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☆ Japan's economy averts recession, but rebounds much less than expected in fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Japanese national flag flies outside the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 27, 2021. Japan's economy averted recession but rebounded much less than expected in October-December as business investment slumped, a sign of the challenge the central bank faces in phasing out its massive stimulus program. The world's third-largest economy expanded an annualized 0.6% in the final quarter of last year after slumping a revised 1.0% in July-September, government data showed on Tuesday. The increase in gross domestic product (GDP) was much smaller than a median market forecast for a 2.0% rise, due to a downswing in capital expenditure and inventory. "With other advanced economies heading into recessions, we still expect net trade to drag Japan into a recession as well in the first half, especially since business investment is weakening faster than we had expected," said Darren Tay, Japan economist at Capital Economics.

[1/3] FILE PHOTO-A woman in a traditional costume makes her way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan November 15, 2022. "From a negative growth in July-September, the rebound isn't very impressive," said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities. But it's difficult to project a strong recovery partly due to pressure from rising inflation," he said. RECESSION RISKSFor the full year, the economy expanded 1.1% compared with a 2.1% increase in 2021, the data showed. Economy minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters the economy was on course for a recovery as the pandemic's impact fades.

☆ The inside story of how Microsoft caught up with Google on AI, and the unlikely executive who made it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

With OpenAI technology, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is challenging Google's online search monopoly. "Who'd have thought, even just a few months ago, that Google would be on their back foot," said Soma Somasegar, a former Microsoft executive. Google was also busy incorporating machine-learning and other AI technology into popular products such as Google Photos, Google Translate, and its search engine. Microsoft's new Bing search engine uses a newer version of GPT-3 to answer complex questions. Microsoft's positive feedback loopThe OpenAI deal laid the foundation for Microsoft to catch Google in the AI race.

☆ Google details plans to use AI in search results
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Google on Wednesday detailed plans to use artificial intelligence technology to radically change how people search for information online, one day after rival Microsoft announced a revamped version of Bing powered by AI. These tools are trained on vast troves of information online in order to generate compelling written responses to user prompts and queries. “As we look ahead, you could imagine how generative AI will enable people to interact with visual information in entirely new ways.”Phrabhakar Raghavan, an SVP at Google, details plans to bring the same technology that underpins Microsoft-backed ChatGPT directly into Google's search results. ChatGPT’s meteoric rise in popularity has reportedly prompted Google’s management to declare a “code red” situation for its core product: online search. The rise of AI-powered chatbots, and the incorporation of this technology into products like online search, could also carry risks.

☆ 'The worst is over': Tech investors are bullish on investing in China again
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Liu Ranyang | China News Service | Getty ImagesTech investors say the worst is over as China reopens and exits its zero-Covid policy. The firm raised nearly $500 million for a new China tech fund set to close by early this year — more than earlier plans for $400 million. Tech companies see government supportInvestors are not worried of new challenges on the regulatory front. Gobi's Tang said, "I do think that they're going to do everything they can to try to spur the economic growth. "There's still a lot to catch up [in semiconductor tech] for China.

☆ Sam Altman's big problem? ChatGPT needs to get 'woke' if he wants cash from corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

ChatGPT, like other AI tools, suffers from a bias problem that could impede corporate adoption. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, admitted on Wednesday that ChatGPT has "shortcomings around bias", though he didn't go into detail. Unfortunately for OpenAI, ChatGPT has already had several cases of bias emerge. "You don't have to think very hard to realize there's an enormous quantity of toxic content of absolutely every variety imaginable that's present in that training data." Though OpenAI has found success so far, Wooldridge could see a scenario where the firm is pushed by customers to reveal its training data.

It followed a 3.9% rise in December and stayed above the central bank's 2% target for an eighth straight month, data showed on Friday. "These readings point squarely at a further, large increase in inflation at the national level this month," said Darren Tay, Japan economist at Capital Economics. Government measures to lower energy bills will kick in next month and bring inflation down by about 1% point," he said. The BOJ kept monetary policy ultra-loose this month but raised its inflation forecasts in fresh quarterly projections, as companies continued to pass on higher raw material costs to households. Kuroda, whose term will end in April, has stressed the need to keep monetary policy ultra-loose until wages rise more, changing the recent cost-push inflation into inflation driven by robust domestic demand.

☆ Taylor Swift ticket sales debacle manages to unite bitter rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Some people may even find a kind of beauty in the way the system was designed to keep special interests in check. “To have a strong capitalist system, you have to have competition,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, who called the hearing. “You can’t have too much consolidation — something that, unfortunately for this country, as an ode to Taylor Swift, I will say, we know all too well.”(Nice one, Ames.) ICYMI, tickets for Swift’s Eras Tour, which begins in March, went up for pre-sale on Ticketmaster in mid-November. But the bigger question of whether Live Nation is a monopoly is up to the Department of Justice.

☆ Singapore withstands a global property downturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Thomas Shum | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Jan 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Property is crashing everywhere, except in Singapore. The Asian city-state’s private residential prices are up 14% year-on-year, according to third-quarter data from Knight Frank. That’s a sharp contrast to major cities like Hong Kong and Sydney, which saw decreases of 7% and 4% respectively over the same period. Home prices in Hong Kong, the world’s least affordable property market by far, could fall by as much as 30% by the end of 2023 from 2021 levels, reckon analysts at Goldman Sachs. Still, Leonard Tay, an analyst at Knight Frank, predicts an up to 5% increase for private home prices in 2023.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is reportedly such a huge Taylor Swift fan that he pushed for FTX to sponsor her tour in a $100 million deal that almost happened
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried wanted his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange to sponsor a Taylor Swift tour. FTX was close to negotiating an over $100 million deal, but talks between teams ended in the spring. Part of the sponsorship deal included offering tickets as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, from Swift, people familiar with the matter told the FT. "The discussion was around a potential tour sponsorship that did not happen." While scrapping the deal proved to be good karma for Swift, Bankman-Fried is continuing his run as the crypto-world's largest anti-hero at the moment.

[1/3] A cargo ship and containers are seen at an industrial port in Tokyo, Japan, February 15, 2022. The world's third-biggest economy has struggled to motor on despite the recent lifting of COVID curbs, and has faced intensifying pressure from red-hot global inflation, sweeping interest rate increases worldwide and the Ukraine war. GLOBAL RISKSHowever, the risks to Japan's outlook have risen as the global economy teeters on the brink of recession. Economy Minister Shigeyuki Goto said a global recession could hit households and businesses. "As for 2023, Japan will be dragged into a mild recession in H1 by a global downturn that will weigh on exports and business investment."

☆ Japan's economy shrinks for first time in a year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Japan’s economy unexpectedly shrank for the first time in a year in the third quarter, stoking further uncertainty about the outlook as global recession risks, a weak yen and higher import costs took a toll on household consumption and businesses. The world’s third biggest economy has struggled to motor on despite the recent lifting of Covid curbs, and has faced intensifying pressure from red-hot global inflation, sweeping interest rate increases worldwide and the Ukraine war. “But the three key pillars of demand - consumption, capital expenditure and exports - remained in positive territory, if not robust, so demand is not as weak as the headline figure shows.”Global risksHowever, the risks to Japan’s outlook have risen as the global economy teeters on the brink of recession. Economy Minister Shigeyuki Goto said a global recession could hit households and businesses. The Bank of Japan has also maintained its ultra-loose monetary stimulus program to help revive the economy.

☆ Venture capitalists are betting on a part of China’s chip industry safe from U.S. bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The U.S. this month imposed new restrictions to maintain a lead over China in advanced chip technology. That gap leaves a large market opportunity far more insulated from U.S. restrictions — and one that Chinese startups can tap, some venture capitalists said. He claimed WestSummit-backed GigaDevice Semiconductor is one of the Chinese companies well-positioned to capture the mature market. "However, chip-making is a mature technology that has been developed many years. Looming risksDespite the large market opportunity, early-stage investment in Chinese chip startups still face risks from potential lawsuits and the complexity of the technology itself, Vertex's Tay said.

☆ There are 'big opportunities' in China's tech sector: VC partner
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThere are 'big opportunities' in China's tech sector: VC partnerTay Choon Chong, Managing Partner of Vertex Ventures, explains why he is optimistic on China's tech sector despite U.S.-China competition in the semiconductor industry.

☆ Analysis: 'From Scratch' serves up one of this week's tastiest new shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Three things to watch‘From Scratch’(From left) Eugenio Mastrandrea, Zoe Saldaña, Judith Scott and Keith David in a scene from "From Scratch." Even though I know how it all ends, I’m looking forward to “From Scratch,” which is streaming now. ‘The School for Good and Evil’(From left) Kerry Washington as Professor Dovey and Charlize Theron as Lady Lesso in a scene from "The School for Good and Evil." There are plenty of arbitration shows out there, but this one is definitely in a courtroom of its own. Something to sip on(From left) Selma Blair and her dance partner, Sasha Farber, perform on an episode of "Dancing With the Stars."

On TikTok, the hashtag “Gaylor” has more than 264 million views; the term refers to Swift fans who subscribe to the theory that she is queer. Fans have gone down these rabbit holes before, speculating over other hints across Swift’s songs, music videos and social media posts. Previous Easter eggs discovered by fans include the album title for “Lover” hidden in the background of the music video for “Me!” ahead of the album title’s announcement. “I think a lot of people have to deal with this now ... because we live in the era of social media,” Swift said. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, she addressed why she made her support for the LGBTQ community more visible.

☆ Temasek-backed Vertex set to raise nearly $500 mln for new China-focused fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/HONG KONG, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Venture capital firm Vertex Ventures, backed by Singapore state investor Temasek, is set to raise nearly $500 million for a new fund that will invest in efforts to step up China's domestic tech development, a senior executive said. The new fund's size will exceed an initial target of $400 million, compare with an earlier, similar fund that raised $275 million, said Tay Choon Chong, managing partner at Vertex Ventures China. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"China is pivoting from relying on imported technologies to its own tech know-how," Tay said. The latest Vertex fund comes amid a slowdown this year in U.S. dollar-denominated fundraising by China-focused venture capital and private equity firms. While looking for investment opportunities involving companies developing advanced technologies, Vertex will also look for firms that have potential in reducing Beijing's reliance on foreign suppliers, Tay said.

☆ Weak Japanese yen will boost tourism to Japan, says economist
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWeak Japanese yen will boost tourism to Japan, says economistDarren Tay of Capital Economics says the yen hasn't been "as cheap as it is now in living memory."

☆ Here are the top 15 start-ups to work for in Singapore, according to LinkedIn
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The days of easy money for start-ups are gone as interest rates soar and economic uncertainties loom. But according to a new study from LinkedIn, these 15 start-ups have risen above these challenges in Singapore. In particular, fintech, education and telehealth start-ups dominated the list on the "LinkedIn Top Start-ups 2022″ for Singapore. "Financial technology startups feature prominently within the Singapore list, comprising more than half of the companies in the top 15, followed by health care and edtech companies," said Adrian Tay, the senior editor in Asia for LinkedIn News. "This reflects the current needs of Singaporean consumers, who are keen to manage their finances and manage their wealth, want more convenient healthcare services, and need services to cater to the ageing population and also investing in the future of their kids with good education tools and resources."

The core core index is closely watched by the BOJ as a gauge on how much of the inflationary pressure is driven by domestic demand. Headline inflation hit 3.0% in August, the highest since 1991, underscoring the pain consumers are suffering from rising living costs. "Headline inflation jumped in August to yet another high since 1991 and it still has a stretch higher to climb. read moreWhile inflation is still modest compared with many other advanced nations, a global slowdown and high energy prices are clouding the outlook. The BOJ has pledged to keep interest rates ultra-low and remain an outlier in a global wave of monetary policy tightening.

☆ Chatbots: A long and complicated history
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Nearly 60 years later, the market is flooded with chatbots of varying quality and use cases from tech companies, banks, airlines and more. Others, meanwhile, warn the technology behind AI-powered chatbots remains much more limited than some people wish it may be. While they used similar technology to the earlier, social chatbots, Khudanpur said, “you really couldn’t call them chatbots. )”Return to social chatbots, and social problemsIn the early 2000s, researchers began to revisit the development of social chatbots that could carry an extended conversation with humans. This refrain would be repeated by other tech giants that released public chatbots, including Meta’s BlenderBot3, released earlier this month.

☆ Cum arată vechiul sat „bântuit” din Scoția scos la vânzare cu 145.000 de euro; Are și o plajă privată
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-04 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

Sursa foto: ProfimediaCum arată vechiul sat „bântuit” din Scoția scos la vânzare cu 145.000 de euro; Are și o plajă privatăUn vechi sat din Scoția - cu tot cu ruinele sale despre care se spune că sunt bântuite - a fost scos la vânzare cu doar 145.000 de euro. are o suprafață de câteva hectare și include o plajă privată, o pădure și drept de pescuit pe lac, potrivit Insider, care citează agenția care se ocupă de tranzacție. Potrivit agenției, doar 17 persoane ar fi trăit în vechiul sat potrivit unui recensământ din 1841. Satul a fost abandonat complet în 1926. Agenția crede că în actualul context pandemic, proprietățile izolate, așa cum este micul sat Lawers, vor fi din ce în ce mai căutate.

Persons: Insider Jon Lambert, Lambert Organizations: Old Village, Agenția Locations: Scoția, Lawers, Loch Tay, Insider

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