Mahathir Thwarts Sultan’s Power Grab

Mahathir Thwarts Sultan’s Power Grab

Written by Our Correspondent

SAT,14 JUNE 2014

Intervention saves PM Najib’s political standing

Malaysia’s aging former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had to act earlier this week to save Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak from embarrassing legislation that would have given the Sultan of Johor executive powers to run the housing authority of the country’s second biggest state. Read more of this post

How big can BlackRock get? With more than US$4.4-trillion in assets under management, BlackRock is the largest money manager in the world by a wide margin

How big can BlackRock get?

Jonathan Ratner | June 19, 2014 7:50 AM ET
With more than US$4.4-trillion in assets under management, BlackRock Inc. is the largest money manager in the world by a wide margin, but that has some investors worried that its growth will inevitably slow down.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Eric Berg, however, is confident BlackRock is being very disciplined in launching new products that can help increase AUM over time and is targeting market leadership in key markets to help boost overall growth. Read more of this post

China’s Real-Estate Wrongs

YAO YANG

Yao Yang is Dean of the National School of Development and Director of the China Center for Economic Research at Peking University.

JUN 20, 2014

China’s Real-Estate Wrongs

BEIJING – China’s real-estate sector has been a source of serious concern for several years, with soaring property prices raising fears of overheating in the housing market. But, with price growth easing, it seems that the government’s campaign to rein in property risk is finally taking hold. The danger now is that the housing market will collapse – bringing China’s economic prospects down with it. Read more of this post

A Love-Hate Relationship: Why Guangdong’s Financial Health Is So Tied to Property

Jun 20, 2014

A Love-Hate Relationship: Why Guangdong’s Financial Health Is So Tied to Property

China’s southern province of Guangdong was the first beneficiary of Beijing’s policy of opening up the economy to the outside world, becoming an export powerhouse and a magnet for foreign investment. It was also among the first local governments given a chance to issue bonds on its own – without Beijing holding its hand – as part of the central government’s plan to expand the financing channels of better-managed provinces and cities. Read more of this post

Family, Corruption and Sage Words From a News Agency; The Chinese language is revealingly rich in mordant sayings about the nexus of family, officialdom and corruption

Family, Corruption and Sage Words From a News Agency

By CHRIS BUCKLEY

June 20, 2014

The Chinese language is revealingly rich in mordant sayings about the nexus of family, officialdom and corruption. When a man becomes an official, one saying goes, even his “chickens and dogs become immortals.” And a commentary by the state news agency Xinhua that appeared Friday, laced with similar phrases, was likely to be worrisome reading for Ling Jihua, once the powerful gatekeeper to the Communist Party’s leadership. Read more of this post

China quietly launches probe of foreign non-government outfits: media

China quietly launches probe of foreign non-government outfits: media

6:18am EDT

BEIJING (Reuters) – China has quietly begun a probe into the operations of foreign non-government bodies in the country, to prepare for tighter regulations in future, as part of a security drive ordered by a new national panel headed by President Xi Jinping.

Non-government organizations have mushroomed in China in recent years, and can have a confrontational relationship with the government, especially if they work with sensitive groups, such as sex workers or drug addicts. Read more of this post

Westports sets world record for container productivity

Updated: Friday June 20, 2014 MYT 5:35:57 PM

Westports sets world record for container productivity

KUALA LUMPUR: Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd container operations team has scored another first when set a new world record for container terminal productivity, notching an impressive 793 moves in one hour.

This feat was achieved over the China Shipping container vessel, CSCL Le Havre (9572 TEU vessel), which operated on the AEX7 East service in the network linking Asia and Europe.  Read more of this post

THE booming presence of developers from China in Johor has not only ruffled feathers among local developers but also sparked concerns of the Singapore government due to the massive land reclamation works

Updated: Saturday June 21, 2014 MYT 6:55:54 AM

Stormy property landscape

BY NG BEI SHAN

THE booming presence of developers from China in Johor has not only ruffled feathers among local developers but also sparked concerns of the Singapore government due to the massive land reclamation works.

Following the high-profile entrance of Guangzhou-based Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd, which launched 9,000 units in Danga Bay at one-go in 2013, all eyes are now on other developers from China who are expected to adopt carpet bombing kind of development. Read more of this post

Palm oil industry needs to invest more in downstream activities

Updated: Saturday June 21, 2014 MYT 7:08:59 AM

Palm oil industry needs to invest more in downstream activities

BY DANIEL KHOO

Money to be made: Pemandu is pushing for the palm oil industry to capture the full potential of downstream activities, especially in the finished segments that generate high value income such as oleo-derivatives.

THE local palm oil sector which has been driven by the upstream segment in the past decades is set to change its course through increased contribution from the downstream segment in the coming years, according to the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu), and Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). Read more of this post

Closer Look: Xi’s Leadership of Top Economic Group Follows Pattern

06.20.2014 18:22

Closer Look: Xi’s Leadership of Top Economic Group Follows Pattern

While Xinhua set a precedent by naming the members of the key party body, the fact it is led by the general secretary is unsurprising

By staff reporter Wu Peng

(Beijing) – Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping’s chairmanship of a top economic decision-making group has generated discussion about his expanding power and role in China’s reforms. Read more of this post

When a ‘Liquid-Alt’ Fund Loses Steam

Jun 20, 2014

THE INTELLIGENT INVESTOR

When a ‘Liquid-Alt’ Fund Loses Steam

JASON ZWEIG

If you trade up for a “liquid-alternative” fund, make sure you understand you also are making a trade-off.

That is the lesson that emerges from the rise and fall of the Natixis ASKN.FR -1.19%G Diversifying Strategies Fund, a pioneering portfolio that has just been put out of its misery by its manager.

Liquid-alternative funds generally offer the prospect of doing well when U.S. stocks do poorly. That hope comes at a price, however: Such funds, which tend to charge high fees, typically do poorly when U.S. stocks do well. Investors who don’t understand this link will inevitably be sorry. Read more of this post

Far-reaching new rules aimed at catching overseas tax cheats take effect July 1. Here’s what you need to know to avoid running afoul of the IRS

Offshore Accounts: What to Do Now

Far-reaching new rules aimed at catching overseas tax cheats take effect July 1.

LAURA SAUNDERS

Updated June 20, 2014 6:47 p.m. ET

The federal government’s campaign to track down money held by U.S. taxpayers in foreign countries shifts into high gear July 1.

That is when the main provisions of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, known as Fatca, come into force. Read more of this post