Outlook 2014: Solutions to Ten Conflicts

Outlook 2014: Solutions to Ten Conflicts

By Johan Galtung on 6:16 pm January 16, 2014.
Alfaz, Spain. There are conflicts old and new crying for solution and reconciliation, not violence, with reasonable, realistic ways out. Take the South Sudan conflict between the Nuer and the Dinka. We know the story of the borders drawn by the colonial powers, confirmed in Berlin in 1884. Read more of this post

Interest-Rate Obsession May Doom Turkey’s Erdogan

Interest-Rate Obsession May Doom Turkey’s Erdogan

It is possible that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be undone not by the corruption probe he is suppressing, but by his fixation on low interest rates.

For several years Erdogan has been pushing the idea that higher interest rates are inherently bad, and indeed — contrary to conventional economic theory — cause inflation. His view is that the central bank’s job should be to target a real-terms interest rate of zero. Read more of this post

Fiat Heir Elkann Reshapes Family Legacy With Chrysler

Fiat Heir Elkann Reshapes Family Legacy With Chrysler

While Fiat SpA (F) Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne, 61, got the spotlight for the New Year’s Day swoop to secure full control of Chrysler Group LLC, a reserved 37-year-old will ultimately determine whether that transatlantic combination succeeds. Read more of this post

Debate rages on the big returns from small-caps; Smaller companies reliably outperform over the longer term

January 17, 2014 3:11 pm

Debate rages on the big returns from small-caps

By John Authers

Smaller companies reliably outperform over the longer term

Size matters. It is one of the least contentious issues in investment. When buyingstocks, the smaller the company, the better your chance of a good long-run return. Read more of this post

Bargain Hunting in U.S. Spreads Christmas Coal to UPS

Bargain Hunting in U.S. Spreads Christmas Coal to UPS

The list of U.S. companies that didn’t get what they wanted for Christmas is growing.

United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) became the latest when it said today that a crush of last-minute orders resulted in higher costs and lower-than-expected earnings. Earlier this week, Best Buy Co. said holiday sales fell, while Target Corp. (TGT)’s Christmas was marred by a security breach. Read more of this post

In Hong Kong, having women on the board has no effect on company performance

In Hong Kong, having women on the board has no effect on company performance

By Heather Timmons @HeathaT January 17, 2014

Hong Kong activist investor David Webb has crunched the numbers on shareholder returns and the gender breakdown of local boards, and found it doesn’t really matter whether women are involved or not. Read more of this post

Utilities Shut 12% of Europe Gas Plants; “Utilities have completely failed to anticipate changing carbon prices, coal prices, and the impact of renewables deployment and how these could affect the economics of gas investments”

Utilities Shut 12% of Europe Gas Plants, Oxford Study Shows

Ten of Europe’s biggest utilities mothballed 21.3 gigawatts of gas-fed stations last year, or 12 percent of Europe’s generation fleet, as plants lost money for a second year, according to an Oxford University study. Read more of this post

Shale’s ‘Next Big Play’ Draws U.S. Gas Producer to Australia

Shale’s ‘Next Big Play’ Draws U.S. Gas Producer to Australia

Australia has the most attractive shale gas prospects outside North America, according to Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. (MHR), a Houston-based producer that says it has scoured the world looking for deposits of the gas that has revolutionized energy supply in the U.S. Read more of this post

In shale, Britain has a second chance to mend its fortunes

January 17, 2014 8:09 pm

In shale, Britain has a second chance to mend its fortunes

By Misha Glenny

Profits should be invested for the nation, not frittered, writes Misha Glenny

Imagine a country where government welfare payments are generous and not under attack. A utopian kingdom in which all books are guaranteed to sell at least 1,000 copies because the state believes that every library – none of which are closing – should bring together the entire cultural output of the land. When its citizens venture abroad they are welcomed and loved, for they spend billions on aid for countries less fortunate than their own. Yet, despite all this opulence and generosity, their government owes a negligible amount of debt. Read more of this post

Don’t Take Democracy for Granted in Asia

Don’t Take Democracy for Granted in Asia

By Mark Beeson on 12:44 pm January 18, 2014.
A little less than three decades ago, Francis Fukuyama made a very big name for himself by predicting that liberal democracy would sweep the planet. Simply put, in a world freed of the divisive ideology of the Cold War, in which capitalism reigned triumphant, individuals simply wouldn’t put up with authoritarian governments that tried to curb liberty and individual interests. Read more of this post

South-East Asia not looking pretty

Updated: Saturday January 18, 2014 MYT 7:21:07 AM

South-East Asia not looking pretty

BY TAN SRI DR MUNIR MAJID

Denial will not solve anything.

SOUTH-EAST Asia is the region to watch this year for better or for worse.

Of course we would like the world to see the bustling activity towards regional integration by the end of 2015. Although there would previously have been trepidation of Myanmar’s chairmanship of Asean, there is this year no fear it will screw up or cause the region huge embarrassment. Read more of this post

Bond Market Developments Crucial for Asean’s Ambitions

Bond Market Developments Crucial for Asean’s Ambitions

By Nitin Jaiswal on 3:16 pm January 17, 2014.
By a number of macro-economic measures Southeast Asia is on the fast track.

According to figures released in October by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations the bloc’s GDP grew by 5.7 percent in 2012; contrast that with the anemic 1.4 percent in developed countries last year. Read more of this post

Former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum has denied an accusation by his former treasurer and business partner, Muhammad Nazaruddin, that he pocketed almost $1 billion in kickbacks

Nazaruddin Levels $1 Billion Kickback Accusation at Anas

By Novianti Setuningsih & Markus Junianto Sihaloho on 11:11 am January 18, 2014.
Former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum has denied an accusation by his former treasurer and business partner, Muhammad Nazaruddin, that he pocketed almost $1 billion in kickbacks for allegedly rigging a combined Rp 64 trillion ($5.31 billion) worth of government contracts.

Speaking to reporters following his questioning on Friday at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office in South Jakarta, Anas said the money went into “Nazaruddin’s own pocket.” Read more of this post

Will the Spirit of Reform Survive Indonesia’s Upcoming Elections?

Will the Spirit of Reform Survive Indonesia’s Upcoming Elections?

By Damien Kingsbury on 11:23 am January 18, 2014.
Indonesia’s democracy is being increasingly tested by the triple challenges of anti-reform actors, a high-level political malaise and popular disenchantment with the electoral process. Read more of this post