Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Business Briefing Asia

There's a bit more value in Apple than in Facebook,in our view,said Khiem Do,Head of Asian Equities and Chairman of the Multi-Asset Group at Baring Asset Management.I think it's more sensible now.*
Investors have to realise that 5-6% is quite a good growth rate for China.That's what we predict long term for China.I think that money is too tight in China.*
In India,extrapolating what leading prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi did for business in a province to the whole country is a delusion.The SENSEX index is overvalued,Mr.Khiem noted.*
Malaysia's Bank Rakyat will acquire its own satellite,likely in 2016.The satellite will solve the bank's problem of the huge amount of communication cost.The bank is spending up to 43.5 million dollars a year to support communication across the island chain of Indonesia.*
The tech startup firm Nix Play offered a demonstration of its Wifi Cloud Digital Photo Frame on Bloomberg TV.Sydney correspondent Dan Petrie successfully sent a selfie from his cell phone in Australia to Hong Kong.Nix Play has sold over 10,000 of these real time cloud frames.On a day to day basis,it is said to save 66% in costs to be on the cloud.*

Friday, April 25, 2014

Paramore: Careful [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

The Rolling Stones - Beast Of Burden - Live OFFICIAL

Holly Throsby - Making a Fire from Lisbon,Portugal

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Official Trailer (HD) 2014

A Message From Jim Kelly

While taking the Easter holiday off from cancer treatment in New York City at his Buffalo area home,Pro Football Hall of Fame member Jim Kelly issued this message on Instagram:
#12 has a quick HOMECOMING message for #BUFFALO and our amazing fans!WE ARE SO BLESSED by your love and we thank God for you!Keep praying!The battle isn't over!But we are confident in the ONE who leads the charge!And we celebrate Him!!#prayersforJK
Well,Jim got to go home after all.For a while there,it didn't look like it would happen,but he was blessed in the end,thank God.

Drug Companies Swap Units,Join Forces

Two pharma titans,GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis,are entering into a complex 25 billion dollar transaction.Novartis,based in Geneva,Switzerland,is buying GSK's oncology unit for 14.5 billion dollars;at the same time,Britain's GSK is buying Novartis' vaccine unit.Finally,the two firms are forming a joint venture that combines their over the counter drug businesses.
Today we announced we are focusing on our pharmaceutical,eye care,and generics businesses,said Novartis CEO Joseph Jimenez.We're gonna add probably one billion people on earth,and 50% of them will be over 50.It's gonna take innovation to deal with it.We've got these powerhouses that fit exactly with the demographic changes for the next 20 years-for example,GSK's two drugs for metastatic melanoma.
I believe increased technology is gonna allow new targets in cancer that we've never seen before.We're at the beginning of having new tools to combat this disease like never before.This deal with GSK changes the financial profile of Novartis,increasing our operating margin significantly.The whole portfolio review was to allow us to have great strength in that new world.I'll be able to feed these big engines a lot more.We're generating better leverage than we have in the past,explained Mr.Jiminez,who is an American.*
In addition,Novartis is selling its animal health business to Eli Lilly.Even when the deal with GSK is completed,Novartis will still be open to more bolt-on acquisitions that benefit its three lines of business.*
Novartis(NVS),Eli Lilly&Co(LLY),GlaxoSmithKline(GSK)

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Market Briefs:Morgan Stanley,IBM,Intel

On Morgan Stanley,I think the Citigroup number has emboldened the analysts to get a little more bullish on this sector,noted CNBC's popular host Jim Cramer.It's a real strong story that has just sold off.People want Morgan Stanley and that nice,smooth Gorman uptrend,and these guys at Goldman Sachs didn't give it to you.*
IBM was downgraded at Citi.Enough is Enough.This company is gonna have a better 2015 than 2014.They are motivated because they screwed up.It's been a great value play since December.*
Yahoo-there's tax issues.I don't think Yahoo's worth nothing.I think there have been some changes,but that's not why people want to own it.They want to own it because of Yahoo's stake in Alibaba.*
Mastercard and Visa-I like these companies because the transition from paper to plastic isn't done,belive it or not.There are countries still doing that.*
These guys in my class are retiring left and right.Ballmer got tired,but I'm still with it.*
Whirlpool is a nice turnaround story.I like the management-they're very good,the Maytag acquisition.*
Intel's profit exceeded estimates.I like the quarter.The company's finally spending less money;expenses are coming down;"We're not afraid of the 200.00 PC." I think you buy Intel here.You could get a dividend increase."We don't fear the low end of the market." I like that,said Jim Cramer,who has a law degree and indeed shows no signs of tiring out.*
Intel(INTC),Mastercard(MC),Visa(V),Morgan Stanley(MS),Whirlpool(WHR)

Monday, April 21, 2014

What To Buy in Asia;Ford's China Position

Several financial markets were closed for the Easter Monday holiday,including Australia,New Zealand and Hong Kong.The MSCI Asia Pacific index declined 0.10% in early trading,while US stock futures rose.*
Japan's trade deficit widened more than expected as exports slowed.There was a 1.5% rise in exports versus an estimate of 1.8%.Imports climbed 18%.The figures may complicate Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to reflate the economy.*
We're buying businesses with strong net cash,said Maquarrie Group's Sam LeCornu.Some sectors in China are doing quite well,with March retail sales up 12.2%.We had a massive overweighting in health care,but have taken a lot off the table in the past six months.
China and Korea are standout buys.Chinese stocks are undervalued.We completely avoid property developers and banks.If we can't project the downside,we just don't invest.It's too risky.We have nine mainland midcaps in our New Stars portfolio.There's a huge discount.We're in two Citic affiliates.
We really like Korea.It's very cheap.We're looking at companies with net cash.We like Hotel Shilla with its duty free shopping and good airport concession chances.Chinese visitor numbers are up 37% in Korea.A number of Korea stocks are trading well below their intrinsic value.*
Ford Motor is the fastest growing foreign automaker in China.I think it's gonna continue,said CEO Alan Mulally at the Beijing Auto Show.We are bringing the entire Ford Win Plan with all our vehicles available.We think our preferred status will continue.Our sales are continuing to increase.It sure is nice to see the Ford preferred in the sales decision.
I think these new Lincolns are gonna be very well received here.We'll bring them here first,then make and design them here as sales pick up,Mr.Mulally explained.*
Petronas AMG Mercedes continued its dominance of the Formula One series as Great Britain's Lewis Hamilton secured his third straight victory at the Chinese Grand Prix Sunday.His teammate Nico Rosberg of Germany was second,and Spain's Fernando Alonso got Ferarri to its first podium of the season with his third place finish.The series continues in Barcelona in three weeks' time.

Friday, April 18, 2014

The Rolling Stones - 14 ON FIRE Asia Tour

The Rolling Stones - Sway - Live OFFICIAL

Demi Lovato - Made in the USA (Official Video)

Madonna - Papa Don't Preach

Sherpas Killed in Everest Avalanche-plus a Jim Kelly update

Just below 6400 meters/21,000 feet on Mount Everest,six Nepalese sherpa guides were killed in an avalanche and nine more were missing.The guides had been fixing ropes ahead of mountain climbers waiting for the weather to clear at Camp 2.The avalanche billowed over an area known as the Popcorn Field.Rescuers,including climbers,attempted to aid the sherpa guides,assisted by three helicopters dispatched from the Nepalese capital,Kathmandu.Nepal stations security and other personnel at Base Camp at 5300 meters/17,380 feet during climbing season in April and May.
Since it was first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and his sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953,Mount Everest has drawn increasing numbers of climber tourists,and hundreds of lives have been lost in the attempt to scale the world's highest peak in its volatile weather conditions.At times,this has caused a circus atmosphere,compromised safety and environmental degradation.*
Update:NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly will be spending Easter in New York City,his wife Jill tweeted,where he is undergoing cancer treatment.The Buffalo Bills legend and his family had hoped to spend the weekend at their suburban Buffalo home.He had some rough days following his first chemotherapy session this week,then a few good days.The treatment was painful as it targeted cancer cells attached to nerves in his maxillary sinus and adjacent tissues.He will receive more chemo at weeks three and six,as well as five radiation treatments a week.
Jim has been in the hospital for three weeks now.He initially had oral surgery for a squamous cell carcinoma of the jaw last June,but the cancer recurred and started to spread.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Analyst Eyeballs Inflation Risk

Significant inflation could be just around the corner,causing the Federal Reserve to exit its bond buying support of the stock market in short order,according to Peter Boockvar,chief market analyst at the Lindsey Group.I think it's a big deal,Mr.Boockvar told CNBC.We've had multiple data points pointing to a bottoming in inflation.Gasoline prices are at their highest level since July.
If there's one thing that could handcuff Fed policy,it's a rise in inflation.According to the Fed's measure,we're far away from it.I think it's important in gauging the timing of the exit strategy.A faster uptick in inflation could hasten that exit strategy faster than the Fed thinks.You get back to that 2% level faster than the Fed thinks and you're going to see rate hikes faster than the Fed expected,Mr.Boockvar pointed out.
The Thomson Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index of 19 commodities,a widely recognised benchmark for commmodities trading,is at its highest point since October 2012.A closely watched measure of inflation,the Consumer Price Index,will be released later today.
On Monday,the markets shrugged off Ukraine worries on strong retail sales and Citigroup earnings.
Citigroup(C)

Monday, April 14, 2014

Monday Newsline:Ukraine Crimps Markets;MH-370 Changes;The Masters

US stock futures were down early Monday on the deteriorating situation in Eastern Ukraine.At the same time,the price of the safe haven gold as well as oil were rising as this crisis in Eastern Europe seems to be careening off a cliff,and a contentious emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss the matter provided little basis for optimism.
Asian stocks were also chagrined by Ukraine's violent unrest,and by how the rising yen is weighing on Japanese shares.The MSCI Asia-Pacific index was virtually flat,up just 0.02%.*
London home prices have hit a record high as the supply of homes dwindles.London job vacancies in the financial sector rose 10% in March.*
The Chinese company Minmetals Group is buying a Glencore copper project in Peru for 5.85 billion dollars.A survey shows China's Q1 GDP was up 7.3% on the year.*
Retired Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston,head of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre,held a news conference in Perth,Australia to sum up where we are in the hunt for the lost flight MH-370 on day 38 of the search,which is eight days beyond the guaranteed battery life of the airliner's flight data recorder.The experts have determined that the Ocean Shield will cease attempting the detection of further signals from the missing plane's black boxes later today,and will start missions with the Blue Fin 21 autonomous underwater vehicle,which generates a 3D,high resolution map of the ocean floor.The first of the 24 hour missions will cover 40 square kilometers with the vehicle's sidescan sonar.Use of this vehicle may not result in detection of the aircraft's wreckage.
Also,the Ocean Shield detected an oil slick 5500 meters downwind of the site of the underwater search.Two litres of the oil has been collected.It will be a number of days before it can be returned and definitively identified.
The chance of recovering any floating material has greatly diminished,and it will be necessary to consult with our partners to determine the way ahead.The air and surface search will be concluded in the next two days.
It looks like the Blue Fin 21 is more than adequate to the task.It's reallly up to the people on the spot to determine where we go next.We start with the four locations,and then we go outward from there.It's really important to give flexibility to the people who are doing the search.They're the experts.The first mission will be a quite intensive search.I would not term it as a long shot,but as a promising lead that needs to be investigated.That's how it's done,believe me.That's the business of search and recovery,search and rescue.
This area we're in is under the seventh aircraft ping detected by Inmarsat.This is an area that is unknown to man.It's almost flat and rolling,with a lot of silt on the bottom.The layers of silt can complicate the search.We're actually gathering information on the search environment all the time,and that goes into the calculation of where to go next
The oil slick is very close to where the transmissions are coming from.We don't think its from the ships,so it's something that must be investigated.It can't be tested at sea.
The Air France wreckage of five years ago was at 3,000 meters;we're talking about 4,500 meters.Don't be over-optimistic;be realistic,ACM Houston advised.*
American Bubba Watson,35,donned his second green jacket in three years as winner of The Masters major golf tournament in Augusta,Georgia.His compatriot Jordan Spieth,20,and Sweden's Jonas Blixt,29,tied for second,and Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain,54,the oldest man in the field,finished fourth.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Selena Gomez - Love You Like A Love Song (MTV Version)

The Rolling Stones. Little Queenie (Complete) live 1969 A Chuck Berry song

The Rolling Stones, Carol. Live 1969 (complete) A Chuck Berry song.

Buffalo Bills Attracting Potential Bidders-plus a Jim Kelly update

With the death of Buffalo Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson at age 95 on March 25,the future of his beloved NFL franchise is up for grabs.His widow,Mary Wilson,is keeping an eye on the team until its eventual sale,which could occur as early as this summer.Interest in bidding for the team is coming from north of the border in the shape of a Toronto group which includes rock star Jon Bon Jovi,who has long been determined to become an NFL owner.His publicist confirmed Bon Jovi is still "passionately interested" Thursday,but wouldn't comment further.
A number of ideas about the team are being floated,ranging from moving them to Niagara County,closer to their growing legion of Canadian fans,to actually moving them to Toronto or even Los Angeles.It all depends on who evetually acquires the team.They will have to stay in their current home in Orchard Park,New York under the terms of a lease they have with Erie County until 2020 at the earliest.Ralph Wilson Stadium in Erie County is 41 years old and undergoing a 130 million dollar facelift to bring it up to NFL standards with structural upgrades and fan amenities.A move to Toronto,including the purchase price,new stadium and practice facilities,could cost upwards of an estimated 2.5 billion dollars.
Backing the Toronto group in a potential bid for the Bills is Maple Leaf Sports& Entertainment,the owners of a number of other franchises,including the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL team,the Toronto Raptors NBA franchise,as well as the MLS soccer team Toronto FC.Other bidders could include Rogers Communications,who are the owners of Rogers Centre in Toronto,and a Los Angeles group.
Locally,a working group of public and private community leaders is studying the Bills' future.The Bills are New York state's only NFL franchise,since the New York Giants and New York Jets are actually based in New Jersey.The Bills bring in about 20 million dollars in tax revenue annually.
About 18% of the fans at Bills home games are Canadian.NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that they have worked very hard in Buffalo,and obviously Western New York and Southern Ontario to regionalise that team,to attract a broader area.Again,that's important and that's something that we want to encourage,Mr.Goodell emphasised.
For some time,the Bills have played one of thir home games in Toronto.Even further afield,there has recently been an annual NFL game in London,England,and some talk of basing a franchise there as well.*
Update:Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly completed his first of three rounds of chemotherapy on Tuesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.He is also to receive radiation treatments over the next six weeks.His wife,Jill Kelly,tweeted the following message:First round of chemo
DONE.Be glorified even in this Lord!
Jim has been suffering from severe headaches since his oral cancer surgery in June,which were eventually discovered to be from microscopic tumours forming from his lips up to his cheek along the infraorbital nerve.His doctor says his cancer is very treatable and possibly curable.
Before he left for the hospital,Jim had a good visit with former NFL teammates Thurman Thomas,Bruce Smith and Andre Reed.A lot of people have been tweeting their prayers and support for Jim since then.It's a lot stronger than any medicine,Jill Kelly says.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Out in the Cold:Microsoft Abandons Windows XP

Unless you are a big bank or subscribe to a cyber security service that has committed to protecting you,you are as of now on your own if you are a Windows XP user.This blog tested whether Norton Security,made by Symantec Coporation,would protect a client's Windows XP machine,and it seems to be robustly doing so.Norton's Quick Scan feature indicated several new Windows-oriented checks were being carried out.Despite this,Norton strongly recommends that its clients switch to a new operating system.*
Some 20-30% of Windows machines still run the Windows XP operating system.This includes computers in millions of homes and businesses.Most ATMs are still running on Windows XP.Microsoft has failed to convince many people to shell out the cost to upgrade to its newer products.They are satisfied with the old reliable system they have always used.Windows XP is still utilised by police departments,banks and law offices,among many other places.Microsoft's new products just aren't very popular.*
The big banks,including Citi,PNC,Bank of America and Chase,are all paying Microsoft to keep securing their ATMs while they go through the process of adjustment.About 95% of ATMs are relying on Windows XP and they,along with countless others,need security patches as new threats to the OS arise.It is believed that,without the security updates,hackers will worm their way into Windows XP computers and disrupt them,while also stealing the owner's personal data.*
Symantec(SYMC),Microsoft(MSFT)

Friday, April 4, 2014

The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up (Live) - OFFICIAL from Rio

The Firm Satisfaction Guaranteed featuring Jimmy Page,guitar

Break Away Avril Lavigne espaƱol - ingles (Official Full Demo 2014) New release- demo of the song Avril wrote for Kelly Clarkson

NFL Great Jim Kelly's Cancer Treatment Set

The beloved former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly,who led the NFL team to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991-94,remains in New York's Lenox Hill Hospital,where he is scheduled to begin treatment for his aggressive head and neck cancer next Monday.He has endured a lot of pain and weakness recently,but is still determined to regain his health,bolstered by strong support and prayers from family and his Western New York fan base.
Last summer,part of Jim's jaw and some teeth were removed during oral surgery for a squamous cell carcinoma.Since then,however,the cancer has reportedly started to spread countless microscopic tumors up the infraorbital nerve,dangerously close to the carotid artery.Jim said he had complained about his headaches for months,but thought they were just part of healing from his June 2013 surgery.Routine testing recently diagnosed the recurring malignancy.*
In an April 1 statement on Jim's condition released by Lenox Hill Hospital,Peter Constantino,MD,executive director of the New York Head&Neck Institute,said Jim will start treatment next week targeting cancer cells in his maxillary sinus and adjacent tissues.He will receive a single dose of chemotherapy along with concurrent daily radiation treatments.The chemotherapy will be repeated on an outpatient basis in about three and six weeks.The radiation therapy will be a six week regimen at North Shore LIJ Cancer Institute Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success,New York,which has a new,47 million dollar,30,000 square foot radiation medicine faciltity that opened earlier this year.
At the conclusion of these treatments,we will wait two to three months to determine the status of his cancer before deciding if surgery will be necessary,Dr.Constantino said.I am confident that this current regimen has a good chance of successfully impacting Jim's cancer.
As I have stated previously,Jim Kelly's condition remains very treatable and potentially curable.Even if chemotherapy and radiation are not successful in eradicating the cancer,his skull-base tumor remains operable,the leading authority on cranial base tumor surgery and facial reconstruction concluded.
Head and neck cancer has been linked to tobacco use,heavy drinking and the human papilloma virus.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Facebook Absorbs Oculus VR

After buying messaging service WhatsApp and expressing interest in solar drone maker Titan Aerospace,Facebook has announced its intention to acquire virtual reality startup firm Oculus VR,Inc.Facebook has one eye on Internet rivals such as Google,which is well known for its appetite for scooping up startups.
Oculus makes the Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles,which are not currently available commercially.Oculus is soliciting application ideas for the big,bulky headset from software developers in fields such as gaming,film,marketing,architecture,education,design and automotive.An early problem with the goggles has been motion sickness.They are part of the wearable tech trend,which has also spawned Google glass and wristwatch smartphones.
We're making a long-term bet that immersive,virtual and augmented reality will become a part of people's daily life,Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained in a conference call.Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game,studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face just by putting on goggles in your home,Zuckerberg enthused.
The two billion dollar deal is mostly in Facebook stock,with only 400 million in cash being forked over by the social media titan.*
Facebook(FB),Google(GOOG)