Category: Market Trends and Consumer Behaviour

U.S. Offers $134M to Pull Rare Earth Materials From Old Electronics Article Meta Article Date = 2025-12-08T10:12:00-05:00Article URL = https://www.supplychain247.com/article/department-energy-134-million-rare-earth-recovery-from-wasteArticle Title = U.S. Offers $134M to Pull Rare Earth Materials From Old ElectronicsArticle Image = https://www.supplychain247.com/images/2025_article/discarded-electronics-GettyImages-1480934072.jpg Summary The U.S. Energy Department is offering up to $134 million to organisations that can demonstrate practical, real‑world ways […]

Kroger Shuts Down Automated Grocery Sites in Major Strategy Shift Summary Kroger is scaling back its high-profile automation programme with Ocado, cancelling planned automated fulfilment projects, closing several U.S. sites and agreeing to a one-off $350m payment to Ocado. The company will pivot away from centralised robotic warehouses towards store-based fulfilment and expanded use of […]

CNBC to Add Kalshi Prediction Data to 2026 Coverage Summary CNBC will integrate Kalshi’s real-time probability data into its TV broadcasts, digital channels and subscription platforms from 2026 under a multi-year partnership. The collaboration will surface market-driven probabilities via on-screen tickers on programmes such as ‘Squawk Box’ and ‘Fast Money’ and through a dedicated CNBC […]

Is Cultural Intelligence a Key to Profitability? Published: 2025-12-08T00:48:49+00:00 Summary Dean Foster, a veteran intercultural consultant, argues that cultural intelligence is not a soft add‑on but a core business capability that protects and advances profitability. He outlines how cultural differences — from greetings and taboos to decision‑making, meetings and negotiation styles — routinely derail international […]

Scaling with integrity: Lessons from building a fully integrated workforce ecosystem for Malaysia employers Summary OSADI Group evolved from a recruiter into a fully integrated workforce ecosystem after spotting recurring operational gaps across Malaysia’s manufacturing sector. Ken Wooi, General Counsel, explains how the company built a single accountable workflow covering recruitment, accommodation, transport, onboarding and […]

The False Reality Behind Agentic AI Job-Killers Summary The author reviews a new study by the Centre for AI Safety (CAIS) that tested leading agentic AI systems on 240 real freelance projects across 23 categories (eg. game development, product design, video content, writing, data analysis). Models tested included Manus, Grok 4, Sonnet 4.5, GPT-5 (ChatGPT […]

Luana Lopes Lara: The World’s Youngest Self-Made Female Billionaire Redefining Fintech at 29 Summary Luana Lopes Lara, a 29-year-old Brazilian MIT graduate and former ballerina, has become the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire after her company Kalshi reached an $11bn valuation in December 2025. Kalshi, co-founded in 2018, runs regulated prediction markets that let users […]

Swiss Billionaire Calls for Wealth Tax: Inside Alfred Gantner’s Break with the Elite Consensus Summary Alfred Gantner, co-founder of Partners Group and one of Switzerland’s wealthiest people (estimated at about $3.5bn), has publicly urged Switzerland to introduce a narrowly targeted, progressive annual wealth tax on the ultra-wealthy. His plan proposes tiers starting at 1% on […]

Why the World Can Only Invest In — and Not Ignore — Vietnam Summary Global institutions, policymakers and major corporations increasingly view Vietnam as indispensable. The piece argues that Vietnam’s appeal is validated by a convergence of authoritative voices — from the IMF to leading consultancies and geopolitical analysts — and by clear national strategy. […]

Why trust is now a board-level risk Summary Innovation in AI, quantum computing and autonomous systems is accelerating faster than the defensive systems designed to protect them. That gap means trust is no longer a technical footnote for the CTO — it is a board-level strategic risk that affects credibility, resilience and the ability to […]