Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei’s intelligent automotive solution business unit. Photo: VCG Chiefs from Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s two automotive business groups appeared on the same stage together for the first time to launch a next-generation lidar product for smart cars, signaling deeper alignment as competition in China’s auto market heats up. The joint appearance on Wednesday underlines Huawei’s...
Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei’s intelligent automotive solution business unit. Photo: VCG Chiefs from Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s two automotive business groups appeared on the same stage together for the first time to launch a next-generation lidar product for smart cars, signaling deeper alignment as competition in China’s auto market heats up. The joint appearance on Wednesday underlines Huawei’s dual strategy that depends on its intelligent automotive solution business unit and Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) to expand its footprint in the country’s competitive smart electric vehicle market.
Asian equities rebounded as markets regained composure following a surge in volatility sparked by the Middle East conflict. Ayesha Tariq, Macrovisor Co-Founder spoke to Bloomberg’s Horizons Middle East & Africa anchor Joumanna Bercetche from Dhaka where she says they only have energy stockpiles to last 2 weeks. (Source: Bloomberg)
Asian equities rebounded as markets regained composure following a surge in volatility sparked by the Middle East conflict. Ayesha Tariq, Macrovisor Co-Founder spoke to Bloomberg’s Horizons Middle East & Africa anchor Joumanna Bercetche from Dhaka where she says they only have energy stockpiles to last 2 weeks. (Source: Bloomberg)
Qualcomm’s robotics push hints at a broader transformation story, and the market may be overlooking it and focusing too heavily on smartphone weakness.
Qualcomm’s robotics push hints at a broader transformation story, and the market may be overlooking it and focusing too heavily on smartphone weakness.
TLDRs; Amazon trims 100 robotics jobs, continuing broader workforce reductions. Blue Jay project paused as company pivots to modular Orbital system. Automation plans could replace hundreds of thousands of U.S. roles by 2033. Amazon’s robotics shift signals potential cost-cutting trend across industries. 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com ,...
TLDRs; Amazon trims 100 robotics jobs, continuing broader workforce reductions. Blue Jay project paused as company pivots to modular Orbital system. Automation plans could replace hundreds of thousands of U.S. roles by 2033. Amazon’s robotics shift signals potential cost-cutting trend across industries. 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com , the data-driven platform ranking every stock by quality and breakout potential. Amazon (AMZN) reportedly cut around 100 white-collar positions in its robotics division, the team responsible for designing warehouse robots and conveyances. This move comes after a series of broader layoffs that began in October 2025, initially affecting approximately 14,000 white-collar employees. Following additional reductions in January, total job cuts at Amazon have now reached roughly 30,000. The company emphasized that these changes are part of its ongoing organizational review, aimed at ensuring teams remain structured to innovate efficiently and meet customer demands. However, Amazon did not specify exact numbers beyond the robotics unit, leaving investors and industry analysts to gauge the broader impact. Investors responded positively to the news of the robotics restructure, sending Amazon shares up 3.88% as the market interpreted the move as a strategic realignment toward more efficient warehouse operations rather than a sign of broader instability. Blue Jay Project Halted The recent layoffs coincide with Amazon’s decision to pause development of its Blue Jay multiarm robotic system, first demonstrated in October 2025. Blue Jay was designed for the “Local Vending Machine” warehouse setup, a tightly integrated automation structure that proved challenging to manufacture and deploy at scale. Amazon is shifting focus to the “Orbital” system, a modular and flexible solution that can be integrated into micro-fulfillment centers, including small operations in the back of Whole Foods store...
Getty Images By Lynn Song, Chief Economist, Greater China GDP growth target lowered for 2026 China's annual target-setting is always an important event. Since GDP growth targets were first published in 1990, China has fallen short of the target only a couple of times. Generally, betting on China to miss its target has been a losing bet for forecasters. This year's GDP growth target was reduced to ...
Getty Images By Lynn Song, Chief Economist, Greater China GDP growth target lowered for 2026 China's annual target-setting is always an important event. Since GDP growth targets were first published in 1990, China has fallen short of the target only a couple of times. Generally, betting on China to miss its target has been a losing bet for forecasters. This year's GDP growth target was reduced to 4.5-5.0%, a slight softening from the more ambiguous "around 5%" target set in the past three years. While it was debatable how much flexibility "around 5%" entailed, most market participants viewed this as within 0.2-0.3pp of 5%. With the new target, there appears to be a tolerance for slower growth, which should give policymakers more flexibility to pursue quality growth, a priority in recent years. Combined with China's anti-involution drive, there will be a focus on reducing wasteful and duplicative investment while improving synergies and building on China's long-term strategic direction. As the 15th Five-Year Plan has laid out, the key focuses are on improving industrial modernisation, improving technological self-reliance, and ramping up domestic demand. With that said, the 4.5% threshold represents only a rather limited slowdown; China's longer-term growth ambitions remain unchanged. The government work report outlined an intention for "laying a solid foundation for doubling per capita GDP by 2035 compared to 2020," a key goal set by President Xi in the past. The softer GDP target was in line with our expectations, as we had hints of this outcome earlier when various provinces also revised growth targets lower. Our GDP forecast for the year is 4.6% year-on-year, which would fall within this range. China rarely falls short of its growth target Other key targets mostly stable for 2026 There was little surprise in the other targets as well. The inflation target, having been reduced to "around 2%" last year, remained unchanged. We expect inflation to rise this year to a...
Advertisers must prove that “up to” savings are achievable for a significant share of customers and clearly explain the assumptions behind them. / Credit: Tartezy via Shutterstock The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued new rulings against several UK advertisers over misleading “up to” savings claims, reinforcing stricter expectations for substantiation in retail and energy marketing....
Advertisers must prove that “up to” savings are achievable for a significant share of customers and clearly explain the assumptions behind them. / Credit: Tartezy via Shutterstock The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued new rulings against several UK advertisers over misleading “up to” savings claims, reinforcing stricter expectations for substantiation in retail and energy marketing. Decisions published on 4 March 2026 found that ads from British Gas, Centrica Hive and Wild Nutrition breached the UK advertising code by presenting claims that could mislead consumers or lacked sufficient evidence. The regulator said advertisers must demonstrate that the maximum savings advertised in promotions reflect outcomes achievable by a “significant proportion” of consumers. The rulings underline increased scrutiny of retail promotions, pricing claims and sustainability messaging as the ASA expands its monitoring activity. Evidence required for ‘up to’ savings claims The ASA ruled against a paid Meta advertisement from British Gas promoting heat pumps that claimed consumers could save “up to £546”. According to the regulator, the company did not provide adequate evidence showing that a meaningful share of consumers could realistically achieve that level of savings. The ASA also found that key information explaining the conditions behind the calculation was not clearly presented in the advertisement. Under UK advertising rules, businesses must hold evidence before publishing “up to” claims and ensure that the maximum benefit represents a realistic outcome for a significant proportion of customers. If a saving is based on modelling or specific assumptions, those conditions must be communicated clearly. GlobalData Strategic Intelligence US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate? Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis. By GlobalData Learn more about Strategic Intelligence The ruling reflects a b...
Morning, I’m Louise Moon from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. There’s no denying Primark is getting a spring clean. No, I’m not talking about its eye-catching fashion collabs of late. There’s been changes in the boardroom , ahead of a potential spinoff of Primark by parent conglomerate Associated British Foods . AB Foods confirmed Eoin T...
Morning, I’m Louise Moon from Bloomberg UK’s breaking news team, bringing you up to speed on today’s top business stories. There’s no denying Primark is getting a spring clean. No, I’m not talking about its eye-catching fashion collabs of late. There’s been changes in the boardroom , ahead of a potential spinoff of Primark by parent conglomerate Associated British Foods . AB Foods confirmed Eoin Tonge will be Primark’s permanent chief executive officer. He stepped in as interim boss in March, to replace former CEO Paul Marchant who left after a complaint about inappropriate behaviour. AB Foods’ finance chief will also become permanent, and there’s a newly created role of chief commercial officer at Primark, aimed at improving its position in the market. Judging by its weaker sales, as the budget retailer grapples with a more cash-stretched customer, that is well needed. As it gets a rejig, the question is will Primark be spun off and when? AB Foods has said it expects to make a decision by April when it reports half-year results, with any split likely taking a further 18 months. What’s your take? Ping me on X , LinkedIn or drop me an email at lmoon13@bloomberg.net. Oh, and do subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted business journalism on the UK, and beyond. What We’re Watching Consumer goods giant Reckitt is benefitting from stronger than expected performance in developing markets, putting the owner of Dettol on track to hit targets despite weakness in its cold and flu products. Mid-cap aerospace supplier Senior has had a takeover approach from US firm Arcline Investment Management . That sets up a possible three-way battle between Arcline, Advent and a consortium of Blackstone and Tinicum. Stay tuned. Hungary-based Wizz Air cut its profit guidance after being forced to suspend flights and absorb the cost of higher fuel prices due to the Iran war. Airlines worldwide are facing financial and logistical disruption, with the number of cancelled fligh...
Earnings Call Insights: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL) Q2 2026 Management View President and CEO Julie Masino reported, “Q2 total sales were $874.8 million and adjusted EBITDA was $38.2 million. Our entire team is executing our plan to: one, improve our operations; two, connect with guests through our menu, marketing and value proposition; and three, deliver cost savings to improve ...
Earnings Call Insights: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL) Q2 2026 Management View President and CEO Julie Masino reported, “Q2 total sales were $874.8 million and adjusted EBITDA was $38.2 million. Our entire team is executing our plan to: one, improve our operations; two, connect with guests through our menu, marketing and value proposition; and three, deliver cost savings to improve profitability.” Masino highlighted operational improvements following leadership changes in October, sharing that the Google star rating reached 4.28 in Q2, the highest since Q2 of fiscal 2020. She noted improvements in food taste, service, and value scores, each up 4% to 5% year-over-year. New and returning menu items, such as the breakfast burger, carrot cake, and sugar-cured ham dinners, exceeded expectations, with Masino stating, “We continue to use Front Porch Feedback, our guest feedback mechanism, and there are more returning favorites in the pipeline.” The loyalty program, Cracker Barrel Rewards, now counts over 11 million members, accounting for over 40% of tracked sales. Masino described it as “a tremendous benefit for guests and an increasingly important tool in improving traffic.” Masino detailed ongoing cost-saving measures, including a continued corporate restructuring aimed at returning G&A closer to historical levels as a percentage of sales. Senior VP & CFO Craig Pommells stated, “For Q2, we reported total revenue of $874.8 million, which was down 7.9% from the prior year quarter. Restaurant revenue decreased 7.5% to $694.3 million. Comparable store restaurant sales decreased by 7.1%, which included a traffic decline of 10.1%.” Outlook Pommells provided fiscal 2026 guidance: “Total revenue of $3.24 billion to $3.27 billion, pricing of approximately 4% and lower menu mix resulting from higher discounts, commodity inflation of 2% to 2.5%, and hourly inflation of 2.5% to 3%.” Full year adjusted EBITDA is anticipated at $85 million to $100 million. Capital expe...