 |
|
|
|||||
Shares opened mixed in Europe on Tuesday after slipping in Asia as some regional markets wrapped up trading for the year.Crude oil prices edged higher and gold and silver resumed their ascent. U.S. futures were flat.In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rang out the final session for 2025 in a traditional year-end ceremony.“By realizing a Japanese economy that earns the trust of investors around the world, we will create a virtuous cycle in which global capital flows into Japan,” Takaichi said.The benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.4% to 50,339.48, its first year-end close above 50,000. It ended 2025 up nearly 25%.With just two trading days left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions and volume has been thin. Most global markets will be closed Thursday, New Year’s day, and some will also be closed Wednesday and Friday.In early European trading, Germany’s DAX was nearly unchanged at 24,348.38. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% to 9.876.73, while the CAC 40 in Paris had barely budged at 8,112.37.Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 0.9% to 25,854.60, while the Shanghai Composite index was virtually unchanged at 3,965.51.In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% lower to 8,717.10.South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2% to 4,214.17, while Taiwan’s Taiex lost 0.4%.India’s Sensex was down less than 0.1%.On Monday, stocks slipped in quiet trading on Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%. It’s still up more than 17% for the year and it remains on track for its eighth monthly gain in a row.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%.Big technology stocks with outsized valuations were among the heaviest weights on the market. Nvidia and several other companies focusing on AI or benefiting heavily from the developing technology have become some of the most valuable in the world.Nvidia fell 1.2% and Broadcom fell 0.8%.Tech shares have wobbled recently as investors have grown skeptical over the whether the eventual payoff will justify hefty investments in artificial intelligence.The price of gold gained 0.7% early Tuesday after falling 4.6% the day before. It’s up about 64% for the year.Silver prices gained 4.4% after slumping 8.7% on Monday. They have more than doubled in 2025.The precious metals fell back on Monday when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, one of the largest trading floors for commodities, asked traders to put up more cash to make bets on precious metals.Treasury yields fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.11% from 4.13% late Friday.Treasury yields have fallen significantly from the start of the year, after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate to help counter a slowing jobs market. That risks heating up inflation that is already stubbornly above the central bank’s target rate of 2%. Interest rate cuts could boost the economy by making loans less expensive, but that benefit could be nullified by rising inflation stunting economic growth.In other dealings early Tuesday, U.S. crude oil gained 14 cents to $58.22 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 12 cents to $61.61 per barrel.The U.S. dollar slipped to 156.00 Japanese yen from 156.05 yen. The euro fell to $1.1769 from $1.1774. AP video journalist Mayuko Ono in Tokyo contributed to this report. Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer
Category:
E-Commerce
Ive done it, youve done it, weve all done it. With the best of intentions, we set big goals for our future: get a work promotion, lose 20 pounds, run a marathon. And too often, we give up a few months later, realizing we bit off more than we could chew. Why? We get enamored with the idea but the execution? Not so much. Goals can seem straightforward, but without a specific plan or realistic milestones, they quickly fizzle out. The Appeal and Problem of Big Goals Big goals can quickly inspire us and make us feel like were putting effort into forward progress. But goals are only as good as the plans that support them. You cant build your dream house without an architectural drawing. New Years resolutions are a great example. Every January, we feel compelled to proclaim a grand milestone well achieve to make our lives betterlike quitting a bad habit or getting eight hours of sleep. According to a study by Strava, 80% of New Years resolutions fail by February. Sounds familiar? Thats because while setting a goal might feel empowering, the lack of planning leaves us with nothing but good intentions. Taavo Godtfredsen and Samantha Allison, authors of The 5x CEO, studied cohorts of CEOs to determine what made the best leaders and their teams rise to the top. As one portfolio company CEO told them, “Create the strategic outcome that you’re trying to get to and then align your actions relentlessly to deliver it.” The Danger of Wildly Ambitious Goals Im not saying to not set big goals. The mistake to avoid is setting goals that are too big or too vague. For example: imagine deciding that youre going to lose 30 pounds in two months. First of all, good luck. Second of all, while this is a noble goal, its incredibly easy to get discouraged if progress doesnt come quickly, or if you dont have a clear path to follow. The goal is so large (or intimidating) that it becomes a demotivator. A better approach would be to set smaller goals with milestones that you can realistically achieve. Instead of losing 30 pounds, break it down into manageable milestones: lose five pounds in the first month, aim for three workouts a week, and so on. Each small achievement gives a feeling of progress, and the cumulative effect is much more sustainable over time. Similarly in business, setting a goal to “Be the category leader!” is ambitious and inspiring, but without a step-by-step plan on how to get theremarket research, increased sales support, innovative partnershipsits just a distant dream. Setting smaller goals within that larger vision (e.g., increase sales by 10% this quarter, build a social media presence, etc.) gives you specific targets to work toward. Goals Need Plans. Period. Goals are like the destination on a map, but your plan is the GPS that gets you there. Without that road map, you could be driving in circles. Plans that break down larger goals into smaller, actionable steps make the journey manageable, measurable, and motivating. I like the example of Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. As an entrepreneur, she had a big goal: to create a revolutionary undergarment that would change the way women feel about their clothing. But Blakely didnt just rely on this one big idea. She broke her goal into smaller steps: she spent time learning about manufacturing, secured a meeting with potential investors, and went through the process of patenting her product. Impressively, Blakely started Spanx with just $5,000, but by creating a detailed plan and breaking her vision into incremental steps, she eventually created a billion-dollar business. Create a Plan That Works So, how do you turn goals into actionable plans? Try these tips: Break it Down: Divide your goal into smaller, manageable chunks. If your goal is to write a book, dont just aim to write a book. Set specific targets, like write 500 words a day or complete one chapter per month. Set SMART Goals: The SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) is a simple yet effective way to ensure your goals are grounded in reality. Rather than saying, I want to get fit, say, I will work out four times a week for 30 minutes for the next three months. Create a Timeline: Every goal needs a timeline attached to it. Deadlines create urgency and help you stay accountable. Eliminate Obstacles: What might stand in your way? Whether its time, money, or motivation, identifying potential barriers helps you plan for and eliminate them. Track Progress: Regularly check your progress. Are you meeting your milestones? Make adjustments as needed. The Power of Consistency Like many things in life, its not the grand gestures but rather the accumulation of daily actions that make an impact: the daily writing, the daily workouts, the daily efforts that add up to lasting change. The more you break them down into manageable steps and stay consistent, the more achievable they become. Its tempting to set huge, audacious goals, but without a plan to back them up, you risk disappointing yourself. So start small, plan your steps, and stay consistent. Its the journeyone small step at a timethat leads to big results.
Category:
E-Commerce
Ketchup-inspired luggage. Soap based on the characters from Stranger Things. A hot sauce energy drink. These are just a few of the brand collaborations that weve seen in 2025and its safe to say that alls not well in the world of brand partnerships. A few years ago, the art of the brand collab most often involved bringing together two brands that already had overlapping design styles, fanbases, or product categories. Recall partnerships like Nike and Apples successful 2016 Series 2 Watch launch, for example; or Dolce & Gabbanas elevated designs for Smeg in 2019; or even Legos 2020 collection with Ikea. All of these pairings make some measure of intuitive sense. But over the past couple of years, something has clearly changed. As the online attention economy becomes increasingly saturated through the daily deluge of marketing content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, its becoming more and more difficult for brand collabs to make a splash and reach widespread audiences the way they mightve in years past. So, brands have started adopting a new tack: rather than selecting partners that make obvious sense within their brand world, theyre opting for collabs with the most shock value possible. In an interview with Fast Company on the topic back in September, Grace Murray Vazquez, executive vice president of strategy at the influencer marketing company Fohr, explained the strategy: Its less about getting audiences to try the collaboration, and more about reminding them to reach for the original thing. Its ultimately not just bizarre; it is like a calculated unexpectedness. The end result is that, nowadays, lots of brand partnerships seem more like they were randomly selected out of a hat rather than carefully considered. Here are a few of the weirdest examples of this late-stage capitalist phenomenon that weve seen in 2025. [Image: 5 Hour Energy] 5-hour Energy x Taco Johns Nothing says gut health quite like energy drinks and hot sauce. Thats why, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, 5-hour Energy linked up with the Mexican fast-food joint Taco Johns on an “energized” hot sauce and a spicy energy drink. This one would be perfect to try out right before a long runwhat could go wrong? [Photo: Heinz] Heinz x Herschel Elsewhere in the realm of wacky food brand collabs, Heinz tapped the travel supply company Herschel to turn its iconic ketchup into a carry-on and roller bag. Both pieces included a tear here ketchup visual, an interior print featuring Heinz ketchup packets, and a custom removable belt and luggage tag in the shape of, you guessed it, a Heinz packet. Apparently, the collab was inspired by the quarter of Gen Z and millennials who pack their own condiments when dining on-the-gobut, to be honest, if you pack single-serve ketchup packets in your luggage, we cant trust you. [Photo: Chipotle] Beis x Chipotle If you went to the airport without repping your favorite food brand this year, did you even travel? Heinz and Chipotle would like to say no. In December, Chipotle got an up-market boost through an 11-piece capsule collection with the luxe travel brand Beis. The lunch included an $128 burrito-inspired duffle bag; a $378 silver roller bag; and a $48 burrito sling designed to carry a Chipotle burrito and insulated to keep it warm. Surely no one will mind when you dig into a hearty burrito on the plane, as long as it comes in a chic wrapping device. [Photo: P&G] Wicked x Swiffer Frankly, it would be gross negligence to write a list of weird brand collabs from 2025 without mentioning Wicked: For Good. The duologys first installment racked up more than 400 brand partnerships and integrationslikely more than any film, everand while an official number hasnt been revealed for the second film, its almost certainly also in the hundreds. There are a lot of weird collabs to choose from this year, but one of the strangest has to be Wicked: For Goods product launch with Swiffer, which makes the bold assumption that if fans liked Glinda and Elphabas singing, theyd probably love to clean the floors with mops inspired by them, too. Stranger Things x Dr. Squatch Speaking of cleaning, are you keeping up with Stranger Things season 5? If so, the soap company Dr. Squatch is betting that youre probably wondering when you can lather up in the shower with a product inspired by its iconic charactersand its bravely stepping in to meet that need. The brand recently launched four soaps based on the show, with innovative scents like Vecnas Curse (featuring notes of juniper and blood orange) and “Squack Signal (featuring notes of iced lavender and cherry soda, and also a picture of Steves face, because, duh).
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||