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FBS & LCFC Joint Project Highlights Trading Education Matters

FBS

Learning brings great results FBS and LCFC launched a new joint project, Make Your Own Way. The project will include several activities revealing stories of FBS traders and LCFC players. Some activities will bring opportunities for participants to get commemorative gifts. The idea of the project is vividly shown in the video through the comparison between trading and football. Whether performing in the market or playing football, one needs to have a considered approach – make plans, develop strategies, and make informed decisions. In trading, such an approach is especially important as it helps minimize mistakes and risks and grow possibilities for success. Every person can master this if they learn from a reliable broker who would assist and teach about crucial trading issues. FBS to learn trading FBS pays lots of attention to trading preparation and learning. The broker educates its clients by providing them with teaching materials in different formats. All the materials are free and available on the broker’s official website, social media, and FBS apps. FBS financial analysts share their trade ideas and tips, explain trading terminology and teach about indicators, patterns, analyses, and more. For every trader’s comfort, the materials are divided into levels. This helps beginner and advanced traders catch up from their point of knowledge. Moreover, FBS regularly holds educational webinars where traders have a great opportunity to ask trading-related questions and have a live discussion with FBS financial analysts. FBS & LCFC partnership for greater good The two leading companies partnered for over a year and have already made several joint activities. The current project, Make Your Own Way, aims at emphasizing the importance of making the right choice. Whether a trader or football player, everyone creates their lives on their own and decides which turn to take. Thousands of people can watch the video made within this joint project and get inspired by the ideas it is transmitting as the video goes live on the screens of the King Power Stadium, LCFC’s home stadium. _________________________________________________________ The FBS CFD-trading platform is the brainchild of investors from Western Europe interested in trading research and technical analysis. Founded 13 years ago, FBS had to provide global markets with transparent and trusted applications for professional and semi-professional CFD traders. Today, FBS is an international brand present in over 150 countries. The brand unites several independent companies offering their clients opportunities to trade Margin FX and CFDs. Contact Details FBS PR FBS +357 25 123212 support@fbs.com Company Website https://www.make-your-own-way.com/?utm_source=FBS_pr&utm_medium=press_release&utm_campaign=make_your_own_way&utm_content=financialmedia_global

November 10, 2022 02:13 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Blend Is Building a Future Where Proactive Finance Revives the Primary Banking Relationship

Blend Labs Inc.

In a market where the average household has about five different financial provider relationships, financial institutions have become eager to find strategies that incentivize consolidating financial products with just one financial institution. That financial fragmentation has been driven largely by the rise of technology enabling innovative and intuitive financial products that empower customers to make more informed decisions and be more proactive about their financial health. Blend Labs Inc. (NYSE: BLND), a data-driven banking software provider, says that financial institutions are at a crossroads where they either need to adapt to this new distributed reality or commit to incorporating new technologies in a way that improves the user experience and promotes loyalty. That’s why it’s developed a consumer banking platform that empowers banks to offer personalization, convenience and streamlined functionality to customers. To Counteract Financial Fragmentation, Banks Must Embrace Proactive Finance Proactive finance is one of the latest trends in banking. It’s an approach that leverages data and technology to offer financial products based on a customer’s behavior, current financial situation and other clues that can tell banks what kind of products that customer might need right now. For example, when a homeowner’s property value increases, the bank might reach out to let the customer know and then offer information and what next steps they could take based on that information — such as applying for a home equity line of credit or cash-out refinance to fund renovations or a down payment on a second home. Blend is building toward a future in which banks could proactively sending a mortgage preapproval, featuring a shortened list of the few options that most closely align with those specific customers — such as showing VA home loans to current or former military personnel or FHA and other low down payment options to first-time homebuyers. While this future of proactive delivery is still in development, lenders are already leveraging Blend to minimize tedious data entry and maximize operational efficiency. The data foundation that will enable proactive finance is already hard at work simplifying application flows, pre-filling information, and automatically validating data, freeing consumers and loan teams alike to focus on the things that matter most. This approach upends the traditional transactional nature of banking in which banks wait for customers to make a direct request for a certain product or service before offering it. That kind of cohesive and streamlined proactive banking experience, Blend says, is the key to rebuilding that primary banking relationship with customers. How Financial Institutions Are Leveraging Proactive Finance As promising as proactive finance approaches are, the question of implementation remains a challenge. While some financial institutions are investing in data restructuring or implementing new staff training that emphasizes personalized service, it’s not always enough. Blend’s cloud-based software offers a third approach to implementation: leveraging technology that can both anticipate and serve each customer’s needs. For customers, the platform eliminates much of the manual work in filling out applications by allowing the bank to prefill forms using the data it already has on file. For banks, digital tools like Blend Income Verification and the remote online notarization platform cut a lot of the redundancies and delays in the application process so customers can get approved — and funded — faster. Independent Bank Corp. (NASDAQ: INDB) subsidiary Rockland Trust Bank was able to shave seven days off the average application processing time for its customers, for example. Similarly, Blend helped Bank of Montreal (NYSEARCA: FNGU) subsidiary BMO Harris Bank cut five days off its mortgage and home equity application cycles. In the future, the platform aims to offer banks the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools they need to create a more personalized and proactive banking experience by helping customers understand their current financial situation and sending the right offers at the right time. That data and AI will strengthen the relationship between customers and banks by making it easier for customers to get all the financial services and support they need from a single institution and on a single, intuitive platform. The proactive finance approach that Blend will make possible also allows banks to better anticipate a customer’s needs so that they can send offers and recommendations that help that customer better understand what kind of options are available, including options they might not have known to ask about. Powering the Future of Banking Blend is the infrastructure powering the future of banking. Financial providers—from the largest banks, fintechs, and credit unions to community and independent mortgage banks—use Blend’s platform to transform banking experiences for their customers. Blend powers billions of dollars in financial transactions every day. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. This article contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements generally relate to future events, future performance or expectations and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this article may include, but are not limited to, our expectations regarding our product roadmap, future products/features, the timing of new product/feature introductions, market size and growth opportunities, macroeconomics and industry conditions, capital expenditures, plans for future operations, competitive position, technological capabilities and strategic relationships. The forward-looking statements contained in this article are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from the outcomes predicted. Further information on these risks and uncertainties are set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this article are based on information available to Blend and assumptions and beliefs as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, Blend does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. Contact Details Investor Relations IR@blend.com Company Website https://blend.com/

November 10, 2022 01:28 PM Eastern Standard Time

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The Market Votes: Amesite Releases Study of E-Learning Success For Global Company

Amesite Inc.

Learn More about Amesite Inc. by gaining access to the latest research report The results are in for a study on Amesite Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AMST) eLearning platform, and it looks like a resounding success. Amesite, which harnesses cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver customizable courses through its white-label platform, completed a case study in October on EWIE Group of Companies (EGC), a large company that used Amesite’s technology to upskill its global workforce. Companies everywhere are realizing the new challenges of training and upskilling their employees in a remote economy. But many are held back by old-fashioned learning systems that are no longer fit for that purpose. As companies look for modern online platforms, the corporate eLearning market has grown to $117 billion. EGC’s search for an eLearning solution led it to partner with Amesite for its integrated, easy-to-access learning platform. As a commodity-management services company, EGC sought a solution for both retaining and upskilling its employees. With the outcome of the collaboration published, Amesite feels like it’s gotten an A+ on a difficult test. Results Of Study May Indicate Strong Performance When EGC approached Amesite, it faced several challenges. It needed learning tools that ensured employee engagement across the company, but it struggled to surmount this problem without integration of its educational courses across its platforms. With nearly 1,000 employees at over 240 factories around the globe, EGC needed a scalable solution for upskilling their employees that would be accessible to all. Amesite provided a solution with its customized Learning Community Environment ® (LCE SM ), rolling out access to 53 courses for EGC employees in just four days. Before the end of the first quarter, employees were scoring 91% on the learned material that had a target pass score for passing of 70%. While Amesite operates in a similar space to Coursera Inc. (NYSE: COUR) and Powerschool Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PWSC), it sees its platform as a more thoroughly accessible option. Its white-label system is customizable for a company or educational institution’s specific needs, while its AI provides updated information for learners, within an infrastructure that is intuitive and easy to navigate. “Having people with the most advanced skills is a huge competitive advantage for us,” EWIE Group of Companies President Jay Mullick said. “Amesite is at the center of all our business process training at EGC. We have appreciated the support of their team throughout the relationship. Using Amesite’s global upskilling technology platform enables our people to gain the know-how to meet our most demanding customers’ needs quickly and efficiently.” To learn more about Amesite, visit its website. Amesite Inc., an artificial intelligence driven platform and course designer, provides online products in the United States. The company uses machine learning to offer a mass customized experience to learners. Its customers include businesses, universities and colleges, K-12 schools, and non-profit organizations. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Amesite, Inc. +1 734-876-8141 info@amesite.com Company Website http://www.amesite.io

November 10, 2022 10:27 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Equities-Gold Trends amid Inflation, Global Events

CME Group

All examples in this report are hypothetical interpretations of situations and are used for explanation purposes only. The views in this report reflect solely those of the author and not necessarily those of CME Group or its affiliated institutions. This report and the information herein should not be considered investment advice or the results of actual market experience. Investors usually value assets in terms of fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar (USD). For example, we might say that XZY corporation is trading at $100 per share. Or that gold is worth $1,680 per ounce. Viewing all asset prices relative to fiat currencies can cause one to overlook powerful trends in the relative value between different investments, such as U.S. equities and gold. U.S. equities have performed exceptionally well over the past century, rising 221-fold in value versus the U.S. dollar. But there’s a catch: over that same period, the U.S. dollar has lost 98.8% of its value relative to gold. While one would have been vastly better off having invested in the stock market rather than putting cash under the mattress, one would have been only marginally better off in the stock market than having invested in gold (Figure 1). Figure 1: Gold prices have nearly kept pace with stock prices over the past century While gold and equities have achieved broadly similar price returns over the past century versus USD, they have achieved those returns at vastly different times. The relative value trend between gold and equities becomes evident when one redenominates the S&P 500® in terms of gold rather than dollars. The S&P 500 is a reference index based on the value of stocks in USD. The price of gold is expressed as USD per troy ounce. As such, when one divides the S&P 500 by the price of gold, the USD terms cancel out and one is left with the S&P 500 value in gold terms. The first thing that becomes obvious when one looks at S&P 500 repriced in gold terms is the strength of the trends (Figure 2): Figure 2: The S&P 500/gold ratio has been subject to strong, decades-long price trends 1929-1942: Great Depression and the Rise of the Axis Powers -- Stocks fall 86% in Gold Terms Between 1929 and 1942, the S&P 500 fell by 86% in gold terms. Between 1929 and 1933 prices of stocks fell by a similar amount in USD terms as the world descended into the Great Depression of the 1930s. While stocks rebounded somewhat between 1933 and 1942 in dollar terms, they did less favorably in gold terms as one of the Roosevelt Administration’s first acts was to devalue the U.S. dollar versus gold, sending it from $20.63 to $35 per ounce, a value that would remain fixed until the early 1970s. In addition to the economic volatility from 1929 to 1942, that period had important geopolitical dimensions. During the 1930s, imperial Japan and Nazi Germany began wars that upended the post-World War One international order. By 1937 the Japanese had annexed Manchuria. By 1938 the Germans had taken over Austria and annexed parts of Czechoslovakia. World War Two began in earnest with the Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939 which also saw the Soviet Union annex Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and parts of Finland. By 1940 the Germans controlled most of continental Europe, and in 1941 attacked the Soviet Union, six months before Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. The rapid expansion of the Axis powers in Europe and the Pacific up to mid-1942 spooked equity investors and made the gold-linked U.S. dollar appear to be an attractive alternative. 1942-1967: Pax-Americana Part 1 -- Equities rally 1,160% in gold terms Stocks began rallying in mid-1942 just as the Allies began to turn the tide of war. After they emerged victorious in 1945, they set up the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates. The U.S. dollar was fixed to gold at $35 per ounce and all other currencies were pegged to the U.S. dollar. Despite fierce competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union, the bi-polar post-war system was broadly stable and equity markets soared in value despite occasional periods of intense geopolitical concern such as during the Korean war and the Cuban Missile crisis. 1967-1980: Stagflation, Oil Embargo and Shah of Iran --- Stocks fall 95% versus gold By 1967 the U.S. was mired in the conflict in Vietnam. By 1968, over half a million U.S. soldiers were on the ground in Vietnam. Public opposition was rising. And the economy, boosted by war-time expenditures and the expansion of the Great Society social programs, began to overheat. Inflation, which had been below 2% for most of the post-Korean-War period, began to rise sharply. Other countries, notably France, doubted the value of the U.S. dollar and their central banks began selling dollars to buy gold. In August 1971, President Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard and the price of gold soared from $35 to $177 per ounce by 1975. Meanwhile, stocks prices went sideways in USD terms, with deep bear markets in 1969-70, 1973-74, 1977 and 1980-82 that were punctuated with brief recoveries. As the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam, the international order underwent a period of turbulence beginning with the Arab oil embargo in 1973 which more than quadrupled the global price of crude oil from $3 to $14 per barrel almost overnight. A brief period of stability in 1975 and 1976 led to a recovery in stocks relative to gold and the economy but the international order encountered a second round of turbulence in the late 1970s. In Iran, the Shah’s government collapsed in 1978, giving rise to the Islamic Republic in 1979. In late 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The price of oil soared to over $40 per barrel, and U.S. inflation surged to over 10% per year. By 1980, the price of gold would exceed $800 per ounce. 1980-2000: Pax-Americana 2 -- Tight Money & Reaganomics – Stocks outperform gold by 4,100% At the end of 1979, President Carter got serious about inflation, appointing Paul Volcker to run the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed). Volcker set interest rates as high as 20%. Under Carter the U.S. took the first steps towards supply-side economics, deregulating the airline industry in 1978 and cutting capital gains taxes in 1980. In 1981, President Reagan took these policies much further, favoring a broad deregulation of the economy and slashing income tax rates from 70% to 28% while also lowering the corporate tax rate from 46% to 35%. The combination of supply-side policies, improving productivity growth and tight money policy brought down inflation from 14% in 1980 to 4% in 1989. Meanwhile, between 1989 and 1991 the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union disintegrated, leaving the U.S. as the sole superpower. A recession in 1990 and 1991 brought U.S. inflation rates to around 2% by 1993, where they stayed for the next quarter century. U.S. politics shifted subtly in 1993 with the arrival of the fiscally conservate Clinton Administration. By 2000, deficits had turned into surpluses and U.S. productivity growth surged. Strong growth, geopolitical stability and low inflation was the ideal environment for equity investors, but not so for holders of gold, who saw the yellow metal sink to $280 per ounce. 2000-2011: A New Age of Turbulence – Stocks underperform gold by 89%. The U.S. economy was already in the “tech-wreck” recession at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. By the end of 2002, the U.S. had already begun its 20-year long mission in Afghanistan and was about to invade Iraq. The S&P 500 had fallen by 50% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 by 85%. The Fed lowered rates from 6.5% to 1% to combat the recession and the economy began a feverish recovery fueled by subprime lending and consumer borrowing. Even during the 2003 to 2007 expansion, gold prices rose faster than inflation. As the global financial crisis began in late 2007, the Fed lowered rates from 5.25% to near-zero, and stocks fell by 60% in dollar terms as gold continued to soar. By 2011, gold topped out at nearly $2,000 per ounce. 2011-2021: A 1975-76-Style Counter-Trend Rally – Stocks outperform gold by 347%. The 2010s were a dream decade for traditional long-only investors in stocks and bonds. Inflation remained low and stable. Corporate earnings surged by over 150%. With a few exceptions, such as the Arab Spring, the rise and fall of ISIS and Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014, the international order was broadly stable – or at least seemed manageable enough to investors. Stock prices soared and gold retreated to as low as $1,300 per ounce. But was this just a counter-trend rally? Nearly all of the gains in stocks relative to gold during this period came between 2011 and 2018. Since the beginning of the Sino-U.S. trade dispute in 2018, there have been notable shifts in economic policies around the world. The march towards free trade stumbled. Many governments and corporations appeared to focus on onshoring or near-shoring production, which increases costs and contributes to inflation. After the pandemic struck in 2020, government spending began to surge in a way that has not been seen since World War Two. In the U.S., Federal spending rose from 21% to 35% of GDP between March 2020 and March 2021. Similar, if somewhat more modest increases in public spending, occurred in Europe, Japan and many other countries. Inflation has since surged to levels not seen since the 1970s amid soaring demand for goods during the pandemic, ultra-easy money policies and severe supply chain disruptions. Since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, there has been a noticeable uptick in geopolitical instability. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is by far the biggest geopolitical event, which has created an enormous supply shock in natural gas, fertilizer and agricultural markets worldwide, especially in Europe. In addition, there have been rising tension in the Taiwan Strait and open conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Since the beginning of 2021 gold has slightly outperformed stocks, but it hasn’t done exceptionally well. With increasing global instability and inflation surging to above 8% across the West, one might have imagined that gold would have performed exceptionally well. But it hasn’t. Why not? Part of what has held gold back has been the rapid interest rate tightening cycle by the Fed. In October last year Fed funds futures didn’t price even one Fed rate hike. Now the Fed has already hiked rates by 300 basis points (bps) and investors anticipate perhaps another 125 bps of hikes by year’s end. The sea change in monetary policy has probably helped to keep a lid on gold prices, which show a negative correlation with expected future Fed rates (Figures 3 and 4). Once the Fed stops hiking rates, however, gold may have more space to rally. Figure 3: Gold often reacts negatively to expectations of higher Fed rates Figure 4: Gold and silver have consistent negative correlations with expected Fed moves There is, however, one major reason to be concerned that equities might fall versus gold: equity valuations. Even after the bearish market sentiment thus far in 2022, equities remain at exceptionally high valuation levels by historical standards. Moreover, these valuation levels appear to be predicated on the assumption that long-term interest rates won’t rise much further, and that inflation returns to low levels quickly (Figure 5). If inflation turns out to be more persistent than expected and if geopolitical uncertainty continues to intensify, gold could outperform equities like it did from 1929-42, 1967-80 or 2000-11. Figure 5: High equity valuations are predicated on the assumption that bond yields stay low Bottom Line: * Equities and gold can have extremely strong relative value trends that last a decade or more * Equities tend to outperform gold during periods of low inflation, high growth and global stability * Gold tends to outperform stocks during periods of global instability, financial stress and high inflation As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group https://www.cmegroup.com/) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data- empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company offers futures and options on futures trading throughthe CME Globex® platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details CME Group +1 312-930-1000 institute@cmegroup.com Company Website https://www.cmegroup.com/

November 10, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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High Inflation and a Strong U.S. Dollar – For Now, the Only Way is Up

CME Group

As 2022 is well over halfway through, markets may be feeling like the COVID-19 theme has subsided after the two-year peaks and troughs of the pandemic, but as always new challenges arise and lead the way for more potential volatility. Inflation is the ‘flavor of the year’ as economies swing into the aftermath of the pandemic with central banks tightening monetary policy to manage dips in their own currencies to curb the rise in inflation. This theme is particularly challenging for emerging market economies, as is the increasingly stronger U.S. dollar. All previous emerging market fallouts were linked to dollar strength, and as the need to steer off dips in currencies occurs, central banks have turned to tightening their monetary policy. This has led the World Bank to forecast just a 4.6% expansion for emerging economies this year, compared with an earlier 6.3% prediction, and the International Monetary Fund expects inflation to average 8.7% in emerging markets this year - around 2.8% higher than projected at the start of the year in January. Why does a stronger dollar lead to a struggle for emerging market economies? Firstly, a strong USD often starts to depress global trade growth as it is the ‘invoicing’ currency of the world and holds the most purchasing power. This means that when the USD appreciates, other currencies essentially depreciate, making the world poorer and less able to engage in trade. It also makes countries that have USD denominated debt less creditworthy, as it makes it harder for them to purchase the U.S. currency to manage their debts. Furthermore, it is likely more unfavorable for China. This can lead to an obstructive knock-on effect for emerging market countries due to their linked supply chains and commodities demand. Finally, the stronger dollar is also more likely to cause inflationary upward pressures for emerging markets because they typically purchase their raw materials in USD. Source: Bloomberg Commodity appreciation – who reaps the benefits? The other complication for emerging markets is the simultaneous rise in commodity prices, which are likely to persist for some time given the current economic landscape. Emerging markets are experiencing the lagged effects of higher oil prices, elevated food prices, and higher import prices from currency depreciations. As the demand for products increase, so does demand for the materials used to produce them, which results in higher commodity prices. Commodities are also heavily related to demand and supply dynamics and compared to other inflation protection assets like TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities), they tend to offer higher returns. Rising commodity prices hurt many emerging markets, but others stand to benefit. Commodities are a critical source of exports and revenues for many emerging economies, and more than half of the world’s poor reside in commodity exporting countries ( World Bank ). The reliance on commodities is particularly high for oil exporters such as Brazil, Mexico, and Russia, and on metal and agricultural exporters such as South Africa and Chile. Commodity prices undergo repeating cycles, and on average, from peak-to-peak, cycles last almost six years. For industry intensive commodities, such as copper and aluminum, prices remain in the same phase of the cycle for 80% of the time. According to the World Bank Group’s Flagship Report from January 2022, this synchronization was reflected statistically in a common factor that on average accounted for roughly 15-25% of price variability for energy and metals, but only 2-10% of price variability for agricultural commodities and fertilizers. As the chart below highlights, commodity prices bounced in 2021, partly correcting for the sharp decline during the 2020 Covid pandemic, and this rise has continued into 2022. Source: World Bank Global trade, supply disruptions, and climate related events are areas that can amplify commodity price movements and their role in economic activity, therefore understanding the movement in commodity prices can help manage financial stability and both fiscal and monetary policies. Taking inflation out of the mix, both commodities and their correlated currencies still need risk management The changing value of a currency against the USD can have a substantial effect. Whether a country is the importer or the exporter, will dictate either a beneficial or adverse outcome from currency movements. For example, China is the largest participant in the global Copper market, therefore the exchange rate between the RMB and the USD plays a key role in this trade. China is the largest producer of refined Copper but much of the ore and concentrate is imported, and as the Copper market trades primarily in USD, how the value of the Chinese renminbi (RMB) changes versus the U.S. dollar significantly impacts the economics and outcome of the trade. The volatility in the USD/Offshore RMB (CNH) creates variation in the price for USD and CNH priced Copper markets. However, CME Group offers futures contracts on the Chinese Renminbi, which can be used to manage this FX exposure via hedging. The U.S. is the largest producer and exporter of corn and Mexico is the largest importer from the U.S. Therefore, as the importer, Mexico is more exposed to the exchange rate risk between the U.S. dollar and the Mexican peso (USD/MXN). If the dollar strengthens, the Mexican importers are adversely affected as the corn becomes more expensive, but vice versa if the dollar weakens. CME Group offers both futures and options contracts on the Mexican peso that can be used to manage this kind of FX exposure while the CBOT Corn futures contract is the global benchmark for the market. Similarly, the South African rand is linked to precious metals prices with South Africa being an exporter and although their price is often correlated (e.g., higher metals prices can often lead to a stronger rand), there is still the exchange rate risk between the rand and the U.S. dollar, as the metals are primarily priced in USD. CME Group offers both futures and options contracts on the South African rand that can be used to manage this kind of FX exposure. Commodity and derivative exchanges around the world enable the trading and risk management of both currencies and commodities. CME Group offers a variety of derivatives contracts to manage these risks together or as separate products. As demonstrated, the direction of the USD heavily impacts emerging market currencies and exchange rate risk, particularly for imports and exports. While the USD stays strong compared to other currencies, it will continue to hold the purchasing power and make it more expensive for emerging economies to engage in trade. High inflation also adds to the struggle for emerging markets with central banks turning to tighter monetary policy to assist with the rise in prices. Inflation will likely continue to be the one to watch in 2022. As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group https://www.cmegroup.com/) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data- empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company offers futures and options on futures trading throughthe CME Globex® platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details CME Group +1 312-930-1000 institute@cmegroup.com Company Website https://www.cmegroup.com/

November 10, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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US Navy Veteran Todd Harmon Talks Shop and Shares Growth Strategies for Minuteman Press Franchise in Cincinnati

Minuteman Press International Inc

US Navy Veteran Todd Harmon is no stranger to owning his own business. Prior to joining the Minuteman Press franchise family in April 2018, Todd had previously owned other small businesses and franchises. His Minuteman Press design, marketing, and printing center is located in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati, Ohio, at 7681 Montgomery Road. In this interview, Todd shares why he chose Minuteman Press, how his military and business experience has helped him in the printing industry, and how products such as signage and mailings with a heavy focus on Every Door Direct Mail have helped spur the growth of his printing business. What is your professional background? Todd Harmon: “I am a United States Navy Veteran. Prior to franchising, I owned an independent small business that manufactured new and refurbished pallets in the wood products industry. I have also previously owned two other franchises in the retail and restaurant industries. I chose Minuteman Press due to its #1 ranking in print franchising and the excellent work-life balance it would provide my family. Both of my children now work in the business with me. It also appealed to me as a privately owned company with a great royalty structure for franchisees.” What has the support from Minuteman Press International been like for you? Todd Harmon: “Local support from my field rep Ryan McIntyre and RVP Gary Nowak has been outstanding. They are a great resource when I need to discuss hiring/personnel and major business decisions. The FLEX software support team is always very responsive to our needs.” How do you describe your business and capabilities to potential clients? Todd Harmon: “I explain to clients that we are actually a print and small business marketing and consulting firm. Because of my previous business experience owning two other successful local franchises prior to Minuteman Press, I can really relate to these folks and help them reach their target customers through effective print and mail marketing strategies. Our customer service and fast turnaround times really set us apart from the competition.” What are the high-demand products and services that have really been helpful for your clients? Todd Harmon: “Signage, including installation if applicable, with fast turnaround times have really helped our clients. We can drop ship anywhere for them even on weekends. Quick design services for budget-conscious small businesses are much-appreciated by our customers. Our #1 key growth area is in direct mail services. We have also built a very strong Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) business. We work with and educate our customers through every step of the EDDM process.” What are some of the key ways you’ve grown your business? Todd Harmon: “Our high level of customer service and fast turnaround times have led to many referrals. We have grown through participation in a local BNI networking group. I am committed to consistent SEO/SEM marketing, email blasts, direct mail, and always promoting our EDDM services at every opportunity.” How would you best describe your community? Todd Harmon: “We enjoy a very dense business community around our shop. There are offices, medical facilities, restaurants, and many non-profit firms in our local area, as well as schools and many large church organizations. All of our clients demand a high level of professional customer service that we strive every day to meet.” Why do you think printing remains so vital to businesses today? Todd Harmon: “Print is a more trustworthy advertising medium and can allow you to reach a more targeted audience. For instance, I believe an engaging, tangible EDDM mail piece with a strong offer will yield a higher ROI than other advertising mediums, especially for restaurants and home repair/service businesses.” What are the biggest rewards of owning your business? Todd Harmon: “Following my military service, I have always owned my own business. I get great satisfaction from operating a profitable customer service focused small business. I enjoy the challenge.” What advice would you give to other owners right now? Todd Harmon: “Minuteman Press gives you the freedom to make the print shop your own, allowing you to focus on your strengths. Embrace it and have fun. Also, h ire staff that will help you build a culture of customer service in your shop. ” Todd Harmon’s Minuteman Press franchise is located at 7681 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. For more information, call 513-531-7600 or visit their website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/oh/cincinnati22/ Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and see Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

November 10, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Absolute Sync Token Accelerates Growth Despite Crypto Downturn

Absolute Sync Token

Absolute Sync Token (AST), the blockchain-based escrow service and payment processor, has enjoyed huge growth this year, bucking the trend of the general cryptocurrency market. While other crypto projects have been suffering with a lack of users and interest, AST reports a continual increase and adoption of its platform and native BSC-based AST token, meeting the goals it has set for itself and showing that a bear market doesn’t have to mean a lack of uptake. Userbase increases AST uses blockchain technology to tackle one of the most significant issues with e-commerce platforms - the need to trust. It does this by delivering decentralized escrow services and payment processing based on institutional-grade smart contracts, eliminating the need for buyers and sellers to trust one another. AST has enjoyed a steady increase in its community and interest in the project among the crypto community this year, with more and more people wanting to learn about AST’s blockchain-based solution to payment processing. An example of this growth is the AST token launching on one of the quickly developing crypto exchanges, Dex-Trade, which allows the cryptocurrency community to easily buy, trade and sell the AST token. At the time of publication, daily traded volume was floating around $1 million, which shows a continuous increase from the date of the listing. The token is also listed on Arthbit.com and will soon be available on other top platforms, as per the plan set out in the roadmap. Following the ambitious roadmap The addition of a new exchange is another tick off the ambitious AST roadmap, which has already seen huge progress. This shows that the hard work of the AST team is paying off, with attention now turning to other milestones, such as the launch of ASTSwap, further expansion into the crypto space and the ultimate desire to build a platform that will provide community-beneficial collaborations, exclusivity, and revenues. AST believes that its growth will continue as it rolls out more features and news of its success spreads throughout the crypto space, with its new exchange listing marking another step in its expansion plans. About AST AST is delivering a user-centric escrow solution that secures online and in-person transactions while also expanding payment acceptance choices with integrated wrapped currencies. AST proposes a modern way to do business by providing Trust-As-A-Service to encourage commitment and eliminate the trust gap in the global marketplace. Many parts of society are underappreciated in terms of their exposure to life-changing technologies. AST plans to change this by demonstrating that blockchain and cryptocurrencies can usher in a generational shift when it comes to access to these underrepresented communities, offering financial inclusivity to those who have lived without it for decades. Website: https://astoken.co/ Contact Details AST Subhash Kamat info@astoken.co Company Website https://astoken.co/

November 10, 2022 09:27 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Sharp App Wins David Meltzer Helmed Entrepreneur Pitch Competition, 2 Minute Drill

Sharp App

Sharp App, a sports betting app dedicated to the empowerment of bettors through AI-powered tools, analytics and educational programming, announced its co-founder and COO Jason Mezrahi competed and won $50,000 in cash and prizes pitching the Sharp App to a celebrity panel of entrepreneurs on David Meltzer’s “pitch only” show, the 2 Minute Drill. The full episode of the show can be viewed on the show’s website through the following link, 2 Minute Drill: Season 4, Episode 2. Hosted by legendary entrepreneur, investor, and best-selling author, David Meltzer, 2 Minute Drill features entrepreneurs from all walks of life competing each week for more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. Five contestants have two minutes to deliver their most convincing pitch. During Episode 2, Meltzer was joined on the judges panel by notable entrepreneurs: Former NFL Star and CEO of Lights Out Brand - Shawne Merriman Kennected CEO - Devin Johnson CEO and founder of National Business Capital - Joe Camberato “It’s amazing to be recognized by such an esteemed group of successful entrepreneurs,” said Mezrahi. “While our tech driven tools and services are second-to-none in the sports betting market, what really separated Sharp App from the other contestants was our commitment to sustainable profitability through our lean operation and meticulous approach to user acquisition and retention. We’re looking forward to leveraging the prize money into the next great innovation from Sharp App.” In Oct. 2022, Sharp App was announced as part of the HPL Digital Sport and Cardinal Sports Capital Accelerator Program based on the company’s growth, ability to scale and development of new innovative tools. Since 2021, Sharp has held an 80% month-over-month premium subscriber retention rate and provided upgrades and scaled content for its Game Center a centralized hub of news, trends, lines and betting information, and Sharp Academy, a multimedia masterclass that will teach all skill levels different aspects of sports betting, led by sports betting expert John Alessia. For more information please visit: https://sharp.app/ To download the app: App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sharp-app/id1557592668 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sharpapp ABOUT SHARP APP Founded in 2020, by sports betting and fantasy experts and executives from Win Daily and DFS Army, Sharp is a first-of-its-kind sports betting app. Sharp provides an all-in-one platform experience of multimedia content, tools and solutions developed specifically to educate and empower sports bettors to make smarter decisions and manage their actions. Follow Sharp on social media - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. ABOUT DAVID MELTZER David Meltzer is the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing and formerly served as CEO of the renowned Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, which was the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire. He is one of the world's top entrepreneurs, investors and business coaches. David has been recognized by Variety Magazine as their Sports Humanitarian of the Year and awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. David is the Executive Producer of the Apple TV series 2 Minute Drill and Office Hours. He is also the executive producer of Entrepreneur’s #1 digital business show, Elevator Pitch. David is featured in many books, movies, and TV shows such as World’s Greatest Motivators, Think and Grow Rich and Beyond the Secret featured on Netflix. Contact Details Michael Adorno +1 212-931-6143 madorno@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://sharp.app/

November 10, 2022 09:01 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Inflectra Launches Accelerator Services Suite to Help Customers Adopt SaaS Solutions in their Business Strategies

Inflectra

Inflectra, a leading maker of IT Software Lifecycle Management Solutions, today announced the launch of 'Inflectra Accelerators,' a set of new predefined professional service solutions that help customers speed up deployment and adoption of Inflectra products SpiraPlan & Rapise, increasing their ROI. The new accelerator services will be delivered by Inflectra’s global solution partner network. "From our founding, we have been very clear as a company that our strength is in creating powerful and easy-to-use platforms that help customers deliver quality in their software development lifecycles,” said Inflectra CEO Adam Sandman. “We are excited to bring more robust professional services to our customers. The benefit for our customers is that we can help them speed up and streamline their efforts when adopting SpiraPlan and Rapise. We anticipate that the program will significantly benefit our channel partners by increasing the number of projects that we will provide to them. Inflectra’s partners will be able to meet new clients, develop new relationships, and see the value of Inflectra’s partner program as one of their most important business development channels.” Unlike traditional professional services, provided on an open-ended hourly basis, each set of Inflectra’s accelerators includes a predefined set of business objectives, process consulting and training activities, and tangible deliverables offered at a fixed price to customers. These new accelerators do not replace Inflectra’s legendary customer support or other existing services but provide a way for smaller organizations and teams to take advantage of the expertise of Inflectra’s partner network. Customers who implement the Inflectra Accelerator solutions will improve their product quality, speed up time-to-market, and reduce overall software delivery risk. "Our main goal is customer satisfaction, and with this new solutions program, we can effectively track the goals and value our clients gain from utilizing the Inflectra platforms,” said Inflectra's Head of Learning Development, Dr. Siram Rajagopalan. “Inflectra Accelerators also allow us to provide consulting services and platform customization to a much larger pool of business leaders and customers than before.” After purchase, customers will be contacted by an Inflectra-appointed solutions partner to begin implementation of the Accelerator services. Partner selections are based on the geographical location of the customer, language preference, services included in the specific accelerator, and the level of the partner in Inflectra’s program (platinum, gold, or silver). Inflectra believes this approach will ensure that selected partners are certified in Inflectra products and have the necessary skills, abilities, and expertise to assist the customer. "The majority of Inflectra customers who purchase our products do so because of the simplicity and transparency of pricing; however, they are reluctant to purchase professional services because of the unknown cost and scope," says Infectra's Director of Global Alliances, Jessica Moore. "With the structure of the new accelerators, we are providing more value to both our customers and partners." Inflectra Accelerators will be available on the Inflectra website for purchase and can seamlessly be added to any pre-existing customer package or SaaS solution. For more information, visit: https://www.inflectra.com. Inflectra offers a suite of intuitive, turnkey enterprise solutions to manage the entire software lifecycle. Its industry-leading products for application test management, test automation and lifecycle management. Among our most popular products are SpiraPlan, giving you the ability to synchronize what matters, with agile program development; and Rapise, providing fast and easy test automation for everything—web, mobile, desktop, and APIs. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in the United States, Inflectra now has offices in more than 10 countries, along with a global partner network that covers more than 5,000 customers worldwide. Learn more at www.inflectra.com. Contact Details Sara Reister +1 215-896-3243 inflectra@trustrelations.agency Company Website https://www.inflectra.com/

November 10, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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