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HSBC keeps pounding the table on Apple's slowdown in China (AAPL) https://ift.tt/2SOTlNz AP
Analysts at HSBC just issued their latest warning on Apple, with weakness in China and changing consumer behavior in the region at the heart of their concerns. The firm's survey of affluent Chinese consumers reflects "clear evidence" of a shift away from Apple and toward competitors like Huawei and Samsung. The results led HSBC to write its third cautious Apple report in as many months, and caused the bank's analysts to slash their 2019 earnings-per-share estimates for the tech giant from $12.67 to $12.19. "While we see reasons for Apple continuing to compound in the US, we believe that emerging markets will remain a question mark unless there is a sizeable shift in strategy and we also believe that Europe is at risk of slippage in terms of market share as more value for money propositions, notably from Chinese players, gain in relevance," analysts led by Erwan Rambourg told clients Tuesday. Respondents who already owned iPhones were relatively less likely to choose Apple as their next smartphone brand. Additionally, Huawei was the most popular choice as to which smartphone brand respondents would buy next. HSBC HSBC reiterated its "hold" rating and $160 price target — 7.5% below where shares were trading Wednesday — and said Apple's healthy cash flow had kept it from turning completely bearish just yet. Elsewhere in the survey, Chinese consumers showed little appetite for smartphones priced at more than $1,200, and said they may be more inclined to upgrade their smartphone faster with improvements to memory and battery life. Read more: Apple's iPhone sales in China collapsed last quarter, and it's because they cost too much HSBC initially lowered its Apple recommendation from "buy" to "hold" and cut its price target back in early December. That was prior to the iPhone giant's pre-announcement in early January that its revenue would come in lower than previously forecasted due mostly to iPhone weakness in Greater China — but after other Wall Street firms and suppliers had sounded the alarm on an iPhone slowdown. Goldman Sachs, for example, slashed its price target three times in November alone. Read more: Apple sounds the alarm on a slowdown in China Then, last month, Rambourg and his team slashed their price target again, warning of persistent economic weakness in China. Apple reported quarterly earnings results last month that were in line with what Wall Street analysts had expected, even coming in slightly better than feared. After all, the tech company had already lowered its expectations, setting up for an earnings report that featured no surprises. Still, analysts advised clients that challenges like slowing iPhone sales and weakness in China weren't going away. In HSBC's Tuesday note, analysts said China still remains one of the most profitable regions for Apple "despite volatile trends over the last three years," and noted the country represented nearly 20% of the company's total revenue in 2018. Although Apple shares are trading 26% below their all-time high last October, they've risen 18% so far this year. Now read:
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Business via Business Insider https://ift.tt/1IpULic February 20, 2019 at 12:15PM
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How A Father And Son Teamed Up to Infuse The Family Ice Business with Cannabis https://ift.tt/2Iuawz4 Last winter at MJBiz Con in Las Vegas, the longest line at the convention was for a tiny Italian Ice stall, where two guys shoveled free samples of cherry and lemon ices into little cups. The guys were Al and Troy Everett, a father and son team from Pennsylvania. And the product they were serving for the first time ever was called Mt. Everetts Frozen Creations -- traditional Italian Ices infused with non-traditional CBD. This was the last place on earth the two ever expected to be -- at a marijuana convention three thousand miles from the family's Italian Ice and custard shop in the small town of Kingston. How they got there and why is a story of a good idea, good timing, and good recipes. Related: How to Start and Market Your CBD Company Rocky Mountain highThe idea for Mt. Everetts Frozen Creations was hatched by Troy, 24, during a road trip to Denver with his girlfriend (now wife). Troy had never been to Colorado, and he was blown away by all the recreational pot shops and offerings. "I saw like 20 brands of edible chocolate there," he says. "Business was crazy. It was just booming." When he returned home, he told his father, Al, about what he'd seen. Al describes himself as "an R&D guy who's been making ices for 25 years." He's a VP at Rosati Ice and owns a local Italian Ice shop called Josie's on S. Wyoming Avenue. Troy said, "Dad, you make the best Italian Ice. Let's see if we can get into this business." Al was skeptical. He was an Italian Ice guy. What did he know from cannabis? He had very little personal experience with the plant, although he did have memories of his older brother talking to him about it in the 70s. "I was 12 and he was 17," Al says. "He'd be reading High Times all the time. He'd say, 'I'm telling you, Al. This should be legal. It's good for you.'" Despite his early doubts, Al loved his son and admired his enthusiasm, so he agreed to go to Colorado "to wrap my head around it." He, too, was impressed by the business, so he started doing research and asking around. "Everybody kept coming back to me saying, 'Listen, you'll never get the (CBD) oil in the water. Good luck. Go ahead and try it,'" Al recalls. Challenge acceptedUndeterred, Al set off to do what he does best. "I just spent a lot of time testing things and working with different ingredients," he says. Because CBD oil is expensive, he did lots of calculations and mixing processes on paper and in his head before he put oil to ice. After six weeks, Al concocted the perfect process and formula for CBD-infused ice. "I break the oil up into real, small particles, almost like nanoparticles," Al says. He believes the process gives the ice more bang for the buck and makes it more effective therapeutically. Al created three flavors: Lemon, which he describes as the most traditional flavor in the Italian Ice business. "That's the flavor that most everybody does on the street corners in New York. Mango, which Al says has taken off in popularity in the last in the 20 years. And cherry, a tried-and-true favorite. Related: Why These Teenage Girls Started a CBD Lifestyle Brand High scoresAfter perfecting his formula, Al sent the ices off to a lab in California to be tested. "I'll never forget the response," he says. "They called me and, for the first minute, they must have said the F-word like 10 times. They said, 'We melted it. We froze it. We beat it up and your numbers are spot on. You're real consistent.' They told me I should go teach some of the bigger companies how to be more consistent." In cannabis, consistency is king. When people like a product, they want it to taste the same and make them feel the same every time. They went on to test his product for pesticides and again were surprised that he came out completely negative. With the winning formula complete, the next challenge was raising enough money to start the business. This is when another father-son team (who remain anonymous) stepped in to partner with the Everetts. Those investors introduced them to Two Boots, a major cannabis-infused beer company, who invited them to Las Vegas to debut their new product. Ice, Ice BabyTroy admits to being overwhelmed by the response at MJBiz Con, saying, "We weren't sure how the ice was going to do in the West Coast. They don't really know what Italian Ice is out there. But people went crazy. They wanted to get orders ASAP. To date, the Everetts have shipped orders to dispensaries in California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Florida. They sell the product online, but at this point only to people in the East Coast. Al is thrilled with the early success, but he's even more thrilled to be working with his son. "It's great," he says. "We work well together because he has this strengths and I have my strengths. He's a marketing guy; he's the social media guy. You know these young kids with the computers and everything. Put me in the kitchen. That's where I'm going to go." Related: The Coming International CBD Boom and How it Will Disrupt the Marijuana Business
Related: Business via Entrepreneur https://ift.tt/1V7CpeP February 20, 2019 at 12:12PM
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Thinking About Taking Your Product Into Big-Box Stores? You Need Help in These 4 Areas https://ift.tt/2ElNGFN Introducing your online-only product into physical stores calls for a completely different launch playbook. But as difficult as the task ahead may be, it won't be impossible. Example: Quip, an oral care company, successfully launched its product in Target, one of Harbor Retail’s partners, last year. And because Quip meshed well with Target’s new “cheap chic” branding, it was able to gain an additional $40 million in equity financing, after just one fiscal quarter on the retailer’s shelves. Placing your own product in physical stores can help you create a seamless shopping experience for your customers, test new product lines and even create brand awareness. True, web-only brands are taking over ecommerce, but companies like Casper are successful because they’re available in traditional retail stores, too. Related: How a Brick-and-Mortar Store Can Be the Foundation of Ecommerce Success That kind of combination works: Playing in both the online and in-store categories allows brands, especially those with new products, to double down in “the three C’s”: convenience, culture and curation, and take a deep dive into consumer experience. That's important because consumers are still human afterall and therefore in need of physical interaction with brands and products; no wonder even Amazon is jumping into the offline game. So, it doesn't matter whether you are seeking a permanent retailer or are opening a pop-up store: You need to put your creative top hat back on. Successful in-store product launches are as much about the shopper’s experience as they are about the brand's operational efficiency and conversion metrics. Dancing your way to an in-store launchIf you can create experiences that are special enough for customers to share and memorable enough to foster repeat purchases in-store, you’ll be giving retailer procurement and merchandise teams what they need to champion your launch, as well as capture a sizable share of basket and repeat sales with greater ease. Before you can do that, however, you'll need to understand your brand, the channels it will sell in and the retailers it will partner with. And you can’t do all that alone. Here are the important teams you’ll need to help you: 1. Channel marketingChannel marketing will ensure the right channels are in place for your launch. Do you need digital, mass or specialty marketing? Each channel will have different nuances that people in this role will understand. Selling in a convenience store will be vastly different from selling through a mass merchant, for example. You won’t be changing your brand voice -- only the way you sell your product. The selling message must resonate with, and be relevant for, that channel. Ensure you layer on mission statements for each channel. Considering that 77 percent of consumers use a mobile device to find products, according to Salsify, mission statements will give additional insight into who, how and why people shop specific retailers. Also, leverage the future state of the retailer: Is it increasing its product mix to capture more of your targets? If so, you might want to double down. Related: Let's Get Personal: Using Technology to Improve In-Store Customer Experience 2. Customer marketingCustomer marketing can help you make sure the retailer you're considering aligns with your company's goals and values; it will ensure the retailer will be a good partner. Be as selective with your first retailers as you were with whomever you pitched for funding and whomever you recruited as your first team members. Is the retailer collaborative? What are the performance thresholds you must surpass to elevate your brand directly into marketing, store design and operations? Take Harry's, the shaving company, for example. Harry's is all about giving customers "a quality shave at a great price." To accomplish that goal for women, as well, the brand launched Flamingo. Until February, Flamingo was available online only, but now both Harry's and Flamingo products can be found at Target. This is an example of a great retailer-brand match. While Harry's offers high-quality products, service and style, Target is known for low-cost yet high-quality style, unique product lines and great service. 3. Retailer marketingRetail sales are going up. In fact, according to the U.S. Census, they hit a record high of $5.7 trillion in 2017. Inside the retailer itself, you'll need marketers who can help determine the rules of engagement to combine customer-relationship management strategies and promotional power. Aligning your audiences and bringing a smaller or new product to their attention will help them compete better as the landscape continues to grow. Ask yourself how your shopper base can influence the retailer’s current guest base. When it comes to working with this team, partner up to improve store traffic and drive conversion. Demonstrate how your brand brings more shoppers to the store and increases total basket conversion. For example, some holiday shopping crazes, such as Cabbage Patch Kids (1983), Furbies (1998) and Hatchimals (2017), brought in a ton of store traffic and sold out in a flash. 4. Store operationsA retailer's store-operations team has the goal of easing field operations for everyone. These team members know the path to purchase inside and out to leverage not-so-ideal aisle placement. Use a natural shopper flow per shopper trip profile to your advantage so your products can reach the eyes -- and basket -- of the shopper across mission-based or exploratory trips. Just as when you were pitching and proving your business's worth when you were starting out, you'll need to hook the shopper with an authentic experience in the aisle that sells more than your features and benefits. You might do this through in-aisle experiences or even additional services that are attached to your product lines. Ulta stores are a great example: They offer an experience, education, samples and product sales, all in one. Related: 7 Layout Secrets of the Big Retail Chains When you first started out, you focused on the most important things you could do to drive value for your business in the moment. So, when it’s time to launch your product in-store, you'll be reverting to the same starting line. But, courage: You’ve trained for this. You’ve already competed in this arena. And you can renew your success -- this time in the retail sphere -- and do so with even greater confidence. Related: Business via Entrepreneur https://ift.tt/1V7CpeP February 20, 2019 at 12:12PM
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Eliminating a key difference in how people refer to men and women could help even the playing field at work https://ift.tt/2GDRLrc Alex Wong/Getty Images
Across the globe, there are fewer women in positions of power. The reasons why are numerous and complicated, but researchers suspect there's one potential factor we haven't been paying enough attention to: our everyday language. A paper from Stav Atir and Melissa J. Ferguson at Cornell University describes eight studies, which found that we're more likely to refer to men by their last names only and to women by their full names. What's more, the research found, people referred to by last name only are generally perceived as higher-status, suggesting that this linguistic phenomenon has meaningful consequences for women's advancement. One study found that American radio hosts discussing current events were more than twice as likely to use a last name only when talking about a man than a woman (even once the researchers eliminated references to "Hillary" Clinton). In another study, participants read one-paragraph research proposals that referred to the researcher either by full name or by last name only; as it turned out, the researchers referred to by last name only were perceived as more famous. As Atir put it to Business Insider, "our use of language reflects our biases and shapes them." Atir added, "it's easy to assume that choosing one word over another or one way of referring to someone over another is not going to have any impact, when in fact at least some evidence suggests that it might." Read more: Women CEOs are more likely to be dismissed, even when the company is doing well Our word choice may be closely linked to our gender biasesPrevious research has also found that word choice can have consequences for women's success in the workplace. According to a team of researchers at Stanford University's Clayman Institute for Gender Research who reviewed hundreds of performance reviews, managers use different language to describe male and female employees. For example: Managers are nearly seven times more likely to tell their male employees that their communication style is too soft. Women, on the other hand, receive 2.5 times as much feedback related to their aggressive communication style. And a 2018 paper published in the Journal of Business and Psychology found that letters of recommendation are more likely to raise doubts ("She is unlikely to become a superstar, but she is very solid") about women applicants for professorships than men. Atir said one takeaway from the paper she coauthored is simple: When you're referring to men and women, try using the same naming convention. Though right now it's unclear exactly how much our language contributes to women's professional prospects (or lack thereof), Atir said it's worth trying to change it and see what happens. See Also:
Business via Business Insider https://ift.tt/1IpULic February 20, 2019 at 12:09PM
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Google's ambitious plan to push into video games is about to be unveiled: Here's what we know so far (GOOG, GOOGL) https://ift.tt/2GwKZmY Beck Diefenbach/Reuters
Google is about to make a major push into the world of video games. Unlike gaming heavyweights Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, Google isn't likely to create a device that powers games. Instead, the company's focus seems to be on a Netflix-like game streaming service. From reports and Google's own announcements, we already have a surprisingly clear picture of the company's gaming plans ahead of a big announcement scheduled for March 19. Here's everything we know about Google's ambitious push into video games: The core of Google's gaming service is a Netflix-style, on-demand game streaming service. It was already announced and publicly tested as "Project Stream."GoogleNear the end of 2018, and for much of January 2019, Google ran a limited test for its video game streaming service. That service, fittingly enough, is named "Project Stream." During the test, users could play 2018's "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" for free in a browser tab on their computer. You could even use a Bluetooth controller to control the game. It was little more than a proof of concept test, and it confirmed that — yes— Google's service is indeed capable of streaming a blockbuster game to a web browser. It was impressive, easy to use, and quick. Google has yet to make any official announcements about the future of Project Stream. What we do know is that Project Stream actually works, which is more than can be said for many of the previous efforts at creating a video game streaming service. Google is also expected to make a game console, though it's unlikely to directly compete with home game consoles in terms of horsepower.MicrosoftGoogle isn't likely to make a game console as powerful as the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, or even one as powerful as the Nintendo Switch, but it does need to make some form of hardware for its service to function on TVs. What's most likely is Google releases a very inexpensive piece of hardware that acts as a means of accessing a game streaming library — a bare-bones Chromecast-like device rather than a brawny PS4-like device. That device could potentially serve as a means of enabling Bluetooth gamepads to function on a television, and as a means of accessing Google's game streaming service. It could be as small as a Chromecast or as big as a cable box. It could come with a Google-made gamepad, or something else, or nothing at all! We simply don't know just yet. Google has yet to confirm that a hardware device is even in the works. We can, however, assume that Google isn't making a powerful gaming console to compete with home consoles. Why's that? We'd have heard about it! Between research and development costs, associated business deals with game makers, and hardware production, these things leak. Look no further than the current crop of home game consoles from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft — all of which leaked heavily before launch, like so many "secret" hardware projects before them. Google has reportedly been courting game developers and publishers to build a library for its game streaming service.UbisoftWhen Google tested Project Stream, it collaborated with Ubisoft to use "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" as the test game. Ubisoft has a long history of being the first publisher to work on new gaming platforms. Given that, it would be unsurprising to see Ubisoft — and its game franchises, from "Assassin's Creed" to "Splinter Cell" and "Rayman" — show up as one of the first publishers on Google's streaming service. Ultimately, Google's gaming push lives and dies based on its game library. Given that, Google is expected to announce various partnerships when its service gets officially unveiled in mid-March. The company has reportedly been courting developers and publishers since some point in 2018, and perhaps even earlier, according to Kotaku. See the rest of the story at Business Insider See Also:
Business via Business Insider https://ift.tt/1IpULic February 20, 2019 at 12:09PM
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11 MPs have just quit their parties — what the hell is going on? https://ift.tt/2No8fEB Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images
LONDON — British politics is in a frenzy of historic proportions after eleven Members of Parliament quit the country's two biggest parties to form a new independent grouping, with more expected to follow. On Monday, seven MPs quit the Labour Party to launch "The Independent Group" (TIG) after losing patience with leader Jeremy Corbyn's handling of Brexit and the antisemitism crisis which has engulfed the party. That number became eight on Tuesday night, when Joan Ryan waved goodbye to Labour to join former shadow ministers Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie, plus the rest of the "Magnificent Seven." And on Wednesday morning, Theresa May's Conservatives suffered a split of their own, with anti-Brexit MPs Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston, and Heidi Allen resigning from the party to become TIG's latest recruits. It looks like the defections won't end there. Labour's Deputy Leader Tom Watson warned on Monday that more MPs could leave if the party doesn't change its ways. Ian Austin MP is considering his position and others who want a new referendum on Brexit could quit next week if Corbyn doesn't support an amendment designed to achieve what campaigners call a "People's Vote." Ex-Tory MP Allen said today that "significant numbers" of Conservative MPs were thinking about quitting the party, and said in a Westminster briefing that even some Cabinet ministers were "sympathetic" to the aims of the new group. The UK political party system is breaking down in front of our eyes. The tectonic plates are shifting. But what will it actually mean? Is this a Brexit game-changer? Can TIG become a party of government? Here's what we can safely say — for now. Why did this happen?DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images The Brexit question which divides the nation has torn both the Conservatives and Labour in two. For months, the rival wings in each party have tried to co-exist but ultimately, the tension and profound disagreements were unsustainable. Every MP in the TIG opposes Brexit and wanted their former party leaders to support holding a referendum. However, May is committed to leaving all EU institutions, while Corbyn is showing no signs of backing a referendum. But Brexit isn't the only problem. An antisemitism crisis has engulfed the Labour Party which has infuriated the vast majority of its MPs. Corbyn is accused of failing to properly address hundreds of allegations against party members. Luciana Berger, a Jewish MP who joined TIG on Monday, accused her former party of being "institutionally antisemitic." The Conservative party is dealing with existential issues of its own. At a local level, its associations have seen a surge of new members, who either used to support Nigel Farage's UKIP and/or want a hard Brexit. This had led to MPs like Allen, Wollaston, and Soubry facing possible deselection, and pressure on the party to move further to political "right." Soubry said today that a "right-wing, anti-EU awkward squad" had taken over the party and changed it irrevocably. The ex-Tory trio also accused May of pandering the right-wing of the Conservative party, like Jacob Rees-Mogg, and abandoning the "moderates" who support EU membership and take a more liberal stance on various issues. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Does this make an early general election more likely?There isn't a clear answer to that. The instability of May's government derived from her fragile minority rule has created a consensus that another snap general election will take place sooner rather than later. The fact that May's ruling Conservative party has today got a bit smaller, while opposition forces have grown, suggests that an early election has only become more likely. But it isn't as simple as that. In any circumstance, a majority of MPs would have to vote for a general election. If they don't, the next is scheduled for 2022. Most, if not all, TIG MPs would probably need to vote for an early election for one to take place. But at the time of writing, TIG has no leader or policies, beyond having expressed a set of vaguely worded "core values." It's not yet an official party and doesn't have the infrastructure to run a campaign — and probably won't for many months. If the Commons was to vote on forcing a general election in the next few months, TIG MPs almost certainly would vote against it because they would be hugely underprepared. Soubry confirmed that the group does not want an early election, telling a press conference on Wednesday that it is "the last thing" the country needs, and instead MPs should focus on delivering a new referendum. The TIG's Chris Leslie also confirmed he was opposed to a general election at a briefing in Westminster on Wednesday, pledging instead to focus on Brexit, accusing Labour of playing "silly games" in their calls for a snap election. An opinion poll published today put TIG on 14%. That is a very healthy number given that the group has only existed for a few days. However, given that TIG isn't even a party yet, and it doesn't have a manifesto containing policies for people to assess, we should take these early figures with heaps of salt. Plus, the UK's First Past The Post voting system makes it difficult for parties other than the Tories and Labour to win seats in the House of Commons. Just look at the last time MPs broke away to form a new party in the early 1980s. The short-lived Social Democratic Party — launched in 1981 by four senior MPs who quit the Labour Party — won 11.5% of the vote in the first election it contested, but got just 6 out of a possible 650 seats for its efforts. That's why it's not in TIG's interest to push for an election anytime soon. It needs more high-profile MPs, more resources, and more time to devise a strategy if it is to have any chance of bucking the historical trend. And what does it mean for Brexit?DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images Honestly? Not that much, at least for now. The MPs who have joined the TIG up to now all support a new referendum and all voted against May's deal when it was comprehensively defeated in the House of Commons earlier this year. They have already been factored in. However, what happens next might be different. Next week MPs are set to vote on an amendment tabled by Labour's Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, which declares support for the prime minister's Brexit deal as long as she puts to a referendum. MPs from the TIG confirmed on Wednesday that they were likely to back the amendment, but Corbyn is not expected to support it, which could be the trigger for a fresh wave of resignations. Faced with the prospect of losing more of his MPs, the Labour leader might be persuaded to back a new referendum, in order to prevent a much larger mutiny, although it is unlikely. And on the Conservative side, the prospect of more MPs walking away might pressure May into abandoning her strategy of appeasing the pro-Brexit European Research Group and pivoting to a softer exit from the EU. Frankly, it is difficult to plot a course for what happens next. But what cannot be questioned is that this week, UK politics has been completely turned on its head, and the dramatic change has probably only just started. NOW WATCH: ROGER STONE: Trump is 'never going to change' See Also:
SEE ALSO: 3 Conservative MPs quit party in protest at Theresa May's Brexit plans Business via Business Insider https://ift.tt/1IpULic February 20, 2019 at 11:57AM
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J.Crew and sister brand Madewell launched new sustainable denim collections that use less water, chemicals, and energy to produce https://ift.tt/2T5XETH The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
As consumers continually become more conscious of the products they buy and the brands they support, many companies are doing away with the strictly-for-profit mentality and are setting up initiatives to become more socially responsible. You can buy sneakers made out of recycled plastic from the ocean, organic cotton sheets, and a whole slew of products that will give directly back to those in need with your purchase, but denim, arguably the most omnipresent wardrobe staple, is still one of the most wasteful products to make. However, J.Crew Group, the parent company to J.Crew and Madewell, is doing its part to change that — all while supporting local manufacturing communities and sticking to the price points and styles you've come to appreciate. The company recently teamed up with Fair Trade USA, a non-profit organization that helps brands improve their manufacturing processes and their commitments to the environment and the people that produce their products. As a result of the new partnership, both J.Crew and Madewell recently launched their first Fair Trade Certified denim collections. What's different about how the denim is producedIn teaming up with Fair Trade USA, J.Crew Group also partnered with Saitex, the leading producer of sustainable denim, located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Saitex has figured out a way to reduce the use of three major components in its production process: water, chemicals, and energy. The biggest waste factor in traditional denim production is water, but Saitex has managed to reduce the typical 140 liters of water needed to make a single pair of jeans down to just one liter. And even with that remarkable reduction in water usage, the factory still filters and recycles 98 percent of the water, with the remaining two percent being evaporated. That makes it a zero-discharge facility. Chemicals are still a part of producing the denim, but J.Crew and Madewell's Fair Trade Certified denim have reduced the use of them by 65%. Rather than using harsh chemical methods to achieve different washes and styles, they use less harmful techniques like stone washing. Running any factory consumes energy, but Saitex is extremely smart about reducing its use. Everything from renewable energy sources to clever techniques like hang-drying denim and using recycled heat from hot factory machinery has contributed to the reduction of energy consumption by more than 13 million kilowatts to date. That's equivalent to taking 2,000 cars off the road. Read more: Canadian clothing brand Frank And Oak also makes denim using less water, chemicals, and energy. What does the Fair Trade certification really mean?Fair Trade USA holds both manufacturing facilities and brands accountable for meeting certain standards of welfare. While underpaid and overworked employees is an unfortunate reality in many factories, Fair Trade manufacturers must ensure safe working environments, livable wages, equal pay for women, and benefits like maternity leave and paid leave. Brands, on the other hand, must help to support this. For every Fair Trade Certified product sold, J.Crew and Madewell will donate a percentage directly to the workers, who then have the power to delegate what the money will be spent in their community — whether it be housing, schools, or infrastructures like bridges and power lines. Just like the name suggests, it's fair for all parties involved. Factory workers get the opportunity to create better lives for themselves and their families, consumers get great quality denim that they can look good in and feel good ethically about owning, and, of course, the J.Crew Group makes a profit. Starting at $59.50 on J.Crew and $69.50 on Madewell, together the Fair Trade Certified collections feature 31 pieces. In addition to jeans for men and women, you'll also find denim jackets, overalls, shorts, and skirts for women. If you want to help sustain the environment and support the people that produce the products you buy, Fair Trade Certified denim is one great way to do it. Fair Trade Certified denim at J.Crew: For men | For womenFair Trade Certified denim at Madewell: For men | For womenSee Also:
Business via Business Insider https://ift.tt/1IpULic February 20, 2019 at 11:51AM
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MORGAN STANLEY: Delusional currency investors are making a huge mistake that could blow up in their faces — but these trades could save the day https://ift.tt/2BIFzRQ Spencer Platt/Getty Images
If you're investing in foreign currencies and feeling good, a top strategist for Morgan Stanley says you might be missing a potentially damaging trend bubbling under the market's suface. Hans Redeker, the head of global foreign-exchange strategy for Morgan Stanley Investment Management, says investors have started acting like market liquidity is on the upswing when it's actually shrinking. And he warns that's not sustainable. "Markets seem to be trading on an illusion of ample liquidity, with volatility at almost historic lows, gold prices rushing higher despite the US dollar remaining within a tight trading range and equities breaking higher as the bond market treads water," he wrote in a recent note to clients. The problem is that liquidity isn't growing at all. Savings in Europe and Japan are down, while the Federal Reserve's balance sheet is shrinking, Redeker says. And of the 10 largest central banks in the world, only Japan's is still buying assets and simulating the economy. Relative to gross domestic product growth, Redeker finds that the balance sheets of those banks are falling at the fastest pace since 2008, right around the time of the Great Recession. "Market liquidity has not been supported by rising assets or increasing global net savings," Redeker said. His view is that recent shifts made by banks have encouraged investors to spend more cash, but several other factors pushing are liquidity lower. In his mind, that can't last, and neither can a rally based on that "illusion." He continued: "These shifts can only be of temporary nature and are unlikely to promote a longer-term risk bull trend." Redeker notes that investors were pleased when inflation forecasts started to falling last year, but they're already on the rise as oil prices increase. Meanwhile, projections for corporate earnings growth are falling, with rising wages and other input costs a contributing factor. Redeker, whose firm has $471 billion in assets under management, made a series of recommendations designed to minimize risks for investors who could get hurt by the backlash. His suggested positions include:
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Business via Business Insider https://ift.tt/1IpULic February 20, 2019 at 11:45AM
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How to turn off the microphone in your Nest devices https://ift.tt/2TYJIbz
There's a whole debacle going following a recent revelation that Google's Nest Guard and Nest Cam IQ Indoor devices have had built-in microphones ever since they were released in 2017, but the company neglected to tell anyone. When it was discovered that some Nest devices that didn't advertise a microphone actually do indeed have microphones, Google told Business Insider said it was an "error" that it didn't mention the existence of a mic in Nest device documentation. It's not clear as of yet whether other Nest devices also have a microphone. The good thing is that Google says the microphone on Nest devices is turned off by default. According to the search giant's support pages for Nest devices, any mic present in a Nest device only turns on if you enable the voice-activated Google Assistant, either during setup or if later enabling Google Assistant (that feature was made available on some Nest devices in February 2019 through a software update). If you did enable Google Assistant with your Nest devices during setup, but you want to turn off the microphone, you just need to realize that turning off the microphone will disable the voice features on Google Assistant. Here's how to disable the microphone on Nest devices: 1. In the Nest app, go to Settings. (Nest Guard users should tap the "Nest Guard" option in the Settings menu) 2. Tap Google Assistant. 3. Tap the Google Assistant switch to turn it off.
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Business via Business Insider https://ift.tt/1IpULic February 20, 2019 at 11:45AM 22 inventions that could help us cut back on plastic and reduce garbage in the sea https://ift.tt/2BKoxTz
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