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Despite earnings beats, expectations dim for later quarters
2015-04-23 19:32:12| IT Services - Topix.net
Most U.S. companies so far this earnings season have managed to beat Wall Street profit forecasts despite weak sales, but investors hoping corporate headwinds have died down may need to temper their enthusiasm. Of the 169 Standard & Poor's 500 companies that have reported so far, 71 percent beat earnings estimates, many of which were modest to begin with, Thomson Reuters data showed.
Tags: later
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The Future of Colas Looks Dim
2015-03-25 20:19:00| Food Processing
America's bad aftertaste from carbonated soft drinks is getting worse. In fact, demand for carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) is fizzling to such a large degree, will it be difficult one day to find them on store shelves? It may not yet be that CSDs are they going the way of the cassette tape and VCR, at least, not right now, but consumer preferences are changing quickly. The lackluster sales of CSDs can be attributed to several things, especially health concerns and what's known as carbonation fatigue, and no longer find them fun to drink. Accourding to a recent Euromonitor.com report, concerns over obesity rates and diabetes in the U.S. have nudged some consumers away from sodas, because of the negativity surrounding their use of artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and the push to reduce sugar intake and improve health and wellness. Government actions attempting to restrict the sale of such soft drinks don't help either. When big cities like New York try to pass ordinances banning the sale of full-flavored soft drinks in sizes larger than 16 oz by street vendors, restaurants, movie theaters and sports venues, as well as low-calorie carbonated beverage's weaker performance in 2013 than the review period average. Off-trade value sales dropped by just under 2 percent in 2013, Euromonitor's report states, in contrast to a negative compund annual growth rate (CAGR) of just 0.4 percent over the review period. Long-term forecasts for CSD sales remain equally bleak, as consumers are becoming more educated about what they eat and drink. Companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are answering the call for development of and investment in noncarbonated beverage products, which can be formulated perhaps with cleaner labels. Already Coca-Cola says it will be expanding its reduced-calorie beverage line with its new Coca-Cola Life beverage, a lower-calorie entry sweetened with cane sugar and stevia extract. No doubt, other CSD beverage marketers are doing the same. The Food Leaders Summit, April 27-29 at Chicago's Westin River North, will examine such issues with conference presentations including as Beyond Clean Labels by Janet Carver, Culinology Group Manager at Ingredion, who notes consumers are looking more closely than ever at product ingredents such as those in CSDs, and nutritional information on food containers. This is fueling the movement to clean label ingredient and product development. Carver will also look at proactive and defensive labeling strategies and the long-term trends facing small and big food and beverage formulators and processors. In fact, many legacy food and beverage brands will see anemic sales volume increases, because population growth is no longer a guarantee for top-line revenue growth. These brands will need to accommodate changing consumer health issues and demands for healthier more nutritional products. John Grubb of Sterling Rice Group will examine such consumer shifts and innovations reshaping the food industry in a general session at the Food Leaders Summit on Seams of Disruption. He affirms that large legacy CPG brands are seeing single-digit declines, shifts in market share and demand and other unique challenges, forcing CPGs to cut costs nationally and globally. Grubb will examine several macro forces stimulating change in the food world all across the supply chain, from the foodservice sector and retail grocery to the growers and manufacturers. Hear from Carver, Grubb and other speakers at The Food Leaders Summit 2015 next month. To register, visit www.thefoodleaderssumit.com.
Will Natural Gas Dim Solars Shine?
2015-03-14 14:01:00| Climate Ark Climate Change & Global Warming Newsfeed
Climate Central: On the outskirts of downtown St. Paul, Minn., Xcel Energy's High Bridge Generating Station offers an iconic view of the current state of electrical generation in the United States. Opened in 2008 as a replacement for an aging coal plant, the 534-megawatt natural gas facility looms over three solar photovoltaic panels that provide a sculptural element to the site in addition to 9.8 kilowatts of electricity. Both natural gas and PV have compelling attributes in an age where concerns over climate...
Will New Obstacles Dim Hawaiis Solar Power Surge?
2015-02-16 16:02:00| Climate Ark Climate Change & Global Warming Newsfeed
Yale Environment 360: Honolulus roofscape is being repainted in blue-black. From the flattop warehouses of Sand Island to the citys residential neighborhoods, shiny rectangles spreading across roofing tiles are collecting the tropical sun and powering houses. It would seem like a no-brainer for sunny Hawaii, but its just since 2007 that a combination of government and utility incentives and the right economics have ushered in a real solar boom, with capacity roughly doubling each year. Today, Hawaii leads the nation...
Settlement prospects dim in Monsanto lawsuits
2015-01-06 13:30:36| Chemicals - Topix.net
No agreement has been reached yet on the settlement of remaining claims in lawsuits over the May 2013 discovery of genetically engineered Monsanto wheat in an Oregon field. A joint status report filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas says the parties have been exchanging settlement offers and that the last offer from non-soft white wheat plaintiffs is under consideration by St. Louis-based Monsanto Co.
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