Market Watch

Rem Oculee is the founder and CEO of 9Q Ventures and Confidence Wealth Management. He also wrote the upcoming book, The Exit Mindset. Getty As a business leader, I’m guessing one of your biggest goals is to scale your business successfully. After all, not only can scalable businesses perform better, but I’ve found they can also be worth far more to potential buyers. Because of this, one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is, “What makes a business scalable?” The answer to that is probably simpler than you think: At its heart, scalability comes down to your infrastructure. I’ve found that the better your design, the easier it is to expand your business and achieve a higher valuation for your company when you exit. Assembling A Seamless Infrastructure As you think about how to design your infrastructure for scalability, keep in mind that your goal should be to build your organization’s components in such a way that they interact seamlessly together. To understand what I mean, think about your car. If our cars worked like many businesses, every few minutes, they would break down. They’d have a radiator problem, a spark plug issue or an engine […]

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At the forefront of shaping the small business policy landscape are five business leaders who … [+] Public Private Strategies With a new Congress kicking off and the U.S. Census reporting record-breaking amounts of new small business applications, 2023 presents an opportunity for policymakers and thought leaders to support Main Streets across the country. As we continue to see economic growth, many business leaders are looking to aid the work that small businesses have undertaken to provide this boost. At the forefront of shaping the small business policy landscape are five business leaders who represent a range of views: Erika Gonzalez, MD, Co-Chair of Small Business for America’s Future , who represents small businesses looking for a voice in policy. Keith Hall, President and CEO of the National Association of The Self Employed (NASE), who represents entrepreneurs and micro-businesses. Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council , who represents small business owners and state and local business organizations. Chiling Tong, President and CEO of the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE), who represents Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) business owners. Candace Waterman, President and CEO of Women Impacting […]

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The major stock market indexes rose in early trading Thursday, with the Nasdaq leading the upside. Investors ignored Fed warnings and bought stocks after stronger-than-expected GDP and labor data. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3%. The Nasdaq gained 1.2%, while the small-cap Russell 2000 crept up 0.2%. Volume on the NYSE and Nasdaq was higher vs. the same time on Wednesday. The Dow traded near its 50-day and 21-day exponential moving averages . The S&P 500 found support at its 200-day moving average but is still testing this critical level. The Nasdaq held above its 50-day line. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100-tracking Invesco QQQ trust ETF ( QQQ ) rose 1.3%. Crude oil rallied 1.2% to $81.04 per barrel. The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLE ) edged up 1.2%. Bitcoin futures added 0.7% to $23,110. The Innovator IBD 50 ETF ( FFTY ) traded worse than the major stock market indexes, adding just 0.2%. The 10-year Treasury note yield added 3 basis points to 3.48%. European stock markets generally rose, with the German DAX unchanged and Paris CAC 40 up 0.6%. The London FTSE inched up 0.1% in afternoon trading. Fourth quarter […]

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Passport has hired Brad Noble as head of business development. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves) Parcel logistics provider Passport announced Thursday it is gaining leadership experience from two of the largest parcel shipping companies by enlisting Brad Noble to serve as its head of business development. Passport’s new head of business development, Brad Noble. (Photo: Brad Noble) “Passport has built everything around being a modern e-commerce provider,” said Noble, who spent three decades in sales and operations roles at the U.S. Postal Service and DHL eCommerce Americas. “If you look at the current competitive landscape, even from where I came from, there are a number of big mail companies with old legacy systems that have different interests than tech providers. Passport took a very fresh approach by building technology around those legacy systems and understanding the ecosystems that those companies operate in,” he said. Noble explained that in order to create a seamless e-commerce shipping process, the company has focused on building strong relationships with more than 200 final-mile delivery partners. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario. We can sit down with any merchant of any size, with any kind of commodity and really understand their needs and how both the technology […]

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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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Atlas Copco headquarters are pictured outside Stockholm, Sweden September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Johannes Hellstrom/File Photo STOCKHOLM, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Swedish industrials group Atlas Copco (ATCOa.ST) reported softer-than-expected fourth-quarter profits on Thursday and said demand was expected to remain around the current level, sending its share price down nearly 5%. Persistent supply chain challenges and higher costs have weighed on the maker of compressors, vacuum pumps and industrial tools in recent quarters. Its customers are also scaling back investments, especially within its key vacuum division which counts the major semiconductor producers as its main clients. Adjusted operating profit for Sweden’s most valuable listed company rose to 8.03 billion crowns ($782.9 million) from 6.46 billion a year earlier, while analysts polled by Refinitiv on average had expected earnings of 8.56 billion. In the fourth quarter, order intake at its vacuum business fell 22% to 8.48 billion crowns, once again denting results. On an organic basis, or like-for-like, orders at the vacuum division fell 33%, while for the group as a whole they declined 7%. Latest Updates Pareto Securities analyst Anders Roslund said the weaker result was entirely due to the drastic fall in orders and supply chain distortions in its vacuum […]

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Here’s an excerpt from this week’s CIO Newsletter. To get it to your inbox, sign up here . Venture Capitalist Mike Edelhart Courtesy of Mike Edelhart To kick off this week’s issue, I invited my old friend Mike Edelhart to share some insights from the front lines of venture capital. Mike is managing partner of Ataraxia, an early-stage fund focused on helping people live longer and live better, along with leading the Joyance Partners and Social Starts venture capital partnerships. Some of you may know him as the original Executive Editor of PC Magazine or as CEO at several startups, including Olive Software, Inman News, and Zinio. Here’s Mike: "Before I got into venture capital, when I still worked with big companies, the worlds of venture and corporate management stood well apart from one another. That’s no longer the case. Most large companies now invest in new ventures, often through their internal corporate venture capital (CVC) arm. If you’ve worked with CVCs–on the corporate side, as a partner or as a venture that’s received such funding–you probably already know that the record is mixed. There are a lot of reasons for this. Early-generation CVCs stuck close to their company […]

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Source: ©GUTEKSK7 – STOCK.ADOBE.COM, ©SOMEMEANS – STOCK.ADOBE.COM What flavors will define 2023? The editors of bake ‘s sister publication, Food Business News, scoured numerous food trend forecasts compiled by market researchers, manufacturers and retailers to identify the top tastes for the year ahead. An exclusive, 30-minute webinar details these findings and more, examining how recent events are transforming how consumers eat and drink, and highlighting opportunities for innovation. Attendees will receive timely and valuable information about such topics as comfort foods with a twist, emerging global cuisines and unusual ingredient combinations, and how these forces are driving new product development in the food and beverage industry.

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Q: People at my organization have been told that if they don’t come back to the office, they won’t be considered for a promotion. I don’t want to return to the office, but I do want to be considered for a promotion. A: One of many old management styles was that face time counted for everything, and you didn’t leave the office until after your boss left and you arrived before they did. People were promoted based on the amount of face time at work, both in the office and at work-related commitments and events outside of the office. What you’re trying to accomplish is the best of both worlds. Flexibility in your schedule, eliminating a commute, and still having the opportunity for a promotion. Your organization has delivered a corporate message. They didn’t say, "but if you outperform others or make amazing contributions, we’ll consider offering you a promotion”. So you can believe them and go to an organization who will promote hybrid or remote workers, or you can look for an internal manager who thinks they have the authority to promote someone not in the office. If you have a manager who is interested in seeing significant […]

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The Erie Zoo has a unique opportunity for people to show their love this Valentine’s Day. The Zoo is giving people the opportunity to name a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach after your Valentine or your Un-Valentine. The Zoo said this is a great way to show your affection or lack thereof to someone in your life while helping the Erie Zoo’s Conservation programs. It’s $10 for a digital package and $20 for a mailed package with a rubber roach. 10% of every purchase will go to support wildlife conservation. More information on naming a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach for Valentine’s Day can be found on the Erie Zoo’s website .

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