Microsoft Prescription: More Bill Gates; Co-Founder Strengthens Role to Mentor New CEO Satya Nadella

Microsoft Prescription: More Bill Gates

Co-Founder Strengthens Role to Mentor New CEO Satya Nadella

SHIRA OVIDE, JOANN S. LUBLIN and MONICA LANGLEY

Updated Feb. 4, 2014 8:03 p.m. ET

Satya Nadella is Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT -0.36% new CEO. But he ascends as co-founder Bill Gates returns to a more central role at a company struggling to catch up inmobile and other fast-moving technologies. Read more of this post

Bank Of America Warns: “Too Few Bears Out There”, “Investors Not Prepared” For Selloff

Bank Of America Warns: “Too Few Bears Out There”, “Investors Not Prepared” For Selloff

Tyler Durden on 02/04/2014 08:24 -0500

There is one main reason why complacency is bad: selloffs. Because as Bank of America explains, in an environment in which there are “too few bears“, and where investors are “not prepared for a downside correction”, when you do finally get a sell off for whatever reason, with nobody hedged and otherwise prepared for such an outcome, the only logical continuation is piling on until one gets selling exhaustion. And in a world in which hedge fund leverage is about 500%, by the time exhaustion comes, there will be very few left standing. Read more of this post

The $3 Trillion Hole – Why EM Matters To European Banks

The $3 Trillion Hole – Why EM Matters To European Banks

Tyler Durden on 02/04/2014 12:23 -0500

How many times in the last few days have we been told that Turkey – or Ukraine or Venezuela or Argentina – are too small to matter? How many comparisons of Emerging Market GDP to world GDP to instill confidence that a little crisis there can’t possible mean problems here. Putting aside this entirely disingenuous perspective, historical examples such as LTCM, and ignoring the massive leverage in the system, there is a simple reason whyEmerging Markets matter. As Reuters reports, European banks have loaned in excess of $3 trillion to emerging markets, more than four times US lenders – especially when average NPLs for historical EM shocks is over 40%.

The risk is most acute for six European banks – BBVA, Erste Bank, HSBC, Santander, Standard Chartered, and UniCredit Read more of this post

Singaporeans not as wealthy as GDP figures suggest

Singaporeans not as wealthy as GDP figures suggest

Tuesday, 04 February, 2014, 5:57am

Jake van der Kamp

HK performs better than the Lion City on the basis of personal consumption expenditure

… the average growth of Singapore’s gross domestic product and GDP per capita has outperformed Hong Kong’s over the last 45 years. Its GDP was only half that of Hong Kong more than 20 years ago. Today the Lion City’s GDP is slightly ahead and GDP per capita is 25 per cent higher than in Hong Kong. Read more of this post

Koch brothers dominate oil & gas list with $83 billion fortune

Koch brothers dominate oil & gas list with $106 billion fortune

Singapore – Charles and David Koch of Koch Industries have been listed by research company Wealth-X as the richest individuals in America’s oil and gas industry.

The brothers, who are from the state of Kansas have a reported net worth of US$83 billion (S$106 billion), said Singapore-based company Wealth-X. They are the principal owners of the Wichita-based company which was founded by their father, Fred Koch, in 1940. Read more of this post

Andrew Rickards, the chief executive of Yoma Strategic, is fond of telling people that he wants to turn the real estate company into the Jardine Matheson of Myanmar

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 04, 2014

Yoma faces new landscape on its path of diversification

KENNETH LIM KENLIM@SPH.COM.SG

Staying alert: As Yoma’s diversification becomes more substantial, the real estate company and its shareholders will have to watch out for the pitfalls of conglomerates.  Read more of this post

Strategy in a World of Constant Change

Strategy in a World of Constant Change

by Roger Martin  |   1:00 PM February 3, 2014

Am I the only person to be getting a bit weary of hearing it repeatedly asserted that we’re living in a world of constant, accelerating change?  That competitive advantages are becoming ever more transient and that the secret to survival will be to the ability to transform on a dime?  Otherwise, what happened to Tom Tom will happen to you. Please! Read more of this post

What’s the most important job of a chief investment officer? Creating and sustaining an organization that can make good investmentdecisions.

chief investment officers

Tom Brakke

January 29, 2014

There has been a lot happening at PIMCO.  Although Mohamed El-Erian is still listed on the website as co-chief investment officer, he resigned eight days ago.  Now there are six new deputy chief investment officers. Read more of this post

Giant pipeline brings unaffordable water to China’s north

Giant pipeline brings unaffordable water to China’s north

Staff Reporter

2014-02-04

The eastern route of China’s South-North Water Diversion project officially began drawing and diverting water last November and December from the Yangtze River to 71 counties, cities and areas in Jiangsu, Shandong and Anhui provinces. The much-needed water comes, however, at a price many local officials find difficult to swallow. Read more of this post

Cambridge-based digital printer Xaar was one of the best performing shares in the FTSE 350 in 2013, after its shares rose almost 300 per cent over the year

February 3, 2014 5:24 pm

Bullish printer enters the China shop

By Tanya Powley, Manufacturing Correspondent

©Zuma

It may have taken thousands of years for Chinese ceramic makers to embrace new technology – but one UK printing pioneer has needed only 12 months to capitalise on their break with tradition. Read more of this post

SK Group, Korea’s third largest chaebol, is backpedaling in its overseas energy projects because of the incarceration of its chief

2014-02-02 18:18

CEO risk weighs on SK future

By Choi Kyong-ae
SK Group is backpedaling in its overseas energy projects because of the incarceration of its chief.
In the latest example, SK Energy, an affiliate of SK Group, pulled out of the final bid to acquire a controlling stake worth up to 1 trillion won in United Petroleum, an Australian oil company. This was widely seen as the conglomerate’s failure to make concrete investment decisions amidst its current leadership vacuum. Read more of this post

More S. Korean companies in ‘1 trillion won club’ list

More S. Korean companies in ‘1 trillion won club’ list

Chun Chung-hong

2014.02.04 17:50:41

A series of South Korean companies are to made entry into the ‘one trillion won club’ of sales. Those are Hanssem, Moneual and Seoul Semiconductor. Their feat holds significance as they achieved surging growth in their respective furniture, electronics and LED areas even amid unfavorable business condition.  Read more of this post

Nutella should be worried about Hershey’s new hazelnut spread

Nutella should be worried about Hershey’s new hazelnut spread

By Roberto A. Ferdman @robferdman

February 3, 2014

Chocolate spreads are on their way to becoming a pantry staple for Americans, and The Hershey Company isn’t about to miss out. The US-based chocolate maker recently started its own line of Nutella-like chocolate spreads, called Hershey’s Spreads. The spreads come in three flavors: chocolate, chocolate with almond, and chocolate with hazelnut. Read more of this post

Spending money has never been easier in China’s mobile finance era

Spending money has never been easier in China’s mobile finance era

Staff Reporter 

2014-02-04

A Yu E Bao advertisement reading, “Use it anytime.” (Internet photo)

The era of internet financial services began in China in 2013, which has since provided the average member of the public easier access to financial tools and products, reports the Chinese-language Securities Times. Read more of this post

Europe is on the hunt for ‘zombie banks’

Europe is on the hunt for ‘zombie banks’

AP

FEB 4, 2014

FRANKFURT, GERMANY – In Europe, the zombie hunt is on — not for undead humans but for “zombie banks,” the walking dead among lenders, too financially troubled to loan money in an economy that desperately needs investment, growth and jobs. Read more of this post

Will unification galvanize Korea Inc.?

2014-02-03 18:59

Will unification galvanize Korea Inc.?

President Park Geun-hye, right, talks about the significance of Korean unification in a discussion with World Economic Forum (WEF) Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab after delivering a keynote speech at the WEF’s annual conference in Davos, Switzerland Read more of this post

Brompton Bicycle shows British manufacturing how to shift up a gear

Brompton Bicycle shows British manufacturing how to shift up a gear

Sun, Jan 26 2014

By Brenda Goh and Neil Maidment

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Loan refusal letters and retailers’ rejections frame the walls of the Brompton Bicycle factory, a reminder of the obstacles the firm has overcome to establish itself as the UK’s top bike-maker, selling 45,000 a year around the world. Read more of this post