The post Intercontinental Exchange Announces Bakkt, a Global Platform and Ecosystem for Digital Assets appeared first on OzMedia.

Crypto currencies (in short: cryptos) are not an entirely new phenomenon — we’re almost a decade in — but they are still not as ubiquitous as e.g. bread and butter and so there is a plethora of one-eyed in the kingdom of the blind who make a living of informing “the masses” about the marvelous unknown land of crypto. Snake oil is pouring by the gallons and forming a very slippery slope.

We, the PoC Consortium, are a group of computer scientists, mathematicians, engineers and executives. Many of us are past their 30s or 40s, so we can add a little experience to our formal education.

Last August we decided to invest our knowledge, experience and time to further develop a crypto named Burstcoin into what we believe a global, and future-proof crypto should look like. Burstcoin was at the time in a bad shape and long story short, 10 months later Burstcoin is in an excellent shape and we’re working now towards its perfection.

There are of course other — formidable — development teams we highly respect and who we consider both skilled and versed. Other than that the crypto world as whole is full of young, enthusiastic and ultimately naïve people. No worries, we know we were naïve too. In the 90s, when e.g. Linux was a hype as crypto is today. Naivety passes in time and often the older ones help you to overcome it.

So let’s get to the topic of this post. The so called Crypto “Experts”. The one-eyed in the kingdom of the blind. It gets problematic when these people have aspirations to become influencers. There are way too many of them to name, you can find them on YouTube, Hackernoon, LinkedIn and of course even here on Medium.

One such guy is Josh Constine (and sorry Josh, but you asked for it) a young “technology journalist” with a Master’s degree in Cybersociology, examining the influence of technology on social interaction. Ok.

The PoC Consortium’s social interaction with Josh, Editor-at-Large at Techcrunch happened when we read up his article “Chia versus Bitcoin” — the usual pre-fabricated text how the vaporware Chia will save the world from the energy requirements of Bitcoin. While the topic of energy efficiency is a valid one, the claims of Chia aren’t. Also, for any respectable writer, one would assume him to do some research first and when it comes to Proof-of-Space (better: Proof-of-Capacity PoC, as PoS is taken by Proof-of-Stake already) and to find out there is already a PoC coin since 2014: Burstcoin

We tweeted Josh about being puzzled how he managed to write about Chia and its marvelous all-new Proof-of-Capacity proposal without mentioning Burstcoin.

And with this, the matter should have been put ad acta, Josh should have thought about his quality standards and we all would have enjoyed future more-quality articles. Unfortunately this is not what seems to have happened. It seems, Cybersociology went sideways, maybe writers vanity struck. So Josh formally accepted our suggestion and edited the text.

Now the fellow reader may excuse our overly use of screenshots, but it seems necessary to preserve content in this highly volatile and easy-to-delete digital world. Joshs modification was

And now it got really interesting, because what Josh did was not only an omission of facts, now he was right out spreading false facts a.k.a. FUD

The link leading to http://cryptoverse.wikia.com/wiki/Proof-of-capacitywhich mentions several cryptos allegedly using Proof of Capacity (among them the still nonexistent Chia) and mentions in the “Cons” to Proof-of-Capacity

And this is important to know, it’s mentioned there as a con to the whole “Proof-of-Capacity” concept, not specifically Burst. The rabbit hole goes deeper. As you can see [3][4] there are two links. These unfold to

showing a Bram Cohen (guy behind Chia) speaking. And (after some redirections)

The readers still with us, may observe “Proof of Stake FAQ” there. Nothing to do with Proof of Capacity.

Short break and recapitulation. Josh, Editor-at-large is pointed to the fact of having omitted mention of the Proof-of-Capacity coin — Burstcoin — and in some understandable, but still low, reaction of his “I’ll show you”, he adds that mention with “some developers [sic: plural] consider it [specifically] sustainable to grinding attacks”

Very low Josh and it will cost you a little of your reputation.

If anyone takes their time to actually look through that Video and even if one leaves aside the fact that theres “The Chia guy” speaking, one may find out he actually speaks of so-called nothing at stake problems. An inherent problem to Proof-Of-Stake.

If one was even deeper into the matter, which Josh clearly isn’t, one would have found the SpaceMint research paper which is one of the conceptual forefathers of Chia and which explicitly mentions Burstcoin not being susceptible to grinding attacks.

If one was even deeper into the matter, one would see a so-called “time-memory trade off” susceptibility of Burstcoin mentioned, which — hallelujah — has been taken care of in the last hard fork.

Executive Summary: Beware the one-eyed ones pissing snake oil in your eyes to keep you blind.

Reproduced with permission of the PoC Consortium. Originally published at www.medium.com

The post Can you Trust Crypto Journalists do to Their Due Diligence? The PoC Consortium Uncovers A Serious Problem appeared first on OzMedia.

May silver futures closed at $18.51 a troy ounce Thursday, its highest settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange since November.

Are precious metals about to take a huge jump after Easter in the wake of global uncertainty risks?

Gold also posted dramatic gains over the past five days. The June futures contract closed at $1,288.50 a troy ounce on Thursday, having gained 2.5% during the week.

The U.S. dollar pared losses on Thursday to finish flat at 100.55. The greenback suffered heavy losses earlier in the session after U.S. President Donald Trump talked down the currency by claiming it was “too strong.”

Trump’s actions over the past two weeks have caused market jitters to spike, triggering an exodus from U.S. stocks in favor of traditional safe havens. Earlier this month, the president ordered a strike on a Syrian airbase over accusations the government carried out a chemical attack on civilians.

Trump has also vowed to confront North Korea with or without China’s assistance. North Korea, a nuclear state, has promised brutal retaliation.

Trump’s actions over the past two weeks have caused market jitters to spike, triggering an exodus from U.S. stocks in favor of traditional safe havens. Earlier this month, the president ordered a strike on a Syrian airbase over accusations the government carried out a chemical attack on civilians.

Trump has also vowed to confront North Korea with or without China’s assistance. North Korea, a nuclear state, has promised brutal retaliation.

Comex Silver Futures (May 2017)

U..S. financial markets were closed for Good Friday, but government releases remained active. The Commerce Department reported Friday that retail sales declined unexpectedly in March, adding to concerns of a broad economic slowdown in the first quarter.

Receipts at retail stores declined 0.2% from February. So-called core sales were unchanged. Both figures came in below the consensus forecast.

Meanwhile, consumer prices declined 0.3% from February, as cost pressures cooled. In annualized terms, CPI inflation rose 2.4%, official data showed.

Read the full article at TheEconomicCalendar.com

The post Silver Demand Surges on Geopolitical Uncertainty appeared first on OzMedia.

The post Mastodon’s sudden popularity should serve as Twitter’s wakeup call (Engadget.com) appeared first on OzMedia.

Twitter’s life as a publicly listed company has been short, and bitter for the major part. The San Fransisco, California-based micro-blogging company listed at a market cap of nearly $25B, which was called expensive at the time of the IPO. Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR) immediately proved the naysayers wrong, gaining 60% in just 2 months following the IPO. However, the $39.3B valuation was the peak and the ride thereafter has pretty much been downhill. The Micro-blogging platform is today valued at a  market cap of $10.6B, down 58% from its listing valuation and 73% from the post-IPO peak. That’s been Twitter’s story, and it isn’t going to get better anytime soon. The future for TWTR stock looks just as bleak as the past, if not worse. Here is why we would be wary of buying into the micro-blogging platform even at these seemingly ‘cheap’ or ‘beaten-down’ prices.

The company has delivered little to justify valuations.

At the time of its listing, Twitter was valued at a whopping 44.8x its trailing twelve month (TTM) revenue of $534.5M, and the company has achieved little to justify those lofty valuations. Yes, the company has managed to grow its top line at a rate of 56% YoY, but that growth hasn’t dripped down to the bottom line. (Also, growth in recent quarters has dropped to single digits, which is worrisome.) Twitter continues to bleed money, with the company having reported a net loss of $456.9M in FY 2016. Not surprisingly, the TWTR PS ratio has dropped to sub-5 levels, with Twitter stock currently quoting at 4.14x its TTM sales. However, it is hard to justify even these valuations, given Twitter’s bleeding bottom line. The only time Twitter valuations look attractive is when you compare against Snapchat. And well, this isn’t saying much, given that Snapchat enjoys insane valuations which are far from sustainable. All in all, topline growth is the biggest positive Twitter has delivered in the three years since its IPO. Is that good enough? Well, not good enough to justify the lofty valuations.

The emergence of the biggest competitor.

The fundamentals of Twitter are just one-half of the story. And, while the micro-blogging platform has been taking steps to rectify the sorry state of the fundamentals, the story could have gotten just a bit more scary on another front: competition. In fact, the emergence of a new competitor could bring into question Twitter’s status as the number one micro-blogging network. Yes, you read that right. As per various news sources, Mastodon, a relatively new micro-blogging platform founded by 24-year-old Eugen Rochko, is the latest challenger to Twitter’s ‘cult status’ among micro-bloggers. And, people are starting to take notice. According to Jack Morse from Mashable, Mastodon is “an underdog with serious spunk.” Comparing the two networks, Morse writes that the increasingly popular social network delivers a Twitter-equivalent micro-blogging experience, but with better privacy controls.

Read the full story at AmigoBulls.com

The post Can Mastodon Bring Down Twitter? Maybe and Here’s How! appeared first on OzMedia.

Solingen, Germany – OZMEDIA (March 15, 2017) –Knife maker Sternsteiger Stahlwaren has come up with an amazing new concept alloy for their knives, that combine stainless steel and titanium. The knives have mirror-polished blade, which gives them  a unique appearance, thus improving their slicing and cutting ability and also greatly reducing friction.

The stainless steel knives come with a steel core and thin layer of titanium bonds, which makes the blades super strong.

The blades have a 58 Rockwell hardness without the coating of titanium and there is 61 Rockwell hardness with the added titanium layer. Sternsteiger Stahlwaren offers a full series of knives that comes in a blend of stainless steel and titanium.

The products come in “chef’s knife grade” with a hollow edge. Titanium has various powerful features, such as strength, resistance, flexibility and lightness.

Due to these features, the material is indispensable in the aerospace industry. Every Titanium knife boasts a full tang design. The steel core extends to the butt from the point, and it is constructed of a resistant, high wear Carbon Stainless Steel. A 0.1 micro m titanium layer coats the blade.

Titanium Knife Getting It’s Solinger Dünnschliff Finish

The Santoku blade has unique geometry and boasts of a cutting edge that is linear. The knife usually slices downwards and can rock the tip forward in order to make a cut. It can offer the best experience to customers, irrespective of the purpose it is being used for.

About Sternsteiger Stahlwaren

Sternsteiger Stahlwaren is a knife manufacturer that brings out first-class products coming with superior quality. The knives are a product of advanced research and can offer the best customer experience.

For further information and enquiries, visit the companies Kickstarter page at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/627780286/1649010971?token=1a5f060d

Contact

Sternsteiger Stahlwaren GmbH

Höhscheider Str. 7-21

42699 Solingen, Germany

Contact Person: Mr. Usmann Butt (Representative)

Phone no: 0049 2122 409 10 52

E-mail: info@sternsteiger.de

The post German Company Launches Titanium and Stainless Steel Revolutionary Knives appeared first on OzMedia.

We have obtained a list of more than 400 Trump administration hires, including dozens of lobbyists and some from far-right media.

A Trump campaign aide who argues that Democrats committed “ethnic cleansing” in a plot to “liquidate” the white working class. A former reality show contestant whose study of societal collapse inspired him to invent a bow-and-arrow-cum-survivalist multi-tool. A pair of healthcare industry lobbyists. A lobbyist for defense contractors. An “evangelist” and lobbyist for Palantir, the Silicon Valley company with close ties to intelligence agencies. And a New Hampshire Trump supporter who has only recently graduated from high school.These are some of the people the Trump administration has hired for positions across the federal government, according to documents received by ProPublica through public-records requests.

While President Trump has not moved to fill many jobs that require Senate confirmation, he has quietly installed hundreds of officials to serve as his eyes and ears at every major federal agency, from the Pentagon to the Department of Interior.

Storm Clouds Encoach the White House. Image Courtesy Tim Evanson

Unlike appointees exposed to the scrutiny of the Senate, members of these so-called “beachhead teams” have operated largely in the shadows, with the White House declining to publicly reveal their identities.

While some names have previously dribbled out in the press, we are publishing a list of more than 400 hires, providing the most complete accounting so far of who Trump has brought into the federal government.

The White House said in January that around 520 staffers were being hired for the beachhead teams.

The list we obtained includes obscure campaign staffers, contributors to Breitbart and others who have embraced conspiracy theories, as well as dozens of Washington insiders who could be reasonably characterized as part of the “swamp” Trump pledged to drain.

The list is striking for how many former lobbyists it contains: We found at least 36, spanning industries from health insurance and pharmaceuticals to construction, energy and finance. Many of them lobbied in the same areas that are regulated by the agencies they have now joined.

That figure is almost certainly an undercount since we only included those who formally registered as lobbyists, a process increasingly avoided by many in Washington.

During the campaign, Trump said he would have “no problem” banning lobbyists from his administration. But they have nonetheless ended up in senior roles, aided by Trump’s weakening of Obama-era ethics rules that modestly limited lobbyists’ role in government.

The White House didn’t respond to requests for comment.

There are many former congressional staffers, several top officials from the George W. Bush administration, and even a handful of holdovers from the Obama administration. The list also includes at least eight staffers drawn from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that forged close ties to the new administration during the transition.

Much about the role of the beachhead teams at various federal agencies is unclear. But close observers of the early weeks of the Trump administration believe they have taken on considerable influence in the absence of high-level political appointees.

“If the public and Senate is in the dark about a team created without a Senate confirmation process, no one will be permitted to shed light on who is hopelessly conflicted or who is obviously unqualified — and who is both,” said Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

The beachhead team members are temporary employees serving for stints of four to eight months, but many are expected to move into permanent jobs. The Trump administration’s model is based on plans developed but never used by the unsuccessful presidential campaign of Mitt Romney.

“The beachhead teams involve people with considerable authority over the federal government,” said Max Stier, the CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan group that advises presidential candidates on smooth transitions. “We need clarity about what they’re doing and what their role is going to be.”

The Obama administration also hired temporary staffers after the inauguration. But Trump has brought in many more, Stier said.

The new list of names was provided to us by the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources agency. We received additional names from other federal agencies in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. At least a few people on the list have changed agencies or left the administration, including, for example, the young Department of Housing and Urban Development staffer who was fired after his anti-Trump writings during the campaign came to light.

Here is a run-down of some of the Trump hires.

The Breitbart wing

Andrew Breitbart | Image : Gage Skidmore

Curtis Ellis was a columnist for WorldNetDaily, a website best known for its enthusiastic embrace of the false notion that President Obama was born outside the United States. A column headlined the “The Radical Left’s Ethnic Cleansing of America” won Ellis an admiring interview with Steve Bannon, now Trump’s top aide. He is a longtime critic of trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Ellis was hired Jan. 20 as a special assistant to the secretary at the Labor Department. Asked about his role in a brief phone interview Tuesday, he said: “Nothing I can tell you.”

Jon Perdue, a self-described guerrilla warfare expert and fellow at a little-known security think tank, wrote a book called “The War of All the People: The Nexus of Latin American Radicalism and Middle Eastern Terrorism.” He is also a onetime contributor to Breitbart.

Perdue was featured on CNBC’s reality series “Make Me a Millionaire Inventor” for his invention, the Packbow, which Perdue came up with while studying “collapsed societies, and what people who lived in those societies came up with to either defend themselves or to survive.” It’s a bow and arrow that doubles as a compass, tent pole, walking stick, spearfishing rig, and water purification tablet receptacle.

Perdue was hired as a special assistant at the Treasury Department. The agency didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

John Jaggers ran the Trump campaign in Maryland and Virginia, where he made headlines for endorsing the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton was “very, very sick and they’re covering it up.” As he put it last August: “The woman who seeks to be the first female president of the United States wears a wool coat at every single thing. Have you ever stopped to wonder why? It’s a big deal, folks.”

Jaggers was hired Jan. 20 as senior adviser at the General Services Administration, which oversees tens of billions of dollars of government procurement every year. But records show he left the job on March 3. He declined to comment.

Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services : Image Wikipedia

Swamp denizens, including health care lobbyists hired by HHS Secretary Tom Price

Alexandra Campau, hired at the department of Health and Human Services, was formerly a lobbyist in Washington for the law firm Cozen O’Connor. According to disclosure records, her firm’s clients included a licensee of insurance giant Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Fresenius Medical Care, a German company that specializes in medical supplies for renal dialysis.

Timothy Clark, a senior adviser to HHS Secretary Tom Price, ran his own political consulting firm in California. His past clients included PhRMA, the powerful trade group that represents the pharmaceutical industry.

Keagan Lenihan, also a senior adviser to Price, was a director of government relations at McKesson Specialty Health, a firm that supports independent health providers. Disclosure records show Lenihan directly lobbied HHS. For Lenihan, the new post represents a return trip through the revolving door between government and the private sector, and a reunion with an old boss. Before registering as a lobbyist, she was a senior legislative assistant for Price, when the now-HHS secretary was in Congress.

Asked about the three HHS staffers, an agency spokeswoman said: “We are not confirming or commenting on personnel at this time.”

Justin Mikolay, hired at the Department of Defense, was previously a registered lobbyist for Palantir. His title at the tech firm was “evangelist.” Mikolay lobbied for the “procurement/deployment of the Palantir Government software platform” throughout intelligence and defense agencies, according to disclosure records.

Mikolay was a speechwriter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta between 2011 and 2013, according to his LinkedIn profile. Mikolay also previously served as a speechwriter for current Secretary of Defense James Mattis. He declined to comment.

Chad Wolf, a Bush-era Transportation Security Administration official turned lobbyist, is currently serving as an adviser to the TSA at the Department of Homeland Security. His clients have included defense and homeland security contractors.

Reached Tuesday, Wolf declined to comment. George Rogers, CEO of Wolf’s lobbying firm, Wexler Walker, told ProPublica that Wolf is currently on unpaid leave.

As we’ve previously reported, lobbyists for the construction industry trade association and financial services firm TransAmerica are on the team at the Department of Labor.

Trump campaign vets — including very young ones

The list also includes what appear to be dozens of former Trump campaign staffers, including several who graduated from college last year. One, Danny Tiso at the Department of Labor, graduated from high school in 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile. He worked for the Trump campaign in New Hampshire.

Seth Harris, who was on the first Obama-Biden transition team and later became a top Labor Department official, said it’s not uncommon to bring in campaign staff to agencies — “as long as there are senior political people to direct the junior people.”

“This is how you incorporate the people who are your strongest supporters into the government,” he said. “There are plenty of junior jobs in the government that these people can do — public-affairs jobs, special assistant jobs.”

Reporting was contributed by Robert Faturechi, Jesse Eisinger, Alison Gregor, Jessica Huseman, Lauren Kirchner, Alec MacGillis, Clifford Michel, T. Christian Miller, Charles Ornstein, Andrew Revkin, Marcelo Rochabrun, Lisa Song and Annie Waldman.

If you have any information about members of the Trump beachhead teams or their roles in the agencies, contact us at beachhead@propublica.org or via Signal at (774)-826-6240. Here is a guide for how to leak to ProPublica.

The post Meet the Hundreds of Officials Trump Has Quietly Installed Across the Government appeared first on OzMedia.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Ultrasound Market – Forecast to 2021” report to their offering.

The ultrasound market is expected to reach USD 6.86 billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 5.2% during 2016-2021. North America and Europe held the largest share of the market in 2016; however, the Asia-Pacific region is poised to be the fastest growing region during the next five years owing to factors such as rising incidence of chronic and infectious diseases, increase in awareness related to advanced diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound, and continuously rising healthcare expenditure.

Market growth in the global market is mainly driven by factors such as technological advancements in ultrasound devices; prevalence of targeted diseases; preference for minimally invasive procedures; growing public-private investments, funding, & grants; rising and birth rate/fertility rate especially among emerging countries. In addition, emerging markets (such as China and India) are offering new growth opportunities for ultrasound market players.

The ultrasound market is fairly competitive, with a large number of global and local manufacturers of ultrasound products. General Electric Company (U.S.), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), and Toshiba Corporation (Japan) were the top three players in the market in 2015. Product launches, approvals, & product enhancements; agreements, partnerships, & collaborations; and geographic expansions were the major strategies adopted by most of the market players to achieve growth in the market during 2013-2016.

Companies Mentioned

• Analogic Corporation
• Esaote S.P.A.
• Fujifilm Holdings Corporation
• General Electric Company
• Hitachi Ltd.
• Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Mindray Medical International Ltd.
• Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Shimadzu Corporation
• Siemens AG
• Toshiba Corporation

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Industry Insights

7 Ultrasound Market, By Technology

8 Ultrasound Market, By Device Display

9 Ultrasound Market, By Device Portability

10 Ultrasound Market, By Application

11 Ultrasound Market, By End User

12 Ultrasound Market, By Region

13 Competitive Landscape

14 Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/kq2ml3/ultrasound_market

The post Global Ultrasound Market to Reach $6.86 Billion by 2021 – Increase in Awareness Related to Advanced Diagnostic & Therapeutic Ultrasound – Research and Markets appeared first on OzMedia.

 

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, will deliver a keynote address during CERAWeek 2017 by IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), March 6-10 at the Hilton Americas—Houston. www.ceraweek.com (Photo: Business Wire)

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, will deliver a keynote address at CERAWeek 2017 by IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), March 6-10 at the Hilton Americas—Houston. Mr. Trudeau will participate in a special plenary dialogue with Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit and conference chair Thursday, March 9. He will also receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award in recognition of his commitment to sustainability in energy and the environment. 

CERAWeek is the premier annual international gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, leaders from the environmental, technology, financial and industrial communities – and energy technology innovators.

“We are pleased to warmly welcome Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, to CERAWeek 2017,” Dr. Yergin said. “In addition to being each other’s largest trade partners, Canada and the United States are the world’s largest integrated energy market—with Canada playing a critical role in strengthening North American energy security. We look forward to his perspectives on this relationship and are pleased to honor him with the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award for his commitment to expanding Canada’s leadership role in the sustainable development of its natural resources to help to meet the world’s future energy needs.”

CERAWeek 2017: Pace of Change: Building a New Energy Future will focus on the changing market at a time of turbulence and uncertainty. The program will examine new forces at work; explore the strategies to meet competitive dynamics and the impact of technology, government policies and the global economy. Nearly 3,000 delegates from more than 60 countries are expected to attend this year’s conference.

CERAWeek 2017 will feature more than 350 speakers including:

• H.E. Khalid A Al-Falih, minister of energy, industry and mineral resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, chairman of the board, Saudi Aramco
• H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, secretary general, OPEC
• Fatih Birol, executive director, International Energy Agency
• Energy ministers from more than 12 countries
• CEOs from more than 20 oil and gas companies
• CEOs from more than 15 power and renewable companies
• CEOs from more than 15 global technology companies
• CEOs and senior leaders from more than 15 financial companies
• 3 United States Senators

Visit www.ceraweek.com for a complete and up-to-date list of speakers and program information.

Key themes to be explored at CERAWeek 2017 will include:

• Oil industry in transition: Where are we in the cycle? What lies ahead for industry structure and strategy?
• U.S. energy policy in the Trump era: New directions
• Climate policy, environmental policy, and sustainability
• Energy security and competitiveness
• Scaling innovation: Pace and impact of new technologies, digitalization, robotics, big-data, mobility/transportation, internet of things
• Future of the upstream business: supply, costs and industry structure
• Electric power: What are the future fuel choices for generation (coal, gas, and role of renewables), market design and new business models such as centralized vs. distributed generation?
• Natural gas: Regional imbalances and their impacts on global gas markets and strategy
• Autos and oil: the changing face of demand

Registration Information

CERAWeek 2017 will be held March 6-10 at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston, Texas. Further information and delegate registration is available at www.ceraweek.com.

Media Accreditation

Media registration is now open. Members of the media interested in covering CERAWeek 2017 are required to apply for accreditation. Applications can be submitted via the following link: http://on.ihs.com/cwmediareg17

About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)

IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions.

IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2017 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved. First published by BusinessWire

The post The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, Will Deliver Keynote Remarks at CERAWeek 2017 by IHS Markit appeared first on OzMedia.

Consumers have a wider range of options for healthy foods and dietary products, making healthy eating more convenient and affordable, increasing the number of products on the market that contain lecithin. The most popular form of lecithin is soy lecithin, which is used as a food additive and an emulsifier in a large number of healthy food products. According to Infiniti Research, the market for soy lecithin and other soy products will be worth approximately USD 17 billion by the end of 2019. The market for other types of lecithin is also expected to see an increase in value in the near future.

Infiniti Research helps companies identify future market opportunities. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Lecithin refers to groups of certain fatty substances that occur naturally within plant and animal tissues. The most commonly used form of lecithin in food products currently is soy lecithin, which is derived from soybeans. Lecithin acts as an inexpensive and natural emulsifier that is added to keep products from separating. Soy lecithin is an ideal emulsifier additive due to its low price as well as the fact that most people with soy allergies will not be sensitive to it.

Healthy diets and healthy living have grown in popularity around the world in recent years. Health awareness campaigns and initiatives to combat obesity are largely responsible for this, especially in countries like the US and Canada. In the US, according to the CDC, more than one third of adults are obese; this makes the US the 12^th most obese nation in the world. Concerns about obesity and associated health conditions have led to a rise in the availability and promotion of healthy diets and lifestyles, and have increased the consumption of products containing soy lecithin and other forms of lecithin due to its health benefits and the fact that it is considered to be a natural additive.

Though soy lecithin can be found in a wide variety of different types of foods, its purpose is best served in health foods, including products like protein bars and natural peanut butter. Soy lecithin has a positive impact on a person’s overall health; it can aid in healthy and natural weight loss, lowers cholesterol, and can help improve brain and cognitive function. Soy lecithin and other types of lecithin are overall healthier than other types of additives and emulsifiers like carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80.

Due to the wide variety of food applications that lecithin has, as well as the number of different types of lecithin that are in use and available, market research is essential to determine what types of lecithin are popular in certain industries and with particular consumer and product bases, as well as the changing prices and health-related factors of food additives and products. Lecithin also has applications in paints and coatings and other non-food industries, so vendors and manufacturers must be up to date on the latest advancements in the use of lecithin in order to remain competitive and seize business opportunities.

Infiniti Research was recently tasked with assessing major market dynamics, supply and demand outlooks, and supplier profiles for lecithin specific to food and industrial applications for a world leading food, commodity, and agribusiness company. In 14 weeks the client saw clear benefits not only in terms of revenue impact but also in terms of the additional insights that were offered to help them understand the market space better and access to information that would help them identify lucrative market opportunities in the near future.

Have questions about this study? Request more information on this report

Infiniti Research offers expert market intelligence covering 100 countries in over 30 languages, providing actionable insights to help you to determine what market is best for your products and how best to target specific consumer groups in different regions and industries. Infiniti’s specialized research analysts have completed thousands of successful projects for Fortune 500 companies, including leading suppliers and vendors in the food and beverage industry.

How can Infiniti Research help you? Request a brochure

About Infiniti Research

Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies.

With 13 years of experience and offices across three continents, Infiniti Research has been instrumental in providing a complete range of competitive intelligence, strategy, and research services for over 550 companies across the globe.

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