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☆ The lucky breaks that built Nike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fittingly as "Air" hits theaters, Nike will release an Air Jordan in "lucky green." "Luck plays a big role," Nike cofounder Phil Knight wrote in the closing of his 2016 memoir, "Shoe Dog." Athletes get lucky, poets get lucky, businesses get lucky." Knight wrote. Next Wednesday, Nike will release the "Black and Lucky Green" Air Jordan 1.

☆ Leaders like Elon Musk want to pause AI development, but the power of the free market means it's impossible to stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk and other business leaders signed a letter urging a six-month pause in AI development. From the moment the public was allowed to start testing OpenAI's GPT-3 in November, there was no stopping the bullet train of generative AI development. And the power of market forces means that there's no stopping the pace of AI development, even if companies like OpenAI wanted to. The train has left the station, and there's no going backSince November, and arguably even before, generative AI has been the technology on everyone's lips. Even if we wanted to pause AI development, there's not a clear way to enforce itThere's also the problem of enforcement.

☆ Here’s the inflation breakdown for December 2022 — in one chart
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A decline in the annual inflation rate doesn't mean consumers saw deflation, which is when overall prices decrease. Categories with the largest changes in Decemberwatch nowWhile on the decline, the annual inflation rate remains at its highest since the early 1980s. Car and truck rental prices fell by 4.9%, while beef and veal prices fell by 3.1%, women's dresses by 2.3% and admission to sporting events by 1.5%. A decline in the inflation rate for electronics may seem counterintuitive when iPhones and other gadgets didn't necessarily come with steep discounts in 2022. Hourly wages have fallen by 1.7% in the past year, after accounting for inflation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

☆ Breakingviews: Disney’s next 100 years hinges on a metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Walt Disney (DIS.N) in October will celebrate its 100th anniversary. In the past century, the Magic Kingdom’s theme parks have survived technological forces. The idea expanded and now the company operates parks in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, not to mention the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The theme parks, and their related consumer products, are an increasingly important part of the company. In the year ending September 2018, the division had a chunky 25% operating margin and represented almost 40% of Disney’s total operating profit of $16 billion.

☆ Disney’s next 100 years hinges on a metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Walt Disney (DIS.N) in October will celebrate its 100th anniversary. In the past century, the Magic Kingdom’s theme parks have survived technological forces. Taking the real Disneyland as a blueprint for the metaverse that marries its brand and streaming ambitions is not hard to fathom. The idea expanded and now the company operates parks in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, not to mention the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. In the year ending September 2018, the division had a chunky 25% operating margin and represented almost 40% of Disney’s total operating profit of $16 billion.

☆ Roborock Is Building a Customer-First Brand of Robot Vacuums
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Roborock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"I never intended to create a robot of my own," Richard Chang, Roborock founder and CEO, said. Kickstarting an entrepreneurial journeyRoborockToday, Beijing-based Roborock is among the biggest robot vacuum manufacturers in the world. RoborockThe result was the launch in 2016 of the first Roborock robot vacuum cleaner the Mi Home Robot Vacuum Cleaner. Since then, Roborock has produced a steady stream of models that have continued to set the standard in robot vacuum technology, culminating in the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, which was featured on Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2022. It also allows users to operate their robot vacuum overnight, in complete darkness.

☆ HKEX alum helps Macau take micro-step into finance
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Dec 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Small is beautiful. Hong Kong’s former stock market Chief Executive Charles Li, key driver of the wildly successful bilateral Stock Connect programme between mainland Chinese bourses and Hong Kong, is kickstarting an asset exchange in Macau. Given Li’s experience running Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing’s (0388.HK) HK$26 trillion ($3.35 trillion) securities market, his entry is a coup for Macau, which is increasingly desperate to diversify beyond gambling into finance. Talk of a yuan-based stock exchange has yet to bear fruit. Macau, which sits outside China’s capital controls like Hong Kong, may want to compete with its neighbour, but it has a long way to go.

☆ European ministers to debate sharp increase in space funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Logos of ArianeGroup and the ESA (European Space Agency) are seen on a rocket model at the entrance of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) space exploration conference in Paris, France, September 19, 2022. Other initiatives include extending Europe’s global navigation system into low Earth orbit and kickstarting a new satellite mission, Harmony, to expand climate research. Ministers will seek to close a narrow funding gap for Ariane 6 rockets and discuss the future of emerging micro-launchers. In a recent interview, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher urged rapid global action to tackle congestion in low Earth orbit including a ban on ASAT or anti-satellite weapons tests. Even without such threats, the sheer number of satellites and fragments of debris in low Earth orbit raises concerns.

☆ Kindle’s 15-year anniversary is a reminder simplicity is king
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

It’s like holding nothing but the words.”Amazon (AMZN) launched the original Kindle on November 19 2007, pushing the publishing industry to further embrace digital books and also kickstarting the e-commerce giant’s hardware efforts. Amazon can keep Kindle prices relatively low because the business model is all about selling books, not selling hardware, McQueen said. Likewise, the original Kindle had access to 90,000 books in the Kindle Store compared to 13 million books now in the Kindle Store. Amazon’s current lineup of hardware devices includes the Fire tablet, the Firestick media streaming gadget and the Echo smart speaker. “The more interesting question is will Kindle be broadly considered retro tech like vinyl record players or arcade cabinets of today?”

☆ Here’s the inflation breakdown for October 2022 — in one chart
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The consumer price index, a key inflation barometer, jumped by 7.7% in October relative to a year earlier — the smallest 12-month increase since January 2022. Economists expected a 7.9% annual increase, according to Dow Jones. "That's the crux of the problem: the pervasiveness of inflation," said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. Hourly earnings have fallen 2.8% in the last year after accounting for inflation, according to the BLS. For example, consumers in the United Kingdom saw prices increase 10.1% annually in September, tying a 40-year high hit in July.

☆ VIEW Bank of England lifts UK rates to 3% in historic hike
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The Bank of England raised UK interest rates to 3% on Thursday in its largest rate hike since 1989 and warned of a "very challenging outlook" for the economy. Money markets showed traders now expect UK rates to peak at 4.6% by next September, compared to expectations of 4.8% just two days ago. UK bank stocks (.FTNMX301010) fell 0.8%BONDS: Yields on the two-year gilt were last up 1 basis points at 3.041%, compared with 3.064% before the BoE announced its decision. Rates markets are pricing another 50bps hike at each of the December and February meetings, although still reflect a lower terminal rate than just a week ago. ANDREW ALDRIDGE, PARTNER AT DEEPBRIDGE CAPITAL, LONDON"Quelling rampant inflation and kickstarting a slowing economy left the Bank facing a difficult balancing act, with today's interest rate hike to 3% hardly surprising in this context.

☆ Economists think one key inflation measure is headed back to a 40-year high, much to the chagrin of the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Ben Winck | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Economists expect core inflation — which removes food and energy costs — to rebound in September. An increase would make it even harder for the Fed to fight inflation without pulling the US into a recession. Should the projection prove correct, that will place core inflation back at the March peak and the fastest pace since 1981. Core inflation, meanwhile, rose in August to 6.3% from 5.9%, kickstarting the divergence that's expected to continue into the fall. Whether the September inflation data surprises to the upside or shows price growth slowing more than expected, either outcome is unlikely to change the Fed's plans.

☆ Retailers are gearing up for 'aggressive discounting' on electronics, cars, and more as they've stockpiled the most stuff to sell in 30 years, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

With demand cooling off and supply still growing, companies are looking to discount, Morgan Stanley said. That powered prices higher at the fastest pace since the 1980s. Supply chain snags are clearing at the same time that demand is slowing, Morgan Stanley economists led by Ellen Zentner said in a Monday note to clients. As such, firms are set to slash prices through the last months of 2022 and into early 2023, Morgan Stanley said. Businesses enjoyed once-in-a-generation pricing power through the pandemic recovery as extraordinary demand and supply-chain bottlenecks dragged inventories to extreme lows.

"Squid Game" became Netflix Inc's (NFLX.O) most-watched series ever after its release last September, creating countless online memes and Halloween costumes and kickstarting sales of green tracksuits. 1/3 Park Hae-Soo, Lee Jung-Jae, Kim Ji-Yeon, Hwang Dong-Hyuk, Jung Ho-Yeon and Oh Young-Soo, of "Squid Game", arrive at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 12, 2022. "So many characters died, especially beloved ones died. The Emmy's directing honour epitomised Hwang's never-dreamed-of journey with the series, but he was disappointed at missing the trophy for best drama series, which went to HBO's "Succession". "Of course what I wanted the most was best drama series.

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