Bamboo Innovator

The Problem With Selling Plain Vanilla in Our Information-Rich Digital Economy

March 21, 2014, 1:12 PM ET
The Problem With Selling Plain Vanilla in Our Information-Rich Digital Economy
IRVING WLADAWSKY-BERGER
I recently read an intriguing column, The End of Mass Production, by technology author and columnist Kevin Maney. I first met Mr. Maney several years ago when he was at USA Today, and have always enjoyed his columns and books. Read more of this post

Currency Risks Could Grow in Emerging Markets

March 20, 2014, 5:24 PM ET
Currency Risks Could Grow in Emerging Markets
EMILY CHASAN
Corporations could be entering a new phase of currency volatility. Emerging-market currencies in countries such as Argentina, India and China could have a bigger impact on earnings in the coming years.
“In the very long term there’s a good reason to invest in emerging markets, however in the next few years I think we’ll see a lot of volatility,” said Bilal Hafeez, Deutsche Bank AG’s global head of foreign exchange strategy. Read more of this post

NetApp CFO: The Finance Chief’s Role Is Growing

March 21, 2014, 5:43 AM ET
NetApp CFO: The Finance Chief’s Role Is Growing
In so many industries, chief financial officers have to think more about technology, data and security. Nick Noviello is the chief financial officer of NetApp Inc., a provider of storage and data management solutions based in Sunnyvale, Calif. He spoke with CFO Journal Editor Noelle Knox about the decisions many CFOs are facing. Read more of this post

The World’s Riskiest Stock Market? Russia’s Stock Market Is Now Among the World’s Cheapest. It Could Also Be a Screaming Risk

The World’s Riskiest Stock Market?
Russia’s Stock Market Is Now Among the World’s Cheapest. It Could Also Be a Screaming Risk.
JOE LIGHT
March 21, 2014 3:04 p.m. ET
Rarely does a nation’s stock market get this cheap. But investors who want a taste better have a strong stomach.
Russia’s RTS Index is down 21% this year on fears that an escalating crisis in Ukraine could lead to damaging sanctions from Western countries or armed conflict. Read more of this post

Why Cash Is King Again; Worried About Data Breaches? There’s a Simpler Solution Than Turning to Bitcoin. Sally Beauty became the latest company to admit that hackers had broken into its computer systems.

Why Cash Is King Again
Worried About Data Breaches? There’s a Simpler Solution Than Turning to Bitcoin.
BRETT ARENDS
March 21, 2014 3:49 p.m. ET
Paper or plastic?
Until recently the idea of using actual cash when you went shopping, instead of a credit or debit card, seemed to be becoming hopelessly old-fashioned. My local coffee shop has installed a new gadget on the counter so people can buy a coffee with their smartphones. Read more of this post

Astra Isn’t Immune to Competition; Company’s Revival Rests on Flimsy Foundations

Astra Isn’t Immune to Competition
Company’s Revival Rests on Flimsy Foundations
HELEN THOMAS
March 21, 2014 1:21 p.m. ET
AstraZeneca, AZN.LN -0.33% laggard of the pharmaceutical sector, has put on a burst of speed.
The U.K. drug maker, trading at nearly 16 times forecast 2015 earnings, is now among the highest-valued of the large European pharma companies, closing in on Swiss rival Roche.RHHBY +0.92% That is quite a turnaround: Six months ago, Astra traded at a 20% discount to U.S. and European peers; a year ago, it trailed by 30%. Read more of this post

India has already raised more than $500 million from investors for a new fund that will invest in the stocks of state-controlled companies

India Raises $513 Million for State Company Stock Fund
Foreign Institutional Investors Accounted for About $120 Million
KENAN MACHADO
March 21, 2014 8:50 a.m. ET
MUMBAI—India has already raised more than $500 million from investors for a new fund that will invest in the stocks of state-controlled companies, a person familiar with the deal said Friday.
The exchange-traded fund—which was created to buy shares of state companies directly from the Indian government—has raised close to $513 million, out of which foreign institutional investors accounted for around $120 million, the person said.
The fund accepted investments from retail investors until 6 p.m. India time Friday. It is likely to buy the government shares and list before April 4, the person said. It will be managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management (India) Pvt. Read more of this post

M&A pickup among U.S. conglomerates may be undercut by prices

M&A pickup among U.S. conglomerates may be undercut by prices
Fri, Mar 21 2014
By Lewis Krauskopf
NEW YORK (Reuters) – When United Technologies Corp (UTX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) paid more than $16 billion to buy plane parts-maker Goodrich Corp about two years ago, the U.S. conglomerate’s biggest-ever takeover raised some eyebrows for its rich valuation. Read more of this post

China unveils pilot rules, paves way for firms to issue preferred shares for first time

China unveils pilot rules, paves way for firms to issue preferred shares for first time
Fri, Mar 21 2014
By Lu Jianxin and Kevin Yao
SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s securities regulator on Friday issued rules for a pilot programme allowing listed companies to issue preferred shares, paving the way for the long-awaited scheme to be launched soon in what the regulator called a major capital market reform. Read more of this post

James Montier: “The Market Is Overvalued By 50%-70%” And “Nothing At All” Is Attractively Valued

James Montier: “The Market Is Overvalued By 50%-70%” And “Nothing At All” Is Attractively Valued
Tyler Durden on 03/21/2014 15:15 -0400
A month ago we presented a must read interview by Swiss Finanz und Wirtschaft with respected value investor Howard Marks, in which, when explaining the motives driving rational investing he summarized simply, “in the end, the devil always wins.” Today, we are happy to bring our readers the following interview with one of our favorite strategists, GMO’s James Montier, in which true to form, Montier packs no punches, and says that the market is now overvalued by 50% to 70%, adding that there is “nothing at all” that has an attractive valuation, and that he sees a “hideous opportunity set.” Read more of this post

Fighting the flab: Corporate headquarters have put on weight, and need to slim down again

Fighting the flab: Corporate headquarters have put on weight, and need to slim down again
Mar 22nd 2014 | From the print edition

“ONE of the most extraordinary corporate centres in America.” This is how Trian Partners, a disgruntled shareholder of PepsiCo, described the headquarters of the snacks-to-soft-drinks company in a recent letter to its board. Set amid lakes and fountains in 100 acres of wealthy Westchester County, New York, PepsiCo’s HQ features seven interconnected three-storey office buildings designed in the 1960s by Edward Durell Stone, a pioneering American modernist architect. Its crown jewel is the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens, named after a former chief executive, which has works by artists such as Alexander Calder, Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin. Mr Kendall reportedly intended the garden to reflect his vision for the company by creating an atmosphere of “stability, creativity and experimentation”. Read more of this post

Chinese internet firms: Migrating finches; China’s online firms are flying to American stockmarkets

Chinese internet firms: Migrating finches; China’s online firms are flying to American stockmarkets
Mar 22nd 2014 | SHANGHAI | From the print edition

DICK COSTOLO, the boss of Twitter, was in Shanghai this week to see first-hand what the Galapagos islands of the internet look like. He follows in the footsteps of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, who also came for a study tour. Thanks to censorship and hostility to foreign internet firms, otherwise global giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Google and eBay are banned or irrelevant. Weird and wonderful local variations have, like Darwin’s finches, evolved in this isolated market instead. Read more of this post

South Africa: Why they booed him; A watchdog says an improperly lavish sum was spent on the president’s home

South Africa: Why they booed him; A watchdog says an improperly lavish sum was spent on the president’s home
Mar 22nd 2014 | JOHANNESBURG | From the print edition

MANY a homebuyer is tempted by a down-at-heel residence that might be profitably resold after redecorating. Often they misjudge the scale of the work needed and end up out of pocket. The president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, made a different sort of error. His is proving costly not because he overpaid for rebuilding but because the taxpayer did. Read more of this post

Germany’s Kion Group aims to become world leader of industrial trucks

Germany’s Kion Group aims to become world leader of industrial trucks
FRANKFURT, March 20 (Xinhua) — Kion Group, one of the world leading truck firms, on Thursday released financial results for the year 2013 and announced it aimed to become world leader of industrial trucks.
The Kion Group based in the city of Wiesbaden in Germany, reported consolidated revenue of 4.495 billion euros (6.193 billion U.S. dollars), slightly down from 4.56 billion euros in 2012. Read more of this post

German precedent gives Korea jitter; South Koreans came to consider unification as a kind of monster that would destroy the national economy, not a key to future prosperity

German precedent gives Korea jitter
Mar 22,2014

President Park Chung Hee, the father of incumbent President Park Geun-hye, visited the Berlin Wall on Dec. 11, 1964. Looking at the barbed-wire fence, he commented, “I saw North Korea through the Berlin Wall.” Provided by the Blue House
Early this year, President Park Geun-hye put the issue of unification on her agenda. She pledged to “build up the groundwork for an era of unification on the Korean Peninsula in order to reduce social friction and cost due to division.” Read more of this post