[Post 432] Why Starbucks Is Struggling

Summary

Starbucks reported a global same-store sales decline of 3% and missed revenue expectations by $130 million in its fiscal third-quarter earnings on July 30, 2024. Its share price has tumbled nearly 25% in the past year. That's all due to operating challenges, an increasingly price conscious consumer and boycotts related to the Israel-Hamas war. Still, the coffee giant accounted for more than 25% of the U.S. coffee and snack shop market in 2023.

[Post 431] I Was Laid Off From Meta — Now My Side Hustle Brings In $145K A Year

Summary

Scott Goodfriend, 39, was working his dream job at Meta — until he was laid off just 8 months into the gig in February 2023. Instead of taking another corporate job, he decided to take his food tour side hustle full-time. Now he runs Ultimate Food Tours in New York City, bringing in $145,000 a year.

[Post 430] I Earn $73K In One Of The Most In-Demand Jobs Right Now — I Love What I Do

Summary

As a wind turbine service technician, Jessica Jackson, 37, has one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. It’s also the fastest-growing job in the U.S.

[Post 429] Market watchers call for more drastic measures to boost listings on SGX

Summary

Making it mandatory for international companies based in Singapore to list on the Singapore Exchange. That's among measures market watchers are calling for, as the Monetary Authority of Singapore looks into how to boost listings on the bourse. SGX had only one initial public offering in the first six months of this year, versus six in 2023. Meanwhile, five Singapore-based companies have listed overseas in the same period. Nadirah Zaidi reports.

[Post 428] Meet the Singaporean running a longan and lychee farm in China's Guangdong

Summary

In 2006, Singaporean Justin Low opened a farm in Huazhou - a county-level city under the administration of Maoming, which is about 500km away from Guangzhou city. Justin, who currently resides in Shenzhen, has help from around 100 workers who harvest the farm's yearly output of around 600,000kg of longans and lychees. 

Around 2,000 Singaporeans live, work and play in southern China's Guangdong province. Maoming is a coastline city facing the South China Sea, with a population of around six million and known for its fruit production. Tan Si Hui reports.

[Post 427] Cash, Card Or E-wallet? How To Get The Most Out Of Your Japan Shopping | Money Mind | Travel

Summary

Cash, card or e-wallet? How to get the most out of your Japan shopping.

[Post 426] Japan's Young Are Now Its Loneliest Generation, Overtaking The Old. Why? | Insight | Full Episode

Summary

Last November, the World Health Organisation declared loneliness a ‘Global Public Health Concern’. Meanwhile, Gen Zs are emerging as the loneliest generation ever.

Japan has a reputation as a lonely country, but here, there are more lonely people in their 20s and 30s than any other age group. An extreme expression of loneliness are the infamous “hikikomoris” – shut-ins who have isolated themselves from society. More join their ranks each year. 

But apart from this group, there are millions of other youths who experience alienation and loneliness. And with it comes a slew of social ills – from greater rates of depression, to falling marriage rates, to lower productivity. Social anxiety, the suffocating rat race and cultural stigma - Insight explores what is driving solitude in the Land of the Rising Sun.