Industry Update

Deutsche Bank AG and Commerzbank AG are poised to formally announce the start of exploratory merger talks after the German government signaled it will allow job and cost cuts, according to people familiar with the matter. The boards of both companies are planning to meet separately on Sunday to approve the beginning of discussions and an announcement could be made shortly after, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. The banks have not made a final decision on entering negotiations and any talks may not lead to an agreed deal, the people said.

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-17/deutsche-bank-commerzbank-said-poised-to-announce-merger-talks?srnd=premium-middle-east

Amazon last week launched an exclusive line of beauty products, including face masks and makeup removing wipes. The line, which is known as Fast Beauty Company, is reportedly the first beauty brand to hit the marketplace from Amazon’s brand accelerator program, which helps founders create private label brands to be sold exclusively on its marketplace. That’s different than Amazon-owned brands, such as its Presto toilet

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/13/amazon-just-launched-a-beauty-line-founded-by-latvian-models.html

Reddit raises $300 million at a $3 billion valuation. Investors include Tencent, Sequoia, Fidelity and Andreessen Horowitz. CEO Steve Huffman says the company will use the investment to improve Reddit’s website and work to take digital ad market share away from Facebook and Google.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/reddit-raises-300-million-at-3-billion-valuation.html

The longest bull market in American history was dealt a scary brush with death late last year. But it survived, narrowly, and it's now been alive for a decade. The S&P 500 has more than quadrupled from its devil's bottom of 666 in March 2009. The Dow has spiked nearly 19,000 points, or almost 300%. And the Nasdaq has skyrocketed just under 500%. The remarkable bull market reflects the slow-but-steady recovery in the economy, record corporate profits and ridiculously easy money from global central bankers. Extremely low interest rates and massive central bank balance sheets left investors hoping to generate decent returns with little choice but to gamble on risky stocks.

Source: Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/09/investing/bull-market-stocks-10-years-old/index.html

Saudi Arabia-based Alkhabeer Capital has acquired a 100 percent equity school in Dubai-based Capital School and Khobar-based Azezeyah private school, the company announced on Sunday 10, March, 2019. Additionally, AlKhabeer has acquired a 90 percent stake in the Riyadh-based Tanmiyah Company. All the investments were completed through Alkhabeer’s Education Private Equity Fund II and Alkhabeer Education Private Equity III, both of which were launched in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Source: https://www.arabianbusiness.com/education/415026-saudi-arabias-alkhabeer-acquires-stakes-in-uae-saudi-schools

In a city obsessed with machine learning, one of the hottest companies in Pittsburgh is making humans Smarter. That Company is Duolingo, which offers online instruction in more than 30 languages, delivered as bite-size lessons in game formats. The business--with 2018 revenue of $40 million and a valuation of $700 million--makes money from advertising and some paid services. That model works because of Duolingo's outsize reach. After being named Apple's free iPhone app of the year in 2013, it has amassed more than 300 million users, becoming the world's most downloaded education app with zero advertising. It has done so by being free, fun, and effective.

Source: https://www.inc.com/leigh-buchanan/duolingo-700-million-language-learning-startup-pittsburgh-2018-surge-cities.html

Premium smartphones that run on a 5G network are expected to hit the market in April, a few weeks later than their original release schedule, due to problems with parts supply and test runs, industry sources have said. Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to release its 5G version of the Galaxy S10 either early next month or in mid-April, with LG Electronics Inc also forecast to sell the V50 ThinQ that supports 5G networks around mid-April, according to the sources, yonhap news agency reported late on Monday.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/5g-smartphones-likely-to-hit-market-in-april/articleshow/68273307.cms?utm_source=contentofinteres

Dubai-based Trustworthy.ae Group on Monday said work has begun on building an inland container depot (ICD) and a third-party logistics (3PL) facility in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) in Abu Dhabi. Mobilization work on the facilities will begin this month with the ICD becoming operational in June 2019. Spread over a built-up area of 40,000 square meters along with 25,000 sqm of open yard for storage area, the 3PL facility will be ready for business by the first quarter of 2020.

Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/dubai-firm-to-set-up-depot-logistics-facilities-in-kizad

Chicago-based third-party logistics provider SEKO Logistics has launched a new OmniReturns service that improves cost and visibility for online etailers and retailers and aims to encourage satisfied consumers to buy again. SEKO Omni-Channel Logistics is reinventing and simplifying the product returns process for retailers, etailers, and consumers globally by combining best-in-class logistics and carrier processes with award-winning in-house technology designed to reduce costs, provide end-to-end shipment visibility, and the best possible customer experience.

Source: https://www.supplychain247.com/article/simplifying_product_returns_using_seko_omnireturns/seko_logistics