Market Watch

While inflationary fear and slowing consumer spending are among the top external worries among retailers, the No. 1 internal concern is the ongoing workforce shortage, and the difficulty retailers are having attracting and retaining employees. According to the National Retail Federation, workforce insiders and economists say the problem will be around for a while even though one in four U.S. jobs is in retail at 52 million. As retailers continue to be challenged by a frontline workforce shortage, Coresight Retail warns that the balance of power is shifting from capital and profits to labor. The U.S. Department of Labor reported on average, retail added 16,000 jobs per month over 2022, less than half of 2021’s figure of 35,000 per month. December’s retail numbers, while an improvement, also provide insight into the evolution of the retail industry. Though some significant retailers are slashing jobs, related segments are opening up positions. In addition, while some more discretionary retail areas have been hit hard, other elements are making progress. “The last few years have placed a significant amount of pressure and demand on frontline workers, yet organizations continue to face challenges in supporting and retaining this critical segment of the workforce,” said […]

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter wants to cash in on businesses on the platform by charging them $1,000 per month to keep their gold checkmarks, according to a report from The Information . As noted by The Information , brands who don’t pay the $1,000 per month fee will lose their gold badges, although it’s unclear when that will happen. Internal messages viewed by the outlet also reveal that Twitter’s looking to tack on an extra $50 per month charge to add badges to each account affiliated with the business. This aligns with a screenshot posted by social media consultant Matt Navarra , which shows what appears to be an email between Twitter product manager Evan Jones and an unnamed business. “As an early access subscriber, you’ll get a gold checkmark for your organization and affiliation badges for its associates,” the email reads. “If you’d like to subscribe, Verified for Organizations is $1,000 per month, and $50 per additional affiliated handle per month with one month of free affiliations.” Twitter is reportedly emailing businesses offering gold check mark verification for $1000 PER MONTH! And affiliate account verification for $50 each per month pic.twitter.com/hohTPKLKdi — Matt Navarra […]

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Hammered down by reasons such as sky-high inflation, rising interest rates by Fed, layoffs, and recessionary fears, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite plunged 15.4% over the past year. However, with a rising inclination toward the adoption of advanced digital technology, the industry is well-positioned to witness considerable growth . Moreover, investment management firm Allianz Global Investors believe that the potential peaking of interest rates this year could bode well for the tech sector and pose an attractive entry point for investors. Furthermore, the global information technology market is forecasted to grow from $8.18 trillion in 2022 to $12 trillion in 2027 at a CAGR of 7.9%. Against this backdrop, fundamentally strong tech stocks having major growth opportunities, Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. ( VSH ), TTM Technologies, Inc. ( TTMI ), and Cambium Networks Corporation ( CMBM ), might be solid buys in 2023. Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. ( VSH ) VSH manufactures and supplies discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The company operates through six segments: Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs); Diodes; Optoelectronic Components; Resistors; Inductors; and Capacitors. On February 1, 2023, VSH introduced a new Automotive Grade series of vPolyTan™ surface-mount polymer tantalum […]

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The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce is returning to downtown. Since late 2021, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce has been working to purchase a downtown building and renovate it as well. The new Chamber office will be located at 307 E. Commerce, which was the former city’s municipal building. The Chamber Building Committee has been raising funds to assist with the cost of the renovation. To date, almost $130,000 has been raised. With the move near, Congratulations Awards is creating the Investor Wall, noting individuals, civic clubs and businesses which have donated to the Capital Campaign. There are several sponsorship levels: $250 Copper, $500 Bronze, $1,000 Silver, Gold $2,500, Platinum $5,000 and Diamond $10,000. Designated as a 501(c)(3) organization, donations to Jacksonville Lead (Chamber of Commerce) are tax deductible. The moving date is anticipated Monday, Feb. 27. “With the move just around the corner, call your Chamber of Commerce to be part of the move, as it’s not too late to be added to the Investor Wall,” stated Andy Calcote, Building Committee member. Call the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce at 903-586-2217 to be a part of the Chamber move. Support local journalism. We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus […]

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The first Community Crosswalk LOUISVILLE, KY (February 3, 2023)— Office of Advanced Planning in collaboration with the Office of Arts & Creative Industries announced today the launch of a new pilot project that will call attention to four of Louisville’s major intersections, the Community Crosswalks program. The new Community Crosswalks program is inspired by the Asphalt Art Safety Study ( https://www.bloomberg.org/blog/new-study-shows-streets-are-safer-with-asphalt-art/ ) which noted a 50% drop in crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists and a 37% drop in crashes leading to injuries at intersections where asphalt art was installed. Louisville Metro’s program will allow local artists to install vibrant crosswalks that showcase Louisville’s art and cultural scene and improve safety conditions for pedestrians. The Office of Advanced Planning and Office of Arts & Creative Industries released a call for artists today, seeking unique designs for four major crosswalks in downtown Louisville to be installed in April. If the pilot phase is successful, the Community Crosswalks program will be open to community groups and local businesses that wish to brighten up their neighborhoods and create safe, walkable spaces. Louisville is joining other cities across the country that have adopted unique crosswalk art installations to break the visual monotony of city […]

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While recent market turmoil has been focused on valuation compressions in the stock market, there’s another opportunity investors should consider as the market looks to rebound. What happened: Similar to the compression seen in growth stocks, startups have seen a significant decline in valuations across all industries and metrics. Despite artificial intelligence (AI) being one of the hottest areas in the startup investing world , some AI startups are raising at significantly compressed valuations. RAD AI , for example, is a startup currently raising on Wefunder, which means anyone can invest in the company for a limited time. On its Wefunder raise page, RAD says, “We’ve been told we could raise at a valuation at least double the listed price for this round given that AI technology and software companies consistently raise at 15-50x contracted revenues, but we chose to price this round conservatively.” This is how you can potentially earn extra income every single month… Benzinga’s full-time trader Chris Capre is sending simple options trade alerts to traders like you. Click Here to get his trades for only $0.99! There might be something there. According to RAD’s recent audits, the startup is currently sitting at 31x 2021’s revenue. […]

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Residents march down Beatties Ford Road, one of Charlotte’s Corridors of Opportunity where the city’s new homeownership assistance program will launch. (Photo by Grant Baldwin) The city of Charlotte on Thursday announced the launch of a new homeownership assistance pilot program that will provide up to $80,000 in funding for eligible residents looking to purchase a home in certain “areas of influence” within the Corridors of Opportunity. House Charlotte Plus will supplement the existing House Charlotte homeownership assistance program, which offers $30,000 for eligible homebuyers anywhere in the city, by offering an additional $50,000 to those who meet certain eligibility criteria, including making 80% of the area median income (AMI) or less. The maximum purchase price for homes to qualify for House Charlotte Plus funding is $300,000 for existing homes and $315,000 for new construction. The home must be located in areas surrounding the Charlotte’s six Corridors of Opportunity , where the city is investing $38.5 million into neighborhoods surrounding six historically underinvested areas : Graham Street/North Tryon Street, Sugar Creek Road at I-85, Albemarle Road/Central Avenue, Beatties Ford Road/Rozzelles Ferry Road, West Boulevard, and Freedom Drive/Wilkinson Boulevard. “House Charlotte Plus is another way the city is investing in […]

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Sulphuric acid tanks and the lime tank and mix area are still standing amid the dismantling work being done at contaminated site of Cotter Corp. Cañon City milling facility. You know what it’s like when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes around, and you miss it. You kick yourself, you hold onto regret for too long. Well, that’s where we are in the cleanup process for the Cotter uranium mill site and surrounding neighborhoods. A Work Plan will soon be approved that will outline new environmental testing in the Cañon City area, to determine the nature and extent of radioactive and heavy metal contamination from past uranium mill activities. Now is the time to let regulators know what you want to be tested! Emily Tracy A little background. The Cotter uranium mill south of Cañon City was built in the late 1950s and operated off and on until about 2011. In the 1960s and 1970s the mill was found to be the source of contamination of groundwater and soils in the mill area plus in Lincoln Park. The site was declared a federal Superfund site in 1984. Ongoing violations of the mill’s radioactive materials license continued off and on until the […]

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CNN — ChatGPT is smart enough to pass prestigious graduate-level exams – though not with particularly high marks. The powerful new AI chatbot tool recently passed law exams in four courses at the University of Minnesota and another exam at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, according to professors at the schools. To test how well ChatGPT could generate answers on exams for the four courses, professors at the University of Minnesota Law School recently graded the tests blindly . After completing 95 multiple choice questions and 12 essay questions, the bot performed on average at the level of a C+ student, achieving a low but passing grade in all four courses. ChatGPT fared better during a business management course exam at Wharton, where it earned a B to B- grade. In a paper detailing the performance , Christian Terwiesch, a Wharton business professor, said ChatGPT did “an amazing job” at answering basic operations management and process-analysis questions but struggled with more advanced prompts and made “surprising mistakes” with basic math. “These mistakes can be massive in magnitude,” he wrote. The test results come as a growing number of schools and teachers express concerns about the immediate impact […]

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CNN — Air France has just launched a plush new long-haul business cabin on one of its Boeing 777-300ER planes complete with sliding doors and redesigned seats. The airline debuted the impressive 48-seat business class cabin, first announced last year, on a flight from Paris to New York on January 20. The new seats can be converted into a flat bed measuring almost two meters, and also come with a sliding door to create “a totally private space.” Air France has introduced its new 48-seat business class cabin. Entertainment amenities come in the form of a 17.3-inch 4K high-definition entertainment screen, as well as noise-reducing headsets, and a Bluetooth connection allowing passengers to use their own headphones.. While all of the seats have direct access to the aisle, those in the center are fitted with a central panel that can be lowered when passengers are flying together. The new cabin will be available to business class travelers heading to New York, Rio de Janeiro and Dakar, Senegal this winter. It’ll be rolled out to other destinations throughout the course of the year as more of the planes are refurbished. The redesigned seats can be converted into a flat bed […]

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