Kiki Verico (The Jakarta Post) PREMIUM Jakarta ● Mon, August 8 2022 Statistics Indonesia (BPS} reported last Friday that Indonesia’s economy grew by 5.44 percent year-on-year in the second quarter. That growth rate was quite remarkable compared to the 7.07 percent expansion in the same period last year, especially if the growth was set against the 3.79 percent inflation in the second quarter. Indonesia's Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) experienced an initial pick-up in the second quarter of 2022, rising from 113 in April to 128 in June, showing that Indonesia's consumption confidence had kept rising despite climbing global and domestic inflation. This should be attributed to the decrease in the COVID-19 infection rate in the second quarter, which in turn significantly eased social-mobility restrictions, thereby bolstering economic activities and household consumption, especially during the Islamic Ramadan and Idul Fitri festivities. to Read Full Story … [Read more...] about Indonesia’s economy under global perfect challenge
Tesla model s consumer reports
Why Regulation Will Help The Buy Now, Pay Later Giants
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin After a meteoric rise during the pandemic, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) business is facing a future clouded by deteriorating economic conditions, competition from the likes of Apple and bank credit card issuers and a looming regulatory crackdown. At least, that’s the conventional wisdom. Since the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) opened an inquiry into the industry last year, regulation has generally been framed as a “ backlash ” and threat to the industry’s growth. A research note issued Sunday by Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng, which initiates coverage of Affirm Holdings with a neutral rating, observes that “the evolving US BNPL regulatory landscape results in the risk of potential regulation that could reduce the pace of consumer and merchant adoption.” Yet a deeper look suggests regulation could actually benefit the leaders in the American BNPL sector. While BNPL has been around in the US … [Read more...] about Why Regulation Will Help The Buy Now, Pay Later Giants
Inflation Reduction Act Won’t Help West Virginia
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Senators Joe Manchin (WV) and Chuck Schumer (NY) recently agreed to a slimmed down version of the failed Build Back Better plan they are calling the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Manchin and other proponents of the IRA argue it will boost economic growth and reduce inflation, but this is unlikely, especially in states like West Virginia that face problems unaddressed by the IRA. The IRA spends nearly $400 billion on energy tax credits and about $100 billion on health care subsidies, primarily for people who buy Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance plans. This proposed spending would be paid for by increasing corporate income taxes, “better” IRS enforcement, increasing taxes on investment returns, and savings from implementing price controls on certain drugs purchased by the government via Medicare and other programs. The tax increases and costs savings are projected to generate $305 billion more than the spending, and … [Read more...] about Inflation Reduction Act Won’t Help West Virginia
We’re Running Out Of Sand… And Cities Are To Blame
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Our obsession with concrete is dismantling beaches and wiping out aquatic wildlife The Burj Khalifa is an engineering marvel. Stretching 828 m into the Dubai sky, it is the tallest building the world has ever seen. Its construction used huge quantities of materials ; 39,000 tonnes of steel*, 103,000 square metres of glass, and 330,000,000 litres of concrete (enough to fill 132 Olympic-sized swimming pools). From the top floor, though, one material dominates the view – sand. So, you might be surprised to learn that the world is running out of this grainy material, mostly thanks to the concrete megastructures that we fill our modern cities with. I’ve written about concrete before – either to discuss its carbon footprint , or the chemical processes that make it creep . So you probably already know that concrete has three basic components: cement, water and aggregate, combined in slightly different proportions. Cement … [Read more...] about We’re Running Out Of Sand… And Cities Are To Blame
Editor Daily Rundown: Pelosi’s Jan 6 Primetime Spectacular Kicks Off This Week
PELOSI’S JAN 6 PRIMETIME SPECTACULAR BEGINS THIS WEEK… FORMER ABC NEWS PRESIDENT JOINS CAMPAIGN… AXIOS : Scoop: Jan. 6 committee’s secret adviser The House’s Jan. 6 committee has turned to a renowned former network news executive to hone a mountain of explosive material into a captivating multimedia presentation for a prime-time hearing Thursday. James Goldston — former president of ABC News, and a master documentary storyteller who ran “Good Morning America” and “Nightline” — has joined the committee as an unannounced adviser, Axios has learned. […] I’m told Goldston is busily producing Thursday’s 8 p.m. ET hearing as if it were a blockbuster investigative special. MORE … NETWORKS PLAN TO INTERRUPT PROGRAMMING TO TAKE IT LIVE… At least two of the broadcast networks will interrupt evening programming for live coverage anchored by ABC’s David Muir and CBS’ Norah O’Donnell. NBC will announce plans soon. MORE… DEM CONGRESSMAN WANTS JAN 6 COMMITTEE TO PUSH … [Read more...] about Editor Daily Rundown: Pelosi’s Jan 6 Primetime Spectacular Kicks Off This Week
CVS Health Will Return Aetna To Obamacare Market
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin CVS Health said it will re-enter the business of selling individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act for 2022. Citing better market conditions, CVS chief executive Karen Lynch said Tuesday during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call that the ACA business has improved and will be an important part of the company’s strategy. CVS Health’s Aetna health insurance unit left the exchanges four years ago along with other insurers that were unable to manage rising costs of uninsured patients signing up for such coverage. “Our goal is to make health care more accessible, more affordable and simpler,” Lynch said in a statement. “In order to do this, we will accelerate the pace of our progress through targeted investments in key areas that will drive our consumer-focused strategy. We believe that solving consumer health needs will deliver better health outcomes and lower costs while creating future economic benefit for … [Read more...] about CVS Health Will Return Aetna To Obamacare Market
Apple’s Untold History Reveals Why The iPhone 5C Will Be In Color
In 1998, at a special Apple event in Cupertino, then-interim CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the product that would herald Apple’s comeback: the iMac. But as Jobs went backstage, he wasn’t fist-pumping to one of the most triumphant reveals in the company’s history. He was bummed. advertisement advertisement “I love the iMac, but we just delivered it in the wrong color,” Jobs lamented. The issue of color has long plagued Apple, Fast Company learned from speaking to scores of insiders for our Apple oral history , yet it’s proven one of the most powerful maneuvers in Apple’s design playbook. Their approach to color is strategically cyclical, swaying their SKUs back and forth from minimalism to a rainbow of hues, much like its own logo. The strategy has been a success, with colors breathing new life (and sales) into its iMac and iPod line. But today, as reports swirl that Apple is supposed to unveil a colorful, budget iPhone , it’s worth noting just how … [Read more...] about Apple’s Untold History Reveals Why The iPhone 5C Will Be In Color
How to Improve Your Credit Score Fast
Your credit score is one of the most important measures of your financial health. It tells lenders at a glance how responsibly you use credit. The better your score, the easier you will find it to be approved for new loans or new lines of credit. A higher credit score can also open the door to the lowest available interest rates when you borrow. If you would like to boost your credit score, there are a number of quick, simple things that you can do. While it might take a few months to see an improvement in your credit score, you can start working toward a better score in just a few hours. Key Takeaways It takes less than a couple of days to pull all your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus, and assessing your credit score is the first step to raising it. In just a few hours, you can set due-date alerts for bills, so you know when a bill is coming up. Paying your bills on time Is one of the most important steps in improving your credit score. Pay down … [Read more...] about How to Improve Your Credit Score Fast
An ADHD diagnosis can be expensive and inaccurate. This company’s test addresses both problems
Despite being a strong student in high school, Sydney Dodini struggled during her freshman year at Brigham Young University. She kept showing up late to lectures and found it difficult to focus during class. When she flew home in the spring, she asked her father, Aaron Dodini, a psychologist who specializes in ADHD testing, to give her a QbTest, an FDA-cleared ADHD diagnostic screening tool that can be done online. advertisement advertisement ADHD, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is one of the more common neurobehavioral disorders usually first diagnosed in childhood and which can continue into adulthood. Symptoms fall into three categories: inattention, manifesting in difficulty sustaining focus, staying on task, and staying organized; hyperactivity, including excessive fidgeting, extreme restlessness, even talking too much; and impulsivity, including difficulty with self-control, delaying gratification, and considering long-term … [Read more...] about An ADHD diagnosis can be expensive and inaccurate. This company’s test addresses both problems
Annuar: Do not hoard cooking oil
Tan Sri Annuar Musa (Photo by Zahid Izzani Mohd Said/The Edge) - A + A SERDANG (Aug 7): Those directly involved in the ecosystem for production and sale of palm-based cooking oil should avoid hoarding or rationing the commodity following the setting of its maximum price at RM34.70 per five-kilogramme bottle effective from Monday (Aug 8), said Tan Sri Annuar Musa. The Chairman of the Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation said if traders and retailers resort to such practices, they will ultimately lose out, apart from creating problems for consumers. "Just because the price of oil will drop, for example, people should not start hoarding. It won't solve the problem," he told reporters after visiting the Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition 2022 (MAHA 2022) at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang on Sunday. He said this when asked about the possibility of irresponsible parties hoarding cooking oil when its price is low, a practice … [Read more...] about Annuar: Do not hoard cooking oil