Categoría: Geovanny Vicente

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla., Feb. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Vantagepoint AI was the first company in the world to give independent traders the power of artificial intelligence for their home computers.  Company founder, Louis Mendelsohn, rocked the financial trading world when he introduced his strategy back-testing using artificial intelligence. His patented processes are the foundation of VantagePoint software.

Mendelsohn’s software introduction literally helped create the FinTech industry. Today his son, Lane Mendelsohn, carries the torch as President of Vantagepoint AI. The company’s trend forecasting software gives independent traders an edge in the markets with reliable, accurate, predictive technical analysis.

Weekly Stock Studies on the Vantagepoint website are intended to empower traders and help them see how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we trade. Along with standard chart analysis based on past data, the Stock Studies also show traders how predictive forecasts perform up to 1-3 days in advance with a blue line on the charts. That blue line is what separates VantagePoint from the rest of the field.

«Most products rely on lagging data.  We call that driving down the freeway at 100 mph with your windshield blacked out, trying to navigate using your rearview mirror,» noted Lane Mendelsohn. He points out, «The exposure of risk to your capital and the opportunity for disaster are high!  VantagePoint lets traders mitigate their risk, protect their hard-earned monies, and find opportunities for growth… all with up to 87.4% accuracy.»

Visit the Vantagepoint Stock Study page or join in a free, live online training to see A.I. in action.

«Throughout 2020 we heard over and over again from our traders about how important the information from VantagePoint was to them.  They were able to set their stop losses, mitigate their risk, protect their capital, and find opportunities for impressive growth especially with swing trading where volatility can be a trading success secret,» added Mendelsohn.

About Vantagepoint AI, LLC.  Vantagepoint AI software forecasts Stocks, Futures, Forex, and ETFs with proven accuracy of up to 87.4%. Vantagepoint employs over 80 team members and regularly donates a portion of revenue to support the Tampa Bay community including Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Children’s Cancer Center.

Media Contact:  Lisa Moretti, lisam@tradermarketinggroup.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vantagepoint-ai-publishes-weekly-stock-study-to-demonstrate-the-power-of-artificial-intelligence-301222376.html

SOURCE Vantagepoint AI, LLC

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) today announced that for the month of January 2021, net merchandise sales grew 5.2% to $267.1 million from $254.0 million in January a year earlier. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by 3.5%, or $8.9 million, versus the same one-month period in the prior year. There were 47 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of January 2021 and 45 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of January 2020.

For the four weeks ended January 24, 2021, comparable net merchandise sales for the 45 warehouse clubs open at least 13 ½ full months increased 2.8% when compared to the same period last year. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted comparable net merchandise sales negatively by 3.3%, or $7.7 million, versus the same period in the prior year.

Sherry S. Bahrambeygui, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

«In January, net merchandise sales and comparable net merchandise sales grew despite a surge in COVID cases and increased COVID-related restrictions in some of our markets. Consolidated comparable sales increased in January but were partially offset by declines in Colombia and Trinidad. The Colombia comparable net merchandise sales decline was primarily due to two significant factors:  the increase in reported COVID cases that drove an increase in restrictions on circulation and the impact from sales that transferred from existing clubs to our recently opened Usaquén club in Bogotá. Sales declined in our Trinidad market largely due to our decision to limit U.S. merchandise imports because of ongoing insufficient U.S. dollar liquidity. We are pursuing alternative solutions to mitigate the current illiquidity challenges in Trinidad, while continuing to reassess the current limitations on an ongoing basis. As this pandemic persists, we lost approximately 70 club days in January, where in-club shopping was prohibited. In addition, several locations contended with reduced operating hours, restrictions on segments of the population permitted to shop or circulate, limitations on the number of people allowed inside our clubs and restrictions on certain areas of our business such as food services and Optical.

«Our Click & Go™ service, including curbside pickup and delivery, contributed approximately 3.6% of total net merchandise sales for the month. Delivery through Click &Go™ is now available in all of our markets, and the demand for delivery continues to grow as a portion of total Click & Go™ sales. Developing greater efficiencies remains a priority, especially within these new sales channels. We recently introduced the option for our Members to select specific dates and windows of time for curbside pickup and delivery, which allows us to improve service and offer greater convenience to our Members.

«Our team’s persistence, performance and insistence to continually improve is remarkable, especially in the face of ongoing challenges and uncertainties resulting from the recent resurgence of COVID in our markets. Thank you for your dedication.»

Fiscal year to date, which includes the five months ended January 31, 2021, net merchandise sales increased 6.0% to $1,478.1 million from $1,395.0 million for the five months ended January 31, 2020. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted net merchandise sales negatively by 3.4% or $46.9 million versus the same five-month period in the prior year.

For the twenty-one-week period ended January 24, 2021, comparable net merchandise sales increased 2.2% compared to the same twenty-one-week period a year ago. Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacted comparable net merchandise sales negatively by 3.3% or $43.9 million versus the same prior year period.

About PriceSmart

PriceSmart, headquartered in San Diego, owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean, selling high quality merchandise and services at low prices to PriceSmart Members. PriceSmart operates 47 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory (eight in Costa Rica and Colombia; seven in Panama; five in the Dominican Republic, four in Trinidad and Guatemala; three in Honduras; two each in El Salvador and Nicaragua; and one each in Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica and the United States Virgin Islands). The Company also plans to open new warehouse clubs in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Bucaramanga, Colombia in the fall of 2021, and in Portmore, Jamaica in the spring of 2022. Once these three new clubs are open, the Company will operate 50 warehouse clubs. 

The Company reports comparable net merchandise sales on a «same week» basis with 13 weeks in each quarter beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday. The periods are established at the beginning of the fiscal year to provide as close a match as possible to the calendar month and quarter that is used for financial reporting purposes.  This approach equalizes the number of weekend days and weekdays in each period for an improved sales comparison, as the Company experiences higher merchandise club sales on the weekends. Each of the warehouse clubs used in the calculations was open for at least 13 ½ calendar months before its results for the current period were compared with its results for the prior period.

The term «currency exchange rates» refers to the currency exchange rates the Company uses to convert net merchandise and comparable net merchandise sales for all countries where the functional currency is not the U.S. dollar into U.S. dollars. The Company calculates the effect of changes in currency exchange rates as the difference between current period activities translated using the current period’s currency exchange rates and the comparable prior year period’s currency exchange rates. The Company believes the disclosure of the effects of currency exchange rate fluctuations on the Company’s results permits investors to understand better the Company’s underlying performance.

Club days lost means the total number of days one or more clubs are closed for an entire day because of government prohibitions on offering in-store shopping. For example, if one club was prohibited from offering in-store sales for five days during a month and another club was prohibited from offering in-store sales for two days during that month, we would say that we had seven club days lost during the month.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements concerning the Company’s anticipated future revenues and earnings, adequacy of future cash flows, omni-channel initiatives, proposed warehouse club openings, the Company’s performance relative to competitors, the outcome of tax proceedings and related matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements containing the words «expect,» «believe,» «will,» «may,» «should,» «project,» «estimate,» «anticipated,» «scheduled,» and like expressions, and the negative thereof. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to: adverse changes in economic conditions in the Company’s markets, natural disasters, compliance risks, volatility in currency exchange rates, competition, consumer and small business spending patterns, political instability, increased costs associated with the integration of online commerce with our traditional business, whether the Company can successfully execute strategic initiatives, cybersecurity breaches that could cause disruptions in our systems or jeopardize the security of member or business information, cost increases from product and service providers, interruption of supply chains, COVID-19 related factors and challenges, including among others, the duration of the pandemic, the unknown long-term economic impact, the impact of government policies and restrictions that have limited access for our Members, and shifts in demand away from discretionary or higher priced products to lower priced products, exposure to product liability claims and product recalls, recoverability of moneys owed to PriceSmart from governments, and other important factors discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other factors discussed from time to time in other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date that they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update them, except as required by law.

For further information, please contact Michael L. McCleary, EVP, Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer (858) 404-8826 or send an email to ir@pricesmart.com.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pricesmart-announces-january-net-merchandise-sales-301222951.html

SOURCE PriceSmart, Inc.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Arcadia, a monthly subscription service that connects renters and homeowners across the US to wind and solar energy through their utility accounts, today announced a new partnership with Biogen, a pioneer in neuroscience, that will offer all US-based Biogen employees access to 100% renewable energy in their homes. Biogen is covering Arcadia membership costs for US-based employees, adding a new benefit that advances its Healthy Climate, Healthy Lives^™ initiative, a commitment to meaningfully engage its employees in its efforts to go fossil fuel free and improve public health. Arcadia’s renewable energy offering is a key component of the employee engagement goals for this initiative, through which Biogen became the first Fortune 500 company committing to become fossil fuel free across its operations by 2040.

In markets where regulation allows, such as Massachusetts, where Biogen is headquartered, employees can further increase their impact by signing up for community solar through Arcadia. Community solar lets customers route a portion of their energy bill to support a local solar farm.

Millions of American employees are using electricity at home rather than in the office. Arcadia’s residential energy data shows an average 2% increase in energy usage and a 6% increase in electricity bills for households in 2020. Due to limited mobility in the pandemic, home electricity use has become the greatest contributor to climate change for many employees. Arcadia is working with businesses such as Biogen to get employees easy access to renewable energy and community solar to reduce their environmental impact.

«It’s never been a more important time to fight for a renewable energy future and take action against climate change,» said Alexa Minerva, Senior Director of Partnerships at Arcadia. «Companies are paying more attention to their corporate sustainability goals and making climate-conscious decisions. It’s great to see Biogen leverage Arcadia’s platform to do good for its employees and the planet.»

«We are excited to collaborate with Arcadia and enable employees to make the switch to 100% renewable electricity at home,» said Nicole Murphy, Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Technical Operations at Biogen. «In 2014 we achieved carbon neutrality through our commitment to purchase 100% of our electricity from renewable sources. Now, as part of Healthy Climate, Healthy Lives, we want to further address our Scope 3 emissions. By creating opportunities for our employees to engage and advance our goals for climate, health and equity we aim to be a catalyst for positive change globally and reduce their impact.»

For Biogen employees participating in the company’s Renewable Electricity Opt-in Program, Biogen will cover the cost premium of purchasing 100% renewable electricity. The company has a goal to have all employees participate in this program by 2030 to help transition towards a world without fossil fuels. US-based employees have the option to participate in the Arcadia subscription program, while those in the US and international locations that have already signed up to a 100% renewable electricity contract with their home energy supplier can receive a fixed annual reimbursement of $200 USD. For employees that cannot enroll in renewable electricity programs due to regulatory restrictions, who do not pay their electricity, or that want an alternative to the fixed annual reimbursement, Biogen will purchase and retire 11 megawatt-hours of renewable energy credits, an amount equal to the average household usage.

About Arcadia renewable energy benefits

• Arcadia connects companies in any state with 100% clean energy for their employees’ homes. Companies can also choose to subsidize monthly electric bills for their teams through the platform.
• If employees live in Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, or Rhode Island, they can sign up for community solar. This lets them route a portion of their energy bill to support a local solar farm. In doing so, they’re not just connecting their home to clean energy, they’re also adding more clean energy to their local grid.
• Employees have access to their own Arcadia account for their home. An account takes two minutes to set up, streamlines utility bill payments, and lets employees track their clean energy impact.
• Businesses have access to sustainability reports that can be used in their scope 3 emissions reporting.

Scope 3 emissions, also referred to as «value chain emissions,» come from activities that aren’t directly controlled by a company but that are still connected to it, such as transportation of goods and travel. Scope 3 emissions make up the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for many companies. With employees working from home and traveling less, companies interested in managing their carbon emissions should be exploring strategies to reduce emissions from home energy use.

For more information on Arcadia’s employee benefits program and ways you can partner with Arcadia, please visit www.arcadia.com/partners.

ABOUT ARCADIA
Arcadia gives customers a simple, easy, and affordable way to choose renewable energy, connecting their home and community to the highest standards of clean energy. Founded in 2014, Arcadia integrates with 125 utilities in all 50 states, manages 4.5 terawatt-hours of residential energy demand, and is the largest manager of residential community solar subscribers in the US. Join us in achieving our vision of a 100% renewable energy future at www.arcadia.com. 

Contact:
Brennan Johnson
401-556-0662
brennan.johnson@arcadia.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/biogen-offers-arcadias-home-renewable-energy-program-to-employees-301222892.html

SOURCE Arcadia

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Arcadia, a monthly subscription service that connects renters and homeowners across the U.S. to clean energy through their existing utility, today announced a new partnership with Goldman Sachs that will offer all of the firm’s U.S.-based employees access to 100% clean energy in their homes. Arcadia’s nationwide platform makes it possible for any U.S. employee to participate no matter their location.

For workplaces, millions of American employees are using more electricity at home rather than in the office. As home energy consumption increases, Arcadia is working with businesses like Goldman Sachs to get their employees easy access to clean energy to reduce their environmental impact.

Arcadia residential energy data shows an average 2% increase in energy usage and a 6% bill increase for households in 2020, with home electricity use becoming an individual’s greatest contributor to climate change due to lessened travel during the pandemic.

«It’s never been a more important time to prioritize a renewable energy future and take action on climate change,» said Kiran Bhatraju, CEO and Founder of Arcadia. «Companies are paying more attention to their corporate sustainability goals, and in making climate-conscious decisions Goldman Sachs demonstrates how businesses  can leverage Arcadia’s platform to do good for their employees and the planet.»

Dina Powell McCormick, Global Head of Sustainability and Inclusive Growth, Goldman Sachs, said, «Our firm has been carbon neutral since 2015, but with COVID and our teams working from home, we realized we needed to do more to help our employees improve their own carbon footprints and Arcadia has been a great solution.»

About Arcadia clean energy benefits

• Arcadia connects workplaces in any state with 100% clean energy for their employee’s homes, and companies can choose to subsidize monthly bills for their team through the platform.
• If employees live in any one of these states they can also sign up for community solar: MA, RI, NY, IL, CO, MD, and ME. This lets them route a portion of their energy bill to support a local solar farm, so they’re not just connecting their home to clean energy, they’re also adding more clean energy to their local grid.
• Employees have access to their own Arcadia account for their home, which takes 3 minutes to set up, streamlines utility bill payments and comes with impact tracking and a monthly impact reporting.
• Businesses have access to sustainability reports that can be used to manage their scope 3 emissions reporting.

Scope 3 emissions, also referred to as «value chain emissions» are activities that represent the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions beyond the control of a company, normally including transportation and travel. With employees working from home and traveling less than ever, all companies interested in managing their carbon emissions should be exploring strategies to reduce emissions from home energy use.

For more information on Arcadia’s employee benefits program and ways you can partner with Arcadia, please visit www.arcadia.com/partners

ABOUT ARCADIA

Arcadia gives customers a simple, easy, and affordable way to choose clean energy, connecting their home and community to the highest standards of clean energy in all 50 states.. Founded in 2014, Arcadia integrates with 125 utilities in all 50 states, manages 4.5 terawatt-hours of residential energy demand, and is the largest manager of residential community solar subscribers in the U.S. Join us in achieving our vision of a 100% clean energy future at www.arcadia.com. 

Media Contact: Brennan Johnson, 401-556-0662, brennan.johnson@arcadia.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arcadia-partners-with-goldman-sachs-to-offer-clean-energy-to-homes-as-an-employee-benefit-301222903.html

SOURCE Arcadia

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Michael R. Bloomberg as his Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions. The COP26 High Level Climate Action Champions, Gonzalo Muñoz and Nigel Topping, also named Mr. Bloomberg the first Global Ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns.

In his third Special Envoy role, Mr. Bloomberg will mobilize stronger and more ambitious climate action in the lead-up to the pivotal Glasgow Climate Conference – COP 26 – in November 2021. Building on decades of proven experience fighting climate change across business, government and philanthropy, Mr. Bloomberg will support the Secretary-General’s work to grow and strengthen the coalition of governments, companies, cities and financial institutions committing to net-zero before 2050. He will also engage government officials and members of the private sector and civil society – particularly in high-emitting countries, industries and sectors – to vastly accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy and help deliver on the Secretary-General’s global call for an expedited phase out of coal, in line with the Paris Agreement.

«Mayor Bloomberg is a leader who is undaunted by the big challenges and we are pleased to welcome him back in this role as Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions in this critical year,» said Secretary-General António Guterres. «Mayor Bloomberg’s deep commitment to climate action and his essential experience bridging the interests of business, finance, policy makers and philanthropy are uniquely suited to helping to accelerate impact as we rebuild better together and drive toward a global commitment for COP26 and beyond.»

Mr. Bloomberg’s work will be rooted in the Secretary-General’s call to ensure efforts to rebuild better together from the COVID-19 pandemic do not just reset the world economy but transform it – through new investment in clean infrastructure, new jobs, and a resilient future free from dirty fossil fuels.

«Fighting climate change is a global challenge that requires strong global collaboration. I’m honored to be returning as Special Envoy to the UN Secretary-General to help drive the fight forward and secure a greener, healthier future for generations to come,» said Michael R. Bloomberg. «I look forward to continuing to rally and support the efforts of cities, states, businesses, and local groups through our ongoing work at Bloomberg Philanthropies, and by serving as ambassador for the UNFCCC’s Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns. Local climate action is so vital to achieving the UN’s climate targets – and together, we can make even more progress accelerating the transition to clean energy and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.»

As the first Global Ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns, Mr. Bloomberg will continue to draw on his long track record of spurring ambitious subnational climate action to work with the UN’s Climate Ambition Alliance to rally leadership and mobilize support from cities, regions, businesses, and investors in the largest ever coordinated campaign to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 at the very latest.

«We are delighted to welcome Mr. Bloomberg as the first Global Ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience,» said Nigel Topping, COP26 High-Level Champion of the United Kingdom. «In this position, he will play a pivotal role in helping to raise awareness and drive growth for both campaigns, with a special emphasis on engagement with cities and regions.»

Gonzalo Muñoz, COP25 High-Level Champion of Chile, added, «The appointment of Mr. Bloomberg as the first Global Ambassador will be followed by further appointments of men and women across the world who will join him as fellow representatives to unlock the efforts of non-state actors in support of a zero carbon, resilient world.»

These positions build on Mr. Bloomberg’s previous appointments as UN Special Envoy for Climate Action in 2018 and UN Special Envoy on Cities and Climate Change by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in 2014.

As founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and the 108th mayor of New York City, Mr. Bloomberg is globally recognized for his work to accelerate climate action, including support for the Beyond Coal movement, which has successfully turbocharged the clean energy transition in the United States and other countries, and America’s Pledge – an initiative to quantify and report the actions of U.S. states, cities, businesses, and organizations to drive down their greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

In addition to leading a wide range of global climate initiatives, Mr. Bloomberg uniquely supports efforts of cities and mayors taking climate action at the local level. Mr. Bloomberg is the board president of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a global network of 97 major cities, and co-chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, a network of more than 10,000 cities and local governments. Mr. Bloomberg also currently serves as chair of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and at the Secretary-General’s request, formed the Climate Finance Leaders Initiative in 2019.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 810 cities and 170 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.6 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.

About Race to Zero
Race to Zero is the international campaign for a healthy, resilient, zero-carbon recovery. Led by the UNFCCC Champions for Climate Action, it aims to bring together net-zero commitments from cities, businesses and investors across the climate action community in the run up to COP26. Race to Zero collaborates with multiple international networks and initiatives, which have independently been mobilizing net-zero commitments. All of them require their participants to meet the Race to Zero’s minimum criteria. For a full list of partners see here. Visit the Race to Zero website here.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-nations-secretary-general-appoints-michael-r-bloomberg-as-special-envoy-for-climate-ambition-and-solutions-301222841.html

SOURCE Bloomberg Philanthropies