Vale SA (ADR) (NYSE:VALE) Signs $2 Billion Credit Line, Replacing 2013 Agreement

Vale SA (ADR) (NYSE:VALE), a mining company from Brazil has signed revolving $2 billion credit facility that will last for five years. The new deal will replace the five-year $2 billion credit facility that was signed in 2013. The company disclosed in its securities filing that the new credit facility will be from 18 banks and will add to a $3 billion loan secured in 2015. The credit facility is expected to offer additional liquidity to the company and its subsidiaries.

Vale’s has been on a downfall in the recent times. In its most recent report, Zacks Investment Research downgraded the stock from a hold to a sell rating. According to the research company, Vale’s share performed dismally in the steel industry over the last three months. Over the last one month, Zacks estimate for the stock shifted to the south for both 2017 and 2018. Vale reported much weaker earnings for 2017 as expected and predicted. This trend is expected to continue due to the anticipated drop in demand for steel in China, which analysts says will severally eat into the short term prices of steel. This will in turn affect the company’s profitability and earnings. Other factors that could probably be on the company’s watch list are natural calamities, increasing rivalry and completion in the mining industry as well unfriendly government policies.

Several other financial research companies have also weighed in on Vale’s performance. Jefferies Group LLC set Vale’s price target at $9.00. Jefferies Group also gave the hold rating on the stock. Additionally, HSBC Holdings plc also gave a hold rating to the stock plus a price target of $10.00 down from the previous projection of $10.25. In its report released on April 24, Vetr gave the stock a buy rating down from the strong-buy rating that was initially issued. Vetr also set the price at $9.76. TheStreet however upgraded the stock from the previous C+ to B- in its most recent report. Credit Suisse Group AG gave a price target of $7.00 and rated the stock with a hold.

The stock opened the Monday session with an impressive 0.48% or +0.04 rise to trade at $8.31.

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Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Has Stepped Up Lending To Third-Party Sellers On Its Site

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has been playing a significant role in helping small businesses peddling merchandise grow their business. Through its program dubbed Amazon Lending, the online retailer says that in the last 12 months, spent more than $3 billion in the expansion of these businesses. Since its inauguration in 2011, the program has pushed forward close to 20,000 merchants who have been trading on Amazon’s website.

The businesses get loans amounting to a range of between $1,000 and $750,000. Apparently, half of the businesses have taken second loans, which means they have been benefiting from them. However, it is not clear how much interest the loan attracts even though word has it that they have a comparable to credit cards and other alternative financing methods.

Traditional lenders shied away from small merchants

Amazon has been issuing these loans to sellers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan. The opening came about after the 2008 financial crisis, which pushed traditional lenders away from dealing with small merchants. However, Amazon’s loan program is by invitation only.

To identify those who are eligible, the company mines data from more than two million active sellers on the website. The VP for Amazon Marketplace, Peeyush Nahar also says that the company has lots of up-to-the-minute information about sellers, which helps them pick on those who are worth the credit.

But rivals are also doubling down on their marketplace businesses

Amazon is expectant of expanding to other countries the likes of down on their marketplace businesses where it operates its marketplaces. Nahar says, “We know that an infusion of capital at the right moment can put a small business on the path to even greater success.”

However, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant must embrace competition from the likes of eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) stores, which are also upping their game in marketplace businesses. Nonetheless, it could still be having an upper hand because the rivals are not offering loans.

It is worth noting that Amazon is not only a bookseller but most recently it also became a grocer. In the meantime, Amazons stock closed at $1,010.27 witnessing an increase of $0.20 or 0.02%.

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Determined To Attract Back Mac Users Surfing Using Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Chrome Browser

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is looking to bring back Browser wars with the new improvements that it has added to Safari and it seems to be targeting the Google Chrome browser from Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL).

Apple’s new improvements on its Safari browser are part of its strategy to hit back against the Google Chrome browser and attract users on Mac. One of the company’s executive spent a significant amount of time during its World Wide Developer Conference on Monday discussing the numerous improvements that it made to Safari for Mac. The new improvements include performance enhancements, an ad tracker blocker as well as the ability to stop videos that are set on auto-play on default.

“Safari’s JavaScript performance will be 80 percent faster than Chrome’s,”stated Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering.

Apple takes a jab at Google

Apple’s intense focus on its Safari browser has been considered a move by the company to attack Google. The company reportedly noticed that Google had been displaying a popup on its home page claiming that Chrome was faster. Federighi stated that he noticed the popup in which Google purported that its browser was superior in terms of speed and thus began Apple’s mission to prove its rival wrong.

Despite their efforts to compete against each other, the two companies have been working on similar features designed to improve the user’s browser experience. Google revealed about a week ago that it plans to block ads on its websites, especially those that feature auto-playing videos. The features that the two firms are planning to introduce to their browsers are not only aimed at providing a clean browsing experience but also signify a shift in how browsers work.

The two browsers are expected to play a significant role towards shaping the web experience. The competition between the two browsers is considered a good thing because it will eventually offer a lot of benefit to the users. Unfortunately, it is not all good news especially for advertisers because it means they will have to rethink their ads and what the users want to see.

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Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Extends Its Hand To Kids By Developing A School Curriculum To Help Them Fight Hackers And Trolls, Sources Report

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is unveiling an educational program, which according to some trusted sources is designed in such a way that it will be able to teach kids about phishing, passwords, internet harassment as well as the rest of the internet safety issues.

Called “Be Internet Awesome, “it has been said to comprise of a video game called Interland and a classroom curriculum.

According to one of the top officials working with the renowned company, it was revealed that a number of teachers were brought onboard to make the project the major success it has become to this point.

The internet safety and literacy organizations, YouTube videographers and a wide range of other resources are online at the moment and accessible to all those in need. Be Internet Awesome as a matter of fact showcases remarkable capabilities when it comes to tackling topics considered relevant to all ages. However, it is important to state that it is specially meant for the younger children.

A close look at it will help anyone get to see the different sections. They are these sections that offer a limit to as how far one can go in terms of sharing personal information with the various persons online.

One also gets to understand much in terms of ways to avoid falling for the phishing attacks and scams as well. The other thing that looks quite attractive to many is the fact that one is helped to come up with strong passwords to boost online security as well as towards avoiding the negative behavior online.

Students can move ahead to sign the “Be Internet Awesome Pledge” and it is of course for their own good.

While addressing a number of the top news reporters, one of the top executives working with Google was quick to state that the program was indeed in compliance with International Society for Technology in Education standards.

One thing that a lot of people will most definitely agree to is that technological advancements sweeping across the globe are helping enhance lives. Google has been a front-runner in leveraging technology to come up with the very best for its users over the years.

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What Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows 10 Leak Promises Its Future Clientele

At the top of the tech-news has been about the Windows 10 builds that were accidentally released to the public. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has termed the incident, ‘inadvertent deployment’ that had affected the engineering system controlling release of builds to the Windows insider.

Microsoft has since released an apology expressly by Dona Sarkar, the head of Microsoft’s Windows Insider programme, reading “We apologies for this inconvenience and thank you for being a Windows Insider.” Reports also such suggest that only a very small proportion of Windows 10 received the builds.

Gadgets 360 cite a few problems for those who had received the builds. For those who received for the mobile build, their phones crushed after a reboot. Luckily, there is a way out, users can use the Windows Device Recovery Tool to recover and wipe the device.

Testers who received the build and installed on their PC have two options. The first option is to wait for a newer build from Microsoft (of which the dates are not yet certain as of yet). Alternatively, they can use the Windows 10 recovery option to roll back the install.

What To Take From The Incident…

While this may have been unfortunate, we have managed to get an early peep to what Microsoft has in store for its Windows users and we can speculate that:

Windows store seems to be having a major advancement that puts it at direct competition with the Apple Store. It has a dedicated section for selling eBooks. Edge is maintained as the devoted viewer of the eBooks.  This sets a firm foot for Microsoft as a content provider in addition to the already successful Xbox Store and Groove Music.

A major redesign of the user interface can be speculated. The leaked Windows 10 project shows the removal of windows borders, the task bar now has a white background, which has black text while the colors of taskbar icons are seemingly removed.

The leak suggests that Microsoft is seeking to offer better support for its advanced users with high performance workstations. This simply means faster file sharing and an advanced hardware support for users with machines that have four CPUs and 6-terabyte memory.

The next speculation you want to hear is the official release dates of the update. Well, Microsoft has not said yet, though the anticipation is that it could be anytime soon.

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AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) Strikes Tentative Deal With Union Workers In California And Nevada

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has announced that it has reached a tentative deal with union workers in Nevada and California, that had gone on strike.

AT&T’s announced the tentative deal on Friday, in which the two parties agreed to a four-year deal. The telecommunications company did not disclose the terms of the deal, though it is expected to include continued affordable healthcare, retirement benefits, pay hikes and job security measures. The new agreement will be effective over the next four years and it will represent about 17,000 employees. It also marks the first time that Direct TV employees will be considered part of a union contract since their firm was acquired by AT&T.

The tentative deal marks the end of an employee strike

AT&T made sure that it handled the dispute with the union in a speedy manner especially after 17,000 of its workers went on strike in Nevada and California. Though the Union reached an agreement with the carrier, the deal still has to be ratified by the workers. This includes those in the Direct TV business, the internet and the phone business.

AT&T is also in ongoing negotiations with a second group that includes 21,000 employees in its wireless business in 36 states. Nonetheless, the recent tentative deal with the Union marks the 30^th successful talks with between the company and its unionized workers since 2015. The recent strike also marks the first time that the first time that the employees have taken such action against the company since 2012.

“We strive in all of our labor negotiations to reach fair agreements that will allow us to continue to provide solid union careers with excellent wages and benefits and we believe that’s the case with this agreement,” stated a spokesman from the company.

The cause of the union workers’ strike was rising concern over job security, higher health contributions, and wage hikes. Neither the union nor the company have revealed the details of the deal. It also comes at a time when AT&T has been receiving pressure to cut costs due to declining revenue.

AT&T stock closed the latest trading session at $38.87.

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QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) Signs Major Deal With Three Manufacturers In The PC Market

QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) has signed deals with three major laptop manufacturers as part of its plan to push its processors into the PC market.

Qualcomm signed the deal with ASUS, Lenovo and HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) and the contract with the three firms will allow for the production of future laptops using Qualcomm chips. This is however not the first time that the chip maker has hinted the push towards the PC market. The firm announced in December 2016 that it had teamed up with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). The partnership would work towards developing a version of the Windows 10 operating system that would be compatible with the Snapdragon 835 chip.

What the move means for the tech industry

Qualcomm’s push into the PC market is certainly a huge step away from its core focus. The company has been making chips for mobile phones and its Snapdragon 835 chip is especially popular with high-end smartphones. Windows PCs are usually powered by chips made by Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC). The decision also highlights the growing competition between the two chip manufacturers.

Intel recently started manufacturing chips that target the smartphone industry and has even signed up Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as a client. Some of Apple’s iPhone 7 models were fitted with modems manufactured by Intel. This was obviously a threat to Qualcomm and is perhaps of the reasons why it decided to also venture into Intel’s territory. The move also highlights the two chip makers’ search for more growth at a time when their core markets appear to have reached maturity.

Qualcomm has been experiencing slow growth in the mobile market and as such, it has been expanding into the Internet of Things, wireless modems, smart devices and cloud data centers. The company’s decision to start making chips for the PC market means more variety for the end users. It also highlights the growing competition in the market which should be characterized by better performance and quality in the future.

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