Following CytoSorbents Corp.’s (NASDAQ: CTSO) appointment of a new chief medical officer (CMO), Aegis Capital reiterated its ‘Buy’ rating and price target of $9 on shares of the company’s stock. The company recently named Dr. Eric G. Mortensen, M.D., Ph.D., as its new CMO, starting full-time tomorrow. Dr. Mortensen holds an M.D. from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and a Ph.D. in biophysics from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Former CMO Dr. Robert H. Bartlett, M.D. will retire after nine years with the company, but will remain as a consultant and as co-chair of Cardiac Surgery Advisory Board through the REFRESH 2 cardiac surgery trial.
For more information, visit www.cytosorbents.com.
About CytoSorbents Corporation (NASDAQ: CTSO)
CytoSorbents Corporation is engaged in critical care immunotherapy, specializing in blood purification. Its flagship product, CytoSorb® is approved in the European Union with distribution in 43 countries around the world, as a safe and effective extracorporeal cytokine adsorber, designed to reduce the “cytokine storm” or “cytokine release syndrome” that could otherwise cause massive inflammation, organ failure and death in common critical illnesses such as sepsis, burn injury, trauma, lung injury and pancreatitis, as well as in cancer immunotherapy. These are conditions where the risk of death is extremely high, yet no effective treatments exist. CytoSorb® is also being used during and after cardiac surgery to remove inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and free hemoglobin, which can lead to post-operative complications, including multiple organ failure. CytoSorbents has completed its REFRESH (REduction in FREe Hemoglobin) 1 trial – a multi-center, randomized controlled study that has demonstrated the safety and efficacy of free hemoglobin reduction with intra-operative CytoSorb® use in a heart-lung machine during complex cardiac surgery. In 2017, the company plans to initiate a pivotal REFRESH 2 trial intended to support U.S. FDA approval. CytoSorb® has been used safely in more than 23,000 human treatments to date. CytoSorbents’ purification technologies are based on biocompatible, highly porous polymer beads that can actively remove toxic substances from blood and other bodily fluids by pore capture and surface adsorption. Its technologies have received non-dilutive grant, contract, and other funding in excess of $18 million from DARPA, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and others. The company has numerous products under development based upon this unique blood purification technology, protected by 32 issued U.S. patents and multiple applications pending, including CytoSorb-XL, HemoDefend™, VetResQ™, ContrastSorb, DrugSorb, and others.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
MissionIRNewsBreak – MEI Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEIP) Exceeds Pre-Specified Response Rate Study of ME-401 in CLL and Follicular Lymphoma
Shares of MEI Pharma (NASDAQ: MEIP) are higher in mid-day trade on news that an independent Safety Review Committee has completed its pre-specified review of the first cohort of six evaluable patients in a phase Ib study of the company’s potent and selective oral PI3K delta inhibitor, ME-401, in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and follicular lymphoma. “PI3K delta inhibitors have demonstrated clear activity in the treatment of CLL and follicular lymphoma, but at the expense of well-defined and substantial toxicities. We believe this provides an opportunity for a highly differentiated drug that is both effective and safe. Now we look forward to demonstrating the therapeutic index of ME-401 across multiple dose cohorts and presenting detailed results later this year,” MEI Pharma president and CEO Daniel P. Gold, Ph.D. stated in the news release. The company said it intends to submit full data from the open-label, dose-escalation study for presentation at an upcoming scientific meeting.
To view the full press release, visit: http://nnw.fm/QwK83
About MEI Pharma
MEI Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEIP) is a San Diego-based oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer. The company’s portfolio of drug candidates includes Pracinostat, an oral HDAC inhibitor that is partnered with Helsinn Healthcare, SA. Pracinostat has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed AML who are unfit for intensive chemotherapy. Pracinostat is also being developed in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of patients with high and very high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. MEI Pharma’s clinical development pipeline also includes ME-401, a highly differentiated oral PI3K delta inhibitor currently in a phase Ib study in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL or follicular lymphoma. The company is also developing ME-344, a novel mitochondrial inhibitor currently in an investigator-sponsored study in combination with bevacizumab for the treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer. Pracinostat, ME-401 and ME-344 are investigational agents and are not approved for use in the U.S. For more information, please visit www.meipharma.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit: http://nnw.fm/QwK83
About MEI Pharma
MEI Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: MEIP) is a San Diego-based oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer. The company’s portfolio of drug candidates includes Pracinostat, an oral HDAC inhibitor that is partnered with Helsinn Healthcare, SA. Pracinostat has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed AML who are unfit for intensive chemotherapy. Pracinostat is also being developed in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of patients with high and very high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. MEI Pharma’s clinical development pipeline also includes ME-401, a highly differentiated oral PI3K delta inhibitor currently in a phase Ib study in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL or follicular lymphoma. The company is also developing ME-344, a novel mitochondrial inhibitor currently in an investigator-sponsored study in combination with bevacizumab for the treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer. Pracinostat, ME-401 and ME-344 are investigational agents and are not approved for use in the U.S. For more information, please visit www.meipharma.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MissionIRNewsBreak – EMA Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products Recommends Designation for Catalyst Biosciences, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: CBIO) Factor IX
Shares of Catalyst Biosciences (NASDAQ: CBIO) are 15% higher this morning on news that a positive opinion recommending orphan medicinal product designation has been issued by the European Medicines Agency Committee (EMA) for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) regarding Catalyst’s CB 2679d for the treatment of hemophilia B. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company’s highly potent next-generation coagulation Factor IX variant demonstrated potential to normalize human Factor IX levels with a daily subcutaneous injection in preclinical studies. Currently approved therapies rely on numerous intravenous infusions. “Obtaining orphan drug designation is an important part of our regulatory approval strategy for CB 2679d, and the receipt of the positive COMP opinion puts us one step closer to this goal,” Catalyst president and CEO Nassim Usman, Ph.D. stated in the news release.
To view the full press release, visit: http://nnw.fm/1iAwB
About Catalyst Biosciences, Inc.
Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel medicines to address hematology indications. Catalyst is focused on the field of hemostasis, including the subcutaneous prophylaxis of hemophilia and facilitating surgery in individuals with hemophilia. For more information, visit www.catalystbiosciences.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit: http://nnw.fm/1iAwB
About Catalyst Biosciences, Inc.
Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel medicines to address hematology indications. Catalyst is focused on the field of hemostasis, including the subcutaneous prophylaxis of hemophilia and facilitating surgery in individuals with hemophilia. For more information, visit www.catalystbiosciences.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
MissionIRNewsBreaks– Reopened Patent Case Sends ParkerVision, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRKR) Shares Higher
ParkerVision (NASDAQ: PRKR) shares are up 9% in mid-day trade after the radio-frequency technologies company said its request to lift the stay and reopen its patent infringement case against Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), LG and Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) was granted by the Middle District of Florida. Additionally, the court ordered the parties to conduct a case management conference within 30 days and subsequently file a case management report within the 14 days following the conference. The company filed its request to reopen the case on May 4 after the International Trade Commission’s ruling to approve the company’s motion to terminate its parallel ITC investigation against these same defendants.
To view the full press release, visit: http://nnw.fm/G8UHd
About ParkerVision, Inc.
ParkerVision, Inc. designs, develops and markets its radio-frequency (RF) technologies and products that enable advanced wireless solutions for current and next generation communications networks. Protected by a highly-regarded, worldwide patent portfolio, the company’s solutions for wireless transfer of RF waveforms address the needs of a broad range of wirelessly connected devices for high levels of RF performance coupled with best-in-class power consumption. For more information please visit www.parkervision.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit: http://nnw.fm/G8UHd
About ParkerVision, Inc.
ParkerVision, Inc. designs, develops and markets its radio-frequency (RF) technologies and products that enable advanced wireless solutions for current and next generation communications networks. Protected by a highly-regarded, worldwide patent portfolio, the company’s solutions for wireless transfer of RF waveforms address the needs of a broad range of wirelessly connected devices for high levels of RF performance coupled with best-in-class power consumption. For more information please visit www.parkervision.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Kootenay Zinc Corp. (CSE: ZNK) (OTCQB: KTNNF) to Step Up Exploration Efforts following Chinese Production Cuts
Zinc prices soared over the last few days after top consumer China increased imports of the metal in wake of the country’s halting production as part of an environmental crackdown on the local steel industry. The Asian nation’s move to curb zinc and nickel production is likely to have a significant impact on global supply, with inventories already under pressure from growing demand and currently at about 342,675 tons (roughly 20 percent lower than last year), according to Reuters (http://dtn.fm/gP0yM). Zinc exploration corporations such as Vancouver-based Kootenay Zinc Corp. (CSE: ZNK) (OTCQB: KTNNF) are already exploring ways to step up efforts to find deposits so as to help meet the global demand for zinc.
Refined zinc imports to China jumped 21 percent year-over-year last month, reaching 47,469 tons (http://dtn.fm/H9mbb). Similarly, shipments of zinc ore and concentrates increased by 44 percent, Reuters said. This led to a significant increase in zinc prices, with the London Metal Exchange benchmark zinc closing up one percent at $2,658 per ton earlier this week – the highest since the beginning of the month.
Nickel prices also soared to $9,395, the highest in three weeks, as a result of growing Chinese imports. The halt in Chinese nickel production is unlikely to have a major impact, since the country accounts for only four percent of global supply. The situation, however, is significantly different when it comes to zinc, as the Asian nation accounted for at least 38 percent of global production before the crackdown. Both nickel and zinc are used in the steel manufacturing process – zinc for galvanized steel and nickel for stainless steel.
It is yet unclear how much of the country’s zinc and nickel production will be affected by the crackdown, but industry sources say the government is shutting down all steel mills that emit excessive pollution, along with zinc and nickel mining operations. Several of these operations might be reopened if they are found in compliance with environmental regulations, the sources added.
China’s move is likely to drive zinc demand even higher. According to the International Lead and Zinc Study Group, demand for the metal is already exceeding supply, and the difference is expected to reach 226,000 tons this year (http://dtn.fm/Lb7BC).
To help meet the rising demand, Canada’s Kootenay Zinc Corp. has already taken steps to expand its exploration program at its Sully property in British Columbia. The property is located near the legendary Sullivan Mine, which was one of the world’s largest reserves of zinc, with an output of over 17 million tons of zinc and lead until it was closed down in 2001. Kootenay’s Sully Project is located 18 miles from Sullivan, and both properties share different environments of the same basin.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.KootenayZinc.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Refined zinc imports to China jumped 21 percent year-over-year last month, reaching 47,469 tons (http://dtn.fm/H9mbb). Similarly, shipments of zinc ore and concentrates increased by 44 percent, Reuters said. This led to a significant increase in zinc prices, with the London Metal Exchange benchmark zinc closing up one percent at $2,658 per ton earlier this week – the highest since the beginning of the month.
Nickel prices also soared to $9,395, the highest in three weeks, as a result of growing Chinese imports. The halt in Chinese nickel production is unlikely to have a major impact, since the country accounts for only four percent of global supply. The situation, however, is significantly different when it comes to zinc, as the Asian nation accounted for at least 38 percent of global production before the crackdown. Both nickel and zinc are used in the steel manufacturing process – zinc for galvanized steel and nickel for stainless steel.
It is yet unclear how much of the country’s zinc and nickel production will be affected by the crackdown, but industry sources say the government is shutting down all steel mills that emit excessive pollution, along with zinc and nickel mining operations. Several of these operations might be reopened if they are found in compliance with environmental regulations, the sources added.
China’s move is likely to drive zinc demand even higher. According to the International Lead and Zinc Study Group, demand for the metal is already exceeding supply, and the difference is expected to reach 226,000 tons this year (http://dtn.fm/Lb7BC).
To help meet the rising demand, Canada’s Kootenay Zinc Corp. has already taken steps to expand its exploration program at its Sully property in British Columbia. The property is located near the legendary Sullivan Mine, which was one of the world’s largest reserves of zinc, with an output of over 17 million tons of zinc and lead until it was closed down in 2001. Kootenay’s Sully Project is located 18 miles from Sullivan, and both properties share different environments of the same basin.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.KootenayZinc.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MissionIRNewsBreaks – Monaker Group, Inc. (MKGI) Announces Launch of NextTrip Website and Mobile App
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) this morning announced the launch of NextTrip, a new travel website and companion mobile app featuring instant alternative lodging rentals (ALRs). The NextTrip mobile app is now available for download on both Android and iOS devices, giving users access to more than 1.2 million instantly-bookable ALR properties, 200,000 hotels, 400 airlines, all major car rental companies and 10,000 tourist activities. “The launch of NextTrip demonstrates how Monaker has solved one of the biggest pain-points in the travel industry — lack of access to instant booking of ALR,” Bill Kerby, CEO of Monaker, stated in the news release. “So, if you book it, you’ve got it. No waiting minutes or hours as you wait to hear back from the property owner. You can now go ahead and book flight, car or tour packages at the same time of your ALR, all on the same site, and without hesitation.” NextTrip is powered by the Monaker Booking Engine (MBE), a cloud-based technology platform that allows for custom integration into virtually any existing booking platform. Monaker aims to leverage this advanced technology to capitalize on the forecast growth of the ALR industry, which is on pace to top $194 billion in 2021, according to Technavio.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/jj1Qb
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/jj1Qb
About Monaker
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly-bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE: IGC) Taps Dr. Craig Cheifetz as Advisor for Clinical Trials of Cannabis-Based Combination Therapies
India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) has named Craig Cheifetz, M.D., as an advisor to aid the company in its clinical trials in microbiology, immunology, neuroscience, and biotechnology. IGC is engaged in the development of cannabis-based therapies, which treat pain, terminal neurological and oncological diagnosis, PTSD, seizures, and other life altering issues. The company, based in Bethesda, Maryland, has a portfolio of patent filings for its phytocannabinoid-based treatments.
In a news release, Ram Mukunda, CEO of IGC, welcomed Cheifetz to the company’s advisory team, noting that he looks forward to Chiefetz’s contributions as IGC develops unique cannabis combination therapies.
Cheifetz is the Medical Director of Inova VIP 360, Northern Virginia’s Concierge Medicine Program. He is also Regional Dean at Virginia Commonwealth University Inova Fairfax Campus.
He received his M.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and also attended Georgetown University, where he trained in internal medicine. He was National GRMC Chairman from 2011 to 2013.
“We remain committed to accelerating our initiatives and building robust a portfolio of compounds to address large market conditions,” Mukunda noted in the release.
The company anticipates clinical trials in 2017 for several indications, including pain, a huge market. IGC has already filed for six patents in areas such as eating disorders and epilepsy, in addition to pain. It is working on several more filings for indications including depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Its lead candidate is IGC-501, and it has filed patents for the candidate in the United States, Canada and Europe.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCinc.us
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
In a news release, Ram Mukunda, CEO of IGC, welcomed Cheifetz to the company’s advisory team, noting that he looks forward to Chiefetz’s contributions as IGC develops unique cannabis combination therapies.
Cheifetz is the Medical Director of Inova VIP 360, Northern Virginia’s Concierge Medicine Program. He is also Regional Dean at Virginia Commonwealth University Inova Fairfax Campus.
He received his M.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and also attended Georgetown University, where he trained in internal medicine. He was National GRMC Chairman from 2011 to 2013.
“We remain committed to accelerating our initiatives and building robust a portfolio of compounds to address large market conditions,” Mukunda noted in the release.
The company anticipates clinical trials in 2017 for several indications, including pain, a huge market. IGC has already filed for six patents in areas such as eating disorders and epilepsy, in addition to pain. It is working on several more filings for indications including depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Its lead candidate is IGC-501, and it has filed patents for the candidate in the United States, Canada and Europe.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCinc.us
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Appointment of Jay Clayton as New SEC Chairman Could Be a Case of Birds of a Feather Flocking Together
The appointment of Walter Joseph Clayton as the new Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is hardly likely to ruffle any feathers on Wall Street. Clayton, in his previous incarnation as a partner of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, is well known to the denizens of that community as an advisor and counsel. However, according to Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Clayton having represented a number of those banking firms for 20 years certainly raises conflict of interest issues. She told USA Today (http://dtn.fm/P9juC), “To nominate a Wall Street insider to police Wall Street is like having a fox guard the hen house.” It seems the Senator’s reservations are well placed. There were hints of foxiness from Clayton even before he got the job as SEC head.
In the run up to his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, his bio, trumpeting a variety of high-profile deals and who’s who clients, vanished from the Sullivan & Cromwell website, as Politico reported in early March (http://dtn.fm/uW79j). A spokesperson for Clayton explained this by saying: “This was simply a function of him transitioning away from client work before the hearing.” Yet it raises the disturbing possibility that conflicts of interest will be resolved by sweeping them under the rug. Why the sudden shyness from the SEC chair?
Hiding stuff was always going to be difficult for Clayton. This is someone who is literally in bed with Wall Street. His wife Gretchen is a wealth manager at Goldman Sachs and has worked there since 2000, according to a Bloomberg report (http://dtn.fm/Fy0lq). In addition, Clayton has also been involved in a number of Goldman Sachs deals and, most notably, advised the investment bank on Warren Buffett’s $5 billion equity infusion and the U.S. Treasury’s TARP $10 billion investment in 2008. Clayton also worked on JPMorgan Chase’s acquisition of Bear Stearns in 2008 and advised Barclays Capital in connection with its purchase of Lehman Brothers’ assets after the latter was declared bankrupt.
He did file a Public Financial Disclosure Report with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) listing his assets and liabilities that showed a net worth of around $50 million. The OGE report disclosed the positions Clayton held, such as his partnership at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP (S&C), the adjunct professorship at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, an executive membership of the Metropolitan Golf Association, and two trusteeships, but it required no mention of clients. References to clients that were listed in his bio on the S&C website, as recently as January, were deleted.
Clayton also fired off a letter to the SEC’s Designated Ethics Official, Shira Pavis Minton, setting out the steps he would ‘take to avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest’. That letter listed a total of 176 investment vehicles.
However, going dark has served no useful purpose. The information no longer available on the S&C website can be discovered by searching the internet archive, the Wayback Machine, which shows that Clayton has worked on initial public offerings (IPOs) for the Chinese ecommerce portal Alibaba, investment bank Moelis, the hedge fund giant Och-Ziff and alternative investment manager Oaktree Capital.
Clayton has also worked for companies under government scrutiny, such as Deutsche Bank, UBS and Volkswagen, according to the New York Times’ Deal Book (http://dtn.fm/o2lWF), as well as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, which is the subject of an SEC investigation over potential accounting irregularities.
Past records also show that Clayton represented Eni, an Italian oil and gas company that was investigated by the SEC and Justice Department for alleged anti-bribery violations. In addition, his clients include TeliaSonera, a Nordic telecommunications company with ties to Russia and Iran that stands accused of bribery by U.S. and Dutch regulators. Although Mr. Clayton played no role in the bribery case, he has criticized the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that governs such offenses.
As Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV, observed in a letter to Clayton, four of his clients ‘have been charged with violations of S.E.C. rules in the last five years’, which brings to mind the old Aesop saw: you are known by the company you keep.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
In the run up to his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, his bio, trumpeting a variety of high-profile deals and who’s who clients, vanished from the Sullivan & Cromwell website, as Politico reported in early March (http://dtn.fm/uW79j). A spokesperson for Clayton explained this by saying: “This was simply a function of him transitioning away from client work before the hearing.” Yet it raises the disturbing possibility that conflicts of interest will be resolved by sweeping them under the rug. Why the sudden shyness from the SEC chair?
Hiding stuff was always going to be difficult for Clayton. This is someone who is literally in bed with Wall Street. His wife Gretchen is a wealth manager at Goldman Sachs and has worked there since 2000, according to a Bloomberg report (http://dtn.fm/Fy0lq). In addition, Clayton has also been involved in a number of Goldman Sachs deals and, most notably, advised the investment bank on Warren Buffett’s $5 billion equity infusion and the U.S. Treasury’s TARP $10 billion investment in 2008. Clayton also worked on JPMorgan Chase’s acquisition of Bear Stearns in 2008 and advised Barclays Capital in connection with its purchase of Lehman Brothers’ assets after the latter was declared bankrupt.
He did file a Public Financial Disclosure Report with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) listing his assets and liabilities that showed a net worth of around $50 million. The OGE report disclosed the positions Clayton held, such as his partnership at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP (S&C), the adjunct professorship at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, an executive membership of the Metropolitan Golf Association, and two trusteeships, but it required no mention of clients. References to clients that were listed in his bio on the S&C website, as recently as January, were deleted.
Clayton also fired off a letter to the SEC’s Designated Ethics Official, Shira Pavis Minton, setting out the steps he would ‘take to avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest’. That letter listed a total of 176 investment vehicles.
However, going dark has served no useful purpose. The information no longer available on the S&C website can be discovered by searching the internet archive, the Wayback Machine, which shows that Clayton has worked on initial public offerings (IPOs) for the Chinese ecommerce portal Alibaba, investment bank Moelis, the hedge fund giant Och-Ziff and alternative investment manager Oaktree Capital.
Clayton has also worked for companies under government scrutiny, such as Deutsche Bank, UBS and Volkswagen, according to the New York Times’ Deal Book (http://dtn.fm/o2lWF), as well as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, which is the subject of an SEC investigation over potential accounting irregularities.
Past records also show that Clayton represented Eni, an Italian oil and gas company that was investigated by the SEC and Justice Department for alleged anti-bribery violations. In addition, his clients include TeliaSonera, a Nordic telecommunications company with ties to Russia and Iran that stands accused of bribery by U.S. and Dutch regulators. Although Mr. Clayton played no role in the bribery case, he has criticized the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that governs such offenses.
As Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV, observed in a letter to Clayton, four of his clients ‘have been charged with violations of S.E.C. rules in the last five years’, which brings to mind the old Aesop saw: you are known by the company you keep.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Kootenay Zinc Corp. (CSE: ZNK) (OTCQB: KTNNF) Aims for Strike at Sully Project Amid Global Zinc Shortage
It is a prime time to be in the zinc mining business, and Kootenay Zinc Corp. (CSE: ZNK) (OTCQB: KTNNF) is poised to profit in the midst of a continuing global zinc shortage and simultaneously booming prices.
As recently reported (http://dtn.fm/7RcNS), the price of zinc rose to $1.17 per pound and $2,628 per metric ton as of May 2017, representing a 60 percent increase over the previous year’s prices. This exceeded already propitious predictions that a deeper worldwide shortage would send zinc prices soaring as high as $2,500 per metric ton over the course of 2017 (http://dtn.fm/Mgwq5).
The current imbalance in the global zinc market is partly attributed to the 2016 shutdown of a number of zinc mines in China — the world’s largest producer of zinc, as well as its biggest consumer. Major zinc mines in other parts of the world have been experiencing declining ore supplies, as well, which is further credited as contributing to the shortage.
Seeking to cash in on the current global zinc shortage and price hike and to help meet the growing demand, KTNNF recently reported that it is expanding its active search for zinc at its Sully Project, which is located in British Columbia, Canada, just 18 miles (30 kilometers) from the legendary Sullivan Mine. The company recently reported it has completed three exploration holes at the site and that its project team is extending its survey efforts to the property’s west anomaly, including conducting state-of-the-art gravity mapping.
The Sully Project boasts shared geologic features with the famed Sullivan Mine, and the sedimentary rocks that host the Sullivan Mine are present at Sully, representative of different environments of the same basin. So far, geologic data indicates that the Sully Project shares the same stratigraphic level at which the Sullivan Mine was deposited, and it appears to coincide with the East gravity anomaly at the Sully Project. A subtle lead-zinc soil anomaly could reflect leakage up faults and dispersion through thick till and alluvium from an entirely buried deposit. A Cominco airborne geophysical survey has shown two N-S trending magnetic anomalies underground that are up to almost two miles long (1.86), that are approximately 0.62 miles apart, and that are near-coincident with the gravity anomalies.
So far, drilling efforts at the Sully Project have been a very near miss, meaning a strike may not be far away. Initial surveying at the project indicated that drilling conducted in 2004 only narrowly missed a shallow mass there. Work performed since then indicated the target was deep. The target may have been missed by just 100 meters, according to downhole temperature and magnetic field readings taken in 2014. KTNNF has initiated a drilling program and is targeting this East mass, which has been confirmed and better defined by new gravity data.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.KootenayZinc.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
As recently reported (http://dtn.fm/7RcNS), the price of zinc rose to $1.17 per pound and $2,628 per metric ton as of May 2017, representing a 60 percent increase over the previous year’s prices. This exceeded already propitious predictions that a deeper worldwide shortage would send zinc prices soaring as high as $2,500 per metric ton over the course of 2017 (http://dtn.fm/Mgwq5).
The current imbalance in the global zinc market is partly attributed to the 2016 shutdown of a number of zinc mines in China — the world’s largest producer of zinc, as well as its biggest consumer. Major zinc mines in other parts of the world have been experiencing declining ore supplies, as well, which is further credited as contributing to the shortage.
Seeking to cash in on the current global zinc shortage and price hike and to help meet the growing demand, KTNNF recently reported that it is expanding its active search for zinc at its Sully Project, which is located in British Columbia, Canada, just 18 miles (30 kilometers) from the legendary Sullivan Mine. The company recently reported it has completed three exploration holes at the site and that its project team is extending its survey efforts to the property’s west anomaly, including conducting state-of-the-art gravity mapping.
The Sully Project boasts shared geologic features with the famed Sullivan Mine, and the sedimentary rocks that host the Sullivan Mine are present at Sully, representative of different environments of the same basin. So far, geologic data indicates that the Sully Project shares the same stratigraphic level at which the Sullivan Mine was deposited, and it appears to coincide with the East gravity anomaly at the Sully Project. A subtle lead-zinc soil anomaly could reflect leakage up faults and dispersion through thick till and alluvium from an entirely buried deposit. A Cominco airborne geophysical survey has shown two N-S trending magnetic anomalies underground that are up to almost two miles long (1.86), that are approximately 0.62 miles apart, and that are near-coincident with the gravity anomalies.
So far, drilling efforts at the Sully Project have been a very near miss, meaning a strike may not be far away. Initial surveying at the project indicated that drilling conducted in 2004 only narrowly missed a shallow mass there. Work performed since then indicated the target was deep. The target may have been missed by just 100 meters, according to downhole temperature and magnetic field readings taken in 2014. KTNNF has initiated a drilling program and is targeting this East mass, which has been confirmed and better defined by new gravity data.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.KootenayZinc.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MissionIRNewsBreaks – Kootenay Zinc Corp. (CSE: ZNK) (OTCQB: KTNNF) Featured in Exclusive Audio Interview by NetworkNewsWire
Multifaceted financial news and publishing company NetworkNewsWire (“NNW”) this morning announced the online availability of an exclusive audio interview with mineral exploration and development company Kootenay Zinc Corp. (CSE: ZNK) (OTCQB: KTNNF). In the interview, Stuart (Tookie) Angus, an independent business advisor to the mining industry and member of Kootenay Zinc’s advisory board, offers listeners a run-down of the company’s current operations. Kootenay Zinc is currently focused on the discovery of zinc ore at its mineral property located near the famous Sullivan Mine, which was previously one of the world’s largest zinc/lead/silver deposits, producing over $49 billion worth of metal. “We are about 30 kilometers, or 18 miles, from the mine, with a current drill program underway to try and discover [an extension] for the Sullivan Mine deposit,” Angus noted in the NNW interview. “We have a number of different anomalies that we’re going to test. The truth serum in this business is the drill bit. We’re going to go in there and bravely drill to see if we can find what we hope is there.” The full interview can be head at http://dtn.fm/6q26H.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/M9gbD
About Kootenay Zinc Corp.
Kootenay Zinc Corp. is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is presently targeting the Sully Property. The company is focused on discovering large-scale sedimentary-exhalative (“SEDEX”) deposits. The Sully Property comprises 1,375 hectares located approximately 30 kilometres east of Kimberley, B.C., and overlies rocks of similar age and origin as those which host the world-class Sullivan deposit, owned by Teck Resources Ltd. Sullivan was discovered in 1892, and is known to be one of the largest SEDEX deposits in the world. Over its 100-year lifetime, Sullivan produced approximately 150 million tonnes of ore, including approximately three hundred million ounces of silver, eight million tonnes of zinc and eight million tonnes of lead. The equivalent level of strata as at Sullivan and that formed on the margin of that same basin are present at the Sully Property. The Company cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the Sully Property. For more information, visit http://www.kootenayzinc.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/M9gbD
About Kootenay Zinc Corp.
Kootenay Zinc Corp. is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is presently targeting the Sully Property. The company is focused on discovering large-scale sedimentary-exhalative (“SEDEX”) deposits. The Sully Property comprises 1,375 hectares located approximately 30 kilometres east of Kimberley, B.C., and overlies rocks of similar age and origin as those which host the world-class Sullivan deposit, owned by Teck Resources Ltd. Sullivan was discovered in 1892, and is known to be one of the largest SEDEX deposits in the world. Over its 100-year lifetime, Sullivan produced approximately 150 million tonnes of ore, including approximately three hundred million ounces of silver, eight million tonnes of zinc and eight million tonnes of lead. The equivalent level of strata as at Sullivan and that formed on the margin of that same basin are present at the Sully Property. The Company cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the Sully Property. For more information, visit http://www.kootenayzinc.com.
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MissionIRNewsBreaks – ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (CIIX) Announces Launch of ‘OptHemp’ Premium Hemp Health Product Line
Market analysis company ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX), through wholly-owned subsidiary Chinesehempoil.com Inc., this morning announced plans to launch its own premium hemp health product line, ‘OptHemp’, as well as its first private label product, OptHemp Ultra Premium Hemp Oil. “We believe that the desire for better quality of life in the Chinese community, coupled with fact that the aging population continues to grow, will lead to continued growth in the alternative health sector and increased demand for natural hemp-based health products,” Warren Wang, founder and CEO of CIIX, stated in the news release. “CIIX is confident that its OptHemp product line will lay a solid foundation for the Company’s entrance into the legal hemp industry and the alternative health sector.” When available, the company’s OptHemp products will be sold through www.ChineseHempOil.com, CIIX’s official bi-lingual site. The products will also be available through the company’s first retail store, which is currently under construction in San Gabriel, California, with a tentative opening date set for June.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/Uq5oV
About ChineseInvestors.com
Founded in 1999, ChineseInvestors.com endeavors to be an innovative company providing: (a) real-time market commentary, analysis, and educational related services in Chinese language character sets (traditional and simplified); (b) advertising and public relation related support services; and (c) retail and online sales of hemp-based products and other health related products. For more information visit www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/Uq5oV
About ChineseInvestors.com
Founded in 1999, ChineseInvestors.com endeavors to be an innovative company providing: (a) real-time market commentary, analysis, and educational related services in Chinese language character sets (traditional and simplified); (b) advertising and public relation related support services; and (c) retail and online sales of hemp-based products and other health related products. For more information visit www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
ChineseInvestors.com (CIIX) Growing Rapidly in a Rapidly Growing Market
Savvy investors study multiple factors to identify potential stock winners. Stock screeners scan thousands of companies for insights and data to discern uncommon opportunities. The criteria utilized in a stock screening system is obviously influenced by an individual’s investment proclivities such as high yield, value, growth or price momentum, however, most stock screening systems are typically hybrids with blended criteria reflecting individual preferences and incorporating more than one investment style. P/E ratios, near zero beta, increased dividends, revenue growth and market growth are all employed to sift through over 100,000 public companies around the world and the nearly 6,000 U.S. listed companies.
All markets are addicted to growth. Growth is the elixir that drives markets and share prices of individual companies higher, and every stock screening system includes growth measurement variables. Growth is a testament to value creation. Current and future growth are prime indicators of potential future performance of a company’s share price. When looking for growth, it makes sense to look closely at companies that are not only growing rapidly but also growing rapidly in a rapidly growing market. With compound annual growth estimated at nearly 60 percent, the CBD (cannabidiol) industry is arguably the fastest growing market in the world. In fact, just five months ago Forbes called the CBD industry, “The Cannabis Market That Could Grow 700% by 2020” (http://dtn.fm/5vDve). That kind of growth can change a portfolio.
Currently legal in 16 states with more expected to follow, CBD oil is non-psychoactive and considered to have a broad range of medical benefits. Derived from hemp or marijuana plants, CBD has shown varying degrees of efficacy in treating epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, cirrhosis, pain, anxiety and stress.
CBD is obviously an explosive market opportunity. However, an even greater market opportunity lies outside the U.S., with over two billion Chinese speaking people. Acceptance and use of CBD oil is a natural fit with holistic Eastern-based medicine and an immense potential revenue generator for ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX). With two billion Chinese speaking people as its target market, ChineseInvestors.com recently executed a first-to-market milestone by creating the world’s only Chinese language, cannabinoid-based, therapeutic health products online store, www.ChineseCBDoil.com.
Historically, this specialized investment services company with 100,000+ users provided real-time market commentary, analysis, and education-related information in the Chinese language, as well as offered consultation, advertising, and public relations services. Now, the 18-year-old company is at the forefront of marketing and selling hemp-based food and beverages and hemp-derived CBD to Chinese-speaking consumers worldwide through its online store.
A recent research report by Consilium Global Research (http://dtn.fm/SA4bH) projects ChineseInvestors.com to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 100% through 2020. Consilium sees CIIX going through immense transformation this year as it pursues a larger stake in the global cannabis market. Before long, ChineseInvestors.com should pop up on multiple stock screeners, as it’s growing rapidly in a rapidly growing market.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
All markets are addicted to growth. Growth is the elixir that drives markets and share prices of individual companies higher, and every stock screening system includes growth measurement variables. Growth is a testament to value creation. Current and future growth are prime indicators of potential future performance of a company’s share price. When looking for growth, it makes sense to look closely at companies that are not only growing rapidly but also growing rapidly in a rapidly growing market. With compound annual growth estimated at nearly 60 percent, the CBD (cannabidiol) industry is arguably the fastest growing market in the world. In fact, just five months ago Forbes called the CBD industry, “The Cannabis Market That Could Grow 700% by 2020” (http://dtn.fm/5vDve). That kind of growth can change a portfolio.
Currently legal in 16 states with more expected to follow, CBD oil is non-psychoactive and considered to have a broad range of medical benefits. Derived from hemp or marijuana plants, CBD has shown varying degrees of efficacy in treating epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, cirrhosis, pain, anxiety and stress.
CBD is obviously an explosive market opportunity. However, an even greater market opportunity lies outside the U.S., with over two billion Chinese speaking people. Acceptance and use of CBD oil is a natural fit with holistic Eastern-based medicine and an immense potential revenue generator for ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX). With two billion Chinese speaking people as its target market, ChineseInvestors.com recently executed a first-to-market milestone by creating the world’s only Chinese language, cannabinoid-based, therapeutic health products online store, www.ChineseCBDoil.com.
Historically, this specialized investment services company with 100,000+ users provided real-time market commentary, analysis, and education-related information in the Chinese language, as well as offered consultation, advertising, and public relations services. Now, the 18-year-old company is at the forefront of marketing and selling hemp-based food and beverages and hemp-derived CBD to Chinese-speaking consumers worldwide through its online store.
A recent research report by Consilium Global Research (http://dtn.fm/SA4bH) projects ChineseInvestors.com to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 100% through 2020. Consilium sees CIIX going through immense transformation this year as it pursues a larger stake in the global cannabis market. Before long, ChineseInvestors.com should pop up on multiple stock screeners, as it’s growing rapidly in a rapidly growing market.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MissionIRNewsBreaks – ProBility Media Corp. (PBYA) Enters Letter of Intent to Acquire W Marketing, Inc.
Education technology company ProBility Media Corp. (OTCQB: PBYA) this morning announced its entry into a binding letter of intent to acquire W Marketing, Inc., a profitable, revenue-generating provider of National Electrical Codes (NECs) to the electrical and construction industries. Leveraging W Marketing’s nationwide network of electrical distributors, which includes bookstores, trade/vocational schools, universities, retail chains, specialty retailers and independent hardware stores, ProBility expects this acquisition to strengthen its financial position while allowing it to become one of the nation’s largest wholesalers of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) electrical codes. “We are pleased to announce this corporate milestone and look forward to demonstrating the short- and near-term value it creates,” Noah Davis, president and chief operating officer of ProBility, stated in the news release. “When the acquisition is complete, ProBility’s buying power will surpass any wholesaler on the market, and open the doors to thousands of electricians who could benefit from our certification courses, continuing education and code books. Additionally, we expect this acquisition of W Marketing will have a positive impact on forward-looking financials.” W Marketing recorded revenues of $2.7 million in fiscal 2017 following the release of the latest update to the NEC.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/j8hAJ
About ProBility Media Corp.
ProBility Media Corp. is an EdTech company building the first full-service training and career advancement brand for the skilled trades. Through its divisions Brown Technical Media Corp., Brown Technical Publications Inc., Brown Book Shop, Inc., National Electrical Wholesale Providers, One Exam Prep, LLC, and its partnership with Globalsim Inc., ProBility is executing a disruptive strategy of defragmenting the skilled trades training market place by offering high quality training courses and materials and preparing the workforce for excellence. ProBility services customers from the tradesman to the small business to the enterprise level corporation. For more information, visit http://www.ProBilityMedia.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/j8hAJ
About ProBility Media Corp.
ProBility Media Corp. is an EdTech company building the first full-service training and career advancement brand for the skilled trades. Through its divisions Brown Technical Media Corp., Brown Technical Publications Inc., Brown Book Shop, Inc., National Electrical Wholesale Providers, One Exam Prep, LLC, and its partnership with Globalsim Inc., ProBility is executing a disruptive strategy of defragmenting the skilled trades training market place by offering high quality training courses and materials and preparing the workforce for excellence. ProBility services customers from the tradesman to the small business to the enterprise level corporation. For more information, visit http://www.ProBilityMedia.com
About MissionIRNewsBreaks
MissionIRNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of MissionIR. MissionIRNewsBreaks are created by our Team of professional journalists that keep a constant eye on the markets, these posts are designed to inform you on the latest happenings of our clients and other publicly traded companies on our radar. From earnings, acquisitions and agreements to conference attendance and clinical study results, our news breaks keep you up-to-date with the day’s top movers. MissionIR is primarily focused on strategic communications. We have executed countless communications programs to address the needs of companies ranging from start-ups to established industry leaders, gaining valuable experience and the expertise necessary to determine the most effective strategy for any given situation.
MissionIR (MIR)
Atlanta, Georgia
www.MissionIR.com
404.941.8975 Office
Editor@MissionIR.com
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Mission Investor Relations website applicable to all content provided by MIR, wherever published or re-published: http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Monday, May 22, 2017
India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE: IGC) Developing Phytocannabinoid-Based Product Pipeline to Treat Two- and Four-Legged Alike
Looking to gain an advantageous foothold in the burgeoning medical marijuana market, India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) is developing innovative cannabis-based combination therapies that have application for both humans and animals. The company’s focus is on treating pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic and terminal neurological and oncological diagnoses, cachexia, and other life-altering medical conditions.
IGC continues developing a portfolio of patent filings for phytocannabinoid-based treatments and has filed six patents to date. The company currently has three products in pre-clinical trials: IGC-501 for treatment of neuropathic pain in adult humans, IGC-502 for treatment of seizures in animals, and IGC-504 for treatment of cachexia in humans and animals.
Two of IGC’s patent filings, IGC-502 and IGC-505, are for combination therapies to treat seizures in dogs and cats, which represents a remarkably large market. Statistics show that between one percent and over five percent of dogs in the United States have some kind of seizure disorder. Certain dog breeds with hereditary epilepsy may have up to 15-20 percent incidence of seizures.
IGC’s novel therapy uses cannabinoid extracts in combination with other drugs to treat seizures in both dogs and cats, and this therapy has potential for application in humans, as well. The therapy can be administered through a variety of delivery technologies.
Operating on the belief that expanding cannabis legalization will create explosive demand for cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical therapies and related technologies and services, IGC is racing to be at the head of the pack and to be a first mover in the marijuana space by developing novel therapies, filing patent applications, and acquiring technologies from related industries that can cross over to cannabis as soon as permitted by federal law.
The company largely employs an outsourced model and has formed strategic alliances with doctors and scientists with expertise in central and peripheral nervous system disorders, the FDA process, and in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and veterinarian trials. IGC also continues seeking information exchanges with medical cannabis dispensaries, doctors, research scientists, biotech companies, and medical and business professionals within the cannabinoid space, placing great value on collaborative research that can aid in the commercialization of products and in locating new ways to help patients — both human and animal — benefit from cannabinoids.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCinc.us
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Thursday, May 18, 2017
SEC to Take Second Look at Winklevoss ETF Application
After denying an application on March 10, 2017, by the Bats BZW Exchange to list and trade shares of the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to take a second look, according to an order published on its website (http://dtn.fm/jUm5B). This will undoubtedly cheer up Cameron and Tyler, the Winklevoss twins, who, according to the New York Times’ Deal Book, introduced their Winkdex Bitcoin ETF proposal back in February 2014 (http://dtn.fm/MkTK5). The Winklevoss brothers are ardent, and wealthy, advocates of the crypto-currency. The SEC order granting the petition to review marks a crucial point in the development of the digital currency. It is unlikely that Bitcoin will ever gain widespread acceptance without the blessing of U.S. regulators.
Bitcoin has tickled the public’s curiosity, particularly after the secret shenanigans of Dread Pirate Roberts became public. No doubt inspired by the ruthlessness and ingenuity of the fictional hero or heroes in The Princess Bride, Ross William Ulbricht assumed the moniker for his dealings on the Dark Web. Displaying once again a romantic streak, Ulbricht set up an online bazaar for illegal substances, which he named Silk Road, and thereon peddled pure Oxycodone HCL powder in 0.25 gram packets for 0.53 Bitcoins, generic XANAX 1mg pills in 400-pack sizes for 1.52 Bitcoins, Testosterone Cypionate 10 x 250mg/ml servings for 0.69 Bitcoins and a variety of other illicit titillations. Merchandise on Ulbricht’s Silk Road, named after the ancient trade route that connected China to the West, had price tags denominated in the digital currency, no doubt because, like cash, both buyers and seller can remain anonymous.
The ability to protect the identities of parties to a transaction is, perhaps, the feature of Bitcoin that has driven its use so far. However, Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies offer a much more important benefit, one that would certainly gain the attention of retailers. Typically, merchants are burdened with high transaction costs when they accept payment through debit and credit cards. Bank charges can run as high as 3 percent of transaction value. These costs are, to some extent, justified, since banks support and maintain the payments infrastructure and stand, between parties, as a trusted third party. But Bitcoin denominated transactions would avoid that transaction ‘tax’, because the Bitcoin network dispenses with any intermediary.
Instead of an intermediate trusted third party that guarantees the authenticity of a transaction, the Bitcoin system employs cryptography. Bitcoins are accessed and spent by using a ‘private key’, which performs the same role a physical key does in securing a store of valuables. Consequently, someone who gains access to private keys can spend the Bitcoins in an account.
In reporting on the SEC’s denial to have the Winklevoss ETF listed on the BZW, Deal Book pointed to yet another useful function of Bitcoin – as an investment vehicle or asset (http://dtn.fm/7pdaI). For reasons not yet determined, Bitcoin creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, when he launched the digital currency in 2009, set a limit of 21 million to the number of Bitcoins that could be created or ‘mined’. Now, about 16 million Bitcoins are thought to be in circulation (http://dtn.fm/1aZiZ) and, just like any other commodity, the value of Bitcoins will fluctuate, particularly as there is a limit set to supply.
The SEC in its disapproving order (http://dtn.fm/C4t6G) set out the reasons for its denial, writing:
‘…the Commission believes that the significant markets for Bitcoin are unregulated. Therefore, as the (BZW) Exchange has not entered into, and would currently be unable to enter into, the type of surveillance-sharing agreement that has been in place with respect to all previously approved commodity-trust ETPs—agreements that help address concerns about the potential for fraudulent or manipulative acts and practices in this market—the Commission does not find the proposed rule change to be consistent with the Exchange Act.’
In filing for review, the Winklevoss duo appears to have developed a Plan B. We look forward to seeing what that is.
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Bitcoin has tickled the public’s curiosity, particularly after the secret shenanigans of Dread Pirate Roberts became public. No doubt inspired by the ruthlessness and ingenuity of the fictional hero or heroes in The Princess Bride, Ross William Ulbricht assumed the moniker for his dealings on the Dark Web. Displaying once again a romantic streak, Ulbricht set up an online bazaar for illegal substances, which he named Silk Road, and thereon peddled pure Oxycodone HCL powder in 0.25 gram packets for 0.53 Bitcoins, generic XANAX 1mg pills in 400-pack sizes for 1.52 Bitcoins, Testosterone Cypionate 10 x 250mg/ml servings for 0.69 Bitcoins and a variety of other illicit titillations. Merchandise on Ulbricht’s Silk Road, named after the ancient trade route that connected China to the West, had price tags denominated in the digital currency, no doubt because, like cash, both buyers and seller can remain anonymous.
The ability to protect the identities of parties to a transaction is, perhaps, the feature of Bitcoin that has driven its use so far. However, Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies offer a much more important benefit, one that would certainly gain the attention of retailers. Typically, merchants are burdened with high transaction costs when they accept payment through debit and credit cards. Bank charges can run as high as 3 percent of transaction value. These costs are, to some extent, justified, since banks support and maintain the payments infrastructure and stand, between parties, as a trusted third party. But Bitcoin denominated transactions would avoid that transaction ‘tax’, because the Bitcoin network dispenses with any intermediary.
Instead of an intermediate trusted third party that guarantees the authenticity of a transaction, the Bitcoin system employs cryptography. Bitcoins are accessed and spent by using a ‘private key’, which performs the same role a physical key does in securing a store of valuables. Consequently, someone who gains access to private keys can spend the Bitcoins in an account.
In reporting on the SEC’s denial to have the Winklevoss ETF listed on the BZW, Deal Book pointed to yet another useful function of Bitcoin – as an investment vehicle or asset (http://dtn.fm/7pdaI). For reasons not yet determined, Bitcoin creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, when he launched the digital currency in 2009, set a limit of 21 million to the number of Bitcoins that could be created or ‘mined’. Now, about 16 million Bitcoins are thought to be in circulation (http://dtn.fm/1aZiZ) and, just like any other commodity, the value of Bitcoins will fluctuate, particularly as there is a limit set to supply.
The SEC in its disapproving order (http://dtn.fm/C4t6G) set out the reasons for its denial, writing:
‘…the Commission believes that the significant markets for Bitcoin are unregulated. Therefore, as the (BZW) Exchange has not entered into, and would currently be unable to enter into, the type of surveillance-sharing agreement that has been in place with respect to all previously approved commodity-trust ETPs—agreements that help address concerns about the potential for fraudulent or manipulative acts and practices in this market—the Commission does not find the proposed rule change to be consistent with the Exchange Act.’
In filing for review, the Winklevoss duo appears to have developed a Plan B. We look forward to seeing what that is.
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE: IGC) is Blazing a Trail with its Cannabis Plus Therapies
Slowly but surely cannabis is losing the stigma that has plagued it for close to one hundred years. Even some who frown on its use for recreational purposes are willing to consider that there may be therapeutic benefits in extracts of the cannabis sativa plant and so, increasingly, cannabinoids are being investigated to determine their effectiveness to treat a variety of debilitating medical conditions. Cannabinoid pharma is emerging as an entirely new industry segment in pharmaceuticals, and, as it does so, one innovative research company is blazing a trail in this new market by creating a niche of its own. India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) has created its own space in pharmaceuticals. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company is a first mover in “combination therapies” that merge cannabinoids with existing drugs to provide more effective remedies.
IGC is not only a first mover in combination therapies; the company is also a fast mover. To date, IGC has dispatched six provisional patent filings to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the indications of pain, medical refractory epilepsy, seizures, cachexia and eating disorders. Together, the remedies for these conditions present huge market opportunity, and IGC’s current low valuation versus comparable cannabis companies represents an important alert for all investors in this burgeoning industry.
IGC-501 is being developed to combat pain. The pain market represents a significant component of the health care system, with The Journal of Pain reporting in September 2012 that the annual estimated national cost of pain ranges from $560 billion to $635 billion, a figure that exceeds the cost of treating all other priority health conditions. Also, a NetworkNewsWire report on data released by Transparency Market Research estimates the global pain management therapeutics market will have a 3.7 percent CAGR through 2024, to reach $83.0 billion (http://dtn.fm/cMh1z).
Chronic pain takes such an exacting toll on the nation’s health that the American Pain Society has recommended pain be characterized as a fifth ‘vital sign’, along with body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure. Pain treatment can save lives. Terminal illnesses are often accompanied by levels of pain so intense and difficult to treat that death seems preferable. In addition, arthritis has been particularly problematic for women, according to the Arthritis Foundation, which reports that since 1999 there has been a 22 percent increase in the number of women who attribute their disability to arthritis.
As awareness of the effects of chronic pain has grown, increasingly powerful drugs such as morphine, codeine, and hydrocodone are being prescribed. However, these opioids are treacherously addictive and their use is often subverted from pain relief, making their way into recreational use. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 29,000 Americans die every year from opioid-related overdoses. This alarming statistic shows the pressing need for less addictive analgesics like IGC-501.
IGC-503 tackles refractory epilepsy, which affects about 50 million in the U.S. alone. Refractory epilepsy refers to cases of epilepsy that are unresponsive to current medications. Also in the pipeline is IGC-504, intended for those who suffer from cachexia, known as wasting syndrome. About 1.3 million in the U.S. experience cachexia associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, HIV/AIDS and other devastating maladies. In addition, there is IGC-506, designed to combat eating disorders, which are said to affect about 30 million Americans (http://dtn.fm/2j6Pq). Two other patents, IGC-502 and IGC-505, are designed to treat epileptic seizures in dogs and cats.
On the release of its financial results for the third-quarter ended December 31, 2016, CEO Ram Mukunda stated, “In 2017, our goal is to accelerate the development of our cannabis-based therapy portfolio to support key indications such as pain, seizures, cachexia, PTSD, and depression. In tandem, we expect to initiate pre-clinical trials on IGC-501-pain, IGC-502-seizures and IGC-504-cachexia.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCinc.us
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
IGC is not only a first mover in combination therapies; the company is also a fast mover. To date, IGC has dispatched six provisional patent filings to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the indications of pain, medical refractory epilepsy, seizures, cachexia and eating disorders. Together, the remedies for these conditions present huge market opportunity, and IGC’s current low valuation versus comparable cannabis companies represents an important alert for all investors in this burgeoning industry.
IGC-501 is being developed to combat pain. The pain market represents a significant component of the health care system, with The Journal of Pain reporting in September 2012 that the annual estimated national cost of pain ranges from $560 billion to $635 billion, a figure that exceeds the cost of treating all other priority health conditions. Also, a NetworkNewsWire report on data released by Transparency Market Research estimates the global pain management therapeutics market will have a 3.7 percent CAGR through 2024, to reach $83.0 billion (http://dtn.fm/cMh1z).
Chronic pain takes such an exacting toll on the nation’s health that the American Pain Society has recommended pain be characterized as a fifth ‘vital sign’, along with body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure. Pain treatment can save lives. Terminal illnesses are often accompanied by levels of pain so intense and difficult to treat that death seems preferable. In addition, arthritis has been particularly problematic for women, according to the Arthritis Foundation, which reports that since 1999 there has been a 22 percent increase in the number of women who attribute their disability to arthritis.
As awareness of the effects of chronic pain has grown, increasingly powerful drugs such as morphine, codeine, and hydrocodone are being prescribed. However, these opioids are treacherously addictive and their use is often subverted from pain relief, making their way into recreational use. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 29,000 Americans die every year from opioid-related overdoses. This alarming statistic shows the pressing need for less addictive analgesics like IGC-501.
IGC-503 tackles refractory epilepsy, which affects about 50 million in the U.S. alone. Refractory epilepsy refers to cases of epilepsy that are unresponsive to current medications. Also in the pipeline is IGC-504, intended for those who suffer from cachexia, known as wasting syndrome. About 1.3 million in the U.S. experience cachexia associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, HIV/AIDS and other devastating maladies. In addition, there is IGC-506, designed to combat eating disorders, which are said to affect about 30 million Americans (http://dtn.fm/2j6Pq). Two other patents, IGC-502 and IGC-505, are designed to treat epileptic seizures in dogs and cats.
On the release of its financial results for the third-quarter ended December 31, 2016, CEO Ram Mukunda stated, “In 2017, our goal is to accelerate the development of our cannabis-based therapy portfolio to support key indications such as pain, seizures, cachexia, PTSD, and depression. In tandem, we expect to initiate pre-clinical trials on IGC-501-pain, IGC-502-seizures and IGC-504-cachexia.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCinc.us
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
ProBility Media Corp. (PBYA) Changing Dreams to Reality
Two recent Wall Street Journal articles reveal that labor pressures are mounting in the construction industry as hiring accelerates across the U.S. economy. The U.S. Labor Department recently reported that nonfarm payrolls rose by a seasonally adjusted 211,000 in April, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, the lowest level in nearly a decade. Contractors across the country report significant shortages of electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and other skilled and semi-skilled laborers as the volume of building projects increases.
The shortage of skilled labor in many markets has forced contractors to boost pay scales, which has been a contributing factor to new home price increases over the past two years. Construction labor costs are currently rising an average of 4% to 5% annually, outpacing inflation, according to Anirban Basu, chief economist of the Associated Builders and Contractors. “The situation is going to get worse,” he said (http://dtn.fm/bm4Uu). It’s estimated that the construction industry presently needs 500,000 more skilled and semi-skilled workers, while another 600,000+ additional workers would be needed should the $1 trillion infrastructure bill proposed by the current administration be passed.
The skilled labor supply shortage isn’t expected to ease soon, as many top construction workers went to work for energy companies during the last building downturn and are now tending to oil rigs and building drilling platforms. ProBility Media Corp. (OTCQB: PBYA) is playing a major role in meeting this fast growing demand for job training and continuing education in the current economy. ProBility is one of the leading online providers of career advancement and training content for tradesmen and technical experts. By building the first full-service training and career advancement brand in the technical fields, the company is changing the landscape of the skilled trades training and certification industry.
ProBility is committed to preparing individuals with training, support, and continued education and teaches the skills needed to land and retain good jobs. The company, through strategic acquisitions, has also become one of the go-to sources for e-learning and training content, exam preparation, testing, certification, continuing education, and career advancement tools for both engineers and tradesmen. The broad collection of the company’s comprehensive educational programs is unparalleled, providing individuals and institutions with the skill sets needed to succeed. ProBility will continue to organically grow revenues from current operations while also strategically acquiring synergistic companies, thereby defragmenting and centralizing the skilled trades training marketplace.
The national unemployment rate for construction workers still remains in double digits, but economists note that figure includes both skilled and unskilled workers and finding a skilled worker not already working is increasingly rare. Finding highly specialized trade workers “is proving very, very difficult,” said James Bolger, director of operations at Colorado Concept Lighting Inc., a high-end electrical contractor that has sought for several months to double its staff of four electricians. “It’s almost like looking for a unicorn or jackalope…” (http://dtn.fm/PfZ0C).
ProBility is changing the search for skilled workers from fantasy to reality and is likely to reward investors along the way.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ProBilityMedia.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
The shortage of skilled labor in many markets has forced contractors to boost pay scales, which has been a contributing factor to new home price increases over the past two years. Construction labor costs are currently rising an average of 4% to 5% annually, outpacing inflation, according to Anirban Basu, chief economist of the Associated Builders and Contractors. “The situation is going to get worse,” he said (http://dtn.fm/bm4Uu). It’s estimated that the construction industry presently needs 500,000 more skilled and semi-skilled workers, while another 600,000+ additional workers would be needed should the $1 trillion infrastructure bill proposed by the current administration be passed.
The skilled labor supply shortage isn’t expected to ease soon, as many top construction workers went to work for energy companies during the last building downturn and are now tending to oil rigs and building drilling platforms. ProBility Media Corp. (OTCQB: PBYA) is playing a major role in meeting this fast growing demand for job training and continuing education in the current economy. ProBility is one of the leading online providers of career advancement and training content for tradesmen and technical experts. By building the first full-service training and career advancement brand in the technical fields, the company is changing the landscape of the skilled trades training and certification industry.
ProBility is committed to preparing individuals with training, support, and continued education and teaches the skills needed to land and retain good jobs. The company, through strategic acquisitions, has also become one of the go-to sources for e-learning and training content, exam preparation, testing, certification, continuing education, and career advancement tools for both engineers and tradesmen. The broad collection of the company’s comprehensive educational programs is unparalleled, providing individuals and institutions with the skill sets needed to succeed. ProBility will continue to organically grow revenues from current operations while also strategically acquiring synergistic companies, thereby defragmenting and centralizing the skilled trades training marketplace.
The national unemployment rate for construction workers still remains in double digits, but economists note that figure includes both skilled and unskilled workers and finding a skilled worker not already working is increasingly rare. Finding highly specialized trade workers “is proving very, very difficult,” said James Bolger, director of operations at Colorado Concept Lighting Inc., a high-end electrical contractor that has sought for several months to double its staff of four electricians. “It’s almost like looking for a unicorn or jackalope…” (http://dtn.fm/PfZ0C).
ProBility is changing the search for skilled workers from fantasy to reality and is likely to reward investors along the way.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ProBilityMedia.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
New SEC Chair Expected to Focus on Easing Regulatory Burdens as Wall Street Ties Come Under Scrutiny
Veteran corporate lawyer Jay Clayton was sworn in as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month after his nomination was approved by the Senate in a 61-37 vote, where several Democrats voted alongside Republican lawmakers to support his confirmation (http://dtn.fm/Bsx5n).
Widely expected to enact the current administration’s views on easing regulatory burdens and restricting some of the SEC’s regulatory powers in order to allow businesses more freedom, Clayton will have to work hard to disprove suspicions of being merely a Wall Street tool, given his close ties to various major corporations he represented over the years. This was, in fact, one of the main issues debated during his hearings in the Senate Banking Committee before the vote, with several Democrats on the panel voicing concern that his ties to Wall Street will create too many conflicts and lead to weaker oversight. “Over 20 years at a Wall Street law firm makes you think a certain way. And that way usually doesn’t involve focusing on families saving for retirement,” said Sherrod Brown, the Banking Committee’s senior Democrat, quoted by the Financial Times.
As a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, a leading law firm representing investment firms and large banks, Clayton has worked with several Wall Street giants over the years, including Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS-PC), Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), Volkswagen (OTC: VLKAF), Alibaba Group Holding Company (NYSE: BABA), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE: VRX) and more. His wife also worked at Goldman Sachs and was expected to step down after Clayton won the nomination.
According to SEC regulations, during the next couple of years Clayton will have to recuse himself from enforcement actions that involve former clients of his or any companies represented by his law firm. Critics contend that this situation may leave the remaining four commissioners of the SEC deadlocked, making it harder to decide on enforcement actions. However, according to the New York Times (http://dtn.fm/Tp8ZY), the recusal is unlikely to have a major effect on the SEC’s enforcement proceedings, since most of the matters that come before the commissioners are not at all controversial or divisive. Clayton’s predecessor, Mary Jo White, faced the exact same problem when she was sworn in, given her former activity as a corporate lawyer that included working with organizations such as JPMorgan Chase and UBS.
The main question, NY Times notes, is what Clayton’s approach to corporate penalties and enforcement will be and how aggressively the SEC will be allowed to pursue cases involving major Wall Street institutions under his rule. Clayton comes into the job with the promise that he will have zero tolerance for “bad actors in our capital markets,” but it should be noted that he is also in favor of lighter regulations and reducing corporate penalties on account of the strain these penalties put on shareholders. The same view is shared by many Republicans and is at the forefront of the party’s Financial Choice Act proposal in the House of Representatives, which aims at overturning a significant part of current financial legislation, including by limiting some of the SEC’s regulatory powers, with the purpose of promoting economic growth by granting more financial freedom to small businesses.
Instead of massive corporate penalties, Clayton believes greater deterrence would be possible by pursuing individuals involved in securities law violations. Although this does sound like a more effective policy in theory, it is unlikely to produce significant results because individuals are more likely to fight such charges and it would also be more difficult to assess responsibility and prove guilt in cases of corporate wrongdoing. Additionally, such an approach dubbed with a reduction in corporate penalties risks sending out the wrong message: that the SEC is all bark and no bite when it comes to taking action against major corporations and Wall Street over potential violations of securities law.
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Widely expected to enact the current administration’s views on easing regulatory burdens and restricting some of the SEC’s regulatory powers in order to allow businesses more freedom, Clayton will have to work hard to disprove suspicions of being merely a Wall Street tool, given his close ties to various major corporations he represented over the years. This was, in fact, one of the main issues debated during his hearings in the Senate Banking Committee before the vote, with several Democrats on the panel voicing concern that his ties to Wall Street will create too many conflicts and lead to weaker oversight. “Over 20 years at a Wall Street law firm makes you think a certain way. And that way usually doesn’t involve focusing on families saving for retirement,” said Sherrod Brown, the Banking Committee’s senior Democrat, quoted by the Financial Times.
As a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, a leading law firm representing investment firms and large banks, Clayton has worked with several Wall Street giants over the years, including Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS-PC), Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), Volkswagen (OTC: VLKAF), Alibaba Group Holding Company (NYSE: BABA), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE: VRX) and more. His wife also worked at Goldman Sachs and was expected to step down after Clayton won the nomination.
According to SEC regulations, during the next couple of years Clayton will have to recuse himself from enforcement actions that involve former clients of his or any companies represented by his law firm. Critics contend that this situation may leave the remaining four commissioners of the SEC deadlocked, making it harder to decide on enforcement actions. However, according to the New York Times (http://dtn.fm/Tp8ZY), the recusal is unlikely to have a major effect on the SEC’s enforcement proceedings, since most of the matters that come before the commissioners are not at all controversial or divisive. Clayton’s predecessor, Mary Jo White, faced the exact same problem when she was sworn in, given her former activity as a corporate lawyer that included working with organizations such as JPMorgan Chase and UBS.
The main question, NY Times notes, is what Clayton’s approach to corporate penalties and enforcement will be and how aggressively the SEC will be allowed to pursue cases involving major Wall Street institutions under his rule. Clayton comes into the job with the promise that he will have zero tolerance for “bad actors in our capital markets,” but it should be noted that he is also in favor of lighter regulations and reducing corporate penalties on account of the strain these penalties put on shareholders. The same view is shared by many Republicans and is at the forefront of the party’s Financial Choice Act proposal in the House of Representatives, which aims at overturning a significant part of current financial legislation, including by limiting some of the SEC’s regulatory powers, with the purpose of promoting economic growth by granting more financial freedom to small businesses.
Instead of massive corporate penalties, Clayton believes greater deterrence would be possible by pursuing individuals involved in securities law violations. Although this does sound like a more effective policy in theory, it is unlikely to produce significant results because individuals are more likely to fight such charges and it would also be more difficult to assess responsibility and prove guilt in cases of corporate wrongdoing. Additionally, such an approach dubbed with a reduction in corporate penalties risks sending out the wrong message: that the SEC is all bark and no bite when it comes to taking action against major corporations and Wall Street over potential violations of securities law.
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MissionIRNewsBreaks – India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE: IGC) Adds Craig Cheifetz, M.D. to Advisory Team
India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC), a developer of cannabis-based therapies to treat a variety of life-altering conditions, this morning announced that Craig Cheifetz, M.D. has joined the company as an advisor to provide guidance on clinical trials, biotechnology, neuroscience, immunology and microbiology. “I welcome Dr. Cheifetz to the IGC advisory team and look forward to his contributions as we move forward in developing cannabis-based, combination therapies,” Ram Mukunda, CEO of IGC, stated in the news release. “We remain committed to accelerating our initiatives and building a robust portfolio of compounds to address large market conditions.” Cheifetz currently serves as Regional Dean at Virginia Commonwealth University Inova Fairfax Campus and Medical Director of Inova VIP 360, North Virginia’s premier concierge medicine program. He received his M.D. from the State University of New York College at Buffalo and trained in Internal Medicine at Georgetown University.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/4kxKk
About IGC
India Globalization Capital is engaged in the development of cannabis-based therapies to treat pain, PTSD, seizures, cachexia, chronic and terminal neurological and oncological diagnoses, and other life altering conditions. In support of this mission, IGC has assembled a portfolio of patent filings for its phytocannabinoid-based treatments. The company is based in Bethesda, Maryland. For more information visit www.igcinc.us
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/4kxKk
About IGC
India Globalization Capital is engaged in the development of cannabis-based therapies to treat pain, PTSD, seizures, cachexia, chronic and terminal neurological and oncological diagnoses, and other life altering conditions. In support of this mission, IGC has assembled a portfolio of patent filings for its phytocannabinoid-based treatments. The company is based in Bethesda, Maryland. For more information visit www.igcinc.us
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Monday, May 15, 2017
ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (CIIX) Projected To Reach Revenue of $14.8 Million by FY2020 in Consilium Global Research Report
ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) is projected to reach revenues of $14.8 million by fiscal year 2020, according to a new research report by Consilium Global Research (http://dtn.fm/d849H). Per the report, the company did $930,000 in revenue for fiscal 2016 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 100% through 2020. The underlying market’s CAGR will expand at an 80% rate, the report said. Consilium sees CIIX as going through a huge transformation this year as it pursues a larger stake in the cannabis market.
Headquartered in San Gabriel, California, CIIX offers a range of consulting services and educational tools for Chinese investors, but, most recently, it has been pursuing a presence in the growing cannabidiol (CBD) market. In line with these efforts, the company opened the first online CBD store in the Chinese language in the free trade area of Shanghai. It seeks to serve some 1.4 billion people. The site will sell hemp-based food and beverages and hemp-derived CBD. It seeks to sell, where legal, to Chinese-speaking consumers worldwide through its online store, www.ChineseCBDoil.com.
Consilium, an independent research company, notes in its report that the CBD industry is anticipated to grow to $2.1 billion by 2020, representing a CAGR of 80%. The research firm goes on to forecast that the sales of $14.8 million by FY2020 predicted for CIIX is achievable due to the company management’s ability to execute. In fact, Consilium feels that its projections could easily prove conservative. It also estimated that CIIX could reach sales of $1.86 million in FY2017, $3.7 million in FY2018 and $7.4 million in FY2019. CIIX reported revenues of $930,000 in FY2016. For the nine months ended February 28, 2017, it reported revenues of $1.35 million.
Consilium believes that CIIX has a strong management team that has entrepreneurial skills and vision. It also finds that the firm is engrained with Chinese speakers in both the U.S. and abroad. Weaknesses are that it may have to raise more money to compete. It will also need to have sufficient and appropriate resources to stay abreast of evolving requirements for legality in the U.S. and abroad, per the research report.
With no impediments cited by the report in terms of brand leaders, laws, or standouts in this nascent market, Consilium sees opportunities for growth for CIIX. These include strategic international expansion, the large size of the Chinese market and the successful leverage of the legal cannabis market, which Consilium anticipates will drive growth for years to come.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Headquartered in San Gabriel, California, CIIX offers a range of consulting services and educational tools for Chinese investors, but, most recently, it has been pursuing a presence in the growing cannabidiol (CBD) market. In line with these efforts, the company opened the first online CBD store in the Chinese language in the free trade area of Shanghai. It seeks to serve some 1.4 billion people. The site will sell hemp-based food and beverages and hemp-derived CBD. It seeks to sell, where legal, to Chinese-speaking consumers worldwide through its online store, www.ChineseCBDoil.com.
Consilium, an independent research company, notes in its report that the CBD industry is anticipated to grow to $2.1 billion by 2020, representing a CAGR of 80%. The research firm goes on to forecast that the sales of $14.8 million by FY2020 predicted for CIIX is achievable due to the company management’s ability to execute. In fact, Consilium feels that its projections could easily prove conservative. It also estimated that CIIX could reach sales of $1.86 million in FY2017, $3.7 million in FY2018 and $7.4 million in FY2019. CIIX reported revenues of $930,000 in FY2016. For the nine months ended February 28, 2017, it reported revenues of $1.35 million.
Consilium believes that CIIX has a strong management team that has entrepreneurial skills and vision. It also finds that the firm is engrained with Chinese speakers in both the U.S. and abroad. Weaknesses are that it may have to raise more money to compete. It will also need to have sufficient and appropriate resources to stay abreast of evolving requirements for legality in the U.S. and abroad, per the research report.
With no impediments cited by the report in terms of brand leaders, laws, or standouts in this nascent market, Consilium sees opportunities for growth for CIIX. These include strategic international expansion, the large size of the Chinese market and the successful leverage of the legal cannabis market, which Consilium anticipates will drive growth for years to come.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Friday, May 12, 2017
ProBility Media Corp. (PBYA) is Tackling America’s Skills Gap with its Suite of Technical Training Programs
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) released on Tuesday May 9, 2017, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that ProBility Media Corp. (OTCQB: PBYA) has got its ducks lined up in a row. The JOLTS proclaimed happy tidings: the number of manufacturing jobs added in March was the highest for any month since ‘the front end of the Great Recession in early 2008’, according to U.S. News (http://dtn.fm/ORz1Z). But this good news was bundled with some bad news. America is experiencing a skills gap: a mismatch between the skills employers require and the skills the workforce possesses. ProBility Media Corp., however, is aiming to narrow that gap. With its suite of technical training and testing solutions, the company is empowering America’s craftsmen and skilled workers once again.
The JOLTS report (http://dtn.fm/vM5mu) revealed that, in March, manufacturing industries added 322,000 to their payrolls. This brings to 922,000 the number of manufacturing hires for the first quarter of 2017, an 11 percent year-over-year increase on 2016. The report also showed that there were 394,000 job openings at the end of March, matching the record highest, attained in July 2016, since April 2006. Manufacturing output has expanded substantially since the doldrums of the financial crisis in 2009, with the St. Louis Fed’s index of real manufacturing output recording a rise of 29 percent. Contrary to widespread reports, manufacturing employment has also risen since the Great Depression, although less than output. FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) shows employment in the sector rising by 8 percent, from 11,475,000 in December 2009 to 12,396,000 in April 2017 (http://dtn.fm/3XnsM).
While the data provides some reassurance that American manufacturing is alive and well, it also reveals a disturbing trend of layoffs, which signals a skills gap. In March, some 105,000 manufacturing workers were laid off. Factories are hiring, but they’re firing, too.
However, ProBility is endeavoring to fill that skills gap. The company provides a range of education and training programs for a wide variety of vocational occupations such as craning, rigging, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.
ProBility is disrupting the technical vocations training and certification industry by creating the first full service training and career advancement brand in the technical fields. It has undertaken a major push into the crane training space and is now developing online training programs employing virtual reality technology. ProBility’s crane e-learning products include full crane operator’s courses that simulate the hands-on experience of a lab and physical school. In addition, its publishing division has been working to create full handbooks to accompany the online courses.
ProBility continues to expand its suite of e-learning, training and testing services, through both acquisitions and internal growth. The company is positioning itself as the go-to resource for individuals, small- and medium-size businesses, and large enterprise customers by offering consistent high-quality training services and materials for education, testing, and career advancement.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ProBilityMedia.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
The JOLTS report (http://dtn.fm/vM5mu) revealed that, in March, manufacturing industries added 322,000 to their payrolls. This brings to 922,000 the number of manufacturing hires for the first quarter of 2017, an 11 percent year-over-year increase on 2016. The report also showed that there were 394,000 job openings at the end of March, matching the record highest, attained in July 2016, since April 2006. Manufacturing output has expanded substantially since the doldrums of the financial crisis in 2009, with the St. Louis Fed’s index of real manufacturing output recording a rise of 29 percent. Contrary to widespread reports, manufacturing employment has also risen since the Great Depression, although less than output. FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) shows employment in the sector rising by 8 percent, from 11,475,000 in December 2009 to 12,396,000 in April 2017 (http://dtn.fm/3XnsM).
While the data provides some reassurance that American manufacturing is alive and well, it also reveals a disturbing trend of layoffs, which signals a skills gap. In March, some 105,000 manufacturing workers were laid off. Factories are hiring, but they’re firing, too.
However, ProBility is endeavoring to fill that skills gap. The company provides a range of education and training programs for a wide variety of vocational occupations such as craning, rigging, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.
ProBility is disrupting the technical vocations training and certification industry by creating the first full service training and career advancement brand in the technical fields. It has undertaken a major push into the crane training space and is now developing online training programs employing virtual reality technology. ProBility’s crane e-learning products include full crane operator’s courses that simulate the hands-on experience of a lab and physical school. In addition, its publishing division has been working to create full handbooks to accompany the online courses.
ProBility continues to expand its suite of e-learning, training and testing services, through both acquisitions and internal growth. The company is positioning itself as the go-to resource for individuals, small- and medium-size businesses, and large enterprise customers by offering consistent high-quality training services and materials for education, testing, and career advancement.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ProBilityMedia.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Thursday, May 11, 2017
New Financial Legislation Could Limit Securities and Exchange Commission’s Policing Powers
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could lose several of its current functions and powers, including how it polices the markets, if a new financial legislative proposal is passed by the current administration, according to a New York Times report (http://dtn.fm/2FAyo). The Financial Choice Act 2.0, introduced last week by the House Financial Services Committee’s Chair Representative Job Hensarling, a Texas Republican, is described by proponents and supporters as a bill aimed at creating hope and opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs and consumers by giving more freedom to credit unions and small banks in an attempt to increase the number of available financial options for small players. Opponents, however, slam the proposal as a “handout to Wall Street” by aiming to lift some of the restrictions and regulatory measures enforced by 2010’s Dodd-Frank Act, Forbes said (http://dtn.fm/hIah3).
Hensarling’s bill does seem to focus around the theme of being tough on Wall Street by significantly increasing maximum penalties for violations, including by adding a corporate fine of $10 million per violation and making it possible to triple fines for repeat offenders. It should be noted that higher financial penalties might not have the desired effect, especially for companies that earn billions of dollars and would be able to pay such fines without batting an eye. Additionally, the proposed legislation would require the SEC to determine if a corporate fine will hurt shareholders, which could actually lead to lower penalties for fear that they might harm innocent investors.
The real bone of contention, however, is that the Financial Choice Act attempts to restrict a lot of the SEC’s administrative proceeding rights by transferring responsibility back to federal district courts from the commission’s in-house judges. While not directly ruling out in-house proceedings, the bill would make it more difficult to pursue securities law violations in-house, because it would significantly complicate burden of proof requirements for the SEC. Moreover, the bill would also strip the SEC of the power to bar people found guilty of security law violations from serving as a directors or officers of a public company. Instead, this decision would be transferred to a federal district judge.
The proposed changes are a direct response to the Dodd-Frank Act’s provisions that allowed the SEC to pursue a higher number of cases with its own in-house judges instead of with a federal court. This led to overall faster proceedings, but defense lawyers and opponents of the act complained that the shift gave the SEC an unfair advantage and deprived defendants of their rights. It is yet to be established whether the increase in number of in-house administrative proceedings indeed gave the SEC an unfair advantage. According to a recent article by Georgetown University visiting faculty member Urska Velikonja (http://dtn.fm/9r8RK), the difference between cases won in front of its own judges and those won in federal court is an insignificant two percent. Moreover, there have been known instances of cases thrown out by the SEC’s in-house judges for insufficient evidence.
If the Financial Choice Act is adopted in this form, it would drastically hamper the SEC’s regulatory activities and slow down administrative proceedings against people or corporations that violate securities laws. The proposal seems to reflect lawmakers’ general mistrust of the SEC and a general concern that the agency was too aggressive over the past few years.
While similar legislation was rejected under President Barack Obama, this time it has every chance to succeed, as President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to repeal the Dodd-Frank Act even before his election. Passed in direct response to the massive financial crisis of 2008, the Dodd-Frank Act was primarily designed to prevent such a crisis from re-occurring by cracking down harder on large banking institutions and decreasing various risks in the financial system. The act proposed tougher regulations and established several new government agencies in charge of overseeing various aspects of the banking system. Critics of the act insisted that it would harm the competitiveness of U.S. companies and ultimately hurt economic growth (http://dtn.fm/NrK7i), and that is exactly what Hensarling’s bill is trying to counter – the legislation’s main declared goal is to promote economic growth by granting more financial freedom to small businesses. It remains to be seen in what form the Financial Choice Act will be passed, but one thing is for sure: it will significantly impact how the SEC works and its ability to efficiently enforce the right penalties against securities law offenders.
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Hensarling’s bill does seem to focus around the theme of being tough on Wall Street by significantly increasing maximum penalties for violations, including by adding a corporate fine of $10 million per violation and making it possible to triple fines for repeat offenders. It should be noted that higher financial penalties might not have the desired effect, especially for companies that earn billions of dollars and would be able to pay such fines without batting an eye. Additionally, the proposed legislation would require the SEC to determine if a corporate fine will hurt shareholders, which could actually lead to lower penalties for fear that they might harm innocent investors.
The real bone of contention, however, is that the Financial Choice Act attempts to restrict a lot of the SEC’s administrative proceeding rights by transferring responsibility back to federal district courts from the commission’s in-house judges. While not directly ruling out in-house proceedings, the bill would make it more difficult to pursue securities law violations in-house, because it would significantly complicate burden of proof requirements for the SEC. Moreover, the bill would also strip the SEC of the power to bar people found guilty of security law violations from serving as a directors or officers of a public company. Instead, this decision would be transferred to a federal district judge.
The proposed changes are a direct response to the Dodd-Frank Act’s provisions that allowed the SEC to pursue a higher number of cases with its own in-house judges instead of with a federal court. This led to overall faster proceedings, but defense lawyers and opponents of the act complained that the shift gave the SEC an unfair advantage and deprived defendants of their rights. It is yet to be established whether the increase in number of in-house administrative proceedings indeed gave the SEC an unfair advantage. According to a recent article by Georgetown University visiting faculty member Urska Velikonja (http://dtn.fm/9r8RK), the difference between cases won in front of its own judges and those won in federal court is an insignificant two percent. Moreover, there have been known instances of cases thrown out by the SEC’s in-house judges for insufficient evidence.
If the Financial Choice Act is adopted in this form, it would drastically hamper the SEC’s regulatory activities and slow down administrative proceedings against people or corporations that violate securities laws. The proposal seems to reflect lawmakers’ general mistrust of the SEC and a general concern that the agency was too aggressive over the past few years.
While similar legislation was rejected under President Barack Obama, this time it has every chance to succeed, as President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to repeal the Dodd-Frank Act even before his election. Passed in direct response to the massive financial crisis of 2008, the Dodd-Frank Act was primarily designed to prevent such a crisis from re-occurring by cracking down harder on large banking institutions and decreasing various risks in the financial system. The act proposed tougher regulations and established several new government agencies in charge of overseeing various aspects of the banking system. Critics of the act insisted that it would harm the competitiveness of U.S. companies and ultimately hurt economic growth (http://dtn.fm/NrK7i), and that is exactly what Hensarling’s bill is trying to counter – the legislation’s main declared goal is to promote economic growth by granting more financial freedom to small businesses. It remains to be seen in what form the Financial Choice Act will be passed, but one thing is for sure: it will significantly impact how the SEC works and its ability to efficiently enforce the right penalties against securities law offenders.
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
FORM Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: FH) is “One to Watch”
FORM Holdings (NASDAQ: FH) employs a relatively simple yet extremely robust targeting matrix when it comes to acquiring new development candidates. It’s really all about what this diverse holding company can bring to table, as well as how much an otherwise promising, vetted target can benefit – whether it is additional capital and restructuring we are talking about, or full-scale rebranding and implementation of new best practice procedures. Similarly, candidates are selected that can clearly benefit from the kind of new talent recruitment, as well as tailored marketing, public relations, and visibility enhancement, that only an outfit of FORM Holdings’ caliber can provide.
The operational profile of FORM Holdings spans several wholly-owned operating units in technology, including built-to-order, rugged, field-ready mobile and computing products company, Group Mobile; the designer, developer and manufacturer of mobile device-agnostic, wire-free rapid charging and power systems, FLI Charge; and an IP monetization company, Vringo, which works a growing portfolio with more than 75 technology patents, covering everything from telecom infrastructure, remote monitoring and internet search, to ad-insertion, wireless charging, and mobile technologies. The Company also maintains an 8.5 percent stake in Infomedia, a privately-owned, leading UK-based CRM (customer relationship management) and monetization tech provider to mobile carriers and device manufacturers.
However, FORM Holdings has shifted a good deal of its overall corporate focus in recent quarters to its newly-acquired health and wellness subsidiary, XpresSpa. For, as CEO and Director Andrew Perlman recently pointed out in an interview with Bloomberg Market’s Pimm Fox, airport traffic in the U.S. was up 3.2 percent to 929 million passengers last year alone, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. XpresSpa represented approximately 70 percent of FORM Holdings’ 2016 revenues, whereas the aforementioned other four business units represented only the remaining 30 percent. XpresSpa raked in some $43.6 million last year, with hearty store level profitability margins of around 20 percent.
Unlike traditional brick and mortar retail that has seen increasingly dramatic erosion by e-commerce (as antiquated and vulnerable operations become displaced by digital commerce of some form or another), airport terminals provide a comparatively captive consumer audience that is willing to spend more for immediate satisfaction. This only becomes more and more the norm in a world where enhanced security procedures often mean longer wait times and increased stress. Indeed, checkpoint traffic rose 15 percent from 2011 to 2016, while the number of screeners declined roughly 5.5 percent. Even with TSA PreCheck, more travelers and fewer screeners has led to long wait lines and grumpy passengers.
According to the Department of Transportation, consumer complaints from all categories against airlines were up 47 percent from 2014 to 2015, and they rose another 10 percent last year. With a variety of well-publicized stories in the news recently about airline carriers failing to live up to customers’ service expectations, the welcoming promise of a pre- or post-flight XpresSpa decompression session may be just the ticket when it comes to encouraging travelers to keep flying the not-always-so-friendly skies. One look at the full-service spa offerings available – from massage, manicure/pedicure, facials, and waxing, to hair and grooming, as well as shower facilities at some locations – and even the lay investor can see why the XpresSpa business model has caught fire with travelers. This is especially true when one considers the demographic of U.S. air travelers, who have as much as double the median household income, or that of the frequent fliers, who generally have more than double the median household income and make most of their airport retail purchases on impulse due to the same factors which plague all airline travelers, such as boredom, stress, and the hectic nature of most airports.
XpresSpa is more than just a well-recognized and trusted brand that consumers have come to rely on to de-stress before or after a wearying journey. It is also the dominant player in the industry domestically with 3.3 times as many locations in the U.S. market as its next closest competitor, Be Relax, and more locations than all of its competitors combined if we look at total global market saturation (U.S. included). This is an interesting metric indeed, given that the company’s international footprint currently consists of just three stores in Amsterdam and one in Dubai. If we look at the choice CAPEX to profitability data on the Company’s new kiosks, which pulled on average about half the $1 million in sales last year that the in-line stores did, the expansion potential for this sector front-runner becomes even more tantalizing.
While XpresSpa is likely the most recognized and popular airport spa brand among travelers today, with 53 locations in 40 terminals at 22 airports, one of the real keys to building the company’s presence has been to deploy multiple locations at a single airport. For instance, the Company has seven stores and a kiosk at New York’s JFK alone, which was actually the number one large U.S. hub last year for international enplanements, and was the fifth busiest U.S. air travel hub (by total boarding).
Just to underscore the viability of this multiple location per venue model, and to dissuade investors from the notion that eight is enough when it comes to venue saturation, the company has another location slated to open at JFK in Q2 FY17. It says a lot about the business model’s expansion potential to see XpresSpa going for a ninth location at JFK (3.4 percent increase last year to nearly 28.9 million passengers), and the Company has three more locations slated for this year as well, which will make seven total new locations opened in all since the acquisition of XpresSpa was announced by FORM Holdings back in August of 2016.
Another key to the success and overall profitability of the XpresSpa model has been a superb and growing selection of retail items ranging from high-quality but affordable grab-and-go travel accoutrements, like best seller $18.00 travel pillows and $10.00 satin eye masks, to the $180.00 luxurious cashmere travel set, which includes a 100 percent silk eye mask, in addition to the 100 percent cashmere blanket, pillow, and mask cover case. Beyond travel blankets, masks and pillows, XpresSpa sells a wide variety of other spa products, including bath & body, hair and personal care items, hydrogel eye and face masks to revitalize tissues, and therapeutic massagers. The global airport retail market is on pace to hit $90 billion by 2023 according to a new report from Credence Research, and the U.S. space alone was estimated at around $4.5 billion back in 2015 by Micro Market Monitor.
Add to XpresSpa’s established store/product driven brand presence with the May 8 announcement of an exclusive partnership with hot, on-trend private label and branded product designer/manufacturer Capelli New York, and you have the formula for retail dynamite. Capelli has serious traction in the coveted junior and contemporary markets, with coordinated product lines in the fashion accessory and jewelry segments, as well as in hosiery, footwear, sleepwear, and home fashion (among others). The move to have Capelli co-produce and sell XpresSpa’s branded travel, spa products and accessories is something which should translate handily into expanded reach, brand presence, and overall gross margins. On this subject, it is worth pointing out to investors that XpresSpa is helmed by the former VP of premium, luxury and sports eyewear brand Luxottica, Ed Jankowski, who was also formerly Senior VP for gourmet Belgian chocolatier Godiva. This is a company that understands how to connect with high earners through premium offerings.
Furthermore, FORM Holdings has some big overhauls coming this year for XpresSpa, including XpresSpa 2.0 locations with improved aesthetics, layout, efficiency optimizations, and service offerings. Additionally, a new POS system (slated for Q4) will be fully integrated with the reservation system, open up expanded digital marketing capabilities, and leverage an already-signed user base of over 140,000 affinity members.
The other 30 percent of 2016 revenues is nothing to sneeze at either. Group Mobile has a solid pipeline of request for proposals with law enforcement, and an emphasis on long term corporate/municipality contracts for its rugged computing options, which are well-served by an experienced sales team who knows the prevailing hardware landscape like the back of its hand. Group Mobile saw 25 percent year over year sales growth last year to $6.6 million, even as bookings and customer commitments increased 128 percent to $12.1 million. Group Mobile serves a wide range of clients, from military and first responders to large select customers such as Macy’s. Rugged laptops, tablets and handhelds, as well as its wide range of other solutions, from body cameras to drones, are just a taste of the thousands of products from top brands that allow Group Mobile to tap an increasingly large slice of the $5 billion and growing domestic rugged mobile computing market.
FLI Charge also deserves a closer look, as it has some of the most advanced/efficient wire-free conductive technology available today. The sheer adaptability of this technology when it comes to working with essentially any battery-powered/DC device on the market today is enough to make FLI Charge worth further investigation on its own – but the usage characteristics of this technology are the real head-turners. Able to deliver wattage via a protocol that is as safe as plugging into a wall outlet, FLI Charge enablements can be embedded easily into any battery operated or DC-powered device, allowing them to be charged or powered via a pad such as the FLIway 40. This same ease of use becomes available for iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones with FLI Charge’s FLIcases (70 percent thinner than extra battery packs), which remove the need for an enablement and allow the phone to be FLI Charged by simply setting it on the pad in any direction.
Investors can get a good look at FORM Holdings at the upcoming Oppenheimer Emerging Growth Conference, which will be held at the luxurious InterContinental Barclay Hotel in New York City next week. CEO Perlman will be available for one-on-one meetings throughout the day for those who arrange a meeting with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
To take a closer look, visit http://www.formholdings.com/corp_overview
About MissionIR
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Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
The operational profile of FORM Holdings spans several wholly-owned operating units in technology, including built-to-order, rugged, field-ready mobile and computing products company, Group Mobile; the designer, developer and manufacturer of mobile device-agnostic, wire-free rapid charging and power systems, FLI Charge; and an IP monetization company, Vringo, which works a growing portfolio with more than 75 technology patents, covering everything from telecom infrastructure, remote monitoring and internet search, to ad-insertion, wireless charging, and mobile technologies. The Company also maintains an 8.5 percent stake in Infomedia, a privately-owned, leading UK-based CRM (customer relationship management) and monetization tech provider to mobile carriers and device manufacturers.
However, FORM Holdings has shifted a good deal of its overall corporate focus in recent quarters to its newly-acquired health and wellness subsidiary, XpresSpa. For, as CEO and Director Andrew Perlman recently pointed out in an interview with Bloomberg Market’s Pimm Fox, airport traffic in the U.S. was up 3.2 percent to 929 million passengers last year alone, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. XpresSpa represented approximately 70 percent of FORM Holdings’ 2016 revenues, whereas the aforementioned other four business units represented only the remaining 30 percent. XpresSpa raked in some $43.6 million last year, with hearty store level profitability margins of around 20 percent.
Unlike traditional brick and mortar retail that has seen increasingly dramatic erosion by e-commerce (as antiquated and vulnerable operations become displaced by digital commerce of some form or another), airport terminals provide a comparatively captive consumer audience that is willing to spend more for immediate satisfaction. This only becomes more and more the norm in a world where enhanced security procedures often mean longer wait times and increased stress. Indeed, checkpoint traffic rose 15 percent from 2011 to 2016, while the number of screeners declined roughly 5.5 percent. Even with TSA PreCheck, more travelers and fewer screeners has led to long wait lines and grumpy passengers.
According to the Department of Transportation, consumer complaints from all categories against airlines were up 47 percent from 2014 to 2015, and they rose another 10 percent last year. With a variety of well-publicized stories in the news recently about airline carriers failing to live up to customers’ service expectations, the welcoming promise of a pre- or post-flight XpresSpa decompression session may be just the ticket when it comes to encouraging travelers to keep flying the not-always-so-friendly skies. One look at the full-service spa offerings available – from massage, manicure/pedicure, facials, and waxing, to hair and grooming, as well as shower facilities at some locations – and even the lay investor can see why the XpresSpa business model has caught fire with travelers. This is especially true when one considers the demographic of U.S. air travelers, who have as much as double the median household income, or that of the frequent fliers, who generally have more than double the median household income and make most of their airport retail purchases on impulse due to the same factors which plague all airline travelers, such as boredom, stress, and the hectic nature of most airports.
XpresSpa is more than just a well-recognized and trusted brand that consumers have come to rely on to de-stress before or after a wearying journey. It is also the dominant player in the industry domestically with 3.3 times as many locations in the U.S. market as its next closest competitor, Be Relax, and more locations than all of its competitors combined if we look at total global market saturation (U.S. included). This is an interesting metric indeed, given that the company’s international footprint currently consists of just three stores in Amsterdam and one in Dubai. If we look at the choice CAPEX to profitability data on the Company’s new kiosks, which pulled on average about half the $1 million in sales last year that the in-line stores did, the expansion potential for this sector front-runner becomes even more tantalizing.
While XpresSpa is likely the most recognized and popular airport spa brand among travelers today, with 53 locations in 40 terminals at 22 airports, one of the real keys to building the company’s presence has been to deploy multiple locations at a single airport. For instance, the Company has seven stores and a kiosk at New York’s JFK alone, which was actually the number one large U.S. hub last year for international enplanements, and was the fifth busiest U.S. air travel hub (by total boarding).
Just to underscore the viability of this multiple location per venue model, and to dissuade investors from the notion that eight is enough when it comes to venue saturation, the company has another location slated to open at JFK in Q2 FY17. It says a lot about the business model’s expansion potential to see XpresSpa going for a ninth location at JFK (3.4 percent increase last year to nearly 28.9 million passengers), and the Company has three more locations slated for this year as well, which will make seven total new locations opened in all since the acquisition of XpresSpa was announced by FORM Holdings back in August of 2016.
Another key to the success and overall profitability of the XpresSpa model has been a superb and growing selection of retail items ranging from high-quality but affordable grab-and-go travel accoutrements, like best seller $18.00 travel pillows and $10.00 satin eye masks, to the $180.00 luxurious cashmere travel set, which includes a 100 percent silk eye mask, in addition to the 100 percent cashmere blanket, pillow, and mask cover case. Beyond travel blankets, masks and pillows, XpresSpa sells a wide variety of other spa products, including bath & body, hair and personal care items, hydrogel eye and face masks to revitalize tissues, and therapeutic massagers. The global airport retail market is on pace to hit $90 billion by 2023 according to a new report from Credence Research, and the U.S. space alone was estimated at around $4.5 billion back in 2015 by Micro Market Monitor.
Add to XpresSpa’s established store/product driven brand presence with the May 8 announcement of an exclusive partnership with hot, on-trend private label and branded product designer/manufacturer Capelli New York, and you have the formula for retail dynamite. Capelli has serious traction in the coveted junior and contemporary markets, with coordinated product lines in the fashion accessory and jewelry segments, as well as in hosiery, footwear, sleepwear, and home fashion (among others). The move to have Capelli co-produce and sell XpresSpa’s branded travel, spa products and accessories is something which should translate handily into expanded reach, brand presence, and overall gross margins. On this subject, it is worth pointing out to investors that XpresSpa is helmed by the former VP of premium, luxury and sports eyewear brand Luxottica, Ed Jankowski, who was also formerly Senior VP for gourmet Belgian chocolatier Godiva. This is a company that understands how to connect with high earners through premium offerings.
Furthermore, FORM Holdings has some big overhauls coming this year for XpresSpa, including XpresSpa 2.0 locations with improved aesthetics, layout, efficiency optimizations, and service offerings. Additionally, a new POS system (slated for Q4) will be fully integrated with the reservation system, open up expanded digital marketing capabilities, and leverage an already-signed user base of over 140,000 affinity members.
The other 30 percent of 2016 revenues is nothing to sneeze at either. Group Mobile has a solid pipeline of request for proposals with law enforcement, and an emphasis on long term corporate/municipality contracts for its rugged computing options, which are well-served by an experienced sales team who knows the prevailing hardware landscape like the back of its hand. Group Mobile saw 25 percent year over year sales growth last year to $6.6 million, even as bookings and customer commitments increased 128 percent to $12.1 million. Group Mobile serves a wide range of clients, from military and first responders to large select customers such as Macy’s. Rugged laptops, tablets and handhelds, as well as its wide range of other solutions, from body cameras to drones, are just a taste of the thousands of products from top brands that allow Group Mobile to tap an increasingly large slice of the $5 billion and growing domestic rugged mobile computing market.
FLI Charge also deserves a closer look, as it has some of the most advanced/efficient wire-free conductive technology available today. The sheer adaptability of this technology when it comes to working with essentially any battery-powered/DC device on the market today is enough to make FLI Charge worth further investigation on its own – but the usage characteristics of this technology are the real head-turners. Able to deliver wattage via a protocol that is as safe as plugging into a wall outlet, FLI Charge enablements can be embedded easily into any battery operated or DC-powered device, allowing them to be charged or powered via a pad such as the FLIway 40. This same ease of use becomes available for iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones with FLI Charge’s FLIcases (70 percent thinner than extra battery packs), which remove the need for an enablement and allow the phone to be FLI Charged by simply setting it on the pad in any direction.
Investors can get a good look at FORM Holdings at the upcoming Oppenheimer Emerging Growth Conference, which will be held at the luxurious InterContinental Barclay Hotel in New York City next week. CEO Perlman will be available for one-on-one meetings throughout the day for those who arrange a meeting with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
To take a closer look, visit http://www.formholdings.com/corp_overview
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
MIRNewsBreaks – Monaker Group (MKGI) Reviews Fiscal 2017 Successes
Travel and technology company Monaker Group, Inc. (OTCQB: MKGI) today reported results for the full fiscal year ended February 28, 2017. Highlights include introducing the first customizable alternative instant booking engine, adding hundreds of properties to the Monaker travel network, and signing of the first major industry partner to integrate its instant booking engine. The company also provided its optimistic outlook for the current fiscal year as its target market is expected to grow at more than 7% CAGR, making it the fastest growing sector of the travel industry. Additionally, the company expects to release NextTrip Phase II in late summer 2017 and increase its inventory of properties from 1.2 million to more than 2 million.
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/QvaU4
About Monaker Group
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
To view the full press release, visit http://dtn.fm/QvaU4
About Monaker Group
Monaker Group is a technology-driven travel company focused on delivering innovation to alternative lodging rentals (ALR) market. The Monaker Booking Engine (MBE) delivers instant booking of more than 1.2 million vacation rental homes, villas, chalets, apartments, condos and castles. MBE offers travel distributors and agencies an industry-first: a customizable instant booking platform for ALR. Monaker’s NextTrip.com B2C website, also powered by MBE, is the first to offer significant instantly bookable ALR products along with mainstream travel products and services all on a single site. NextTrip also features rich content, imagery and high-quality video to enhance a traveler’s booking experience and assist in the search, decision and buying process for both individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com or www.nexttrip.com.
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (CIIX) Aims to Excel in CBD Markets
For nearly two decades, ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX) has delivered a wide range of products, information, and services, including several subscription-based services, for the global Chinese speaking population. The specialized investment services company provides real-time market commentary, analysis, and education-related information in the Chinese language, as well as offering consultation, advertising, and public relations services.
The company’s product diversity is a result of its growth-focused, long term quest for value-add opportunities. Not satisfied with a 100,000+ user base, a recognizable 18-year-old brand, and a target market in excess of two billion Chinese speaking people, ChineseInvestors.com recently executed a first-to-market milestone by creating the world’s only Chinese language, cannabinoid-based, therapeutic health products online store, http://www.ChineseCBDoil.com.
After profiting from a successful investment in the marijuana market, the company recognized an immense opportunity and recently expanded into retail and online sales of cannabidiol (CBD) products. With an annual growth rate of nearly 60 percent, CBD oil has become one of the fastest growing market categories in the country, and U.S.-based ChineseInvestors.com aims to capitalize on this meteoric growth by marketing holistic CBD-based products to the more than two billion Chinese speaking people in the world.
CBD oil is considered to have a broad range of medical benefits, and it is non-psychoactive with low-THC and high-CBD content. CBD has shown varying degrees of efficacy in treating epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, cirrhosis, pain, anxiety and stress. Given the wide ranging practice of holistic-based Eastern medicine, acceptance and use of CBD oils is not only a natural adjunct, but also an enormous potential revenue generator for ChineseInvestors.com, which suggests that online sales and future retail outlets could easily exceed expectations. All told, ChineseInvestors.com presents an interesting opportunity to profit from the meteoric rise of the medical marijuana market as it relates to a global population of more than two billion Chinese consumers.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
The company’s product diversity is a result of its growth-focused, long term quest for value-add opportunities. Not satisfied with a 100,000+ user base, a recognizable 18-year-old brand, and a target market in excess of two billion Chinese speaking people, ChineseInvestors.com recently executed a first-to-market milestone by creating the world’s only Chinese language, cannabinoid-based, therapeutic health products online store, http://www.ChineseCBDoil.com.
After profiting from a successful investment in the marijuana market, the company recognized an immense opportunity and recently expanded into retail and online sales of cannabidiol (CBD) products. With an annual growth rate of nearly 60 percent, CBD oil has become one of the fastest growing market categories in the country, and U.S.-based ChineseInvestors.com aims to capitalize on this meteoric growth by marketing holistic CBD-based products to the more than two billion Chinese speaking people in the world.
CBD oil is considered to have a broad range of medical benefits, and it is non-psychoactive with low-THC and high-CBD content. CBD has shown varying degrees of efficacy in treating epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, cirrhosis, pain, anxiety and stress. Given the wide ranging practice of holistic-based Eastern medicine, acceptance and use of CBD oils is not only a natural adjunct, but also an enormous potential revenue generator for ChineseInvestors.com, which suggests that online sales and future retail outlets could easily exceed expectations. All told, ChineseInvestors.com presents an interesting opportunity to profit from the meteoric rise of the medical marijuana market as it relates to a global population of more than two billion Chinese consumers.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com
About MissionIR
MissionIR is committed to connecting the investment community with companies that have great potential and a strong dedication to building shareholder value. We know our reputation is based on the integrity of our clients and go to great lengths to ensure the companies represented adhere to sound business practices.
Sign up for “The Mission Report” at www.MissionIR.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
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