DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Global PC shipments slide in Q1, Apple takes biggest hit - IDC
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In the report published Sunday, the International Data Corporation (IDC) said global PC shipments numbered 56.9 million in the first quarter of this year, down from 80.2 million in the same period last year. Of the top five PC companies analysed in the report, Apple's Q1 shipments saw the largest drop of 40.5% from the same period in 2022, with Dell Technologies Inc (DELL.N) coming in second with a drop of 31%. Lenovo Group Ltd (0992.HK), Asustek Computer Inc (2357.TW) and HP Inc (HPQ.N) also faced declines in shipments, the IDC said. In February, Apple reported that sales of its Mac computers, which had boomed during the wave of working from home during the pandemic, declined 29% YoY to $7.7 billion in their most recent quarter. Shipment volume in Q1 2023 was noticeably lower than the 59.2 million units shipped in Q1 2019 and 60.6 million in Q1 2018," IDC said.

☆ Auto, realty stocks power Indian shares ahead of March quarter earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Bharath Rajeswaran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, April 10 (Reuters) - Indian shares advanced on Monday, aided by auto and realty stocks following strong quarterly business updates, but rising odds of a U.S. Federal Reserve rate hike in May capped gains. The Nifty 50 (.NSEI) rose 0.28% at 17,647.70, as of 9:51 a.m. IST, while the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) rose 0.24% to 59,975.11. Ten of the 13 major sectoral indexes advanced, with auto stocks (.NIFTYAUTO) rising over 1%. Wall Street equities rose on Thursday in a truncated week, ahead of U.S. jobs data, which was released on Friday. The market is pricing in 68.3% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike in May, up from 49.2% on Thursday, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee contends with Fed rate hike possibility, favourable momentum at open
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Non-deliverable forwards indicate rupee will open at around 81.84-81.88 to the dollar, compared with 81.8850 in previous session. Rupee is on a three-week winning run, helped by foreign equity inflows and speculative positions, according to traders. It was the first time in two months that it has managed a weekly close of above 82. Risk appetite has held up well to the increased chances of another Fed rate hike. 5** NSDL data shows foreign investors sold a net $138.4mln worth of Indian bonds on Apr.

TOKYO, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T) on Monday said that it and other shareholders of the Monsoon wind power project in Laos have raised $692 million in financing for the wind farm. Mitsubishi, Thai renewable energy firm BCPG Pcl, and other stakeholders secured the financing package from the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and other lenders, the Japanese firm said. The project, which is set to sell power to Vietnam under a 25-year deal, will have 600 megawatts of installed capacity and should be launched in 2025. Its total costs stand at $950 million, according to Monsoon's website. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indian shares set to open lower ahead of RBI policy decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, April 6 (Reuters) - Indian shares are poised to open lower on Thursday, ahead of what many expect to be the Reserve Bank of India's final interest rate hike in the current cycle. India's NSE stock futures listed on the Singapore exchange were down 0.12% at 17,603 as of 7:59 a.m. IST. The MSCI's gauge of the broader index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was down 0.42%. ** Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd (EQUI.NS): Co posts 36% YoY growth in gross advances at 280.61 billion rupees in the quarter-ended March. ** Avenue Supermarts Ltd (AVEU.NS): Co posts standalone revenue from operations at 103.37 billion rupees for the quarter-ended March, up 20% YoY; total stores at 324.

☆ UBS faces investors after shotgun Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Noele Illien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last month, Swiss authorities announced that UBS would buy Credit Suisse in a shotgun merger to stem further banking turmoil after the smaller lender had come to the brink of collapse. After a run on deposits, the Swiss government had turned to UBS, which agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion), while the Alpine state put up more than 200 billion francs of support and guarantees. Now, the bank is looking at how to navigate the mammoth task of integrating Credit Suisse, the success of which Switzerland depends on, without undermining its strengths. On Tuesday, Reuters also reported that the Bank of England had approved UBS' takeover of Credit Suisse in Britain, a key market for the Swiss lenders racing to close the rescue deal. UBS also secured a temporary green light from European Union antitrust regulators to complete its acquisition of Credit Suisse, but will still have to request clearance under EU merger rules, the European Commission said.

☆ Apple to open first company-owned retail store in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, April 5 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is set to open its first official retail store in India's financial hub of Mumbai, the iPhone maker said on Wednesday. The Cupertino, California-based company launched an online retail store in India in 2020. Its 2021 plans for the launch of an offline retail store in the country were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple products have been sold in India for years on ecommerce platforms such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Walmart Inc's (WMT.N) Flipkart as well as through resellers. Some products in Apple's catalogue, including iPhones, are assembled in India by Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturers Foxconn (2317.TW) and Wistron Corp (3231.TW).

☆ India's PhonePe launches e-commerce app on government's open network
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Varunvyas Hebbalalu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Saumya KhandelwalBENGALURU, April 4 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc-backed (WMT.N) digital payments firm PhonePe Pvt Ltd launched an app called Pincode on the Indian government's open network on Tuesday to strengthen its e-commerce business. The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) was launched last year to enable small merchants and local stores across India to access processes and technologies typically deployed by large e-commerce platforms like Amazon (AMZN.O) and Walmart (WMT.N). Pincode, which will focus on hyperlocal commerce, is currently live only in Bengaluru and available on the Google Play Store and the App Store, PhonePe said in a statement. PhonePe already has an e-commerce platform, called Switch, on its app, which offers services including food delivery, grocery shopping, travel, hotel booking, retail fashion and healthcare. India's most valuable payments firm, PhonePe had raised $200 million from majority-backer Walmart in a pre-money $12 billion valuation in March.

☆ Mitsubishi UFJ to postpone AT1 bond issuance in Credit Suisse fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 3 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (8306.T) will postpone the issuance of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds to mid-May or later from late April, a spokesperson said on Monday, after the Swiss decision to wipe out Credit Suisse bonds rattled the market. Mitsubishi UFJ decided on the postponement taking into account investor appetite and market conditions, the spokesperson said. Sources have said Mitsubishi UFJ and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), may put April issuance on hold amid the volatility. As part of the rescue of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) by its rival UBS (UBSG.S), Swiss regulator FINMA determined that Credit Suisse's AT1 bonds with a notional value of 16 billion francs ($17.35 billion) would be wiped out, a decision that stunned global credit markets and angered many holders. Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Western Digital reports network security incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 3 (Reuters) - Data storage devices maker Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) on Monday said it is looking into a network security incident, after a breach in some systems disrupted parts of its business operations. The unauthorized party obtained certain data from its systems, and Western Digital is working to understand the nature and scope of that data, the company said in a statement. The company said the incident may cause further disruption to its business operations, and is implementing measures to secure the operations, including taking systems and services offline. The company also said it is working with law enforcement authorities, following its own investigation with outside security and forensic experts. Reporting by Yana Gaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Netflix restructures film group as it scales back movie output - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 30 (Reuters) - Video streaming service Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) is restructuring its film group, which will result in layoffs and the departure of two of its most experienced executives, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. As part of the restructuring, Netflix will combine small and midsize picture productions units, resulting in a few job cuts, and scale back the company's output to ensure high quality titles, the report said. Lisa Nishimura, responsible for documentaries and smaller-budget films, and Ian Bricke, a vice president in the film group, will be leaving after more than a decade with the company, the report added. Netflix did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reporting by Yana Gaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indian edtech startup Unacademy to lay off 12% of staff - document
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, March 30 (Reuters) - Indian edtech startup Unacademy is laying off 12% of its workforce, citing a funding winter and pressure to turn profitable, according to an internal mail from the company's chief executive seen by Reuters on Wednesday. "Today... funding is scarce and running a profitable business is key," CEO and co-founder Gaurav Munjal said in an email sent to all staff. A spokesperson for Unacademy declined to comment on the layoffs and did not disclose the number of job cuts or the current headcount. Indian business news publication Moneycontrol reported earlier in the day that the SoftBank-backed startup laid off about 380 employees, reducing its total employee count to under 3,000. Companies that have cut staff include Tiger Global-backed Vedantu and Byju's - India's biggest startup valued at $22 billion.

☆ Facebook owner Meta planning lower bonus payouts for some employees- WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 28 (Reuters) - Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) is planning to lower bonus pays for some employees, and assess staff performance more frequently, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing an internal memo. The bonus multiplier for that grade has been cut to 65% from 85% earlier, WSJ said, adding that the company will also restart assessing staff performance twice a year. "We are making changes to our performance process, taking into account learnings and feedback over the last year while optimizing for the future. These changes are not related to workforce restructuring," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters, without giving any further details. Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Lavanya Ahire; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Starbucks illegally refused to bargain with union on Zoom - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The general counsel of the NLRB determined that the coffee chain violated labor law by refusing to participate in collective bargaining sessions if some workers were present via video-conference, the report said. "Now that it's clear we have the right to bargain using a virtual component, we hope Starbucks is ready, too," Tyler Keeling, a Starbucks' union leader from California said in a statement. Starbucks and the NLRB did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Employees at more than 280 out of Starbucks' roughly 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021. The union is seeking better pay and benefits, improved health and safety conditions and protections against unfair dismissal and discipline.

☆ Starbucks, union at odds over hybrid negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 28 (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O), which has faced criticism over its opposition to union organizing, said the labor union representing some of its stores has rejected in-person bargaining sessions and is insisting on hybrid negotiations. Starbucks Workers United, which represents thousands of U.S. baristas at about 200 cafes, conducted unauthorized virtual broadcasts of bargaining sessions without prior agreement from all parties, Starbucks said in a statement to Reuters on Monday. "Workers United is asking for a seat at the table, we're simply encouraging them take their seat in-person at the negotiating table, as required, to move the bargaining process forward," the company said. This comes after National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) prosecutors alleged that Starbucks violated labor law by refusing to engage in bargaining if some workers were attending remotely via videoconference, according to a Bloomberg report. "Now that it's clear we have the right to bargain using a virtual component, we hope Starbucks is ready, too," Tyler Keeling, a leader of the Starbucks Workers United in California said.

☆ India's Oyo mulls cutting IPO size amid tech rout - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BENGALURU, March 27 (Reuters) - Softbank-backed Indian hotel aggregator Oyo Hotels and Homes Pvt Ltd is cutting the shares it plans to sell via an initial public offering (IPO) by about two-thirds as tech valuations plunge, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Oyo is preparing to file a fresh IPO document as soon as this week, according to the report. The company had initially filed to go public in October 2021 but delayed the share sale due to market conditions. The company has continued to report losses, and in December said it is cutting 600 jobs in its corporate and technology departments. ($1 = 82.3660 Indian rupees)Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; editing by Eileen SorengOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Indian skincare firm Mamaearth's parent puts IPO on hold - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( M. Sriram | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, March 27 (Reuters) - Indian skincare startup Mamaearth has put its initial public offering (IPO) on hold because of weak market conditions, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said, a month after two other Indian companies also scrapped their share sales. Mamaearth planned to start marketing the IPO and begin initial talks with investors by the end of January, but that has not happened yet, the sources said. The company has until December to receive approval for the IPO from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and file its final prospectus. He added that its largest investor, Sequoia, would not be selling any shares in the IPO and the founders would own more than 97% of their shares after the IPO. Last month, Indian apparel retailer Fabindia, backed by billionaire Azim Premji's fund, and jewellery retailer Joyallukkas scrapped their IPOs due to poor market conditions.

☆ Group of Nanoco shareholders ask top bosses to step down over Samsung settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 27 (Reuters) - A group of shareholders of Nanoco Group Plc (NANON.L) have asked two top bosses to step down after alleging that the company gave misleading information related to settlement prospects in a litigation with Samsung Electronics Co (005930.KS). In February, Samsung Electronics had agreed to pay $150 million to Nanoco to settle patent lawsuits over technology used in Samsung's LED televisions. "Nanoco had settled on terms substantially less favourable than its prior statements had led shareholders to believe, and on less favourable terms than our clients understand had been previously offered by Samsung," the shareholder letter stated. The shareholders have identified the replacements for the CEO and CFO, the letter stated. Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Investors cut bearish bets on most Asian FX as policy rate bets shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Savyata Mishra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The currency firmed on Thursday, following dovish comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve that reined in expectations for more interest rate hikes and lifted sentiment for other Asian currencies. The dollar index slipped to near seven-week lows following the Fed's latest policy statement that no longer says that "ongoing increases" in rates will likely be appropriate. Bearish bets on Singapore's dollar eased to their lowest since Nov. 18, 2021. Short bets on the Indonesian rupiah and the Indian rupee rose slightly from a fortnight ago, while sentiment toward South Korea's won improved. The poll uses estimates of net long or short positions on a scale of minus 3 to plus 3.

☆ Ryanair's O'Leary says talks restarted with Boeing for new aircraft order - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 23 (Reuters) - Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA.I) is optimistic on striking a major new aircraft order after the Irish airline restarted talks with Boeing Co (BA.N), its top boss said in an interview with the Financial Times on Thursday. Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary said there was a 'deal to be done' with negotiations between the Irish airline and Boeing in "the early stages" for a new order of Boeing 737 jets, according to the newspaper. I think there is a deal to be done," the report quoted O'Leary as saying. He added that the new multibillion-dollar order could be for the 737 Max 10 or for the smaller Max 8200, according to the report. Boeing declined to comment, while Ryanair did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

☆ India's Tata Group mulls pumping $2 bln into super app venture -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, March 23 (Reuters) - Indian salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group is considering injecting another $2 billion into its super app venture to bolster its digital business, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Tata Group has also asked Tata Digital to look for ways to boost the valuation of the super app, according to the report. A Tata Group spokesperson and Tata Digital declined to comment on the report. Tata launched the e-commerce super app in April last year, offering everything from apparel to air tickets in a renewed push for a slice of a fast-growing market dominated by Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and Walmart's (WMT.N) Flipkart. Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee to strengthen after Fed hints rate hikes nearing end
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Anushka Trivedi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The non-deliverable forwards indicate the rupee will open at around 82.45-82.50 to the dollar compared to 82.6550 on Tuesday. Even though the Fed statement was perceived as slightly dovish compared to its stance earlier this month, it's unlikely the rupee will sustain its gains as we're expecting large dollar bids, said a state-run bank trader. Traders may be anticipating a dollar liquidity crunch in the domestic markets, and hence the rupee is expected to fall towards 82.65-levels, he added. Fed funds futures traders imply a nearly even chance of just one more 25 bps rate hike at the May meeting. "Much of the damage seems to have come from Treasury Secretary Yellen's parallel remarks... right when Jerome Powell was insisting that the banking sector was sound," ING analysts said in a note.

☆ America needs immigration reform, or it risks of losing an entire generation of tech workers to countries like Canada, the UK, and Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Emilia David | Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

While the US still attracts talent, workers increasingly go to places like the UK or Canada. With other countries easing immigration for tech workers, the US may find itself lagging. Without change, and fast, experts say this could mean an entire lost generation of tech talent for American tech. "Foreign countries have figured out ways to more aggressively attack top-tier tech talent," Hiba Anver, an immigration attorney with Erickson Immigration Group, told Insider. America's loss is other countries' gainMeanwhile, other countries are making it easier for tech workers like Negandhi and students to immigrate.

☆ Softbank-owned Arm seeks to raise prices ahead of U.S. IPO - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 23 (Reuters) - Arm Ltd, owned by Japan's SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T), is seeking to raise prices for its chip designs, as it aims to boost revenue ahead of an initial public offering in New York, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The British chip designer recently notified several of its customers of a "significant shift" to its business model, the newspaper said, citing several industry executives and former employees. Arm intends to alter its royalty program, ceasing to charge chipmakers royalties for using its designs based on a chip's value, and instead charge device makers based on the value of the device, the report said. As a result of this change, Arm anticipates generating multiple times more revenue for each design it sells, since the value of an average smartphone far exceeds that of a single chip. Reporting by Baranjot Kaur and Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why some Silicon Valley CEOs don't blame SVB for its crash: 'I still fundamentally believe' nothing was 'wrong with the bank'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

SVB was a great partner to all the innovation that's happened in Silicon Valley," Varun Badhwar, CEO and co-founder of Palo Alto, California-based security software startup Endor Labs, tells CNBC Make It. "I still fundamentally believe there was nothing foundationally wrong with the bank." Before the crash, SVB counted nearly half of the country's venture-backed startups as clients, according to its website. CNBC Make It spoke with a group of startup bosses across a variety of industries, all of whom lost access to some, or all, of their company's money during the crash. But as investors' and other founders' attitudes changed throughout the afternoon, he decided to get the company's money out.

Search resuls for: "Varun"

25 mentions found