By The Numbers

Bitcoin gets a bit of a bump

Tony Wagner Apr 30, 2015
10

That’s the version of Windows that Microsoft showed off Wednesday, skipping Windows 9 and enjoying what tech correspondent Molly Wood called “a bit of a prom king moment.” Between the new operating system and HoloLens, the tech giant could finally be delivering on the comeback it’s been promising for years, earning back some cool to go along with its resilient pile of cash.

$1.6 trillion

That’s the worth of assets in public and private retirement plans directed by money management giant Pacific Investment Management Company, or PIMCO. And who is advising them on how to manage those assets? Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke

1,265

The number of earnings calls from 2007 to 2014 in which analysts told companies they had a “great quarter, guys,” according to an analysis by Bloomberg. Turns out a “great quarter, guys” doesn’t always mean things are going all that great. In fact, 66 companies heard they were coming off a “great quarter, guys” at the start of 2008, just a few months before the economy tanked.

$50 million

That’s how much money Goldman Sachs, along with a Chinese investment firm, is committing to Circle Internet Financial, a start-up focused on the technology behind Bitcoin. As the NY Times reports, it’s a significant vote of confidence for the digital currency’s potential legitimacy. 

$21 billion

That’s the size of the Swiss watch market, as of last year, and it’s a market Apple has to tap into with its new smart watch. While tech coverage has been exhaustive, we’ve heard relatively little from the other world Apple is straddling with the Watch. The Verge sat down with John Tarantino, head of the mechanical watchmaker Martenero, getting his impressions of the Watch and whether he considers it a threat to his business.

$100 million

Once valued at $100 million, anonymous phone app Secret will soon be no more. Founder David Byttow said the app has drifted from his original vision, and so he has decided to call it quits. As reported by BBC Tech, the company will return some of its $35 million in funding to investors.

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