At the end of the month, Chinese stocks rallied and closed higher on Friday. Despite this, Shanghai Composite Index suffered its biggest monthly fall in the past seven years. The Chinese benchmark index Shanghai Composite tumbled 22.6 percent in January and this is the biggest monthly fall since October 2008. Chinese currency Yuan was marginally moved up against the US dollar on support extended by People's Bank of China (PBOC).
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Zika and Other Mosquito Borne Diseases’ Spreading May Turn Vigorous With Climate Changes
Zika has appeared as a nightmare to many Latin American countries. The number of Zika infected has reached 4 million landmarks since reporting of the first case just eight months earlier. Absence of proper vaccine has made the situation much more terrible. Recently, scientists have escalated the fears revealing climate change may also contribute to the spread of Zika and other mosquito borne diseases.
Apple Acquires Flyby Media, Possibly Aims To Develop iPhone Headsets Capable of Analyzing Human Motion
Apple has been used to acquire smaller technology enterprises occasionally and is reluctant to discussing its policy or plan. This has been referred as the Apple’s usual nod for purchasing any company by the analysts. Thus the analysts confirm Apple’s Flyby Media acquisition and predict developing of iPhone headsets capable of tracking subject’s motion.
Facebook Prohibits Unlicensed Private Gun Sales On Its Sites And Instagram, Warns For Compliance With Local Regulations
Facebook users will soon be prohibited from coordinating private firearm sales using its platform and also through Instagram. The step evokes strict policies on regulating promotional posts on unlicensed gun businesses . The new rule is only applicable for person-to-person firearm sales, licensed gun dealers will be permitted to use the social network.
SARB Increases Benchmark Rates, Commercial Banks Follow Trait, Job Cutting Feared
South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has announced increasing key interest rates by fifty basis points to 6.75% on Thursday. It has also slashed down growth forecast to 0.9%. SARB has increased the interest rates for the second time with an interval of weeks. However, the rate hike will influence the Banks’ expenses and banking industry may witness job cutting as cost minimization effort.
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Amazon has become inspired by Prime’s offers for free delivery within two days against online purchases for more than $100. Instead of spending more for shipping, Amazon is slowly approaching towards own delivery system through purchasing trucks and building own warehouses. These efforts have engaged current assets and narrow down fourth quarter profit. But 26% rise in yearly sales indicates a very different outlook.
BugSec and Cynet, two computer security companies have identified a security loophole in LG’s G3 smart phones. A built in app in G3 smart phones, naming Smart Notice, has enabled hackers to use the loophole to steal data. Upon information and following demonstrations from the researchers, LG has released a new version of Smart Notice containing a patch and urges users to run the new app ASAP.
California becomes the pioneer state with new LED standards in place. The new regulation replaces the old traditional directional bulbs with the more expensive but energy-efficient LED ones. While more expensive, California Energy Commission promises huge benefits in terms of a bulb's longevity and, more importantly, electric bills.
Reddit has initiated testing the official Android app on Thursday after releasing the beta version on December. Volunteers taking part in the previous test also remain as the first opportunists to test the official version. The official version is expected to override the hiccups existed in the third party application. The CEO of Reddit has hinted for going through massive modernization processes throughout 2016.
Fitness trainer and guru overcharge numerous die hard fitness fans for using the app. Fans become furious over high prices and horrendous cancellation process.
The Safari fault which has affected a range of Apple devices has been fixed. The fault was related to Apple's Safari Suggestions feature. Simply disabling this feature will stop Safari crashing says iOS developers.
Apple announced a recall of wall plug adapters warning the risk of electric shock. The recall applied to those adaptors used in Australia, New Zealand, Continental Europe, Korea, Argentina and Brazil.
South American nation Venezuela is suffering from gasoline smuggling to neighboring nations. Gasoline is heavily subsidized in Venezuela. The cheaper gasoline smuggling has become a major revenue source in the crisis-hit Venezuelan economy. Venezuela's President has deployed soldiers in large number to keep constant vigil on its borders. Venezuela is losing foreign exchange revenue in US dollars because of smuggling of gasoline.
Global investors are withdrawing from Russian stock markets as volatility is high in equities and currency Ruble. The continuous drop in oil price is impacting the Russian economy much as it's the main revenue source for the country. The gap between onshore and offshore traded equities is narrowing down as foreign investors are selling off.
