Markets
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The dream of the truly driverless car is officially dead
- May 31, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
No CommentsThis May 13, 2014 file photo shows a row of Google self-driving Lexus cars at a Google event outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. AP
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Corporations have hijacked the language of self care to seem 'relatable.' Don't fall for the gimmick
- May 31, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
Marianne Ayala/Insider
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Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the United States' decision on the Keystone XL project
- January 21, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 20, 2021 /CNW/ – The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the United States' decision on the Keystone XL project:”Earlier today,
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2 white, male startup founders just raised a $2 million seed round from only female VCs, thanks to a tweet
- January 13, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
Shruti Gandhi is the sole general partner of Array Ventures. Array VenturesWomen hold less than 5% of venture capital partner jobs in the US, and yet, video-editing startup Capsule just closed a $2 million seed round of funding from all-female investors. After Capsule found its lead investor, Shruti Gandhi, founding partner of Array Ventures, she put in calls to other female angels and VCs in her little black book and shared memos on why they should invest. The round took weeks longer to close than similar deals she’s done, Gandhi said, but Capsule founder and CEO Champ Bennett said it was worth the effort to have dedicated female investors in his corner. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. Array Ventures founding partner Shruti Gandhi called it a “Christmas miracle.” Late last month, Capsule, a startup that makes tools for editing short-form video, closed a $2 million round of seed funding from all female investors. Gandhi, who led the round, said she’s typically the only woman in a deal. Women hold less than 5% of partner jobs at US venture capital firms, according to Women in VC, the largest self-reported database of female investors. The deal was led by
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Regatta VII Funding Ltd. — Moody's upgrades ratings on three classes of CLO notes issued by Regatta VII Funding Ltd.; actions conclude review
- January 8, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
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UnionBank acclaimed by Frost & Sullivan for leveraging innovative digital capabilities to deliver exceptional customer experiences
- January 1, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
Bank takes customer experience to next level by harnessing the power of 5G, in line with the launch of its smart branch SINGAPORE, Jan. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Based on its recent analysis of the Philippines’ customer experience solutions in the banking industry, Frost & Sullivan honored UnionBank of the Philippines (UnionBank) with the 2020 Philippines Excellence In Customer Experience in ATM Ambience Experience and In Online Customer Experience. The award is in recognition of the bank’s initiatives to stay ahead of the demand curve by offering best-in-class, personalized customer experience with robust 24/7 services. “UnionBank has ramped up its digitalization efforts in the past few years. A customizable system, self-service options, and personified robot assistant are among the digital options available to customers, half of whom now transact digitally,” said Edurra Talib, senior research analyst. “The bank also became the first in the Philippines to launch the smart branch leveraging 5G technology for seamless connectivity with internet of things (IoT)-enabled services.” Combining 5G and artificial intelligence (AI), UnionBank can better anticipate customers’ preferences and behaviors through. This commitment to continuous, data-driven innovation has helped the bank deliver enriched customer experiences. Frost & Sullivan presented this award to the banks that demonstrate
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Porch Group Primed To Take More Consumer Wallet Share, Says Bullish Benchmark
- December 30, 2020
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
Porch Group Inc (NASDAQ:PRCH) seems poised to capitalize on the rapidly growing home services software market, according to Benchmark.The Porch Analyst: Daniel Kurnos initiated coverage of Porch with a Buy rating and $24 price target. The Porch Thesis: Porch.com has a “software plus transaction revenue model in the home services space,” which makes it a B2B2C — business to business to consumer — company, Kurnos said in a Tuesday initiation note. Porch owns software tools that are used by more than 10,000 companies, the analyst said. He named the following reasons for being bullish on Porch.com: Home service and sale related companies are expected to witness favorable macroenvironment conditions next summer The user base is “relatively sticky” Porch has already achieved a Net Promoter Score of 73 The company aims to deploy a consumer app next year and may launch DTC services in the future Its hybrid model should increase “consumer wallet share over time, driving significant scale benefits” Porch targets several massive markets The valuation looks “relatively inexpensive” PRCH Price Action: Shares of Porch Group were down 1.5% at $14.49 at last check Tuesday.
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How to buy gold to diversify your portfolio and help shield against market downturns
- November 20, 2020
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
Bullion coins and bars are the “purest” way to invest in gold, but can be costly to own and slow to sell. lionvision/Getty ImagesPhysical gold can be bought for investment in two basic ways: bullion bars or coins. Buying physical gold involves researching reputable dealers, understanding pricing, and shouldering storage costs. Alternatives to physical gold include gold stocks and funds — less “pure,” but more liquid, investments. Visit Business Insider’s Investing Reference library for more stories. You often hear folks talk about investing in gold. Which begs the question: Exactly how do you buy gold? And perhaps more importantly, why would anyone want to? The short answer is that gold can be a smart way to diversify a portfolio — especially one filled with the usual investment suspects: stocks, bonds, and funds. Not only is gold largely immune to inflation, instead hewing closely to the cost of living, but gold also serves as a hedge against economic disaster. When the rest of the stock market falls, gold often goes the other way, appreciating in value and protecting the canny investor against major losses in other financial assets. For those reasons, many finance experts suggest investing 5-10% of your portfolio
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Grocery Strike Averted!
- October 11, 2020
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Teamster unions representing more than 4,000 warehouse workers and truck drivers who deliver food and supplies to So. California’s largest grocery stores, Albertsons (includes Vons and Pavilions) and Kroger (includes Ralphs and Food4Less), reached a Tentative Agreement early this morning that avoids a strike by protecting Teamster families’ – and retirees’ – affordable health care. The Tentative Agreement, negotiated virtually during an historic pandemic that has grocery supply chain workers toiling around the clock in COVID-infected warehouses to keep shelves stocked – came as grocers, whom the Wall Street Journal called a “privileged group of retailers,” have enjoyed unprecedented profits resulting in massive increases in executive compensation (see attached report). In a letter to members, Lou Villalvazo, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local Union 630, and Chair of the Teamsters Joint Council 42 Food & Grocery Negotiating Committee said, “We are proud to announce that early this morning, we reached a Tentative Agreement with the Food Employers (Ralphs Grocery, Albertsons, and Vons). Going into bargaining, our #1 concern was protecting your family’s – and retirees’ – affordable health care. Not only did we achieve that; your bargaining committee secured additional funding from the grocers to increase our
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Congress's failure to pass a stimulus package carries devastating consequences for millions of unemployed workers and small businesses
- September 24, 2020
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Markets
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks off the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. AP Photo/Andrew HarnikCongress is gearing up for a major Supreme Court nomination battle, absorbing most of the attention away from another coronavirus relief bill. The GOP’s swift action on the high court appointment is a stark contrast to their reluctance to approve additional stimulus spending earlier this year. “It’s like coasting up a mountain where every further inch that you go, you risk stopping and begin to go backwards,” Evercore policy economist Ernie Tedeschi said. The prospect of additional aid to individuals and businesses is extremely slim before Americans cast their ballots on November 3, given the Supreme Court battle underway. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. With a fierce Supreme Court replacement battle underway, Congress is shifting its attention away from passing another coronavirus relief package. Senate Republicans under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are moving swiftly to confirm a third Supreme Court justice appointed by President Donald Trump. It’s a stark contrast to the GOP’s reluctance to approve another economic aid package earlier this year, when McConnell pushed “the pause button” on additional spending after

