have signed an agreement to provide material for Verizon's upcoming mobile video platform.
Aside from confirming that we're classic over-reactors, there were lots of lessons to be learned from the Y2K scare more than 15 years ago. One of the main lessons learned was how to manage a small business and to trust in those around you.
Worry no more that people who see your company's YouTube videos you shot in vertical view will see those black bars on the side. The site's Android app and desktop site now feature a fix that shows those videos in full-screen mode without the black bars.


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THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced last Wednesday that all six licensed digital banks in the Philippines may now pursue full operations, after the regulator issued to each of the two remaining digital banks a Certificate of Authority to Operate.
In a statement, the Central Bank said the most recent recipients were UnionDigital Ban Inc. and GoTyme Bank Corp., which obtained their certificates last July 12 and 29, respectively.
In the first quarter of 2022, the BSP authorized Tonik Digital Bank Inc. and Maya Bank Inc. to operate as digital banks, while Overseas Filipino Bank Inc., A Digital Bank of LandBank and UNObank Inc. were authorized during the second quarter of 2022.
Digital banks have no physical branches. Their financial products and services are processed end-to-end through digital platforms or electronic channels.
“The operations of digital banks support the BSP’s Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, which aims to digitize half of the total volume of retail payments in the country and onboard at least 70 percent of Filipino adults into the formal financial system by 2023,” the BSP said.
As of this writing, only Tonik, Maya and Overseas Filipino Bank are in operation. The other three are expected to launch full operations in the second half of the year.
The BSP said it issued the certificates to digital banks that have substantially complied with the BSP’s conditions for approval and pre-operating requirements.
These requirements include capitalization, risk and governance structure and information technology systems, among others.
The process for securing a Certificate of Authority to Operate begins with the application to establish a digital bank, to be approved by the Monetary Board. Once approved by the MB, the BSP issues a Certificate of Authority to Register, to be submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
After registration and completion of all other requirements, digital banks may then obtain the Certificate of Authority to Operate from the BSP.


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With over 51 million subscribers in the United States, Netflix is one of the leading subscription online media streaming services. The platform is a great platform to watch movies and original series. However, Netflix is being criticized for normalizing “sexual exploitation and objectification.”
“A Netflix subscription also includes sexually graphic and degrading content,” Hawkins said during the press conference.
According to Hawkins, Netflix produces media portraying gratuitous nudity, graphic sex acts and even graphic depictions of sexual assault.
With over 300 original productions, Hawkins stated that Netflix puts most of its advertising dollars for original shows toward content that is rated TV-MA for mature audiences.
“These products frequently contain graphic sex scenes, nudity and violence,” she said. “Our team of researchers looked into the 10 of the top original NetFlix titles which they promote. We found that nine out of 10 of their features depicted online sex scenes and 80 percent of those titles displayed explicit nudity in their pilot program. Part of the problem is that the material with the sexually graphic and violent scenes is often placed right next to child-themed content as well.”
Hawkins explained Netflix parental controls are “inadequate” because the platform doesn’t provide any way to lock down the parental controls. She said that even kids three years in age are able to “navigate out of the parental control protected safe space on Netflix.”
NCOSE is also concerned that Netflix has given itself a “misleading” rating on mobile app stores. Netflix claims that it is suitable for children ages four and over.
NCOSE takes issue with shows like “13 Reasons Why” in which multiple episodes depicted graphic sexual assault and showed nudity of actresses who are supposed to be teenagers.
Another show of concern for NCOSE is “Baby,” which follows a group of teenagers on their quest to “buck social norms through prostitution.”
“It portrays underage prostitution, which by definition is sex trafficking, as an edgy coming of age story summarizing trafficking of some of our most vulnerable,” Hawkins contended.


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The much hyped triple camera setup is finally real and we can see it in live designs of the Huawei P20. The important feature is not just the presence of third camera but the underneath AI.
Huawei P20 Triple Camera with AI
As expected, the handset features three cameras on the rear side. They have designed the setup in a less fancier way. Two camera sensors being linked together, like we have seen for like a thousand time, and the third one is kept separately but in the same vertical alignment.
An officially released document confirms the design which you can see in the picture attached above. Huawei has decided to go with “SEE MOOORE WITH AI” tagline.
Noticed the three “o” in more? Yes, it’s for the three camera sensors on the rear.
The camera optics are powered by LEICA as one can notice it’s branding on the rear panel. We have already seen some smartphone cameras with AI feature. It basically senses the environment and notices the objects around for better judgment. We have to wait and see if Huawei have done anything new here.
On the front, there is already controversial notch. I don’t understand these tech companies doing everything to follow Apple, even if what they did was not that popular move. Luckily, the notch on the front side in Huawei P20 is not that big.
Also read: Android P with Call Block feature
Whatever Huawei is bringing with P20 smartphone, we are not that far from the launch date. It’s set to release on March 27, 2018.
What do you think?


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» Raja Rani Bgm Cut Songs
Raja Rani Bgm Cut Songs
Raja Rani Bgm Cut Songs on Technology News and Updates AdmaTechnology.com at Monday, April 21, 2014
If you like music, then you need to think of having mp3 downloader for pc since it can be a tool that you can use to pick any songs that you like the best. And there are many brands of mp3 downloader you will come across out there. With this condition, [...]
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If you are lovers of the underwater world and the music, then you need to have a digital music player Finis SwiMP3.
Finis SwiMP3 is a digital music player or MP3 player waterproof which has 2GB of memory capacity or [...]
Human skull intentionally shaped like alien heads were found in a 1000 year-old tomb in Mexico, according to the researchers reported as quoted by LiveScience.
Practice changing the shape of the skull has become common practice in Central America. But [...]
Many people who do not want to buy a ring tone as their smartphone. But not a few who complained about the use of the song into ringtone is quite disturbing.
The most easy and free way to make ringtone for your iPhone is using iTunes as reported from [...]
Electronic manufacturer Samsung Electronics continues to seriously working on portable computer market (notebook).
Despite playing for two years, Samsung has dared to issue a premium grade products at affordable prices.
Samsung Notebook Series 5 AMD [...]
Astronomers finally managed to track down the origin of a meteor that hit the central part of Russia, and injure about 1000 people at the beginning of February, as the BBC reported on Tuesday (2/26).
Utilizing amateur video recordings depicting the fall [...]
You are one of those who dreamed of adventure and find treasures from the past? Google may be able to realize the dream.
Quoted from Slashgear, Monday (1/4), Google Maps Street View Team reportedly managed to find a treasure map of William ‘Captain’ [...]
Not long after the presence of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 at Mobile World Congress, is now audible leaks on the presence of its 3G version.
It is verified through a newspaper as reported endgadget.com (12/03), the series Galaxy Note 8.0 3G has entered [...]
You are one of the fans of the game Plants Vs Zombies? If yes, then this time there is interesting info for you.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Wednesday (8/5), the latest version, Plants Vs Zombies 2: It’s About Time, is reportedly ready to slide in July [...]
Beijijng / San Francisco – Mandiant, an information security services company from the United States accused China are responsible for some cases of hacking, conducted by a secret military unit.
Mandiant accused 61 398 units of the military Chinese [...]
Increasingly sophisticated technology. Now charger technology created without cable. Wireless Charger technology names.
Another name Wireless Charger is Inductive Charging. This technology utilizes magnetic force to deliver power between the two objects.


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The Walt Disney Company is preparing to shutter one of their streaming services, but not any of the ones you might be thinking. Variety reports that Disney's US operations of the streamer Hotstar, which primarily features "live cricket and South Asian programming" according to the trade, will be phased out "over the next year." The content that audiences would find on Hotstar will be divided between ESPN+ (for all the live cricket matches) and Hulu (for the library of original content and films). They further note that Disney's hope is for subscribers to move their Hotstar subscription to "the Disney Bundle" which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
Disney is reportedly hoping to completely "shut down Hotstar in the U.S." by the end of next year and cricket matches moving to ESPN+ on September 1st, tomorrow. In a statement to the trade, Disney wrote: "The move from Hotstar, a premium brand for South Asian content, to ESPN Plus and Hulu in the U.S. expands upon the rich and diverse catalog of live events and stories delivered across the Disney Bundle and provides a platform for South Asian content to reach broader audiences." An annual subscription to Hotstar would previously run just $49.99 a year while the Disney Bundle is sitting at $13.99 a month.
Hulu is set to add originals from Hotstar soon too including the Indian adaptation of "The Office" and more.
Disney moving their Hotstar streaming onto their ESPN+ and Hulu brands is the latest marker of how important their streaming video on demand services are to their overall business plan. Earlier this month came word from Disney that the flagship Disney+ streaming service had gained an additional 12.4 million new subscribers in Q3, bringing the worldwide subscriber total for Disney's streaming service to 116 million, as of July 3rd, beating expectations.
"As we've said, our direct-to-consumer business is the Company's top priority," Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during the Q3 2021 earnings call. "And among our unique advantages in promoting and growing our DTC service are our powerhouse brands and the vast array of direct consumer touch points we have across our businesses - from our media networks to our theme parks to our consumer products. This synergy enables us to raise consumer awareness and further increase engagement with our streaming services. And the power of this synergy will be on full display on November 12th when we celebrate Disney+ Day with an unprecedented company-wide cross-promotional campaign."
Disney+ Day will no doubt try to sway more Disney Bundle subscribers.0comments


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The mobile internet ad market in Russia is growing quickly—2015 will be the final year of triple-digit growth, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast of ad spending around the world. But as a percentage of digital and total media ad spending, mobile is still small in Russia compared to many other worldwide markets.
eMarketer estimates that this year, advertisers in Russia will spend $430 million on mobile internet ads, or 19.0% of all digital ad spending. Mobile will quickly come to account for even more of the digital market, and by 2019 most digital ad spending will occur on mobile channels.
That year, the total Russian ad market will reach $10.78 billion after several years of growth in the mid-single digits. Just over 30% of the total will be spend on digital advertising that year.
Russia is below the worldwide average by this metric—this year, 29.9% of all ad spending worldwide will be digital.
Russia also lags in terms of the share of digital ad spending that goes toward mobile. This year, South Korea leads the world by this metric, with 54.4% of all digital ad spending in the country going occurring on mobile. The US is No. 2, at 51.9%. Russia comes in at less than half the worldwide average of 42.3%.
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Analog Devices (ADI -0.80%) has failed to stoke investor enthusiasm despite making the right moves over the past year. The chipmaker has witnessed broad-based growth across its entire business in recent quarters, thanks to the Linear Technology acquisition a year ago. Still, the market has failed to reward the company's consistent performances. The stock is up just 8% over the past year.
The chipmaker is set to report Q1 2018 results on Feb. 28. Here's what to expect.
Impressive growth is coming
Usually, the first quarter of Analog's fiscal year (November-January) is a slow one. But the company is confident that it will beat the seasonal trend thanks to improving traction in the industrial market and an extra week in this quarter.
The midpoint of Analog's first-quarter guidance puts the top line at $1.49 billion, a 52% increase from the year-ago period. This massive increase in the company's revenue is expected to lift its earnings to $1.29 per share, as compared to $0.94 per share in the year-ago period.
The expected strong growth in Analog Devices' top and bottom lines is being driven by the acquisition of Linear Technology, which was completed in March 2017. This has been a big catalyst for the chipmaker, bolstering its position in lucrative markets such as industrial and automotive.
The acquisition has catapulted Analog's addressable market in the automotive space to $3 billion. Analog and Linear's combined annual automotive revenue stood at $900 million in 2016. More important, Analog's automotive revenue shot up 45% last fiscal year, and the rapid growth will continue in the coming quarters as the semiconductor content in cars continues to increase.
The outlook should be strong
Analog recently announced that it plans to consolidate some of the wafer manufacturing and testing facilities that came with Linear Technology. The company will close a wafer fabrication facility in California and a test facility in Singapore. The consolidation will result in a charge of $55 million to $65 million during the first quarter, affecting its GAAP earnings per share, but it will eventually result in $100 million worth of cost synergies, according to the company.
Analog's earnings going forward should get a boost as the transition starts gaining traction, and I'm looking for strong top- and bottom-line guidance when the company reports Feb. 28.
The consumer business, for example, grew an impressive 52% year over year in fiscal 2017, as Analog's business at smartphone giant Apple saw a remarkable increase. Analog supplies the technology to enable the 3D Touch feature in iPhones, and the OLED-based iPhone X carries a more expensive version of this.
Analog's industrial business, meanwhile, is another big beneficiary of the Linear Technology acquisition, jumping 58% last fiscal year. This segment accounts for 46% of Analog's total revenue, and it is going from strength to strength thanks to the company's strategy of targeting fast-growing industrial niches like factory automation.
Analog Devices has a lot going for it, which should allow it to deliver an investor-pleasing fourth-quarter report.


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Keep up-to-date on the latest product and company news, along with useful information for the maintenance, repair and overhaul industry.
Our insight categorised as 'Industry related'
The majority of wind turbines are expected to have a service life of over 20 years, meaning that breakdown is almost inevitable at some point during a turbine’s lifetime. The question is: how big an impact will any breakdown have on the business?
In the food and beverage industry, it is essential to balance regulatory compliance with cost minimisation and optimum production levels. A failure in any of these areas could have huge consequences for the business.
SKF has released its new Food Line range of bearing units, created specifically for the demanding environment of the food & beverage industry.
World-renowned couplings manufacturer, Ruland, has announced its new stainless steel oldham coupling: a huge step forward for applications operating in corrosive, vacuum and cleanroom environments.
What do you do when you need a power transmission chain which can stand up to the demands of the industry, without losing any strength?
Lubrication is an important aspect of any moving component, reducing friction and wear between parts, and helping to seal against contamination. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t feel like a chore sometimes, especially if the parts needing lubrication are difficult to access.
After rewinding an electric motor, it is crucial to ensure alignment when refitting the motor. We look at some of the best tools on the market to guarantee perfect alignment every time.
We’ve put together our top tips to help you to succeed in prioritising food safety on your production line, without compromising on what is important to your business.
Find out how component selection can reduce the risk of worker injury in mines and quarries.
As a preferred supplier for SKF Food Line, we would like to invite you to the virtual conference and launch of SKF’s new Food Line ball bearing units on the 30th January 2019.


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Farmers Heartened by Record Kharif harvest, Recouping Global Food Prices
Agriculture Ministry on September 4 reported Kharif acreage reaching new record of 1,095 lakh hectare. Ministry cited 8.4% above-par monsoon and timely pre-positioning of crops as the major reasons. Coupled with the recovery in global food prices reported by FAO's price index, presumably, farmers may overcome the distress. Reportedly, the World Food trade subsided due to the lockdowns imposed in most countries to limit the coronavirus spread.


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According to a new report, the new Mass Effect game -- assumed to be in development for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and tentatively dubbed Mass Effect 5 -- from BioWare and EA is nowhere near release. The next installment in the sci-fi action-RPG series was first announced last December at The Game Awards with a very unrevealing cinematic trailer. At the time, there was no word of a release window or platforms or any details on the game whatsoever. There wasn't even a title. None of this has changed, and don't expect it to change anytime soon if a new report is accurate.
According to this report, Dragon Age 4, BioWare's next game, isn't releasing until 2023. Mass Effect fans will then need to wait another two years to play their new game. In other words, according to the report, the next Mass Effect isn't releasing until 2025, which, of course, begs the question: why was it revealed in 2020?
The report comes the way of Jeff Grubb, a prominent industry insider and leaker, however, it conflicts, somewhat, with what I've heard about the game. While I've heard the game is still in the early stages of development, even nearly a year after its reveal, I haven't heard it will take until 2025 to drop. I've heard, here and there, that a 2024 window is the internal target, with a Q1 release possible in the cards. That said, I heard this around the game's reveal, so it's quite possible that even if it's accurate, things have changed. And it's also worth noting that 2025 is a safe bet given that two years separated the release between Dragon Age Inquisition and Mass Effect Andromeda, the latest releases in each respective series.
Whatever the case, the game is likely very far away, which means we probably won't see much of consequence or hear much of consequence about the game this November on N7 day.
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion


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Thanks to an almost worldwide closure of bars and restaurants due to the coronavirus pandemic, draft beer sales have come to a virtual standstill forcing brewers around the globe to start dumping their beer.
And adding even more bad news to an already dire situation for pub owners and brewers in the United Kingdom, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is projecting that close to 70 million pints of beer will need to be destroyed.
According to Beer Today, “the BBPA calculated the figures based on its database of the UK’s 47,000 pubs, and estimating they had on average ten taps dispensing beer each.”
But whatever their methodology, the losses brought on by a lockdown that has disrupted supply lines and changed consumer behavior, will be massive according to BBPA chief executive, Emma McClarkin…
“It’s a great shame that so much great British beer that should have been enjoyed in community pubs up and down the country has gone to waste. People won’t have a chance to drink it as it will go off before pubs can re-open.”
“The need to destroy so much beer really shows how much our brewing and pub sectors have been affected by this crisis.”
“We believe that pubs should only open when safe to do so, but without additional support now — particularly for those who won’t be able to re-open sooner — many more of our nation’s pubs and the brewers that supply them with beer will struggle to survive closure and beyond. The government needs to give our sector much more support.”
Need some good news?
H/T the always excellent Beer Today for its lead on this.


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The 2014 ThinkPad Helix features largely the same feature set as its predecessor, but Lenovo claims it's now 15% slimmer and will last several hours longer on battery. It's also much cheaper.
Activision acquisition, forced updates, and Google Play on Windows
Dev channel build adds “Jenny” and “Aria” to Narrator, visual tweaks and more fixes
windows 11 insider preview
Thinkpad helix RSS
A Lenovo executive claims in a new interview that businesses don't want a Windows RT tablet and that even Microsoft "has started to review the RT path they have gone down."
After a delay, the Lenovo ThinkPad is finally shipping, and students at Seton Hall University will be the first members of the public to get their hands on the Windows 8-based notebook-tablet hybrid.
Lenovo has announced that its plans to launch its new Windows 8-based ThinkPad Helix convertible notebook-tablet in late February has been delayed and it will now be released in March or April.
Lenovo has announced the new ThinkPad Helix and Yoga 11S notebook-tablet convertibles, both of which run on Windows 8, as part of its CES 2013 product announcements.


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New guidance for fleet operators wishing to make out-of-hours deliveries was launched by TfL at the inaugural Quiet Cities global summit held in London this week. Getting the timing right is a toolkit for all stakeholders involved in re-timing freight deliveries – including hauliers, local councils and businesses – and outlines the benefits and issues to consider when rescheduling deliveries, from finding suitable sites and staffing issues through to engaging with local residents. It is an industry-led guide that pulls […]
Tesco has been drawn into the Eddie Stobart Doncaster row as drivers at the DC prepare to start a third wave of strike action tomorrow (6 December). The supermarket chain, which runs the DC’s warehousing but outsourced the transport operation with 183 drivers to Eddie Stobart in August, has made a point of not commenting on the jobs row until now. However, after Unite last week rejected the latest offer from Eddie Stobart, a spokeswoman for the chain said: “We […]
Carlsberg UK is planning to outsource its entire secondary logistics operation to DHL Tradeteam as part of plans to refocus its efforts on brewing.


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September saw footfall drop by –2.1 per cent over the month from August and by -2.9 per cent from September 2012.
This is the twelfth month in a row in which footfall in shopping centres has declined on an annual basis, and at the end of the third quarter of the year footfall now stands at -2.7 per cent down on the same nine month period last year. This contrasts sharply with the result for September 2012 when footfall increased annually by +1.8 per cent, and the result for the nine months to September 2012 when the average annual change stood at -0.3 per cent.
The drop in footfall was spread throughout the UK, with every region apart from the East recording a decline in September, and in three regions the extent of the decrease was more than -5 per cent. In only one region – Greater London – has footfall increased annually over the nine months of this year (by +1.6 per cent). In all other regions over the year to date, footfall has declined by an average -3.8 per cent, with the drop exceeding -3 per cent in five regions.
The footfall results for September are unsurprising in light of the results for UK sales issued by the BRC which reported that the +0.7 per cent in retail sales was driven by electrical and leisure goods – typically out of town purchases – and that excluding online sales clothing and footwear would have recorded a decline in sales.


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They have become the cigarette butt of the coffee industry — at least from a recycling perspective.
The small, airtight plastic coffee brewing capsules, best known by the brand name K-Cup, have become ubiquitous in home and office kitchens, replacing coffee pots by offering fast, clean, single-serve brews with a variety of flavors.
There's just one problem — the coffee capsules are tough to recycle. And with industry-leader Keurig Green Mountain estimating it sold 9.8 billion K-Cup portion packs sold last year, that has sparked environmental concerns. There's even a Kill the K-Cup video.
Enter Trenton-based TerraCycle, a company known for taking on complex recycling and "upcycling" challenges. TerraCycle launched the world's first cigarette butt recycling program in 2012 and has now turned its attention to the plastic coffee capsules.


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The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is seen as key to facilitating industrial growth and improving business climate in the country. A constitutional amendment measure, the GST Bill needs to be passed by a two third majority in both houses of parliament and by the legislatures of half of the states in the country to become law.
This will enable the GST to be introduced across the country. Following this, parliament and state legislatures will need to pass the GST bills that impose central and state GSTs. The Government is mulling the next target of implementing the GST around June 2016. The government earlier wanted to implement the new GST from April 2016.
According to V Lakshmikumaran, Managing Partner, Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan, introduction of this duty will boost Indian textile exports to a great extent easing the prices and making this industry internationally competitive. Hence, integrated companies should consider GST as a positive opportunity as the taxes will spur the textile sector with major capital investments bringing the cost of capital goods down for expansion of textile units, as it will be available as a creditor gain.
With the implementation of the much-awaited bill, an input credit will lead to lowered input costs and reduced prices of the finished synthetic textile at the consumer level. On the contrary, for the natural fibers namely cotton and wool which are tax-exempt because naturally produced goods, any tax imposed now under the GST regime will be an extra cost to the companies and the ultimate consumers.
On Indian textile export, that is one of the vibrant exports to all over the world. And as of now, all these things became cost and therefore, claiming the drawback or any other exemption became so cumbersome with the introduction of GST, the export market will open up, product will become cheaper, it will be internationally competitive and therefore, India can actually increase its share of the export market as far as textiles are concerned.
A weekly report covering market and price information on the entire chain of polyester along with online access to daily polyester chain prices.
One-time reports that are issued annually cover the demand and supply trends in individual products including polyester, nylon, acrylic, viscose, and cotton.
One-time reports that are issued annually cover the demand and supply trends in the individual country's natural and manmade fiber/filament industries.
Countries Served Worldwide


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Raleigh-based global tech company Vontier buys Ohio company for $ 965 million in cash
RALEIGH – Vontier, a global technology company specializing in transportation and mobility solutions that opened its headquarters in Raleigh last year, is poised to grow significantly with a nearly $ 1 billion acquisition. In liquid.
Vontier announced Monday the acquisition of Ohio-based DRB Systems from private equity firm New Mountain Capital.
DRB provides a variety of services, from point of sale to workflow and control solutions for car washes. It is based in Akron, Ohio, was launched in 1984 and has over 500 employees.
Fortive Corporation, an Everett, Washington-based company with revenues of some $ 7 billion, launched Vontier last year and chose Raleigh as its base of operations.
Vontier is publicly traded (NYSE: VNT).
âThe acquisition of DRB is expected to accelerate our strategy of portfolio diversification towards long-term growth drivers in attractive markets and establish a $ 500 million retail solutions portfolio,â said Mark Morelli, CEO of Will go. âDRB’s focus on technology and software solutions complements our existing point-of-sale and payment offerings and improves our growth and recurring revenue profile, profitability and free cash flow generation.
partnership with DRB and the enormous business development that has taken place since our investment in October 2017. Under the ownership of New Mountain Capital, DRB has experienced significant growth while tripling the dollars spent on product development and innovation. We thank the management team and the employees of DRB and wish Vontier continued success with DRB in the years to come.
New transportation-focused company with 8,400 employees based in Raleigh


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Spotify has filed a complaint with European Union antitrust regulators against Apple, saying the iPhone maker unfairly limits rivals to its own Apple Music streaming service. Spotify no longer allows users to subscribe directly through iOS - and Apple's policies prevent the company from telling users how to subscribe through other portals.
In a blog post, Founder and CEO of the company, Daniel Ek, said that "My goal for Spotify is and has always been to reimagine the audio experience by giving consumers the best creativity and innovation we have to offer".
The complaint, which was entered by the Sweden-based steaming service on Monday, says U.S. software giant Apple deliberately stifles competition in the online music market to the benefit of its own streaming service, Apple Music. If users upgrade to a paid Spotify subscription, Ek explains, and do so through Apple's payment system such as with an in-app purchase, Apple takes 30-percent of that.
Beto O'Rourke calls for legalizing marijuana
Some later backed a super PAC that would play a key role in helping him defeat an incumbent Democratic congressman. Mr O'Rourke has represented Texas' 16 congressional district for three terms in the US House of Representatives.
Spotify's complaint apart, there also seems to be a consensus building in the USA about the growing clout that several companies has begun to exercise on the masses or the market.
Many of those who do continue to sell subscriptions and items through the App Store tend to charge more for them to make up for Apple's cut.
Under App store rules, Spotify said, content-based apps could not include buttons or external links to pages with production information, discounts or promotions and faced difficulties fixing bugs.
Ek said Spotify had tried unsuccessfully to resolve the issues directly with Apple, and was now asking the Commission to "take action to ensure fair competition".
Fleetwood sets hot pace with 65 at Players Championship
I had a good week in Mexico and last week at Bay Hill [Arnold Palmer Invitational] was also a good week [he finished tied 23rd]. And for anyone that travels to Florida to play at TPC, that's the hole that you're shelling out a ton of money to play on.
"This is not about Spotify picking a fight with Apple, but we feel like we had no other choice", he Gutierrez added.
Chief executive Daniel Ek blasted what he called an "Apple tax" which forces his company to pay a 30 per cent commission for sales made via Apple's payment system.
"We should all be subject to the same fair set of rules and restrictions-including Apple Music", he said. Some apps, like Uber or Deliveroo, aren't subject to the Apple fee, according to Elk.
Darren Bent reckons Tottenham can beat Manchester City
Should Jurgen Klopp negotiate a home clean sheet win over Porto in the first leg, even better for their title odds. Liverpool have since learned that they will play Porto over two legs in the next stage of the competition.
Secondly consumers should have a choice of payment systems and shouldn't be locked in or forced to use systems with discriminatory tariffs such as Apple's.


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BUENOS AIRES, March 28 (UPI) -- Latin American fisheries are set to benefit from the misfortunes of Japanese marine food industries in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, fisheries data indicated.
Argentine fisheries' response to Japan's troubles isn't yet clear but the decimation of Japanese fishing operations in regions worst hit by the earthquake and tsunami has pushed Chile's coho salmon producers in the forefront.
At least one-fifth of the salmon industry in Japan's worst-hit areas is either at a standstill or has been destroyed. Key fishing ports in at least six coastal provinces are shut, awaiting massive reconstruction.
This has created opportunities for Latin American fishing industries, the data indicated.
Chile is one of the world's largest salmon exporters but also is one the few countries outside Japan that produce and distribute coho salmon, the Pacific salmon known in North America as silver salmon.
Coho salmon breeds and thrives in salt water and is in great demand in Japan as well as along Latin America's Pacific coast.
Chilean fishing industry officials said Japanese consumers would likely turn to Chile to make up for their losses.
Japan produced 30,000 tons of the salmon last year but couldn't prevent a shortfall due to high demand. Of about 83,000 tons of salmon and 61 tons of trout exported by Chile in 2001, Japan received about 83 percent.
The current coho salmon season began in September and comes to a close this month.
Chilean fishing industry sources couldn't say if Japan would rely on frozen stocks or begin to order more from Chile in the near future.
The coho salmon prices were already on the rise before the catastrophic impact of the tsunami on Japan's coastal fishing industries.
"The Chilean industry is still unsure if Japan will wait till 2012 to begin importing," said The Santiago Times.
The industry also estimates a rise in salmon prices, which had begun this year before Japan's earthquake and tsunami.
Japan is also likely to increase trout imports from Latin America, the sources said.
Meanwhile, East Asian consumption of reef fish like snapper is creating a new conservation crisis in the Asia Pacific region that was highlighted at a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, earlier in March.
Experts said fishing crews were using cyanide and explosives to increases their catches way beyond the ocean's capacity, reducing prospects for the renewable resource.
Experts saw the largest threat in the Coral Triangle, a marine region that includes the waters of six nations between the Indian and Pacific oceans -- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands -- and contains 37 percent of the world's reef fish species.


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KOCHI: In order to promote Coastal Ro-Ro ship service at Major Ports, the Shipping Ministry has decided to increase the discounts for such vessels with immediate effect.
It was decided to provide 80 per cent discount for two years on vessel-related and cargo-related charges for coastal transportation through Ro-Ro ships.
According to a notification, the Ministry has asked all Major Ports to carry out intensive marketing campaign for demand generation to make the discounts sustainable.
As per the existing scheme relating to concessional rates, all such charges for coastal movements should not exceed 60 per cent of the corresponding charges for other vessels. There is no separate provision for Ro-Ro vessels for coastal cargo and its movement through such vessels attract 40 per cent discount.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has called a meeting with Car Carriers Association in New Delhi tomorrow to discuss the issues connected with the availability of car carrier trucks in Kochi for the smooth delivery of cars arrived in the port in the Ro-Ro ship last week.
The Cyprus registered RoRo car vessel mv Dredsen had brought 345 cars of Hyundai, Ford, Renault last week.
The vessel called at the Port from Ennore in the circuit of Ennore-Cochin-Kandla-Cochin- Ennore.
Meanwhile, the port is all set to receive the second Ro-Ro ship too with 180 cars soon.
Source: Daily Shipping NewsPrevious Next


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Podcasts blossom as a high-scored market!
With such IOT based apps like Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google, and Microsoft Cortana, people now prefer to talk to their devices rather than to tap or click on a virtual or physical keyboard.
The audiences now want to listen to the fresh and rich content in their comfort zone instead of googling the content and spending hours reading it.
The smart speakers, voice assistant and especially the podcasts are revolutionizing the way of navigating the world.
Podcasts have turned out to become one of the flourishing business opportunities for the startups, investors, entrepreneurs of the entertainment industry, and enterprises who are into the video and audio streaming business.
Podcast app development becomes the bumper crop for Entrepreneurs
The start of 2018 went with a bang on podcast hosting of approx 6,60,000 podcast shows and 28 million episodes.
In one of the articles by Variety showcased Apple features more than 5,00,000 active podcasts in 100+ languages in June 2018.
Approx 44% of the US audience has listened to different podcasts among which almost 80% listen to complete podcast episodes.
Approx 50% of total homes in the US are podcasts fans which comes to over 60 million homes in the US.


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If you were unclear of what the LG G8 ThinQ looks like, then here's the latest leaked image to surface online.
This render of the G8 ThinQ comes courtesy of Evan Blass (@evleaks) on Twitter, although besides the image and the confirmation by name, no further information was provided.
However, that in itself is plenty enough as the look of the G8 has proven to be a highly contentious issue over the past few weeks.
This all stemmed from the emergence of an image which another leaker said was the G8 smartphone, with that leak quickly being followed by a direct rejection on social media of the image's credibility by an LG representative.
Following which, another image leaked online and the newer one largely backed up the design of the first major image leak.
Now, this latest image to arrive seems to be almost identical to the previous image with the exception that it showcases the black version of the phone instead of the gray model.
So yes, it also seems to confirm that if no other colors are made available, the G8 ThinQ will certainly be available in those two color options.
With so many images having now emerged, and with the last couple of renders being as clear as they have been, it does seem to be evident that the phone shown in this image is indeed going to be what the LG G8 ThinQ looks like.
Besides its appearance, the latest image once again confirms the inclusion of only a dual camera setup on the back of the device, along with the fingerprint sensor. Unlike the previous LG G7 smartphone, however, the camera setup is now positioned horizontally and not vertically.
It's also worth noting this image does provide a clearer view of all of the sides of the G8 ThinQ, including the bottom. Which, if correct means the smartphone will not only come equipped with a USB Type-C port, but also a headphone jack port.
Also on show is the notch along with what was previously an unconfirmed camera configuration. Although that mystery was also recently solved by LG itself when the company announced the G8 would arrive to market with a front-facing camera that's accompanied by an Infineon REAL3 Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor.
That confirmation also semi-confirmed a number of additional features buyers of the G8 ThinQ can expect, such as face unlocking, payment authentication, and likely an improved way to engage with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) content. That's in addition to improved selfies in general.
Other, unconfirmed reports have pointed to a new sound solution, a 3,400 mAh capacity battery, and more. You catch up on all the latest G8 ThinQ rumors and speculation by checking out our preview.
Based on the images that have so far come to light it would seem that LG is not planning to offer much in the way of a physical upgrade compared to the previous model. Which may mean the company is focusing more on software improvements this year compared to anything else.
This also may mean the next V smartphone might be more representative of change in 2019 as rumors already point to that being the 5G smartphone launched by LG this year. Note the use of "LTE" on this render and not "5G" which seems to add some value to the suggestion the G8 ThinQ won't necessarily arrive as a 5G-ready device.
LG is expected to formally announce the G8 ThinQ in a couple of weeks time when the company takes to the stage ahead of the official opening of MWC 2019.


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16 November 2009 | Jake Kanter
Telecoms firm Nokia Siemens Networks will enlist procurement to make substantial savings as part of a major cost-reduction programme.
It aims to save ?500 million (£446.9 million) by the end of 2011 by cutting jobs in its 64,000-strong workforce by between 7 and 9 per cent and through the reorganisation of business units. It also expects to save substantially more than ?500 million every year by reducing the cost of goods and services it purchases.
The company, which makes cellular base-stations, networks and infrastructure, hopes to pass the procurement savings on to customers in the form of more competitive prices. A spokesman refused to confirm the precise procurement cost-reduction target, but said the company will work with suppliers to secure savings.
Nokia Siemens Networks' chief executive, Rajeev Suri, said: "As our customers make purchasing decisions, they want a partner who engages in issues well beyond a traditional discussion of technology."


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Looking at the numbers
Economic performance of the airline industry – 2014 mid-year report
Consumers are seeing a substantial increase in the value they derive from air transport this year. We expect 1% of world GDP to be spent on air transport in 2014, reaching almost $750 billion. Air travel is accelerating, with growth of 5.9%, the best since 2011, moving above the 5.5% trend of the past 20 years.
But consumers are also benefiting from cheaper travel, with the average one-way fare (before surcharges and tax) of $231 in 2014 being 3.5% lower than last year after adjusting for inflation. Business is also benefiting with the cost of shipping freight falling 4%.
Airline CFOs and heads of cargo reported in April that they expect growth in passenger and cargo services over the next 12 months to be almost as strong as in 2010 and early 2011. The upturn in economic activity driving these expectations is at risk, as the recent situation in Ukraine has shown. However, an easing in fiscal austerity policies, continued expansionary monetary policy and progress in deleveraging the private sector, are all coming together to boost growth, particularly in economies like the US.
Economic development worldwide is getting a significant boost from air transport. This wider economic benefit is being generated by increasing connections between cities—enabling the flow of goods, people, capital, technology and ideas and reducing air transport costs. The number of unique city pair connections is estimated at more than 16,000, almost double the connectivity by air twenty years ago.
Governments have also gained substantially from the good performance of the airline industry, which provided an estimated $121 billion in tax revenues this year.
Debt providers to the airline industry are well rewarded for their capital, usually invested with the security of a very mobile aircraft asset to back it. Net post-tax profits are positive, expected at $18 billion, so the industry is generating enough revenue to pay its suppliers bills and service its debt. But $18 billion is a margin on revenues of only 2.4%, so it would not take much of a shock to make over $7 billion of debt interest costs look challenging.
Equity owners are not rewarded adequately for risking their capital, except at a handful of airlines. The average return on invested capital (ROIC) in the airline industry has been improving, and is expected to reach 5.4%. However, that is more than 2% points lower than it should be in an industry that is highly competitive, whereas it is much higher in other industries.
Commercial airlines will take delivery of more than 1,400 new aircraft, representing an investment by the industry of over $150 billion. Additional capacity is being used more intensively, which is critical for profitability in such a capital intensive industry and also reduces environmental impact. Passenger load factors are expected to exceed a worldwide average of 80% for the first time this year.
We estimate airlines will spend $212 billion on jet fuel, which represents almost 30% of their total operating costs. Jet fuel prices are stable, but there has never been a 3-year period when energy costs have remained at such high levels.
Airlines are continuing to hire. Jobs in the industry should reach 2.39 million, productivity is up 2.5% and GVA/employee exceeds $100,000. Productivity has also been strong, with the average employee generating 478 ATKs in 2014, which is a 2.5% improvement over last year. This strong trend improvement in productivity is helping airlines to keep unit labour costs under control, an important objective given persistently high fuel costs. We estimate unit labour costs will be reduced by 0.7% in 2014.Infrastructure use costs are rising, plus inefficiencies in Europe alone add $3.8bn to airline costs.
The North American region is expected to perform best with a 4.3% net post-tax profit margin. Africa is the weakest region, as in the past 2 years, with margins of just 0.8%.


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FOR YEARS, THE HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS have viewed the Starbucks as, at best, a convenient plot point. Sean Penn played a mentally challenged Starbucks barista in “I Am Sam”; Dr. Evil’s headquarters in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” was a Starbucks office atop the Seattle Space Needle.
But last week, Lionsgate offered Starbucks an unexpected new role: gross point player. The coffee giant will promote the spelling bee drama “Akeela and the Bee,” which hits theaters in April, on coffee cups and cup-holders, on kiosks and spinner racks, and on the company’s inhouse wireless network. In return, Starbucks will get an undisclosed percentage of the first-dollar gross.
Even at a time when studios are aggressively asking fast-food chains and soft drink companies to share in their marketing costs, the Stabucks deal is a surprising shift. When Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts do a promotional deal with a studio, they provide licensing dollars and free TV time. Starbucks is merely granting Lionsgate promotional support in its thousands of stores. And in exchange, it’s receiving an equity position akin to what it would receive if it were one of the film’s original co-financiers.
Ironically, news of the deal came one day before the Wall Street Journal and the L.A. Times published simultaneous reports that studios have decided, virtually overnight, to hold the line on first-dollar players – news that came as a surprise to a number of first-dollar players.
STARBUCKS’ TRANSFORMATION from a specialty coffee chain to a global brand name with tentacles in the entertainment world has occurred with lightning speed. There was no way to know when the first Starbucks outlets opened in Beverly Hills and Hollywood in 1991 that people would one day line up to pay $5 for a decaf venti pumpkin soy latte with extra foam.
But by the end of the 1990s, the company was opening two outlets a day around the world, selling CDs and generating nearly $2 billion a year in sales.
That explosive growth gave rise to a powerful wave of anti-Starbuck sentiment — everything from Web sites like ihatestarbucks.com to the anti-globalization foes who’ve repeatedly vandalized Seattle-area Starbucks stores.
Starbucks has carefully countered that negative sentiment by expanding its brand into areas like the music biz, by improving relations with its employees and by bathing the “Starbucks experience” in a kind of new age goal.
Starbucks founder Howard Schultz subscribes to a retail model using “touch points” to foster an emotional bond with consumers. Starbucks is a “high touch” business, which means that the process of ordering coffee is engineered to maximize the contact that customers have with the Starbucks brand — everything from multiple serving stations to the logos on the coffee cups, which are imprinted with little aphorisms from books like “The Purpose Driven Life.”
As Naomi Klein put it in her anti-branding book “No Logo,” the coffee chain has taken a “generic product — a cup of coffee — and branded it so completely that it becomes a spiritual/designer object.”
The arrangement to promote “Akeela,” an upflifting movie about an African-American spelling prodigy, fits this model perfectly. As Starbucks’ first foray into movie promotions, it may serve as a template for the future of in-store marketing. But it’s hard to imagine a similar deal for, say, “MI:3” or “Superman.” And it’s harder still to imagine the studios behind those films agreeing to give away a piece of the gross.
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MEDIA PUNDITS who’ve been anticipitating a sharp decline in studio spending on newspaper ads may have been surprised to open the New York Times and L.A. Times on Monday. Both papers featured page after page of full-page ads for Universal movies, including five each for “Munich.”
In the L.A. Times, the studio pulled off the equivalent of a TV roadblock. Every full-page ad was for a Universal release.
The “Munich” blitz was all the more surprising given recent box office news. After grossing just $4.9 million at nearly 1,500 theaters Friday through Sunday, “Munich” dropped out of the weekend top 10.
U co-prez of marketing Eddie Egan told me the film’s box office performance had no bearing on Monday’s newspaper campaign, which was timed to capitalize on the MLK holiday, a time when Oscar ballots are still in the mail. “We saw this weekend as a long weekend in which people spend a lot of time at home with the paper,” he said. “We wanted to draw attention to the artistic merits of our films in contention.”
Asked whether the studio planned to cut back on print ads, Egan remained noncommittal. “We may or may not,” he said. “Today just seemed like a good day to buy newspapers.”


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Michaels Companies Inc (MIK) : Sachem Head Capital Management Lp added new position in Michaels Companies Inc during the most recent quarter end. The investment management firm now holds 1,826,300 shares of Michaels Companies Inc which is valued at $46,388,020 , the company said in a statement filed on Aug 12, 2016 with the SEC.Michaels Companies Inc makes up approximately 1.90% of Sachem Head Capital Management Lp’s portfolio.
Other Hedge Funds, Including , Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings. boosted its stake in MIK in the latest quarter, The investment management firm added 25,783 additional shares and now holds a total of 49,560 shares of Michaels Companies Inc which is valued at $1,258,824. Michaels Companies Inc makes up approx 0.01% of Cornerstone Capital Management Holdings.’s portfolio.State Of Wisconsin Investment Board boosted its stake in MIK in the latest quarter, The investment management firm added 17,100 additional shares and now holds a total of 60,580 shares of Michaels Companies Inc which is valued at $1,538,732. Michaels Companies Inc makes up approx 0.01% of State Of Wisconsin Investment Board’s portfolio. Tocqueville Asset Management sold out all of its stake in MIK during the most recent quarter. The investment firm sold 10,000 shares of MIK which is valued $263,600.Public Employees Retirement Association Of Colorado boosted its stake in MIK in the latest quarter, The investment management firm added 972 additional shares and now holds a total of 2,983 shares of Michaels Companies Inc which is valued at $78,632.
Michaels Companies Inc closed down -0.41 points or -1.64% at $24.61 with 15,10,627 shares getting traded on Monday. Post opening the session at $24.99, the shares hit an intraday low of $24.4205 and an intraday high of $25.07 and the price fluctuated in this range throughout the day.Shares ended Monday session in Red.
On the company’s financial health, Michaels Companies Inc reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, based on the information available during the earnings call on Aug 25, 2016. Analyst had a consensus estimate of $0.17. The company had revenue of $1060.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1052.49 million. The company’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.17 EPS.
Many Wall Street Analysts have commented on Michaels Companies Inc. Shares were Downgraded by JP Morgan on Jul 19, 2016 to ” Neutral” and Lowered the Price Target to $ 30 from a previous price target of $33 .
The Michaels Companies Inc. is an arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America. The Company owns and operates a chain of retail stores in 49 states and Canada featuring arts crafts framing floral home decor and seasonal merchandise for the hobbyist and do-it-yourself home decorator. The Company also operates a vertically integrated custom framing business. The Company provides materials project ideas and education for creative activities. The Company has approximately 35000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) in arts crafts scrapbooking floral framing home decor seasonal offerings and children’s hobbies. It has developed an online platform which promotes social networking and includes tips project ideas marketing content and information on upcoming store events. The Company’s subsidiaries include Aaron Brothers Inc. Artistree of Canada ULC and Michaels Stores Procurement Company.


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Buffalo Grove, Ill.-based Dow Microbial Control — a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company,
Midland, Mich., and developer of SILVADUR™ antimicrobial technology — recently conducted a survey
of 750 U.S. consumers to learn their preferences with regard to antimicrobial properties in
apparel, footwear and home furnishings products such as mattresses, pillows, sheets and towels.
The company reports survey conclusions include the following, among other findings:
• Consumers are willing to pay 5- to 20-percent premiums to purchase
certain apparel and home furnishings goods that offer “new generation” antimicrobial performance.
• Among current and potential consumers who own goods that feature
antimicrobial properties, 90 percent and 60 percent, respectively, expressed interest in purchasing
antimicrobial-treated products such as those mentioned above.
• Among more than 60 percent of survey participants, there is a very high
concern about bacteria, mold, parasites and dust that are found in the home and in food; in
addition to airborne and viral infections.
Noting that research has been lacking in the area of understanding consumer preferences for
antimicrobial-treated product features, Dow Microbial Control’s Global Strategic Marketing Manager
Karel Williams said, “Understanding this consumer mindset is critical throughout the apparel and
textiles value chain, but particularly to textile manufacturers, retailers and brand owners who
want to increase their sales and margins.”
September 17, 2013


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Firewall maker NetScreen is giving its products the ability to inspect application data, in order to protect networks better. However, other vendors such as NetContinuum, say the idea is not so new.
“We look at the application data, which is where the attacks are coming from,” said Robert Ma, director of product marketing at NetScreen, of the announcement that its firewalls will include deep inspection technology that the company acquired with OneSecure last year.
However, other vendors say that Netscreen – and Check Point which also announced plans deep inspection in its firewalls – are merely following the lead of more leading edge companies: “It’s great to see the big guys finally acknowledge that traditional firewalls simply don’t cut it when it comes to securing web applications,” said Wes Wasson, chief strategy officer at NetContinuum which sells a web application firewall that spots threats within web traffic. “Seventy percent of all real-world attacks today fly right past traditional firewalls by targeting application layer vulnerabilities. While deep inspection is clearly the right approach, securing today’s complex web applications will take far more than sticking a few features onto the side of their existing products.”
The move to deep inspection will change the security industry entirely in the next few years, said Ma. “The firewall needs a technology refresh,” he said, announcing the arrival of the ScreenOS 5.0 operating system for NetScreen firewalls. Deep inspection can make firewalls more powerful and reverse the fragmentation of the security industry into different kinds of products, such as intrusion detection services, which merely find attacks which can be used to adjust the firewall, he said.
Among other things, the device will protect against buffer overflow, where applications are hit with data that does not conform to requirements. “We reassemble complete streams, normalise and take out ASCII repetitions,” said Ma. “We look at the protocol to see if it conforms.” For instance, the firewall can see if DNS requests have the right number of bits. NetScreen’s products are different from existing web application firewalls, said Ma, suggesting that many of those run in reverse proxy mode, and arguing that NetScreen’s have faster silicon that lets them go deeper into the packets while still working at wirespeed. “How quick are the other people?” he asked. “We run ASIC and processor architectures together – because the ASIC does stateful inspection that gives us headroom in the processor for deep inspection.”
NetContinuum responds that its product “was architected from the ground up as a full termination, deep inspection firewall for web applications,” according to Wasson. “NetScreen and Check Point have not re-architected their products to really deal with web applications in anywhere close to the depth necessary,” he said.
What’s the truth behind these arguments about who has the fastest, deepest firewall? Whatever the answers, it’s pretty clear that IT managers have a new feature to look for in firewalls. How this will impinge on the other security boxes such as IDS and IPS remains to be seen, however.