Economists wield big influence in merger reviews

Economists wield big influence in merger reviews

By Holly Yeager, Published: June 2

When executives from Comcast and Time Warner Cable met with Federal Communications Commission staffers last month to make the case for their merger, the expected antitrust and communications lawyers went along with them.

But the companies also took four economists — part of a highly specialized but low-profile set of number-crunchers who can be highly influential when it comes to winning approval for big deals like these. Read more of this post

The domestic tobacco industry is facing a downturn in the sale of hand-rolled clove cigarettes, as consumers shift to machine-made ones – a situation that could see job losses in the industry

Dim outlook for hand-rolled clove cigarettes

Linda Yulisman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Mon, June 02 2014, 12:07 PM

The domestic tobacco industry is facing a downturn in the sale of hand-rolled clove cigarettes, as consumers shift to machine-made ones — a situation that could see job losses in the industry.
Market share of hand-rolled cigarettes has fallen from 32.8 percent in 2009 to 26.07 percent at present. In contrast, sales of machine-made clove cigarettes have risen, leading to an increase in market share from 59.24 to 66.2 percent during the same period. Read more of this post

Court battle and legal nightmare for Singaporean property investors after Malaysian developer went bust; Beware of pitfalls in overseas property markets

Court battle after developer went bust

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2014

Rachael Boon

The Straits Times

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Troops deployed from China’s provinces laughed as they shot randomly at pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, according to a US account declassified Tuesday for the 25th anniversary

Troops ‘laughing’ in Tiananmen crackdown

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 – 09:51

AFP

WASHINGTON – Troops deployed from China’s provinces laughed as they shot randomly at pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, according to a US account declassified Tuesday for the 25th anniversary. Read more of this post

Wary China keeps close watch as Tiananmen anniversary arrives

Wary China keeps close watch as Tiananmen anniversary arrives

Tue, Jun 3 2014

By Sui-Lee Wee

BEIJING (Reuters) – Twenty-five years ago, Wang Nan took his camera and headed out to Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, where tens of thousands of people had gathered calling for democratic reforms. The 19-year-old told a friend he wanted to record history. Read more of this post

China risks another Tiananmen tragedy in the coming years

China risks another Tiananmen tragedy in the coming years

Minxin Pei

@FortuneMagazine

MAY 31, 2014, 5:14 PM EDT

Relying on repression to maintain power may be the Chinese Communist Party’s undoing in the long run.

The Tiananmen Square tragedy of June 4, 1989 — a bloody suppression of a peaceful, pro-democracy movement 25 years ago this week — was truly a black-swan event. Read more of this post

Number of Fortune 500 women CEOs reaches historic high

Number of Fortune 500 women CEOs reaches historic high

Caroline Fairchild

@FortuneMagazine

JUNE 3, 2014, 6:00 AM EDT

This year’s list features six fresh faces as well as the noticeable absence of one high-powered tech executive.

For those keeping score of women on the Fortune 500, here’s some good news: The definitive ranking of America’s biggest companies boasts some 24 female CEOs, up from 20 a year ago, and more than at any point since Fortune started compiling executive gender in 1998. Read more of this post

The Chinese technology companies poised to dominate the world; From PCs to smartphones, Chinese firms are outgrowing their home market and making their mark internationally

The Chinese technology companies poised to dominate the world

From PCs to smartphones, Chinese firms are outgrowing their home market and making their mark internationally

Charles Arthur

The Guardian, Tuesday 3 June 2014 12.52 BST

As we walked into Huawei’s offices in Shenzhen, southern China, our English guide paused for a moment. “When the FT came here, they wrote a story about how there were beds under the desks, and this meant that everyone must be working incredibly long hours,” he said. “Quite wrong.” Read more of this post

Many global retailers absent in India due to various reason; CBRE undertook a research study of 317 prominent global brands across numerous segments and geographies. Of these 317 brands, only 196 brands are operational in India.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission is readying new guidelines for firms that advise shareholders on corporate ballots, amid complaints by corporations that such advisers have too much influence

ISS, Other Proxy Advisers Pressed to Disclose Conflicts

SEC Readies New Guidelines for Firms That Advise Shareholders

ANDREW ACKERMAN, JOANN S. LUBLIN and THEO FRANCIS

Updated June 3, 2014 9:08 a.m. ET

The Securities and Exchange Commission is readying new guidelines for firms that advise shareholders on corporate ballots, amid complaints by corporations that such advisers have too much influence. Read more of this post