Scott Hodge: Here’s What ‘Income Equality’ Would Look Like Take about $4 trillion from the top 40% of families and give it to the bottom 60%—voilà, no more inequality.

Scott Hodge: Here’s What ‘Income Equality’ Would Look Like

Take about $4 trillion from the top 40% of families and give it to the bottom 60%—voilà, no more inequality.

SCOTT A. HODGE

Feb. 13, 2014 6:16 p.m. ET

President Obama has talked a lot recently about reducing income inequality. Yet he neither acknowledges how much money the government is redistributing, nor how much more would be needed to close the income gap. Perhaps that’s because the project would require redistribution on a staggering scale. Read more of this post

German Thriftiness Vexes Banks; A Glut of Deposits Has Lenders Struggling to Invest It All

German Thriftiness Vexes Banks

A Glut of Deposits Has Lenders Struggling to Invest It All

CHRISTOPHER LAWTON and LAURA STEVENS

Feb. 13, 2014 4:16 p.m. ET

FRANKFURT—Hauke Hanke’s frugality is becoming a problem for Germany’s banks. Like many of his compatriots, the 30-year-old scientist from Berlin typically saves as much as 25% of his paycheck every month. Read more of this post

Luxury hotel brands swap keys in India’s economic slump

Luxury hotel brands swap keys in India’s economic slump

Thursday, February 13, 2014 – 12:50

Aditi Shah

Reuters

Mumbai – Less than nine months after opening the first hotel in Mumbai under its brand, Hong Kong luxury chain operator Shangri-La Asia (0069.HK) handed the keys back to the owner. Read more of this post

India’s aviation sector struggling to soar

India’s aviation sector struggling to soar

Friday, Feb 14, 2014

Nirmala Ganapathy

The Straits Times

NEW DELHI – India’s aviation sector is starting to shake off the doldrums with the launch of two new airlines, at least one this year, in a rapidly expanding market. Read more of this post

Wall Street’s grandfathers of commodities to survive Fed revamp better than others

Wall Street’s grandfathers of commodities to survive Fed revamp better than others

Wed, Feb 12 2014

By Anna Louie Sussman

NEW YORK (Reuters) – As the U.S. Federal Reserve considers new ways of reining in banks’ trading in what it sees as risky physical commodity markets, Wall Street‘s two oldest and biggest players may ultimately gain in stature. Read more of this post

China’s Shadow Lenders Turn to Property; Strategic Shift Comes as Default Risk Rises on Older Loans

China’s Shadow Lenders Turn to Property

Strategic Shift Comes as Default Risk Rises on Older Loans

DINNY MCMAHON And ESTHER FUNG

Updated Feb. 13, 2014 6:44 a.m. ET

China’s key shadow-banking institutions have aggressively ramped up funding to the property sector, a marked shift in strategy at a time when lenders face increased risk that older loans they have made won’t be repaid.

According to data issued Thursday by the China Trustee Association, a government-backed industry group, China’s trust companies provided more than 10 times as much new funding to the property sector in the last three months of 2013 as they did a year earlier. The increase came as overall growth in lending by the trust firms came in at 7.7% relative to the previous quarter, well below a quarterly pace that typically exceeds 10%. Read more of this post

China smog makes capital “barely suitable” for life: report

China smog makes capital “barely suitable” for life: report

Thursday, February 13, 2014 – 11:16

Reuters

SHANGHAI – Severe pollution in Beijing has made the Chinese capital “barely suitable” for living, according to an official Chinese report, as the world’s second-largest economy tries to reduce often hazardous levels of smog caused by decades of rapid growth. Read more of this post