TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft to buy Revolution
Microsoft Corp on Friday agreed to buy startup Revolution Analytics, which makes tools to sift through data, to help the company build up its cloud-services business. Terms were not disclosed. The deal was driven by the growing volumes of data that companies are contending with and the need for more software that can help analyze information, Microsoft said in a blog. Mountain View, California-based Revolution Analytics makes a statistics programming language called “R” that helps analyze data. Revolution Analytics chief community officer David Smith said in a blog post that the deal would spread the use of advanced analytics within Microsoft products, including the Azure cloud service.
Acquisitions
Adidas to sell Rockport Co
Private equity firm Berkshire Partners and athletic shoemaker New Balance are buying Rockport Co from the Adidas Group. The deal is scheduled to close later this year, but financial terms were not disclosed. Rockport sells men’s and women’s shoes and boots. As part of the deal, New Balance affiliate Drydock Footwear LLC is set to join with Rockport Co to create the Rockport Group. Drydock’s brands include Cobb Hill, Aravon and Dunham.
Energy
Oil, gas limit GE revenue
General Electric Co (GE) on Friday posted increased revenue and net income for the fourth quarter, but was held back from even better results by a sputtering performance from its expanding oil and gas division. The company calmed investors by maintaining its guidance for this year’s profit, despite the low oil prices that are hurting its oil and gas operations, and a stronger US dollar that is hurting exports. GE reported net income of US$5.15 billion, up from US$3.21 billion in the same quarter last year. Revenue rose 4 percent to US$42 billion in the period, but fell short of the US$42.4 billion expected by analysts.
Beverages
Anheuser-Busch buys Elysian
Anheuser-Busch said it is buying Seattle-based craft brewer Elysian Brewing Co for an undisclosed amount. It is the latest in a string of craft brewery acquisitions by Anheuser-Busch as it tries to counter soft sales of its own brands, such as Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch and Elysian announced the deal on Friday and said it would bring the brewer’s popular beers — most notably Immortal IPA — to a greater number of consumers. The deal includes Elysian’s brewery business and its four Seattle brewpubs. It is expected to close by the end of the first quarter. Anheuser-Busch is the US arm of Belgian-based Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, and is the world’s largest brewer.
Internet
Expedia to buy Travelocity
Expedia on Friday said it is buying rival Travelocity in a US$280 million deal merging two of the largest online travel operators. The all-cash deal calls for Expedia to acquire its rival from travel software firm Sabre Corp and follows a 2013 agreement in which Expedia powered the tech platform for Travelocity’s US and Canadian Web sites. Expedia operates other travel Web sites, including Hotels.com and Carrentals.com. Sabre manages online reservations for airlines and hotels. Last year it sold travel Web site lastminute.com.
DIVIDED VIEWS: Although the Fed agreed on holding rates steady, some officials see no rate cuts for this year, while 10 policymakers foresee two or more cuts There are a lot of unknowns about the outlook for the economy and interest rates, but US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled at least one thing seems certain: Higher prices are coming. Fed policymakers voted unanimously to hold interest rates steady at a range of 4.25 percent to 4.50 percent for a fourth straight meeting on Wednesday, as they await clarity on whether tariffs would leave a one-time or more lasting mark on inflation. Powell said it is still unclear how much of the bill would fall on the shoulders of consumers, but he expects to learn more about tariffs
NOT JUSTIFIED: The bank’s governor said there would only be a rate cut if inflation falls below 1.5% and economic conditions deteriorate, which have not been detected The central bank yesterday kept its key interest rates unchanged for a fifth consecutive quarter, aligning with market expectations, while slightly lowering its inflation outlook amid signs of cooling price pressures. The move came after the US Federal Reserve held rates steady overnight, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut borrowing costs. Central bank board members unanimously voted to maintain the discount rate at 2 percent, the secured loan rate at 2.375 percent and the overnight lending rate at 4.25 percent. “We consider the policy decision appropriate, although it suggests tightening leaning after factoring in slackening inflation and stable GDP growth,”
Meta Platforms Inc offered US$100 million bonuses to OpenAI employees in an unsuccessful bid to poach the ChatGPT maker’s talent and strengthen its own generative artificial intelligence (AI) teams, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said. Facebook’s parent company — a competitor of OpenAI — also offered “giant” annual salaries exceeding US$100 million to OpenAI staffers, Altman said in an interview on the Uncapped with Jack Altman podcast released on Tuesday. “It is crazy,” Sam Altman told his brother Jack in the interview. “I’m really happy that at least so far none of our best people have decided to take them
PLANS: MSI is also planning to upgrade its service center in the Netherlands Micro-Star International Co (MSI, 微星) yesterday said it plans to set up a server assembly line at its Poland service center this year at the earliest. The computer and peripherals manufacturer expects that the new server assembly line would shorten transportation times in shipments to European countries, a company spokesperson told the Taipei Times by telephone. MSI manufactures motherboards, graphics cards, notebook computers, servers, optical storage devices and communication devices. The company operates plants in Taiwan and China, and runs a global network of service centers. The company is also considering upgrading its service center in the Netherlands into a
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