3M has a plan to keep the Post-it note relevant to young smartphone addicts

3M has a plan to keep the Post-it note relevant to young smartphone addicts

By John McDuling @jmcduling December 26, 2013

Newspapers, magazines and telephone directories are all paper products that have fallen prey to the rise of digital technology. But the humble Post-it note has thus far dodged the bullet. These small squares of paper with a strip of adhesive on their rear, which have been selling for more than three decades, have proven indispensable to many offices and households. And they’ve continued to earn nicely for their maker, industrial conglomerate 3M. Read more of this post

Low Bordeaux winery prices attract Chinese buyers

Low Bordeaux winery prices attract Chinese buyers

Staff reporter

2013-12-29

The Chinese are lining up to buy vineyards in France, eyeing the lucrative business opportunities that come from selling wine in China given the country’s expanding wine consumption. Read more of this post

Guangzhou said it will stick to housing cooling measures, a day after an official said it was mulling ways to withdraw

Guangzhou Holds back Plans to Lift House Restrictions

12-26 12:15 Caijing

Guangzhou said it will stick to housing cooling measures, a day after an official said it was mulling ways to withdraw from such measures.

Local authorities in Guangzhou made a retreat yesterday from a statement that it would consider lifting government controls in the real estate sector, after It was found conflicting with a central government order to keep these policies in place. Read more of this post

China’s Economy: Five Barometers of Change in 2014

Dec 27, 2013

China’s Economy: Five Barometers of Change in 2014

By Richard Silk

China’s economy had a roller-coaster 2013, with a rosy start giving way to a slowdown and widespread gloom, before a rebound in the third quarter brought things full circle. The full-year growth figures, due to be released in January, will likely clock in around 7.6%. While that kind of pace would be stupendous for developed countries currently stuck in the doldrums, it would mark China’s slowest growth since 1999. China’s new leaders, who took office earlier this year, claim to be okay with that. They say the economy needs structural reform to steer it away from an unsustainable path that has led to rapidly mounting debt and spawned a huge expansion of heavy industry at the expense of the consumer. Here are five places to look in the new year for signs of just how serious China’s leaders are about change – and how well the economy is handling it. Read more of this post

Beijing bans Electronics Arts’ “Battlefield 4: China Rising” for ‘cultural aggression’

Beijing bans Battlefield 4: China Rising for ‘cultural aggression’

Staff Reporter

2013-12-28

The latest expansion of Battlefield 4, a video game developed by Electronic Arts, has been banned by the Chinese government who have accused the game of threatening its national security and discrediting China’s image in a form of “cultural aggression,” according to tech website ZDNet and Malaysia’s Oriental Daily News. Read more of this post

80% China’s bank shares fall below net asset value; scepticism prevails with reported figures and NPL problem

80% China’s bank shares fall below net asset value

Staff Reporter

2013-12-29

Although the banking industry is one of the most profitable sectors in China, investors have suffered losses in the stock market as more than 80% of banks’ shares listed in China A-shares closed at prices that were lower than their net asset value on exchange on Thursday. Read more of this post

Overseas Investors Spurn Indonesian Debt

Overseas Investors Spurn Indonesian Debt

By Yudith Ho, Kyoungwha Kim & Liau Y-Sing on 4:16 pm December 28, 2013.
Jakarta/Singapore/Kuala Lumpur. Indonesia’s elections and current account deficit are deterring Western Asset Management and PineBridge Investments from snapping up 2013’s worst-performing developing nation bonds. Read more of this post

Indonesian Property Developers Cutting Back on Concerns of Policy and Economic Uncertainty

Property Developers Cutting Back on Concerns of Policy and Economic Uncertainty

Stricter mortgage rules and an election might act as brakes on the housing market

By Francezka Nangoy & Ely Rahmawati on 2:12 pm December 26, 2013.
Property developers often take their projects to shopping malls, like this one in Semarang, Central Java, to attract potential customers and mock-up models prove popular in getting their ideas across. However, many firms are predicting slower economic growth in the year ahead. (JG Photo/Dhana Kencana)

The government’s tougher mortgage policy and uncertainty on the direction the economy is moving may prompt property developers to hold off expansion next year, industry executives say. Read more of this post

Indonesia to Regulate Metal Exports for Miners With Smelters

Indonesia to Regulate Metal Exports for Miners With Smelters

By Yoga Rusmana & Eko Listiyorini on 1:46 pm December 27, 2013.
[Updated at 6:11 p.m.]

Indonesia, the world’s largest mined nickel producer, will proceed with a plan to ban mineral-ore exports for mining companies without smelters next month, while regulating shipments by miners that do process ore. Read more of this post

India gold tax hits bridal budgets; smuggling up

Originally published December 27, 2013 at 6:18 PM | Page modified December 27, 2013 at 6:47 PM

India gold tax hits bridal budgets; smuggling up

Thanks to hikes in import duties on gold, brides in India are paying a 20 percent premium for their wedding finery this season. But the higher duties are designed to help India’s economy by stanching outflows of money that come with gold buying.

By KAY JOHNSON

The Associated Press

MUMBAI, India — With India’s wedding season in full swing, the glass sales counters in Mumbai’s famed Zhaveri gold bazaars are crowded with customers eyeing elaborate headpieces, nose rings and necklaces. No one does jewelry quite like an Indian bride, who by tradition wears all the gold she can stand up in and her family can afford. Read more of this post

Taiwan competitors aim to capitalize on Bitcoin ban in China

Taiwan competitors aim to capitalize on Bitcoin ban in China
Sunday, December 29, 2013
By Ted Chen , The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Following the announcement by the Chinese central bank that Bitcoin would not be permitted as legal tender, a Taiwanese company has stepped up efforts to capitalize on the vast mainland market’s potential electronic commerce revenues denominated in the fledgling digital currency. Read more of this post

Anti-Venom Shortage Hurts Myanmar’s Snake Campaign

Anti-Venom Shortage Hurts Myanmar’s Snake Campaign

By IRIN/Jessica Mudditt on 3:12 pm December 25, 2013.
Public education about snakebites in Myanmar has been largely successful in shifting people away from dangerous traditional practices to clinical treatment, but the inability to produce enough anti-venom is stalling progress in one of the world’s most snakebite-affected countries. Read more of this post

Watch them in 2014: We present personalities we think are the likely movers and shakers of Malaysia’s corporate scene

Updated: Saturday December 28, 2013 MYT 1:13:07 PM

Watch them in 2014

IT is generally going to be a challenging 2014 as the Government undertakes fiscal reforms to rein in on its budget deficit and address the shrinking trade surplus. Under this scenario, Malaysia’s corporate captains may need to re-look and up their game plans to ride out the tough times.  We present personalities we think are the likely movers and shakers of Malaysia’s corporate scene. Some of them have made headlines this year and will continue to be watched. We also present the outlook of key sectors of the economy in this special edition. Read more of this post

We must invest in SMEs to create a lasting recovery; Britain is struggling to nurture a Samsung or Google because of its failing finance structure

We must invest in SMEs to create a lasting recovery

The Government must focus on measures that will incentivise large businesses to invest the cash they have accumulated and to boost the confidence of small and medium-sized businesses

Britain is struggling to nurture a Samsung or Google because of its failing finance structure

By John Longworth

7:00PM GMT 28 Dec 2013

We have much to be optimistic about as we reflect on 2013, with the UK economy growing at its fastest rate for three years, a buoyant jobs market and lower borrowing forecasts. Read more of this post

The Insiders’ Game: The transition from power or money to power and money

The Insiders’ Game: The transition from power or money to power and money

By Steven Pearlstein, Saturday, December 28, 12:22 AM

I’d been at the Post only a few months in 1988 when the managing editor, Robert Kaiser, walked into my office, closed the door and tossed onto my desk the section from that day’s paper containing the list of recent home sales in the District. One sale was circled — mine. Read more of this post

Tan Sri Lin See-Yan: A peek at 2014; There is life after QE3

Updated: Saturday December 28, 2013 MYT 1:02:12 PM

A peek at 2014

BY TAN SRI LIN SEE-YAN

There is life after QE3

IT’S that time of the year again – to look back over the past 12 months, take stock and review, and assess the outlook for next year, especially for emerging Asia (EA) and Asean. The year 2013 was not a good one – most quarterly reviews ended with a downgrade. Read more of this post

Small ISS Change Shakes Up Boards; Tweak to Influential Shareholder Adviser’s Recommendations Has Directors Rethinking Proposals

Small ISS Change Shakes Up Boards

Tweak to Influential Shareholder Adviser’s Recommendations Has Directors Rethinking Proposals

LIZ HOFFMAN

Dec. 26, 2013 9:09 p.m. ET

When Verizon Communications Inc. VZ -0.02% agreed this month to a step that should give shareholders more influence over its board, the company said it was “committed to best practices in governance.” Read more of this post

Mexico to Tax Luxury Item: Pet Food; A 16% Sales Tax to Kick In as Government Scrounges for Revenue

Mexico to Tax Luxury Item: Pet Food

A 16% Sales Tax to Kick In as Government Scrounges for Revenue

AMY GUTHRIE

Updated Dec. 27, 2013 4:04 p.m. ET

MEXICO CITY—Mexico’s pet owners are bracing for a new tax on pet food, which the government recently declared a “luxury item.” Starting Jan. 1, a 16% sales tax will be placed on processed pet foods, part of a fiscal overhaul from President Enrique Peña Nieto that seeks to raise revenue for a government that depends on oil income for a third of its revenue. Read more of this post

Latin America is becoming a laboratory for soda taxes and other government measures meant to steer consumers away from processed food as obesity rates rise

Junk Food Feels the Heat in Latin America

Governments Enact Taxes, Restrict Sales as Obesity Rates Rise

AMY GUTHRIE

Dec. 27, 2013 4:22 p.m. ET

MEXICO CITY—From a Mexican tax on sugary drinks to legislation banning Happy Meal toys in Chile and Peru, Latin America is becoming a laboratory for public policies meant to steer consumers away from processed food. Read more of this post

In Search of the Perfect Investment Portfolio; It’s much harder to find than conventional wisdom would suggest.

In Search of the Perfect Portfolio

It’s much harder to find than conventional wisdom would suggest.

BRETT ARENDS 

Dec. 27, 2013 6:06 p.m. ET

If you’re looking for an investment portfolio that you could just forget about—and which would still earn good returns in any environment—what would you put into it? It is surprisingly hard to find a good answer—especially in the current situation, with stocks and bonds seeming so expensive. Read more of this post

Gold Loses Luster in Fed Taper

Gold Loses Luster in Fed Taper

By Lewa Pardomuan on 2:53 pm December 28, 2013.
Singapore. Gold was little changed in thin trade on Friday, heading for its biggest annual loss in more than 30 years as hopes of a global economic recovery and rallies in equities dent its appeal as an alternative investment. Read more of this post

Forecasting the Year Ahead, and Preparing to Be Wrong

December 27, 2013

Forecasting the Year Ahead, and Preparing to Be Wrong

By PAUL SULLIVAN

THIS is the time of year when investment analysts predict what they believe will happen over the next 12 months. That they are invariably wrong about something is a given. Or, to be more charitable, it is a given that events that no one could have foreseen will have caused their deeply researched predictions to be incorrect. Read more of this post

Does real estate have anything left to give in 2014?

Does real estate have anything left to give in 2014?

Garry Marr | December 17, 2013 | Last Updated: Dec 27 5:14 PM ET

At some point, there has to be a housing correction. Right? Some argue there was a correction in 2013, based on declining sales activity. But prices never really followed and by September the market was roaring as consumers raced to buy homes in a climate of fear based on mortgage rates rising in response to the U.S. Federal Reserve easing its bond purchasing activity.

Read more of this post

Clawbacks? They’re Still a Rare Breed

December 28, 2013

Clawbacks? They’re Still a Rare Breed

By GRETCHEN MORGENSON

Financial executives who are actually held to account for misdeeds remain as rare as hen’s teeth, alas. That’s why a recent enforcement action by the Securities and Exchange Commission caught my eye. Read more of this post

Paul Krugman: The tale of three money pits; It is also a tale of monetary regress — of the strange determination of many people to turn the clock back on centuries of progress.

The tale of three money pits

This is a tale of three money pits. It is also a tale of monetary regress — of the strange determination of many people to turn the clock back on centuries of progress.

27 DECEMBER

This is a tale of three money pits. It is also a tale of monetary regress — of the strange determination of many people to turn the clock back on centuries of progress. The first money pit is an actual pit — the Porgera open-pit gold mine in Papua New Guinea. The mine has a terrible reputation for both human rights abuses and environmental damage. Read more of this post

New Energy Struggles on Its Way to Markets; two of those largest sources, nuclear and wind power, are trying to kill each other off

December 27, 2013

New Energy Struggles on Its Way to Markets

By MATTHEW L. WALD

WASHINGTON — To stave off climate change, sources of electricity that do not emit carbon will have to replace the ones that do. But at the moment, two of those largest sources, nuclear and wind power, are trying to kill each other off. Read more of this post

Godiva owner Yildiz to buy DeMet’s Candy for $221 mln

Godiva owner Yildiz to buy DeMet’s Candy for $221 mln

9:54am EST

(Reuters) – Private equity firm Brynwood Partners said it will sell its stake in DeMet’s Candy Company, the U.S. maker of Flipz chocolate pretzels and Turtles covered nut clusters, to Turkey’s Yildiz Holdings for $221 million. Brynwood formed DeMet’s Candy in 2007 to consolidate its confectionary brands including Turtles, Flipz and Treasures milk chocolates acquired from Nestle SA (NESN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). Brynwood, The owner of Zest soaps and Soft & Dri deodorants, will also sell two U.S. manufacturing facilities as part of the deal. Yildiz, Turkey’s largest food group, owns the family-run biscuit company Ulker (ULKER.IS: Quote, Profile,Research, Stock Buzz) and premium chocolate maker Godiva. The company earlier this year bought Spanish discount retailer Dia’s (DIDA.MC: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Turkish operation DiaSA for 136.5 million euros. Houlihan Lokey Capital Inc served as the investment adviser to DeMet’s Candy, Brynwood said in a statement. The news of the sale was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Worries in the Path of China’s Air

December 25, 2013

Worries in the Path of China’s Air

By KATE GALBRAITH

When China’s skies darken with pollution, it is not the only nation to suffer. Soot, ozone-forming compounds and other pollutants from China can blow east to Korea and Japan. Ultimately, some even reach the west coast of the United States, scientists say. Read more of this post

The Rise and Fall of a Local Official Obsessed with GDP Growth; Guo Youming rose through the ranks in Hubei by producing stunning economic results. Now, corruption fighters want to know how he did it

12.27.2013 15:54

The Rise and Fall of a Local Official Obsessed with GDP Growth

Guo Youming rose through the ranks in Hubei by producing stunning economic results. Now, corruption fighters want to know how he did it

By staff reporter Ren Zhongyuan

(Beijing) – A November 27 statement by the Communist Party’s anti-corruption watchdog confirmed that the deputy governor of Hubei Province, Guo Youming, was being investigated for graft. Read more of this post

Small jet makers see big chance as China prepares to open skies

Updated: Friday December 27, 2013 MYT 12:15:47 PM

Small jet makers see big chance as China prepares to open skies

BEIJING Ferraris and Rolls-Royces have become common sights in China’s cities as a new class of super-rich indulge a growing appetite for luxury, but tight regulation has meant the private jet, the ultimate status symbol of the global elite, remains rare. Read more of this post