Categoría: Geovanny Vicente

BOSTON, MA, Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE: BTO), John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (NYSE: HEQ), John Hancock Income Securities Trust (NYSE: JHS), John Hancock  Investors Trust (NYSE: JHI), John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE: PDT), John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD), and John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield (NYSE: HTY) (each a «Fund» and collectively, the «Funds») announced today that the Board of Trustees has renewed the Funds’ share repurchase plans. 

The Board of Trustees approved the renewal of the share repurchase plans as part of its ongoing evaluation of options to enhance shareholder value and potentially decrease the discount between the market price and the net asset value per share («NAV») of the Funds’ common shares.  Under the share repurchase plans, each Fund may purchase, in the open market, between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, up to an additional 10% of its outstanding common shares (based on common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2020). The Board of Trustees will review the plan periodically and may authorize adjustment of its terms and size.

The share repurchase plans allow the repurchase of common shares in the open market at a discount to NAV.  The plans could allow the Funds to realize incremental accretion to their NAV to the benefit of existing shareholders. They could also have the benefit of providing additional liquidity in the trading of common shares. 

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund’s control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

An investor should consider a Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing.

About John Hancock and Manulife Financial
John Hancock is a division of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers’ needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and as Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups, and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were over CAD$1.3 trillion (US$943 billion) as of September 30, 2020. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.

One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports approximately 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, and education savings plans. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-hancock-closed-end-funds-announce-renewal-of-share-repurchase-plans-301212026.html

SOURCE John Hancock Investment Management

LONDON, and MADRID, Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Madrid trials power efficient, solar powered e-paper bus stop signs

Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM) completes Papercast® trials

Consorcio Regional de Transportes de la Comunidad de Madrid (CRTM) – the main authority for coordinating public transport operations across city and province – has completed a trial of Papercast® solar powered e-paper displays with Winfin Sistemas S.L..

The trial includes both 13″ and 23″ solar powered e-paper displays in bus shelter and bus stop environments at stations on the intercity passenger transport network.

CRTM has added these displays to its existing network of LED panels to improve the real time information provided to the user, while achieving zero energy consumption – the panel runs on a rechargeable battery that is continually powered by the solar panel installed with the display.

The project was managed by Winfin Systems, Papercast’s partner in Spain, with whom the consortium has a longstanding agreement to develop innovative mobility and smart transport projects. Winfin Systems currently operates more than 600 bus stops for CRTM using LED technology.

«The extremely low power nature of Papercast technology and the eco-friendly benefits of solar power – combined with the ability to provide graphical real-time travel information on a flexible, easy to read display area – presents an opportunity for operators to improve passenger information provision across the transport network, while achieving their sustainability goals,» comments Juan Blanco, CEO at Winfin Sistemas S.L.

The unique attributes of e-paper make it ideal for outside use, with unbeatable screen visibility, even in direct sunlight. Couple this with wireless connectivity and exceptionally low power consumption, and Papercast displays can be continuously solar powered – no power or connectivity cables are required. This means Papercast is quick to install to an existing pole or shelter, while offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly display technology.

— ends —

ABOUT PAPERCAST

Papercast’s next generation bus stop passenger information solution uses wireless solar powered e-paper displays, with a comprehensive content management system developed exclusively for public transport needs. The platform enables transport providers to effortlessly keep passengers informed on real-time and advance service information at bus stops in a clear and user-friendly format.

http://www.papercast.com

Share this story and follow Papercast on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube

CONTACT INFORMATION

Kerry Marchbank
Marketing Manager
+44 (0)7817 916654
kmarchbank@papercast.com

Media Contact

Kerry Marchbank, Papercast Ltd, +44 7817916654, kmarchbank@papercast.com

SOURCE Papercast Ltd

DALLAS, Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI) today announced the company CEO, Randell Torno, will publish a corporate update and 2021 outlook this Friday, January 22, 2021.  The company anticipates beginning production and delivery of its first electric motorcycles on an existing order in Sub Saharan Africa to serve the motorcycle taxi (boda) market.  The company has also made substantial progress in the last few months toward bringing a brand name electric vehicle race to Africa as the anchor of its electric vehicle ecosystem driving the design and production of future electric powered transportation to the African market. On Friday, Mr. Torno will share the latest details on the company’s developments and provide his outlook for an anticipated breakout in 2021.  Mr. Torno maintains that the ALYI electric vehicle ecosystem strategy and African focus sets the ALYI electric vehicle market strategy apart from the rest of the industry anticipated to reach over $800 billion by 2027.

For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI’s overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com.

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies’ contracts, the companies’ liquidity position, the companies’ ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:
Randell Torno
info@lithiumip.com
+1-800-713-0297

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alyi-sets-its-strategy-apart-from-the-rest-of-the-800-billion-electric-vehicle-market-301211950.html

SOURCE Alternet Systems, Inc.

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Save money, reduce carbon footprints and understand the details of home utilities with the PowerX Energy Suite, launching on Kickstarter today. This suite harnesses the power of AI to monitor and report on utility usage including water heaters, water pipes, and electricity, putting customers in control before a bill arrives.

Technology has enabled people to understand nearly every aspect of their homes and lives. Utility trackers aren’t a new concept, but they force consumers into a reactive approach to solving usage issues.

The PowerX Energy Suite changes the approach to utility management and tracking with an integrated system that puts customers in control. Offering 360-degree insight into water and energy usage, the PowerX Energy Suite offers a real-time utility bill so customers can make changes before their actual bills arrive. It leverages advances in artificial intelligence and easy-to-install heat, water, and electricity sensors to empower customers to mitigate expensive disasters and reduce energy consumption and costs.

The PowerX Energy Suite is a four-part smart system. PowerX Heat monitors and controls water heaters, PowerX Water attaches to the building’s main water pipe and PowerX Electricity monitors the electric panel and monitors electric appliances. A central hub communicates all incoming data and connects to the internet to give customers understanding and control.

«People are looking for practical ways to live greener lives, but large behavioral changes are hard to stick with,» said Manuel Schönfeld, Founder and CEO of PowerX. «The PowerX Energy Suite offers unprecedented insight into utility usage. Take, for example, a washing machine – with PowerX, users can measure power usage and water consumption gaining a complete picture of the costs associated with that appliance. Replicate that over an entire house, and it’s easy to make simple tweaks and see big savings.»

American homes used 1,437 billion kWh of electricity in 2019, with space heating and cooling making up more than 30% of all usage. Almost 25% of all electricity usage comes from lighting, appliances, and televisions. For water, the EPA estimates that the average family uses more than 300 gallons of water every day – mostly indoors. Of that, nearly two-thirds of water usage comes from the bathroom or faucets.

The PowerX Energy Suite is risk-free and non-invasive, as the installation doesn’t require changes to plumbing or wiring. The sensors don’t require access to electrical outlets, either. The three separate sensors integrate with AI and a smart hub to connect and provide detailed information on usage – down to the appliance. PowerX Heat, in particular, can reduce water heating costs without any change in behavior by the customer. Its AI learns usage patterns and preferred settings to tailor usage needs to the individual household. PowerX Water monitors flow, detects leaks, and provides tailored suggestions for reducing consumption down to the specific faucet or pipe. PowerX Electricity monitors appliances, detects inefficiencies and sends tailored saving tips to the hub.

The PowerX Hub connects all the sensors in the system. It uses WiFi, LAN, and LoRa connectivity with the internet. An accompanying mobile app allows users to read data from the hub, compare data, set goals, understand savings, and receive real-time alerts on usage or problem areas.

PowerX is available to pre-order by visiting pr.go2.fund/powerX.

About PowerX
PowerX is a team of individuals who believe that changing our world begins with a single action. Where do we spend most of our time, money, and energy? Our homes. We realized that finding a way to make this space that we all use every day more efficient could start a movement that could help save our planet. PowerX products have been carefully designed to maximize the efficiency of utility delivery and management for any homeowner or renter. The PowerX mission has been to combat climate change by making it as easy as possible for the average consumer to join the movement of protecting our environment through energy efficiency. We accomplish this by designing and building PowerX Heat, Water, and Electricity units that can fit onto most existing water heaters, water pipes, and electrical panels. For more information, visit http://www.powerx.co.

Media Contact

Lauren Ratcliffe, PowerX, 980-239-7982, lauren@powerx.co

SOURCE PowerX

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The National ATM Council, Inc. («NAC»), the U.S. trade association representing the Independent/Retail ATM industry, commends the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for adopting a new federal rule aimed at ensuring the provision of fair access to banking services by large national banks, federal savings associations, and federal branches and agencies of foreign bank organizations.

«We are hopeful this new OCC rule will bring an end to the current nationwide denial to independent ATM providers of fair and reasonable access to the very same business banking services and accounts otherwise enjoyed by all lawful businesses in the U.S.,» said NAC Executive Director Bruce Renard.

ATM deployers must be able to maintain at least one bank account for the «vault cash» that is loaded into and dispensed from their ATMs. After those funds have been dispensed to ATM customers, they then are replenished electronically with funds transmitted from the withdrawing cardholders’ bank accounts to the ATM deployer’s account, via the U.S. banking system’s financial settlements process. Thus, unless the ATM deployer has a bank account from which to obtain its ATM vault cash and receive return electronic transmissions of those funds, it cannot operate its business. Every ATM business must be sponsored by a bank before being allowed to become a member of the regional and global financial networks through which all ATM transactions are conducted.

Yet far too many of these small-business ATM entrepreneurs are currently unable to obtain or maintain bank accounts with any major national bank in the U.S. These banks account for the largest share of the U.S. bank offices where ATM companies historically have held their ATM vault cash. But businesses in the independent ATM industry now are universally refused accounts because all the big banks have misclassified ATM entrepreneurs as «high-risk» businesses, simply because ATM deployers are «cash-intensive» by nature. However, while they deny banking services to all competitive ATM providers, these very same banks also operate very large «cash-intensive» ATM fleets of their own and charge their cardholders costly «disloyalty fees» each time they use an ATM not owned by their bank.

«The current denial of ATM company accounts by major banks in America is a perfect example of how our banking system went awry in the wake of Operation Choke Point and beyond, cutting off lawful ATM businesses from the banking system for no valid reason whatsoever,» said NAC Chair and Access One CEO George Sarantopoulos. «Regardless of whether the conduct of these banks is based upon anticompetitive or other self-serving motives, misguided federal banking regulation, or some mix of the two, the end result remains the same. Legitimate ATM companies are being denied the basic business banking services that are essential to their businesses. We thank the OCC for taking action to address this important issue for America’s ATM deployers, and to ensure compliance with federal law on the part of our nation’s largest banks.»

Independent ATMs account for almost sixty percent of all the ATMs deployed today in America. These entrepreneurial ATMs have become key to making convenient and widespread cash access a reality throughout our nation. Recognized as «Essential Businesses» by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Independent ATMs also continue to play an instrumental role in distributing COVID-19 recovery funds and unemployment insurance payments to the tens of millions of Americans hit hardest by our current national pandemic. Studies have shown that Independent ATMs are virtually the only terminals that serve lower-income inner-city neighborhoods and rural communities throughout the nation where there are no banks or bank provided ATMs, and that otherwise would be «cash deserts.»

The newly adopted OCC rule is scheduled to become effective April 1, 2021.

Photo(s):
https://www.prlog.org/12854725

Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/occ-adopts-final-rule-requiring-large-banks-to-provide-fair-access-to-banking-services-301211900.html

SOURCE The National ATM Council, Inc.