Market Watch

North American lithium-ion battery supply chain boosted through localization of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) production BOSTON, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions business Koura today announced that it has signed a technology licensing agreement with Kanto Denka Kogyo for lithium hexafluorophoshate (LiPF6), a critical lithium-ion battery material. The agreement provides Koura with access to Kanto Denka Kogyo’s world-class technology and industry expertise in commercial LiPF6 production. Currently, there is no large-scale production of LiPF6 in North America. With significant growth of the U.S. electric vehicles market, demand for lithium-ion batteries and materials is increasing. Orbia is working to secure North America’s supply of key battery materials and recently announced the first U.S. manufacturing plant for LiPF6 in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, partially funded by a $100 million U.S. Department of Energy Award . "Kanto Denka Kogyo is recognized by the major battery producers for its reliable and high quality LiPF6 technology. We are excited to extend this production know-how to Koura, as they are best suited to build and operate a LiPF6 plant in North America with their vertically-integrated fluorspar and fluorine value chain. Customers will now have access to known LiPF6 performance in North America," said Junichi Hasegawa, […]

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US car-buyers love their trucks and SUVs, but they don’t love the prices of electric ones. The average new EV sells for over $61,000 in the US, locking many buyers out of the market. Cheap-ish EVs are slowly rolling out. But Americans love SUVs and trucks, and they’re going to have to pay for them in the near term. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Americans tend to think a bigger car is a better car. The most popular vehicle segments in the US are SUVs and pickup trucks . The Ford F-Series has been the country’s top-selling vehicle for more than 40 years — followed last year by the Chevrolet Silverado, Ram pickup lineup, and Toyota RAV4. So given that a large vehicle is what a good portion of the US population is looking for, it’s […]

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Sony Group Corp.’s third-quarter net profit fell 5.6% from a year earlier due to weaker earnings from its movie business, it said Thursday. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company (6758.TO)said that net profit for the quarter ended Dec. 31 fell to 326.81 billion yen ($2.53 billion) from Y346.16 billion a year earlier. That beat the estimate of Y282.63 billion taken from a poll of analysts by Quick. Third-quarter revenue increased 13% from a year earlier to Y3.413 trillion. Operating profit from its movie business fell to Y25.445 billion from Y149.37 billion during the same period a year earlier, when revenue growth driven by "Spider–Man: No Way Home" and "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" boosted earnings. Operating profit from all other segments increased, led by gains in the company’s game, imaging and sensing and financial businesses. Sony cut its revenue forecast for the fiscal year ending in March, but raised its net-profit projection and increased its operating-profit forecast for its gaming business. The company expects revenue to increase 16% to Y11.500 trillion, compared with the previous forecast of a 17% rise. It expects net profit to drop 1.4% to Y870.00 billion, compared with the previous view of a 4.8% decrease. […]

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Pharmacy owners rely on the coverage Total Pharmacy® provides in order to make the best business decisions each and every day. Last year, we covered a wide range of topics, including staffing, social media, and more. Take a look back at our top business strategy articles from 2022. 10. Our Success Is in Our People The Flip the Pharmacy program provides tools to pharmacy technicians and non-pharmacy support staff of Mitchell’s Drug Stores to help provide patient care. 9. Power in Numbers Flip the Pharmacy helped this Jonesboro, Arkansas, pharmacy go from a traditional dispensing one to a pharmacy offering robust clinical services. 8. Documentation Pays Off in More Than 1Way Quality documentation ensures pharmacies get paid for clinical services and offers a way to engage with patients. 7. Motivate, Incentivize Your Team After the “Great Resignation” Quality documentation ensures that pharmacies get paid for clinical services and offers a way to engage with patients. 6. Total Pharmacy® Solutions Summit: A Day of Education for Independent Pharmacists Thought leaders from across the community and independent pharmacy spaces came together for a day of education and insight. 5. Supporting the Next Era of Independent Pharmacists in the US and Abroad […]

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100 business organizations submitted a letter today requesting a 60 day extension on the March 20, 2023, comment period deadline on the FTC’s proposed rule banning non-competes with employees and workers. The business organizations include organizations in manufacturing, commerce, retail, insurance, franchise, health care, technology, financial services, construction, and staffing. In support of their request, the organizations stated the "regulated community should be given sufficient time to assess the potential consequences of the rulemaking and develop insightful comments for the Commission to consider." "This rulemaking, as the FTC itself acknowledges, will impact a significant portion of the economy" and "[g]iven the breadth of the rule, a sufficient comment period is needed to ensure the regulated community can fully assess its effects," they wrote. The organizations’ letter indicated that there are significant legal questions that must be addressed by commenters, including "is whether the Commission has the legal authority to issue such a rulemaking, the rule’s potential preemption of the numerous state laws and regulations on this issue, and how such preemption will alter the regulated community’s legal obligations." The FTC has the authority to deny the request and it has denied requests with respect to other proposed FTC rules. […]

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Valentine’s Day. After two years of various degrees of lockdown, you have developed a good online ordering and delivery service. It’s time to get your share of the jackpot. Restaurants were closed or restricted for a couple of years. Then the world reopened. Many people remain cautious. They offer business potential too. Some might stay in their bubble, but loved ones will expect their better halves to make an effort. Here are 10 gifts they might consider. Which could you deliver through your local retail business? 1. Cards . You have a website. You stock greeting cards. If not, you do now. You put images on your website, observing the legal guidelines. Customers who wear masks and avoid crowds can drive up and collect their cards. This is ideal if you are selling them something already. It’s added business. 2. Candy. We are talking high end chocolates. “Belgian” is a magic word. You tie in with a local chocolate shop. You offer one or two choices on your website. You take orders. They are shipped by the local chocolatier or you do your own fulfillment if they are overwhelmed. You split the profits with your new friend. 3. Flowers […]

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Almost Friday! Dan DeFrancesco in NYC, and I’m celebrating the end to our long national nightmare: Tom Brady’s retirement. If you really hate yourself, here are 23 photos from his career along with 20 things you probably didn’t know about him. On tap, we’ve got stories on another executive departing Goldman Sachs’ Marcus , Europe’s hottest fintechs , and some photos of that crazy rooftop pool in Singapore . But first, leave Blackstone alone ! If this was forwarded to you, sign up here . Download Insider’s app here . Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman 1. Nothing to see here! Blackstone’s real-estate business is literally fine, everyone. Yes, the private-equity giant had to limit investors from pulling their money out from the $69 billion Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) in December. And yes, it’s true that Blackstone turned to the University of California to bolster the fund by announcing not one , but two , investments within the course of a month, totaling $4.5 billion at very generous terms. And yes, it’s also true that Blackstone had to tell investors again on Wednesday that investors were pulling money from BREIT. The fund hit its monthly redemption limit in January, […]

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Hear why this teacher says schools should embrace ChatGPT, not ban it CNN — OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced on Wednesday it is piloting a $20 monthly subscription plan that offers users priority access to the AI chatbot even during peak times. The paid plan, called ChatGPT Plus, comes two months after the tool was released publicly and quickly went viral , thanks to its ability to generate shockingly convincing essays in response to user prompts. Real estate agents say they can’t imagine working without ChatGPT now Many people who wanted to test the tool have been locked out or joined the waitlist. Now, anyone who signs up for a subscription will benefit from faster response times, and priority access to new features and improvements. The tool will remain free for the general public, however. “We love our free users and will continue to offer free access to ChatGPT,” the company said in a blog post. “By offering this subscription pricing, we will be able to help support free access availability to as many people as possible.” ChatGPT Plus will be made available first in the United States and other countries soon after, according to the company. OpenAI […]

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Whether you are in manufacturing, retail, marketing, healthcare, or business, artificial intelligence and automation practices are starting to shift the way industries operate. A Deloitte study recently found that over 50% of organizations are planning on incorporating the use of AI and automation technologies in 2023. While many top executives are worried about the risks of AI usage, other high-achieving organizations are adopting new tech-savvy operational processes. A survey of Global 500 companies found that leaders choosing to invest in AI and automation business tools and software solutions expect to see significant growth within the next few years. How business practices are expected to change in the new year as artificial intelligence and … [+] getty To help your business prepare for a successful year, here are some predictions of how business practices will evolve in 2023. Changing the Nature of Work As businesses continue to find their comfort zone in today’s changing work environments, we are seeing the tremendous changes that AI and automation are bringing to industries worldwide. According to PwC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study , we can expect to see 45% of the $15.7 trillion in global economic gains by 2030 as the result of AI […]

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Today’s columnist, Rob Gurzeev of CyCognito, writes that companies need to think of cyber risk as business risk. (Credit: Stock Photo, Getty Images) The line between business risk and cyber risk has been obliterated. Increasingly, companies can separate risk models built around financial uncertainty and legal liabilities from IT security risk. For risk management officers, that translates to keeping the company chief security officer on speed dial. Cyber risk as business risk isn’t new. For example, cybersecurity compliance has long been a reality for organizations. But trends tied to a new post-pandemic reality for employees and businesses will accelerate the blurring of cyber and business risk lines this year.  Those trends include the pace of globalization, heavy reliance on supply chains, new adversarial tactics and geopolitical targets, cloud dependencies, an economic downturn and the slow migration of employees back to the office. It’s a long list, but the confluence has forced organizations to look beyond traditional definitions of risk exposure, assessment, mitigation and monitoring. Meanwhile C-level security and risk leaders are taking a fresh look at cybersecurity liabilities as regulators take a more aggressive stance against companies that they believe are being negligent when it comes to breaches. There are […]

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