Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana look to hardware partnerships and development deals to take on Apple’s Siri. The tech industry’s titans have been preparing for an all-out virtual assistant war in 2017-and it’ll be fought by Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant and maybe even Microsoft’s Cortana.
Day: December 28, 2016
Will Consumers Change Their Minds About Wearables In 2017?
This year was a lackluster one for smartwatches and fitness trackers. A lot has to change for 2017 to mark a significant improvement.
Former Bundesbank president Hans Tietmeyer dies aged 85
He was a staunch proponent of keeping prices and currencies stable, as well as safeguarding the independence of central banks from political interference. “Hans Tietmeyer was an outstanding president, whose actions always followed clear and consistent lines aimed at maintaining monetary stability,” Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann said in a statement.
Giant walking robot showcased in South Korea
The Method-2 robot, which seems to be straight out of a science fiction movie, is 13 feet tall and weighs over a ton. The elegant 7,500-square-foot house in Northwest Washington, D.C., is home to Michael and Ally Banks – he a custom-home builder and developer, she a designer – and their four kids.
911 centers struggle to find callers on cellphones, and results can be deadly
Commercial apps, such as Facebook and Uber, can pinpoint your exact location using your smartphone’s built-in GPS. But that’s not necessarily the case when you call 911.
S&P 500 Analyst Moves: PWR
The latest tally of analyst opinions from the major brokerage houses shows that among the components of the S&P 500 index, Quanta Services is now the #53 analyst pick, moving up by 2 spots. This rank is formed by averaging the analyst opinions for each component from each broker, and then ranking the 500 components by those average opinion values.
Dow Analyst Moves: CSCO
The latest tally of analyst opinions from the major brokerage houses shows that among the 30 stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Cisco Systems is the #6 analyst pick. Cisco Systems also comes in above the median of analyst picks among the broader S&P 500 index components, claiming the #144 spot out of 500.
Dow Pares Earlier Losses as Stocks Stay in the Red
The Dow Jones index of 30 blue-chip stocks climbed to within 19 points of the 20,000 milestone on Wednesday before retreating. The Nasdaq slid from a record opening of 5,499.
Amazon Voted Best Stock for 2017 by Evercore
Amazon is Evercore’s top stock pick for the upcoming year, mainly due to its position in the data science field. Shares of Amazon were slightly higher in late morning trading on Wednesday, after Evercore named the company its top stock pick for 2017, in a note released earlier today.
Trump Takes Credit for Rising Consumer Confidence; Analyst Weighs In
U.S. consumer confidence rose to new levels in December. How much of a factor is the incoming U.S. president? U.S. consumer confidence in December rose to its highest level in over 15 years, 113.7, as more Americans are expressing faith that business conditions will improve under President-elect Donald Trump.
Hollywood’s Chinese Growth Engine Stalls in 2016
After growing nearly fourfold in the past five years, ticket sales in China are set for only a slight increase this year, bad news for studio profit margins. China’s box office, the engine of growth and safety blanket for Hollywood’s biggest budget films, is starting to show signs of age.
Now That the TPP Is Dead, Here’s What Will Happen to Pacific Trade
China, not the U.S., will lead Asia-Pacific economic integration now that U.S. President elect Donald Trump has vowed to quit the partnership. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, was the most state-of-the-art free trade agreement to date.
Blind Adherence to Re-balancing May Be Hazardous to One’s Wealth
Annually at this time of year, we are inundated with financial advice columns suggesting that investors re-balance their investment portfolios. Conventional wisdom states that it is prudent to sell a portion of an asset class that has recently outperformed to buy the asset class that has recently under-performed in order to bring the long-term target asset allocation back into balance.
Go for Banks That Grow Their Book Value at a High Rate
We might as well close out the year with the sector we talked about the most during 2016. Yesterday I looked at those banks that have rewarded shareholders with consistent dividends and buybacks.
Dip Buying Wanes at Year’s End
One of the big dangers near the end of the year is that the Santa Claus rally action tends to create some complacency. Traders can become downright euphoric over some of the action and can be caught by surprise when a swift reversal occurs.
Most Popular New ETF Strategies of 2016
There are now 1,961 U.S.-listed exchange traded products, which include both exchange traded funds and exchange traded notes, with a little over $2.5 trillion in assets under management. The most popular new ETF options available to investors of 2016 include some that track leveraged high-yield strategies, a dynamically hedged international equity position, another that screens companies for gender equality in the evolving age and a forward momentum investment style.
Last-Minute Spending Surge Lifts Holiday Shopping Season
A jump in consumer spending in the final stretch of December significantly offset a slow start to the U.S. holiday shopping season, and is likely to help many retailers beat sales forecasts, industry research groups said on Tuesday. The December spending boost is in contrast to a muted November, when early holiday promotions and expectations among consumers that deals would always be available took a toll.
Delta to Cancel Order for 18 Boeing 787 Dreamliners
Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday that in agreement with Boeing it would cancel an order for 18 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which it assumed as a part of its merger with Northwest Airlines. The order is valued at more than $4 billion at current list prices.
AMP Manager Starts Betting Against Dollar After Right Yen Wager
Nader Naeimi, who made the right bet buying the dollar against the yen before the U.S. election, is selling the greenback against the currencies of Australia, Brazil, Russia and Turkey. “It seems like long dollars is becoming a no brainer,” said Naeimi, who has two decades of investment experience and heads a dynamic investment fund at AMP Capital Investors Ltd. in Sydney.
What Six Leaders Learned From Their Biggest Mistakes Of 2016
These leaders learned how culture solves problems, why not every change is an innovation, and that poaching talent doesn’t always pay. From Volkswagen’s ongoing recovery from its emissions scandal to revelations about Wells Fargo’s fraudulent consumer accounts, 2016 hasn’t been short on corporate mistakes and misbehavior.
How Paid Parental Leave Changed In 2016
This is how much progress the U.S. has-and hasn’t-made on a workplace issue that’s gaining ever more attention. This was supposed to be the year paid parental leave was going to expand .
The 10 Best And Worst Moments In Leadership 2016
This has been anything but a normal year. One of the strangest U.S. elections in history has finally ended, and businesses have come and gone.
Tesla, Panasonic to Begin Solar Panel Production in New York
Tesla Motors Inc. and Panasonic Corp. completed work on an agreement to begin manufacturing solar cells and modules at Tesla’s factory in Buffalo, New York, eventually bringing some 1,400 jobs to the region. Production will begin this summer, with the factory’s output capacity expanding to 1 gigawatt by 2019, the companies said in a statement Tuesday.
Qualcomm Fined $853 Million by South Korean Antitrust Agency
South Korea’s antitrust regulator slapped a record 1.03 trillion won fine on Qualcomm Inc. for violating antitrust laws, the latest in a string of government actions that threaten the U.S. chipmaker’s most profitable business. The South Korean Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday that the company licensed its key patents only to mobile-phone makers and didn’t properly negotiate the terms of its licenses.
FTSE 100 rises after long Christmas break
UK shares edged higher in the first trading session since the Christmas break, with the FTSE 100 rising 18 points to 7,086 in morning trading. Miners led the blue-chip risers, with BHP Billiton up 4% at A 13.08 and Anglo American 3.5% higher at A 11.65.
State, Casey try to keep broadband money in Pa.
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S.Korea Fines Qualcomm $854M for Violating Competition Laws
South Korea’s antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm Inc 1.03 trillion won for what it called unfair business practices in patent licensing and modem chip sales, a decision the U.S. chipmaker said it will challenge in court. The fine, the largest ever levied in South Korea, marks the latest antitrust setback for Qualcomm’s most profitable business of licensing wireless patents to the mobile industry, at a time when the business is facing headwinds from a cooling smartphone market.
Oil Prices Edge Down Ahead of Production Cuts
Oil prices edged down on Wednesday as the market waits to see how OPEC and non-OPEC members carry through on planned supply cuts in the new year. International Brent crude futures were trading down 7 cents, or 0.12 percent, at $56.02 a barrel at 0722 GMT after closing the previous session up 93 cents.
Airbus’s A380 Woes Deepen as Top Buyer Emirates Delays Jets
Airbus Group SE’s struggles with its A380 superjumbo jet are deepening as the planemaker delays deliveries of a dozen aircraft over the next two years to Emirates, the double-decker’s biggest customer. To make up for the financial drag from the tardier handovers, Airbus will accelerate cost cuts, according to an e-mailed company statement late Tuesday.
Singapore Defaults Seen as Bellwether for 2017 Asia Distress
Despite a modest rebound in resource prices, restructuring specialists including KPMG and Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee see more Asia-Pacific commodities and shipping companies being pushed into delinquency. Law firm DLA Piper said there could be choppy waters ahead on rising interest rates and President-elect Donald Trump’s overhaul of trade with China.
Toshiba’s Record Fall Highlights U.S. Nuclear Cost Nightmare
Toshiba Corp. plunged by the most on record as the once heralded U.S. nuclear renaissance turns into a nightmare for the Japanese company. The shares fell by 20 percent, the most since 1974, according to available data, to close at 312 yen in Tokyo, following a 12 percent drop Tuesday.
European Stocks Called Higher as Global Markets Eye Dow Advance
European stocks are set to drift higher Wednesday, but direction will likely be set by the Dow later in the session. European stocks are expected to open modestly higher Wednesday in a holiday-shortened week that will see thin volumes in all major markets around the region.
No Happy New Year in China as Currency, Liquidity Fears Loom
The first day of 2017 is when an annual $50,000 quota to convert the yuan into foreign exchange resets, stoking concern there will be a rush to sell the local currency. With tax payments and a regulatory assessment also tightening liquidity in the money market toward year-end, January may bring scant relief as lenders prepare for stronger cash demand before Lunar New Year holidays, which are only a month away.
Toshiba Falls by Daily Limit as Nuclear Unit Faces Writedown
Toshiba Corp. fell by its daily limit after saying Tuesday it may have to write down the value of an acquisition made by U.S. unit Westinghouse Electric by billions of dollars. The shares fell by 20 percent to 311.6 yen by 9:31 a.m. in Tokyo.
U.K. House Prices May Barely Rise as Brexit Weighs on Economy
U.K. house prices may only eke out a modest gain next year as economic growth weakens and a pickup in inflation squeezes consumers, according to Halifax. The mortgage lender sees housing demand easing in 2017, partly as tax changes and stricter underwriting standards restrict buy-to-let investment.
South Korea pension fund head arrested in scandal probe
South Korea’s pension fund head has been arrested in a probe into alleged corruption involving electronic firm Samsung and the country’s president. Special prosecutors said they raided National Pension Service chairman Moon Hyung-pyo’s home on Monday, before arresting him on Wednesday.
Regulations Seen Holding Back CLOs in 2017 Despite Rising Demand
Despite rising demand for floating rate loans, the market for collateralized loan obligations in the U.S. enters the New Year with daunting prospects as a new administration assumes power and risk retention rules take effect. Factors tempering issuance include: difficulty in finding loans at a cheap price, as much of the debt is trading near or above par, potential consolidation of managers and a thin spread between what CLOs pay their investors and what they earn from underlying loans.
Southern California homebuying sees fastest November in four years
The six-county region recorded 19,530 sales last month, up 24.1 percent vs. a year ago – the most-active November since 2012. However, house hunting has not returned to its historic pace.
Wanting, expecting good cell coverage
Being in the two-way radio business for a number of years, I have been engaged in the process of securing “tower sites” for commercial, industrial and municipalities throughout the state. The concerns and complaints regarding the proposed Lafayette cell tower I have heard a number of times, and each time they can be explained away.
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These undated file combination photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections shows death row inmates Ronald Phillips and Raymond Tibbetts. Ohio Gov. John Kasich turned down Phillips’ request for mercy on Wednesday, … Dec. 21, 2016.