Sales & Marketing news

• There's a problem with Trump's plan to pay for a $54 billion defense increase with cuts to other agencies

  27-02-2017 23:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  On Monday, administration officials told various news outlets that President Trump's forthcoming budget proposal will include a $54 billion increase in defense spending. To pay for it, the Trump administration plans to cut the budgets of domestic agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department, and various foreign aid programs.
  However, as Business Insider's Linette Lopez pointed out, it's actually really hard to pay for increases in defense spending by onl
  
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• One of Asia's top trading firms is shutting down a large chunk of its US business

  27-02-2017 23:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  CLSA Americas, the US arm of the Chinese-owned broker CLSA, is closing a big chunk of its business.
  The firm is closing the research function in the US, according to a spokesman. Around 90 jobs in research and support will go as part of the change, while around 85 in other roles such as trading will not be affected.
  The firm will continue to offer execution and trading services, including: sector trading, ADR trading, portfolio trading, electronic execution and commission management, a
  
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• One of the top hedge fund launches of the year has landed a big-name backer

  27-02-2017 22:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  One of this year's most anticipated hedge fund launches can count on another big time investor.
  Jens-Peter Stein, cofounder of multi-billion hedge fund Stone Milliner Asset Management, is planning to make a small investment in Ben Melkman's Light Sky Macro, a new New York-based firm, according to people familiar with the situation.
  Stein, a macro investor whose firm is based in the UK and Switzerland, has been serving as a reference to investors for Melkman, one of the people said. Stein pr
  
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• A quick reminder that Bill Ackman's worst nightmare is still very much a thing

  27-02-2017 22:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  It's time to check in on a Wall Street disaster.
  Valeant Pharmaceuticals will report earnings on February 28, and analysts up and down Wall Street remain skeptical that the company can get back on its feet after a nightmarish run.
  Here's what Wells Fargo analyst David Maris wrote about it in a recent note:
  In 2017, we expect Valeant will try to distance itself from the reality of its current business and current business trends. In our experience, management teams that try to do this usually tal
  
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• SCHUMER: The GOP is in 'disarray' over Obamacare repeal, and the 'odds are very high' it won't happen

  27-02-2017 22:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer isn't so sure Republicans can repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the law better known as Obamacare.
  In a "prebuttal" Monday to President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress on Tuesday, Schumer said the GOP's plan to overhaul the healthcare system is already falling apart and likely won't get done.
  "Dems are united on ACA, while GOP can’t agree on repeal timeline, what to replace it with, or even if they're calling it 'repeal & rep
  
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• The US stock market is on the verge of making history

  27-02-2017 22:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Dow Jones Industrial Average is two days away from breaking its record of consecutive all-time highs.
  On Monday, February 27, the index closed at 20,837.44, achieving a record high for a 12th straight day. It’s up nearly 14% since President Donald Trump won the US presidential election, in a rally that has been fueled by hopes he would deliver on tax cuts and deregulation.
  Meanwhile, some analysts are worried about the relentless rally, which has front run policy implementation ou
  
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• Trump is about to repeat a big time Reagan blunder

  27-02-2017 22:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Washington Post reports that Trump's economic team will propose a budget that increases defense spending, while cutting smaller programs to make up for it.
  Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has also said the administration will not cut entitlements.
  We've seen this play before, and it ends badly.
  Cutting federal programs outside of big entitlements like Social Security and Medicare isn't enough to offset that big boost in defense spending, and we know that because it's a repeat of a
  
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• DOW TOUCHES NEW HIGH: Here's what you need to know

  27-02-2017 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  The Dow the index touched a new all-time high for the 12th straight day.
  But just as happened last Friday, it wasn't exactly a huge surge: the Dow was up by less than 0.1% at the close.
  The other two major indices also finished little changed, but up for the day.
  Let's hit the scoreboard:
  Dow: 20,837.44, +15.68, (+0.08%)
  S&P 500: 2,369.73, +2.39, (+0.10%)
  Nasdaq: 5,861.90, +16.59, (+0.28%)
  US 10-year yield: 2.367%, +0.050
  WTI Crude: $56.42, +0.07, (+0.13%)
  1. WARREN BUFFETT: Stocks are
  
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• Warren Buffett made an inappropriate remark to describe the logic behind a $140 billion takeover bid

  27-02-2017 21:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Warren Buffett made an inappropriate remark about women while attempting to describe the logic behind Kraft Heinz's recent takeover bid for Unilever.
  Kraft Heinz, which is backed by Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and the private-equity firm 3G Capital, earlier this month offered $143 billion for the maker of Hellmann's mayonnaise and Dove toiletries.
  Unilever formally rejected the offer, and, two days later, the consumer goods giant withdrew its bid.
  In an interview on Monday, CNBC's Becky Quick a
  
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• BUFFETT: Wells Fargo's accounts scandal was 'a huge mistake'

  27-02-2017 20:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  Warren Buffett expressed his disappointment with the fake accounts scandal at Wells Fargo during an interview on Monday morning.
  Buffett, who owns roughly 10% of the bank, did not bring up the bank's scandal in his annual letter released on Saturday, but told CNBC's Becky Quick that he thought the scandal was handled poorly.
  Buffett noted that the incentive plans that led some retail employees to open up to 2 million accounts under customers' names without their knowledge were not the probl
  
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• Stella Artois on how its charity campaign has made it less of an old person’s brand

  27-02-2017 13:35
  
  Since partnering with Water.org on the ‘Buy A Lady a Drink’ (BALAD) programme nearly three years ago, Stella Artois says the partnership has succeeded in making its brand “more culturally relevant” among millennials.
  The BALAD programme was co-founded by Hollywood actor Matt Damon and aims to provide 3.5 million people, particularly women with families in the third world, with long-term access to clean water by 2020.
  Since Stella Artois first linked up with BALAD in 2015
  
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• Stella Artois on how its charity campaign has made it less of an ‘old man’s drink’

  27-02-2017 13:35
  
  Since partnering with Water.org on the ‘Buy A Lady a Drink’ (BALAD) programme nearly three years ago, Stella Artois says the partnership has succeeded in making its brand “more culturally relevant” among millennials.
  The BALAD programme was co-founded by Hollywood actor Matt Damon and aims to provide 3.5 million people, particularly women with families in the third world, with long-term access to clean water by 2020.
  Since Stella Artois first linked up with BALAD in 2015
  
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• Telefónica bets on artificial intelligence for its digital transformation

  27-02-2017 10:59
  Telefónica is undergoing a digital transformation that will put artifical intelligence (AI) at the heart of its business.
  Speaking at the opening keynote at Mobile World Congress today (27 February), Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, CEO at Telefónica, explained how Telefónica is putting a “brain” in its network with the launch of AI assistant Aura. However, he warns that the company will need to transform and digitise every part of its business if it wants to ta
  
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• Telefónica bets on artificial intelligence for digital transformation

  27-02-2017 10:59
  Telefónica is undergoing a digital transformation that will put artifical intelligence (AI) at the heart of its business.
  Speaking at the opening keynote at Mobile World Congress today (27 February), Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, CEO at Telefónica, explained how Telefónica is putting a “brain” in its network with the launch of AI assistant Aura. However, he warns that the company will need to transform and digitise every part of its business if it wants to ta
  
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• Uber, Rolex and Dyson: Everything that matters this morning

  27-02-2017 08:30
  
  Uber CEO seeks leadership help
  Uber boss Travis Kalanick has admitted he needs leadership help, after Bloomberg published a video of him arguing with one of his driver.
  The video shows him sitting in the back seat of a car having a heated conversation with an Uber driver who claims he has gone “bankrupt” working for the company.
  In an email and blog post to staff following the incident, Kalanick said he “must fundamentally change as a leader and grow u
  
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• Starbucks, Waterstones & PwC: Everything that matters this morning

  27-02-2017 08:30
  
  Starbucks makes first foray into Italy
  Starbucks has long wanted to open a café in Italy but has until now failed to acheive that goal. However, it has now struck a deal to open its premium format ‘Starbucks Roastery’ in Milan, within walking distance of the famous Duomo.
  The Italian venture is its first Roastery in Europe and fifth globally. It plans to open between 20 and 30 of the premium cafés worlwide.
  READ MORE: Starbucks set to do Italian job in Milan (£)
  
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• McDonald’s, PayPal and WPP: Everything that matters this morning

  27-02-2017 08:30
  
  Sorrell: Trump is more pro-business than ObamaWPP chief executive Martin Sorrell has praised US President Donald Trump for his pro-business stance.
  Speaking at Mobile World Congress last night (1 March), the leader of the world’s biggest ad agency described Trump as a “dramatic difference” when compared to the Obama administration.
  He explained: “What is dramatically clear is that whereas the Obama administration was diffident or almost dismissive of the bu
  
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• M&S, Vodafone and Spotify: Everything that matters this morning

  27-02-2017 08:30
  
  Marks and Spencer is the top brand for women
  Marks and Spencer (M&S) is the brand that British women have the best impression of, new figures by YouGov BrandIndex show.
  The high street giant has an Impression score of +58, ahead of fellow retail favourite John Lewis on a score of +54. The rest of the top five is made up of Heinz (+53), Boots (+53) and BBC One (+51).
  In terms of brands where women’s impression have improved most over the past year, Tesco comes out on top with an improv
  
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• Lidl, Motorola and Morrisons: Everything that matters this morning

  27-02-2017 08:30
  
  Motorola stages a comeback
  Motorola Mobility, which was bought by computer business Lenovo in 2015, has launched its fifth generation Moto G smartphones at Mobile World Congress as it looks to re-establish itself as a top player in the mobile market.
  It also confirmed it will be partnering with Amazon to bring Alexa voice technology to its phones in 2017.
  Talking at a press conference at MWC, Motorola’s vice-president, global product lead, Dan Dery, said: “Later this year will see d
  
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• TV is taking off in rural India

  27-02-2017 01:00
  NEW DELHI: India's Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) first released data about TV audiences in rural areas in October 2015 and now, with almost 16 months of measurement to hand, the organisation's CEO has outlined some of the findings.In...
  
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• Shine gives up its ad blocking software

  27-02-2017 01:00
  TEL AVIV/LONDON: Shine Technologies, the Israeli start-up which built a reputation for promoting ad blocking technology to telecoms companies, will stop selling the software altogether.Instead, Shine will rebrand as Rainbow, which executives say...
  
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• Most US consumers use mobiles to shop

  27-02-2017 01:00
  WASHINGTON DC: The majority (60%) of online US consumers now use their mobile devices for shopping while two-thirds (67%) search online for extra product information, according to a new survey.Based on responses from more than 1,000 consumers at...
  
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• Manchester Utd is China's top team

  27-02-2017 01:00
  SHANGHAI: Manchester United has replaced Bayern Munich as the most popular football team online in China, according to a new report that each year assesses how European clubs fare in the lucrative Chinese market.The sixth edition of
  
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• Google deploys AI to tackle online abuse

  27-02-2017 01:00
  GLOBAL: Tech giant Google and its Jigsaw subsidiary last week launched a new machine-learning tool to help online platforms, particularly news organisations, clean up abusive comments posted on their sites.The new software, known as Perspective,...
  
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• CPG brands boost digital ad budgets

  27-02-2017 01:00
  NEW YORK: Marketers at consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands now spend more on digital than all forms of traditional advertising, a new survey has revealed.That is according to Cadent Consulting Group, which polled 100 CPG manufacturers, roughly...
  
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• AT&T's measurement mandate

  27-02-2017 01:00
  LAS VEGAS: Telecoms group AT&T is enhancing its digital measurement capabilities to ensure it has truly granular insights into upper-funnel metrics, as well as into lower-funnel indicators such as last-touch attribution.Fiona Carter, the Chief...
  
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