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☆ Bitcoin is undergoing a tech expansion that one expert says will drive 5-fold growth in just 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Bitcoin's blockchain is slowly becoming more than just a buy-and-hold platform. Ethereum underwent a similar trend, leading to its massive rally in 2021, Bitget CEO Gracy Chen told Business Insider. Advertisement"The Ordinals protocol enabled the growth of memecoins on the bitcoin blockchain, leading to a surge in liquidity within the BTC ecosystem in record time. That's based on the Total Value Locked, or the amount of assets staked on the bitcoin protocol. However, even a twofold weaker surge could still result in a fivefold increase in the leading cryptocurrency's value," Chen wrote in a note.

Persons: Gracy Chen, —, Chen, That's, ethereum, Mining Brian Wright, there's Organizations: Ethereum, Service, BTC, ETH, cryptominers, Mining, Galaxy Locations: memecoins, bitcoin

☆ Bitcoin's next gen tokens are here. Inside the Silicon Valley hacker house where 17 coders helped build the new memecoin market
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Magic Eden coders gathered in an Airbnb in San Jose, California, to hack in preparation for the so-called bitcoin halving. Their goal was to spend a week hacking to prepare for the so-called bitcoin halving — an event that is baked into the chain's code and helps to stave off inflation through programmatic monetary policy. watch nowTechnically speaking, runes just enables asset issuance of fungible tokens on bitcoin's base chain. The reason this is significant to developers is because of its efficiency relative to existing BRC-20 tokens, bitcoin's widely-used fungible token standard that has already received a ton of traction. "There's definitely been an awakening of capital interest in the bitcoin layer two space," said Muneeb Ali, who co-founded Stacks — an open-source blockchain network that brings smart contracts to bitcoin.

Persons: Eden coders, Amil Husain, Magic Eden, Bitcoin, Eden's, Zedd Yin, Eden's coders, Yin, blockchain, Casey Rodarmor, Rodarmor, Casey, Nic Carter, Bill Barhydt, bitcoin, Barhydt, I've, Carter, PitchBook, There's, Muneeb Ali, Ali, Christopher Calicott, Amil Husain DeFi, Hong Fang, Fang, Goldman Sachs, Stacks's Ali Organizations: East Foothills, Fighter, Engineers, solana, Island Ventures, Venture, CNBC, Magic Eden, Austin, Trammell Venture Partners, Labs, Ribbit Capital Locations: San Jose , California, U.S, Northern California, solana, ethereum, Abra, bitcoin, San Jose, Bitcoin

☆ The quiet American: US reveals pavilion design for World Expo 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —At next year’s World Expo, a grand carnival showcasing different nations’ achievements, the US is planning something unusually quiet. Courtesy Trahan ArchitectsWorld Expos, or World’s Fairs as some are known, have celebrated some of the major inventions of their time, including stereoscopic photography, vulcanized rubber, the zipper, the internal combustion engine and IMAX. Courtesy Trahan ArchitectsTrahan’s design features an elongated outdoor space sandwiched between two triangular buildings. Courtesy Trahan ArchitectsBut as well as representing American interests overseas, the pavilion design also draws on the nature, culture and history of the Expo’s host country. Expo 2025, which marks the second time Osaka has hosted the event, is expected to welcome almost 30 million visitors.

Persons: ”, Trey Trahan, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, Rahm Emanuel, Biden, Donald Trump, Trahan, “ wabi Organizations: CNN, Fairs, Trahan Architects, Architects World Expos, Chicago World’s, Expos, US State Department, ES Global, Imagination, Trahan Locations: Osaka, Japan, Tokyo, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Paris, —, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, United States

☆ Cramer's Lightning Round: Uber is a buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Advanced Micro Devices' year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Teladoc's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon EQT's year-to-date stock performance. Uber : "[Buy, buy, buy!] Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon SoFi's year-to-date stock performance.

Persons: Howard Hughes, Jim Cramer's Organizations: Devices, Palo Alto Networks Locations: DoorDash

Customers with shopping bags after visiting a Primark clothing store on Oxford Street in London, UK, on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. U.K. retail sales rose by 2.5% in October, higher than the 1.6% growth of a year ago but below the three-month and twelve-month averages of 3.1% and 4.2%, respectively. The British Retail Consortium, which published the figures, said sales likely declined by volume because of the impact of inflation. Paul Martin, U.K. head of retail at KPMG, said sales "remained weak." As a result, the strong demand that has kept some retailers afloat over the last 18 months is now falling away."

Persons: Paul Martin, Martin, — Jenni Reid Organizations: Oxford, British Retail Consortium, Shoppers, KPMG Locations: London

U.K. retail sales increased by 2.7% in September, up from 2.2% growth the previous year but below the 12-month average growth of 4.2%, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium. Food sales were up 7.4% as non-food sales fell 1.2%. "Sales growth in September slowed as the high cost of living continues to bear down on households," said Helen Dickinson, chief executive officer of the BRC. Dickinson said growth had been artificially boosted by high inflation over the last two years as sales revenues increased even as sales volumes decreased. — Jenni Reid

Persons: Helen Dickinson, Dickinson, Paul Martin, — Jenni Reid Organizations: British Retail Consortium, KPMG

☆ UK consumers hunker down as fuel prices climb
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A person puts fuel in their car at a filling station, at an ASDA supermarket in Birkenhead, Britain, July 3, 2023. Britain's high inflation rate has slowed but at 6.7% in August it remains more than three times the Bank of England's 2% target. The BRC's like-for-like sales measure - which adjusts for changes in store space - slowed to show growth of 2.8% from 4.3% in August. Seventy percent of consumers surveyed by Barclays said they were finding ways to reduce costs, up slightly from August. Jack Meaning, chief UK economist at Barclays, said the warning signs of wariness among consumers was filtering through into their spending decisions.

Persons: Phil Noble, Helen Dickinson, electricals, Dickinson, BoE, Jack, William Schomberg, James Davey Organizations: REUTERS, Consumers, British Retail Consortium, Bank of England's, Barclays, Rugby, Thomson Locations: Birkenhead, Britain, August's

☆ Grocer profit will be sacrificed on UK food altar
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - British shoppers enjoyed a novel experience last month: lower food prices. Admittedly, the fall in the average food basket between August and September was just 0.1%, according to the British Retail Consortium. But it was the first monthly fall in food prices since July 2021 and brought down overall retail inflation to 6.2%, the lowest in a year. That’s good for consumers, especially those who like dairy products, margarine, fish and vegetables – the items that caused the overall fall. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Helen Dickinson, Francesco Guerrera, Aimee Donnellan, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, British Retail Consortium, Bank of, Grocers, X, Temasek, Thomson Locations: Bank of England

☆ UK shop price inflation at lowest in a year - BRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The British Retail Consortium said annual shop price inflation cooled to 6.2% last month from 6.9% in August, its lowest since September 2022. Food price inflation fell for the fifth month in a row to 9.9% from 11.5% and was down for the first time in more than two years in month-on-month terms. "We expect shop price inflation to continue to fall over the rest of the year," BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said. "However there are still many risks to this trend – high interest rates, climbing oil prices, global shortages of sugar, as well as the supply chain disruption from the war in Ukraine." The BRC's shop price inflation measure is seen as an early signal for the broader official consumer price index which has fallen from a peak of over 11% last October to 6.7% in August.

Persons: Helen Dickinson, William Schomberg, Grant McCool Organizations: British Retail Consortium, The Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Ukraine

☆ UK retailers demand government action on rising crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Some 88 UK retail leaders, including the bosses of Tesco (TSCO.L), Sainsbury's (SBRY.L) and Marks & Spencer (MKS.L), have signed a letter to interior minister Suella Braverman, demanding action over rising rates of retail crime. Rising crime is increasingly becoming a political issue in Britain ahead of an expected national election in 2024. It also put the scale of retail theft at 953 million pounds ($1.2 billion), despite over 700 million pounds in crime prevention spending by retailers. This would require police forces to record all incidents of retail crime. The industry also wants greater prioritisation of retail crime by police forces across the UK.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Spencer, Suella Braverman, “, Helen Dickinson, John Lewis, James Davey, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Tesco, Industry, British Retail Consortium, Conservative, John, John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose, Aldi, Thomson Locations: Weybridge, Britain, Manchester

☆ Burning Man attendees make mass exodus after a dramatic weekend that left thousands stuck in the Nevada desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Christina Maxouris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Thousands of Burning Man attendees finally made their mass exodus after intense rain over the weekend flooded camp sites and filled them with thick, ankle-deep mud, stranding more than 70,000 free-spirited revelers as they waited for the Nevada desert city to dry out. Thousands of people waited hours Monday to leave Burning Man in Nevada's Black Rock City. But that’s not unusual: It’s taken between six to nine hours during peak travel times in past years, according to a Burning Man website. Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY/ReutersWhy did the rain have such an impact on Burning Man? ” The heaviest rain fell in far eastern Churchill & Pershing counties, with totals close to 2.5”!”Pershing County is where Burning Man takes place.

Persons: festivalgoers, Matt Mills McKnight, RVs, ” Kaz Qamruddin, CNN’s Brianna Keilar, “, ”, Cindy Crawford, DJ Diplo, Chris Rock, Kaia Gerber, Austin Butler, Qamruddin, “ I’m, “ We’ve, Trevor Hughes, Van Dam Organizations: CNN, Rock City, Reuters, Twitter, Burning Man, USA, National Weather Service Locations: Nevada, Rock, BRC, Reno, ”, CA, Churchill, Pershing

☆ The UK's biggest grocery chain is offering body cameras to staff as it seeks to fight the 'scourge on society' of retail crime and abuse to staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tesco is giving all its frontline staff the chance to wear body cameras, The Mail on Sunday reported. Retail crime, including both theft and abuse of workers, is soaring in both the UK and US. "Crime is a scourge on society, and an insult to shoppers and retail workers," Tesco CEO Ken Murphy wrote in an opinion piece for The Mail on Sunday. He also demanded changes in the law, such as making abuse and violence towards retail workers a specific offence in itself. Other British grocery chains, including Sainsbury's, the Co-op, and Waitrose, have also offered body cameras to staff.

Persons: Ken Murphy, Murphy, John Lewis Organizations: Tesco, Service, Waitrose, Ireland, British Retail Consortium, Walgreens Locations: Wall, Silicon, The

CNN —As thousands of people remain unable to leave the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert after heavy rains inundated their campsites with ankle-deep mud Saturday, authorities say they are investigating a death at the event. Vehicles trying to drive out will get stuck in the mud, Burning Man organizers said Saturday. Dawn brought muddy realization to the Burning Man encampment, where the exit gates remain closed indefinitely because driving is virtually impossible. A rainbow appears at Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, on September 2, 2023. “Burning Man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another,” Burning Man said on its website.

Persons: “, Trevor Hughes, Dawn, Hannah Burhorn, ” Burhorn, It’s, Sean Burke, Amar Singh Duggal, Andrew Hyde “, Duggal, Burhorn, ”, Andrew Hyde, Gerlach Organizations: CNN, Land Management, Reno Gazette, Sheriff’s, ” Authorities, Authorities, USA, ”, Vehicles, “, Resources Locations: Nevada, Pershing, Black Rock, Rock, BRC, Reno, San Francisco, , Nevada

☆ Bitcoin ordinals inscriptions have been climbing steadily this summer despite lull in prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ordinals inscriptions have been consistently higher this summer while the price of bitcoin was in a lull. The number of ordinals recorded onto the bitcoin blockchain has spiked above 400,000 three times since July 30, surpassing the May high of 400,091, according to Dune Analytics. Ordinals are a new protocol that makes it possible to store and trade digital content on the bitcoin blockchain. Ordinals saw their first big spike in May, which led to a parabolic increase in bitcoin transaction fees . Bitcoin transaction fee activity has been more muted in recent weeks.

Persons: bitcoin, Alex Miller, Hiro, it's, Miller Organizations: Analytics

☆ A grocery chain is offering free coffee to cops in an attempt to deter shoplifters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

British grocery chain Waitrose is offering free coffees to cops under a plan to deter shoplifters. Assaults on staff at Waitrose stores have roughly doubled since 2020, The Times of London reported. Waitrose, an upmarket grocer with more than 300 stores, has begun offering uniformed officers free hot drinks from its coffee machines and will ask them to bring a reusable cup. Parent company John Lewis Partnership said in a press release shared with Insider that the initiative was "part of efforts to strengthen relationships and tackle retail crime." It's trialing increasing the number of security, warning customers that CCTV is in use and that shoplifters face jail time.

Persons: John Lewis, Nicki Juniper, John Lewis Partnership's, It's, Juniper, BRC Organizations: Waitrose, shoplifters, Service, John Lewis Partnership, Partners, The Times, British Retail Consortium, BBC News Locations: London, Wall, Silicon, England, Wales, Northern Ireland

☆ UK shop price inflation eases in July: BRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The British Retail Consortium said annual shop price inflation cooled to 7.4% in July, down from 8.4% in June. Prices fell in month-on-month terms for the first time in two years, the BRC said. The BRC's inflation measure captures prices of goods sold in-store and is seen as a leading indicator for the broader official consumer price index, which measures services and energy costs. Clothing and footwear was the biggest downward driver for shop prices in July, the BRC said, while food price inflation fell to its lowest level this year. The latest official data showed Britain's high rate of inflation fell by more than expected in June and was its slowest in over a year at 7.9%%.

Persons: Helen Dickinson, Andy Bruce Organizations: British Retail Consortium, Initiative, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: India

☆ UK consumer group calls for government action on grocery prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

says supermarket prices have risen 25.8% in two yearsSome prices have jumped by as much as 175%, consumer group saysRetailers say they have absorbed cost increasesLONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - British consumer group Which? has urged the government to take action to support households when the competition watchdog publishes its review of grocery pricing, saying some food prices have jumped by as much as 175% since 2021. found that supermarket prices rose by 25.8% between June 2021 and June 2023. Food prices have been driven up by increased costs for animal feed, fertiliser and fuel as well as energy and labour. While the UK government has raised concerns about soaring food prices it has said it was not considering imposing price caps.

Persons: Phil Noble, Jeremy Hunt, Helen Dickinson, James Davey, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Markets Authority, CMA, British Retail Consortium, Thomson Locations: Altrincham, Britain, British, Morrisons, Aldi, Europe, Hungary

☆ Food prices squeeze consumers in June, hot weather boosts summer spending: BRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The BRC said retail spending increased by 4.9% in annual terms in June - roughly in line with its average this year, though stronger than May's 3.9% and a 1.0% drop a year earlier. However, the BRC data is not adjusted for inflation, so last month's increase in spending still reflects a fall in the volume of goods purchased. Previous BRC data showed prices among its members were up by an annual 8.4% on average in June, rising to 14.6% for food, despite a drop in the cost of some food products. Over the second quarter as a whole, food spending was up 9.8% while non-food spending grew just 0.3%. Paul Martin, UK head of retail at accountants KPMG, who sponsor the data, said stubborn food inflation was reducing shoppers' ability to spend on non-essential items.

Persons: Paul Martin, Martin, Will Hobbs, Hobbs, Suban Abdulla, David Milliken Organizations: British Retail Consortium, KPMG, Consumers, Bank of England, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ Explainer: Why is UK food inflation so stubbornly high?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

While market leader Tesco (TSCO.L) said on Friday there were "encouraging early signs" that food inflation was starting to ease across the market, it remains stubbornly high, running at over 19% in April, according to the most recent official data. Below are possible reasons why:NOT ALL COMMODITY PRICES ARE FALLINGSome global commodity prices have fallen enabling supermarkets to pass on reductions in areas such as milk, bread, butter, pasta and oils. Generally speaking, food retailers and their suppliers operate with long-term contracts. Having eventually secured better prices, suppliers are reluctant to give up those hard won gains. Some politicians and trade unions have raised concerns about profiteering by food retailers, saying they have kept prices high despite falls in commodity, energy and shipping costs.

Persons: Andrew Bailey, reassurances, Ken Murphy, Andrew Opie, Tesco's Murphy, James Davey, David Evans Organizations: Bank of England, Tesco, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, British Retail Consortium, THE, Reuters, Brexit, London School of Economics, Supermarkets, Markets Authority, Thomson Locations: Britain, China, Japan, BREXIT, London, Brussels

☆ UK's Sunak scraps plan for supermarket price cap after backlash - Telegraph
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has abandoned plans to ask supermarkets to impose a voluntary price cap on basic goods after a backlash from retailers, the Telegraph reported on Wednesday. British ministers are pursuing other measures to deal with the country's sky-rocketing food inflation, and officials had reassured retailers there would be no intervention in prices, the Telegraph said on Wednesday, citing sources. Britain's competition regulator told supermarkets in late May it was looking at their earnings to identify which supply chains it needed to examine more closely as part of efforts to tackle food price inflation. Asda, Britain's third largest supermarket group, this week froze prices of over 500 products until the end of August, adding to signs that a surge in food inflation is set to abate and even reverse in the coming months. Reporting by Anusha S and Bharat Govind Gautamin Bengaluru; Editing by Diane Craft and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Anusha, Bharat Govind Gautamin, Diane Craft, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: British, Telegraph, British Retail Consortium, Asda, Thomson Locations: Bharat Govind Gautamin Bengaluru

☆ UK consumers slow spending in May as rising food costs bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The BRC said spending in its members' stores increased 3.9% in annual terms last month, well above the 1.1% fall a year ago. May's retail sales growth was the slowest since the 1.6% recorded in October 2022 when consumers cut back on purchases as inflation soared to a 41-year high of 11.1%. The BRC data is not adjusted for inflation, so May's sales growth reflects a fall in the volume of goods purchased. Food was almost the only area where consumers spent more last month, due to higher prices as well as celebrations to mark the coronation of King Charles. Separate figures from Barclays on Tuesday also showed high inflation and rising food prices continued to eat away at consumers' spending power.

Persons: BRC, King Charles ., Paul Martin, Silvia Ardagna, Suban Abdulla, David Milliken Organizations: British Retail Consortium, Food, KPMG, Bank of England, Barclays, Thomson

☆ UK shop price inflation strikes new record high: BRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 30 (Reuters) - British shop price inflation picked up this month to reach its highest rate since industry records began in 2005, although growth in food prices cooled slightly, a survey showed on Tuesday. Food price inflation as measured by the BRC slowed, however, to 15.4% from 15.7%. "While overall shop price inflation rose slightly in May, households will welcome food inflation beginning to fall," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson. The figures follow official data last week that showed annual consumer price inflation - which includes services and non-shop goods like energy - slowed in April, but by less than expected, to 8.7% from 10.1%. Official food price inflation, which earlier this year rose to its highest rate since 1977, slowed only marginally to 19.1% from 19.2%.

☆ UK govt to ask supermarkets to cap prices of basic food items - Telegraph
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 28 (Reuters) - The British government is looking at plans to have retailers cap the prices of basic food items such as bread and milk, the Telegraph reported, as the cost of such essentials continued to rise in the double digits. However, asked about such price controls, health minister Steve Barclay told BBC TV it was "not my understanding" on Sunday. 10 Office is in talks with supermarkets on a deal similar to one in France where major retailers charge the "lowest possible amount", the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Major supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced price cuts on some food items in recent weeks. High food prices are a direct result of the soaring cost of energy, transport, and labour, as well as higher prices paid to food manufacturers and farmers," BRC's Andrew Opie said.

☆ 'Ordinals' could signal the beginning of a new generation for Bitcoin. Here's what investors need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"In a way, Bitcoin Ordinals add more diversity and utility to the Bitcoin network, which could elevate the Bitcoin network utility to that of other blockchains, such as Ethereum." There's one population in crypto, however, who have long believed the Bitcoin network could and must do more than that. Binance cited Bitcoin network congestion on Sunday as the reason for pausing withdrawals, and bitcoin dropped 7% between then and Monday. "Congestion, or lots of demand for the block space, is not just good, it's a critical thing for the future of Bitcoin," Miller added. A sneak peek Ordinals and spikes in transaction fees are just a glimpse of what may be on the horizon.

☆ Bitcoin slides after network congestion leads Binance to briefly halt withdrawals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Monday's drop came after Binance tweeted Sunday that the Bitcoin network was "experiencing a congestion issue" and that it was temporarily closing bitcoin withdrawals as a result until the network stabilized. Some market participants have argued that the Bitcoin network is stable and Binance should have prepared for a high-fee environment on Bitcoin. Our team has also been working on enabling BTC Lightning Network withdrawals, which will help in such situations." "There is an increasing demand for BRC-20 tokens which include transferring digital collectibles on Bitcoin network," said Oppenheimer analyst Owen Lau. On May 1, about 50% of bitcoin transactions were BRC-20 mints, Thorn highlighted in a note Friday.

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