Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Donald Trump’s battle against China has taken on a new dimension. The target is ByteDance, which is the parent of the social app TikTok and the one used mostly by teenagers who post short video clips. It’s the latest iteration of the trade dispute between the two countries and one that got started in early 2018 with tariffs on Chinese solar panel makers. But the fight has escalated to the point where the countries’ 40-year friendship has deteriorated. Just this week, the World Trade Organization said that U.S. tariffs imposed on China have violated global trading rules. Specifically, the three-member panel said that the duties assessed were unfair and disproportionate. The Trump administration will no doubt appeal the decision — a move that would likely become moot if Joe Biden is elected U.S. president. Trade wars don’t work. For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Businesses will often pass those … [Read more...] about How The TicTok Controversy Could Inflame The Chinese Trade War And U.S. LNG Markets
Oracle
The Dark Side Of Blockchains
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Moshe Bar is co-founder and CEO of Codenotary . Previously, he co-founded Qumranet (sold to Red Hat) and XenSource (acquired by Citrix). Recent world events have led to an increasingly fragmented global landscape that is dangerous to the security of the economies of the Western world—and here is the part nobody is talking about (yet), especially when it comes to technologies for storing data, like blockchains that ensure the integrity of the data. These tend to be located in places in the world we’d rather not trust. When it comes to our most sensitive and important data, we need to carefully evaluate whom we entrust with it. Blockchains such as Bitcoin and others are increasingly being used to guarantee the immutability of business and financial transactions. The claim of these distributed ledger technologies is that the data stored in them is distributed over thousands of compute nodes all over the world and … [Read more...] about The Dark Side Of Blockchains
Opportunity Knocks: Deep Dive On Cloud Stock Valuations (Part 1)
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With the market for technology stocks having just undergone one of its most rapid corrections in history – with the tech-dominant Nasdaq 100 Index falling almost 30% in just a few months – it’s time to take a close look at the valuations of companies producing leading cloud technology. Cloud technology stocks have been the epicenter of a ten-year bull market backed by massive amounts of money, as the entire global technology infrastructure has shifted to the cloud model for delivering information technology (IT) services. This is not a subtle move — it’s the biggest technology transformation in history. The gains and stock action have been uneven. Large blue-chip technology companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have led the market with surging profits, rapid growth, and understandable valuations. They have gigantic amounts of cash on their balance sheets. Some traditional technology conglomerates, like HPE and IBM, … [Read more...] about Opportunity Knocks: Deep Dive On Cloud Stock Valuations (Part 1)
Pure Storage Releases First Annual Sustainability Report With Some Evergreen Surprises
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin At a time when climate change and its adverse effects are garnering more headlines than ever, it has become more common for businesses of all shapes and sizes to tout their sustainability initiatives and credentials for all the world to see. Increasingly, consumers want to support companies that align with their values, and the same can be said for prospective employees looking for a new workplace. There are many ways businesses can minimize their environmental footprint, be it reducing their energy consumption, cutting carbon emissions, eliminating unnecessary waste, recycling or much more. A common method for sharing these sustainability benchmarks, goals and achievements is via an annual report released to the public (for example, Cisco’s Purpose Work Report ). This year, Pure Storage is putting its hat into the ring by releasing its first annual Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Report. Let’s take a closer look. … [Read more...] about Pure Storage Releases First Annual Sustainability Report With Some Evergreen Surprises
Zoho One: Unification On Every Level And Why It Matters
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin I am a big fan of Zoho, not just because it relocated the corporate headquarters to my hometown of Austin, Texas but frankly because I happen to believe that a full stack software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprise play is the way of the future. Back in March of last year, I published an article introducing Zoho as "the most successful SaaS company you may have never heard of. " In April, I reviewed Qntrl (pronounced "control"), a simple workflow automation solution. In July of this year, I followed up with Zoho's BI And Analytics Suite review. Today I would like to cover Zoho One. Launched in 2017, Zoho One is a suite of business applications designed to address every aspect of the business, cleverly described as the "operating system for business." In this article, I will cover the customer reaction to Zoho One and then dive into the new features added to the suite in the recent release this October … [Read more...] about Zoho One: Unification On Every Level And Why It Matters
Stocks Drop as Blowout Jobs Report Increases Rate-Hike Jitters
Stocks are falling after hiring in January blew past expectations, raising concerns that the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates aggressively to prevent the economy from overheating. The U.S. added 467,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported today. That crushed economists' expectations for 150,000 hires, driving stocks lower despite Amazon.com, Inc. ( AMZN ) gaining after a solid earnings report . Key Takeaways Stocks are falling for a second day after January hiring crushed expectations and raised concerns that the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates aggressively. Amazon is gaining around 10% and Snap more than 40% after reporting solid earnings growth. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note jumped past 1.9%, its highest in more than a year. Crude oil soared past $90 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average , S&P 500 , and Nasdaq indexes are all lower, following big declines in each yesterday. Crude oil soared past $90 per … [Read more...] about Stocks Drop as Blowout Jobs Report Increases Rate-Hike Jitters
Fast Company surveys nearly 200 companies about abortion access
In March 2022, Fast Company reached out to 191 companies with a survey asking about their stance on abortion access, the policies they have in place around abortion care, and how they planned to respond to the forthcoming SCOTUS ruling. Our list of companies included the top 100 largest businesses by revenue, consumer-facing brands with workforces in states with restrictive abortion laws, and some of the largest companies by market cap in all 13 states with trigger bans. advertisement This is part of a series of articles on the business case for abortion access. See the full package here . The survey was conducted via Google Forms and emailed to people in the PR or communications department at each company. Questions included, Does your employee healthcare policy cover abortion care in states where that is legal?; Have your employees expressed concerns about abortion access and/or the impending Supreme Court decision on abortion?; and, If the Supreme Court … [Read more...] about Fast Company surveys nearly 200 companies about abortion access
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway finally bails on Wells Fargo
New York (CNN Business) Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has been a top investor in Wells Fargo for the past few years, despite the company's fake account scanda l, overcharging foreign-exchange customers and myriad other problems. Now, the Oracle of Omaha has finally thrown in the towel. Berkshire Hathaway ( BRKB ) disclosed late Monday that it sold its remaining stake in Wells Fargo ( WFC ) during the first quarter, according to the conglomerate's latest filing of holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Shares of Wells Fargo rallied with other bank stocks Tuesday, however. Berkshire still owned a tiny stake in Wells Fargo as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, but had been cutting the position gradually since 2019. Many Berkshire investors had been pressuring the company to sell all its holdings in the bank, arguing that its continuing problems were a stain on Berkshire. Critics of Wells Fargo … [Read more...] about Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway finally bails on Wells Fargo
Bitcoin Trailblazer Raises Capital To Create Interplanetary Cryptocurrency
LedgerX co-founder Paul Chou is building on the sale of the company he created by raising capital for a new kind of cryptocurrency that can be spent on Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond. I t’s just before midnight on a rainy autumn Friday. Paul Chou and his entourage dodge puddles on the runway of the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey as they board a Gulfstream private jet bound for Las Vegas. The flight attendant cracks open a bottle of champagne and with a nod welcomes the passengers aboard. The girls disappear into the back and emerge minutes later wearing sequined cocktail dresses and feather boas. Sensing she’s in for a party, the attendant offers a round of tequila shots just as the inertia from the plane taking off to the Bellagio Hotel & Casino forces her laughing into her seat. Ostensibly, Chou, 38, is celebrating not only his birthday but the sale for an undisclosed amount of LedgerX, the ground-breaking bitcoin derivatives firm he co-founded with his wife in … [Read more...] about Bitcoin Trailblazer Raises Capital To Create Interplanetary Cryptocurrency
Warren Buffett’s $51 Billion Stock Market Shopping Spree: Here’s What He’s Buying
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has used the ongoing market selloff as an opportunity to buy the dip and add several new major positions as his investing conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, deployed tens of billions of dollars into stocks during the first quarter, according to new regulatory filings . Key Facts Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway took advantage of the ongoing market turbulence to enter into eight new positions and add to many others during the first quarter of 2022, with most of its buying activity occurring in early March. Buffett’s investing conglomerate disclosed several new stakes late on Monday, including 55 million shares of Citigroup (worth around $2.6 billion) and 69 million shares of media giant Paramount Global (worth around $1.9 billion). Berkshire Hathaway now owns a more than 10% stake in Paramount, which rebranded from ViacomCBS earlier in 2022, while also revealing … [Read more...] about Warren Buffett’s $51 Billion Stock Market Shopping Spree: Here’s What He’s Buying