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Chipmaker AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has unveiled a range of innovative AI solutions spanning from data centers to personal computers. The AMD Instinct MI300 Series features data center AI accelerators, while the ROCm 6 open software stack introduces new features supporting Large Language Models (LLMs). Additionally, the Ryzen 8040 Series processors come equipped with Ryzen AI capabilities.
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Artificial Intelligence: Startup Kogniz Uses AI With Health Cams to Detect Fever
Kogniz, a startup based in Mill Valley, California, has launched a tool to detect people who may be suffering from the deadly coronavirus. Using high technology cameras and an AI-based software platform, Kogniz’s system can identify an infected person. They can then be stopped from entering the building.
DailyAlts Playbook: Activists in a Pandemic, SoftBank’s WeWork Debacle, High-Yield Defaults, and Demon Days
The Dow Futures rallied more than 340 points after a dismal start to the second quarter. This morning, investors are paying very close attention to the weekly jobless claims from the Department of Labor. Last week, the agency reported that 3.2 million Americans had applied for unemployment benefits. Today, that figure reached six million. Economists had expected roughly four to five million people to file for unemployment, with the high range at nine million.
Digital Assets: “Disruptive” Insurance for Digital Asset and Cannabis Businesses From Relm Insurance
Relm Insurance Ltd plans to offer insurance coverage to digital asset enterprises and cannabis and hemp-related businesses. In future Realm will extend insurance coverage to new sectors such as digital banking, the sharing and gig economy, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence. Bermuda Premier David Burt, when announcing the grant of the license, welcomed the company’s choice of Bermuda as their domicile.
REITs: Big Insider Buying at Hudson Pacific Properties
Prices of Real Estate Investment Trusts and real estate operating companies plunged in March. Officers and directors of many REITs have stepped up to buy the shares the public has sold.
Some of the most significant insider buying has occurred recently at Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) where three insiders have combined to make open market purchases of the REIT they help direct.
Liquid Alternatives: American Century to Launch Active ETFs That Disclose Quarterly
Thursday, April 2, marks the beginning of a new era of active, non-transparent ETFs. In a brave step considering the current market conditions, American Century Investments will launch Thursday two new “active” ETFs. The American Century Focused Dynamic Growth ETF (FDG) and the American Century Focused Large Cap Value ETF (FLV) will list on CBOE Global Markets.
Ride Sharing Startup Via Raises $400M @ Valuation of $2.25B
Dial-a-shared-shuttle startup Via raised $400 million in a Series E funding round led by Exor (BIT: EXO) at a valuation of $2.25 billion. Exor is a holding company of the billionaire Italian Agnelli family and owns chunks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (BIT: FCA) and Ferrari NV (BIT: RACE). Exor coughed up half, or $200 million, of the total funding round.
FinTech: FinXact’s Core-as-a-Service Platform Will Power Digital Banker One
One is the new digital banking app launched by Bill Harris, the former CEO at PayPal and Intuit. It is a digital banking start-up that promises “One app. One card. One account.” It intends to deliver full-service banking via one simple account allowing users to save, spend, share, and borrow. It focuses on middle-income families across the United States. Currently in beta mode, One will likely launch during summer this year. It has chosen Finxact to power its banking services.
Digital Assets: A Crypto Wallet with an Automatic Protection Guarantee of $ 1 Million
Civic Technologies along with Coincover launches a unique and first-of-its-kind crypto wallet offering a US$1 million protection guarantee.
Artificial Intelligence: AI Can Provide Advance Warning of Diabetes, the Silent Killer
Researchers at the Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Kanazawa, Japan, trained a computer model to flag patients likely to be afflicted by diabetes. The process, called machine learning, teaches an AI algorithm to recognize patterns from historical data. When running on live data, the algorithm can recognize the patterns it has learned and issue an alert, for example, on the potential for contracting a disease such as diabetes.
Private Equity: Triage, Treat, Shop in the Age of Coronavirus
All around the world, private equity firms are scrambling to adapt to the new environment caused by the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Many countries, especially in the developed world, have shut down large parts of their economies to halt the virus’ spread. The resulting global recession will strain companies that private equity firms own….
Venture Capital: Transit Startup Via Raises $200 Million in Latest Funding Round
Transit startup Via raised $200 million in a new round of funding. The new deal brings its valuation to $2.25 billion.
Exor NV (EXXRF), Giovanni Agnelli’s European holding company led the Series E round. Agnelli is a co-founder of Fiat (NASDAQ: FCAU).
Active Alpha – Insider Buying for April 1, 2020
Here is the latest update on insider buying and activist actions by alternative asset firms. As stock prices were falling once again on Tuesday, we saw more reports of activist investors and private equity funds taking positions in stocks with the intent of influencing management to take steps to improve the stock price.
FinTech: Amidst the Pandemic, Fintech Fast-becoming The New Normal, Says Study
The world is adapting to unforeseen lockdowns and social distancing by using more digital technology. As people spend more time indoors, the demand for online services is exploding. But, the virus may accelerate, and perpetuate, digital trends that may already have been taking shape in our lives.
Liquid Alternatives: Lyxor’s New Suite of Climate Change ETFs
French asset manager Lyxor is the first ETF manager to launch a suite of ETFs that focus on the objectives of the European Union’s Climate Transition Benchmarks. These benchmarks target an immediate 30% reduction in carbon intensity and a 7% annual emission reduction trajectory.
Venture Capital: General Catalyst Raises $2.3B Despite Pandemic
Undeterred by the coronavirus health crisis and its grim impact on the economy, investors have plowed $2.3 billion into General Capital (GC) to deploy across three new funds. But the virus has certainly affected GC’s investing thesis. Suddenly, technology is again front-and-center, with its potential to improve lives in a world scarred by fear and loss from the disease.
Digital Assets: New Crypto Derivatives Exchange ZUBR Offers HFT, Low Fees to Smaller Traders
Crypto derivatives exchange ZUBR has gone live. It offers a fee structure that is the lowest in the market and an industry-grade, high-performance trading service for digital asset derivatives. Traders can take positions on perpetual crypto derivatives with 20X leverage.
Artificial Intelligence: AI-based Study of Newly Infected Coronavirus Patients Predicts Severity of Disease
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool to reliably predict which of newly turned positive coronavirus patients would develop acute respiratory distress. In a surprise revelation, the study also found that the common symptoms relied upon to determine future COVID severity were not the best indicators.
Private Equity: Ardian Raises $18 Billion for New Fund
Ardian has raised $18 billion for a new fund to buy stakes in private equity funds. Reports say the European private equity manager could close the fund to new investors as soon as next month.
Alternative Investments: Ares Management Corporation Announces Deal With SMBC Group
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES), Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (collectively SMBC Group) announced a strategic agreement to collaborate on future business opportunities. As part of this agreement, SMBC will make a $384 million equity investment in the publicly traded shares of Class A common stock of Ares.
Artificial Intelligence: Using Home-specific Weather Data With AI to Boost Lithium Solar Batteries
The usage of solar batteries varies widely from home to home. That’s because each home is different – from the roof’s orientation and pitch to nearby trees that cast a shadow on the panels, even weather conditions. Optimizing solar battery usage to adjust for such variables, amidst real-time and in changing weather conditions, is a challenge. IBM (NYSE: IBM) is combining weather data and AI to solve this.
Venture Capital: Mark Cuban-Backed Company Completes $3 Million Round
Nohbo, a company backed by billionaire Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, has completed a $3M in a Series Seed funding round. Material Impact, a venture capital firm that invests in novel materials that can be used to grow a business and Safer Made, a firm the invests in ways to make existing products safer, led the round. Cuban also participated in the round and added to his initial investment.
Digital Assets: Now Luxury Watches Get Their Digital “Passport” on the Blockchain
Breitling Top Time watches now have their own secure digital identity. Their proof of authenticity and ownership will be recorded on the blockchain-powered by Arianee. Breitling now has the status of being the first watchmaker to provide a blockchain-powered e-warranty.
FinTech: Moven Moves On; As Funding Woes Bite, It’s Lights Out at the Consumer Bank
The coronavirus notches up digital challenger bank Movenbank as a casualty. Founder Brett King has pulled the plug on Moven nearly nine years after its launch in October 2011 as the world’s first cardless bank. In an interview with American Banker, King clarified the many reasons for what must have been a difficult decision.
Liquid Alternatives: If Things Get Worse, the Fed Could Go From Bazooka to Nuclear
It’s not at all unimaginable that the Fed could wade (further) into uncharted waters and mop up stocks. According to market experts, if the coronavirus leads to more panic and deterioration in the markets, the Fed will not hesitate to buy up stocks on a scale large enough to restore order. Given the present mood of the Fed, it may bring out the heavy artillery via purchases of stock ETFs.