DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Gartner expert: College degrees matter less in 2023 job applications
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Your college degree might not matter quite as much in your 2023 job search as it used to. That translates to a de-emphasis on four-year degrees, McRae says: One of the most useful ways to attract "nontraditional candidates" is removing education requirements. Amid a tight labor market, the trend could accelerate dramatically this year. Based on current trends, they projected 1.4 million jobs could open up to workers without college degrees in the next five years. So, what does a potential influx of "nontraditional candidates" mean for you?

☆ The CDC is considering testing airline poop and toilet waste for COVID-19 as anxieties rise about China's virus spread
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US is considering testing airline wastewater for COVID-19 to track the virus. Wastewater tests showed the presence of COVID-19 variants up to two weeks before people tested positive using nasal swabs. Three infectious disease experts told Reuters that testing wastewater collected on airplanes would be more effective at tracking the virus than testing travelers on entry. According to the South China Morning Post, the Malaysian government has announced that they will start screening toilet water on flights from China to track the virus. They will not, however, be testing travelers upon arrival to Malaysia.

☆ Aldi is the US's fastest-growing grocery chain and more middle-income households are shopping there. Here are the no-frills tactics that help make it so cheap.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

More middle-income households are shopping there, lured by low prices and Aldi's "treasure hunt" approach. Smaller properties are cheaper to buy and maintain, and Aldi has said that its store layout enables "quick and easy shopping." Monford added that consumers "don't mind" that products aren't taken out of their boxes because they're shopping at Aldi for value. Campbell said the Aldi stores near her generally had just four or five aisles. Vadakkepatt said Aldi's stores have fewer employees and shorter hours than at other chains.

☆ Retailers Pull Back From Using Chartered Cargo Ships
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Retailers are moving away from using chartered ships to get around pandemic-triggered disruptions now that congestion at ports has cleared and pressures in supply chains have eased. A representative for Home Depot said it stopped using chartered vessels earlier this year as space opened up in global shipping. Party City started booking space on chartered vessels in mid-2021 in advance of Halloween, its busiest time of year, said Bruce Dzinski, Party City’s director of international transportation. Will Harwood, a spokesman for Lidl, said Tailwind owns two container ships and can carry additional cargo on other chartered vessels. Most other companies, like Home Depot and Costco, relied on third-party companies to operate chartered ships.

☆ China is likely seeing over a million COVID cases and 5,000 deaths a day, report says. But Beijing's official data is showing 7 deaths so far this week.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China is likely seeing over 1 million infections and 5,000 deaths a day from COVID-19, per Airfinity data. Beijing has also changed the way it records COVID-19 deaths, which may cause the low official count. The staggering estimates were released just as China's seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, after the country loosened pandemic restrictions following nearly three years of strict containment measures. China reported 3,696 new local COVID-19 cases and zero deaths on Thursday, according to the National Health Commission. Airfinity predicts two upcoming COVID-19 peaks in China with cases reaching 3.7 million a day in mid-January and 4.2 million a day in early March 2023.

☆ Read Mark Zuckerberg's deposition about Facebook user data, released years later thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mark Zuckerberg told the SEC in 2019 he'd heard news of Cambridge Analytica and the 2016 US election. He was "curious" to understand the group's use of Facebook then, per a newly released deposition. The deposition with the SEC was released thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request. A newly released deposition of Zuckerberg's questioning in 2019 by the US Securities and Exchange Commission is another piece of the puzzle. In a House hearing in 2018, Representative Anna Eshoo, a Democratic Representative from California, asked Zuckerberg pointedly about Cambridge Analytica.

☆ Don't despair, here are five US counties where homeownership won't cost you more than 15% of your paycheck
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cambria County, PennsylvaniaPercent of wages needed to afford a home: 14.1%Typical annual wage: $44,746Typical mortgage payment per month: $5254. St. Lawrence County, New YorkPercent of wages needed to afford a home: 13.6%Typical annual wage: $55,172Typical mortgage payment per month: $6233. Peoria County, IllinoisPercent of wages needed to afford a home: 13.5%Typical annual wage: $69,238Typical mortgage payment per month: $7802. Schuylkill County PennsylvaniaPercent of wages needed to afford a home: 12.8%Typical annual wage: $50,336Typical mortgage payment per month: $5361. Macon County, IllinoisPercent of wages needed to afford a home: 12%Typical annual wage: $62,686Typical mortgage payment per month: $625

☆ Companies Strengthen Collections, Aim to Get Cash in the Door as Threat of Downturn Looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Companies are stepping up efforts to collect on their bills and get cash in the door, aiming to limit future write-offs ahead of a potential downturn. The company’s days of sales outstanding during the latest quarter declined to 67.3 days from 70.4 days during the prior period, according to S&P. Early in the pandemic, some companies extended payment terms to customers that needed funds to shore up liquidity to help navigate temporary lockdown measures. Everbridge said it aims to provide customers with payment terms that are mutually beneficial. ServiceNow’s days of sales outstanding during the third quarter fell to 44 days from 47.4 days a year earlier, according to S&P.

☆ Amazon has only gotten started with its ambitions to be a serious player in healthcare. Here are 3 acquisitions it could make next year.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The next month, it abruptly announced it would shut down Amazon Care, its app-based primary-care service for employers, three years after launch. In November, Amazon launched Amazon Clinic, a virtual service where patients can pay Amazon directly to get treatment for common conditions like allergies and acne. Natalie Schibell, a vice president and research director at Forrester, said that was a sign Amazon had learned from its mistakes at Amazon Care. When Amazon shuttered Amazon Care, it put those mental-health ambitions on hold. Lennox-Miller said Amazon could buy health data startups the company had already invested in, like the health-equity-focused Harmony Health or the value-based-care data company Clinify Health.

☆ Oil prices bounce as China demand hopes offset recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Reopening of Chinese economy buoys demand hopesRising interest rates and recession fears weighU.S. to begin purchases for strategic reserveLONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday after tumbling by more than $2 a barrel in the previous session as optimism over the Chinese economy outweighed concern over a global recession. China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Despite a surge in COVID cases, optimism over the reopening of the Chinese economy and its accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook, said CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng. The U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank raised interest rates last week and promised more. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the New Year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ The biggest media targets and buyers in 2023, as speculation swirls around Disney's next move under CEO Bob Iger and how Warner Bros. Discovery can shed debt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Continued pressure to get bigger has big media companies in Hollywood looking to scale up. Media bankers and investors predicted to Insider that dealmaking will rebound in 2023 as companies big and small size up their options for possible tie-ups. Pressure on big media companies to get bigger hasn't gone away. Apple: Could eye a big content prizeTim Cook. Paramount's library could help a streaming company bulk up its content; Netflix for one has explored Paramount's studio business before.

☆ Walmart shoppers are flocking to stores for cheap groceries, while website visits languish — proving how vital its stores are in a tough economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Ben Tobin | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But while online shopping has dipped this year, more people have been flocking back to Walmart stores. According to estimates from Placer.ai, a location-data company, Walmart stores saw a 1% increase in the average number of daily shoppers through December 4 compared to the same year prior. But those customers are typically not buying food online, according to Yarbrough. Online food sales slowing across retailersWalmart is the top US grocer. The membership platform that launched in 2020 incentivizes online shopping by offering free delivery.

☆ Satellite imagery venture Planet delivers record quarter, sees annual revenue nearing $200 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Satellite imagery and data company Planet reported record third-quarter revenue on Wednesday, forecasting nearly $200 million in annual revenue. The company reported a third-quarter adjusted EBITDA loss of $12.4 million, just above the $12.3 million loss that Planet reported for the same period a year ago. But Planet reported a record revenue of $49.7 million for the third quarter, up 57% year over year. With one quarter to go, the company forecast annual revenue of between $188 million and $192 million. At the end of the quarter, Planet had $425 million in cash on hand.

☆ Binance temporarily halted withdrawals of stablecoin USDC as investor concerns mount after FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, paused withdrawals of the stablecoin USDC on Tuesday while it carried out a "token swap." USDC withdrawals were resumed about 8 hours after Binance first announced the pausing of withdrawals. Binance said earlier on Tuesday it had "temporarily paused" USDC withdrawals while it does a "token swap." Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, tweeted that the exchange is seeing an increase in withdrawals of USDC, a cryptocurrency known as a stablecoin because it is pegged one-to-one with the U.S. dollar . If traders are withdrawing USDC from Binance, it could be to move it onto another platform.

☆ Microsoft to buy 4% stake in London Stock Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. The European Union has just approved a law introducing safeguards on cloud providers in financial services, with Britain set to follow suit. "We will continue to maintain our multi-cloud strategy and working with other cloud providers," Schwimmer said. Microsoft said the basis of the partnership will be the digital transformation of LSEG's technology infrastructure and Refinitiv platforms on to the Microsoft Cloud. Microsoft will buy LSEG shares from the Blackstone (BX.N)/Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO), Consortium, the exchange operator said.

☆ Microsoft to buy about 4% stake in LSEG as part of 10-yr commercial deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoDec 12 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) will buy about 4% equity stake in London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG.L) as part of a 10-year commercial deal to migrate the bourse operator's data platform into the cloud, the British company said on Monday. Microsoft will buy LSEG shares from the Blackstone (BX.N)/Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO), (TRI.N) Consortium, the bourse operator said. As part of the deal, LSEG has made a contractual commitment for minimum cloud-related spend with Microsoft of $2.8 billion over the term of the partnership. Thomson Reuters, which owns Reuters News, has a minority shareholding in LSEG following the Refinitiv deal.

☆ Microsoft buys stake in London Stock Exchange in cloud data deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Microsoft (MSFT) is buying a 4% stake in the London Stock Exchange as part of a deal that will see the market operator spend at least $2.8 billion over 10 years on the software provider’s cloud services. Shares of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) gained 4% in early trade. The partnership “creates attractive revenue growth opportunities for both companies,” LSEG CEO David Schwimmer said in the statement. As part of the deal, the London Stock Exchange’s data platform and other technology infrastructure will migrate into Microsoft’s Azure cloud environment. As a start, the exchange will be able to share its data and analytics with Teams and Microsoft 365, which includes Excel and PowerPoint.

☆ From Apple and Disney to Warner Bros. Discovery, here's the 2023 media deal outlook for Hollywood's biggest companies, according to 13 bankers and industry experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

☆ Japan vs. Croatia: Samurai Blue aiming to reach World Cup quarterfinals for first time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

CNN —In a World Cup of surprises, Japan has played a leading role in headline-making shock results. Croatia is a team undefeated in nine of its last 10 World Cup matches. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Frappert became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament.

☆ USMNT’s youth and talent at Qatar 2022 bodes well for 2026 World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

The Netherlands knocked the USMNT out of the Qatar World Cup on Saturday. They made history Thursday as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. Frappert became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament. Qatar is the first Islamic country to host a World Cup.

☆ Who are the eager beaver holiday shoppers unhindered by inflation? Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

They’re Gen Z. “One standout this Black Friday was the high turnout of Gen Z in stores,” said Kristen Classi-Zummo, apparel industry analyst with market research firm NPD. They came early, they came with friends, and they came to shop.”She said the prevalence of younger shoppers on Black Friday and over the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend surprised her. Mall operator PREIT, which owns 18 shopping centers primarily on the East Coast, confirmed that Gen Z consumers were out in force. “For Gen Z, it wasn’t just about shopping.

☆ Group stage excels as World Cup just keeps giving - now for the serious bit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

That debate will continue after the final ball is kicked, but as far as what has happened inside the eight gleaming stadiums, the World Cup has been a stunning spectacle. When Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead from the penalty spot in their opening Group C match against Saudi Arabia, all seemed normal. But Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari sealed a 2-1 Group C win for the 51st-ranked Green Falcons that, according to data company Nielsen Gracenote, was the biggest statistical shock in World Cup history. Goals by Itsu Doan and Ao Tanaka gave Japan the lead and Costa Rica hit back to lead Germany. After probably the most memorable group phase of any World Cup, now for the serious business.

☆ People are turning to fish heads, protein shakes, and unsold food apps to save money on groceries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

An app that offers unsold food saw a 100% month-on-month rise in the first half of the year. Jenny Holden, who runs a PR firm in Staffordshire, told Insider that she's started having a pea protein shake for dinner once a week. More Brits are buying unsold food through appsToo Good To Go lets users buy unsold food for one-third of the price. One user of such unsold food apps is Penny Moyses, the founder of the Clean and Tidy Home Show, which offers household budgeting tips. The energy price cap has been extended by one year, but will increase by £500 ($613) from April 2023.

☆ Analysis: German exit not as shocking as it looks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Shady Amir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Data company Nielsen Gracenote gave them a 41% chance of failing to progress on the back of their recent struggles. The second goal was no different. Neuer saved a header from Juan Pablo Vargas but the ball deflected off the German keeper and into the net. On that occasion it was the first time that Germany had failed to pass the group stage since 1938 - which was a different format. After Fuellkrug's introduction they looked more dangerous as he set up Germany's second goal for Kai Havertz.

☆ Walmart saw a big dip in customers shopping at its stores on Black Friday this year, study finds. Instead, they may have been flocking to the retailer's website.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Walmart saw an estimated 5.3% decline year-over-year for in-store traffic, according to Placer.ai. Nonetheless, Walmart got more search traffic than its rivals from people looking online for Black Friday deals. Walmart saw a 5.3% dip in physical store traffic this Black Friday compared to last, according to estimates from Placer.ai, a location data company. Walmart saw searches for Black Friday discounts spike by 386% year-over-year, per the company. "But I would say overall the high-level reports I've seen have been positive for Walmart on Black Friday across (product) categories."

Search resuls for: "Data Company"

25 mentions found