U.S. exports of ethane and ethane-based petrochemicals reached an all-time high of 21.6 million metric tons (MMmt) in 2023, up 135% since the United States began exporting ethane in 2014 and 17% more than in 2022, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The rapid expansion of U.S. ethane and ethane-based petrochemical exports has been fueled by the growth in domestic ethane production, which has increased with the country's natural gas production and the buildout of export and production infrastructure.

Average U.S. nuclear capacity outages during the summer of 2024 (June 1 through August 31) decreased to about 2.6 gigawatts (GW) per day from 3.1 GW in 2023, similar to average summer daily outages in 2022. Outages this past summer were highest in mid-July and early August, averaging 3.1 GW per day and peaking at 5.7 GW on the last day of August. More recently, nuclear outages have exceeded the five-year average because of weather-related disruptions and refueling outages.

Huge consolidation is afoot in the world of gaming. Today Take-Two Interactive announced a plan to acquire mobile games giant Zynga, in a deal valued at $9.86 per share — $3.50 in cash and the remaining $6.36 in shares of Take-Two common stock. Zynga’s enterprise value in the deal works out to $12.7 billion. The […]

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Hello friends and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.

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Take-Two has completed its $12.7 billion acquisition of mobile games giant Zynga, the company announced on Monday. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Zynga shareholders received $3.50 in cash and 0.0406 shares of Take-Two common stock per share of Zynga common stock. The deal, which was first announced in January, will bring Zynga’s popular […]

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Apple’s Vision Pro hasn’t exactly reshaped the market, but the company isn’t giving up on headsets that combine the digital and real worlds. A new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple’s next big mixed reality release could come as early as next year, with the launch of a Vision headset costing around $2,000 […]

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A federal jury ruled Friday that Masimo smartwatches infringed Apple patents, but Apple isn’t getting a big payday. Bloomberg Law reports that the company was only seeking the statutory minimum of $250, and that’s all it was awarded. Apple’s attorney John Desmarais reportedly told jurors, “We’re not here for the money.” Instead, he said the […]

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The time has finally come to announce the five finalists of the Startup Battlefield. It all started earlier this year when the TechCrunch editorial team selected 200 companies from thousands that applied. From there, the team then chose the 20 finalists who pitched this week onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 to investor judges and packed […]

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Over the last three days, 20 startups participated in the incredibly competitive Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt. These 20 companies were selected as the best of the Startup Battlefield 200 and competed for a chance to take home the Startup Battlefield Cup and $100,000. After three days of intense pitching, we have a winner. The […]

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UNest, a fintech startup that provides financial planning tools for parents saving on behalf of their children, announced today that it raised $26 million in Series B funding led by The Artemis Fund. Existing investor Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures participated alongside new investors including Franklin Templeton, Launchpad Capital, AltaIR Capital, OneWay Ventures, Unlock Venture Partners […]

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In 2010, Bastian Gotter invested up to $200,000 into IROKOtv, an African video-on-demand company Jason Njoku, his friend and co-founder, launched in Lagos, Nigeria. For the next couple of years, Gotter, as CFO, was instrumental in turning IROKO — after raising over $30 million from VCs, including Tiger Global — into a household name in […]

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We’re T-minus 24 hours until the TechCrunch Disrupt early bird flies south and takes up to $1,300 in savings with it. If you’re serious about realizing your startup dreams, you need to be kind to your bottom line. Disrupt is packed with many long-tail opportunities, but this one ends in just 24 hours. Buy your […]

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Here’s an exciting reprieve for time-strapped or procrastination-prone early-stage startup founders. We’re extending the application deadline for the Startup Battlefield 200! Take your shot at joining this elite group for a new and awesome opportunity at TechCrunch Disrupt. It’s positively packed with perks and possibilities. Don’t delay: Apply to the Startup Battlefield 200 by August […]

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Building a successful startup requires an enormous amount of talent, hard work, money and, frankly, a bit of luck. Translation: You need to grab hold of every opportunity you can to make it happen. Well, heads up, early-stage founders. Your opportunity to join our inaugural cohort — the Startup Battlefield 200 — ends tomorrow. Don’t […]

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Time is running out on one of the biggest opportunities in Disrupt history. We stop accepting applications to the Startup Battlefield 200 tonight, August 5, at precisely 11:59 p.m. PDT. No more deadline extensions, no last-minute exceptions. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Lollygagger alert: Drop what you’re doing and go apply to the Startup Battlefield 200 right […]

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Yahoo is taking a nearly 25% stake in advertising network Taboola. In exchange for this move, Taboola is becoming Yahoo’s native advertising partner through a 30-year commercial agreement. If you’re not familiar with Taboola, you may have seen its content recommendation widgets on popular news websites, such as USA Today, Insider and The Weather Channel. […]

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Yahoo is laying off 20% of its staff, impacting 1,600 employees in its ad tech business. Yahoo is the parent company to TechCrunch. Employees were notified on Thursday that 12% of the company (1,000 employees) would be laid off before the end of the day. In six months, another 8% — or 600 people — […]

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Weezy — an on-demand supermarket that delivers groceries in as fast as 15 minutes — has raised $20 million in a Series A funding led by New York-based venture capital fund Left Lane Capital. Also participating were U.K.-based fund DN Capital, earlier investors Heartcore Capital and angel investors, notably Chris Muhr, the Groupon founder. Although […]

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E-commerce roll-up companies are big in the United States, and Wonder Brands wants to be that for Latin America.

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After three years in development, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) has released a set of standards that are game-changing for shareholders and the profession, says PwC.

CEOs are more optimistic about growth than international counterparts, despite concerns about over-regulation and the Government's response to Australia's fiscal deficit, according to a PwC report launched today.

For members of Australia's start up community, Adelaide is fast growing the reputation of a national entrepreneurial hub.

The sale of New South Wales' and Queensland's utility assets will be among the most eagerly anticipated power deals globally in 2015, according to a PwC report released today.

Australia must focus on transitioning out of the mining economy or face falling out of the G20.

If we continue to ignore the rising economic success of our Asian neighbours we will lose our place as a G20 economy by 2030.

On Friday 28 February at 4.30am Sydney time, PwC will host its second global forum to students around the world.

The Federal Government's decision to be a part of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a bold move which encourages long term investment in a growing region which will benefit Australia.

The key to Japan's economic future lies in growing it's engagement with the countries on its doorstep, according to a PwC report released today.

Early reports of what is in next Tuesday’s Federal Budget indicate “more carrot and less stick” to help lift productivity and tighten the fiscal gap.

The pace and scale of disruption in the power and utilities sector is happening faster than expected.

Young leaders from Australia and China are working together to provide creative solutions to issues facing both countries as part of the China Australia Millennial Project (CAMP).

The needs of all Australians - affordable housing, a secure job, a decent education for their children, a good health system and a comfortable retirement - will not be met if we don't achieve major tax reform.

The global mining industry's fight for value and free cash flow has descended into a brawl, after 2014 saw the world's 40 largest miners ramp up production, slash capital spending, and rein in costs.

The Abbott Government's tough negotiations in an effort to seal an Indian Free Trade Agreement (FTA) next year should see 70 per cent of Australia's two-way trade covered by a free trade agreement.

PwC Australia has appointed David Smorgon OAM as the Executive Chairman of its Family, Business & Wealth practice in Private Clients.

Unique granular modelling of over 2,000 locations across Australia uncover how fragmented and concentrated our economy is.

PwC today announced their new partners from 1 July 2015. A total of 64 individuals will be admitted to the partnership across all of the firm's businesses and most of its geographies.

Australia jumped five places to 15th in OECD rankings for employment of mature age workers.

Two young Australian innovators are ready to take their ventures to the next level after sharing in $20,000 in seed funding from PwC during a live pitching event held by the Foundation for Young Australians.

PwC Australia today announced its full year results to 30 June 2015 with revenue growth of 10.1% to $1.73b, supported by another year of strong profit growth.

The eyesight of more than 32,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would be saved if the Government invested just $227 million over 10 years, a new report has found.

A new PwC survey has found that 70 per cent of major Australian companies are planning to enter new joint ventures or strategic alliances to drive growth from the Chinese market.

Regulation, compliance, and price pressure are slowing access to potentially life-saving new medicines, and undermining industry confidence in the current listing process.

Australia will need to nearly double its historic rate of decarbonisation, if it is to meet its goal of a 26 percent decrease in carbon emissions.

The economic impact of obesity will reach $87.7 billion and affect one-third of Australians by 2025 based on current trends and without further intervention.

Australia lags behind the world's best corporate performers in all ten indicators of digital intelligence needed to drive financial performance.

PwC partner and financial services leader Julie Coates said the Federal Government's response to the Financial System Inquiry Report was encouraging.

The number of detected cyber security incidents in Australia was the highest worldwide in the last 12 months with an increase of 109 percent, compared to a 38.5 percent increase globally.

With record low margins and stubborn expense to income ratios, the major banks must quickly seize the opportunity of the technology revolution or fail to keep pace with expectations.

PwC Australia is pleased to announce it was selected by The Workplace Gender Equality Agency WGEA as one of 90 organisations in Australia as an Employer of Choice in 2015.