<ul><li>Only 3% of women in the workforce occupy senior positions in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. </li><li>Globally, women in senior expert and leadership roles had less than 62% of the accumulated wealth that their male counterparts enjoyed at retirement. </li><li><keyword id="5565" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="south-korea" source="Orion">South Korea</keyword> was found to be the best performing country in the <keyword id="156416" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="apac" source="Orion">APAC</keyword> region in terms of <keyword id="13330990" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-wealth-gap" source="Orion">gender wealth gap</keyword>.</li></ul>A new study report by <keyword id="6318776" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="wtw" source="Orion">WTW</keyword> revealed that India has the widest gender wealth gap (64%) as compared to other APAC countries. This is largely due to the higher burden of caregiving responsibilities. The 2022 <keyword id="15424116" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WTW-Global-Gender-Wealth-Equity" source="Orion">WTW Global Gender Wealth Equity</keyword> report found that opportunities for women in leadership positions are also limited, with only 3% of women in the workforce occupying senior positions in India. “Women also tend to assume childcare responsibilities at a young age for the region, resulting in financial impacts from which women have limited capacity to recover. Compounding this is that long term financial decisions generally rest with men and financial literacy for working women tends to be lower,” stated the report. Globally, women in senior expert and leadership roles were found to have less than 62% of the accumulated wealth that their male counterparts enjoyed at retirement. Moreover, at 69%, a substantial gap exists in mid-level professional and technical roles globally, narrowing significantly to 89% in frontline operational roles. “Given the variety of cultures, traditions and differences in the relative prosperity and social equality across the region, it’s unsurprising that the results are mixed. However, wealth equity for women in senior expert and leadership roles remains a particular challenge for Asia,” said Clare Muhiudeen, head of Asia, WTW. South Korea has been found as the best performing country in the APAC region in terms of gender wealth gap. “In South Korea, the earnings limits embedded in social security benefits limit the accumulation of male relative to female wealth,” the report said. There has been an increase in the number of measures taken by corporates to reverse the trend of gender discrimination through the recent environmental, social and governance (ESG) awakening. However, more steps need to be taken to further narrow the gap, says the report. “By focusing on accumulated wealth at retirement, the disparity can be quantified, and actions can be taken through broader society, government and organisations to equalise wealth outcomes,” Manjit Basi, senior director, Integrated &amp; Global Solutions, WTW, said. In the APAC region, women are expected to accumulate 76% of the men’s wealth levels, which is only two points above the global average. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/tech-cos-are-offering-longer-projects-full-time-jobs-to-gig-workers-nasscom/articleshow/95279523.cms">Tech cos are offering longer projects, full-time jobs to gig workers: Nasscom</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/with-over-half-a-billion-gamers-indias-gaming-market-reports-2-6-billion-in-revenue/articleshow/95278448.cms">With over half a billion gamers, India's gaming market reports $2.6 billion in revenue</a>

India has the widest gender wealth gap in the APAC region: WTW report

<ul><li>Most companies are wary of climate related disclosures and bogged down by high costs of assessment, lack of regulatory mandate, etc. </li><li>As per <keyword id="35210" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sebi" source="Orion">SEBI</keyword> mandate, top 1,000 listed companies have to report their sustainability performance starting FY23. </li><li>However, their state of readiness in terms of disclosures is varied, the report says.</li></ul>Only half of Indian listed companies have set carbon emissions commitments, while the other half are unsure about the same, says a study by <keyword id="6318776" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="wtw" source="Orion">WTW</keyword>, a global advisory, broking and solutions firm. Amongst those who have set carbon emissions commitments, even fewer companies – at 43% — aim to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2032. This is in spite of the fact that 73% of the companies have board-level or CEO level oversight of climate risk. Indian markets regulator <keyword id="63783" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="securities-and-exchange-board" source="Orion">Securities and Exchange Board</keyword> of <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> (SEBI) has mandated the top 1,000 listed companies to report their sustainability performance from FY23. “With the top 1000 listed companies in India obliged to undertake climate financial reporting based on recommendations by Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR), the state of readiness is varied,” the report says. Most companies face barriers with regards to climate-related disclosures due to a variety of reasons — high costs of assessment, lack of regulatory mandate, insufficient data and standardized metrics, and shortage of in-house capabilities. “We expect to see increased attention and scrutiny from a wider set of stakeholders on climate-related disclosure and risk management in India. This is a specialist function, so it is understandable that most companies lack inhouse capability. Companies should partner with experts to bridge the gap with relevant data, analytics, and insight to support climate change governance,” said <keyword id="2201275" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vivek-nath" source="Orion">Vivek Nath</keyword>, head of India, WTW. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Companies undecided about frameworks" comment="subhead" text="Companies undecided about frameworks">Companies undecided about frameworks</cmsannotation> The report further says that 79% of companies are undecided about which climate disclosure framework to adopt, despite having processes in place for identifying, assessing, and managing climate-related risks. Out of the companies which have selected disclosure frameworks, most companies intend to use the CDP framework. CDP framework is a voluntary reporting framework that companies use to disclose environmental information to their stakeholders. While 53% of the surveyed companies are actively conducting internal discussions to disclose under the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework, 47% of companies are not privy to TCFD. TCFD is a globally accepted climate change action and reporting framework, approved by the SEBI as well in India. “While the current impetus to climate-related disclosures is regulatory requirement or investor and consumer expectations, it is critical for companies in India to integrate climate risk mitigation and by extension Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) linked actions into their climate transition roadmap,” Nath further added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/us-india-and-china-markets-are-rallying-on-single-narratives-investors-need-to-be-cautious-say-experts/articleshow/96024939.cms">'One-trick' ponies – US, India and China markets are rallying on single narratives, investors need to be cautious, say experts</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/world-bank-revises-indias-gdp-growth-forecast-upwards-to-6-9-for-fy23/articleshow/96023459.cms">World Bank revises India's GDP growth forecast upwards to 6.9% for FY23</a>

Only half of Indian listed companies set net carbon emissions commitments: WTW

<ul><li>India continues to top the list of countries with highest increments, says a <keyword id="6318776" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="wtw" source="Orion">WTW</keyword> report.</li><li>The WTW report quotes that over 68% of the companies cited tight labour markets as the foremost reason for giving a higher increment.</li><li>More than half of <keyword id="51318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-companies" source="Orion">Indian companies</keyword> are increasing their salary budgets from last year given tight labour market conditions.</li></ul>In the next increment cycle, Indian employees can expect a <keyword id="6355281" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="salary-hike" source="Orion">salary hike</keyword> of at least 10%, which is highest in the <keyword id="2725318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="APAC-region" source="Orion">APAC region</keyword>, says a <keyword id="5966170" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Salary-Budget-Planning-report" source="Orion">Salary Budget Planning report</keyword> by Willis Towers Watson (WTW). India continues to top the list of countries with high increments. China is projected to see an increase of 6%, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore at 4% in 2023. The report quotes that over 68% of the companies cited tight labour markets as the foremost reason for giving a higher increment. And, 44% are concerned about employee satisfaction as the voluntary attrition rate is the second highest in India among APAC countries. As many as 42% of companies cited strong revenue generation projection in the next 12 months as the reason. The survey is based on 22,570 sets of responses from companies across 168 countries. For this, more than half of the Indian companies are increasing their salary budgets from last year given the tight labour market conditions. “2022 saw actual salary increments being higher than budgets and this was largely due to better-than-expected business performance and the need to retain talent. Despite the economic headwinds, higher projections for 2023 reflect cautious business optimism and a continued tight labour market,” said Rajul Mathur, consulting leader of India for work and rewards at WTW. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Sectors with the highest salary hikes" comment="subhead" text="Sectors with the highest salary hikes">Sectors with the highest salary hikes</cmsannotation> The report further projects that financial services employees will get the maximum <keyword id="717779" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="salary-increment" source="Orion">salary increment</keyword> with at least 10.4%; followed by employees in banking, technology media and gaming with 10.2% and 10%. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sector </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Salary hike projection </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Financial services </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10.4% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Banking </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10.2% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tech media and gaming </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">General Industry </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Manufacturing durable goods </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10% </td></tr></tbody></table> “We saw significant salary increases across sectors in 2022 and a similar trajectory is expected in 2023. With increased focus on technology enabled growth, the demand for digital skills is driving pay increases for tech talent, especially in the technology, media and gaming, banking and financial services sectors,” added Mathur. Better than expected business performance has also resulted in higher variable payouts in 2022 across career bands. Companies are allocating more variable pay budgets to above average and top performers. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/talent-crunch-biggest-obstacle-to-indian-startups-us-expansion-says-report/articleshow/93587275.cms">Talent crunch biggest obstacle to Indian startups’ US expansion, says report</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/wework-co-founder-adam-neumanns-startup-gets-valued-at-1-billion-even-before-launch/articleshow/93585457.cms">WeWork co-founder's startup gets valued at $1 billion even before launch</a>

Fin services will beat tech with the best salary hikes in 2023, says report

<ul><li>Companies are now re-designing jobs to retain and employ the right kind of talent with the right offer.</li><li>Redesigned jobs can become a great way to bring back working mothers and other employees who are engaged in caregiving to their aged parents and other relatives.</li><li>Six out of ten companies are working to create a human-centric, holistic and purpose-driven employee experience over the next three years, says a <keyword id="6318776" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="wtw" source="Orion">WTW</keyword> report.</li></ul> Slowly but certainly, the <keyword id="12242899" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Great-Resignation" source="Orion">Great Resignation</keyword> has tipped the balance in favour of the employees — who are determined to achieve the elusive work-life balance. Organizations too have been absorbing this reality and are not stopping at offering remote work and flexibility — they are redesigning jobs. “Companies need to take tangible actions to win the talent war. These include resetting their total rewards philosophy and strategy for the new hybrid work environment, setting an overarching career enablement strategy, identifying new sources of talent based on more flexible approaches to work and resdesigning jobs,” <keyword id="1175806" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rajul-mathur" source="Orion">Rajul Mathur</keyword>, consulting leader India at WTW, a consulting firm. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is a re-designed job?" comment="subhead" text="What is a re-designed job?">What is a re-designed job?</cmsannotation> A re-designed job is where job responsibilities are altered to suit the skill-sets of an employee. They first came into vogue as an after-effect of rapid automation. Now of course, it’s being used to retain and employ the right kind of talent with the right offer. Ravish Manivannan from Bangalore has been freelancing for years now and was offered a job at an agency as a graphic designer. “Since I am not used to fixed job timings and it would impact my current lifestyle I was jittery. But the team leader assured me that I would have to report in only for three hours a day and as long as I finish my tasks, won’t be called in for meetings either,” he said. While the agency is satisfied with his work ethic, he too is happy to draw a regular monthly salary without being burdened with office timings. Redesigned jobs can become a great way to bring back working mothers and other employees who are engaged in caregiving to their aged parents and other relatives. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Sweeping workforce changes" comment="subhead" text="Sweeping workforce changes">Sweeping workforce changes</cmsannotation> Inducting such employees into the workforce is a part of the sweeping workforce changes that the system is undergoing. Six out of ten companies are working to create a human-centric, holistic and purpose-driven employee experience over the next three years, says a WTW report. Companies are considering changing various other aspects as well like — amount and type of work done using automation, AI and digitalisation, use of skills-based placement of work, types of job offers in the next three years. “Businesses need to prioritize <keyword id="157890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employee-retention" source="Orion">employee retention</keyword> and re-examine business practices that lead to turnover to tackle ongoing pressure points they face in retaining and attracting talent,” said Mathur. The WTW report says that 61% of Indian organizations are working to create a ‘holistic employee experience’. And, 58% are thinking of strengthening their work and rewards framework over the next three years. Higher salary remains as the top factor to attract employees. But a little less than half, 44% of the organizations are reviewing the mix of pay and benefits to reflect the change in use of remote/hybrid work or other flexible work arrangements to keep their employees from going down the Great Resignation path. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/indias-biggest-companies-spend-nearly-11-lakh-crore-on-employee-expense-last-year/articleshow/92690317.cms">If you thought techies got the biggest hikes last year, think again...</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/utkarsh-leadsquared-happylocate-cybersecurity-vivifi-india-startups-are-on-a-hiring-spree/articleshow/92672295.cms">Amid the layoff season, these five startups are on a hiring spree</a>

Flexibility is passe, companies are ready to re-design jobs to retain talent

<ul><li>Around 25% of the organizations are planning to include <keyword id="60251" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="variable-pay" source="Orion">variable pay</keyword> in the wage definition.</li><li>One out of three organizations in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> are also likely to increase the <keyword id="312732" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="basic-pay" source="Orion">basic pay</keyword>, as per <keyword id="11979993" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WTW-report" source="Orion">WTW report</keyword>.</li><li>40% of organizations are expecting to have a significant impact on their profit and loss statement due to gratuity.</li></ul>Companies in India are still adapting to the new Labour Code, which will be implemented from July 1 this year. However, a majority of organizations are reviewing retirement or long-term benefits and looking for new ways to package them. In fact, 25% of the organizations are planning to include variable pay in the wage definition. But, a similar percentage of them are also unsure about what to do, reveals a new WTW report on ‘State of Retirement benefits in India’. Variable pay is also known as performance pay and is given to an employee based on the results of their performance. It is usually offered in addition to the employee's fixed salary on completion of certain targets. One out of three organizations in India are also likely to increase the basic pay as a part of the new wage code. The four <keyword id="9986984" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-labour-codes" source="Orion">new labour codes</keyword> approved by the President of India are — Code on <keyword id="6356975" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="wages" source="Orion">Wages</keyword>, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. These four codes will replace the existing 29 labour laws in India. Code on Wages will ensure timely payment of salaries and wages both in organized and unorganized sectors. Industrial Relations Code expands the definition of worker to be included under — skilled, unskilled, manual, technical, clerical and operational workers. Code on Social Security is about social security schemes like EPF, EPS, ESI — which are beneficial to the employees and workers. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Gratuity pay would rise" comment="subhead" text="Gratuity pay would rise">Gratuity pay would rise</cmsannotation> According to the report, 40% of organizations are expecting the code to have a significant impact on their profits; and are considering options to update their gratuity policy to mitigate the impact. While 28% say that they will not change their gratuity policy and are not expecting any change in their P&amp;L. Gratuity benefits are projected to have the largest impact in the new definition of wages. It is paid to employees who exit their companies after working for over five years. In the new code, the gratuity is expected to increase significantly, particularly for organizations where the basic pay to gross pay ratio has been quite low previously. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="No change in PF contributions" comment="subhead" text="No change in PF contributions">No change in PF contributions</cmsannotation> The report further suggests that over 46% of the organizations would continue to contribute 12% of basic salary as per prevailing regulation in the provident fund. However, 8% say that they will restrict the PF upto ₹15,000 per month. As many as 32% of the organizations are unsure about what to do with the provident funds for its employees, says the report. During COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of companies had provided extra sick leaves to their employees as the infection required proper isolation and rest. This has led three out 10 organizations to restructure their leave policies, the report says. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/mid-cap-stocks-will-remain-under-pressure-for-few-more-months-say-experts/articleshow/92387603.cms">Mid cap stocks will remain under pressure for few more months, say experts</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/article/not-just-health-tobacco-products-also-degrades-ecosystem-integrity-who-report/articleshow/92380121.cms">Not just health, tobacco products also degrades ecosystem integrity: WHO report</a>

One in four organizations plan to make variable a part of the wages

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chubb, the Baltimore bridge insurer, is set to pay out $350 million, per The Wall Street Journal.</li><li>The bridge's collapse in March killed six people and shut down the port of Baltimore.</li></ul>The insurer of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge is gearing up to issue a $350 million payout to the state of Maryland, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/insurer-to-make-350-million-payout-in-baltimore-bridge-collapse-36abcb51">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported on Thursday.Chubb has opted to pay the full coverage amount quickly and could approve it within weeks, per the outlet, which cited Henry Daar, the head of US property claims for the bridge's broker WTW."I am confident that Chubb will pay the full limits of liability," Daar told the Journal."I give Chubb kudos for recognizing that this is clearly going to be a full-limits loss," he added. "They could spend millions and millions of dollars in fees for accountants and adjusters over the next few years, or they could pay the claim."Chubb's payment would be the first related to March's disaster. The Lloyd's of London insurance syndicate previously warned that the bridge's collapse could trigger the "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baltimore-bridge-collapse-insurance-losses-francis-scott-key-lloyds-london-2024-3">largest single maritime insurance loss ever</a>," with Barclays analysts estimating that the damage caused could lead claims worth up to $3 billion.The bridge collapsed after the Dali container ship collided with one of the bridge's support beams in the early hours of March 26, killing six people and shutting down the port of Baltimore, which analysts have estimated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baltimore-bridge-collapse-francis-scott-key-economy-growth-supply-chains-2024-3">cost the economy about $15 million a day</a>.Chubb, the state of Maryland, and the victims' families are likely to sue the Dali's Singaporean owners to recover some of their losses from the crash, per the Journal.Chubb didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. WTW confirmed the Journal's reporting but declined to elaborate.

Baltimore bridge insurer is reportedly set to write a $350 million check

In 2021 and 2022, American workers hoping for a bigger paycheck had two powerful words at their disposal: I quit. During the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-resignation-pay-gap-new-hires-earning-more-2022-5">Great Resignation</a>, millions switched jobs for higher-paying ones — then sometimes, mere months into a new role, turned around and pounced on an even better-compensated opportunity. For job hoppers, the money was there for the taking.Today, though, most of us are resigned to staying put. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-great-reshuffle-upward-mobility-quitting-jobs">hiring frenzy</a> has cooled off, and the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/wall-street-recession-prediction-soft-landing-economy-bond-yields-stocks-2023-10">economic outlook is murky</a> at best. The question is no longer: How much of a pay bump can I get by switching jobs? Now it's: How much of a raise can I expect in 2024 if I stay in my current job?To get an early read on raises for next year, I looked at the latest employer surveys conducted by four leading providers of compensation data: WTW, Salary.com, WorldatWork, and Payscale. They found that employers are planning to increase their salary budgets by about 4% next year. That's actually down a bit from this year's average of about 4.3%. But with everything from car prices to grocery bills beginning to moderate, the Congressional Budget Office expects <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59258" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflation to slow</a> to 2.6% in 2024. That means workers could expect a net gain next year of about 1.4%.Doesn't sound like much? Sure — but it may wind up being the biggest boost in purchasing power that workers have gotten in years. In 2021 and 2022, inflation ate into paychecks so much that the value of the average worker's wages — what they can actually buy with their money — tumbled all the way down to 2017 levels. Compared with that, an inflation-adjusted boost of 1.4% is a definite improvement — though not enough to make up for the pandemic-era declines. By the end of next year, workers still won't have worked their way back to the purchasing power they enjoyed in early 2020, when the value of their wages peaked. <iframe title="Inflation-adjusted private sector wage and salary index" id="datawrapper-chart-7N4bP" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7N4bP/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="500"></iframe>"With inflation being where it's been over the last two years, it's been a roller coaster," says David Turetsky, a vice president of consulting at Salary.com. "We might see that some organizations are going to have to put more money back into market adjustments to be able to get their people to where they think they should be."Of course, 4% is the average projection across the entire workforce. Raises will vary widely by geographic region, company size, seniority level — and, most of all, by industry. According to the Payscale survey, employees in education and healthcare can expect a pay bump of 3.5% or less, while workers at energy companies will enjoy raises of 4.5%.<iframe title="The average planned pay increase in 2024 by US industry" id="datawrapper-chart-HJzoc" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HJzoc/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="725"></iframe>The 4% raises are a bit of a surprise. If prices are moderating and the job market is cooling off, why aren't employers eagerly reverting to the annual raises of 3% that were the norm in the decade leading up to the pandemic? For starters, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-unemployment-rate-labor-market-september-report-2023-10">unemployment</a> remains near a five-decade low — which means companies still have to pay a competitive wage if they want to hold on to their existing staff. What's more, new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salary-pay-transparency-jobs-income-taboo-equity-2023-1">pay transparency</a> laws in states like California and Washington are forcing employers to post salary ranges for every job opening — meaning their own employees can see if they're getting lowballed."We are still in a tight labor market," says Ruth Thomas, the chief product evangelist at Payscale. "Employees still have agency and power right now."As always, most of that power is wielded by the top performers at a company: Superstars get rewarded more than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/overachievers-leaning-back-hustle-culture-coasting-employees-work">quiet quitters</a>. If you think you deserve a raise that's higher than the 4% average, pay experts have a few tips. First, ask for what you think you're worth. "Be open and communicative about your needs," says Turetsky of Salary.com. "Don't just take what's given to you." Second, make your request early — perhaps a few months before your annual review — while your boss still has some wiggle room in the budget. Third, check job listings to see what competitors are paying for comparable roles. And fourth, anchor your expectations to your industry's averages: A 7% raise will be a tougher sell for someone in education, say, than for someone in the energy sector.These days, as the hiring frenzy subsides, you're not as likely to get a bigger raise simply by switching companies. But that doesn't mean you can't get a pay bump by switching jobs at your current company. "Look at your employer's careers page and see if there are opportunities that could open your horizon to a new pay range or new promotional opportunities," says Turetsky. "Sometimes pay isn't just about the job you do today and what skills you have right now — it's also about where you're going to go."Above all, don't put off asking for a raise until 2025. Some economists expect the economy to take a dip next year — and if they turn out to be right, your boss may not have the money to give you a bigger raise, even if they agree you deserve one. "Businesses across the economy are trying to watch their cost structures," says Aaron Terrazas, chief economist at Glassdoor. "I think we are on the cusp of substantially slower wage growth across the economy." Which means that 2024 may be your last, best hope for landing an above-average raise — perhaps for years to come.<hr /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/aki-ito">Aki Ito</a> is a senior correspondent at Insider.

The numbers are in: Here’s how big your raise is likely to be next year

The price of cement is hardening across the country and since August this year, the rates have gone up by ₹16/per bag, said <keyword id="152070" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Emkay-Global-Financial-Services-Ltd" source="Orion">Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd</keyword>. According to a report by the company, in November the prices went up by about ₹6-7/bag. While the prices remained flat in Western and Central parts of the country, the rates hardened in Northern, Eastern and Southern regions, Emkay Global said. According to the report, the cement companies are attempting further price hikes of ₹10-15/bag across the country this month. "Absorption of the price hikes will get revealed over the next few days. With the financial-year change (from December to March) by ACC and Ambuja, volume push by these companies is likely to be limited in December. This is positive for the pricing trend in the near term," Emkay Global said. "We expect the industry's profitability to increase by move r than ₹200/ton QoQ (even higher for Eastern region players) in Q3FY23, with improving cement prices along with peakout of operating cost in Q2FY23," it added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/only-half-of-indian-listed-companies-set-net-carbon-emissions-commitments-wtw/articleshow/96032489.cms" style="">Only half of Indian listed companies set net carbon emissions commitments: WTW</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/indian-beauty-brand-rene-cosmetics-raises-25-million-in-series-b-funding-led-by-evolvence-india-edelweiss-group/articleshow/96031563.cms" style="">Indian beauty brand RENÉE Cosmetics raises $25 million in Series B funding led by Evolvence India, Edelweiss Group</a>

Cement makers plan to hike price by ₹10-15 per bag

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Asking for a raise in an uncertain economy like this one can be daunting.</li><li>Insider spoke with six experts to help you formulate your game plan.</li></ul>Asking your boss for a raise is daunting when <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/half-of-americans-say-financial-position-has-worsened-gallup-poll-2023-2">the direction of the economy is in question</a>.But experts say that even in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceos-recession-global-economy-layoffs-inflation-davos-2023-1">an uncertain economy like this one</a>, most employers are apt to retain and reward their top talent. After all, hiring is still a challenge and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/layoffs-sweeping-the-us-these-are-the-companies-making-cuts-2023">while some people are losing their jobs</a>, the quit rate — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-resignation-still-going-layoffs-low-job-openings-quits-high-2022-11">the number of workers voluntarily leaving their roles</a> — remains high."If there's been significant turnover at your organization — whether voluntary and involuntary — your company may be worried about retaining you," Roy Cohen, author of "Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide" and a career coach, told Insider. "You have a lot of value."Overall raises are forecast to be 4.6% in 2023, <a href="https://www.wtwco.com/en-US/News/2022/11/us-pay-increases-to-hit-4-point-6-percent-in-2023-wtw-survey-finds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a report that</a> WTW, a business consulting company, published late last year. The report was based on a survey of 1,550 organizations that WTW conducted in October and November of 2022.If you're going to ask for a raise, you need a game plan. Insider spoke with six experts on how to figure out when to make the ask, how best to make the case to your boss, and what to do if you don't get the answer you want.<h2>Find your time</h2>There's a misconception that you need to have gotten a promotion or completed something "really big" at work to even ask for a raise, Liz Tilia, the career expert and founder of a career and life coaching business, Fem Home Ec., <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-control-your-career-in-a-recession-2022-7">previously told Insider</a>. In reality, incremental progress is often how people grow in their roles and it should be rewarded, Tilia said. As long as you can justify your reasoning with a proven track record of how you used your skills to make the company better — more profitable or more competitive — you have a case. That said, milestones can be helpful: asking for a raise on the heels of a newly completed successful project bolsters your position.Asking for a raise can also be a matter of timing and when you need to make more money, said Kelly Lannan, a senior vice president at Fidelity. It can be nerve-racking to ask for more money, but at a time <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-inflation-is-slowing-down-even-faster-cpi-2023-1">when inflation is affecting Americans' cost of living</a>, it's not something to be embarrassed about. The key to landing a raise is understanding your company's promotion cycle and performing well, according to Julia Firestone, a career coach and consultant."If you've met all of your goals and gone beyond them, I think it's appropriate to express that you'd like to talk about a raise really any time," she said. <h2>Do your due diligence</h2>Next, you need to develop an understanding of your value in the job market, Tilia said. Data is key. Experts recommend comparing your job description with your workload and responsibilities, as well as other companies' listings for similar positions. Additionally, look at pay data for your job title on websites such as Glassdoor and Indeed, which have a trove of employee-reported salary ranges and estimates. "Treat the act of asking for a promotion like a project," Sarah Doody, the founder of the job search and career accelerator company Career Strategy Lab, told Insider. Based on the research you do for this "project" prepare a presentation, she said. Your presentation should highlight the value you've added to your company, and provide evidence of this contribution, she said. One way to identify the achievements and the progress you've made since starting in your position is to update your résumé, Doody added. Many people join a company in a role and at a pay level that, eight to 12 months later, doesn't reflect the level of work they are doing, Tilia said. This happens more frequently in a high-turnover job market because employees might not always get replaced right away. "You were hired as a coordinator, now you're acting as a manager, but you still have the coordinator title and pay," she added. So, you need to ask your boss to be compensated and titled as a manager, she said. As you make the ask, Tilia recommended not using the word, "raise," but rather, "title and pay adjustment." Semantics are important. <h2>Make your pitch</h2>Your case for a raise involves a mix of metrics that show your value, actions that demonstrate your commitment to your job, and a bit of horn-tooting — or what Cohen refers to as "personal evangelism." In a softening economy, it's also important to show that you know what's what, he said. If your company has recently had layoffs or experienced heightened turnover, you need to show how the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quiet-hiring-work-job-workers-recession-economy-employees-2023-2">loss of your colleagues has expanded your work</a>.He recommended saying something like: "I love what I do and I hope you agree I'm doing it well. Now that my position has been saved, but others have been terminated, my workload has increased. I hope that some of those cost savings can be diverted to me."Be prepared to show proof of your productivity — and for pushback. Your boss might tell you that you're lucky you still have a job. "But remember, you have leverage," Cohen said. "If what you're doing is valuable to your organization, you're likely to be valuable elsewhere."<h2>If at first you don't succeed…</h2>You might not get the raise that you want. If the answer is no, experts advise asking for feedback about the specific things you need to do to achieve the level of performance that warrants a raise. Also ask for a follow-up meeting on the topic, advised Tori Dunlap, a personal finance expert and founder of a consultancy that helps women reach pay parity, Her First 100K. She <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-ask-for-a-raise-based-on-inflation-2022-4">previously </a>recommended, saying something like: "Thank you for having this conversation with me. I would love to set a time to revisit this conversation. Would the end of next quarter be a possibility?" When an immediate raise is not in the cards, Doody recommended countering with requests for different types of perks. You might, for example, negotiate a professional development budget, more work-from-home days, or a gym membership, she said. Remember, too, that getting a "no" isn't a reflection of your professional worth. "So many people take these rejections so seriously," Doody said. "But a lot of times employees are not privy to the financial reasons why they can't offer you a raise right now." An earlier version of this story appeared on September 20, 2022.

How to ask for a raise in an uncertain economy

The most recent therapeutic development efforts, notably in cancer, focus on the targeted breakdown of <keyword id="15428797" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dangerous-pathogenic-proteins" source="Orion">dangerous pathogenic proteins</keyword>. In a new study, researchers revealed probable resistance mechanisms and gave insights on how to overcome them. The research was conducted by CeMM, the Austrian Academy of Sciences Research Center for Molecular Medicine, and the University of Dundee (UK) and the findings were published in <keyword id="375964" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nature-Chemical-Biology" source="Orion">Nature Chemical Biology</keyword>. Traditional targeted cancer therapies mainly rely on drugs that bind pathogenic proteins and inhibit their function. The latest development of drugs has brought forward chemical molecules known as degraders, which force the targeted degradation of disease relevant proteins. This method of targeted protein degradation is not only more efficient, but also better at overcoming <keyword id="15428798" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="potential-drug-resistance" source="Orion">potential drug resistance</keyword>. For many years, CeMM Principal Investigator Georg Winter and his research group have been working on further developing this paradigm. Small-molecule degraders work like a glue by recruiting the defective, disease-causing protein to effectors of the cellular waste disposal systems, which are known as E3 ubiquitin ligases. This binding in turn kick-starts the degradation process of the defective protein. Alexander Hanzl, first author and PhD student in the Winter Lab at CeMM, conducted a study to investigate which resistances can arise during the degradation process. He explains, One challenge with degraders is that they have to bind two sites at once - both the defective protein and a protein of our cell's own degradation system, the E3 ligase. It is therefore all the more important to understand the process of binding and ubiquitination in functional detail. Only then can future degraders be modeled in the best possible way. Results confirm clinically observed resistances In their study, the authors identified a variety of mutations on E3 ligases which mediate resistances in cell cultures. These include mutations already identified in patients whose therapy with degraders was unsuccessful. Georg Winter, who supervised the study, explains: We tested a large number of different proteins and degraders. On one hand, we see that some mutations in E3 ligases prevent defective proteins from being recruited. At the same time, however, we see that some of these mutations exhibit high sensitivity to chemically modified degraders. Therefore, mutations can still be targeted by changing the chemical structure of the degrader. In other words, resistances can be overcome. This demonstrates that the results of this study can have clinical relevance as well. Increasing the reach of degraders A number of degrader drugs are currently being tested in clinical trials, and some are already available to patients, especially for various types of blood cancers. The increased understanding of resistance mechanisms enables further improvement of these types of drugs. "Traditional therapeutics that take the approach of blocking an isolated function of a protein only reach about 20 per cent of our proteins. For the other 80% there are no suitable binding sites and as a result, they cannot be targeted. We see great potential in this new generation of drugs using targeted protein degradation to significantly increase the space of targetable proteins and potentially reach the remaining 80 per centof proteins", Winter says. The study results make an important contribution to the improved design of degraders. Cancer patients in particular could benefit from a clinical application of the findings in the future. Alessio Ciulli, professor at the University of Dundee, added, For the first time we have been able to examine at the molecular level how <keyword id="4121085" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="drug-resistance" source="Orion">drug resistance</keyword> emerges by virtue of these E3 ligase mutations. This is extremely important because these findings highlight the mechanism that can anticipate how a patient might respond to these drugs." SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ratan-tata-backed-electra-ev-raises-25-million-from-gef-capital-partners/articleshow/95291703.cms">Ratan Tata-backed Electra EV raises $25 million from GEF Capital Partners</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-has-the-widest-gender-wealth-gap-in-the-apac-region-wtw-report/articleshow/95280634.cms">India has the widest gender wealth gap in the APAC region: WTW report</a>

Study finds new approach to overcome potential drug resistance in cancer therapy

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b854f1de199f31b008b566c-1999/ap090908039655.jpg" border="0" alt="Oprah Winfrey" data-mce-source="Kiichiro Sato/AP Images" />Kiichiro Sato/AP ImagesOprah Winfrey</div></div></div><ul><li>WW (<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wtw-stock?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weight Watchers</a>) was down 35% early Wednesday after reporting <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/weight-watchers-earnings-q4-2019-2-1027986470">profit guidance that was well below estimates</a>.</li><li>The talk-show personality Oprah Winfrey, who at one time owned about 10% of the company, avoided some of the pain as she loaded off a quarter of her stake last year.</li><li>Winfrey dumped around 1 million shares in March 2018, avoiding a loss of at least $40 million as of Wednesday morning.</li><li><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wtw-stock?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch Weight Watchers trade live.</a></li></ul><hr />WW (<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wtw-stock?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weight Watchers</a>), a provider of dieting programs, shed more than 30% of its value late Tuesday after reporting <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/weight-watchers-earnings-q4-2019-2-1027986470">profit guidance that was well below estimates.</a> But one of its key shareholders, the talk-show personality Oprah Winfrey, who at one time owned about 10% of the company, avoided some of the pain as she loaded off a bunch of her stake last year.Winfrey, an ambassador for Weight Watchers for years, joined its board in 2015. At the time, she <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oprah-buys-stake-in-weight-watchers-2015-10">purchased about 10% of Weight Watchers</a>, or about 6.37 million shares, at a price of around $6.79 per share, and received the right to acquire another 5% of the company for $6.97 per share. Weight Watchers shares soared by as much as 100% in a single day following the news, and gained <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weight-watchers-dj-khaled-strategy-already-involving-oprah-2018-1?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as much as 500%</a> thereafter.In March 2018, Winfrey exercised options to purchase more than 1.4 million shares at a price of $6.97 apiece and sold a quarter of her stake at a price between $58.29 and $63.94 share, <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/105319/000089924318006518/xslF345X03/doc4.xml">according to a filing</a>. The sale reduced her stake to 5.42 million shares, or about 8%, according to Bloomberg data, and saved her at least $40 million as of Wednesday. With Winfrey and other celebrities such as DJ Khaled's presence, the weight-control program reported <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/weight-watchers-stock-price-earnings-home-run-on-freestyle-program-2018-5-1023385483?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a record 4.6 million subscribers</a> in the first quarter. Shares rallied to a record high of $105.60 apiece in June. But customers weren't coming back, with the number sliding to 4.5 million in the <a href="https://platform.mi.spglobal.com/IRW/file/4071814/Index?KeyFile=394528796" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second quarter</a> and 4.2 million in the <a href="https://corporate.ww.com/file/Index?KeyFile=395600337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third quarter</a>. That number fell to 3.2 million in the most recent quarter. Following the disappointing subscription metrics, Weight Watchers shares were down 72% since their June peak, and were trading near $19 early Wednesday.And Oprah is likely to have avoided more losses in the near future, according to SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. Analyst Michael Swartz cut his price target for WW to $25 - 15% below where shares were trading on Wednesday."While we expect shares to sell-off considerably this morning, we still see risk to WTW's anemic 2019 guidance and believe investors will need greater comfort around competitive threats/N-T earnings power before shares can move materially higher," he said. "With this likely to be an early 2020 event, at the earliest, we prefer to move to the sidelines."<div title="Page 1"><div><div><div></div></div></div></div><h2>Now read:</h2><ul><li><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/weight-watchers-earnings-q4-2019-2-1027986470">Weight Watchers crashes as earnings guidance is less than half of what was expected (WTW)</a></li></ul><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c769abb26289810fc52ace6-880/screen shot 2019-02-27 at 91057 am.png" border="0" alt="Weight Watchers" data-mce-source="Markets Insider" data-link="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wtw-stock" /><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wtw-stock">Markets Insider</a></div></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twin-brothers-chicago-helped-take-down-el-chapo-margarito-pedro-flores-wives-cocaine-traffickers2017-6">The wives of high-level cocaine traffickers reveal how their husbands took down 'El Chapo'</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/itx8IEnZ-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

Oprah Winfrey avoided at least a $40 million loss after unloading bunch of her Weight Watchers shares at a perfect time

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55087abb6bb3f7ca57092d75-400-300/free-money-1.jpg" border="0" alt="free money"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lloydcrew/3745394623/sizes/z/in/photostream/">Flickr/lloydcrew</a></img></div></div></div>Weight Watchers' active members fell by 15% in the fourth quarter.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/weight-watchers-share-price-2015-2">Shares tumbled by over 30%</a> after that earnings announcement.In a note Tuesday, Credit Suisse downgraded the stock to "Underperform" from "Neutral," and explained why Weight Watchers' business is under pressure: it's not free.Here's Credit Suisse:"With the proliferation of free weight loss applications (and smart phones), wearables that track fitness activity, and the combination of the two, people interested in weight loss now have more options than ever to try to lose weight on their own/for free. Instead of spending at least $19.95 a month (cheapest WTW option not including promotional deals), one could choose any number of free weight loss applications or purchase a wearable for a one-time cost and attempt to lose weight without making the financial, physical and time commitment to a program like WTW."So, there's serious competition from fitness devices and apps.The wearables industry is booming, and will grow at a compound annual rate of 35% over the next five years, according to research by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-wearable-computing-market-report-2014-10">Business Insider Intelligence</a>. And this growth will be led by smart watches. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/big-beautiful-photos-of-the-apple-watch-2015-3">Apple Watch</a> will launch in about a month and is forecast to account for 40% of all smart watch shipments this year.There are many apps like MyFitnessPal that they can merge daily activity with how many calories are eaten, keep track of set fitness goals, compare these with friends', and so on. And with a fitness device, here's how the math could work out: Weight Watchers' cheapest plan is $19.95 per month, amounting to over $200 a year. For a one-time payment of less than $200, a potential Weight Watchers client could buy a Fitbit and pair it with their smartphone.Weight Watchers has an app that does all this, and a big support network. Last December, it launched a service where members can get 24/7 access to a coach that's been through the program.But Credit Suisse is not convinced this will grow its membership, reported at 2.5 million people at the end of the fourth quarter:"Without any prior experience to the WTW products, we believe the potential value of 24/7 support and personal coaching may not be fully understood by new potential recruits and this product change may struggle to be the recruitment trend panacea for WTW."Weight Watchers shares fell by as much as 4% in trading on Tuesday. Here's the stock's performance since the 4Q earnings release; Credit Suisse revised its 12-month price target to $5 from $14.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/550871846bb3f70734092d73-1078-492/screen_shot_2015-03-17_at_2_11_56_pm.png" border="0" alt="Screen_Shot_2015 03 17_at_2_11_56_PM">Yahoo Finance</img></div></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-weight-loss-procedure-fat-thin-surgery-2014-9">There's A Simple New Weight Loss Procedure That's Changing The Game</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="44dWppcDpOdSq1o1gAusdj85tsiUGBaa" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '44dWppcDpOdSq1o1gAusdj85tsiUGBaa',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

Wall Street analysts think Weight Watchers is in serious trouble because it's not free

Weight Watchers shares are going parabolic again.After rallying more than 100% on Monday, shares were up by as much as 30% in morning trading on Tuesday.The company announced that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/oprah-buys-stake-in-weight-watchers-2015-10">Oprah Winfrey</a> was joining its board, and bought a 10% stake of newly issued stock. Oprah made about $70 million on Monday's share price spike.And analysts consider Oprah's involvement as a big endorsement for the brand. On Tuesday, Barclays analysts wrote,"The news yesterday that Oprah Winfrey was investing in the equity of WTW and would help market and promote the program is a major coup for the company. It confirms our view that the Weight Watchers brand has value, though we were not creative enough to foresee this move as a way of realizing that intrinsic value."They upgraded the stock to "Equal Weight" from "Underweight" with a new price target of $14 from $5, a 180% increase. The analysts also increased their fourth-quarter earnings-per-share estimate by $0.01 to $0.07.Weight Watchers shares are still down 29% year-to-date. Here's a chart showing the stock over the past five days:<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/562652469dd7cc1e008c32b5-1279-631/screen shot 2015-10-20 at 10.31.45 am.png" alt="Screen Shot 2015 10 20 at 10.31.45 AM" data-mce-source="Google Finance" />Google Finance</div></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-science-behind-how-to-lose-weight-2015-6">The science behind losing weight</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xnbXkzbDoFQ-GH1-LHsagEJuZ9cLAarG" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'xnbXkzbDoFQ-GH1-LHsagEJuZ9cLAarG',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

Weight Watchers is going parabolic again

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b113b211ae66251008b49ea-1200/dscf0090.jpg" border="0" alt="Dr Victor Madeira, a Senior Fellow at The Institute for Statecraft" data-mce-source="Dr Victor Madeira" data-mce-caption="Dr Victor Madeira, a Senior Fellow at The Institute for Statecraft" />Dr Victor MadeiraDr Victor Madeira, a Senior Fellow at The Institute for Statecraft</div></div></div><ul><li>Too big to fail banks are major targets in a developing cyberspace war, experts told Business Insider.</li><li>Defence of the banks from cyber attack is considered to by a national security issue with both US and UK authorities warning that cyber attackers could be met with "kinetic" and physical force.</li><li>Dr Victor Madiera, senior fellow at the Institute for Statecraft, said Russia and China have aggressively used and developed their cyber capabilities. </li><li>"Russia and China would look to undermine or even outright paralyse the international financial system if push came to shove. That's really what's underpinning a lot of this, it's economic and financial competition, and two very different and competing worldviews, as to what those systems should be," Madiera said.</li></ul><hr />A war is being fought in cyberspace with "ones and zeros" instead of bullets and too-big-to-fail banks are major targets, experts with cyber security and intelligence backgrounds have told Business Insider."It's not a hypothesis. It's unequivocally been proven, the next war will be fought in the cyberspace. And I actually would go as far as saying it's already being fought," said Justin Fier, director for cyber intelligence and analysis at Darktrace, formerly US government intelligence.US and European authorities are concerned about a possible "armageddon" event caused by a successful cyber attack on western banks and other critical areas of infrastructure by hostile nation-states and other actors.A successfully coordinated attack on a too-big-to-fail bank could have "cataclysmic" consequences for the global financial system and deal significant damage to the national security of the west, experts said. "Let's say you hit one of those banks that's too big to fail, you've got global economic ramifications when that happens and I kind of worry then what the follow on from that would be. So now we're talking national security, if not global security ramifications," said Tim Rees, cyber strategy lead at Willis Towers Watson UK, and formerly British military intelligence.Major threats originate from groups like hackers, hacktivists, organised criminals, terrorists and nation states like Russia and China, but attribution is notoriously difficult in the cyber world. Dr Victor Madeira, a senior fellow at the Institute for Statecraft, and former strategic advisor on national security reform said that Russia and China have been aggressively developing and using their cyber capabilities against the west."The true battleground is usually the boardroom, it's not the battlefield," said Madeira. "Russia and China would look to undermine or even outright paralyse the international financial system if push came to shove. That's really what's underpinning a lot of this, it's economic and financial competition, and two very different and competing worldviews, as to what those systems should be," he added.There has also been concern in west around the use of Russian and Chinese electric equipment such as phones and routers which could potentially compromise national security. Chinese company ZTE has been accused of being used solely to spy on other countries, while Dr Madeira said that GCHQ are currently analysing the dangers of using Hauwai routers and other equipment important electrical infrastructure. Looking at a strategic geopolitical level a successful attack on the financial sector would have "second and third order effect ramifications that are just not known, at this time," said Rees, adding, "The financial institutions are extremely well developed, in terms of technical resilience for exactly that reason." "But this exactly why here in London as I know the government works closely with financial institutions to ensure that they are as robust as possible. It is clearly an essential part of our national security in terms of protecting our economy."As technology develops more critical systems become electronic and interconnected, making cyber attacks increasingly potent in their potential, experts told Business InsiderThe scale of the conflict is hinted at by the ballooning value of the cyber insurance industry which helps companies manage risk and resilience against major attacks. According to Statista the value of cyber insurance worldwide has increased by around $2.8 billion since 2014 and is projected to inflate by another 2 billion by 2020.The consequences of weak cyber defences in critical infrastructure like water, wastewater, energy transport and financial services are very severe indeed if there's a breach."If you're not securing your life support sectors from a cyber attack, cyber security becomes real in a very different way. It's no longer about stolen data and passwords or health information. It's about not being able to feed your family or go to work or turn the lights on, and we want avoid that kind of armageddon scenario," said Tom Finan, WTW cyber strategy lead in the US, and a former senior cyber strategist at the Department of Homeland Security.Banks are particularly vulnerable to attack because of the speed that trades are made, the amount of cash and data they hold, and the extreme sensitivity of financial markets.As corporate spending on cyber defence has increased the dominant threat now comes from "insiders"who are employees or other trusted parties that either negligently or purposefully use privileged access to breach an organization's cyber defences.Security of the banks is treated as national security issue because " economic security is national security," said Finan. That's why the US Department of Homeland Security is responsible for protecting 16 pillars of critical infrastructure which includes water, energy, transport and finance.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b1151b61ae66243008b4a8b-1120/im-7281.jpeg" border="0" alt="The Moscow Skyline" data-mce-source="The Wall Street Journal" data-mce-caption="The Moscow Skyline" data-link="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-u-k-issue-rare-joint-warning-on-russian-cyberattacks-1523964660" /><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-u-k-issue-rare-joint-warning-on-russian-cyberattacks-1523964660">The Wall Street Journal</a>The Moscow Skyline</div></div></div>Across the Atlantic, the European Union's Network and Information Security Directive (NISD), a sibling act to GDPR was made enforceable law on May 9. It is designed to prevent the "armageddon" scenario in Europe by boosting cyber defences through legislation, and similar measures have been passed in the US.The act is designed to strengthen the cyber security of EU national infrastructure including the banks."Without doubt it as an absolute current concern," said Tim Rees. The fact that the EU has managed to pass a regulation on this is probably a good litmus test as to how seriously they're are taking this as an issue." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-chase-cmo-kristin-lemkau-interview-2018-5">THE KRISTIN LEMKAU INTERVIEW: JPMorgan Chase's CMO explains how she deals with disruption on two fronts at once, why she's moving some ad dollars back to TV, and why it matters what your credit card feels like</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/H00sLTzb-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

You Searched For "wtw" and got 14 results

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Weight Watchers is going parabolic again

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