November 10, 2022 – Madagascar Newswire

November 10, 2022November 11, 2022

US Says Consumer Price Inflation Eased in October

Consumer price increases are beginning to ease in the U.S., not rapidly, but at a slower pace than the four-decade-high inflation boost in June.

The government’s Labor Department said Thursday that consumer prices increased at a 7.7% pace in October from the year before, down from the 8.2% annualized rate in September. On a monthly basis, prices increased four-tenths of a percentage point between September and October, matching the previous month.

The latest Consumer Price Index figure is still troubling for many U.S. shoppers facing higher prices at grocery and retail stores, as well for businesses needing supplies and raw materials for their operations. But it is lower than June’s 9.1% inflation rate that was the highest since the 1980s.

Nonetheless, inflation increases seem to have plateaued at an abnormally high level since spring 2022, with one month’s increase adding to earlier price hikes.

Policy makers at the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, have rapidly increased their benchmark interest rate this year, which influences consumer borrowing rates, in hopes it will curb consumer spending. But to date the effect of the interest boosts has been minimal.Further interest rate increases could be in the offing in the coming weeks, but some analysts fear that could push the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, into a recession.

Nearly a third of voters answering exit polls after they cast ballots in Tuesday’s nationwide congressional elections said inflation was their top concern, an issue that topped all others in the campaigns, including worries over abortion rights, crime and immigration.

Republican candidates throughout the country widely blamed Democratic President Joe Biden and his party’s candidates for the price hikes. While the cost of shopping no doubt played a role in the election, control of Congress remained in limbo Thursday, with Republicans edging toward a majority in the House of Representatives, but Senate control in doubt with undecided contests in three states.

In a statement, President Biden said the new inflation report “shows that we are making progress on bringing inflation down, without giving up all of the progress we have made on economic growth and job creation.”

But he acknowledged, “It will take time to get inflation back to normal levels—and we could see setbacks along the way—but we will keep at it and help families with the cost of living.”

Source: Voice of America

November 10, 2022November 11, 2022

Wall Street Surges in Inflation News; Best Day Since April 2020

Wall Street surged to its best day since April 2020 as markets cheered a government report that inflation cooled more than expected last month.

The S&P 500 jumped 5.5% Thursday, and the Dow rose nearly 1,200 points as traders took the data as a sign the worst of inflation may have passed.

Treasury yields fell dramatically as bond markets relaxed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which helps set rates for mortgages and other loans, fell to 3.85% from 4.10% late Wednesday, which is a major move for the bond market. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, dropped to 4.32% from 4.58%.

Even bitcoin rose on hopes a slowdown in inflation could mean the Federal Reserve won’t have to be so aggressive about raising interest rates. Such hikes have been the main reason for Wall Street’s troubles this year and are threatening a recession.

All the action stemmed from a U.S. government report showing that inflation slowed in October for a fourth straight month since hitting a peak of 9.1% in June. The reading of 7.7% was better than the 8% economists were expecting.

Perhaps more importantly, inflation also slowed more than expected after ignoring the effects of food and energy prices. That’s the measure the Fed pays closer attention to. So did inflation between September and October.

“The month-on-month rate of inflation is much more informative,” said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Allspring Global Investments. “On that measure, inflation is still high, but not scary high.”

Slower inflation could keep the Fed off the most aggressive path in raising interest rates. It’s already raised its key rate to a range of 3.75% to 4%, up from virtually zero in March.

By raising rates, the Fed is intentionally trying to slow the economy and jobs market in hopes of undercutting inflation, which hit a four-decade high in the summer. The risk is that it can create a recession if it goes too far, and higher rates drag on prices for stocks and other investments in the meantime.

Higher interest rates have particularly hit high-growth tech stocks, cryptocurrencies and other investments seen as the riskiest or most expensive.

Big Tech stocks were some of the most buoyant forces on Wall Street following the inflation report. Apple and Microsoft both rose 6.8%, while Amazon soared 11.7%.

Tesla also rose nearly 6%, though it remains down by roughly half since CEO Elon Musk announced in April that he was Twitter’s largest shareholder. Investors fled the electric vehicle maker on fears Musk would be distracted by Twitter, and he has sold more than $19 billion in Tesla stock since then.

Slower inflation could get the Federal Reserve to downshift the size of its rate hikes at its next policy meeting in December, after it pushed through four straight increases of 0.75 percentage points. That could open the way for the Fed to return to the more typical increases of 0.25 percentage points before pausing hikes completely.

While Thursday’s report on inflation was encouraging, analysts cautioned the Fed’s campaign against high inflation is likely still far from over. Inflation data has given false hope before, only to reaccelerate again.

“The Fed was adamant that it won’t hit the brakes on rate hikes until inflation slows, and while the market’s rally indicates investors may see light at the end of the tunnel, it will get one more reading before its decision next month,” said Mike Loewengart, head of model portfolio construction at Morgan Stanley Global Investment Office. “Remember that even as we see a slowdown, prices remain elevated and have a long way to go before normalizing.”

Another potentially market-shaking report will hit Wall Street Friday, when the latest reading arrives on how much inflation U.S. households see coming in future years. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said he’s paying particularly close attention to such expectations.

Source: Voice of America

November 10, 2022

Sungrow Will Supply Africa’s Largest Private IPP PV Project of SOLA Group with the 1+X Modular Inverter Solution

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Sungrow, the global leading inverter and energy storage solution supplier for renewables, and SOLA Group, a leading independent power producer in South Africa, signed a PV inverter supply contract for Africa’s Largest Private IPP PV Project of 256MWp. This project will power 5 facilities of Tronox, the world’s leading integrated manufacturer of titanium dioxide pigment, through the wheeling agreements with Eskom.

Sungrow Signs Inverter Supply Contract with SOLA Group for 256MWp Tronox Project

This is the first private IPP PV project of the SOLA Group, and it requires high-quality products and a cooperative team to make sure its smooth delivery. Sungrow provides the new-generation 1+X modular inverters, an innovation combining the advantages of both central and string inverters, thus bringing a more flexible design for different block sizes and making the on-site O&M easier. More importantly, the 1+X modular inverter is also equipped with intelligent string-level diagnosis to improve the power yield and real-time parallel arc detection to further protect system safety. Therefore, these advantages help lower the overall OPEX. As SOLA Group is a local IPP in South Africa, it also emphasizes localized efforts and contributions. Sungrow owns a branch in South Africa with local technical engineers and a service team, which provides dedicated and constructive onsite cooperation for the SOLA Group.

When this project is fully implemented by 2023, it will generate 540 GWh of clean electricity per year and greatly reduce Tronox’s carbon footprint across its production chain. This large-scale utility project can bring considerable clean power generation capacity, thus contributing to filling the current electricity gap in South Africa and quickening its pace of energy transition and modernization.

“This 256MWp Solar Project is the largest as well as the first of this scale in South Africa. SOLA Group as the project IPP takes serious consideration in selecting our suppliers. Sungrow’s industry-leading modular inverter solutions, profound experience in solar projects and dedicated local team make it stand out. We firmly believe through productive cooperation, SOLA Group and Sungrow will successfully deliver this milestone project and add value to South African Solar PV Market”, said Ian Burger the Chief Technical Officer.

“We are honoured to be selected as the inverter supplier for this milestone project and to enable our valued customers to use clean electricity for self-usage. We will make sure of its smooth delivery with reliable solutions and dedicated local service. As South Africa’s utility market is quickly developing, Sungrow looks forward to cooperating with more distinguished partners like SOLA group to seize upcoming opportunities and contribute jointly to South Africa’s energy transition”, said Phyllis Yang, Director of Sungrow Southern Africa region.

About the SOLA Group

The SOLA Group is a vertically-integrated provider of renewable energy solutions, aiming to transform Africa through clean energy. With over 13 years of experience, SOLA’s expertise lies in the origination, development, financing, engineering design, project management and Operations and Maintenance of renewable energy facilities.

More information at https://solagroup.co.za/

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. (“Sungrow”) is the world’s most bankable inverter brand with over 269 GW installed worldwide as of June 2022. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions, NEV driving solutions, EV charging solutions and renewable hydrogen production systems. With a strong 25-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power over 150 countries worldwide. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting: www.sungrowpower.com

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November 10, 2022

Zoomtopia 2022 : de nouvelles innovations en faveur des expériences de travail modernes

Intégration de Zoom Mail et Calendar (bêta) à la plateforme de communication Zoom étendue
Zoom Spots fournira des espaces de collaboration virtuels permanents pour favoriser la connexion et la coopération des employés
Les nouvelles innovations comprennent également des fonctionnalités d’IA conversationnelle dans Contact Center, des avantages supplémentaires pour les développeurs et bien plus encore
Zoomtopia est proposé pour la première fois sous la forme d’une expérience hybride grâce à Zoom Events

SAN JOSÉ, Californie, 09 nov. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ : ZM) a lancé aujourd’hui Zoomtopia 2022, l’événement annuel de la société visant à dévoiler les nouvelles innovations pour optimiser les expériences de travail modernes et célébrer l’avenir de la communication et de la collaboration. Pour la toute première fois, Zoomtopia 2022 est une expérience hybride alimentée par Zoom Events, la solution de gestion d’événements virtuels tout-en-un de Zoom.

« Alors que les organisations mondiales s’adaptent à la manière, au moment et à l’endroit où le travail se déroule, il est crucial que la connexion humaine demeure une priorité absolue pour faire progresser les stratégies commerciales », a déclaré Eric S. Yuan, PDG de Zoom. « Zoom est spécialement conçu pour rendre toutes sortes de connexions possibles, efficaces et significatives. Notre équipe a construit et lancé plus de 1 500 fonctionnalités et améliorations sur la plateforme Zoom cette année, faisant progresser la façon dont les gens se connectent les uns avec les autres, leur organisation et leurs clients, ouvrant ainsi les portes de la créativité et de la collaboration. »

« Il n’y a jamais eu plus d’incertitudes concernant l’avenir du travail qu’aujourd’hui. Le travail depuis n’importe où, les bureaux hybrides et d’autres tendances ont créé un ensemble complexe de questions auxquelles les entreprises et les dirigeants informatiques doivent répondre. Quel que soit le résultat, une chose est certaine, à savoir que les outils de collaboration seront essentiels pour que les travailleurs demeurent connectés », a déclaré Zeus Kerravala, analyste principal chez ZK Research. « Zoom a rapidement évolué, passant d’une entreprise de réunions de niche à une vaste plateforme de collaboration qui offre une expérience client et employé sans égale, et aide les organisations à répondre aux besoins actuels et futurs du travail. »

« Notre équipe se connecte et collabore sur Zoom, ce qui nous permet de travailler ensemble en toute transparence, où que nous soyons, afin de continuer à fournir du contenu de classe mondiale provenant de nos marques emblématiques telles que HBO, Warner Bros., CNN, et Food Network et concernant des personnages adorés comme Batman, Superman, les Looney Tunes et Harry Potter », a déclaré Dave Duvall, DSI – Technologie et Opérations, Warner Bros. Discovery. « Nous avons pu évoluer avec Zoom, en particulier au-delà des réunions, avec des produits tels que Zoom Phone, Zoom Rooms et Zoom Team Chat. L’ensemble de la plateforme a vraiment élargi nos capacités à collaborer et à rester connectés au sein de l’organisation. »

Annonce des innovations de la plateforme Zoom lors de Zoomtopia
Afin de faire progresser la prochaine ère des communications, Zoom a dévoilé plusieurs nouvelles offres visant à renforcer les capacités des entreprises et des individus.

Voici quelques-unes des dernières annonces :

Zoom Mail et Calendar (bêta) : Avec les clients Zoom Mail et Calendar, les utilisateurs n’ont plus besoin de quitter la plateforme Zoom pour accéder à leur messagerie et à leur calendrier. Les services de messagerie et de calendrier populaires seront intégrés directement dans Zoom, ce qui signifie que les utilisateurs pourront rapidement accéder à leurs communications et à leur planification, et accomplir leur travail plus efficacement. Pour les entreprises qui ne disposent peut-être pas de services informatiques dédiés mais qui se concentrent sur la confidentialité et la sécurité, Zoom a également déployé des options de service de messagerie et de calendrier hébergées par Zoom, également directement intégrées à la plateforme Zoom. Zoom Mail Service est crypté de bout en bout pour les e-mails envoyés directement entre les utilisateurs actifs de Zoom Mail Service. Les clients ainsi que les services Zoom Mail et Calendar seront lancés en version bêta.
Zoom Spots : Bienvenue dans l’espace de collaboration virtuel de Zoom ! Avec un lancement prévu pour le début de l’année 2023, Zoom Spots est un espace permanent équipé de la vidéo, intégré à la plateforme Zoom, pour contribuer à encourager des discussions inclusives, maintenir les collègues connectés et apporter les interactions fluides du travail en personne aux équipes hybrides distribuées tout au long de leur journée.
Zoom Virtual Agent : Zoom Virtual Agent est une solution d’IA conversationnelle intelligente et de chatbot qui utilise le traitement du langage naturel et l’apprentissage automatique pour comprendre et résoudre rapidement les problèmes des clients. Zoom Virtual Agent fonctionne 24 heures sur 24 sur plusieurs canaux de support afin de fournir une expérience client rapide et personnalisée, réduire le volume des appels aux agents humains et générer une efficacité opérationnelle importante pour les entreprises. Zoom Virtual Agent, dont le lancement est prévu pour le début de l’année 2023, pourra être entièrement intégré à Zoom Contact Center et sera également proposé en tant que solution de chatbot autonome.
Une collaboration continue sur Zoom One : Les flux de travail connectés sur Zoom One, l’offre de communication et de collaboration tout-en-un qui regroupe Team Chat, Phone, Whiteboard, Meetings et plus encore, permettent aux individus et aux équipes de réaliser le meilleur travail possible. Parmi ces nouvelles capacités figure l’intégration entre Team Chat et In-Meeting Chat, créant une fonctionnalité permanente permettant aux utilisateurs de circuler entre Team Chat et Meetings afin de réduire les silos, de maintenir les projets en mouvement et de poursuivre la conversation après les réunions.
Zoom IQ Virtual Coach : Bientôt disponible dans le cadre de Zoom IQ for Sales, Zoom IQ Virtual Coach simule une variété de situations de vente afin d’offrir aux vendeurs un environnement de pratique pour affiner leur argumentaire, obtenir des retours et recevoir des conseils de contenu en temps réel lors d’appels avec des prospects.

Découvrez-en davantage sur ces innovations et d’autres nouvelles fonctionnalités de travail hybride.

Une conception faite pour connecter et étendre la valeur de Zoom
Les développeurs ont la possibilité d’utiliser les API, les SDK, les outils et les ressources de Zoom pour créer des applications et des intégrations avec Zoom ou d’utiliser la technologie de base de Zoom afin d’étayer des solutions vidéo innovantes pour tous les cas d’utilisation.

Les développeurs peuvent en faire plus sur Zoom grâce à :

Des améliorations de la Zoom Developer Platform : Il sera bientôt plus facile pour les développeurs de provisionner et de gérer les applications qui fonctionnent avec Zoom en activant les applications installées autorisées par l’administrateur. Cela permettra aux administrateurs de compte Zoom de pré-installer des applications pour une organisation au niveau d’un compte, d’un groupe ou d’un utilisateur. De plus, les développeurs seront bientôt en mesure de monétiser leurs applications sur Zoom App Marketplace.
Une disponibilité étendue avec Zoom Apps : Zoom Apps, des applications au sein du produit parfaitement intégrées à l’expérience Zoom Meeting et Webinar, s’étend sur toute la plate-forme à Team Chat, Zoom Rooms, et plus encore, afin que les développeurs puissent connecter des applications à tous leurs flux de travail. Désormais, les développeurs peuvent construire leur intégration une fois et l’étendre à l’ensemble de la gamme de produits Zoom. En outre, les développeurs bénéficieront d’une distribution accrue de leurs applications Zoom avec la prochaine sortie d’Essential Apps. Essential Apps regroupe les formules payantes Zoom Meetings et Zoom Apps ainsi que les développeurs d’applications sélectionnés, répondant aux besoins de gestion et de croissance d’une entreprise, tout en aidant à minimiser les corvées manuelles.

Découvrez comment les développeurs peuvent étendre la puissance de Zoom avec de nouvelles mises à jour de la Zoom Developer Platform et de Zoom Apps lors du Developer Summit à Zoomtopia.

Connectez-vous en DIRECT
Zoomtopia est une expérience hybride de deux jours hébergée sur la plateforme Zoom Events, avec des intervenants, des chefs d’entreprise et des célébrités suscitant la réflexion, et comprend de nombreuses opportunités de réseautage, de collaboration et d’apprentissage. Connectez-vous en direct pour saisir tout le contenu passionnant.

À propos de Zoom
Zoom est pour vous. Zoom est un espace où vous pouvez vous connecter aux autres, partager des idées, élaborer des plans et construire un avenir limité uniquement par votre imagination. Notre plateforme de communications sans friction est la seule à avoir commencé par la vidéo comme fondement, et nous avons établi la norme en matière d’innovation depuis lors. C’est pourquoi nous constituons un choix intuitif, évolutif et sécurisé aussi bien pour les grandes entreprises que les petites entreprises ou les particuliers. Fondée en 2011, Zoom est cotée en bourse (NASDAQ : ZM) et a son siège social à San José, en Californie. Rendez-vous sur zoom.com et suivez-nous @zoom.

Relations publiques de Zoom
Candace Dean
Responsable des relations publiques de l’entreprise
press@zoom.us

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8693280

November 10, 2022

GIP Africa Chapter Launched at COP27

CAIRO, Nov. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Green Investment Principles (GIP) for the Belt and Road officially announced its second regional office, Africa Chapter, during the COP27. Hendrik du Toit, Founder and CEO of Ninety One, will be the Chairman of the chapter, and Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi, Group Director and General Manager at Bank of Africa BMCE Group will serve as the Co-Chair and Secretary General.

Hendrik du Toit and Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi launched the GIP Africa Chapter

Four years after establishment, the GIP has expanded its membership that currently includes 44 signatories, most of which are large financial institutions, and over a dozen supporting organizations. Under the GIP, these member institutions, which manage over USD40tn in assets, have committed to grow their green and low-carbon investments in developing countries and emerging markets, to enhance ESG risk management, improve disclosure, and adopt innovative green finance products.

The GIP has also created three member-driven working groups that have developed a range of risk measurement and disclosure tools, showcased many innovative products, and contributed to green finance capacity building in less developed countries.

As part of the Vision 2023, the GIP intends to establish several regional offices in key emerging market regions, with an aim to engage with more financial institutions in developing countries and to catalyze green investment along Belt and Road. After the Central Asia office launched in 2021, the Africa chapter will seek to expand membership of the GIP, facilitate green investment opportunities, build capacity for local financial institutions, and convene resources to support development sustainable standards and principles for Africa.

Dr MA Jun, Co-chair of the GIP Steering Committee and Chairman of China Green Finance Committee pointed out that “after years of rapid development of the global green and sustainable finance market, the development is still very uneven across the world. The low-income regions, including those in Africa and Asia, account for large part of global population, nature resources and future growth, but have very limited access to the green and sustainable finance instruments”. Ma highlighted that the international community should assist Africa to address three important challenges: enhancing access to low-cost funding through de-risking facilities and development finance, establishing a transition finance framework, and financing biodiversity and nature-positive activities.

Sir William Russell, Co-chair of the GIP Steering Committee and former Lord Mayor of City of London, commemorated the progress the GIP has made in the past years and reiterated the importance and commitments of international cooperation on green finance. He said that the GFANZ, which was launched in 2021 during COP26, has made significant progress in scaling up commitments from financial firms for net zero targets and is now working on implementation, which should complement the work of the GIP, including in Africa.

JIN Zhongxia, Director General of International Department at the People’s Bank of China conveyed his expectation for GIP Africa office. He said “the office can provide opportunities to explore local innovative solutions in taxonomies, disclosure and transition finance. I believe the office can also help local financial institutions build in-house capacity, expand green businesses, and enhance climate resilience.”

Yaseen Anwar, Chairman of the GIP Central Asia Office and former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, reflected on the progress made and lessons learnt by the Central Asia Office of the GIP. He said that “the GIP is providing an important opportunity for many countries along the Belt and Road to improve access to sustainable finance at affordable costs for local green and sustainable projects, which is important for these economies to realize their own climate goals.”

Gim Huay Neo, Managing Director, Head of Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum, highlighted three imperatives that are important for the GIP Africa office to work on, including acceleration in developing green and social-inclusive infrastructure, proper green and sustainable standards and alignment of taxonomies, and conducive policy environment”.

Deborah Lehr, Vice Chairman and Executive Director, Paulson Institute, addressed the growth potential of Africa in terms of climate action and green development. She said that the GIP presents opportunities for Africa to realize climate transition and avoid projected emissions in the business-as-usual scenario.

Hendrik du Toit and Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi welcomed the establishment of the GIP Africa Chapter and expressed strong confidence for its future operations. Through the launch of the Africa office, they said, the GIP can bring in “new finance”, including transition finance, to support the sustainable development of Africa. The GIP Africa office, as the second regional chapter launched, will build on current experiences, collaborate with other international initiatives, and continue sharing leading practices from other GIP members.

The launch ceremony was followed by a panel discussion with a focus on risks and opportunities for green investment in Africa. Panelists stressed that Africa needs to massively scale up its sustainable finance market and develop transition finance to meet the climate goal, and international assistance and knowledge sharing will be critical. It was also stated that Africa has abundant experiences in nesting climate action with Sustainable Development Goals, while many of the innovative financing solutions originated here from this continent. Panelists raised expectations to the GIP Africa Office and highlighted the importance of engagement with key stakeholders, alignment with other initiatives, leveraging on public finance, as well as knowledge sharing and capacity building activities.

Media enquiries:

Secretariat of the GIP
Email: sec_gip@gipbr.net

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