Big Banks’ Vanity Unfair for Their Investors

Big Banks’ Vanity Unfair for Their Investors

JOHN CARNEY

Feb. 11, 2014 2:46 p.m. ET

Even leaving aside the flashy watches, bespoke suits and ostentatious vacation homes, bankers’ obsession with the way they are perceived may be more costly than it appears—costly to investors, that is.

A recently revised working paper from a trio of economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York demonstrates that in the depths of the financial crisis, banks willingly overpaid for loans from the Fed. They did so by choosing to borrow from a special facility, even though the cost was at a substantial premium to funds available from the Fed’s discount window, the paper notes. Read more of this post

9 Undervalued Stocks From Around the World

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014

9 Undervalued Stocks From Around the World

By DIMITRA DEFOTIS | MORE ARTICLES BY AUTHOR

Tocqueville’s James Hunt has outrun the index in good times, and, importantly, in down markets too.

A series of black and white photos line the wall of James Hunt’s New York office, testament to the day three decades ago when he outran the bulls in Pamplona. Read more of this post

South Korea releases jailed executives

February 11, 2014 12:46 pm

South Korea releases jailed executives

By Simon Mundy in Seoul

South Korean courts have commuted the prison sentences for fraud of two of the country’s most prominent businessmen, undermining hopes of a crackdown on high-level corruption. Read more of this post

Garuda, Gallant Venture to build hub in Bintan

Garuda, Gallant Venture to build hub in Bintan 

Nadya Natahadibrata, The Jakarta Post, Singapore | Business | Wed, February 12 2014, 10:20 AM

National flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore-based investment company Gallant Venture on Tuesday to develop an airport and maintenance facility in Bintan, Riau Islands.
Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar and Gallant Venture CEO Eugene Park inked the deal during the 2014 Singapore Airshow in Singapore. Read more of this post

Tesco clothing brand takes expansion to 20 countries

Updated: Wednesday February 12, 2014 MYT 11:01:19 AM

Tesco clothing brand takes expansion to 20 countries

LONDON: The clothing brand sold by Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco said on Tuesday it had opened its first stores in the Philippines, expanding its footprint to 20 countries globally.

F&F, launched in the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2001, said it and local franchise partner Stores Specialist Inc had opened three stores already in the Philippines, with 10 in total planned this year. Read more of this post

Private-Equity Investors Join China’s Environmental Cleanup

Private-Equity Investors Join China’s Environmental Cleanup

CHAO DENG 

Feb. 11, 2014 7:49 a.m. ET

Private-equity firms are again betting on China’s environmental sector as the government adopts a new sense of urgency in cleaning up the nation’s filthy air and water.

After a decline in 2012, the firms’ investments in environment-related businesses in China last year totaled $1.2 billion, a record-high 7.1% of all private-equity investment in the country, according to the Hong Kong-based Centre for Asia Private Equity Research. That’s up from 2.3% in 2012 and 6% in 2011, according to the center. The media, construction and consumer goods sectors were among those that were more popular. Read more of this post

Not a Run on China, But a Brisk Walk; Wealthy Chinese are voting with their feet to move wealth abroad. That ought to send a message to investors

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014

Not a Run on China, But a Brisk Walk

By RANDALL W. FORSYTH | MORE ARTICLES BY AUTHOR

Wealthy Chinese are voting with their feet to move wealth abroad. That ought to send a message to investors.

The popular perception is that money is gushing into China, between its burgeoning trade surpluses and the rush to invest in the world’s second-largest economy. That perception is sorely out of date. Read more of this post

New York planning a reality check for virtual currencies

Updated: Wednesday February 12, 2014 MYT 10:36:13 AM

New York planning a reality check for virtual currencies

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: New York’s financial regulator on Tuesday revealed new details on how the state plans to govern virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, just as problems in the nascent market took a turn for the worse. Read more of this post

Real estate investors are pouring into property assets around the world but do not properly understand the risks of doing so, according to new research

February 11, 2014 3:05 pm

Investors warned over real estate risks

By Kate Allen

Real estate investors are pouring into property assets around the world but do not properly understand the risks of doing so, according to new research.

Investors in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia do not have sufficiently strongrisk management procedures and have not integrated their real estate teams into their wider asset allocation systems, the report by property data specialists IPD/MSCI found. Read more of this post

7-Eleven gets SC aproval for re-entry into Bursa Malaysia; 7-Eleven has 1,542 outlets across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The firm owns 1,376 of its stores, while 166 are managed by franchisors.

Updated: Wednesday February 12, 2014 MYT 8:40:14 AM

7-Eleven gets SC aproval for re-entry into Bursa Malaysia

BY TEE LIN SAY

Sources said the approval came about on the back of lower valuations accorded to the country’s largest operator of 24-hour convenience stores

PETALING JAYA: The Securities Commission (SC) has approved the listing of convenience chain outlet 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Bhd, paving the way for its re-entry into Bursa Malaysia. Read more of this post

‘Too-big-to-fail banks’ the most critical issue facing financial system, says Fed official

Updated: Wednesday February 12, 2014 MYT 10:54:12 AM

‘Too-big-to-fail banks’ the most critical issue facing financial system, says Fed official

PALO ALTO, California: Calling too-big-to-fail banks “the most critical issue facing our financial system,” a top Federal Reserve official on Tuesday urged new laws to address the problem, including ending Fed emergency lending powers. Read more of this post

M’sian banks vulnerable to falling household health

Updated: Wednesday February 12, 2014 MYT 6:48:36 AM

M’sian banks vulnerable to falling household health

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian banks are particularly vulnerable to deterioration in household health, given that the household sector accounts for about 57% of the banking system’s total loans, a report by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services (S&P) shows. Read more of this post