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Some consider silver a reliable hedge against inflation, a safe haven during economic uncertainty, and an asset with growth potential. Globally, 2023’s mine production of silver was estimated to be around 26,000 metric tons. That same year, however, silverware demand fell by 25% to 55.2 Moz, and silver jewelry fabrication experienced a 13% drop, with losses mainly in India who’d seen an apex of silver demand the previous year. For those looking to diversify their investment portfolio, the question stands: is silver a good investment? While silver shares many qualities with gold as a precious metal, its volatility, industrial demand, and price fluctuations make it a unique investment. To understand whether silver is a good investment in 2024, it’s essential to consider market trends, economic conditions, and the factors driving silver’s price. Understanding Silver As An Investment Silver, like other precious metals, has been used for centuries as a store of value. It has various...
If you have even a passive interest in sports, professional fighting , or mixed martial arts, you’re undoubtedly aware of the UFC, which shattered records in 2023 as the largest MMA promotion in the world. The entity, whose title is short for Ultimate Fighting Championship, is one of the largest subsidiaries of Endeavor Group Holdings, which owns such massive companies as the Asylum Entertainment Group, TKO Group Holdings, and Professional Bull Riders. As of 2024, the UFC has ballooned its market capital to record highs , and run more than 700 events worldwide. According to BetMGM , the UFC is currently valued at a net worth of over $12 billion, with expectations to continue growing as the years carry on. Given that the outlet is so successful, it only makes sense that we perform a deep dive into the history and financial security of the business. Any entity which balloons from a humble MMA showcase to a multi-billion industry in the span of just 30 years is absolutely worth...
Rajah Caruth’s love of fast cars extends back a long time. He says, “… I would watch races on TV, and play NASCAR video games. I watched my first race when I was 12.” This love of fast cars has put the 20-year-old Winston-Salem University Junior on the path to becoming the GOAT of NASCAR racing. Rajah, who came into professional racing by way of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, is one of only a handful of Black professional NASCAR drivers, and he’s already had a big impact on the sport. From finishing 3rd in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East to grabbing three late model stock car wins in the same year, he’s accomplished so much in his four year NASCAR career. He believes that having the right set of tools has set him up for success, including the right tech and being in the right environment. He spoke with Blavity about the future of NASCAR and the importance of diversity in the sport. He acknowledges that both he and NASCAR have a long way to go, and we’re all geeked to see...
When it’s your time, it’s your time. As previously reported by AfroTech, Pusha T’s feud with fast-food company McDonald’s first began to brew after he wrote its “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle in 2003 with his brother, No Malice, in which they weren’t adequately compensated. According to Rolling Stone, the rapper said he received a one-time fee but no royalties. Then, he went off on the chain when Arby’s aired its commercial “Spicy Fish Diss,” on March 21. While it was for marketing purposes, shots were fired and now it’s being speculated that it could have brought success for the restaurant. On March 22, Complex reported, the track “netted the roast beef giant more than $8 million equivalent in advertising exposure.” The estimate was brought to the public’s attention by business analyst Darren Rovell, who noted that per Apex Marketing, “Spicy Fish Diss” brought in “equivalent advertising exposure” of an estimated $8,203,272. Value to Arby’s through 7pm ET: $8,203,272 in equivalent...
Decagon, a Nigerian startup designed to train a new generation of engineers, has announced that they’ve raised $1.5 million in their seed funding round. According to TechCrunch, Decagon also received a student loan financing facility of $25 million from the Nigerian financial institution, Sterling Bank. The outlet also reports that the financing is in partnership with the financier Sterling Bank and Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This funding will be used to provide opportunities to aspiring software engineers — including by offering a pay-after-learning option — and tech professionals in general. While it seems like there’s a new Nigerian startup every week that caters to the growing tech sector, the reality is, the supply isn’t keeping up with the demand, for a variety of reasons. “The dire need for tech talent in Nigeria has become more evident these days, where startups are raising venture capital at a ridiculous pace. Youth unemployment in the country...
Chaka, a Nigerian investment platform, is making a dual announcement today. According to TechCrunch, the first announcement involves the company receiving the first-ever SEC license in the country. The outlet confirms that Chaka had to go through great measures to obtain Nigeria’s first SEC license, and one of the main things they had to do was ensure that they didn’t provide online brokerage services. Instead, the company confirms, they direct their users to Citi Investment Capital in Nigeria and DriveWealth LLC — both based in the United States, and both of whom have a partnership with the Nigeria-based company — to issue stocks and securities. “When we launched, we kept SEC in the loop. But now, over the last six months, we’ve engaged with them, showed them our business models, the benefits, the markets. Now we’re proud to have SEC’s first fintech license. We believe that the most important thing is that the market has clarity and understands the regulations required to be...
Gaming while Black is difficult, but it’s especially challenging for Black women. In addition to the commonplace racism, they face levels of sexism that are often delivered in the forms of threats. To understand the barriers that must be broken down, we chatted with Khalia Chronicles, a streamer with lofty ambitions to uplift the gaming experience for people of color. In our exclusive interview, Khalia Chronicles shares how her past shaped her mission and how she’s making an impact in the streaming world! Editorial Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Streaming Beginnings Two Average Gamers: How’d you get into streaming? What’s your origin story? Khalia Chronicles: You can thank Hi-Rez Paladins for that. Got a Switch and learned it was free. My boyfriend recommended getting it and I immediately fell in love with Grover. I played Paladins for 6 months straight during the pandemic. I was initially into the Switch for Animal Crossing . My boyfriend had been...
The music industry is getting another game-changing platform thanks to entertainment executive Brandon Pankey. Pankey — who has years of experience in the entertainment industry working for companies such as Live Nation and Maverick — has just announced the launch of Artist Presented Experiences (APEX) — a first-of-its-kind AVOD video network that’s dedicated to promoting music programming presented both by and for artists. According to a press release, APEX is a platform that will offer up diverse, artist-centric content for viewers that features some of the industry’s most influential and sought-after talent, as they produce and create original scripted, unscripted, and licensed programming. The purpose of APEX — which is powered by award-winning brand services agency Quantasy + Associates — is for the platform to operate as a unique model that grants artists the creative freedom they need to deliver unfiltered content and visions directly to their fans. “Artists are some of the...
Global software company BMC has announced expansion plans for its current sponsorship of the BreakLine Technology Education program. BMC has been named a founding sponsor of BreakLine Apex to focus on helping veterans, women, and people of color establish careers in the tech industry. According to a news release , BreakLine Apex is a new education-focused program that leads recruitment, coaching, and mentorship of talented people of color, with a special focus on Black and Latinx candidates being considered for various technical and business roles in top tech companies worldwide. “BMC and BreakLine have successfully partnered together since 2017 to create pathways to opportunity for people from all backgrounds and experiences, and to increase diversity in tech,” said Bethany Coates, CEO of BreakLine, in a statement . “Over the course of our collaboration, BMC has hired many veterans from BreakLine, across a range of roles, from sales to communications, and they’ve already hired a...
Electronic Arts, the California-based video game company best known for games like “Madden” and “Apex Legends,” recently announced it will lay off 350 employees. In a statement posted on the company’s website, Electronic Arts’ CEO Andrew Wilson said that the changes will affect the operations, marketing, and publishing teams. The company also plans to ramp down its presence in Japan and Russia. “These are important but very hard decisions, and we do not take them lightly,” Wilson wrote. “We are friends and colleagues at EA, we appreciate and value everyone’s contributions, and we are doing everything we can to ensure we are looking after our people to help them through this period to find their next opportunity.” EA is no small company. It employs about 9,000 people and is one of the largest video game companies in the world. So, seeing restructuring at this level is a big deal. Wolf also stated that the company is “deeply focused on increasing quality in our games and services.”...