Sales & Marketing news

• Activist investor ValueAct has reportedly amassed a $1.2 billion stake in Citigroup (C)

  07-05-2018 23:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  ValueAct Capital has taken a $1.2 billion stake in Citigroup, according to The Wall Street Journal. 
  The activist investor supports CEO Michael Corbat and reportedly isn't pushing for significant changes.
  Activist investor ValueAct Capital has amassed a $1.2 billion stake in Citigroup, according to The Wall Street Journal. 
  ValueAct took an $80 million stake in the bank in December and has since built it up to $1.2 billion, which is roughly 7% of Citi's $175 billion market capitalizati
  
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• Tesla is crazy to avoid raising new capital with its stock still riding high (TSLA)

  07-05-2018 23:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly said that Tesla won't need to raise funds in 2018.
  But the company could run out of cash by the end of the year.
  Raising now, with Tesla stock trading a high level, makes sense.
  Tesla shares are down about 5% year-to-date, but over the past three years, they're up nearly 30%, and at one point in 2017, the stock was threatening $400 (it's at about $303 on Monday).
  Meanwhile, Tesla has less than $3 billion in cash — and expects to spend $3 billion this year
  
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• D.E. Shaw fired a high-profile hedge-fund manager after an investigation into alleged inappropriate behavior, and now he's fighting back

  07-05-2018 23:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  Daniel Michalow, a senior portfolio manager at D.E. Shaw, was fired from the $50 billion hedge fund in March following an investigation into claims of inappropriate behavior, people familiar with the matter said.
  Several women came forward with complaints about Michalow's behavior, people familiar with the matter said.
  Michalow is fighting back a la "Jerry Maguire," and sent a letter to the fund's founder, David Shaw, on Monday.
  As he alleges in the letter, Michalow believes his termination was
  
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• Amazon's video service is getting closer to becoming the new Netflix — if it can just make Prime members realize it exists (AMZN, NFLX)

  07-05-2018 22:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  Amazon's Prime service is now the number three video streaming service behind Netflix and YouTube.
  But a new survey by Morgan Stanley shows that only 1 out of 3 Prime members actually use Amazon's streaming video service.
  While the number of viewers is edging up, the survey found that Amazon may need to make some programming changes to really boost its audience.Amazon's Prime video offering has made big gains in establishing itself as a rival to Netflix, but it still has some big obstacles to ov
  
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• Here's why Warren Buffett isn't worried about Berkshire Hathaway when he retires (BRK.A)

  07-05-2018 22:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger could retire soon, but that's not a concern to Buffett himself. 
  Buffett thinks Berkshire Hathaway has the assets to grow, and the culture to use those assets effectively. 
  Watch Berkshire Hathaway stock trade in real time here. 
  Berkshire Hathaway’s legendary duo Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger could retire soon.
  But amid some concerns that the conglomerate will take a hit if that happens, Buffett isn’t at all worried, accordin
  
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• Beijing is going to have to start making a lot of life or death decisions about the Chinese economy

  07-05-2018 22:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tightened credit conditions have one Chinese manufacturer with $7 billion in debt begging for help. It won't be the last one to do so.
  Beijing will have to start deciding who lives and who dies in China's corporate sector.
  Investors shouldn't just worry about who gets bailed out, they should also worry about how. In China, healthy companies can easily be conscripted to save sick ones.
  A private Chinese manufacturer, DunAn Group, has sent a letter begging the Chinese government to help it out wit
  
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• Stocks lose half their gains after President Trump announces he will give Iran nuclear decision Tuesday

  07-05-2018 22:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  Stocks surrendered half of their gains Monday afternoon following a tweet from President Donald Trump announcing he will unveil his decision on the Iran nuclear deal Tuesday. A series of merger and acquisition announcements had pushed the broader market higher earlier with financials and technology leading as consumer staples lagged. Oil surged past $70 per barrel for the first time since 2014 and the US dollar hit its highest level this year. 
  Dow Jones Industrial Average: 24,319.52
  
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• How quickly each US state's economy is growing, in one map

  07-05-2018 21:28 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Bureau of Economic Analysis released an important measure of the health of the 50 US states' economies.
  The BEA's estimates of Q4 2017 GDP in each of the states and DC ranged from a 1.3% decrease in North Dakota to a 5.2% increase in Texas.
  The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes quarterly estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) for each of the 50 US states and Washington, DC. The measure, which counts the final sales value of all goods and services sold in a state, is widely considered
  
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• People are drinking less Pepsi and Coke than ever — and it reveals the power of the ‘biggest marketing trick of the century’ (KO, PEP)

  07-05-2018 21:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  Coke and Pepsi sales by volume dropped yet again in 2017.
  Meanwhile, Aquafina and Poland Springs sales increased. 
  Savvy marketing has allowed the bottled-water business to thrive as Americans ditch sugary soda. 
   
  As soda declines, bottled water continues to thrive. 
  Coke and Pepsi brands declined 2% and 4.5%, respectively, by volume in the US in 2017, according to Beverage Digest's annual report, which was released on Monday. Meanwhile, Aquafina increased 2.6
  
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• Warren Buffett says he'll never invest in Microsoft because of his billionaire bromance with Bill Gates (MSFT, AAPL)

  07-05-2018 21:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  Warren Buffett says that his decades-long relationship with Bill Gates is why Berkshire Hathaway will never buy Microsoft stock — it might create the illusion that Gates is leaking insider info.
  Gates and Buffett have been friends since 1991.
  While Buffett won't buy Microsoft, he just took a huge stake in Apple. But Gates was hugely supportive in an interview on CNBC, saying that Buffett made a smart choice.Microsoft is on a roll: Thanks to the ongoing success of its cloud computing busine
  
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• Instagram might soon let you add your favorite songs to your Stories (FB)

  07-05-2018 21:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  Instagram may be adding a feature that lets users add music in the background of their Stories.
  Facebook has recently made licensing agreements with the major records, making a music service possible.
  Your Instagram Stories could soon have a soundtrack featuring your favorite songs. 
  Instagram is prepping a new feature, called Music Stickers, that will allow users to search for a particular song and add a "music overlay sticker" — or a clip of a song in the background of their St
  
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• Hidden code in Instagram's Android app revealed a big new music feature (FB)

  07-05-2018 21:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  Instagram may be adding a feature that lets users add music in the background of their Stories.
  Facebook has recently made licensing agreements with the major records, making a music service possible.
  Your Instagram Stories could soon have a soundtrack featuring your favorite songs. 
  Instagram is prepping a new feature, called Music Stickers, that will allow users to search for a particular song and add a "music overlay sticker" — or a clip of a song in the background of their St
  
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• CRYPTO INSIDER: Buffett says bitcoin is 'rat poison squared'

  07-05-2018 20:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  Welcome to Crypto Insider, Business Insider's roundup of all the bitcoin and cryptocurrency news you need to know today. Sign up here to get this email delivered direct to your inbox.
  Billionaire investor Warren Buffett doubled down on his criticism of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies at Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting in Nebraska over the weekend. He reportedly said bitcoin is "probably rat poison squared."
  Here are the current crypto prices:In the news:This unusual crypt
  
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• How socially responsible investing can help you avoid catastrophic drops within your portfolio

  07-05-2018 20:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Martin Kremenstein, head of retirement and ETF solutions at Nuveen, explains how ESG metrics serve as an indicator of quality and can be used as a risk management tool. 
  According to research from MSCI, companies in the bottom ESG quintile have been twice as likely to suffer a catastrophic loss (over 95% cumulative loss) within three years. 
  MSCI downgraded Equifax to the lowest ESG rating on cybersecurity concerns a year before the data breach was announced.
  Kremenstein says that Fac
  
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• Microsoft is giving app developers a way better deal than Apple in hopes of luring them to Windows 10 (MSFT)

  07-05-2018 19:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  Microsoft will soon take only a 5% cut of all revenue from the Microsoft Store, the app store built into Windows 10. 
  Google and Apple typically take 30% on their own app stores. 
  Video games aren't eligible for this new rate.It's a play to draw developers towards the Microsoft Store, which lags behind Apple and Google in terms of selection and uptake.
  It's no secret that the Microsoft Store, the app store built into Windows 10, is lagging behind Apple App Store and Google Play.
  Which
  
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• The former CFO of Netflix is in another 'knife fight,' but this time he's trying to help Spotify do something that's never been done before (SPOT, GOOGL, AAPL, NFLX)

  07-05-2018 19:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  Spotify is coming off a disappointing first-quarter earnings report and risks losing credibility with Wall Street.
  CFO Barry McCarthy has found himself in this position before. He helped Netflix take down Blockbuster during its struggle for control of video rentals. Back then, the street didn't give Netflix much of a chance.    
  Those who worked with McCarthy at Netflix say his ability to analyze financial data played a key role for Netflix and should help Spotify. 
  The challenge
  
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• Tesla reveals an accounting change added $299 million to its auto-sales revenue in the first quarter (TSLA)

  07-05-2018 18:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tesla filed its detailed first-quarter earnings statement on Monday.
  The document shows that an accounting change resulted in revenue growth in the quarter.
  The change was mandatory for all companies as of December 2017.
  Follow Tesla's stock price in real-time here.
  Tesla's owes it's first-quarter revenue growth — reported last week — largely to an accounting change the automaker instituted at the start of 2018. 
  The change makes contributed to a $299 million increase
  
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• Hedge fund Soroban is shutting its master fund and returning $4.1 billion in capital

  07-05-2018 18:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  Soroban Capital, founded by Eric Mandelblatt and Gaurav Kapadia, is returning $4.1 billion from its master fund, according to a client letter seen by Business Insider.
  Kapadia is also leaving to form a family office.
  Soroban Capital is returning $4.1 billion from its master fund, according to a client letter dated May 7 seen by Business Insider.
  New York-based Soroban is reorganizing to focus on its Soroban Opportunities Fund, founder Eric Mandelblatt said in the letter.
  Earlier this year, Sorob
  
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• Tesla is on the brink of a major shift that will completely change how its stock trades (TSLA)

  07-05-2018 18:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk has long been an outspoken critic of short seller behavior that's made his company the most shorted in the US equity market.
  Financial analytics firm S3 Partners has compiled data to suggest it's getting much more difficult to short Tesla, and it explains how this could permanently alter how the stock is traded.
  If you pay attention to Elon Musk's public comments — or simply follow him on Twitter — then you know he loathes traders who short Tes
  
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• BANK OF AMERICA: These are the 2 key levels everyone should be watching in the stock market right now

  07-05-2018 18:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  The US stock market is stuck in a narrow range after sprinting into the year 2018 and then plunging by more than 10%. 
  Bank of America's chief investment strategist has pinpointed this range, as well as six things that would trigger a break above or below those levels. 
  After sprinting into the year 2018, the US stock market has hit a wall. 
  Monday would be the 69th trading day since the S&P 500 index closed at a record high. The Dow Jones industrial average has experienced th
  
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• BANK OF AMERICA: There are 2 key levels everyone should be watching in the stock market right now

  07-05-2018 18:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  The US stock market is stuck in a narrow range after sprinting into the year 2018 and then plunging by more than 10%. 
  Bank of America's chief investment strategist has pinpointed this range, as well as six things that would trigger a break above or below those levels. 
  After sprinting into the year 2018, the US stock market has hit a wall. 
  Monday would be the 69th trading day since the S&P 500 index closed at a record high. The Dow Jones industrial average has experienced th
  
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• Shake Shack’s earnings surge leaves us with only one option for the stock, JPMorgan says

  07-05-2018 17:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  Shake Shack gained 18% Friday after reporting first-quarter earnings.JPMorgan says the stock is now overvalued, citing increased costs and lower margins in the future.
  The bank says the stock is an "underweight."
  Watch Shake Shack trade in real time here.
  Shake Shack might be overpriced after Friday's rally.
  Shares of the burger chain soared almost 20% after the company beat on first-quarter earnings and revenue, but those gains cannot be justified according to JPMorgan analyst John Iv
  
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• Facebook is trading at its best level since the Cambridge Analytica data scandal (FB)

  07-05-2018 17:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  Facebook is trading at its best level since the Cambridge Analytica data scandal broke. 
  Shares are about 3% below where they were when the news broke. 
  Watch Facebook trade in real time here. 
  Facebook shares are close to erasing the losses that developed in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. They're trading up 1.41% at $179.10 apiece 
  News of the data scandal broke on March 19, and Facebook stock tumbled immediately, shedding $50 billion of market cap in
  
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• A $500 billion money manager has built an Amazon Alexa for Wall Street — and it's already helping trade billions of dollars (AB)

  07-05-2018 17:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  Meet Abbie, AB's artificial intelligence-powered bot that's helping conduct fixed income trades at the $500 billion money manager. 
  Abbie, which is like Amazon's Alexa but for Wall Street, is today used to complete mundane and repetitive tasks that might otherwise fall on junior level employees. 
  The ultimately goal for Abbie is to negotiate million dollar trades with other financial firms. 
   
  "She always beats me into the office."
  Gavin Romm, a portfolio manager at financial
  
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• Goldman Sachs says it will restart stock buybacks in the third quarter (GS)

  07-05-2018 17:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  Goldman Sachs will restart stock repurchases in the third quarter, the company said Friday in its quarterly securities filing.
  The restart, contingent on Federal Reserve approval of the firm's capital plan and other business opportunities, reverses a second-quarter pause that spooked investors.
  Well, that didn't last long. 
  Goldman Sachs will restart stock repurchases in the third quarter, the company said Friday in its quarterly securities filing.
  The restart, contingent on Federal Re
  
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• Watch Steve Jobs launch the computer that put Apple on track to becoming the world's most valuable public company (AAPL)

  07-05-2018 16:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  20 years ago, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company was in rough shape.
  One computer, the iMac, put Apple back on track. 
  Current Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a video from that launch over the weekend. 
  Apple CEO Tim Cook was in the mood to reminisce this weekend, according to his tweets. On Saturday, he posted a 20-year-old video of late Apple founder Steve Jobs introducing the iMac in 1998. 20 years ago today, Steve introduced the world to iMac. It set Apple on a new course and
  
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• Apple just hit another record high (AAPL)

  07-05-2018 16:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  Apple just hit another all time high. 
  It hit one Friday, but out-did itself Monday morning. 
  The stock is shooting higher as Warren Buffett boasts of his confidence in the company, saying he wishes he could own the whole company. 
  Watch Apple stock trade in real time here. 
  Apple shares keep surging to new heights. The stock hit a record high of $186.88 in early trading Monday, up more than 1% on the day. 
  That's after Warren Buffett said he's so confident in Apple, he'
  
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• AthenaHealth soars after Elliott Management makes $6.9 billion buyout offer (ATHN)

  07-05-2018 16:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Elliott Management has made a $160-per-share cash offer for AthenaHealth, the hedge fund confirmed Monday.
  Shares of Athena spiked more than 25% on the news. 
  Follow the stock in real-time here. 
  Shares of AthenaHealth spiked nearly 25% Monday morning after Paul Singer's Elliott Management hedge fund made a cash offer of $160 per share — worth $6.9 billion — for the embattled healthcare IT company
  The firm, which managed $34 billion in assets as of January 1, confirmed the
  
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• GOLDMAN SACHS: This is the perfect environment for bank stocks — here are 7 reasons why they're set to spring higher

  07-05-2018 15:22 via feedproxy.google.com
  Goldman Sachs says we're currently in a great environment for bank stocks, despite mounting investor concern that we're headed for a major economic downturn.
  The firm argues these concerns are overblown, and provides seven reasons why bank stocks are a good buy right now.
  When it comes to picking stock sectors, financials are about as good as it gets right now, says Goldman Sachs.
  The view may come as a surprise to market participants who are bracing themselves for an economic slowdown — o
  
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• Starbucks is rallying after Nestle agrees to pay $7.15 billion to sell its coffee around the world (SBUX)

  07-05-2018 15:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  Starbucks is rallying ahead of Monday's opening bell after announcing a partnership with Nestle. 
  Nestle will pay Starbucks $7.15 billion in cash plus additional royalties for the right to sell Starbucks products around the world. 
  Starbucks will use the influx in cash to give back shareholders $20 billion in the form of buybacks and dividends. 
  Watch Starbucks trade in real-time here. 
  Starbucks is rising more than 3% in pre-market trading Monday after announcing a partnersh
  
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• Starbucks is rallying after Nestlé agrees to pay $7.15 billion to sell its coffee around the world (SBUX)

  07-05-2018 15:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  Starbucks is rallying ahead of Monday's opening bell after announcing a partnership with Nestlé.
  Nestlé will pay Starbucks $7.15 billion in cash, plus additional royalties, for the right to sell Starbucks products around the world.
  Starbucks will use the influx in cash to give back shareholders $20 billion in the form of buybacks and dividends.
  Watch Starbucks trade in real-time here.
  Starbucks is rising more than 3% in premarket trading Monday after announcing a partnership with N
  
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• A pair of wine enthusiasts turned their shared passion for Burgundy into an enterprise software startup — and they just got $8 million in funding for it

  07-05-2018 15:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  After becoming friends through their wine club, Giorgina Gottlieb and Jayaram Bhat decided to start a company to help wine enthusiasts like themselves.
  But when they pitched their wine software to potential customers, one suggested they revamp it for businesses.
  They followed that advice and built a data analytics product aimed at customer support teams.
  On Monday, Gottlieb and Bhat unveiled Squelch, their new startup built around the software they created and announced an $8 million funding rou
  
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• 10 things you need to know before the opening bell (SPY, SPX, QQQ, DIA, BRK.A, SBUX)

  07-05-2018 12:37 via feedproxy.google.com
  Here is what you need to know. 
  Some of the biggest names on Wall Street are sounding the alarm on an overlooked threat that could make the next recession way worse. Much of the problem stems from fallout relating to the GOP tax law, which has been great for companies in markets in the short term, but may be creating some daunting long-term consequences.
  Oil hits $70 for the first time since 2014. Oil prices jumped to their highest since late 2014 on Monday on a deepening economic
  
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• Recommended reading: Behavioural science experiments and how to work smarter

  07-05-2018 10:15
  The Choice Factory
  By Richard Shotton
  Marketing Week columnist and deputy head of evidence at Manning Gottlieb OMD Richard Shotton says there are 25 biases that influence the choices consumers make about the products they buy. In his book, which is an overview of how behavioural science experiments can be applied to marketing and advertising, he runs through the full list. If advertisers are aware of the biases, and adapt their products and
  
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• Britain's seemingly dire economy isn't actually doing that terribly

  07-05-2018 09:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  On the surface, the British economy looks to be on shaky ground, but things aren't as bad as they might seem.
  That's the assessment of Andrew Goodwin, lead UK economist at Oxford Economics.
  Goodwin argues that the way people are analysing the data makes it look a lot worse than it really is.LONDON — Virtually every indicator and data point released in April and early May for the UK economy was below expectations, and some were truly terrible.
  Here's a snapshot:Q1 GDP growth — 0.
  
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• Why Coke thinks agencies need skin in the game

  07-05-2018 02:00 via warc.com
  DUBAI: A brand’s agency partners should be willing to take risks and have skin in the game, according to Coca-Cola’s head of integrated marketing communications in the Middle East.Islam ElDessouky, speaking at a breakfast event during...
  
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• Understanding the role of short-form ads

  07-05-2018 02:00 via warc.com
  NEW YORK: Short-form ads that last approximately six seconds offer distinct benefits for brands, but should be used as part of a “portfolio” with more traditional, longer formats.Duane Varan, CEO of research firm MediaScience, made...
  
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• Shoe-d-vision boots up sales

  07-05-2018 02:00 via warc.com
  SAN SEBASTIAN: Nordic footwear retailer Shoe-d-vision reversed the flow of traffic away from physical stores, drove online sales and gained market share with a combination of programmatic ad buying and AI-informed content.The campaign, which was a...
  
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• Kantar and GroupM combine analytically

  07-05-2018 02:00 via warc.com
  MUMBAI: Agency holding company WPP has combined the Analytics teams from its data insight company Kantar and media investment business GroupM in India to form one combined practice to better serve clients.The action is part of a wider global...
  
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• Google consolidates its news services

  07-05-2018 02:00 via warc.com
  NEW YORK: Google News is about to undergo a redesign, according to reports that suggest the revamp is about helping publishers consolidate how they interact with Google’s various news platforms.First reported
  
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• For Chinese travellers, the price is not important

  07-05-2018 02:00 via warc.com
  ASIA PACIFIC: Chinese travellers are becoming less sensitive to price abroad, new figures suggest, as good quality and authenticity grow in importance.This is according to
  
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