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Investment opportunities What to do with the savings in inflation?

Status: 22.06.2021 12:28 p.m.

Even in times of rising prices and zero interest rates, many Germans have their money in savings books or call money accounts. But if you want to protect your savings from inflation, you need alternatives.

From Lothar Gries, tagesschau.de

Consumer prices in Germany rose by 2.5 percent in May – more than they have been for almost ten years. At the same time, there is practically no more interest on overnight and fixed-term deposits, the most popular form of investment among Germans. Cash is also in great demand. The value of the notes issued by the Bundesbank rose by 9.5 percent last year. A similarly high growth rate was last seen in 2014. At the end of May 2021, banknotes issued by the Bundesbank to the value of 839 billion euros were in circulation, 52 billion or 6.6 percent more than a year earlier. But if you want your money to grow, you have to consider other investments than hoarding cash or putting it on savings accounts. There is no shortage of alternative investment opportunities. The long lucrative federal bonds are no longer one of them. The yields on these securities have fallen below zero since August 2019. Investors who lend money to the German state have to pay for it – a turning point, as they still got a return of five percent at the beginning of the millennium. “Today federal bonds have no place in assets that are designed to maintain or increase in value,” explains Ulrich Kater, chief economist at Deka-Bank, which is part of the savings bank group.

No prospect of rising interest rates

Investors should also not give in to the hope that consumer prices, which have recently risen again, will lead to higher interest rates. Inflation is likely to accelerate further until the end of the year, but the European Central Bank (ECB) has repeatedly emphasized that it will adhere to the zero interest rate policy. The priority is to stimulate the economy again after the corona crisis, said ECB boss Christine Lagarde. In addition, the current rise in inflation is only temporary.

Investments that are considered to be risk-free, such as savings books and fixed-term deposit accounts, no longer offer any prospect of positive returns for the time being. In order for the saved to experience growth, stocks in particular offer themselves as a way out. Fund savings plans, for example, are a good way to get started. Investors pay regular amounts, in many cases from 25 euros upwards, into an investment fund in which various securities are bundled and which is managed by professionals. Alternatively, of course, investors also have the option of taking their money into their own hands and buying shares in individual companies on their own. In the past few years, you couldn’t go wrong when buying technology stocks.

Alternative ETF?

If you don’t dare to do this, but still want to invest in stocks, you can invest your money in a so-called Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). These funds replicate a stock market index (often with so-called derivatives). This can be the German share index (DAX) or other indices such as the US leading index Dow Jones. The performance of an ETF is closely linked to the respective index. As a result, the fees are usually lower than with other funds. Investing in the stock market is of course not without risk: If the index behind an ETF falls because the stocks in it fall, the fund also loses value.

Nevertheless, ETFs are enjoying growing popularity. According to industry experts, there are almost 7,000 of these funds. This is also due to the low interest rate phase. It ensures that more people invest their money in funds than before. Many have done well with this strategy and have achieved better returns than they would have achieved on a call money account. For example, an ETF on the DAX alone has generated a return of 55 percent in the last five years – provided that you kept your nerve at the beginning of the pandemic and did not sell when the markets collapsed by a third in spring 2020.

Gold and open real estate funds

A popular investment, especially in times of crisis, is gold. The corona pandemic has confirmed this again. By early August 2020, the price of a troy ounce (31.1 grams) had risen to an all-time high of $ 2,063, around a third more than at the beginning of the year. But then things went downhill again, to $ 1,684 in March. It is currently $ 1,775. In fact, gold is extremely volatile because the price is mainly driven by demand, because it has no “intrinsic value” like companies do. The precious metal is therefore not considered a reliable investment. There is also the often unsafe storage of bars or coins.

Those who shy away from the capital market and don’t believe in precious metals can also invest their money in real estate funds. They collect capital from investors and invest it in offices, shopping centers, residential buildings or logistics centers. The so-called open real estate funds are particularly popular with private investors. The income from such a fund, i.e. the rental income after deducting costs, is distributed to the owners as profit. With well-managed funds, an annual return of four to five percent can be achieved, a little more than the inflation rate.

Sometimes there is a risk of total loss

But the system has a catch. A minimum holding period of 24 months applies to open-ended real estate funds. An investor must also announce the return of his money to the fund company. Then he will get his system back after twelve months at the earliest. So if you have to get your money at short notice at any time, you should refrain from such investments.

The examples show that there is no shortage of alternatives to the savings book or a federal bond. But if you want to increase your money, you also have to be prepared to take risks. In some cases, for example when purchasing shares, there is even a risk of total loss, as the example of Wirecard recently showed. A look abroad – especially the USA, where far more people own shares than in Germany – shows that long-term wealth can only be built up with investments in the capital market

Edit | Li Shuiqing Wisdom News reported on June 21 that the GTIC 2021 Embedded AI Innovation Summit recently concluded successfully in Beijing! At this high-profile AI industry summit with a full audience and more than 1.5 million live viewers on the entire network, 16 bigwigs from the upstream and downstream of the industry chain gathered together to focus on the software and hardware ecological innovation of embedded AI, home AIoT, Mobile robots and industrial manufacturing industry 4 major sections of the map, bringing in-depth and simple to share. At the meeting, Chen Chao, the R&D director of Jizhijia, gave a speech titled “Challenges and Innovations in the Visual Perception Technology of Logistics Robots”. The speech mainly consists of three parts: logistics and logistics robots, and the challenges and solutions faced by logistics robots in vision in two different scenarios: warehousing and industry. The logistics industry is a huge market, but the industry has long faced pain points such as difficult employment and rapid changes in market demand. Logistics robots came into being under such a background. At present, they have evolved into multi-scenario product forms such as smart sorting, smart handling, smart forklifts, smart warehousing, and so on, and have landed in many practical scenarios. Chen Chao recalled that, in the process of launching the logistics robot of Jizhijia, many challenges have been overcome in terms of visual perception technology. In the field of warehousing AMR mobile robots, the scenarios are relatively simple, mainly including picking from shelf to person and picking from box to person. For the ground two-dimensional code used for navigation, the team encountered problems such as defacement/reflection, motion blur, and demands for cost reduction. To this end, Gzhijia introduced V1.5 based on the fusion of ground patterns on the latest robots to make up for the problem of easy fouling of the QR code; further, Gzhijia’s V2.0 solution based on Marker-Net reduces the failure rate Reduce by two orders of magnitude. In the field of industrial AMR mobile robots, the scenarios and challenges are more complex and diverse. For example, in response to the problem of fewer samples in the industry, Gigabyte adopts a learning simulation program to quickly expand the sample; for the problem of unknown target detection, Gzhijia introduces a depth camera, which allows the deep learning model to organically combine deep data to improve target detection performance. For the problem with high robustness requirements, Gigabyte adopts a composite model method; for positioning problems in high dynamic scenarios, map update and semantic maps are used to ensure long-term stable operation of the robot; for end-side equipment with low computing power The problem is that Gigabyte uses algorithm optimization and acceleration engine to break through the limit of computing power. It can be seen that, as a logistics robot head company established in 2015, Jizhijia has overcome the hills of embedded AI development for specific application scenarios in warehousing and industry. We organize the record of Chen Chao’s speech into the following three parts: 1. The logistics industry accounts for over 10% of GDP, and logistics robots came into being Regarding logistics, in addition to express logistics that ordinary consumers often come into contact with, it also includes subdivided logistics scenarios such as warehousing logistics and factory logistics. Logistics is a very complex and complex industry, accounting for more than 10% of GDP. It can be said that logistics provides a guarantee for the supply of production and living materials for the entire society. In recent years, the logistics industry has faced challenges: the first is the difficulty of employing people. In fact, everyone around them can clearly feel the trend of aging and declining birthrate of the entire society over the years. The working-age population is gradually decreasing. At the same time, young people nowadays are more inclined to go to big cities to engage in service-oriented jobs. They are unwilling to go to factories and warehouses to do some low-level boring logistics jobs for logistics-related companies. Recruitment caused certain difficulties. On the other hand, the logistics industry is changing rapidly. With the development of the entire economy, residents’ consumption upgrades. At present, there are fewer and fewer large-scale standard industrialized products, and more are highly customized and personalized small-batch production. Now the product iteration speed is faster and the upgrades are more frequent. , To present new challenges to the supply chain. Logistics robots came into being in this context. Since logistics involves a wide range of areas, there will be different robots and solutions in different links and aspects. (Logistics robots) are mainly used in smart sorting in some express delivery fields, smart picking in e-commerce warehouses, as well as smart handling robots, smart forklifts on manufacturing production lines, smart warehouses and smart factories for integrated solutions… below, Let’s find out through specific robots. Jizhijia’s family portraits cover most of the categories of logistics robots. Including the low and latent picking robots and handling robots in the front row, as well as the sorting robots and bin picking robots in the middle, as well as the tall unmanned forklifts, man-machine collaborative robots, and composite robots with robotic arms in the back row. Behind the busy robots is a cloud-based system architecture. First of all, on the bottom side is the body of the robot, which contains software algorithms such as visual perception, positioning, and PNC; on the edge server side in the middle, running RMS is responsible for robot task scheduling and path planning; the top cloud deployment WMS, ERP The system is connected with the customer’s business. It is based on such a cloud side-end architecture that (we) guarantees the stable and efficient operation of logistics robots. 2. Warehousing scene: The accuracy of visual recognition needs to be improved, and there is a big demand for cost reduction After having a preliminary understanding of the logistics robot system, take a look at the challenges and responses of visual perception. First of all, in the warehousing scene, the current applications are: 1. Picking from shelf to person; 2. Picking from box to person. “Goods-to-person picking mode” has changed the traditional way of picking and choosing people to find goods-the RMS issues instructions, the robot runs to a specific location, and the corresponding shelf or specific bin is transported to the picking station. Picking is done manually. In this link, operators no longer need to shuttle shelves to find goods. The new picking mode greatly reduces the labor intensity of pickers, and at the same time significantly reduces the error rate of picking, so that the overall efficiency is improved by 2 to 3 times. How is the picking robot positioned? Careful friends have already seen that in the video, some QR codes are densely gridded on the ground. A camera is installed at the bottom of the robot. The camera uses the camera to capture the QR code for positioning. This is similar to the principle of scanning codes on mobile phones. Since the QR code is deployed on the ground, there are some special features that are easy to be defaced. In the warehouse scene, there are often some trailer trucks in operation. The warehouse is regularly cleaned and maintained. Using a very powerful washing machine will cause damage to the QR code on the ground. On the other hand, the robot runs at a speed of more than 2 to 3 meters per second, the lens is very close to the ground, and the number of pixels that the object slides in a unit time is relatively large, and the image blur is more serious. In addition, low cost is also subject to fierce competition in the front-end market. The (market) puts forward a demand for cost reduction for picking robot sensors and computing chips. In response to the previous problems, we have made some iterations of technology and products. In the earlier version, a very low-cost heterogeneous SoC (System-on-Chip) was selected, and our traditional geometric feature-based algorithms were optimized and accelerated by FPGA, and finally achieved a relatively excellent performance-to-price ratio and performance-to-power ratio. Aiming at the problem of the contamination of the QR code, and also in order to reduce the deployment of the QR code in the scene, (we) introduced the ground pattern. If you look closely, you will find that the ground actually has very small textures, which are unique IDs, which can be used for positioning, which is similar to the code value on the QR code. Due to the particularity of the land pattern, (we) adopted a series of transformations to extract the global feature of the land pattern and establish a map location. Of course, the ground pattern has certain limitations, and it cannot be used for the epoxy floor of the factory and some high-gloss tile floors. (We) deploy a head-up camera on the front end of the robot, and use a neural network method Markernet on the back end to greatly expand the two-dimensional code detection capability on the latest robot. Previously, our camera was shooting downwards, and the field of view was very small. If the robot deviated a little, the positioning would be lost in a few centimeters or ten centimeters. Now relying on the front-view camera can detect the QR code in a larger range and perform relocation, which reduces the failure rate by two orders of magnitude. Many friends will ask, why use the network method for objects with obvious geometric features or artificially designed QR codes? Compared with the traditional mobile phone scanning code or the previous robot looking down the QR code detection method, now the QR code needs to be detected in a larger range and smaller angle to detect the fuzzy and contaminated QR code, based on the data-driven model method Exceeds the traditional method of artificially designing features. With the help of flexible camera deployment and back-end intelligent algorithms, the use of QR codes in the scene is greatly expanded, and it can be extended to side shelves or ceilings or almost anywhere in the scene. This is a test done in a logistics port container, which can detect and recognize the QR code in a very dark environment. 3. Industrial scenes: to deal with more complex scenes and establish simulation schemes In the industrial scenario, the challenges and responses faced by the visual perception of logistics robots, compared with the previously mentioned warehousing environment, involve more operations and a wider range. In the industrial scene, there are different types of robots in different scenes, including the roller handling robot on the left, lifting and handling, as well as robotic arm load robots and smart forklifts. In the industrial scenario, the requirements are diverse and the scenarios are complex, and different robots face different challenges when dealing with different tasks. Let’s take a look at it in detail. First, there are few samples. Take compound robots as an example. In the end-grabbing process, they are faced with the detection and recognition of more than 100,000 commodities. Unlike applications such as unmanned vehicles, few in the industrial field can find corresponding ones on public data sets. Samples for our training. At the same time, industrial customers have certain requirements for data privacy, which also restricts the collection of some samples. We adopt a simulation + learning program. Take pallets as an example. Pallets are vehicles that are widely used in the entire logistics scene. There are many types of pallets, including European standard, national standard and non-standard. There are various colors, shapes, sizes, materials, and even some customers. Take local materials and temporarily assemble them into pallet-like items with raw materials. Use the simulation engine to quickly build a single-target rendering, which can be rendered with different lighting, colors, and positions, and quickly expand our samples. For some applications, we can do full-scene simulation. Few Shots learning and Transfer Learning are used to quickly develop and adapt some new applications for some of the data that has been accumulated before in the industrial scene and the models that have been trained. Unknown target detection, there are many types of targets, some anomaly detection or obstacle detection can not exhaust the tested targets, we don’t know that the wrench or a part on the production line is dropped in front, or it may be a mouse or battery, based on the traditional The depth model method relies too much on the previous samples, and when faced with the detection of items that have never been seen before, the performance has a relatively large drop. We introduce deep learning methods to organically combine depth data and RGB data for detection. There are many types of depth cameras, including Stereo camera, TOF camera, Structure Light camera, etc. Choose the corresponding sensor according to different detection distance and accuracy requirements. We use Stereo camera for obstacle detection. The output depth map and grayscale map are naturally aligned on the pixel level, which is very good for the further information fusion in the future. The depth-based detection method does not rely on the previously established model, and has a better detection effect for unseen targets. Our robot uses a very cheap depth sensor, which is not as high as a lidar. Accuracy. For low and small objects, the availability of depth data is greatly reduced. For very distant objects, the depth map degenerates into a 2D map in principle, which needs to be combined with RGB data for detection. In the industrial scenario, due to the requirements for safety and efficiency, the robustness of related equipment is very high. Take forklifts as an example. The load capacity of forklifts is very strong and the destructiveness is very large. Error detection will affect items and personnel. Caused very big damage, we adopt the method of compound model, combine deep learning method with domain knowledge through compound model. On the one hand, we quickly output the potential detection objects of the object. On the other hand, for pallet detection or certain bin detection, we know what the detection target is, we can use the prior model to perform a network verification to obtain robustness Higher accuracy and higher results. Positioning in high-dynamic scenarios is different from warehouse robots based on two-dimensional codes on the ground. SLAM robots are used more in the industry. SLAM is a technology that uses sensors to observe the environment to establish a map and then locate it. This is very similar to the principle of human eyes observing the entire scene and positioning based on these visual landmarks. SLAM-based positioning has some advantages. There is no need to modify the scene, and there is no need to lay so many two-dimensional codes. It is more convenient to implement. The walking route is not gridded, but an arbitrary trajectory. Due to its flexibility, SLAM robots are more in line with the needs of customers in the flexible manufacturing industry and have been widely used in the manufacturing industry. A very big challenge based on SLAM positioning is the problem of positioning loss in a high dynamic environment. For example, the bins on the production line will change with the change of work time. When the robot picks up the bins, there are still 10 bins. When it is put back, only 2 bins remain, and the scene changes If the robot fails to locate, it is equivalent to holding the old map to look at the way and find the way, and it will probably fail. We adopt a map update and semantic map solution. Based on the cloud-side end architecture just mentioned, each end-side robot is given the ability to detect changes. When it finds that the map does not match well, it uploads the data to the edge server. The edge end can integrate the data collected by multiple robots, judge based on the previous static reference map, perform map fusion update, and send the fused map to each robot, so that the robot can use the latest map for positioning. Semantic map detects some objects in the network and recognizes dynamic and static characteristics. For example, people and material trucks are movable and cannot be removed from the map as landmarks. For some heavy equipment, they are movable and the movement frequency is very low. Decrease its confidence in the map. The markings on the ground, walls, pillars, etc. are highly static objects, increase its confidence in the map. Compared with traditional feature point-based positioning, the accuracy of semantic target-based positioning may be slightly lower, but the robustness is very high. It can even partially or fully constrain the position of the entire robot based on one object in the entire scene. , So as to ensure the smooth operation of the robot. The challenge of low computing power is limited by a series of factors such as price, size, and power consumption. It is impossible for us to use high-performance computing chips on end-side devices. What we do is to optimize at the algorithm and software level. For the network model, optimization is performed on the numerical calculation level, the structure of the network itself, and the entire detection process. On the other hand, we use the supporting optimization and reasoning engines provided by major hardware manufacturers to optimize the deployment of our algorithms. Taking OpenVINO as an example, quantitative tuning and pruning are performed on the server side, and the optimized model is deployed on a low-computing computing platform through the IE engine. Intel’s OpenVINO can fully tap the entire processor, not only the CPU, but also other computing units, especially the computing power of the integrated graphics card, making full use of on-chip resources. Let’s talk about it today. We look forward to working with colleagues and partners to discuss the application of visual AI technology in the logistics industry, and to build intelligent robots to make logistics easier. thank you all! The above is a complete compilation of Chen Chao’s speech.

And recently, he also made Facebook users happy like opening the flag in their stomach when together with friends, he formed a group called “7onez – Free support” to support problems about Facebook and other social networks. . For the purpose of serving the community’s interests, the group will have members who are experienced in Facebook security, and support to recover accounts when locked, especially problems/questions will be supported free of charge. online fees. Hieu PC’s personal Facebook post Facebook Although just established, the group has attracted nearly 6K people, with the introduction “This is a small group of 7onez used to help you improve your security and recover your Facebook, Gmail, Instagram accounts… Free of charge. Supporters will be those who are censored and selected by the 7onez administration.” So if you have problems with account security or your account is locked, just post or inbox will be answered by everyone, support to get back quite quickly and especially can avoid scam cases. Free support group

This is one of the deadliest accidents in Chinese sports history. The incident caused public outrage because of the poor management of the Baiyin city government. Rescuers had to walk up the mountainside to search for victims. Photo: Xinhua News Agency. Terrible moment The athletes departed on the morning of May 22 from the Yellow River Stone Forest Park, Baiyin City. This is an annual event organized by the authorities of Canh Thai district and Bach Ngan city to develop rural areas and promote healthy lifestyles. Nearly 10,000 people registered for this year’s event. Participants are divided into three categories: beginner, 21 km cross country and 100 km cross country. The bad weather occurred around 1 p.m., when the runners climbed 2,000 meters in the 20-31 km stage of the race, according to Xinhua News Agency. Participating athletes wear only shorts and t-shirts. Therefore, these people have little ability to protect the body from the low temperature of the surrounding environment. When witnessing some athletes having trouble, the organizers canceled the event and deployed rescue. At that time, some people had hypothermia. Some others passed out from being too cold. A total of 21 people were killed and 151 were rescued. In an interview with SCMP , one survivor said there was no forecast of severe weather. The cold also exacerbates the challenges of the mountainous terrain. The athletes departed on the morning of May 22. Photo: Weibo/Xinhua News Agency. This person said he still tries to run when the weather turns bad. On the way, he witnessed people fall one by one, even experienced athletes. Before the contest started, the organizers asked each person to contribute 1,600 yuan (US$248) to register. That’s when he decided to join. “Now, every time I recall that thought, I just want to slap myself,” he wrote in a social media post. He said that in one part of the competition, the contestants had to run uphill for a distance of 8 km. The road surface is covered with rocks and mud while the sky is cloudy, strong winds, heavy rain and limited visibility. “From this point on, there is only one way up, no one down. Motorcycles can’t get on that road, so there’s no food or water,” he wrote. “I was completely drenched and could barely stand. I tried to find a hiding spot and tried to warm myself up with a flimsy thermal blanket, but was immediately blown away by the wind. I saw other people’s blankets torn to pieces by the wind.” Another athlete said he couldn’t feel his fingers. “I put my fingers in my mouth to warm it up but I still can’t feel anything. Even my tongue feels frozen,” he said. “That’s when I decided to give up and run downhill because I realized it was hypothermia. It was wise and fortunate that I made that decision.” He also saw many other contestants pass out on the way down. However, he did not have the strength to help others. It is difficult to track other athletes because the GPS signal is very poor. In addition to hypothermia, some athletes also cut their hands and fall. Late regret According to the Xinhua News Agency , rescue efforts were hampered by high altitude and bad weather. Among the dead were Luong Tinh and Hoang Quan Quan. These are two of China’s top long-distance runners. Luong Tinh won China’s Ultra Gobi in 2018 and finished second in the Hong Kong 100 super-trail race in 2019. Meanwhile, Hoang Quan Quan is the Olympic marathon champion. Paralympic Paralympics 2019 in Dubai. Yellowstone Forest Park, where the tragedy happened. Photo: Handout. Zhang Xuchen, the chairman of Baiyin City, bowed his head to apologize to the victims’ families. “This is an unexpected incident due to the sudden change in the weather in the area. As an event organizer, we are extremely sorry and regretful. We apologize and offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the injured athletes,” he said. The Gansu provincial government has set up a task force to monitor the investigation. In a comment, state broadcaster CCTV insisted extreme sports should be carefully organized to avoid such a rare and devastating tragedy. Marathons and ultra-long distance running have become popular in China in recent years, attracting participation from the country’s growing middle class. Races are held in remote areas with huge prize money to attract participants. The governments of regions in western China such as Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan have set aside funds to organize running competitions to attract and develop tourism.

Thus, for every 10 laptops in use in Vietnam, more than 3 are purchased at FPT Shop. “This achievement is the result of many factors: Branding efforts associated with the technology destination; diversify brands and business products by adding new products from Microsoft Surface, AVITA, LCD monitor, printer … In addition, the system always closely monitors the market, forecasts accurately and satisfies the needs of users, making good use of its leading position in gaming laptops, Macbook M1. FPT Shop has also applied the right strategy when focusing on customer experience, simultaneously opening 70 new standard laptop centers across the country. ” – Mr. Nguyen The Kha, Director of Mobile Telecom Division of FPT Shop shared. It is known that FPT Shop has opened 23 more laptop centers, reaching the milestone of 70 laptop centers nationwide, far exceeding the system’s plan. These are all specialized stores, focusing on selling laptop products and many related accessories. Opening laptop centers is also one of the important factors that helps FPT Shop improve customer experience and better meet the increasing shopping demand of today’s consumers. On the occasion of reaching 70 laptop centers, FPT Shop sharply discounts from 5 to 10% of most genuine laptop products on sale here. Specifically, Apple, Asus, HP, Dell, MSI brand laptops get 5% discount, Acer, Lenovo, Avita, Microsoft Surface brand laptops get 10% discount, apply to products over 8 million and get the bar. 100% payment. If you choose to pay by installment, you will enjoy 0% interest rate and no upfront payment required. The installment payment procedure is also very simple, only requires ID card and driver’s license (or household registration book). In addition, all customers who choose to buy a laptop at FPT Shop will receive a 20% discount on a laptop protection combo package, a fashion laptop backpack, 30% off when buying additional 23-inch and 27-inch LCD screens, 10% off for LCD 32 inch, 300,000 VND discount when buying HP printer.

Customers visit the laptop shopping experience at FPT Shop. The growth rate of laptop in FPT Shop system has exceeded 2 times compared with the plan in Q1 / 2021 and has increased 2 times compared to the general market, according to data from market research firm GfK. Specifically, FPT Shop currently accounts for more than 30% of the market share and is the No. 1 growing chain of stores in the laptop market. Thus, for every 10 laptops in use in Vietnam, more than 3 are purchased at FPT Shop. Mr. Nguyen The Kha, Director of the mobile telecommunications division of FPT Shop, said that in order to gain market share, FPT Shop has a system that always closely monitors the market, makes accurate forecasts and meets the demand well. of users, taking advantage of the leading position in gaming laptop, Macbook M1. Recently, FPT Shop also continuously expanded its sales network by 70 more laptop centers, and diversified its products by adding new products from Microsoft Surface, AVITA, LCD screens, printers … FPT Shop expects that laptops will continue to achieve 20-30% growth in 2021. Motivation will come from new-style laptop centers, which give space for customers to experience, many new products, and employees. Professionalism and distinctive incentives … It is known that FPT Shop’s 2020 business results come from computers and Apple products compensate for the decline in mobile phones. FPT Shop’s laptop segment recorded a strong growth of 60%, becoming one of the major contributors to the revenue and gross profit of the FPT Retail system (Digital Retail Joint Stock Company).

Text｜”Caijing” reporterkingsmallXin Ying

Edit｜Wang Xiao

This is a reform involving 340 million insured persons.

On April 22, 2021, the Chinese government website announced the “Guiding Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Establishing and Improving the Mechanism for Establishing and Improving the Employee Basic Medical Insurance Outpatient Mutual Assistance Guarantee Mechanism.” This is the first major reform of personal accounts in the 23 years since the establishment of employee medical insurance.

Compared with the previous, the new regulations have three major changes: First, medical insurance will be reimbursed for future outpatient visits; second, family members can share the money in the medical insurance personal account; third, the medical insurance paid by the unit will no longer be credited to the personal account.

Next, all localities have a three-year transition period to implement the new regulations. A local medical insurance bureau official revealed that the local version of the implementation draft is currently being worked on.

Left-hand personal account, right-hand pooling account

The new regulations propose to start with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, which are burdensome, and gradually include the general outpatient medical expenses for frequently-occurring and common diseases into the scope of the overall planning fund.

The new regulations expand the scope of payment. Previously, pooled accounts were generally only used for inpatient medical care or outpatient treatment of specific diseases.

The entire basic medical insurance payment funds come from two parts of the medical insurance account, the personal account and the overall account.

The money in the personal account is, to put it bluntly, personal property, and its use is basically unlimited in terms of medical treatment. It can be used for medical treatment, medicine, and hospitalization. In the event of death, immigration, etc., personal account funds can be directly withdrawn.

The pooling account can be called everyone’s account, which is shared by all people who have paid the employee medical insurance. The account is not subject to personal control, and the transfer and cancellation of individual social security relationships will not affect the pooling account. Simply put, whoever is sick uses the money.

“Studies have shown that half of people have no balance in their personal accounts when they are 60 years old, and only relying on a little money each month has a low ability to protect them in outpatient treatment and medication.” Public Administration of Central China Normal University Said Wang Chaoqun, associate professor of the college.

The new regulations are also committed to solving this dilemma. Of course, this also requires more money to support the overall fund account. As a result, the new regulations adjusted the distribution of medical insurance premiums.

The money in the medical insurance account comes from individual payment and unit payment. The money in the previous personal account was all the personal medical insurance payment and 30% of the unit medical insurance payment.

After the new regulations are adjusted, what is paid by the individual is still put into the personal account, and all the payment by the unit goes to the overall fund. In a word, the overall fund account will be more than the 30% paid by the unit, and the money in the personal account will be less in the future.

Earlier, the money received in the personal account each month, one is the personal payment, which accounts for about 2% of the salary; the other part comes from 30% of the unit’s total payment, and the unit’s payment accounts for about 6% of the salary, so the unit payment in the personal account Part, accounting for about 1.8% of wages.

In the future, the money received in the personal account each month will only be the part of the personal payment. “Whether it is an in-service employee or a retiree, the monthly money in the personal account will probably be reduced by half.” A local medical insurance official introduced.

Family mutual aid in personal accounts

The new regulation proposes a new model for family mutual aid in personal accounts.

According to the new regulations, in addition to personal use, personal accounts can also be used to pay for the expenses incurred by their spouses, parents, and children seeking medical treatment in designated medical institutions, even including the purchase of drugs, medical equipment, and medical consumables in designated retail pharmacies. cost of.

In other words, young people who have a large balance in their personal accounts can use the balance for the medical expenses of their parents, children and other family members that meet the requirements.

For example, for an employee medical insurance participant, the elderly in the family only participates in the resident medical insurance. Wang Chaoqun believes that after the implementation of mutual aid, the elderly still have to bring their own medical insurance card to see a doctor and enjoy the reimbursement of resident medical insurance. When paying, the part that can be paid with the money in the personal account can be used for the children’s personal Funds in the account.

However, the new regulations do not yet have specific details on how to pay.

Moreover, the rule that the medical insurance card can only be used by the person has not changed.The Wuhan Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau publicly introduced that it still implements “one person, one card”, which is the same as an ID card, and it must be “dedicated for special cards.”

After reading the new regulations, a Beijing employee said that he really felt that it would be difficult for my parents to use my brother’s and me personal accounts in the future to see a doctor. My hukou, my brother, and my parents are not together. It is bound to prove my mother. It’s my mother.

In short, “the current medical insurance system cannot support payment for others, and technology upgrades are needed,” said Qiu Yulin, deputy director of the China Social Security Research Center at Renmin University of China.

Some places are being explored. Fujian has begun to implement family mutual aid in personal accounts. “On the local government service platform, any insured person in the family can open a mutual aid account, and parents (including the parents of the spouse), spouse, and children can be added to this account. Then in the personal account, more than 2,000 yuan When family members go to the hospital to see a doctor, they only need to bring their own medical insurance card, and they can directly use the money in the “family account” to pay.” Fujian Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau related Introduction by the person in charge.

In fact, in individual areas, such as Beijing, it can also be said that families share personal accounts. Because in Beijing, the money in the personal medical insurance account is directly credited to the employee’s Beijing bank card every month, and individuals can directly withdraw the money at any time to help pay for the family’s medical expenses and even any consumption.

The new regulations emphasize that the restricted area of ​​personal accounts shall not be used for public health expenses, sports fitness or health care consumption, etc., and other expenditures that are not covered by basic medical insurance.

“Can it be used to purchase commercial health insurance in the future? This is also an investment in health protection, and there is still a lot of room for discussion.” The above-mentioned local medical insurance bureau official said.

Eventually, the number of people using a personal account will increase, and the National Medical Insurance Bureau also proposes to establish a dynamic management mechanism for the entire process of personal accounts, and strengthen the review of the use of personal accounts, settlement and other links.

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Ford Ranger still shows absolute advantage when accounting for nearly three-quarters of the “piece of cake” in the pickup segment. (Graphic photo: Hoang Hiep)

In the pickup segment, the whole market sold 2,898 units, nearly 3 times higher than the previous month (1,097 units), accounting for 13.7% of total passenger cars sold. In particular, the “king of pickup” Ford Ranger sold up to 2,171 units, topping the sales of best-selling cars in the market in March and accounting for 74.9% of sales of the segment.

The remaining models also saw a significant increase in sales. Toyota Hilux stands firmly at the second position in the segment, accounting for 16.5% of the “piece of cake”. Meanwhile, Isuzu D-Max pick-up model is still in a long term, while in March, there is still no more sales.

Below is the sales ranking in the pickup segment for March 2021:

1. Ford Ranger: 2,171 units

Ford Ranger 2021 has small changes in appearance

“King” pickup in March 2021 achieved very impressive sales of 2,171 units, up 2.8 times compared to the previous month. The above sales not only help the Ranger occupy a “unique” position in the segment but also lead in the top of the best-selling cars in the market last month. Cumulative total sales in the first quarter of 2021, Ford Ranger reached 3,873 units.

Ford Ranger is a pickup model imported CBU from Thailand. The 2021 upgraded version was launched in Vietnam at the end of 2020 with all 7 versions, with prices ranging from 616 million to 1,198 billion dong.

2. Toyota Hilux: 478 units

Hilux has the highest sales growth in the segment, 3.5 times more than the previous month

Hilux in March 2021 achieved impressive sales of 478 units, an increase of 3.5 times over the previous month (with 136 units). This growth makes Hilux quite “standstill” in the second position in the pickup segment.

Currently, this sample is being imported from Thailand and sold in Vietnam with 4 versions, the selling price ranges from 622 to 878 million VND.

3. Mitsubishi Triton: 130 units

Mitsubishi Triton has a slight increase in sales compared to February

In March 2021, Mitsubishi Triton reached sales of 130 units, an increase of nearly 30% compared to February (with 102 units). This is the second consecutive month Triton is ranked third in the segment and is far behind by Toyota Hilux.

Currently, Triton is imported complete unit from Thailand and introduced with 7 versions, selling price ranges from 555 to 865 million.

4. Mazda BT-50: 119 units

MazdaBT-50 has the most “momentum” design in the segment

Like most other models, the BT-50 also saw positive sales in March 2021. With 119 units sold, sales of BT-50 increased 47% from the previous month (with 81 units).

Currently, the BT-50 is a model imported from Thailand to Vietnam with 4 versions and has a selling price ranging from 569 to 749 million VND.

5. Isuzu D-max: 0 pcs

During the first quarter of 2021, Isuzu could not sell a D-max

As in the previous February, this Isuzu pickup did not sell a single unit in March 2021. This makes this car continue to sink into the crisis, absolute acceptance of the bottom of the table.

Currently, Isuzu D-Max is importing to Vietnam from Thailand and is presented with 4 versions with prices ranging from 650 to 820 million VND.

Royal Union

What do you think about these 5 pickup truck models? Please leave comments in the comments section. Sincerely invite readers to send news, articles, photos and videos to the Department of Motorcycles and Motorcycles – VietNamNet Newspaper at the email address: Otoxemay@vietnamnet.vn. Appropriate content will be posted. Thank you!

From Angela Göpfert, tagesschau.de

“Nobody should pay more than five euros a month or 60 euros a year for a giro account including giro card and online bookings.” Those who pay more should consider switching. This is the conclusion of the Stiftung Warentest based on its comparison of 316 current accounts from more than 130 banks.

As of today, this comparison of checking accounts can be viewed free of charge by all consumers on the website of Stiftung Warentest, which is practically operating on behalf of the state. Because only thanks to the Stiftung Warentest can Germany currently meet the so-called European Payment Accounts Directive. This stipulates that all consumers must have access to at least one objective and free comparison website for checking accounts.

Consumer advocates satisfied

After the online giant Check24 launched its comparison site at the end of January shut down after only five months and heavy criticism, the grand coalition decided to offer a state comparison platform in the future. This is to be set up by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and launched in the second quarter of 2022. Until then, Stiftung Warentest will offer its checking account comparison free of charge.

“We find it very welcome that, after a few detours, a state solution is to be found. We demanded that from the start, that is the right step,” emphasizes Claudio Zeitz-Brandmeyer, financial market expert at the Federation of German Consumer Organizations tagesschau.de.

When setting up a state comparison portal, BaFin could also look beyond the German horizon: “Belgium is repeatedly mentioned by European colleagues as an example of best practice. Here, the consumer is guided by questions to accounts that are right for him.” , emphasizes Zeitz-Brandmeyer. The offer from Stiftung Warentest is, however, a “good and comprehensible interim solution”.

Stiftung Warentest will step into the breach with its checking account comparison portal until 2022.

Schäuble preferred the private solution

From now on, and not until 2022, consumers now have the option of comparing the large number of current accounts in terms of costs and conditions free of charge and filtering out the best solution for their needs.

For politics, however, the back and forth with the comparison portals is primarily a story of failure. After all, the then Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble had once consciously decided against the now favored state solution and instead opted for an official certification process for private platforms. Check24’s current account comparison, available until January 2021, has been certified by TÜV Saarland – and the Federal Ministry of Finance also gave its okay.

But shortly after the start, the criticism of the Check24 comparison portal increased. In November 2020, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV) filed a lawsuit against Check24: The account comparisons did not meet the legal requirements. The market comparison is incomplete and non-transparent, and the data is often out of date. The financial service provider then switched off the current account comparison and referred to the “unclear legal situation” as a justification.

Didn’t want a government solution: Wolfgang Schäuble. Image: OMER MESSINGER / EPA-EFE / Shutterst

The free current account – a discontinued model

For consumers, the turmoil over the current account comparison portals comes at an inopportune time, as they are currently more dependent than ever on a free and objective comparison of the account management conditions of the various banks.

Because the free current account – a matter of course for a long time – is increasingly becoming obsolete. As of October 2020, the fees for current accounts rose by an average of 6.4 percent compared to the previous year, as the Federal Statistical Office announced in November. Within four years, from 2015 to 2019, the price increases totaled 25 percent.

“An objective and free current account comparison is not a panacea,” emphasizes VZBV financial market expert Zeitz-Brandmeyer. “But it makes it a lot easier for consumers to defend themselves against increases in account fees and to find another offer.”

The consequences of negative interest rates

But why are current account fees rising so rapidly? The background to this is the phase of low interest rates that has persisted since the financial crisis in 2008 and turned into a phase of negative interest rates in 2014. The European Central Bank (ECB) is now levying a penalty interest rate of 0.5 percent on short-term bank deposits.

Most banks do not dare to pass this penalty interest on to private customers – although this is also the case increasingly the dams break. Instead, the majority of financial institutions prefer to make checking accounts more expensive.

It remains to be seen whether this step, which is so unpleasant for consumers, is as imperative for the banks as they like to emphasize. In any case, the Bundesbank came to the conclusion in its monthly report in October 2020 that the ECB penalty interest rate does not automatically lead to lower bank profits.