As electric vehicles continue to gain traction in the automotive industry, one of the newer players on the scene is the Small G9. With its sleek design, advanced technology, and eco-friendly credentials, the Small G9 has caught the attention of many prospective buyers. However, despite its many appealing features, some consumers find themselves hesitant to take the plunge and commit to purchasing this electric vehicle.
Watson and Loyola Chicago defeat South Florida 74-72In conclusion, Tencent Video's decision to reduce the number of simultaneous streams for certain membership tiers has sparked a heated discussion among its users. While the platform may argue that the changes are intended to enhance user experience, many subscribers are left feeling shortchanged. As the streaming landscape evolves, companies like Tencent Video will need to strike a balance between providing value for their customers and ensuring sustainable business growth. Only time will tell how these changes will impact the platform's reputation and user retention in the long run.They were comparing Arne Slot to Bob Paisley when he replaced a Kop managerial legend. If Liverpool continue on their current path, it will be Joe Fagan and Sir Kenny Dalglish whose names will be casually dropped alongside that of their Dutch coach. Unlike Bill Shankly and Jurgen Klopp, Fagan and Dalglish were English champions at the end of their first season as Liverpool’s manager. Slot will be the first to remind the world that he is not yet halfway to his target but his side is going to take some stopping and for the first time this season the Kop was singing about winning the league. They recovered from an early scare against Leicester City to stamp their authority on a league table which throws the gauntlet at the feet of Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca. Surely only they can stop Liverpool now given the curious absence of Manchester City from this year’s title race, the champions now an extraordinary 14 points adrift having played a game more. Jordan Ayew gave hope to the relegation threatened Leicester fans – and those praying for a Liverpool slip – with a sixth minute opening goal. But once Cody Gakpo fired in the equaliser just before half-time, the full Liverpool recovery was inevitable as Curtis Jones and the customary Mohamed Salah goal secured victory. Those packed inside Anfield have seen this show before. One could be forgiven for thinking Liverpool giving themselves a few problems to solve is scripted, so often does it happen. The Premier League's top scorer does it again! MO SALAH 🎯👑 — Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) Liverpool are also partial to a bit of fox-hunting on December 26. The last time Liverpool played Leicester City on Boxing Day was in the middle of their dash to the 2020 Premier League. Jurgen Klopp considered it a statement performance, reflected upon as the day he knew he would told the championship crown. Only a pandemic got in his club’s way that year. This time, the Kop supporters were bouncing into Anfield with another bout of title fever. Chelsea’s defeat to Fulham hours earlier was bound to increase the volume and intensity levels as the leaders embarked on their bid to consolidate a healthy lead. Leicester were supposed to be fodder. The strange results across this Premier League season ought to have taught the complacent that nothing is taken for granted Ruud van Nistelrooy was a title rival of Slot during their Eredivisie days so it was no surprise he arrived on Merseyside with a gameplan to try to put the brakes on the juggernaut. The hazy conditions offered an assist, too. It is not easy to go 100 mph in thick fog. Van Nistelrooy demonstrated his ruthless and pragmatic side to make it more complicated. Ex-Liverpool keeper Danny Ward did not even make the bench after being made scapegoat for the 3-0 defeat to Wolves last weekend. That brought in Pole Jakub Stolarczyk for his Premier League debut. Within a minute, he must have considered it a mixed blessing, his double save to deny Salah and Jones readying him for a busy evening. What followed was the completion of Leicester’s transformation from a side following the Pep Guardiola template under Enzo Maresca to one intent of replicating the darker arts of Jose Mourinho. This was an attempt at ‘parking the bus’ at its most extreme, Conor Coady and Jannik Vestergaard leading the retreat into the six yard box and urging midfielders to prevent Alexander-Arnold the time and space to deliver perfect crosses. And yet there was an attacking method too, even if the sixth minute opening goal stunned the visiting supporters as much as those tuning in. Bilal El Khannouss sent Stephy Mavididi down Liverpool’s right and with his back to goal, Ayew turned and beat Alisson. FOX IN THE BOX! Jordan Ayew's 50th goal in English club football has LEADING at Anfield! 😮 — Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) “We’re winning away,” was the chant from the away end, underlining their state of disbelief. Liverpool’s unhealthy habit of starting slowly had continued, even if this remained the rarest of counter-attacks as the momentum shifted towards Stolarczyk for the rest of the half. Leicester’s defending was a curious combination of the choreographed, courageous and yet slightly unconvincing as ricochets and deflections dropped in their favour. Andy Robertson headed against the post and Salah struck the crossbar with a clipped effort, at which stage it felt a matter of time before the equaliser followed. In first half injury-time, Gakpo completed his signature move, cutting in from the left to pick out the top corner with his right foot. The slow-mo of Cody Gakpo's strike... 😍 — Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) Leicester were relieved there was no time for the hosts to build on their momentum before the break. Slot’s side - just like Klopp’s – are specialists in blitzes. They would have to start again in the second half, with their Dutch coach’s knack of identifying tactical problems to ensure his side improved on show again. So Leicester’s half-time reprieve was brief. Four minutes into the second half, Jones tapped in Alexis Mac Allister’s cross and a semblance of order appeared to be restored. For the first time in the game, are ahead! The league leaders are in front thanks to Curtis Jones' first-time effort 🔴🙌 — Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) The familiarity extended to VAR taking an age to determine the legitimacy of ‘goals’ - Jones was grateful to get the green light for his, but Gakpo was denied his second after a deliberation which at one stage looked like it would welcome in the new year. Liverpool knew a third would end Leicester’s resistance. Nunez was close just as Stolarcyzk kept rewarding his manager’s faith. Van Nistelrooy also hoped that the pace of Paton Daka would cause panic in the home defence. The striker, recalled for the ill Jamie Vardy, miskicked in front of Alisson when an equaliser beckoned. In Slot’s favour was the strongest substitutes bench since his arrival, with more of his senior stars back to full fitness. It felt like a matter of time before Jota received the call and he was summoned with Dominik Szoboszlai to get Liverpool over the line. It was a tribute to Leicester’s performance that the game was still in the balance as Jones and Nunez were replaced, but as Salah swept in the third Van Nistelrooy’s dreams of the shock result of the season seemed a distant memory. 10:12 PM GMT Mo Salah’s reaction It’s a good result. They were very good and made it quite hard for us in the first half especially. [Cody Gakpo] scored a great goal just before half-time which gave us the confidence to win the game. [On scoring his 100th home goal in the Premier League, 98 for Liverpool and two for Chelsea] It’s something I’m very proud of. I’ll keep working hard and hopefully I can go a bit further. [On his form] The most important thing for me is the team. Hopefully we can win the Premier League and I can have a big impact; that’s great for me. We need to stay humble. Hopefully we don’t get too many injuries and we can win it. I really want to win the Premier League this year. 10:08 PM GMT The top of the Premier League table P17 Pts 42 P18 Pts 35 P18 Pts 34 P17 Pts 33 P18 Pts 29 09:58 PM GMT FT: Liverpool 3 Leicester 1 Liverpool move seven points clear at the top, and nine ahead of their main challengers Arsenal, with an impressive comeback at Anfield. Jordan Ayew’s early goal made the first half a bit of a struggle for Liverpool, but they held their nerve and were rewarded with goals either side of half-time from Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones. Mo Salah finished things off with his obligatory goal. 09:54 PM GMT 90+5 min: Liverpool 3 Leicester 1 Caleb Okoli on for Conor Coady. 09:53 PM GMT 90+4 min: Liverpool 3 Leicester 1 The third goal has allowed Liverpool to relax and pass te ball around with a bit of a swagger. In hindsight, Leicester did well to keep the game alive for as long as they did. 🎯 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) 09:50 PM GMT 90+2 min: Liverpool 3 Leicester 1 Alexis Mac Allister gives way to Harvey Elliott. 09:49 PM GMT 90+1 min: Liverpool 3 Leicester 1 All those VAR checks mean there will be . 09:46 PM GMT 87 min: Liverpool 3 Leicester 1 Liverpool bring on Wataru Endo and Kostas Tsimikas for Ryan Gravenberch and Andy Robertson. Leicester replace Stephy Mavididi with Bobby De Cordova-Reid. 09:42 PM GMT Goal! That’ll do. Mo Salah cuts inside from the right, uses Kristiansen as a screen and guides a lovely curling shot into the far corner. That’s such a classy goal, one that puts Liverpool seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. 09:39 PM GMT 80 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 The substitute Szoboszlai is booked, which means he’ll miss the trip to West Ham on Sunday. 09:38 PM GMT 79 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Salah is put through on the right side of the area and pokes a shot too close to Stolarczyk, who holds on. In the circumstances he’s had a really impressive Premier League debut. 09:36 PM GMT 78 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Diogo Jota and Dominik Szoboszlai replace Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones. 09:36 PM GMT 76 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Aside from that one moment when Daka should have equalised, Liverpool have controlled the second half superbly. I can barely remember Leicester crossing the halfway line. 09:31 PM GMT 72 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 A deep cross from the left was volleyed back across goal by Salah towards the offside Nunez. I’m not sure whether he touched the ball, but he moved towards it so that’s enough for him to be considered active. It was then half cleared to Gakpo, who rammed it into the net. – 68' The referee's call of no goal was checked and confirmed by the VAR as Nunez was in an offside position in the build-up. — Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) 09:27 PM GMT 68 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Gakpo smashes a loose ball through a defender on the line, but the offside flag goes up against Salah in the build-up. This is pretty close - I think it might be onside. 09:26 PM GMT 67 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Robertson’s fierce cross is palmed away by Stolarczyk with Nunez waiting behind him for some hot open-goal action. Liverpool are well on top, though that Daka chance is a reminder that the game isn’t won yet. 09:23 PM GMT 64 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Oliver Skipp and Facundo Buonanotte replace Harry Winks and Bilal El Khannouss. 09:22 PM GMT 62 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 A lovely counter-attack from Liverpool. Robertson pings a long pass out to Salah on the right. He feeds it into the area for Nunez, whose fierce first-time shot is well saved at the near post by Stolarczyk. 09:20 PM GMT 61 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Out of nothing, Leicester create a terrific opportunity to equalise. Mavididi collected a crossfield pass on the left and crossed early towards Daka, who made a good run to lose his man but then miskicked horribly eight yards from goal. 09:17 PM GMT 58 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 The surging Gakpo is brazenly taken out by Vestergaard, who accepts his booking without complaint. Robertson was also booked, possibly for asking for a yellow card. 09:14 PM GMT 55 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 Even at 2-1 it feels like a long way back for Leicester, who aren’t carrying the same threat on the counter-attack that they did for much of the first half. 09:11 PM GMT 52 min: Liverpool 2 Leicester 1 It took a while to check the various phases of play but the goal stands. Jones took it well, adjusting his feet in a split-second to cushion a volley past Stolarczyk. 09:09 PM GMT Goal! Bang bang! Liverpool have scored either side of half-time to take the lead. Leicester couldn’t get out following the corner and were eventually made to pay. Salah played in the overlapping Mac Allister, whose fast cross was finished deftly from close range by Jones. There’s a for offside. 09:07 PM GMT 49 min: Liverpool 1 Leicester 1 A half-cleared corner is met by Alexander-Arnold, whose left-footed drive deflects behind for another corner. Robertson takes, it’s headed clear. 09:05 PM GMT 46 min: Liverpool 1 Leicester 1 Back under way at Anfield. 09:04 PM GMT Time for DJ? Leicester will take a small consolation the equaliser was on the stroke of half-time because they’d have been hanging on to get in level. Not for the first time this season, Slot will be looking for tactical tweaks at half-time. One suspects two answers to his problems breaking down Leicester’s defence will be Diaz and Jota. 08:49 PM GMT HT: Liverpool 1 Leicester 1 Lively stuff at Anfield. Jordan Ayew poked the bear by giving Leicester an early lead, and they almost made it to half-time unscathed. Almost: Cody Gakpo curled a superb equaliser in added time, and you’d expect Liverpool to do the necessary from here. 08:47 PM GMT Goal! Cody Gakpo equalises with a beauty. He cut inside from the left, moved away from Justin and whipped a spectacular curling shot into the far corner. Stolarczyk had no chance. 08:46 PM GMT 45 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Liverpool almost equalise on the break. The first attack was thwarted but Alexander-Arnold reversed a clever pass to Salah on the right side of the area. He took a touch and hit a trademark curler across goal that beat Stolarczyk and clattered off the bar. 08:45 PM GMT 44 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Robertson’s overhit free-kick goes straight out of play. Liverpool haven’t been great in the last six or seven minutes. 08:42 PM GMT 40 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 For once, Alexander-Arnold’s right foot lets him down when he smashes a long-range shot towards air traffic control. 08:37 PM GMT 37 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Gomez trips Daka and is booked, although he’s not impressed with either the free-kick or the yellow card. 08:37 PM GMT 36 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Jones’ deep cross is headed dangerously back across goal by Nunez and volleyed away by the off balance El Khannouss. Excellent defending. But it does feel like a goal is coming. 08:32 PM GMT 32 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Gakpo clips another dangerous cross towards Salah beyond the far post. The angle is very tight and Salah can’t control a flicked volley with the outside of his left foot; it flies back across goal and is eventually put behind for a corner. 08:31 PM GMT 30 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 It’s so far, so good for van Nistelrooy’s strategy here... but the Leicester players still look like they’re learning on the job when it comes to a rearguard action. The pressure is intensifying. 08:30 PM GMT 28 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 This is Liverpool’s best spell of the game, so Leicester will be grateful for a break in play when Daka is caught by Van Dijk. I didn’t realise, by the way, that Ayew’s shot took a slight but important deflection off Van Dijk before beating Alisson. It’s still Ayew’s goal as the original shot was on target. 08:26 PM GMT 25 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Alexander-Arnold’s corner from the left is cleared back out to him. He clips a cross towards Robertson’s, whose looping header across goal hits the inside of the post and is smuggled away by Stolarczyk. 08:25 PM GMT 24 min: LIverpool 0 Leicester 1 Salah pokes a right-foot shot from the edge of the area that deflects off Kristiansen and loops onto the roof of the net. Stolarczyk looked nervously over his shoulder as the ball dropped towards goal. 08:24 PM GMT 23 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Robertson curls a stunning pass over the top to Gakpo, who controls it well on the stretch but then gets in a tangle and misses his attempted shot. Actually, replays show Gakpo was offside so it wouldn’t have counted anyway. Moments later he wallops not far over the top from the edge of the area. 08:21 PM GMT 21 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 A real chance for Leicester on the break. Mavididi has a relatively simple through pass to Daka but overhits it fractionally and the ball runs through to Alisson. 08:20 PM GMT 19 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 The fog is getting worse again, so much so that at times it’s hard to make out what’s going on. Leicester are definitely 1-0 up, though, and playing pretty well. 08:16 PM GMT 16 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Liverpool try something funky at a corner, with nobody in the six-yard box and five players beyond the far post. They all surge into the six-yard box as Alexander-Arnold prepares to take the kick, but nothing comes of it on this occasion. 08:14 PM GMT 13 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Robertson’s cross is headed across goal and wide by Nunez, who wasn’t able to get over the ball. 08:11 PM GMT 11 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 Leicester started off deeper than a Friedrich Nietzsche philosophy lecture. On first impression their defenders did not look entirely comfortable after escaping the early Salah chance. But Jordan Ayew’s goal will give them plenty to fight for now. Liverpool continue to start slowly at Anfield for some reason. 08:10 PM GMT 10 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 1 James Justin is first to Ayew’s corner but his flicked header is blocked. In fact replays show it hit the outstretched hand of Gakpo, but he was barely a yard away from Justin so there’s no suggestion of a penalty. 08:06 PM GMT Goal! Erm, that wasn’t in the script. Mavididi breaks down the left and drags a low cross towards Ayew at the near post. He resists the challenge of Robertson, turns on a sixpence and reverses a precise shot past Alisson. Blimey. 08:06 PM GMT 4 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 0 They’ve tested him now. Gakpo’s deep, driven cross is volleyed towards goal by Salah and blocked at the near post by Stolarczyk. The ball runs loose to Jones, who has it taken off his toes by the scrambling Stolarczyk. He’ll feel a whole lot beter after that. 08:03 PM GMT 2 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 0 The fog has cleared slightly, according to the Amazon commentator Jon Champion, though it is still pretty heavy. Liverpool have started on the front foot, as you’d expect, though they’re yet to test Leicester’s debutant goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk. 08:01 PM GMT 1 min: Liverpool 0 Leicester 0 Liverpool kick off from left to right as we watch. 07:51 PM GMT Ten minutes to kick off Let’s have a quick reminder of the teams. Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch; Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo. Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Chiesa, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Quansah. Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; Ayew, El Khannous, Mavididi; Daka. Subs: Iversen, Okoli, De Cordova-Reid, Choudhury, Skipp, Edouard, Thomas, Alves, Buonanotte. Darren Bond (Lancashire) 07:50 PM GMT A big night for Liverpool’s agent of chaos 🇺🇾💫 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) 07:41 PM GMT No Anfield return for Danny Ward In a different era - and if his profile was worthy of it - Leicester keeper Danny Ward’s face would be in every newspaper alongside the brutal headline: AXED. Ex-Liverpool keeper Ward does not even make the bench after being made the scapegoat for the 3-0 defeat to Wolves last weekend. Ruud van Nistelrooy is showing his ruthless side. Leicester hoped the relegation fight would be transformed by a new manager bounce. It has, but unfortunately for them it looks like Wolves’ Vitor Pereira is having more impact than their new Dutch appointment. Leicester arrive at Anfield under severe pressure given Wolves win over Manchester United, the bottom three giving the impression the most recently promoted clubs are going back where they came from for a second successive season. Unless United get dragged into the relegation fight, of course... 07:39 PM GMT Liverpool aim to go seven points clear Playing after your rival can sometimes feel like a disadvantage in the title race... but not when your closest challengers lose at home. The enthusiasm for this evening’s match in Anfield’s hostelries will have become greater after Chelsea’s late collapse to Fulham. Liverpool have an opportunity to extend their lead to seven points with a game in hand. Worryingly for everyone else, Arne Slot’s squad is stronger now than at any point this season, his bench this evening full of first-teamers. 07:29 PM GMT No danger of postponement despite heavy fog Such is the heavy fog at Anfield, Liverpool issued a statement earlier today reassuring spectators (and presumably Prime TV subscribers) the game was in no danger of postponement. It remains hazy, however, putting older supporters in mind of a famous Anfield match in the 1978 Super Cup Final against Anderlecht. Liverpool were victorious but visibility did not stretch from one goal to the other, prompting the Kop to sing, ‘What’s the score?’ to the opposite side of the stadium. The mist does not look so bad this evening, thankfully. 07:23 PM GMT Van Nistelrooy on the challenge of facing Liverpool at Anfield It’s clear who the dominant force are in this game. I know how Arne wants to make his teams play. He’s got it right straight away. They are the dominant force also in the Champions League. The streak is remarkable. We have to be very compact, we have to be ready to know what we’re facing. We have to be ready to play, too. It will be a great task but it’s a great chance to develop in all areas in the game, and that will help us towards the finish line. 07:14 PM GMT This is not Slot’s first meeting with former PSV manager Van Nistelrooy “I was expecting you to tell the people over here that I lost once and drew once, but you made it positive saying we won the league title, which was true,” said Slot when his title win was highlighted. “Cody Gakpo was in his team, so I am happy he is in my team now when we face Ruud because Cody scored (in a 4-3 victory). “Ruud is a very nice person first of all. I met him once or twice and he did really well when he was at PSV because PSV for the last one-and-a-half years they have been on top of the league table. “But if you look at the second half of Ruud’s season, they didn’t even lose any more at all. “After he left they started buying a few more players than they did when he was working there but he still showed he can compete for the title. “He did well at United as well and I am looking forward to seeing him, especially if we win.” 06:56 PM GMT Leicester team and subs: Coady starts at Anfield, no Vardy in squad Our Anfield XI 🖇️ — Leicester City (@LCFC) 06:55 PM GMT Liverpool team and subs: Jones preferred to Szoboszlai in midfield How we line up to face Leicester City 👊🔴 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) 04:37 PM GMT Think the title is Liverpool’s to lose? Think again... Liverpool’s coach has not just answered every question put to him since replacing Klopp, he has delivered impressive responses worthy of a PhD graduate. There is no reason to assume the Dutch coach will change his demeanour or approach when the pressure cranks up. He has also been in this situation before as a title winner with Feyenoord. Nevertheless, leading a club of Liverpool’s stature in the final weeks of a title race when excitement reaches fever pitch and hysteria kicks in as the finishing line comes into view will be a different experience. Klopp never had the chance to win the league in front of a full Anfield. Barring a series of unfortunate events – mainly injuries – Liverpool are sure to be in contention for the rest of this season. How the players and their coach handle the expectation of being title favourites will help determine if the Christmas No 1 is still top in May. 04:34 PM GMT Good evening Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, minute-by-minute coverage of Liverpool v Leicester at Anfield. Fans of title-challenging teams love a precedent, and Liverpool have a belter to call on: on Boxing Day 2019, they smashed a very good Leicester side 4-0 at the King Power Stadium to move closer to a first league title since 1990. They are odds-on favourites to win their 20th title after an increasingly spectacular start under Arne Slot. Their most recent performance, the 6-3 win at Spurs on Sunday, was their best yet, and a win tonight would move them xx points clear with a game in hand. Slot will again come up against Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was PSV Eindhoven manager when Slot’s Feyenoord won the Eredivisie title in 2022-23. “I was expecting you to tell the people over here that I lost once and drew once, but you made it positive saying we won the league title, which was true,” said Slot. “Cody Gakpo was in his team, so I am happy he is in my team now when we face Ruud because Cody scored. “Ruud is a very nice person first of all. I met him once or twice and he did really well when he was at PSV because PSV for the last one-and-a-half years they have been on top of the league table. But if you look at the second half of Ruud’s season, they didn’t even lose any more at all. “After he left they started buying a few more players than they did when he was working there but he still showed he can compete for the title. He did well at United as well and I am looking forward to seeing him, especially if we win.” On current form, you’d be a maverick to bet against it. 8pm. The highlights from a special Boxing Day win in 2019 🎬🔴 — Liverpool FC (@LFC)Shares of Toast ( TOST -3.74% ) have had an unbelievable year. As of this writing, they have skyrocketed 110% just in 2024 (as of Dec. 11). That gain outperforms the Nasdaq Composite index . However, this growth stock still trades 41% below its peak, which might be compelling for investors looking to buy the dip. Before you do that, here are three things you need to know about Toast. 1. Its target market Toast is a hardware and software company that caters specifically to the needs of the restaurant industry. For example, it offers point-of-sale devices to help accept payment methods. Its suite of services also includes marketing tools, employee management, omnichannel capabilities, loyalty programs, and loans. Investors can view the company's offerings as being the operating system of a restaurant. One obvious downside of serving restaurants is how sensitive that market is to macro forces. If there are recessionary fears and consumer confidence takes a hit, money spent by households on eating out is an easy thing to cut. Add this to a high failure rate in the industry, and it's not exactly the best backdrop for a company like Toast. In the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, the company generated $1.3 billion in revenue, of which 14% consisted of subscription services. Investors want to see this figure go up because it's an extremely high-margin source of sales for the business. 2. Switching costs In order to be a successful long-term investor, I think finding businesses that possess an economic moat is a key part of the equation. These high-quality companies have certain traits that allow them to defend their industry positions against existing rivals, as well as new entrants. With that backdrop, I believe it's clear that Toast is building an economic moat of its own. Software enterprises, particularly those that have become crucial to their customers' daily lives, benefit from switching costs . This could also apply to the banking sector. Imagine if you had to change your credit cards, bank accounts, and brokerage to another financial institution. Think about the headache that would cause. Toast is likely benefiting from its own switching costs. Management doesn't provide data on churn, but it's a good sign that the customer base keeps expanding. Moreover, some customers are using more and more services over time and as their needs evolve, a clear indication of how entrenched Toast is becoming. Put yourself in the shoes of a restaurant owner or manager. Once a specific location's employees are trained on Toast's products and services, and those tools become fully integrated and work seamlessly, it's difficult to change this setup. The risk is that you cause operational disruptions. As long as Toast continues to provide a fantastic user experience, it will keep existing customers happy and be able to bring on new ones. Toast is also developing brand strength. Management points out that 75% of its customers come from inbound marketing channels, and a notable 20% come from referrals. 3. Growth potential As an earlier-stage enterprise, Toast has exhibited noteworthy growth. Revenue in the third quarter was 168% higher than in the same period three years ago. Wall Street consensus estimates see the top line expanding 89% between 2023 and 2026, still a robust pace. Key to the company's strategy is to bring on more customers at a rapid clip. Toast currently has 127,000 different restaurant locations on its roster, after adding 7,000 in the last quarter. But management sees huge opportunities both in the U.S. and internationally. Domestically, there are 875,000 restaurants in total. And outside the U.S., that figure balloons to about 14 million (excluding China). And restaurants are expected to spend $55 billion in the U.S. just on technology this year. That environment indicates that Toast still has lots of runway ahead of it. If you are looking to buy the stock, now you know more about Toast's customer value proposition, its switching costs, and the company's growth potential.
In a significant milestone for the national automobile trade-in subsidy program, the total number of applications for the subsidy has exceeded 5 million. This milestone highlights the success and popularity of the program, which was launched to encourage car owners to trade in their old vehicles for new, more eco-friendly models.
The decision to cut jobs comes as Boeing continues to grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on its business. The aerospace industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, with travel restrictions and reduced demand for air travel leading to a sharp decline in aircraft orders. Boeing, which has already been facing challenges with its 737 MAX aircraft program, has been forced to make difficult decisions to stay competitive and ensure its long-term viability.As the star of "Too Many Admirers," you will be tasked with navigating the complexities of dating in the modern world. From heartfelt confessions to shocking betrayals, every interaction will have real consequences that will test your intuition and emotional intelligence. Will you follow your heart or your head? Will you prioritize passion or stability? The choices are yours to make, and the stakes have never been higher.Broadcom soared to its biggest single-day gain on record Friday after the chipmaker beat Wall Street's fourth-quarter profit target and predicted a strong start to 2025, fueled by demand for artificial intelligence. Broadcom earned $1.42 per share in the period, just slightly better than the $1.39 per share analysts forecast. In 2024, California-based Broadcom's revenue jumped 44% to a record $51.6 billion, boosted in part by its integration of VMware, the cloud technology company it bought a year ago. Another big factor in those soaring sales was AI revenue, which more than tripled from a year ago to $12.2 billion. For the first quarter of 2025, Broadcom is forecasting sales of $14.6 billion, which would be a 22% year-over-year increase. Broadcom also raised its quarterly dividend by 11% to 59 cents per share.
In recent years, China has witnessed a booming trend in online consumption, driven by the rapid development of e-commerce platforms and efficient logistics networks. The E-commerce Logistics Index has become an important indicator to measure the level of development in this sector and reflects the potential for further growth in online retail. In this article, we will delve into the significance of the E-commerce Logistics Index in China and how it signifies the continuous release of online consumption potential.
One of the key features that sets Exa apart is its ability to organize search results into categories, making it easier for users to find the information they are looking for quickly. By categorizing search results based on topics, relevance, and user preferences, Exa transforms the chaotic nature of the internet into a structured and organized database that users can navigate with ease.
SoundHound: AI’s Next Big Leap? Buckle Up for 2025Beirut: Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria gained speed on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital Damascus and with the government forced to deny rumours that President Bashar al-Assad had fled the country. The lightning rebel advance suggests that Assad’s government could fall within the next week, US and other Western officials said. A giant portrait of Syrian president Bashar Assad sets on a building, as empty streets seen in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday. Credit: AP Since the rebels’ sweep into Aleppo a week ago, government defences have crumbled at a dizzying speed as insurgents seized a string of major cities and rose up in places where the rebellion had long seemed over. The twin threats to the strategically vital city of Homs and the capital, Damascus, now pose an existential danger to the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign over Syria and the continued influence there of its main regional backer, Iran. The rebels’ moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of the southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only four of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Homs, Latakia and Tartus. People arrive at the Jordanian side of the border as others wait in their cars, after a ban on crossings into Syria, on December 7, 2024 in Jaber, Jordan. Credit: Getty Images The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition”. Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people”. In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told the Associated Press, and those still open had run out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle [in Damascus] or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018 when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a years-long siege. The UN said it was moving non-critical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: Backed by Russia and Iran – both of which are bogged down in separate conflicts. Credit: Saudi Press Agency/AP Assad rumours Syria’s state media denied social media rumours that President Assad had left the country, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus. Assad has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the US should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a UN resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with UN-supervised elections. A Syrian opposition fighter holds a rocket launcher in front of the provincial government office. Credit: AP Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit on Saturday to discuss the situation. No details were immediately available. The insurgents’ march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. An insurgent commander, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaeda, ditching hardline officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani. Credit: Al Jazeera Syria’s military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began on November 27, during which rebel fighters captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city. Opposition activists said insurgents entered Palmyra on Friday, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites, that had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra, including the main Baath City, activists said. The Syrian Observatory said government troops had withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and were sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle loomed. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The Syrian Army said in a statement that it had carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists”. The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area”, apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticised Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there was a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter ."Manchester United is a club with a rich history and tradition of success. It is important for the team to have players who are fully committed and capable of delivering consistently on the pitch. 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India will play their matches at next year’s Champions Trophy at a neutral venue, the International Cricket Council has announced. The eight-team tournament in February and March is being held in Pakistan, who said earlier this month that India had told the ICC the team would not travel to the country to play in the event. Political tensions mean the two countries have not faced each other outside of men’s major tournaments since 2013, while India have not played in Pakistan since 2008. The 50-over Champions Trophy will be the first time Pakistan has hosted a global event since 1996. An ICC statement said “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events during the 2024-27 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue”. This includes the upcoming men’s Champions Trophy as well as next year’s women’s World Cup in India and the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan will also host the women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, when neutral venue arrangements will also apply. The countries taking part in the Champions Trophy in addition to hosts Pakistan are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa. The ICC said the schedule for the tournament would be confirmed soon.EU Launches Investigation into Google Over Alleged Secret Ad Deal with Meta