Reported by TechRadar 6 minutes ago.

With new privacy laws due to roll out around Europe next month, WhatsApp has increase its minimum age from 13 to 16. The Facebook-owned messaging tool has made the change in order to comply with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) which comes into force on May 25. To continue to use WhatsApp, users must now confirm that they are at least 16 years old and agree to the privacy policy and terms of services of the newly-created WhatsApp Ireland Limited. See also: Facebook sneakily shifts data of 1.5 billion users away from Europe and GDPR Privacy: Facebook will roll out… [Continue Reading] Reported by betanews 13 minutes ago.

The current minimum age is 13 but that is about to change Reported by West Briton 5 minutes ago.

As Egypt reopens its doors to tourists, passengers who book now can save over $500 with Goway.

GLENDALE, Calif. (PRWEB) April 25, 2018

Goway Travel is offering savings of up to $553 per couple on its Classic Egypt vacation to travellers who book this month.

Classic Egypt is one of Goway’s most popular trips to Egypt. Lasting 9 days, it’s an easy round-trip from Cairo, and features 4 nights accommodation in the capital, plus a Nile cruise, some meals, domestic airfares, airport transfers, and extensive sightseeing. Destinations include Cairo, Giza, home of the mighty Pyramids, Luxor, and Aswan. The itinerary is ideal for those who wish to see the highlights in limited time, or those simply wanting to tick the best sights of Egypt off their bucket list.

Though Egypt has been back on the tourism radar for a little while now, crowds have been slow to return. While that’s not good news for the country’s tourism, it does create ideal conditions for travellers hoping to see ancient monuments, temples, and tombs, undistracted by a hundred other snapping cameras.

Departures eligible for this special are May 19, 2018, and September 8 and 22, 2018. Prices start at just $1399 per person. Passengers must book by April 30, 2018 to be eligible for this offer.

Since 1970, Goway has been providing unforgettable travel experiences to Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Central & South America, Idyllic Island destinations and Europe. Today Goway is recognized as one of North America's leading travel companies for individuals, families and groups to select exotic destinations around the globe. Goway has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Manila, and Sydney, Australia.

For reservations and information, visit http://www.goway.com, or call 1-800-387-8850. Reported by PRWeb 16 minutes ago.

Construction Equipment Rental Market Size By Product, Industry and Regional Analysis (U.S, Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 - 2024

Selbyville, Delaware, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Construction Equipment Rental Market is expected to cross USD 140 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Increasing residential & commercial construction projects globally are anticipated to drive the *construction equipment rental market*. Improving standards of living and increasing disposable income of people across the emerging economies have led to increased investments in malls & amusement parks, generating demand for the rental industry. Rising reconstruction activities in the U.S. followed by the aging infrastructures are propelling the need to replace it with sturdy structures is propelling the growth of around 3.5% CAGR in the U.S. construction equipment rental market growth. The demand for modernized structures has paved way for smart buildings & smart cities, compelling various regional governments to heavily invest in the infrastructure development.

*Request for a sample of this research report @ *https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/773

Large construction projects by various regional governments, such as Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai, South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China, Crossrail Project in the UK, and Rashtriya Rajmarg Zila Sanjoyokta Pariyojna in India, are expected to contribute to the construction equipment rental market growth. Owning heavy construction equipment leads to increased maintenance and ownership expenses. Businesses that have budgetary constraints prefer renting equipment since it helps them to reduce the overall project expenditure. In addition, renting equipment saves the hassle of transporting machinery to project sites. It also provides the flexibility of renting customized equipment for the suitable construction projects under consideration. Renting equipment cushions the company from unpredictable financial downturns in the industry. To reduce the overall project expenses, renting is considered as a profitable approach, contributing to the construction equipment rental market growth.

Global financial crisis and economic fluctuations are the key factors hampering the construction equipment rental market growth. Lack of skilled workforce to operate the machines coupled with the fluctuations in fuel price is expected to have a negative impact on the industry. Rental companies incur increased maintenance costs owing to the aging rental fleets, limiting the industry demand.

Browse key industry insights spread across 300 pages with 297 market data tables & 31 figures & charts from the report, *“Construction Equipment Rental Market Share & Forecast, 2018 - 2024”* in detail along with the table of contents:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/construction-equipment-rental-market

The earthmoving & road building equipment segment dominated the construction equipment rental market with a revenue share of over 65% in 2017 is continue grow due to the increasing large-scale construction projects globally. Rapid urbanization has led to the growth in the demand for such equipment in commercial and residential construction activities. Earthmoving equipment such as backhoes, loaders, and excavators find applications for residential and commercial construction works. Excavators are gaining popularity due to the increasing use of such equipment in the surface level and below-ground operations, surging their demand for construction & mining activities.

Europe construction equipment rental market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4.5% owing to the shifting trend among European construction companies to rent rather than purchasing equipment. Several countries in Europe including Russia, Spain, and Italy are recovering from the economic crisis, following which the construction sector is gaining stability across these regions. Countries including France and Spain are showing a steady growth due to the increasing number of construction projects in the region. The degree of penetration of rental companies is comparatively less in Germany owing to companies in the region still preferring to own machinery than renting. However, the presence of major companies, such as Loxam, trying to expand their market presence in Europe is expected to boost the construction equipment rental market growth.

*Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @* https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/773

The construction equipment rental market is highly competitive with the presence of key players such as Cramo PLC, Ashtead Group, Blueline Rental LLC, Nesco Rentals, Riwal, Herc Holdings, Caterpillar, Inc., Shanghai Hongxin Equipment Engineering Co., Ltd., Ahern Rentals, Inc., Loxam Group, and United Rentals. Companies are trying to incorporate the latest advanced technologies such as GPS, RFID, and telematics, into their construction equipment to offer enhanced rental solutions. Furthermore, rental operators are stressing on providing sophisticated on field and online certified training courses for the safety of operators.

*Browse Related Reports:*

*Aerial Work Platform (AWP) Rental Market Forecast, 2017 – 2024 *

AWP Rental Market size was valued at over USD 15 billion in 2016 and will grow at over 4% CAGR from 2017 to 2024. Increasing utilization of access platforms in infrastructure projects across the globe is anticipated to drive the AWP rental market growth. China mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) rental market is predicted to grow over the forecast timespan. It can be attributed to rising awareness associated with access platforms followed by the rapidly increasing regional as well as international rental operators.

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/aerial-work-platform-awp-rental-market

*Borehole Equipment Market Forecast, 2017 – 2024*

Global Borehole Equipment Market size was worth over USD 17 Billion in 2016 and will witness CAGR over 5.5% up to 2024. Increasing mineral, metal, and oil & gas demand along with growing natural resource utilization will drive borehole equipment demand. Rising need for mineral fertilizers to improving agricultural production will propel growth.

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/borehole-equipment-market

*About Global Market Insights* 

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.

CONTACT: Contact Us:
Arun Hegde
Corporate Sales, USA
Global Market Insights, Inc.
Phone: 1-302-846-7766
Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688
Email: sales@gminsights.com
Web: https://www.gminsights.com Reported by GlobeNewswire 2 minutes ago.

BCC Research Estimates 17.6% CAGR Over Five Years

WELLESLEY, Mass., April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Increasing adoption of circulating tumor cell technologies (CTC), the increasing incidence of cancer and reimbursement support are driving growth within the global market. In a new report Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Diagnostics: Technologies and Global Markets, *BCC Research* estimates that this industry will reach $4.6 billion in 2017 and $10.3 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.6%.

CTCs can help evaluate cancer progression to gauge patient prognosis as well as their response to current cancer therapies, proving beneficial to patient health. Many technologies for the detection, characterization and analysis of CTCs are garnering significant attention. Currently, the United States and Europe are the major geographic markets for CTC technology.

Menarini-Silicon Biosystems, which owns Johnson & Johnson’s Veridex division, is the only company with FDA approval in the CTC prognostics area. The company’s test kit is useful for testing the prognosis of patients suffering from metastatic stage in breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancers. Many companies have products in clinical trials and are expected to compete in the next few years with newer and better products.

*Research Highlights*

· The global cancer biomarker market is expected to grow to $22 billion by 2022.
· Three major topics of CTC clinical utility are liquid biopsy, treatment based on CTC count or variations and treatment based on CTC biomarker expression.
· The current market for CTC diagnostics applies to metastatic breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.

“One of the most important drivers for the excipient industry is the global demand for pharmaceutical products,” said Robert G. Hunter, BCC Research senior editor, healthcare. “This includes mature products and generics, as well as novel drugs for orphan and new emerging diseases.”

*About BCC Research*
BCC Research is a publisher of market research reports that provide organizations with intelligence to drive smart business decisions. By partnering with industry experts worldwide, BCC Research provides unbiased measurements and assessments of global markets covering major industrial and technology sectors, including emerging markets. For more information about BCC Research, please visit bccresearch.com. Follow BCC Research on Twitter at @BCCResearch.*
*

CONTACT: Editors/reporters requesting analyst interviews should contact steven.cumming@bccresearch.com. Reported by GlobeNewswire 2 minutes ago.

· *Net sales up 8.4%; Higher sales volumes and improved pricing in both segments;  seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales growth*
· *Diluted EPS of $0.64, up 1.6%; Adjusted EPS of $0.82, up 20.6%*
· *Completed strategic acquisition of polyolefin catalysts business on April 3*
· *Raising full-year 2018 sales and earnings guidance*

COLUMBIA, Md., April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- * W. R. Grace & Co. *(NYSE:GRA) today announced financial results for the first quarter 2018, summarized in the table below, and raised its full-year 2018 sales and earnings guidance reflecting strong demand for its value-added products and higher earnings expectations.

*Summary Financial Results - Total Grace*          
*(In $ millions, except per share amounts)* *1Q18*   *1Q17*   *Change*
Net sales 431.5   398.0   8.4%
Net sales, constant currency         4.2%
Net income 43.6   42.9   1.6%
           
Adjusted EBIT 95.8   86.8   10.4%
Adjusted EBIT margin 22.2%   21.8%   0.4 pts
           
Diluted EPS $0.64   $0.63   1.6%
Adjusted EPS $0.82   $0.68   20.6%
           
Net cash provided by operating activities 89.0   35.9   147.9%
Adjusted Free Cash Flow 55.1   50.0   10.2%
           
Adjusted EBIT ROIC 24.7%   24.4%   0.3 pts
Dividends per share $0.24   $0.21   14.3%
           

*Delivering on Our Strategic Initiatives*

“Grace delivered a solid first quarter. We are encouraged by the momentum we are seeing across all of our businesses as we continue to execute our profitable growth strategy," said Fred Festa, Grace’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our differentiated solutions are winning with customers and we are making good progress with our operating excellence initiatives. With the polyolefin catalysts acquisition now closed, full integration is underway and we are excited about the long-term opportunity. We remain confident in our business prospects and achieving our increased 2018 outlook."

Grace's strategic framework for profitable growth includes four elements:

· Invest to accelerate growth and extend our competitive advantages· Invest in great people to strengthen our high-performance culture· Formalize the Grace Value Model to drive operating excellence· Acquire to build our technology and manufacturing capabilities for our customers

*First Quarter Segment Performance*

*Catalysts Technologies*

Catalysts Technologies includes catalysts and additives for refinery, plastics, and other chemical process applications, as well as polypropylene process technology.

*Summary Financial Results - Catalysts Technologies*
*(In $ millions)* *1Q18*   *1Q17*   *Change*
Net sales 315.8   293.8   7.5%
Gross margin 41.5%   39.2%   2.3 pts
           
Operating income 92.1   81.2   13.4%
Operating margin 29.2%   27.6%   1.6 pts
               

· First quarter sales of $315.8 million increased 7.5%, up 4.5% on constant currency, led by a 14.7% increase in Specialty Catalysts sales. FCC catalyst pricing improved more than 2% and is on track to deliver full-year improved pricing in line with prior Grace expectations. Segment sales volumes increased 2.8% and pricing improved 1.7%.· Operating income of $92.1 million increased 13%. Our operating excellence initiatives contributed to a 230 basis point improvement in gross margin despite higher raw materials and energy costs. Lower depreciation contributed approximately 70 basis points. Income from our ART joint venture was below the prior year, but above Grace's expectations, based on order timing within the year.· Operating income in the first quarter of 2017 included $2.5 million of business interruption insurance proceeds which did not repeat in 2018.

*Materials Technologies*

Materials Technologies includes engineered materials for coatings, consumer, pharmaceutical and chemical process applications.

*Summary Financial Results - Materials Technologies*
*(In $ millions)* *1Q18*   *1Q17*   *Change*
Net sales 115.7   104.2   11.0%
Gross margin 36.3%   39.1%   (2.8) pts
           
Operating income 24.1   24.8   (2.8)%
Operating margin 20.8%   23.8%   (3.0) pts
               

· First quarter sales of $115.7 million increased 11.0%, up 3.4% on constant currency. Silicas sales volumes increased 6.6% with strong demand in coatings, petrochemical and process adsorbents applications. The strong demand for silicas products combined with higher average pricing more than offset the expected decline in pharma fine chemicals sales volumes.· We made good progress rebuilding the pharma fine chemicals sales pipeline with more than 85% of forecasted 2018 sales secured and expected to be delivered in the second half of the year.· Gross margin of 36.3% decreased 280 basis points. Lower sales of high-margin pharma fine chemicals products accounted for approximately half of the decline. Higher manufacturing costs, including higher raw materials and energy costs, partially offset by improved pricing, accounted for the remainder of the decline.· Operating income of $24.1 million decreased 2.8%, or $0.7 million.

*Notable Developments*

Closed Polyolefin Catalysts Acquisition

On April 3, 2018, Grace completed the acquisition of Albemarle's polyolefin catalysts business. The acquisition significantly enhances Grace's capabilities in high-growth single-site catalyst applications and is expected to fully deliver the planned cost and capital avoidance synergies in 2019. The investment is expected to be accretive to 2018 Adjusted EPS.

Completed Refinancing in Connection with Acquisition

Grace entered into a new senior secured credit agreement on April 3, 2018, consisting of a $950 million term loan facility maturing in April 2025, and a new five-year $400 million revolving credit facility. The proceeds of the term loan, as well as cash-on-hand, were used to: (i) pay off the prior term loan, (ii) fund the purchase price of the acquisition, and (iii) make a $50 million voluntary contribution to our U.S. defined benefit pension plan. The refinancing reduces our full-year borrowing costs by approximately 50 basis points, optimizes both our effective tax rate and low cash tax rate, and provides financial flexibility to support growth strategies.

Completed Useful Life Analysis

As a result of observations made during recent plant turnarounds and acquisitions, Grace initiated a study of the useful lives of its machinery and equipment, including an evaluation of historical retirement data as well as industry review and analysis. Based on the results of the study, conducted by a leading accounting firm, Grace revised its depreciation policy for machinery and equipment useful lives from a range of 3-10 years to a range of 5-25 years. Average useful accounting lives for machinery and equipment increased from approximately 9 years to approximately 18 years. Grace is applying the policy change to new and existing assets on a prospective basis as a change in accounting estimate effective January 1, 2018.

As a result, our 1Q18 depreciation expense with respect to such machinery and equipment was reduced by $2.7 million compared to the prior year quarter, or $0.03 per share. We expect the effect on full-year 2018 will be a reduction to depreciation expense of approximately $23 million compared to the prior year. This is consistent with the amounts assumed in our original 2018 financial outlook.

Update on Impacts of U.S. Tax ReformAs a result of our continued analysis of the impact of U.S. Tax Reform, Grace is updating its previous outlook for 2018 Adjusted ETR to 28%, from a range of 27% to 28%. The increase is due to the negative impact of the Global Intangible Low Taxed Income ("GILTI") tax which taxes excess foreign earnings over a deemed return on foreign tangible assets. Grace has not completed its analysis and will provide updates throughout the year.

*Capital Allocation*

· *Acquisition:* Invested $416 million in the strategic single-site polyolefin catalysts business.· *Capital expenditures:* Allocated $50 million to capital investments to support strategic growth and operating excellence projects. The increased level of capital investment is consistent with our previously announced multi-year investment program.· *Share repurchase program:* Repurchased $35 million, or approximately 514,000 shares, of our outstanding common stock at an average per share price of $68.00.· *Dividend: *Paid $16 million in cash dividends to shareholders.

*Full-Year 2018 Outlook*

Grace is raising its full-year 2018 sales and earnings outlook and raising the lower end of its Adjusted Free Cash Flow range.

*Full-Year 2018 Outlook*              
  *2018 Outlook*
*(In $ millions, except per share amounts)* *Previous Outlook*
*(Mar. 2, 2018)*   *YoY*   *Updated Outlook*
*(Apr. 25, 2018)*   *YoY*
Sales growth (total) 8% - 10%       9% - 11%    
Sales growth (organic) 4% - 6%       5% - 7%    
Adjusted EBIT 440 - 450   6% - 9%   448 - 460   8% - 11%
Adjusted EPS $3.72 - $3.82   9% - 12%   $3.85 - $3.95   13% - 16%
Adjusted Free Cash Flow 210 - 250       225 - 250    
               
Note: We are unable to estimate the annual mark-to-market pension adjustment or 2018 net income or diluted EPS.
 

*Investor Call*
We will discuss these results during an investor conference call and webcast today starting at 9:00 a.m. ET. To access the call and webcast, interested participants should go to the Investors portion of our website, www.grace.com, and click on the webcast link.

Those without access to the Internet can participate by dialing +1 844.515.9173 (U.S.) or +1 574.990.9421 (International). The participant passcode is 5868838. Investors are advised to dial into the call at least ten minutes early in order to register.

An audio replay will be available after 1:00 p.m. ET on April 25. For one week, the replay will be accessible by dialing +1 855.859.2056 (U.S.) or +1 404.537.3406 (International) and entering the participant passcode 5868838. The webcast replay or transcript will be available for one year on the company's website.

*About Grace*
Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and engineered materials. The company’s two industry-leading business segments—Catalysts Technologies and Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the products and processes of our customers around the world. With approximately 3,900 employees, Grace operates and/or sells to customers in over 60 countries. More information about Grace is available at grace.com.

*Forward-Looking Statements*

This announcement contains forward-looking statements, that is, information related to future, not past, events. Such statements generally include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “will,” “expects,” “suggests,” “anticipates,” “outlook,” “continues,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, expected financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans; business strategy; operating plans; capital and other expenditures; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology and cost reduction initiatives, plans and objectives; and markets for securities. For these statements, Grace claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Like other businesses, Grace is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause its actual results to differ materially from its projections or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: risks related to foreign operations, especially in emerging regions; the costs and availability of raw materials, energy and transportation; the effectiveness of its research and development and growth investments; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and businesses; developments affecting Grace’s outstanding indebtedness; developments affecting Grace's pension obligations; its legal and environmental proceedings; environmental compliance costs; the inability to establish or maintain certain business relationships; the inability to hire or retain key personnel; natural disasters such as storms and floods, and force majeure events; changes in tax laws and regulations; international trade disputes, tariffs and sanctions; the potential effects of cyberattacks; and those additional factors set forth in Grace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are readily available on the Internet at www.sec.gov. Reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on Grace's projections and forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates those projections and statements are made. Grace undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revision to the projections and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this announcement.

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries
**Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited)*

  *Three Months Ended
March 31,*
*(In millions, except per share amounts)* *2018*   *2017*
Net sales *$* *431.5*     $ 398.0  
Cost of goods sold *262.0*     244.8  
Gross profit *169.5*     153.2  
Selling, general and administrative expenses *69.3*     65.5  
Research and development expenses *14.7*     13.9  
Provision for environmental remediation, net *0.1*     —  
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate *(5.4* *)*   (7.0 )
Restructuring and repositioning expenses *5.6*     2.3  
Interest expense and related financing costs *19.3*     19.5  
Other (income) expense, net *(2.3* *)*   (1.9 )
Total costs and expenses *101.3*     92.3  
Income (loss) before income taxes *68.2*     60.9  
(Provision for) benefit from income taxes *(24.8* *)*   (18.0 )
Net income (loss) *43.4*     42.9  
Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests *0.2*     —  
*Net income (loss) attributable to W. R. Grace & Co. shareholders* *$* *43.6*     $ 42.9  
*Earnings Per Share Attributable to W. R. Grace & Co. Shareholders*      
*Basic earnings per share:*      
Net income (loss) *$* *0.64*     $ 0.63  
Weighted average number of basic shares *67.6*     68.3  
*Diluted earnings per share:*      
Net income (loss) *$* *0.64*     $ 0.63  
Weighted average number of diluted shares *67.7*     68.5  
*Dividends per common share* *$* *0.24*     $ 0.21  
               

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries*
*Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)*

  *Three Months Ended
March 31,*
*(In millions)* *2018*   *2017*
*OPERATING ACTIVITIES*      
Net income *$* *43.4*     $ 42.9  
*Reconciliation to net cash provided by (used for) operating activities:*      
Depreciation and amortization *25.0*     27.1  
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate *(5.4* *)*   (7.0 )
Costs related to legacy product, environmental and other claims *1.5*     2.1  
Cash paid for legacy product, environmental and other claims *(6.3* *)*   (40.7 )
Provision for income taxes *24.8*     18.0  
Cash paid for income taxes *(8.9* *)*   (15.4 )
Income tax refunds received *—*     0.8  
Interest expense and related financing costs *19.3*     19.5  
Cash paid for interest *(5.3* *)*   (4.9 )
Defined benefit pension expense *3.8*     5.0  
Cash paid under defined benefit pension arrangements *(3.7* *)*   (3.8 )
*Changes in assets and liabilities, excluding effect of currency translation and acquisitions:*      
Trade accounts receivable *20.1*     19.8  
Inventories *(23.0* *)*   (4.4 )
Accounts payable *10.5*     10.1  
All other items, net *(6.8* *)*   (33.2 )
*Net cash provided by (used for) operating activities* *89.0*     35.9  
*INVESTING ACTIVITIES*      
Capital expenditures *(50.1* *)*   (31.0 )
Other investing activities *1.6*     0.1  
*Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities* *(48.5* *)*   (30.9 )
*FINANCING ACTIVITIES*      
Borrowings under credit arrangements *8.6*     38.9  
Repayments under credit arrangements *(11.7* *)*   (41.7 )
Cash paid for repurchases of common stock *(35.0* *)*   (10.0 )
Proceeds from exercise of stock options *0.8*     6.0  
Dividends paid to shareholders *(16.2* *)*   (14.3 )
Other financing activities *(1.6* *)*   (0.3 )
*Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities* *(55.1* *)*   (21.4 )
Effect of currency exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents *2.4*     2.2  
*Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents* *(12.2* *)*   (14.2 )
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash beginning of period *163.5*     100.6  
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of period *$* *151.3*     $ 86.4  
               

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries*
*Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)*

*(In millions, except par value and shares)* *March 31,*
*  2018*   *December 31,*
*  2017*
*ASSETS *      
*Current Assets*      
Cash and cash equivalents *$* *149.9*     $ 152.8  
Restricted cash and cash equivalents *1.4*     10.7  
Trade accounts receivable, less allowance of $11.7 (2017—$11.7) *269.1*     285.2  
Inventories *256.2*     230.9  
Other current assets *51.0*     49.0  
*Total Current Assets* *727.6*     728.6  
Properties and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $1,497.9 (2017—$1,463.4) *829.4*     799.1  
Goodwill *405.2*     402.4  
Technology and other intangible assets, net *251.6*     255.4  
Deferred income taxes *550.6*     556.5  
Investment in unconsolidated affiliate *132.2*     125.9  
Other assets *48.5*     39.1  
*Total Assets* *$* *2,945.1*     $ 2,907.0  
*LIABILITIES AND EQUITY*      
*Current Liabilities*      
Debt payable within one year *$* *14.8*     $ 20.1  
Accounts payable *217.3*     210.3  
Other current liabilities *233.5*     217.8  
*Total Current Liabilities* *465.6*     448.2  
Debt payable after one year *1,531.7*     1,523.8  
Underfunded and unfunded defined benefit pension plans *516.0*     502.4  
Other liabilities *185.9*     169.3  
*Total Liabilities* *2,699.2*     2,643.7  
*Equity*      
Common stock issued, par value $0.01; 300,000,000 shares authorized; outstanding: 67,295,704 (2017—67,780,410) *0.7*     0.7  
Paid-in capital *476.1*     474.8  
Retained earnings *603.7*     573.1  
Treasury stock, at cost: shares: 10,160,923 (2017—9,676,217) *(864.6* *)*   (832.1 )
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) *23.3*     39.9  
*Total W. R. Grace & Co. Shareholders’ Equity* *239.2*     256.4  
Noncontrolling interests *6.7*     6.9  
*Total Equity* *245.9*     263.3  
*Total Liabilities and Equity* *$* *2,945.1*     $ 2,907.0  
               

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries*
*Analysis of Operations (unaudited)*

  *Three Months Ended March 31,
*
*(In millions, except per share amounts) * *2018*   *2017*   *% Change*
*Net sales:*          
Catalysts Technologies *$* *315.8*     $ 293.8     7.5 %
Materials Technologies *115.7*     104.2     11.0 %
*Total Grace net sales* *$* *431.5*     $ 398.0     8.4 %
*Net sales by region:*          
North America *$* *126.0*     $ 115.7     8.9 %
Europe Middle East Africa *178.7*     148.7     20.2 %
Asia Pacific *100.2*     99.9     0.3 %
Latin America *26.6*     33.7     (21.1 )%
*Total net sales by region* *$* *431.5*     $ 398.0     8.4 %
*Performance measures:*          
*Adjusted EBIT(A)(B):*          
Catalysts Technologies segment operating income *$* *92.1*     $ 81.2     13.4 %
Materials Technologies segment operating income *24.1*     24.8     (2.8 )%
Corporate costs *(16.6* *)*   (16.1 )   (3.1 )%
Certain pension costs(C) *(3.8* *)*   (3.1 )   (22.6 )%
*Adjusted EBIT* *95.8*     86.8     10.4 %
Restructuring and repositioning expenses *(5.6* *)*   (2.3 )    
(Costs) benefit related to legacy product, environmental and other claims *(1.5* *)*   (2.1 )    
Third-party acquisition-related costs *(0.9* *)*   —      
Income and expense items related to divested businesses *(0.5* *)*   (0.3 )    
Pension MTM adjustment and other related costs, net *—*     (1.9 )    
Interest expense, net *(18.9* *)*   (19.3 )   2.1 %
(Provision for) benefit from income taxes *(24.8* *)*   (18.0 )   (37.8 )%
*Income (loss) attributable to W. R. Grace & Co. shareholders* *$* *43.6*     $ 42.9     1.6 %
*Diluted EPS* *$* *0.64*     $ 0.63     1.6 %
*Adjusted EPS(A)* *$* *0.82*     $ 0.68     20.6 %
                     

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries*
*Analysis of Operations (unaudited) (continued)*

  *Three Months Ended March 31,
*
*(In millions) * *2018*   *2017*   *% Change*
*Adjusted profitability performance measures(A)(B)(C):*          
*Gross Margin:*          
Catalysts Technologies *41.5* *%*   39.2 %   2.3 pts
Materials Technologies *36.3* *%*   39.1 %   (2.8) pts
Adjusted Gross Margin *40.1* *%*   39.2 %   0.9 pts
Pension costs in cost of goods sold *(0.8* *)%*   (0.7 )%   (0.1) pts
Total Grace *39.3* *%*   38.5 %   0.8 pts
*Adjusted EBIT:*          
Catalysts Technologies *$* *92.1*     $ 81.2     13.4%
Materials Technologies *24.1*     24.8     (2.8)%
Corporate, pension, and other *(20.4* *)*   (19.2 )   (6.3)%
Total Grace *95.8*     86.8     10.4%
*Depreciation and amortization:*          
Catalysts Technologies *$* *19.4*     $ 21.3     (8.9)%
Materials Technologies *4.7*     4.7     —%
Corporate *0.9*     1.1     (18.2)%
Total Grace *25.0*     27.1     (7.7)%
*Adjusted EBITDA:*          
Catalysts Technologies *$* *111.5*     $ 102.5     8.8%
Materials Technologies *28.8*     29.5     (2.4)%
Corporate, pension, and other *(19.5* *)*   (18.1 )   (7.7)%
Total Grace *120.8*     113.9     6.1%
*Adjusted EBIT margin:*          
Catalysts Technologies *29.2* *%*   27.6 %   1.6 pts
Materials Technologies *20.8* *%*   23.8 %   (3.0) pts
Total Grace *22.2* *%*   21.8 %   0.4 pts
*Adjusted EBITDA margin:*          
Catalysts Technologies *35.3* *%*   34.9 %   0.4 pts
Materials Technologies *24.9* *%*   28.3 %   (3.4) pts
Total Grace *28.0* *%*   28.6 %   (0.6) pts
               

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries*
*Analysis of Operations (unaudited) (continued)*

  *Three Months Ended March 31,
*
*(In millions) * *2018*   *2017*
*Cash flow measure(A): *              
*Net cash provided by (used for) operating activities* *$* *89.0*     $ 35.9  
Capital expenditures *(50.1* *)*   (31.0 )
*Free Cash Flow* *38.9*     4.9  
Cash paid for legacy product, environmental and other claims *6.3*     40.7  
Cash paid for repositioning *4.6*     0.6  
Cash paid for restructuring *3.2*     3.8  
Cash paid for third-party acquisition-related costs *2.1*     —  
*Adjusted Free Cash Flow* *$* *55.1*     $ 50.0  
               

  *Four Quarters Ended* 
*(In millions)*  *March 31,
 2018*   *December 31,*
*  2017*
*Calculation of Adjusted EBIT Return On Invested Capital (trailing four quarters)(A):*                 
Adjusted EBIT *$* *423.0*     $ 414.0  
*Invested Capital:*      
Trade accounts receivable *269.1*     285.2  
Inventories *256.2*     230.9  
Accounts payable *(217.3* *)*   (210.3 )
  *308.0*     305.8  
Other current assets (excluding income taxes) *43.9*     42.1  
Properties and equipment, net *829.4*     799.1  
Goodwill *405.2*     402.4  
Technology and other intangible assets, net *251.6*     255.4  
Investment in unconsolidated affiliate *132.2*     125.9  
Other assets (excluding capitalized financing fees) *44.3*     37.4  
Other current liabilities (excluding income taxes, legacy environmental matters, accrued interest, and restructuring) *(157.8* *)*   (158.6 )
Other liabilities (excluding income taxes and legacy environmental matters) *(142.7* *)*   (113.7 )
*Total invested capital* *$* *1,714.1*     $ 1,695.8  
*Adjusted EBIT Return On Invested Capital* *24.7* *%*   24.4 %
           

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries*
*Adjusted Earnings Per Share (unaudited)*

  *Three Months Ended March 31,**
*
  *2018**
*   *2017**
*
*(In millions, except per share amounts)* *Pre-*
*Tax*   *Tax
Effect*   *After-*
*Tax*   *Per*
*Share*   *Pre-*
*Tax*   *Tax
Effect*   *After-*
*Tax*   *Per*
*Share*
*Diluted earnings per share*                         *$* *0.64*                             $ 0.63  
Restructuring and repositioning expenses *$* *5.6*     *$* *1.1*     *$* *4.5*     *0.07*     $ 2.3     $ 0.8     $ 1.5     0.02  
Costs (benefit) related to legacy product, environmental and other claims *1.5*     *0.4*     *1.1*     *0.02*     2.1     0.8     1.3     0.02  
Third-party acquisition-related costs *0.9*     *0.3*     *0.6*     *0.01*     —     —     —     —  
Income and expense items related to divested businesses *0.5*     *0.1*     *0.4*     *0.01*     0.3     0.1     0.2     —  
Pension MTM adjustment and other related costs, net *—*     *—*     *—*     *—*     1.9     0.7     1.2     0.02  
Discrete tax items:                              
GILTI NOL impact(D)     *(4.7* *)*   *4.7*     *0.07*         —     —     —  
Discrete tax items, including adjustments to uncertain tax positions     *—*     *—*     *—*         0.5     (0.5 )   (0.01 )
*Adjusted EPS(A)*             *$* *0.82*                 $ 0.68  
                                       

*W. R. Grace & Co. and Subsidiaries*
*Notes to the Financial Information*

(A) In the above charts, Grace presents financial information in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP), as well as the non-GAAP financial information described below. Grace believes that this non-GAAP financial information provides useful supplemental information about the performance of its businesses, improves period-to-period comparability and provides clarity on the information management uses to evaluate the performance of its businesses. In the above charts, Grace has provided reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for financial measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and the financial results calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP and reconciliations from those results should be evaluated carefully.

Grace defines these non-GAAP financial measures as follows:

· Adjusted EBIT means net income attributable to W. R. Grace & Co. shareholders adjusted for interest income and expense; income taxes; costs related to legacy product, environmental and other claims; restructuring and repositioning expenses and asset impairments; pension costs other than service and interest costs, expected returns on plan assets, and amortization of prior service costs/credits; income and expense items related to divested businesses, product lines, and certain other investments; gains and losses on sales of businesses, product lines, and certain other investments; third-party acquisition-related costs and the amortization of acquired inventory fair value adjustment; and certain other items that are not representative of underlying trends.· Adjusted EBITDA means Adjusted EBIT adjusted for depreciation and amortization.· Adjusted EBIT Return On Invested Capital means Adjusted EBIT (on a trailing four quarters basis) divided by the sum of net working capital, properties and equipment and certain other assets and liabilities.· Adjusted Gross Margin means gross margin adjusted for pension-related costs included in cost of goods sold and the amortization of acquired inventory fair value adjustment.· Adjusted EPS means diluted EPS adjusted for costs related to legacy product, environmental and other claims; restructuring and repositioning expenses and asset impairments; pension costs other than service and interest costs, expected returns on plan assets, and amortization of prior service costs/credits; income and expense items related to divested businesses, product lines, and certain other investments; gains and losses on sales of businesses, product lines, and certain other investments; third-party acquisition-related costs and the amortization of acquired inventory fair value adjustment; certain other items that are not representative of underlying trends; and certain discrete tax items.· Adjusted Free Cash Flow means net cash provided by or used for operating activities minus capital expenditures plus cash flows related to legacy product, environmental and other claims; cash paid for restructuring and repositioning; capital expenditures related to repositioning; cash paid for third-party acquisition-related costs; and accelerated payments under defined benefit pension arrangements.· Net Sales, constant currency means the period-over-period change in net sales calculated using the foreign currency exchange rates that were in effect during the previous comparable period.

Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT Return On Invested Capital, Adjusted Gross Margin, Adjusted EPS, Adjusted Free Cash Flow, and Net Sales, constant currency do not purport to represent income or liquidity measures as defined under U.S. GAAP, and should not be considered as alternatives to such measures as an indicator of Grace's performance or liquidity.

Grace uses Adjusted EBIT as a performance measure in significant business decisions and in determining certain incentive compensation. Grace uses Adjusted EBIT as a performance measure because it provides improved period-to-period comparability for decision making and compensation purposes, and because it better measures the ongoing earnings results of its strategic and operating decisions by excluding the earnings effects of legacy product, environmental and other claims; restructuring and repositioning activities; divested businesses; the effects of acquisitions; and certain other items that are not representative of underlying trends.

Grace uses Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBIT Return On Invested Capital, Adjusted Gross Margin, and Adjusted EPS as performance measures and may use these measures in determining certain incentive compensation. Grace uses Adjusted EBIT Return On Invested Capital in making operating and investment decisions and in balancing the growth and profitability of operations.

Grace uses Adjusted Free Cash Flow as a liquidity measure to evaluate its ability to generate cash to support its ongoing business operations, to invest in its businesses, and to provide a return of capital to shareholders. Grace also uses Adjusted Free Cash Flow as a performance measure in determining certain incentive compensation.

Grace uses Net Sales, constant currency as a performance measure to compare current period financial performance to historical financial performance by excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations that are not representative of underlying business trends and are largely outside of its control.

These measures are provided to investors and others to improve the period-to-period comparability and peer-to-peer comparability of Grace’s financial results, and to ensure that investors and others understand the information Grace uses to evaluate the performance of its businesses. They distinguish the operating results of Grace's current business base from the costs of Grace's legacy product, environmental and other claims; restructuring and repositioning activities; divested businesses; and other items discussed above. These measures may have material limitations due to the exclusion or inclusion of amounts that are included or excluded, respectively, in the most directly comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and thus investors and others should review carefully the financial results calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Grace is unable without unreasonable efforts to estimate the annual mark-to-market pension adjustment or 2018 net income or diluted EPS. Without the availability of this significant information, Grace is unable to provide reconciliations for the forward-looking information set forth in the 2018 Outlook, above.

(B) Grace's segment operating income includes only Grace's share of income from consolidated and unconsolidated joint ventures.

(C) Certain pension costs include only ongoing costs recognized quarterly, which include service and interest costs, expected returns on plan assets, and amortization of prior service costs/credits. Catalysts Technologies and Materials Technologies segment operating income and corporate costs do not include any amounts for pension expense. Other pension related costs including annual mark-to-market adjustments and actuarial gains and losses are excluded from Adjusted EBIT. These amounts are not used by management to evaluate the performance of Grace's businesses and significantly affect the peer-to-peer and period-to-period comparability of our financial results. Mark-to-market adjustments and actuarial gains and losses relate primarily to changes in financial market values and actuarial assumptions and are not directly related to the operation of Grace's businesses.

(D) The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 Global Intangible Low Taxed Income ("GILTI") is a tax on the excess of foreign earnings over a deemed return on the foreign tangible assets (10% of depreciated tax basis). A deduction reduces foreign earnings to GILTI by 50% reducing the tax rate to 10.5%. Additionally, the GILTI tax may be partially offset with foreign tax credits. However, the deduction and the foreign tax credits may not be utilized to offset the GILTI tax or be carried forward if a net operating loss is being utilized.

NM - Not Meaningful

     
*Media Relations*
Rich Badmington
+1 410.531.4370
rich.badmington@grace.com *Investor Relations*
Jeremy Rohen
+1 410.531.8234
jeremy.rohen@grace.com
Tania Almond
+1 410.531.4590
tania.almond@grace.com Reported by GlobeNewswire 15 minutes ago.

Dublin, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Biosensors Market - Analysis and Forecast (2018 -2027) (Focus on Product, Application, 19 Countries Analysis, and Competitive Landscape)" report has been added to *ResearchAndMarkets.com's* offering.*The answers to the following key questions can be derived from this report:*

· What are the major market drivers, challenges and opportunities in the global biosensors market?
· What was the market value of the leading segments and sub-segments of the global biosensors market in 2017?
· How will each segment of the global biosensors market grow during the forecast period and what will be the revenue generated by each of the segments by the end of 2027?
· How will the industry evolve during the forecast period 2018- 2027?
· What are the key developmental strategies that are being implemented by the key players to sustain in this market?
· How has the market been segmented on the different types of biosensing technology? Which type of biosensing technology is being adopted extensively by the users and why?
· Who are the key players in the biosensors market and what are their contributions?
· What are the major benefits of the implementation of biosensors in different field of applications including point of care, environmental, research laboratories, home diagnostics, biodefence, and process industries?
· What will be the growth rate of the Point of Care application during the forecast period?
· Which geographical location will contribute to the highest sales of the biosensors during the forecast period?
· What is the scope of biosensors in the emerging economies of Asia and Latin America?

Global Biosensors Market to Reach $3.90 Billion by 2027The global biosensors industry is approaching towards multi-billion market which consists of multitudinous companies involved in the manufacturing of biosensors with different technologies to strengthen the growing demand for biosensors.

Different types of biosensing technologies currently in use are electrochemical, optical, piezoelectric, and thermal. In less turnaround time, biosensors have become an essential tool for the healthcare companies and laboratories that are facing increasing level of demand for the point of care testing devices and home diagnostics.Biosensors have diversified applications which includes clinical diagnosis, environmental testing, biodefense, research laboratory testing and process industries, among others. Biosensors can provide easy-to-use, cost-effective, highly accurate and sensitive detection devices in a variety of commercial and research applications.Furthermore, the advent of biosensing technologies in R&D procedures and diagnostic procedures have enabled the companies to meet the regulatory compliance as well as manage their profit margins and remain competitive in the market.

*Key Topics Covered:**Executive Summary*

*1 Market Overview*
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Biosensors: Important Considerations
1.3 Impact of Biosensors
1.4 Future Insights
1.4.1 Important Considerations
1.4.2 Nano-Biosensors Types
1.4.3 Future Applications of Nano-Biosensors
1.5 Global footprint of Biosensors Market
1.6 Assumptions and Limitations

*2 Market Dynamics*
2.1 Overview
2.2 Impact Analysis
2.3 Drivers
2.4 Restraints
2.5 Opportunities

*3 Competitive Landscape*
3.1 Key Developments and Strategies
3.2 Product Launch
3.3 Joint Ventures, Partnerships and Collaborations
3.4 Merger & Acquisition
3.5 Business Expansions, Approvals/Certifications and Others
3.6 Industry Attractiveness

*4 Global Biosensors Market, by Technology*
4.1 Overview
4.2 Electrochemical Biosensor Technology
4.3 Optical Biosensor Technology
4.4 Piezoelectric Biosensor Technology
4.5 Thermal Biosensor Technology
4.6 Other Biosensor Technology

*5 Global Biosensors Market, by Application*
5.1 Overview
5.2 Point of Care
5.2.1 Glucose Monitoring
5.2.2 Cardiac Marker Analysers
5.2.3 Infectious Diseases
5.2.4 Coagulation
5.2.5 Urinalysis
5.2.6 Clinical Chemistry
5.2.7 Women's Health
5.2.8 Cancer Markers
5.2.9 Others
5.3 Environmental Testing
5.3.1 Toxicity Testing
5.3.2 BOD Testing
5.3.3 Contamination Testing
5.3.4 Others
5.4 Research Laboratories
5.5 Home Diagnostics
5.6 Biodefence
5.7 Process Industries

*6 Global Biosensors Market, by Region*
6.1 Overview
6.2 Role of Macro Economic Factors in the Growth of Global Biosensors Market
6.3 Cluster Analysis: Global Biosensors Market
6.3.1 Cluster-1: China and India
6.3.2 Cluster-2: U.S., U.K., and Japan
6.3.3 Cluster-3: Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, and Mexico
6.3.4 Cluster-4: Canada, Spain, and Thailand
6.3.5 Cluster-5: Switzerland, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Singapore, and Australia
6.4 Global Insights
6.5 North America
6.5.1 North America Market Dynamics
6.5.2 North America, by Country
6.5.2.1 The U.S.
6.5.2.2 Canada
6.6 Europe
6.7 Asia Pacific
6.8 Latin America
6.9 Rest of the World

*7 Company Profiles*· 1Drop Diagnostics
· Abbott Laboratories
· Anitoa Systems, LLC
· Assure Controls, Inc.
· Axela Inc.
· Binergy Scientific Inc.
· Biolan MicroBioSensores
· C-CIT Sensors AG
· Cognionics, Inc.
· Danaher Corporation
· Dynamic Biosensors GmbH
· HMicro Inc.
· LamdaGen Corporation
· NeuroSky
· PerkinElmer, Inc.
· Polestar Technologies
· ProXentia S.r.l.
· Resodyn Corporation
· SWOT Analysis
· SarissaBiomedicalLtd
· Sensogram Technologies, Inc.
· Siemens Healthineers
· Sierra Sensors GmbH
· Sigma Aldrich Corporation
· Universal Biosensors, Inc.
· World Precision Instruments

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zdcswb/global_biosensors?w=12
CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
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LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Natural Health Trends Corp. (NASDAQ:NHTC), a leading direct-selling and e-commerce company that markets premium quality personal care, wellness, and “quality of life” products under the NHT Global brand, today announced the Company will report its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Chris Sharng, Natural Health Trends’ President, and Scott Davidson, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call to discuss the first quarter 2018 financial results on the same day at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The details for the conference call can be found below.*First Quarter 2018 Financial Results Conference Call*

*Date:* Wednesday, May 2, 2018
*Time:* 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time / 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time
*Dial-in:* 1-877-407-0789 (Domestic)
1-201-689-8562 (International)
*Conference ID:* 13678508
*Webcast:* http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=129162
*Replay:* For those unable to participate during the live broadcast, a replay of the call
will also be available from 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on May 2, 2018 through
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 16, 2018 by dialing 1-844-512-2921
(domestic) and 1-412-317-6671 (international) and referencing the replay pin
number: 13678508.

*About Natural Health Trends Corp.*
Natural Health Trends Corp. (NASDAQ:NHTC) is an international direct-selling and e-commerce company operating through its subsidiaries throughout Asia, the Americas, and Europe.  The Company markets premium quality personal care products under the NHT Global brand.  Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at www.naturalhealthtrendscorp.com.

*CONTACTS:*

*Company Contact:*
Scott Davidson
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Natural Health Trends Corp.
Tel: 310-541-0888
scott.davidson@nhtglobal.com

*Investors:*
ADDO Investor Relations
Tel: 310-829-5400
investor.relations@nhtglobal.com

  Reported by GlobeNewswire 1 hour ago.

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI), has been named one of the world’s top three Artificial Intelligence (AI) chipset companies based on recently released research by Compass Intelligence (CompassIntel.com). The A-List includes best-in-class, best-in-breed and the “who’s who” in mobile, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and emerging technologies. NXP is joined by NVIDIA and Intel on the A-List in the AI Chipset Index of companies that are leading AI innovation.    NXP achieved the top AI Chipset ranking based on the company’s AI innovation, feature strength, and breadth and scale of its portfolio; market leadership, reach and growth potential; and numerous other metrics (economic impact, market resiliency and others). 

“Each year we closely evaluate companies in the IoT and AI space based on the extensive Compass Intelligence framework, modeling process and metrics-driven market intelligence to determine the industry’s trailblazers,” said Nadine Manjaro, Senior Advisor & Consultant at Compass Intelligence. “It is an honor to recognize NXP as one of the top three companies as a high caliber performer in pushing the boundaries in AI innovation.”   

NXP and the other A-Listers scored approximately 80 to 90 points out of a total of 100 points on the index. The comprehensive Compass-Intel A-List Index is based on a proprietary research framework and model that incorporates economic indicators, vendor tracking analysis, firmographics, market metrics, quantitative tracking and data analytics.  Combined, this provides a scoring and ranking system for vendors in the mobile, IoT and emerging technologies markets. 

Click here for more information on the AI Chipset index.

*About NXP Semiconductors**
*NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) enables secure connections and infrastructure for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the secure connected vehicle, end-to-end security & privacy and smart connected solutions markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has over 30,000 employees in more than 30 countries and posted revenue of $9.26 billion in 2017. Find out more at www.nxp.com.

NXP and the NXP logo are trademarks of NXP B.V. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. © 2018 NXP B.V.

*For more information, please contact:**         *

*Americas* *Europe * *Greater China / Asia *      
Tate Tran  Martijn van der Linden Esther Chang      
Tel: +1 408-802-0602 Tel: +31 6 10914896 Tel: +886 2 8170 9990      
Email: tate.tran@nxp.com Email: martijn.van.der.linden@nxp.com Email: esther.chang@nxp.com       Reported by GlobeNewswire 1 hour ago.

ATLANTA , April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valuations of portfolio companies are a top concern among 60% of private equity investors and their consultants this year. Dry powder was the No. 2 top concern, with 40% of this group citing it as among their top concerns for the industry this year. Both results are up substantially from 2017, when 48% of investors and consultants cited valuations and 26% cited dry powder as their top concerns.

These and other important findings on private markets trends are uncovered in the 2018 eVestment Private Markets Due Diligence Survey, released today. For the new report, eVestment surveyed investors and consultants around the world. eVestment has conducted this survey for the past three years.

For the first time, eVestment also surveyed private markets fund managers to gain their insights on the market. One interesting contrast to the investor and consultant findings: while valuations and dry powder also topped the list of fund managers’ concerns, the proportion of respondents that noted them as such was lower than investors and consultants, at only 38% and 19% respectively. This perhaps illustrates fund managers’ confidence in their ability to maximize returns through hands-on operational improvements, rather than relying on market timing.

The report also sheds light on the use of credit facilities by fund managers, a practice that is hotly debated within the industry. Of the fund managers surveyed, nearly two-thirds reported the use of credit facilities with over a third of this group having facilities in place of between two and five years. Despite credit facilities gaining negative media coverage, investor and consultant respondents were in fact largely neutral on the use of them by managers: only 23% view them negatively and coincidentally the same percentage viewed them positively.

Other interesting points from this year’s survey include:

· Among investors and consultants, 21% expect to increase their allocations to private equity this year, while only 16% expect to decrease their allocations to private equity. Firms in the private equity real estate space might face headwinds in 2018 as only 7% of investor and consultant respondents expect to increase allocations to this strategy while 14% expect to decrease allocations.
· Investors and consultants still face challenges in being able to compare the performance of one fund manager to another, as cited by 61% of respondents. They are seeking to overcome this by leveraging deeper data: 78% of fund managers reported that investors and consultants were requesting more granular data this year compared to previous years and 74% of investors and consultants stated that they always or often recalculate fund performance numbers.
· Investors and consultants spend significant time performing due diligence on fund managers – 21 days for a manager with which they already have a relationship and 40 days for a new manager. This highlights how a consistent way to share and assess data, such as eVestment’s TopQ solution, could ease the due diligence process for everyone in the industry.
· ESG considerations were noted as extremely or very important by 46% of investor and consultant survey respondents in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, while only 18% of investor and consultant respondents in the Americas rated ESG as extremely or very important.

“As private markets firms and funds become larger and more influential and institutional investors continue to increase their exposure to this asset class, this survey provides a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities investors, consultants and fund managers face,” said Graeme Faulds, eVestment's director of product – private markets. “The rigor institutional investors are exerting in the due diligence process in the private markets space, even during a time of unprecedented demand, is undeniable and it’s interesting to see how investors, consultants and managers are adapting and the tools and solutions they are adopting as this evolution continues.”

Investor and consultant survey respondents had institutional assets under management/administration of more than $4.3 trillion and their aggregated private markets assets under management/administration totaled more than $584 billion.

Private markets fund managers responding to the survey manage more than $321 billion in private markets funds.

To download a full copy of the report, please click here.

*About **eVestment*

eVestment, a Nasdaq company, provides a flexible suite of easy-to-use, cloud-based solutions to help the institutional investing community identify and capitalize on global investment trends, better select and monitor investment managers and more successfully enable asset managers to market their funds worldwide. eVestment’s mission is to help make smart money smarter. 

Press Contact
Mark Scott
mscott@evestment.com
678 238 0761 (ph)
404 450 8265 (cell) Reported by GlobeNewswire 1 hour ago.

RESTON, Va., April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Appian (NASDAQ:APPN) today announced its 2018 Global and Regional Partners of the Year winners. These strategic partners were selected based on their success in helping companies develop and execute digital transformation initiatives using Appian’s low-code platform. Appian’s partner ecosystem is consists of organizations that provide world-class solutions and services globally across a variety of industries.*Global and Regional Partner of the Year** Winners:*

· Global Partner of the Year - KPMG
· Regional Partner of the Year, Europe - PwC
· Regional Partner of the Year, APAC - Incessant
· Regional Partner of the Year (Mid-Market) – Bits In Glass
· Global Trusted Program: Partner of the Year - Vuram

“Our recognition as Appian's Global Partner of the Year for the third consecutive year demonstrates the strength of our combined business and technology leadership," said Jerry Iacouzzi, U.S. leader for digital enablement at KPMG. “Digital transformation is about more than great technology. It is about understanding the business, and how to apply great technology to improve business results. With Appian, we significantly magnify the value we bring to our clients. We look forward to doing more great work together.”

“At Appian, we work hard to foster deep relationships with our partners, and are proud of the innovative methods they use to help companies across the globe to transform digitally,” said Marc Wilson, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships & Industries, Appian. “The 2018 award winners are leaders in the Appian community. They work with us hand-in-hand to deliver solutions that address the customer experience and operational challenges organizations are facing.”

For more information on Appian, click here.

*About Appian*

Appian provides a leading low-code software development platform that enables organizations to rapidly develop powerful and unique applications. The applications created on Appian’s platform help companies drive digital transformation and competitive differentiation. For more information, visit www.appian.com.

*For Information Contact:*
Nicole Greggs
Director of Media Relations
+1 703-260-7868
nicole.greggs@appian.com Reported by GlobeNewswire 1 hour ago.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#Broadcast--Digital Element, the global geolocation data and services provider, today announced that global media company, Discovery Inc., has adopted its NetAcuity hyperlocal IP geolocation technology, to ensure the right people see the right content and remain compliant with geographic rights across Europe. Discovery has a global reach of more than three billion viewers across more than 220 countries and territories and is home of leading TV offerings including Eurosport, Discov Reported by Business Wire 1 hour ago.

– In addition Scythian announces Liberty Health Sciences CEO George Scorsis as Chairman of the Board and Welcomes Back Rogers Communications Executive Roger Rai to the Board

TORONTO, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scythian Biosciences Corp. (the "*Company*" or “*Scythian*”) (TSXV:SCYB) (Frankfurt:9SB) (OTC – Nasdaq Intl:SCCYF) announced today that it has appointed Rob Reid as CEO, George Scorsis as Chairman of the Board of Directors and that it has reinstated Roger Rai to the Board of Directors effective April 25, 2018. In connection with these appointments, Jonathan Gilbert will be stepping down as CEO and will take on a new role of managing the University of Miami partnership.“I am extremely excited to be appointed as CEO of Scythian,” said Rob Reid. “I am also pleased that George Scorsis has agreed to become Chairman of the Board and welcome Roger Rai back into the fold.” “I also want to thank Jonathan Gilbert for his stewardship of Scythian though its going-public process and I look forward to moving the company forward with our global expansion strategy with the assistance of Professor Michael Barnes.”

Mr. Reid is a leading business figure in Europe's legal cannabis industry. He is co-founder of Prohibition Partners, a company that provides market data and intelligence to investors, entrepreneurs and regulators. He is also co-founder of Cannabis Europa, a conference series that will focus on the science and policy required to shape the future of Europe's medical cannabis industry. He is a partner of European Cannabis Holdings, a private investment firm focused on building out ancillary assets across the region.  Mr. Reid has served as Managing Director at Advertising M&A, a global M&A consultancy for the digital and creative sectors. Previously, he ran one of Europe's leading digital marketing agencies where he spent 14 years working across regulated sectors for clients such as Diageo, RBS and Coca-Cola. He completed a successful exit from that business in 2014.

Mr. Scorsis is currently a director and the Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Health Sciences Inc. (CSE:LHS). In his role as Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Health Sciences Inc., Mr. Scorsis leverages his extensive background in managing growth within highly regulated environments to expand Liberty Health Sciences Inc.'s cannabis-related platforms in the United States. Mr. Scorsis served as President of Red Bull Canada from July 2011 until October 2015 and was instrumental in restructuring the organization from a geographical and operational perspective, and growing the business to $150 MM in revenue. In that role, he also worked closely with Health Canada on guidelines regulating the energy drink category. Most recently, Mr. Scorsis was with Mettrum Health Corp. as President and was fundamental in shaping MettrumTM and Mettrum OriginalsTM. Under his leadership, the company was acquired for $430 million.

Mr. Rai is the President of R3 Concepts Inc., a consulting and investment company located in Toronto. Mr. Rai is also a special advisor to the Chairman of Rogers Communications, Edward Rogers, where he advises on business, revenue, partnership and talent development. Mr. Rai was previously the managing director for E.S. Rogers Enterprises from 2004 to 2018. Mr. Rai has managed and directed both private and public companies, including Sustain Co. Inc., and The Mint Corporation. Mr. Rai is the founder and a director of the ONEXONE Foundation, a charitable organization focused on global child welfare.

The Company has also announced that Vic Neufeld, Chairman and Director of the Company, and Renah Persofsky, a Director of the Company, have both stepped down from the Board effective April 24, 2018.

“In accordance with Aphria’s recently announced corporate governance policies, Renah and myself are stepping down from the Board of Scythian,” says Vic Neufeld, CEO of Aphria Inc. (“TSX:APH”). “Aphria views its approximate 9.9% equity stake in Scythian as a long term investment and to ensure best arms-length compliance as part of an expanding partnership the Aphria and Scythian Boards mutually agreed to this necessary change.”

“We thank Vic and Renah for their significant contributions to Scythian and look forward to continuing to work together with them through our continued relationship with Aphria,” said Rob Reid.

Upon resignation, both Vic and Renah have agreed to the cancellation of all of their respective deferred share units, which had previously been granted to them as part of their board compensation.

*About Scythian Biosciences Corp.*

Scythian is a research and development company committed to advancing prevention and treatment efforts for concussion and traumatic brain injury with its proprietary cannabinoid-based combination drug therapy.

Scythian’s mission is to be the first accepted drug regimen for the treatment of concussion. Scythian is partnered with the University of Miami and its neuroscientific team to conduct pre-clinical and clinical trials of its drug regimen. Through the Company’s collaborative efforts with the university, Scythian has access to the university’s extensive network of experts in the fields of traumatic brain injury and concussion. These connections provide Scythian with the ability to conduct its clinical studies at world-class facilities by widely recognized medical professionals.

Scythian has initiated its international expansion by launching additional cannabis-related activities across the globe. These significant endeavours complement the Company’s research and development efforts to enhance the many medical applications of cannabis.

Scythian is evaluating several strategic initiatives and pursuing partnerships with local cultivators, pharmaceutical import and distribution entities and universities in North America, South America, the Caribbean and beyond. This comprehensive approach positions Scythian as a potential global frontrunner in the research and development of medical cannabis.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

*CONTACT INFORMATION*

Scythian Biosciences Corp.
Jonathan Gilbert, CEO
Phone: (212) 729-9208
Email: info@scythianbio.com

For media inquiries, please contact:
David Schull or Nic Johnson
Russo Partners
(858) 717-2310
david.schull@russopartnersllc.com
nic.johnson@russopartnersllc.com

*Cautionary Statements*

This press release contains certain forward-looking information and statements (“forward looking information”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, that are not based on historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes", "anticipates", "plans", "intends", "will", "should", "expects", "continue", "estimate", "forecasts" and other similar expressions. Such forward-looking information includes information relating to Aphria’s intent to maintain its ownership in the Company and Aphria’s plans to continue strengthening its relationship with the Company. 

Forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results or events are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company.  Such risk and uncertainties include changes in Aphria’s business strategy, competition and lower than expected market demand for Aphria’s or the Company’s products.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there can be other factors that cause results or events to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: the Company’s ability to comply with all applicable governmental regulations in a highly regulated business; investing in target companies or projects which have limited or no operating history and are engaged in activities currently considered illegal under US federal laws; changes in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; inconsistent public opinion and perception regarding the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change. Additional risk factors can also be found in the Company’s annual information form filed on SEDAR and available at www.sedar.com.

Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is provided and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.  Reported by GlobeNewswire 1 hour ago.

Shares of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NASDAQ:GT) were punished on Wednesday after the Ohio-based tire maker posted weaker-than-expected earnings on low demand and higher raw material costs. Shares fell 1.38% to US$26.50 in pre-market trade. The tire maker posted first-quarter March 2018 earnings of US$75 mln, or US$0.31 a share, compared with US$166 mln, or US$0.65, for the same period last year. Analysts expected a profit of US$103 mln, according to FactSet. Sales rose to US$3.83bn, from US$3.70 bn for the first quarter. This compares with analysts’ forecasts of US$3.77 billion, according to Marketwatch. "We are pleased with our first quarter results given higher raw material costs and weaker demand than we expected in the quarter," CEO Richard J. Kramer said in an earnings statement. "These results were highlighted by our performance in the 17-inch-and-larger segment in consumer replacement, which delivered more than double the industry growth in the U.S. and Europe," he added. Reported by Proactive Investors 1 hour ago.