Another outstanding animation from Taiwan’s Next Media. Just hope this is comedy..
[via The Business Insider]
Archive | 22:03
20 Radiant Reasons To Stay In The Market
26 Aug
Looking past the pessimistic outlook from Nouriel Roubini and other double-dipping bears; experienced trader Scott Grannis equip his readers with optimistic numbers to balance the scale:
“The collection of charts that to me point to ongoing economic growth, however mild that might be, with not a hint of a double-dip recession. All charts contain the latest data available, and they are shown in no particular order. I’ve discussed all of these in recent posts, so for long-time readers this just a recap of how I see things today.”
Follow Grannis full opinion, discuss, and see the other graphs on his blog: 20 Bullish Charts. I also recommend today’s WSJ article The Case for Optimism, by executive director at the Milken Institute, Ross Devol.
L’Oreal, Beyond Lipstick On A Pig – Polishing Lux-Profit And Powdering Emerging Markets
26 Aug
Stock jumps almost 7% intraday trading due to wider margins; 21% increase in first-half net profit follow the management-led cost cutting plan. High-End segment and sales in Emerging Markets are growing:
“First-half profit was helped by growth in Asia and Latin America and recovering sales of luxury fragrances. Net income rose to 1.32 billion euros, from 1.09 billion euros a year earlier. That compared with the 1.37 billion-euro average of 11 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.”
More on BusinessWeek and MarketWatch here and here.
Quote via MarketWatch.
Bullish? Buffet & Soros Buying Healthcare and Tech, Ichan Calls For Guns
26 Aug
Image by World Economic Forum via Flickr
“Warren Buffett, George Soros, Carl Icahn are buying stocks and that’s a bullish sign, says James Altucher, Wealth Adviser contributor.” Want to know what companies they are buing?
Watch the clip on MarketWatch: Billionaire’s Buy List.
- Stocks that Berkshire Hathaway keeps Buying and Selling.
Swiss Healthcare: Compulsory And Competetive
26 Aug
Image by Rutger. via Flickr
“Switzerland‘s healthcare system is fundamentally a compulsory insurance system – like the compulsory insurance system we have in the UK for our car insurance. You have to insure yourself or your family for a basic package of healthcare services. The premiums are the genuine price for that insurance, and are not related to income. You can shave off some of the cost of those premiums by taking a higher excess – meaning that if you do need treatment, you will pay more out of your own pocket. A typical policy might cost a family £2,000-£3,000 a year, but if you can’t afford that, the state steps in by paying the premium for you. There is also a state-funded disability benefits programme.
The insurers are competitive, but they are not allowed to make profits on these basic healthcare package policies. However, most people also buy voluntary top-up policies, on which the insurers can make a profit.”
Full story from The Adam Smith Blog here.
Judging by the graph, Swiss healthcare costs are high, passed only by oil funded Norway and U.S in OECD. For U.S, the Swiss alternative is probably easier to transfer to, but some contradict that it is a good idea – like political commentator Ezra Klein. You find Klein’s remarks here.
Roaring Tiger: Philippine Growth Soar
26 Aug
"Asian policy makers are balancing the need to curb inflation and contain asset bubbles against efforts to support the region’s recovery, which is outpacing the rest of the world."// Bloomberg// Makati Business Centre, Manila, Philippines// Image via Wikipedia
“Philippine economic growth unexpectedly accelerated in the second quarter to the fastest pace in three years as consumer and government spending countered weaker farm output.
Gross domestic product increased 7.9 percent from a year earlier, compared with a revised 7.8 percent gain in the three months through March, the National Statistical Coordination Board said in Manila today. That’s faster than the 6.3 percent median forecast of 14 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, and is the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2007.”
Full Story on Bloomberg: Philippine Growth Unexpectedly Quickens to Fastest Pace in Three Years.
Related from Bloomberg – Asians travel more: Air China Profit Jumps 60% on Travel Rebound, Hedging Gains.
Contrapuntal Composition Pre-Market
26 Aug
Barron’s: Head-and-Shoulders Portends Double-Dip.
BBC: Irish credit rating is downgraded.
Bloomberg:Morgan Stanley Says Government Defaults Inevitable.
Forbes: Toyota, Ford and Honda top the list of best-loved car companies in America.
SmartMoney: Start Speculating: Apple to Hold Sept. 1 Event.
The Business Insider: 15% Of Women Have Slept With Their Bosses — And 37% Of Them Got Promoted For It.
The Economist: Energy Conservation: People habitually underestimate their energy consumption.
The Financial Times: Taiwan bourse to host its first Chinese listing.
The Guardian: Camerons name baby Florence Rose Endellion.
The New York Times: Amazon introduces an e-book reader that everyone (except Amazon) calls the Kindle 3. It’s a response to the iPad, with improved E Ink screen technology.
Freedom To Travel Is True Freedom
26 Aug
“Generally, citizens of rich countries and trade-based economies have more freedom to travel than those of countries suffering from war or repression. Compare, for instance, the restrictions on South Korea with North Korea and Hong Kong with those on China.”
Get more on The Economist web here.
Women At Work
26 Aug
“The number of women in the work force has grown by more than 40 percent in the last 25 years. But the distribution of women hasn’t changed much: in 1984, just as in 2009, about a quarter of women were in part-time jobs.”
More info on the Economix Blog here.
WSJ Markets
- Trump Sells Himself Outside the U.S.Donald Trump hasn't licensed his name for a U.S. real-estate project since before the financial downturn. But he has done so for more than a dozen real-estate developments outside the U.S.
- Traders Try to Game Oil-Price BenchmarkSome oil traders say they try to skew Platts oil-price benchmarks by offering to do small deals at a loss, with the goal of doing bigger ones at better prices.
- For Some Investors Emerging Markets Still Provide a LureSome investors are betting recent losses for emerging-market stocks, currencies and bonds will prove to be a temporary setback.
- Stocks Keep on TruckingStocks pushed to the highest levels in nearly three weeks as investors await news on whether the Federal Reserve will pull back on its stimulus measures.
Recent Comments