Evening Bamboo Insight: 14 Jul 2014

Evening Bamboo Insight: 14 Jul 2014

Macro

1. Industrial conglomerate Johnson Controls is wheeling and dealing its way into more-profitable businesses; founded in 1885 BY Warren Johnson, inventor of the thermostat, JCI strives to provide power and comfort in eco-friendly ways

http://online.barrons.com/news/articles/SB50001424053111904248904580005053922209586?mod=BOL_mp_emailed_today

2. How capital captured politics; WikiLeaks has shown us that western democracies are now ruled by market forces that debase the very notion of freedom

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/13/capital-politics-wikileaks-democracy-market-freedom

3. As some high-risk assets take a hit, investors fear worse is to come

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/13/us-usa-markets-risks-analysis-idUSKBN0FI0T820140713

4. Private equity: A fee too far; Regulators are probing conflicts of interest and high fees charged by fund managers to the companies they own

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9dd43216-0857-11e4-9afc-00144feab7de.html#axzz37OPUp7V5

5. What central banks should do to deal with bubbles; It is a mistake to view macroprudential regulation as a potent independent policy tool

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e5cbf972-08ee-11e4-9d3c-00144feab7de.html

6. Fortunes of wealthiest French keep growing; Corporate success abroad is main driver behind 15% rise

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/87c21f4a-08f9-11e4-8d27-00144feab7de.html

7. Turbine makers adapt to winds of change

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e7a93ac4-068d-11e4-ba32-00144feab7de.html#slide0

8. Regulators, Traders Are Out of Sync; As trading hits warp speed, market cops have a growing headache: Clocks can’t always keep up

http://online.wsj.com/articles/regulators-traders-are-out-of-sync-1405295799?mod=rss_about_india

9. In Canada, a Central Banker’s Unusual Approach; Head of Bank of Canada Looks Beyond Economic Models for Clues

http://online.wsj.com/articles/in-canada-a-central-bankers-unusual-approach-1405287298

10. Railroads’ Gravy Train Heads for a Bump

http://online.wsj.com/articles/railroads-gravy-train-heads-for-a-bump-1405286429

11. For Fed, Raising Rates Won’t Be Easy; Central Bank’s Old Method Won’t Work Anymore

http://online.wsj.com/articles/heard-on-the-street-for-fed-raising-rates-wont-be-easy-1405276688

12. The Government Bond Racket; Regulators figure out that sovereign debt isn’t risk free.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-government-bond-racket-1405290654

Asia Pacific

1. (Myanmar) – Mandalay’s Chinese Muslims Chilled by Riots

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/world/asia/mandalays-chinese-muslims-chilled-by-riots.html?emc=edit_th_20140713&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=36114517&_r=1

2. (China) – China detains prominent financial TV anchor in what appears to be the latest target in a corruption crackdown

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-detains-prominent/1259014.html#

3. (Isia) – Ruminating on Indonesia’s Future Amid Uncertainty

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/ruminating-indonesias-future-amid-uncertainty/

4. (China/Consumer) – Pizza Express sells for £900m to Chinese investment group

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jul/12/pizza-express-sells-900m-chinese-investments-group-hony-capital

5. (Taiwan) – Taipei ranked world’s 61st most expensive city for expats Vs HK 3rd, Singapore 4th, Zurich 5th, Geneva 6^th

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1202&MainCatID=12&id=20140713000027

6. (China) – Chen Xiaoxin, grandson of Communist Party ‘immortal’ Chen Yun

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140712000012&cid=1601

7. (Japan) – Economic reform is the key to fixing the Japanese constitution; With fresh challenges emerging it is crucial to give the people a bigger say

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/33aa4fce-090b-11e4-8d27-00144feab7de.html#axzz37OPUp7V5

8. (Korea/Tech) – Owen Mahoney of Nexon: a US geek at the helm of a Japanese game developer

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ab753e3e-0865-11e4-9afc-00144feab7de.html#axzz37OPUp7V5

9. (Msia) – Analysts query logic of Malaysia three-way bank merger

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9331446e-0a3e-11e4-a55e-00144feabdc0.html

10. A flight less ordinary: How Air New Zealand became Australasia’s most profitable airline

http://www.smh.com.au/business/a-flight-less-ordinary-how-air-new-zealand-became-australasias-most-profitable-airline-20140714-zt6di.html#ixzz37QJeP3tB

11. (China) – World Bank Pens a Paean to China’s Low-Cost, High-Speed Trains

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/07/14/world-bank-pens-a-paean-to-chinas-high-speed-trains/

12. (China/Consumer) – Chinese Buyer Taps Into Coconut Water Craze; Owner of Vita Coco Is Selling a 25% Stake in the Top-Selling U.S. Brand to Beijing’s Reignwood

http://online.wsj.com/articles/chinese-buyer-taps-into-coconut-water-craze-1405300157

13. (China/Consumer) – China’s Wine Market Shifts Toward Entry Level; Crackdown on Lavish Gift-Giving Sours High-End Segment, But Lower Priced Wine Is in Bloom

http://online.wsj.com/articles/chinas-wine-market-shifts-toward-entry-level-1405305923

14. (India) – India Finance Minister: Public Might Not Be Ready for Broad Overhauls; Jaitley Philosophy Seems to Clash With That of Prime Minister Modi

http://online.wsj.com/articles/india-finance-minister-public-might-not-be-ready-for-broad-overhauls-1405252761

Life

1. Unspoiled Children, No Rod Needed; How Parents Can Be Generous Without Turning Children Into Entitled Little Terrors

http://online.wsj.com/articles/unspoiled-children-no-rod-needed-1405210274

2. Chinua Achebe on the Meaning of Life and the Writer’s Responsibility in Society

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/07/11/chinua-achebe-meaning-of-life/

3. Buddhist Economics: How to Stop Prioritizing Goods Over People and Consumption Over Creative Activity

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/07/07/buddhist-economics-schumacher/

4. Forget The “To-Do” List, You Need A ‘Stop Doing’ List

http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/07/jim-collins-stop-doing-list/

5. Sir William Osler: A Way of Life; “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly in the distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/07/william-osler-a-way-of-life/

6. The Uses Of Being Wrong

http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/07/the-uses-of-being-wrong/

7. How to Talk About Pain: Modern medicine has impoverished the language we use to describe our suffering

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/opinion/sunday/how-to-talk-about-pain.html?ref=opinion

8. All Children Should Be Delinquents? It’s how they learn right from wrong

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/opinion/sunday/all-children-should-be-delinquents.html?ref=opinion

9. How a conversation with Warren Buffett led to a hit tequila

http://fortune.com/2014/07/11/avion-tequila-pernod-buffett/

10. Back from Bankruptcy: The Billion-Dollar Families Whose Fortunes Survived Near Brush With Death

http://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2014/07/13/back-from-bankruptcy-the-billion-dollar-families-whose-fortunes-survived-near-brush-with-death/print/

11. Beethoven Used This Strategy To Keep Creative Ideas Flowing

http://www.businessinsider.com/beethovens-creative-strategy-2014-7

12. A Dozen Things I have Learned from Jeff Bezos

http://25iq.com/2014/04/26/a-dozen-things-i-have-learned-from-jeff-bezos/

13. Sigmund Freud, the Never-Ending Storyteller

http://www.vqronline.org/nonfiction-criticism/2014/06/sigmund-freud-never-ending-storyteller

14. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, by Nick Bostrom; In ‘Superintelligence’, Nick Bostrom argues that we need to endow robots with human values

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/021d3484-fd1d-11e3-8ca9-00144feab7de.html#axzz37OPUp7V5

15. The Vatican bank: Managing Mammon; A shake-up of Catholic finances

http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21606897-shake-up-catholic-finances-managing-mammon

16. How confidence boosts motivation

http://www.todayonline.com/print/684786

17. The Corruption of Peer Review Is Harming Scientific Credibility

http://online.wsj.com/articles/hank-campbell-the-corruption-of-peer-review-is-harming-scientific-credibility-1405290747

TMT

1. The huge exposure Univision has received from the World Cup shows how the growth of America’s Hispanic population is reshaping the media landscape

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/business/media/biggest-scorer-in-world-cup-maybe-univision.html?ref=business&_r=0

2. From Obamacare to Marks & Spencer: when websites go wrong

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jul/13/marks-spencer-obamacare-websites-go-wrong

3. Cybercrime: Hackers Inc; Cyber-attackers have multiplied and become far more professional

http://www.economist.com.libproxy.smu.edu.sg/news/special-report/21606420-perils-connected-devices-home-hacked-home

4. A special report on cyber-security

http://www.economist.com.libproxy.smu.edu.sg/news/special-report/21606416-companies-markets-and-countries-are-increasingly-under-attack-cyber-criminals

Consumer

1. How American Apparel fell into ‘dangerous trap’ of retail expansion hype

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/07/12/how-american-apparel-fell-into-dangerous-trap-of-retail-expansion-hype/

2. Michael Kors Should Study Coach’s Errors; Same-Store Sales Have Tumbled for Coach; Kors Is Gaining Market Share

http://online.wsj.com/articles/heard-on-the-street-michael-kors-should-study-coachs-errors-1405287468

3. A Tobacco CEO Who ‘Vapes’ Could Alter the Industry; As Reynolds Talks With Lorillard, Susan Cameron Is Known Exploring New Avenues

http://online.wsj.com/articles/a-tobacco-ceo-who-vapes-could-alter-the-industry-1405297837?mod=yahoo_hs

Healthcare

1. Key to Detecting Alzheimer’s Early Could Be in the Eye

http://online.wsj.com/articles/key-to-detecting-alzheimers-early-could-be-in-the-eye-1405253029?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories

 

 

 

Morning Bamboo Insight: 14 Jul 2014

Morning Bamboo Insight: 14 Jul 2014

Macro

1. How Overvalued Markets Translate Into Lower Returns; The stock market isn’t poised to match its long-term annualized average return of around 10%.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/how-overvalued-markets-translate-into-lower-returns-1405099363

2. Investing in retirement: The $15 trillion question; Many retired people don’t have proper pensions any more. The financial-services industry may end up cashing in

http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21606894-many-retired-people-dont-have-proper-pensions-any-more-financial-services

Asia Pacific

1. (China/India) – India and China – clash of the titans

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6d93cb7c-06a2-11e4-ba32-00144feab7de.html#axzz37EV0xvH2

2. (Isia) – ‘Puppet President’ Fears Unfounded, Observers Say

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/puppet-president-fears-unfounded-observers-say/

3. (Myanmar) – Generals fail to market Myanmar; Three years after Myanmar’s ruling generals shed their uniforms and propelled the country on an ambitious journey toward democracy, security forces are back on the streets of the former military dictate

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/419189/generals-fail-market-myanmar.html

4. (China/Consumer) – Not even China can drink enough milk to prevent the coming global glut

http://qz.com/233328/not-even-china-can-drink-enough-milk-to-prevent-the-coming-glut/

5. (China) – Many of the nouveau riche in China made their fortunes illegally

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140712000010&cid=1103

Life

1. Bill Gates’s Favorite Business Book; John Brooks’s 1960s collection ‘Business Adventures’ still offers many insights into running a strong business

http://online.wsj.com/articles/bill-gatess-favorite-business-book-1405088228

2. Book Review: ‘How the Bible Became Holy’ by Michael L. Satlow; Jews cherished scripture as one of the few things that allowed them to endure and transcend alien hegemony

http://online.wsj.com/articles/book-review-how-the-bible-became-holy-by-michael-l-satlow-1405114209

3. Can books cross borders? Have we arrived in an era of global literature, or is it important that writers share a common language, culture – or at least context – with their readers?

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/a68127ea-0765-11e4-b1b0-00144feab7de.html?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Flife-arts%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct#axzz37EV0xvH2

4. The dissolution of the Soviet Union; Ukraine’s role and how Mikhail Gorbachev, George HW Bush and Boris Yeltsin were resistant to the break-up

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/5e852474-0831-11e4-9afc-00144feab7de.html#axzz37EV0xvH2

5. Schumpeternomics: Gotta’ keep on learning

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/07/12/Schumpeternomics-Gotta-keep-on-learning/

6. (Msia) – Story behind CIMB merger plan; With Islamic finance gaining global acceptance, it’s only natural to set up the biggest Islamic bank in Malaysia. More M&As ahead in the banking sector?

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/07/12/Story-behind-CIMB-merger-plan-With-Islamic-finance-gaining-global-acceptance-its-only-natural-to-se/

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/07/12/More-MAs-ahead-in-the-banking-sector-An-analyst-does-not-discount-the-possibility-of-a-Mayba/

7. The Trouble With Brain Science; It’s not just that we lack answers. We don’t even agree on the questions

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/12/opinion/the-trouble-with-brain-science.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

8. American Apparel Is a Lesson in How Not to Run a Company

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/12/opinion/joe-nocera-american-apparel-is-a-lesson-in-how-not-to-run-a-company.html?ref=opinion

Investing Process

1. Cynk Technology’s Valuation Defied Gravity Without Revenue, Rousing SEC; Market Capitalization Shot Up to $6 Billion; Regulator Flags ‘Potentially Manipulative Transactions’

http://online.wsj.com/articles/sec-suspends-trading-in-cynk-technology-1405088036?mod=rss_whats_news_us&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fxml%2Frss%2F3_7011+(WSJ.com%3A+What%27s+News+US)

2. Short sellers, beware – the price also rises; The Gowex case focuses on the ethics of raising doubts, writes Izabella Kaminska

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f1698bfe-082c-11e4-acd8-00144feab7de.html#axzz37EV0xvH2

 

Evening Bamboo Insight: 13 Jul 2014

Evening Bamboo Insight: 13 Jul 2014

Macro

1. Philips: Lights out; The Dutch electronics firm restructures, yet again; In the early 1980s the company that had invented the rotary shaver

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21606847-dutch-electronics-firm-restructures-yet-again-lights-out

2. Junk-Rated Loans Could Incur Big Losses: OCC Comptroller; Should the economy come under stress, a large number of leveraged loans could default and cause record losses, according to one banking regulator.

http://ww2.cfo.com/credit/2014/07/junk-rated-loans-incur-big-losses-occ-comptroller

3. UK banks may have to hold more capital than under global rule

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/11/us-britain-boe-leverage-idUSKBN0FG0MQ20140711

4. A Cash Headache for Companies

http://online.wsj.com/articles/heard-on-the-street-a-cash-headache-for-companies-1405091857?mod=yahoo_hs

5. (Taiwan/Tech) – TSMC Starts Shipping Microprocessors to Apple; After Samsung Dispute, the iPhone and iPad Maker Seeks to Diversify Suppliers

http://online.wsj.com/articles/tsmc-starts-shipping-microprocessors-to-apple-1404991514

Asia Pacific

1. Japanese electronics firms: Eclipsed by Apple; Electronics companies in Japan are starting to turn themselves around, but they are a shadow of their former selves

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21606845-electronics-companies-japan-are-starting-turn-themselves-around-they-are-shadow

2. (China/Tech) – Alibaba Has a Long Runway for Growth

http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/HtmlTemplate/PrintArticle.htm?time=93321861

3. (Spore) – $5 meals, $500 holidays and $50k homes for SG50, Singapore’s 50th anniversary

http://news.asiaone.com/print/news/singapore/5-meals-500-holidays-and-50k-homes-sg50

4. (China/Tech) – Alibaba Sets Latest Value at $130 Billion; The Chinese E-Commerce Company Values Each Share at $56, up from $50 in an Earlier Filing

http://online.wsj.com/articles/alibaba-sets-latest-value-at-130-billion-1405119989

5. (Asean/Tech) – Southeast Asia E-Commerce Set to Boom

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/07/10/southeast-asia-e-commerce-set-to-boom/

6. (China) – China Unveils Measures to Regulate Banks’ Wealth-Management Products; New Requirements Another Step to Tighten Grip on Shadow-Banking Business

http://online.wsj.com/articles/china-unveils-measures-to-regulate-banks-wealth-management-products-1405079528

Life

1. The Epic Story Of How A ‘Genius’ Hedge Fund Almost Caused A Global Financial Meltdown

http://www.businessinsider.sg/the-fall-of-long-term-capital-management-2014-7/#.U8AfovmSxqU

2. The Surprising Benefits Of Being Superstitious

http://www.businessinsider.sg/surprising-benefits-of-superstitions-2014-7/#.U8AgZvmSxqU

3. 2 Economists Have A Radical Proposal To Make It Legal To Steal Other People’s Ideas

http://www.businessinsider.sg/america-without-patents-2014-7/#.U8AgXPmSxqU

4. German lessons: Many countries want a Mittelstand like Germany’s. It is not so easy to copy

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21606834-many-countries-want-mittelstand-germanys-it-not-so-easy-copy-german-lessons

5. Kimberly-Clark Finance Chief to Staff: Think Like a CFO; Mark Buthman’s ‘Power of a CFO’ mantra aims to instill a business-leader mindset in every team member

http://ww2.cfo.com/leadership/2014/07/kimberly-clark-finance-chief-staff-think-like-cfo

6. 5 Great Business Books To Look Out For In Q3

http://www.valuewalk.com/2014/07/great-business-books

7. The Intel Trinity: How Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove Built the World’s Most Important Company

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062226762/

8. Driving Honda: Inside the World’s Most Innovative Car Company

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844738

9. The Power of Noticing: What the Best Leaders See

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/147670029X

10. The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052595418X

11. Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success

http://www.amazon.com/Smartcuts-Hackers-Innovators-Accelerate-Success/dp/product-description/0062302450

12. The small BIG: small changes that spark big influence

http://www.amazon.com/small-BIG-changes-spark-influence/dp/1455584258

13. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804139296

14. The Innovator’s Hypothesis: How Cheap Experiments Are Worth More than Good Ideas

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262028360

15. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Style-Thinking-Person%C2%92s-Writing/dp/0670025852

16. The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/147670869X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl

17. Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office by SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476761086

18. Would You Buy Abraham Lincoln’s Sweater? Many believe that people leave their immaterial essences on objects they owned

http://online.wsj.com/articles/would-you-buy-abraham-lincolns-sweater-1405090692

19. Skin Cells’ Sense of Smell; Researchers have found that skin has olfactory receptors-and that a synthetic sandalwood scent facilitates wound-healing

http://online.wsj.com/articles/skin-cells-sense-of-smell-1405104181

20. Disinformation: A Deliberately Devious Word; The CIA’s style guide makes a careful distinction between misinformation and disinformation

http://online.wsj.com/articles/disinformation-a-deliberately-devious-word-1405127883?mod=rss_Books

21. Famous Lost Words; A brief history of dubious edits, from a book-burning Chinese emperor to the Bowdlers’ rewrites of Shakespeare

http://online.wsj.com/articles/famous-lost-words-1405121109

TMT

1. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Just Rejected Steve Ballmer’s Big Plan to be a “devices and services” company (devices came first) by becoming a “productivity and platforms” company

http://www.businessinsider.sg/nadella-just-rejected-ballmers-vision-2014-7/#.U8AgTvmSxqU

2. The biggest internet companies

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21606850-biggest-internet-companies

3. Japanese electronics firms: Eclipsed by Apple; Electronics companies in Japan are starting to turn themselves around, but they are a shadow of their former selves

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21606845-electronics-companies-japan-are-starting-turn-themselves-around-they-are-shadow

4. Intel’s Answer to iPad: Cheap Tablets; Chip Maker, Frozen Out of Market, Is Wooing Little-Known Suppliers in Shenzhen, China

http://online.wsj.com/articles/for-intel-chinese-city-of-shenzhen-holds-key-to-tablet-market-1405106599?mod=LS1

Consumer

1. Levi Strauss: The Boss and the yogi; The world’s biggest jeans-maker makes an unfashionable bet on the middle market

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21606849-worlds-biggest-jeans-maker-makes-unfashionable-bet-middle-market-boss-and

Investing Process

1. Accounting fraud: Got ’em, Gotham; The company-accounts detectives collar another suspect

http://www.economist.com.libproxy.smu.edu.sg/news/business/21606838-company-accounts-detectives-collar-another-suspect-got-em-gotham