The numbers for October 6, 2014
HP, bitcoin and more numbers we're watching today.
The crowd of protesters in Hong Kong reached 80,000 this weekend, organizers said. The pro-democracy movement and the government were still at a standoff on Monday morning, after Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said he would “take all necessary actions to restore social order.” The crackdown didn’t materialize and protesters cleared a small path to the government headquarters as their ranks thinned. Quartz reported that neither side seems to have a clear plan.
Here are the stories we’re reading, and other numbers we’re watching, Monday.
55,000
That’s the number of jobs HP says it will cut—5,000 more than expected—the New York Times reported. The bump comes amid the news that HP will split into two companies, one focused on business technology and the other focused on consumer hardware.
$290
Bitcoin’s value fell nearly 20 percent over the weekend to $290, the BBC reported. It’s the sharpest drop yet in a steady decline for the online currency, which was worth more than $1,000 late last year.
$6 billion
Meanwhile, the mobile payment market was roiling with rumors Monday. Square nabbed $150 million at a $6 billion valuation, but the Verge reported new cash might confirm Square is in trouble. Elsewhere in Silicon Valley, Facebook seems to be experimenting with peer-to-peer mobile payment. A few users found the functionality already hidden in the company’s Messenger app, TechCrunch reported.
2016
That’s when new episodes of David Lynch’s cult hit “Twin Peaks” will debut on Showtime, 25 years after its original run. The Screen Wars rage on.