The U.K.'s largest and most comprehensive survey of product and packaging innovation is open for entries. The Product of the Year is on a mission to discover and celebrate the U.K.’s most innovative new products and packaging for 2021.

The DTW 25 shrink-wrapping machine applies two perpendicular bands of LDPE film to tightly unitize and totally enclose multipacks of packaged products. The new system uses servo controls to manage the sealing of up to 25 bundles per minute. 

Dozen’s Half & Half project is the first gold award won by Ukrainian designers at Pentawards since 2015 and only the second in the competition’s history.

METTLER TOLEDO has invited experts from BRC, SQF, IFS, and FSSC22000 to join food safety experts from METTLER TOLEDO to discuss their latest updates and address a wide range of other food safety topics.

The Illinois Delegation to the American Medical Association House of Delegates moves to limit the use of the title 'doctor' by psychologists. The American Psychological Association and other organizations respond, plus AP and Reuters editorial policies regarding psychologists by John McCoy, PhD

Intelligence of dogs and brightest breeds by Stanley Coren, Ph.D.

Looking ahead to 2022, digitalization will be the main driver for labels — converters will look for complete end-to-end digitalized solutions to optimize their production floor.

Signite® is a sustainable decoration technology which has been widely recognized by brand owners and the labelling industry as one of the most potentially transformative and progressive technologies to be developed in recent years.

 The updated VF-1200 is more sanitary, allowing for high pressure washdown needs to be met.

Teaming up with the right packaging industry partners can play a critical role in helping companies create eye-catching, intelligently designed packages.

Brand continues sustainability mission with specialty bottle timed to release of Warner Bros. Pictures’ highly anticipated motion picture.

Domino’s range of Bottle Closure Printing Stations has been developed to print variable data and machine-readable codes, including QR codes, onto HDPE bottle caps and closures.

Leading consumer groups and getting involved in taste tests during the product development phase, Vault49 uncovered what it really means to be ‘Uniquely Bahamian’

Initially, the solution will only be available with texturing to allow sparkling wine players to retain the premium look of their bottles. The ESSENTIELLE foil with a smooth finish will be available during the first quarter of 2025.

Learn more about how these companies are leading the charge when it comes to developing and offering innovative and sustainable cannabis packaging solutions.

The country famous for samba, Carnaval and world-class soccer also has an extremely impressive recycling rate for aluminum cans of approximately 99%. That’s higher than the estimated recycling rates for South America as a whole (92%), Europe (76%) and North America (55%).

The regulatory landscape for environmental claims is becoming increasingly complex and inconsistent in the United States, presenting significant potential legal and reputational risks for brands attempting to market their packaging as environmentally friendly.

Colorful variety is what the most famous chocolate bar in the 100g format from Ritter Sport stands for. Its dimensions are just as varied as the many different types of chocolate offered.

It’s no secret that 2020 has been a year like no other. As the coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe, Americans had to adjust to a new reality: wearing masks, social distancing and staying home as much as possible. 

JANUS® is an all-natural coating that creates a barrier to grease, water and oxygen when applied to paper for food packaging, like wrap paper, boxes, cups, utensils, K-cups, and straws.

Veridian™ products are easily identifiable as compostable and are compliant with the state’s upcoming labeling law.

The four-flap cups are currently available in several other international markets like Canada and Indonesia – and this month, it’s finally time for U.S. fans to try them out. 

This new distribution agreement marks a significant expansion for Bitchin’ Sauce, bringing its fan-favorite products to restaurants, cafes, and food service establishments nationwide.

The SchurStar Packaging Machine offers fully automated bagging of pharmaceutical items.

The official rollout of the new visual identity will debut next summer, with packaging hitting shelves as early as May 2025.  

Dorner and Garvey, both Columbus McKinnon brands, recently showcased the AquaGard GT Conveyor at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

S. Rozen’s buns and Vienna Beef Hot Dogs say they came up with a solution 16 years ago.

Packaging Strategies has reported extensively on the move toward eco-friendly packaging in multiple markets — from snacks to fresh produce to foodservice. A similar shift is underway in the packaging of meat, poultry and seafood.

The METTLER TOLEDO C35 AdvancedLine Checkweigher is designed to deliver precise weighing results on a stable weighing platform resistant to high-pressure washdown and most caustic detergents.

Based on the company’s “Test Before You Invest” program, the center enables companies to test their products on inspection systems.

Two new x-ray inspection systems – the X12 and the X32 – as well as the latest ProdX software will be on exhibit for the first time. 

The company’s CV35 ‘combination’ system, which integrates a checkweigher with vision inspection, detects and rejects under- and overweight packages to ensure that legal weight requirements are met and to reduce product giveaway.

The X52’s proprietary software provides increased adaptability by seamlessly transitioning between single energy, dual energy or both modes, optimizing the performance of the system depending on the application.

In a recent video, Domino, a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions, caught up with Label King to learn more about the company, their vetting process for adding digital printing, and the impact digital has had on their business. 

In this interview, Inovar’s Bill Kral explains how digital printing has evolved, why some brand managers are still reluctant to switch to digital printing, and why many who have made the leap are reaping rewards.

The TLMI Printing Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding printing and converting achievements in the North American Label and Packaging Industry.

What Destination Leaders Can Do to Engage Their Workforce jhammond@desti… Fri, 06/21/2024 - 13:19

Cultivating Our Future: Student Shadow Program Fuels Industry Interest jhammond@desti… Tue, 07/30/2024 - 18:28

On our Duet Partner Facebook Group, we recently asked our teachers if they have additional instruments in their home, besides their primary one. From the comments, it seems that music teachers like instruments almost as much as they like music! Here are the instruments that were listed by our followers: Grand pianos, digital keyboards, Celtic harps, recorders, flutes, violins, bagpipe, guitars, ukeleles, xylophones, drums, tambourines, kazoos, upright pianos and cellos. What...

How do you handle the possibility of changing teaching schedules in your music studio during the summer months?

The price of crude oil is trading down $-2.20 or -3.12% at $68.20. That's the lowest level since October 30.

The price reached a peak on Thursday at $72.84. That the price briefly above its 38.2% retracement of the move down from the July high at $72.59. However on Friday, the price fell below its 100-hour moving average near $71.50 and in trading today, fell and stayed below its 200-hour moving average at $70.52. It would take a move back above the 200-hour moving average to hurt the bearish bias.

On the downside, the price is approaching a swing low going back to October 18 at $68.13. Move below that level and traders will start to look toward a rising trendline near $68.10. The low price from October 29 comes near $66.69.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices in the US are down -11.36% on the year at $3.19 (average price for all grades of gasoline). Prior to Covid, the price was around $2.78. The low at the depth of Covid reached $1.87. The current level is near the lows from the end of 2023 and start of 2024 near $3.17.

Retail Gasoline prices for all grades of gasoline

Last week, the preliminary Michigan consumer sentiment index rose to 73.0. With gas prices continuing to move lower and the Trump victory, what will that do to sentiment? The high for the Biden administration reached 86.5 with the low at 50.2 in June 2022. That corresponded with the high in gasoline prices.

The USDCHF has moved higher in trading today and in the process moved above the swing highs from last week and swing area between 0.8772 to 0.8776. That area is now a close risk and bias-defining level. Staying above is more bullish.

The move above that area today has led to an increase in momentum with the price moving to and through the 50% midpoint of the move down from the Mqy 1 high. That level comes in at 0.87986 (near natural resistance at 0.8800).

The price is in trading above and below that level the last four or so hours of trading with a high price of 0.8804. Also in play on the topside is its 200-day moving average at 0.8817 and a swing area from 0.88187 to 0.88251. Get above those levels would open the door for more upside momentum.

So buyers and sellers are battling it out near the 50% midpoint and below the 200-day moving average. That is natural estranged can defined and limited risk against the technical levels. However, the price were to move above the 200-day moving average, the seller leaning now, should look to cover and push the price higher.

---------------------------------

USDCHF Summary

The USDCHF continues its upward trend, testing the 50% target level at 0.87986.

Key Levels:

Resistance

• 0.8817 (200-day MA)

• 0.88187-0.8825 (swing area)

Support

• 0.8772-0.87763 (last week's highs)

Outlook:

• Breaking above 0.88187-0.8825 opens door for more upside momentum.

• Moving below 0.8772-0.87763 gives sellers short-term advantage.

• Absent a breakdown, buyers remain in control, targeting new highs since July 31.

More records are reached today:

• Dow industrial average closes over 44,000 for the first time ever
• S&P index closes above the 6000 level the first time ever
• NASDAQ index closes at a new record level as well

For the Russell 2000 it lasts record close was back on November 8, 2021 at 2442.21. The index closed at 2434.97 after reaching an intraday high of 2441.72 just short of the record closing level.

The final numbers are showing:

• Dow industrial average +304.14 points or 0.69% at 44293.13
• S&P index up 5.81 points or 0.10% at 6001.35
• NASDAQ index is up 11.99 points or 0.06% at 19298.76
• Russell 2000 up 35.33 points or 1.47% at 2434.97

For the Russell 2000, its high intraday level reached 2458.85 on November 10, 2021. For the year, the Russell 2000 is now up 20.12%. That has now surpassed a down industrial average gain of 17.52%.

The S&P index is now up 25.82% in 2024 while the NASDAQ index is up 28.56%.

Fundamental Overview

The puzzling weakness in the US Dollar following Trump’s victory looks more and more like it was just a “sell the fact” reaction. The greenback is now back in the driving seat, and we might also be seeing some pre-positioning into a potentially hot US CPI report tomorrow.

At the latest Fed’s decision, Fed Chair Powell said that they expect bumps on inflation and that one or two bad data months on inflation won’t change the process. This keeps the 25 bps cut in December in place even if we get higher inflation readings.

The market though is forward-looking, and the rise in Treasury yields showed that the market sees risks to the inflation outlook. Moreover, the red sweep could increase those fears if the progress on inflation stalls, or worse, reverses.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that USDJPY continues to consolidate above the key 152.00 support zone maintaining a bullish bias. If we were to get another pullback into the support, we can expect the buyers to step in once again to position for a rally into the 160.00 handle. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to pile in for a drop into the 148.00 handle next.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that we have a minor upward trendline defining the current bullish momentum. The price recently bounced near the trendline and we can expect the buyers to keep leaning on it, while the sellers will look for a break lower to gain more conviction for a bigger correction to the downside.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that we have a minor support zone around the 153.40 level. This is where the buyers are stepping in with a defined risk below the zone to position for the continuation of the uptrend. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to target a pullback into the trendline. The red lines define the average daily range for today.

Upcoming Catalysts

This week is a bit empty on the data front with the most important releases scheduled for the latter part of the week. Tomorrow, we have the US CPI report. On Thursday, we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures. On Friday, we conclude the week with the US Retail Sales data.

See the video below

Fundamental Overview

The puzzling weakness in the US Dollar following Trump’s victory looks more and more like it was just a “sell the fact” reaction. The greenback is now back in the driving seat, and we might also be seeing some pre-positioning into a potentially hot US CPI report tomorrow.

At the latest Fed’s decision, Fed Chair Powell said that they expect bumps on inflation and that one or two bad data months on inflation won’t change the process. This keeps the 25 bps cut in December in place even if we get higher inflation readings.

The market though is forward-looking, and the rise in Treasury yields showed that the market sees risks to the inflation outlook. Moreover, the red sweep could increase those fears if the progress on inflation stalls, or worse, reverses.

On the GBP side, this morning we got the UK labour market report and although the data was mostly mixed, it leant more on the dovish side. Overall though, it didn’t change anything for the market or the BoE.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that GBPUSD broke through the support zone around the 1.2840 level and extended the drop as more sellers piled in. The natural target should be the swing low at 1.2665 level. That’s where we can expect the buyers to step in with a defined risk below the level to position for a rally back into the 1.28 handle.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see more clearly the break of the support which was defining the range between the 1.2840 support and the 1.3040 resistance. If the price retests the support now turned resistance, we can expect the sellers to step in with a defined risk above the level to position for a drop into the 1.2665 level next. The buyers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking higher to position for a rally back into the 1.3040 resistance.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that we have a minor downward trendline defining the current bearish momentum. The sellers will likely keep on leaning on it to position for new lows, while the buyers will look for a break higher to pile in for a rally into new highs. The red lines define the average daily range for today.

Upcoming Catalysts

This week is a bit empty on the data front with the most important releases scheduled for the latter part of the week. Tomorrow, we have the US CPI report. On Thursday, we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures. On Friday, we conclude the week with the US Retail Sales data.

BofA suggests staying short on CHF, particularly against USD and GBP, as post-election volatility subsides and G10 rate repricing supports a weaker CHF. While political risks may pose a minor obstacle, BofA sees CHF depreciation as likely due to policy divergence, with recent fiscal stimulus in the UK reinforcing the case for long GBP/CHF.

Key Points:

• CHF Weakness Expected: Following the US election, BofA expects normalization in volatility and G10 rate adjustments, which support a weaker CHF heading into year-end.

• Policy Divergence and SNB Cuts: CHF depreciation has been driven by Swiss policy moves, including an SNB rate cut, and ongoing yield compression. Increased Swiss inflation has also pressured CHF.

• Positioning in USD/CHF and GBP/CHF: BofA favors short CHF positions in USD/CHF and recently opened a long GBP/CHF position via a three-month ratio call spread, driven by UK fiscal stimulus enhancing policy divergence.

• Risk Management Considerations: While CHF shorts are promising, BofA advises a cautious approach due to potential political uncertainties that could affect CHF.

Conclusion:

BofA recommends holding short CHF positions in USD/CHF and GBP/CHF, as volatility recedes and policy divergence favors a weaker CHF. Though political noise may cause short-term volatility, BofA sees CHF depreciation persisting into year-end, with UK fiscal moves strengthening the case for GBP/CHF.

For bank trade ideas, check out eFX Plus. For a limited time, get a 7 day free trial, basic for $79 per month and premium at $109 per month. Get it here.

Barclays has issued a note suggesting that the re-election of Trump is unlikely to significantly impact oil market fundamentals in the near term.

The bank believes that current market dynamics are relatively stable and does not foresee major shifts tied to potential changes in U.S. leadership.

Barclays is recommending a long position on December 2025 Brent call spreads. The bank notes that volatility has recently decreased, and it perceives market sentiment as overly focused on downside risks, or the "left tail." In contrast, Barclays believes the risks are more balanced, especially in light of recent improvements in oil market fundamentals and the possibility of a more confrontational geopolitical landscape.

Hundreds of millions of Americans head to the ballots today to vote for who they believe should be their next President: Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. Although more than 81 million ballots have been cast early this year, most of the electorate will do so today, ultimately determining who will reside in the White House and control the Senate.

Later this evening, we will have the first results rolling in, although given the time differences across the 50 States and the District of Columbia, this will not be simultaneous.

Knowing the closing times of polling stations is crucial for traders and investors, particularly for the seven key battleground States (highlighted in bold below – often called ‘toss-up States’). These States account for 93 of the 538 Electoral College votes, of which a candidate needs 270 to win the election.

It is important to acknowledge that results will not be reported immediately at poll closing times as the counting process will still be ongoing. You can expect most of the seven swing States’ results to be reported between 11:00 pm and midnight ET (4:00-5.00 am GMT Wednesday).

*Times are Eastern Time (ET) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

• 7 pm ET (midnight GMT Wednesday)

South Carolina (9), Indiana (11), and Kentucky (8) – Republican-leaning States (28 electoral votes)

Vermont (3) and Virginia (13) – Democratic-leaning States (16 electoral votes)

Georgia (16) – toss-up Votes (16 electoral votes)

• 7:30 pm ET (12:30 am GMT Wednesday)

West Virginia (4) and Ohio (17) – Republican-leaning States (21 electoral votes)

North Carolina (16) – toss-up Votes (16 electoral votes)

• 8:00 pm ET (1:00 am GMT Wednesday)

Missouri (10), Tennessee (11), Mississippi (6), Oklahoma (7), Alabama (9), Florida (30), and Maine District 2 (1) – Republican-leaning States (74 electoral votes)

New Hampshire (4), Maine (1), Massachusetts (11), Illinois (19), New Jersey (14), Connecticut (7), Rhode Island (4), Washington DC (12), Maryland (10), Delaware (3) – Democratic-leaning States (85 electoral votes)

Pennsylvania (19) – toss-up Votes (19 electoral votes)

• 9:00 pm ET (2:00 am GMT Wednesday)

North Dakota (3), South Dakota (3), Wyoming (3), Kansas (6), Louisiana (8), Texas (40), Nebraska (4), Lowa (6) – Republican-leaning States (73 electoral votes)

Colorado (10), Minnesota (10), New York (28), New Mexico (5), Nebraska District 2 (1) – Democratic-leaning States (54 electoral votes)

Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10) – toss-up Votes (36 electoral votes)

• 10:00 pm ET (3:00 am GMT Wednesday)

Montana (4) and Utah (6) – Republican-leaning States (10 electoral votes)

Nevada (6) – toss-up Votes (19 electoral votes)

• 11:00 pm ET (4:00 am GMT Wednesday)

Idaho (4) – Republican-leaning States (4 electoral votes)

Oregon (8), Washington (12), California (54) – Democratic-leaning States (74 electoral votes)

SP Negócios, São Paulo’s investment and export promotion agency, has partnered with Polkadot to foster innovation among companies in São Paulo.

Driven by the growing market demand, Polkadot is increasingly positioning itself as an ally for businesses looking to grow in an innovative, secure, and transparent way. It has been sponsoring educational initiatives through Código Brazuca. Thanks to this, companies and citizens in São Paulo will have access to blockchain programming training through Código Brazuca's content starting in December. This will be possible through the partnership established with Polkadot / Sunset Labs and São Paulo’s investment and export promotion agency, SP Negócios.

“The partnership between Polkadot and SP Negócios will contribute to the training of Blockchain Programmers and is open to bringing technology to companies in São Paulo, whether they are startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, or large corporations seeking to invest in or adopt the technology,” says Gustavo J. Massena, Decentralized Business Developer at Polkadot.

The program is free and will be available online, open to companies in São Paulo. Registrations will soon be available through SP Negócios, and no prior qualifications are required.

The partnership with Polkadot is part of SP Negócios’s strategy to boost the business environment within the crypto economy sector, reinforcing São Paulo as a hub of technology and innovation. Blockchain plays a transformative role in various areas, including decentralized finance, asset tokenization, NFTs, and more. By promoting the training of qualified professionals, SP Negócios seeks to attract investments, foster new startups, and solidify the city as a reference in adopting and developing blockchain-based solutions.

About SP Negócios

SP Negócios (https://spnegocios.com/) is an autonomous social service aimed at boosting investments and business in São Paulo. It is linked to the Municipal Secretariat of Economic Development and Employment. The goal is to help São Paulo-based companies conduct more business through exports, innovation and technology, public sector engagement, and improvement of the business environment.

About Polkadot

Polkadot is an open-source, multichain sharing protocol that facilitates the transfer of any type of data or asset, not just tokens, between networks, making a wide range of blockchains interoperable.

Following his win in Pennsylvania and earlier victories in other key battleground states in Georgia and North Carolina, Republican candidate Donald Trump took to the stage shortly after in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump is set to become the 47th President of the United States (US) as he took an early victory lap on stage and expressed gratitude to his family, friends and team. Interestingly, alongside Grover Cleveland – the first Democrat elected following the Civil War – Trump is the second president to serve for a second non-consecutive term for four years.

In a surprising turn, Trump’s victory speech was relatively subdued; no threats of tariffs were mentioned, and he did not refer to his opponent, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who postponed her scheduled speech at Howard University. ‘Winning the popular vote was very nice’, Trump said in his speech, adding: ‘America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate; we have taken back control of the Senate’.

Several members of Trump’s team and friends were invited to speak on stage. His running mate, JD Vance of Ohio, thanked Trump for allowing him to ‘join you on this incredible journey’. Vance added, ‘I think we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America’.

Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), also addressed the nation, stating, ‘Nobody deserves this more than him [Trump]’. He remarked that Trump ‘is the most resilient man I have ever met’.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, also received significant praise from Trump, voicing his appreciation and calling Musk a ‘super genius’, emphasising that ‘we have to protect our geniuses’. Musk has been vocal in his support for Trump and reportedly invested over US$130 million in his campaign.

Foreign leaders applauded Trump for his victory. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Trump and said he looks forward to collaborating with Trump in the years ahead. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to the platform X to convey his wishes as well, emphasising his desire to strengthen the partnership between the two countries. Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Trump's win as ‘history's greatest comeback’ in his post on X.

What Does Donald Trump’s Victory Mean for the US?

Donald Trump will be inaugurated on 20 January 2025 at the US Capitol building in Washington, DC. Americans can expect tax cuts, immigration controls and tariffs.

A Trump presidency will also likely mean lower taxes, a move with plans for widespread changes to taxation, which should increase spending and spur sentiment, at least in the near term.

In his own words, Donald Trump’s second term is expected to be ‘nasty a little bit at times, and maybe at the beginning in particular’. Trump has promised an aggressive approach towards illegal immigration in the US, which could include plans of mass deportation of undocumented migrants, noting that he ‘will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out’.

Trade tariffs are another one of Trump’s policies that the US economy can expect, as he is expected to increase the protectionist policies he introduced in his first term. However, as noted, he failed to address this in his victory speech today.

Another important issue that Trump and the team must address is the debt ceiling (or debt limit), which is the maximum amount of money the US Treasury can borrow to pay its debt obligations. You may recall that the ‘statutory debt ceiling’ was suspended in early January and is due to be reinstated on 1 January 2025. This may involve the Treasury drawing on its existing cash to fulfil its short-term obligations until another suspension of the debt limit is imposed or the debt ceiling is further increased.

Trump Trade is Alive and Kicking

Markets responded as expected, reigniting the Trump Trade, with the US dollar (USD), US Treasury yields, US equities and digital currencies all catching a strong bid.

Despite moderately fading session highs, the US Dollar Index is up 1.5%, which could eventually see the Index aim for June peaks at around 106.13, closely followed by 106.52, the high for the year. US Treasury yields remain underpinned, with the benchmark 10-year yield holding near session highs around 4.42% (up 3.5%).

While commodities experienced a selloff, we have seen a modest recovery unfold, drawing spot gold (XAU/USD) and WTI oil off session lows. In the crypto space, versus the USD, Bitcoin clocked a fresh record high of US$75,415 (up 6.4%), and Ethereum is up nearly 9.0% and testing the upper boundary of a symmetrical triangle, pencilled in from US$2,062 and US$2,790.